Begging Puckey (aka Drink Face)

Well, since there's a new video feature, I just had to put this on...it's a few months old, but it's Puckey in her best begging shape...enjoy!!

A bad morning for Puckey

This morning has been pretty rough on little Puckey. First she woke up and decided to "washey hair" in the toilet. Daddy had gone to the bathroom and not only did he leave the door open when he was done, he left the seat and lid up on the toilet. Um, yeah, thanks Daddy. I was putting laundry away in Bug and Nan's room when I heard Daddy say, "OH NO" I bolted out into the hallway just in time to see my wet-headed little Puckey combing her hair with my comb. YUCK. Daddy got her cleaned up, and all was right with the world again. Still deciding what to do with the comb, though...maybe I'll just throw it away.

So I guess I should have known putting that shirt on her would be trouble...

After Daddy left for work, we were in the bedroom and Puckey was taking advantage of the fact that I was trying to do some stuff, so she was jumping on the bed. I no sooner told her to sit down and started to walk over to her, when "thunk!" goes her nose to the window sill above our bed. Her nose isn't broken, but I think she's going to have a doozy of a black eye (actually it looks like she might end up with two black eyes). My poor Puckey. I hope this will be the last time she decides jumping on the bed is a good idea. Knowing her, though, probably not.

****************UPDATE...NO BLACK EYES! YEAH!!!!*********************

I hate housework

A partial view of my kitchen
Of all of the things I have to do as a stay at home mom, I think the worst thing is housework.

I DESPISE doing dishes.

I LOATH washing laundry.

Sweeping makes me SICK.

Vacuuming makes me want to VOMIT.

Waxing makes me WEARY.

Polishing?? Oh, PLEASE.

That said: Thanks, God, for providing me with a hard-working husband who works 2 jobs so that I can stay home. Thanks, God, for allowing us to buy this great house to live in. Thanks, God, for giving me 5 beautiful, healthy (albeit SLOPPY) kids to love (and clean up after). Thanks, God, for the healthy body you have given me, so I CAN do housework. Thanks, God, that I live in the era of automatic washers, gas dryers, dishwashers, microwaves and hot water heaters! Thanks, God, that I don't have to haul water from a river and heat it up on a wood stove so that I can wash mountains of dishes by hand. Thanks, God, that we don't have to share bathwater when we take a bath at night.

Looking at how hard pioneer women had it, I guess housework these days isn't so bad after all. Every now and then it's good to remember how relatively easy I have it, and to say thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing lowly little me such a fantastic life.

Happy people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of what they have! (A great quote I heard one day, which I try to remember when I start feeling like I "deserve" more...)

From toothless to two teeth overnight...

Jib then...... and now

My little Jib is getting so big. It's too fast. This morning she was sporting two little stubby teeth where last night there were just smooth slobbery gums. Next thing I know she'll be crawling and then walking....ugh. I'm not ready!! Is there any way to keep her just like she is? My cute little round-headed cherub...I don't even mind changing the diapers and the occasional spit up. I love her big toothless grins (which she technically still has, since you can't really see her teeth yet), and the sweet way she smells when she snuggles up next to me. I don't even mind when she wakes up hungry at the crack of dawn some mornings. (Although don't ask me that while I'm stumbling blindly through the kitchen at 5:00am trying to make her a bottle while she's bawling her eyes out - I would probably not respond nicely.)

I wonder how long it will be before I'm sitting here thinking "we need another baby..." (Remember, we have 5 already). Fortunately, Daddy already took care of that issue, so we shouldn't ever get a suprise visit from the stork. We have talked about someday (when the big kids are out of the house probably) taking in foster kids, but that's a long way off.

Something that's not a long way off is the start of school. My wonderful mother in law took the kids on their now annual school shopping trip. I feel so fortunate to have in-laws who can, and are willing to, do things like that for the kids. And the kids love it, too. We usually get the shopping done in about an hour or so, and then we get to go to lunch. Today we went to a Mexican restaurant that my step-daughter recommended. It was VERY good (thanks Hannah, for the suggestion). We'll have to eat there again sometime. It's nice, because it's close to home and not super pricey. I love Mexican food.

My favorite time of day

In the morning, before everyone else wakes up, I sit here and sort of revel in the quiet. There's no cries for milk, no "she's touching me" from my 12 year old son (who happens to be the lone boy in a sea of girls), no running feet through the house, no cereal spilled on my recently swept kitchen floor...no "thanks, Mom" for fixing what's broken, no sweet sticky kisses from my Puckey, no toothless grins from my Jib, no "can I help you with...?" from my older kids, no call from my sweet husband to see how my day is going, no sitting at the table sharing a meal and some laughs with the kids, no hearing Puckey repeat just about everything she hears, no snuggling on the couch with one (or all) of the kids, no watching them play, no seeing the love in my Puckey's eyes for her big Bubber, no seeing the smile on my husband's face when he comes home and Puckey yells "DADDY!" and runs to be picked up...So then I sit here in the quiet waiting for my favorite time of day to come....when everyone else gets up!

Can you believe it, it's almost 8:45am and the only ones up are me and the Jib?!? (Well, Daddy's up too, but he's already gone to work :-( )