Not quite the reaction I expected...

Kenna is like my buddy. I tell her things she probably shouldn't "know" because she's like a vault. She'd never tell a secret. She's a very black and white kinda person. Things ARE one way or they're not. If her library book says the word 'hell', she comes to discuss it with me to see if she should continue reading it. I like to tease her she's my little molly mormon goody two-shoes. AND I WOULDN'T WANT HER ANY OTHER WAY!
This being said, she's also a snoop. She loves to 'find' out the details of things that are happening! So...she typically is in the know for who's getting what...and who's done what...and so on. Well, it just so happened that she knew too many details of Santa's list for this year. She'd seen EVERYTHING the big man was bringing Landri. And...because I'm exhausted at the idea of trying to come up with equally perfect/inexpensive presents to exchage these for...I copped out.
I started my conversation with, "Kenna, we need to have a conversation about Christmas." Panic immediately filled her big grey eyes and she got kinda watery and said(because like I said, I tell her more than she should know) "We're not having Christmas this year?" I busted out laughing. Come on. Money hardly grows on trees but we're not going without too much...
Me: Kenna. Seriously. Think about it. Who brings you the presents?
Kenna: (again, same panic face!) What? Santa isn't even coming?
Me: Kenna, who IS Santa?
Now, I realize that I could/should have let this fantasy play out as long as it could. But, she IS 11. I don't think her childhood will be too adversely affected by this revelation.
Kenna's eyes got HUGE. Which, if you know my Kenna...they already are! But then she kinda scowled at me and said, "YOU write my letters?" Yep. "YOU EAT THE COOKIES!" Yep. And, I chew up  the carrots and spit them on the lawn like a reindeer would. At that she was a little grossed out.
I think she was more disappointed when she realized what this really meant: "Oh, I guess I won't ask Santa for a cell phone this year!"
There are some very enjoyable parts of this life. Kenna is defintely one of them!!!

Bull ring....

One of the things I fell in love with first about my husband were his sparkly GREEN eyes. If a person's eyes give anything away...if they are any indication of someone's energy and love of life...then Nate's eyes pretty much say it all! Well...those eyes I love so much are definitely not looking so hot right now. In fact, Nate's not looking so hot right now! :)
On Tuesday Nate spent his lunch hour playing hoops...co-ed hoops. And the females are of 2 varieties...young wanna-be WNBA'ers and those old enough to be my mom. Nate got head-butted by the latter.  I was working and I got a text from him saying he'd broke his nose. Supposing him to be overly dramatic I sent him back one asking if he was crying...and, honestly, I love to tease. So I offered a bit more sympathy, and a LOT of giggles as he walked into the office with a towel covered in blood, and an already swollen nose. He said that his nose was way off to the side and he wrenched it back...three times...and swore IN THE CHURCH! (gasp :) Bishop Michelson came in shortly after the straightening....and was chuckling. So we're just assuming he heard Nate's battle cry!
Nate's eyes were glossy and he had a wicked headache, and was HUGELY irritable that night. Needless to say, he was sent to bed early, like all naughty children.
I made him go to the doctor yesterday morning because the bottom of his nose kinda hooked to the left. They x-rayed it and, duh, it was broke. We found out today it is broke in TWO places. So, they referred us to the ENT for immediate attention. However the ENT couldn't see us any time soon, so we were referred to an oral surgeon, which didn't exactly line up to me. But...I know this particular office very well...so, I called over and made sure we weren't going to end up getting a root canal. After being reassured that the 'maxillofacial' part of the title meant they do this regularly, I began the disaster of calling my insurance company to make sure we were covered. Litterally....three hours later....I had very little information other than this provider was in network for dental procedures, but not for medical. When I was told that he HAD to have the procedure within one week, and that the sooner the better...I decided we were going to go whether insurance paid at all. 3 hours after  the procedure today we got confirmation they'd pay. Halelujah!!!
After an hour of examination today, they called me back to give me the choice: his airway was straight. We could leave it to heal or perform the surgery to straighten it. Nate was basically on his feet, thanking the doc on his way out! Ummmm, no. When he asked what I wanted him to do(I know very well what he wanted me to say) I said, 'sure Nate. I mean, I've let myself go. You might as well have a hook nose.' He still managed to miss my message. Or maybe he thinks I've really let myself go....Oh well. I decided on a more direct answer. Fix. His. Nose.
So here's the highlight: Nate is a light-weight with medicine. And he's a nervous wreck. And he's claustrophobic. When he was informed they'd be giving him his lights-out medicine intravenously, he was freaking out. So...laughing gas. Laughing gas is a beautiful thing. He breathed it in, and kept fidgeting with the mask because he said it was suffocating him...not even trying to suppress my laughing any more. After he inhaled the stuff for a couple minutes I asked if it was working, because I was semi-disappointed. He was just laying there with his eyes closed, insisting it wasn't. But the doc must have known that it was because he grabbed Nate's arm and flipped it over to get a look at the vein he'd be hunting for. He chuckled and made some comment about how ridiculously huge Nate's veins are....and for some reason, that was all it took. The flood gates broke. And my husband laughed for the next five  minutes. Laughed til he cried. Til I cried. It was a laugh I've never heard before. Five minutes of complete hysterical cackling. He'd kinda try to suck it up and tell himself to stop, so he'd swallow it and then, bwaahhahaaa!!!! bust out laughing again.
Seriously...its been a long week. For many reasons. And I've been begging for a change of heart. Believe me when I said it came in the form of something I never expected!
I asked the doc if this was a normal reaction, to which he chuckled and informed me that, no, this was not normal. This was the best he'd ever seen. This was the stuff commercials were made of. Oh, no kidding! I wish to heck I'd have known how fun it would be because I'd have picked up my ipad and recorded the whole thing!
His eyes are really starting to bruise now. He's semi-high on oxy-codone. And I'm still laughing. In MY opinion this was a really good day....

Like his little bull ring? Its very, very, ugh....disgusting. But I love this man!

Hutterite for a day...

Well, a few hours!

Today we got up early and headed to Cut Bank for Kolbe's first Junior High football game. It was SO fun! My Bo is getting to be so grown up. I have especially enjoyed the last few weeks with him, as he's been fun to laugh and tease with. Parts of this phase, the 'teenager', scare me to pieces, so its nice to enjoy it! Its amazing how much a year can do for a boy. He's grown SO much...and he was a different kid out there today! He had some AMAZING hits, and some good runs...and, one that was entirely in the wrong direction. But...Nate and I agreed that watching him in sports is going to be a fun ride. Not because he's going to be all-American. But, it is going to be enjoyable.
On the way home we decided to drop by our friend Sam Wipf's...our hutterite friend! This man has always been SO good to our family. And we thoroughly enjoy him and his sweet wife. So, he's been asking us to come and see the colony for  a while. We did this last year too...but today there was NO door closed to us. He love love loves the kids...especially Landri. So he scoops her up into his arms at every chance. Sometimes she squirms out and whines...and others she scrunches up her nose and gives a cheesey smile, letting him love on her! Its so cute! He walked us first to the turkey barn...eh, okay. Then we headed into the milking parlor. Holy batman! So amazingly hi-tech! There are six cows on both sides of the room, with an aisle down the middle. They all push in, then stand in their places while they are cleaned and prepared..then hooked to the electric pumps. The pumps monitor how much milk has been pumped by this cow, both for its earlier milking in the day and its current milking. The kids were totally fascinated, and we watched two sets be milked. The system automatically back-washes itself with disinfectant in between cows...Next we headed into the barns where the bigger calves were. They were about 4-5 months old...and I couldn't believe their similarity to a puppy! They loved attention...and were fighting to get their heads through the grates to be petted...and would lick your hands. Yuck...but fun! And so clean. I was amazed. Then we went to the barn where the baby calves were. One was just born in the middle of the night. Again...pretty much glorified puppies! Landri was a little more comfortable with this size of cow and walked right up to the stahl, only to have the excited calf pop its head right through for some attention and knock her end over end! Sooooo funny! We had a good laugh, and she hid back a bit...until she saw the next cute calf in the next stahl! From there we toured the machinist shops, which were slightly less interesting to the kids but incredible for Nate and I. So impressed with the cleanliness of everthing! We saw all of Sam's secret stashes of paint/laquer and supplies tucked in this closet and that throughout the colony. And every strange store room had a fridge, stocked with???? BEER! :) We saw the feed rooms, the fertilizer shop, and the cement shop. And because our children are truly spoiled...and live a life of leisure...Avery was giddy when she saw the large square pond off behind the pig barn, certain that was where they swim. Um. No. Sam cringed and carefully explained it was 'human....waste.' Ewwww. I don't think Aves figured out what he was talking about! The last stop, and I think favorite of the kids on the tour, was the pig barn. So stinky! But there were babies, 2 days old, nursing on their moms...and squealing! Man...it was noisy! So of course Eli leaned in to get a good look and the momma, being a bit protective, popped up her big ugly head and snorted at him! I think he had a heart attack! He jumped a good foot in the air! I was bent over laughing so hard...we didn't stay long in there, as Sam warned us the stench would quickly overtake our clothes and skin. It was a no brainer...I didn't want to smell like that! We stopped by Sam's home and visited with his two daughters and wife. His wife is the sweetest thing! She also loved the children, but couldn't get enough of Landri. She would take her face in her hands,  rub her cheeks over and over again...desperate to snuggle her. Lu wasn't entirely cooperative, though she did offer up one hug and many smiles and giggles for her.
As we loaded the vehicle with a HUGE box of pork steaks...and varied other pork cuts...as well as the huge box of produce he let us 'shop' out of their big refridgerated shop...we were touched and grateful that he was our friend. Not because he gives us things. That is a perk, sure. But he is a genuinely kind man. He inspected our tires, worried that they are in desperate need of replacement. He urged us to drive very slowly on the gravel...so as to make sure out tires were okay. He told us to love our little family...said we are blessed...and cautioned us about the trying times to come as our little ones grow.
It is amazing to me to see this 'people' as just people. They are no different than me. Sure, they speak a different language, wear distinguishing clothing...but they are often misconceived, misunderstood and judged for their lifestyle. And really, its their faith. And that is something I can understand. I think my faith is misconceived and misunderstood. I might blend in a little easier...but I envy the quietness and simpleness of their life. No way of life is without sorrow...children stray...and there are health issues and struggles that plague us the same.
It was seriously SUCH a fun day. I left feeling such an immense grattitude to my Heavenly Father for good people.
Nate unloaded all the goodies when we got home and as he passed me in the kitchen he said, "Sam worries about us." Huh? "Well, he worries about knowing we have a big family and knowing how expensive things are. He likes helping us." While we are in no means going without...or in need....I felt the love of my Heavenly Father today through this good man. And my children are all convinced they could easily adapt to Hutterite life.

Quiet...

I have been waiting for this day, perhaps a bit too excitedly, for the last month! About the 2nd week of August my kids kinda tuckered out on summer break and when the pool closed they decided their only option for entertainment became the art of annoying one another. And, it didn't take them long to really hone in on their skills. So it wasn't really a secret that mom was ready for school to begin. I'm eager for routine bedtimes...tired, happy kids. I LOVE time with just Landri. She's either color blind or severely neglected...so, we need a little time together!
This morning started fairly early. That's one perk of the first few weeks of school: its still a novelty and they're excited to go...to wear new clothes forbidden them the last month...play sports and hang out with buddies. So, somehow we managed to have everyone, except Lu, up and showered and ready by 7:15 today. And then began the struggle to keep them contained until 8!
After pictures and morning prayer, Lu lugged her big backpak along as we walked them all to school. We managed to keep up with no one! But, I did find each of them for one quick kiss and hug. Its fun to see them in their element.
When we came home and closed the door Landri asked, "mom, Eli???" . When I told her he was going to school she said, "I cry!" She then laid on the floor and cried. That made me tear up a bit too~ she 'want HOME!' her brothers and sisters! It will be a quiet morning.
And, I'm entirely looking forward to it. My house is spotless..my cars are spotless(well, on the inside) and I have play dough and HGTV. Gonna be a good day!

Chronicling today...

This morning didn't exactly start out like any other. I woke up early and fought against myself to get back asleep. I had several promptings that I should get up. I even knew it involved Landri. But I am an idiot.

So, I finally got up about 6:45 and walked by her room, noticing she wasn't there. Hmmmm. Weird, I thought. She always gets in bed with us! So I came downstairs and noticed the door to the garage was wide open. So, I flew outside...in my skippies...yelling her name. Nothing. I booked it back in the house and upstairs to throw some clothes on and get Nate. The two of us headed in opposite directions. I screamed her name and was getting pretty frantic. By the end of the alley, her usual escape route, I was bordering hysterical. Taking a quick sec to offer a desperate prayer...I headed around the block. At this time of morning the town is perfectly quiet. And I was having no luck finding her! I headed back to the house and woke Kolbe and Kenna to help search. Grabbing the phone I jumped in Nate's car to search faster. I'm not so afraid of the people here as I am her innocence to the danger of a car...backing up, or being unseen. I can't even describe the sheer panic I was feeling.
I had dialed my mom...when the thought came to me that I should call 911. AGH! That thought immediately increased my anxiety! 911 is never good news, right? So I hung up, and dialed 911. The operator had to walk me thru my name multiple times...hearing my frantic screams that my baby was gone! After gettting my name, he asked where I was. When I told him Fairfield he asked me if my daughter had blonde hair! I thought I was going to throw up. That meant someone had called in something...like, she was probably run over or hurt...After a few 'mam, calm down' moments...he said he knew where my daughter was. He could have the deputy bring her to me. Nope! Where was she? I'll get her myself! So, he gave me the address and I headed right over. I expected to find Landri at least particially as upset as I was! She is a mama's girl...But as I came in the house I found her sitting at the kitchen table, smiling from ear to ear, just chilling with her new friend. Apparently, this woman had seen her walking down the middle of the street( 3 blocks north of our house) before 6:45 this morning and thought she must  be cold in her little jammie gown....and obviously lost. So she took her in and called 911 herself. I was pretty much a wreck at this point, but at least I knew she was okay. Nate didn't. Nor did the other kids who were out looking. So we headed out in search of them. I found my sweet Kolbe standing in the middle of the street about 2 blocks from home just weeping. SUCH relief in his face when he saw her! Then I chased down Kenna on her bike. She said she had offered 'several prayers' that we'd find her safe. I had just pulled up to the house when Nate came home on his bike. Landri, still smiling, hopped into his arms. She only knew everyone was crying...and so she proceeded to lather her dad in kisses! Wowza. Not a perfect start to the day....but a perfect answer to our prayers!!!
When we got home from church, Louie was playing in the living room with Kenna and Avery while I cooked. It was a little crazy! Right after asking them to tone it down a bit, I heard a huge clank. I hurried in to see both Kenna and Avery frozen, staring toward the end table that Landri had just cleared. It had my scentsy pot on it, filled with melted candle wax. It is currently waiting for me to clean still....two hours later. My steam cleaner is on, but I'm avoiding it for now. On a high note, my main floor smells incredibly tangerine.
As I initially assessed the damage of the mess, I very impatiently kicked the girls out of the living room. I was pulling the end table out to get to the mess and Landri yelled from the landing, "hi mom!" And just like that, she dropped the toilet paper over the edge, holding on to the end! First of all, how did she even know to do that?
I am pretty sure I'm paying a small payment in reminder that just this week I was pretty overwhelmed by her cute, snuggliness and had posted something about 'loving everything about this phase and wishing to have a 2 year old forever.'
Well, I DO love her. And she should be thankful for that...or else today could be very different :)

I am glad for many things...many things today!

I wanted to take a quick second and record a few of the highlights of my Garage Sale weekend....

1. My girlfriend Keri donated two little potty-training toilets to my garage sale. During each day this past week when I worked out there sorting things, Landri broke those two things IN. It was funny. I hate those things! I've never used one to potty train because the idea of having 'potty' just sitting around in my kitchen...or living room, pretty much sicks me out. I've always trained my kiddos on the big toilet. So Friday morning about 11 am my girlies Jen Schenk and Heather Drishinski showed up to start arranging the sale outside. It took WAY longer than I thought! And, we were shopped all day too! It was fine; who cares when it sells, just as long as it does, right? My kids were troopers. They played in the garage and backyard all day. Landri was there with us the whole time...It wasn't until about 4 o'clock, and 10 shoppers later...that one of us walked by the rows of kid stuff and noticed Lu had used the potty chair. So...there it sat! GROSS.
2. When the first toilet chair was picked up to be purchased, Lu happened to be standing close by. She tried to fight the lady for it. Nice. Realizing she may have lost that battle, Landri huffed it over to the last potty chair, dropped her britches and sat down. Staking her territory so to speak. Did I mention it was garage sale? With lots of people? My mom saw her and scooped her up, panties around her ankles and all, and carried the very unhappy pottier into the house. Gratefully, both toilets sold....empty.
3. Landri loves other people's clothes. Namely Avery's. And because Avery is the sweetest kid alive...Landri has claimed the right to demand that she strip and give her the outfit she's wearing if, when walking by, she decides that she likes what Avery's wearing. We have discussed this Avery. Yesterday after the movie we needed a few things at Target. I trotted across the parking lot with Landri...as we got to the doors, this little family walked out with a little girl slightly older than her. She happened to be wearing a cute little dress. Landri stopped dead in her tracks and said, 'Ohhhhhh. T-u-ooot dress! I want it!' I started laughing and told her, " Landri, its her dress. She's wearing it. You can't have it." 'WHAAAAAT?' she said. I thought the cute little lady following us in was going to die of laughter. Imagine. Someone told her no!!!?!!!
4. After neglecting my children badly this week, I announced yesterday that we were going to the movies! Perhaps it was really because I wanted to avoid cooking dinner. I'll never tell. Jerry had just walked in the door so he decided to tag along. My children are naughty in the car. Always. And, Jerry feels it is part of his responsibility to parent them.We headed to Taco Hell for dinner. We pulled in and Jerry announced that he'd like to say something. He turned around, and said, "okay guys, we need to behave in here. No fighting and being wild. Its important to us." Perfectly said Jer. Of course Nate and I were chuckling...and the kids were a little less impressed.

It don't take much....

The silliest things make me happy. I know. But, I'm a pretty easy girl to please. So, I'm almost giddy to report that operation:Christmas is well underway. Usually the big man brings 2 gifts per kiddo, and we do two. But...seriously, its usually one good gift from each...and one very inexpensive filler gift. I don't know very many people who can knock off Christmas for less than we do. And because I'm the queen of all things cheap, my kids feel like they've been spoiled rotten! So...imagine my sheer giddiness to report that Landri has TWO gifts...one cost me 25 bucks, the other will cost me about 10 in supplies to doll up...and her other presents will be small and cheap. Holla! Kenna's gonna be tough this year...not even any ideas. Kolbe has one thing on the way, which is his BIG one. But again, I scored it at HALF its going price. We plan to put all our travel expenses on our Scheels card and pay it off, so we'll use our free gift card money to buy his other main gift and smaller filler ones, plus the one thing I can think of for Kenna, for FREE! So, we're basically covered for Bo. Avery got her main big man gift ordered today, but I'm at a loss for her too. They are so hard when they get bigger! Ordered Eli's main gift today....for, watch for it...a THIRD the normal price. So. See why I feel like skipping? I might even pull off a record LOW people. (which would be good, all things considered...)