Submerged

Saturday was a very big day for Riley. We went to a neighbors house for the afternoon to be a part of their yearly Memorial Day weekend gathering and to open the swimming season. My kids LOVE the water. Riley is probably the one that has always loved water the most, but what has always been interesting is that he has never gone all the way in the water. Ri doesn't think a hotel is worth anything unless it has a pool. Doesn't matter if it is 5x5 in size. Doesn't matter if it's indoor our outdoor. Just as long as there is a pool.


With all the love he has for pools there are somethings that he has never liked about them. Being splashed and putting his head under the water top the list. Big splash or a sprinkle of water, if he's not doing it to himself, he's not interested in it. Putting his head under the water is a NEVER! Even in the bathtub, he refused to go under the water. Showers are new within in the past few years and truth be told only because he wants to be just like Andrew. There have been many times that I've had to re-rinse his hair because he didn't like standing under the shower.


Well Saturday was a new day! The neighbors pool was packed and it was impossible to avoid the splashing, although he tried as best he could. I was at the baby pool with Mary Kate when I looked over and Riley was IN the pool up to his neck in water. WOW! I made a big deal about it, well as much as he'd allow me to without crossing the line of embarrassing him. A bit later, the hot tub was packed with a bunch of little bodies (because where else would you be on an 85 degree day, but in a 102 degree hot tub!). Riley was beginning to get a bit more daring in the hot tub and before we knew it he was completely under the water with goggles on and plugging his ears.

He was so proud of himself. When he came above water he immediately started telling me who I needed to email the picture too and then started calling people over to see him do it again and again and.... well you get the picture!

It is days like Saturday, that remind me of just how far Riley has come. His sensory processing disorder has kept him from so many things, but when he is able to learn to work through them the possibilities are endless!

Don't mess with his Mary...

...no matter how much she stinks! I took Simon and Mary Kate on some errands this afternoon and then rewarded them with a stop at a McDonald's with a play-land. There was another little group of boys around the same age that were playing there. Simon and Mary Kate were happily chasing each other throughout the play-land. About 10 minutes passed when I heard the other little boys laughing and pointing.

Simon: "HEY STOP TALKING ABOUT MY MARY!!!!"

The boys continued to laugh and point. Mary Kate was oblivious to their teasing and went on about her business of flirting with another little boy that had just shown up.

Simon: "I SAID LEAVE MY MARY ALONE, YOU ARE BULLIES!!"

OK now I figure I should see what's going on.

Me: "Simon what's wrong?"
Simon: "Mom those boys are calling Mary Kate stinky monster"
Me: "hmmm, do you think she pooped her diaper?"
Simon: "ummmm, yeah"
Me: "well I'm thinking it's time to go 'cause she is a little stinker, but those boys should have not been teasing her like that and we shouldn't make fun of people."

Now this is where I am REALLY proud of myself because when I looked up, I saw one of the younger boys in the group wearing his sisters princess shoes and I didn't say "hey Simon look at the little girly-boy". Now THAT would have been setting bad example wouldn't it?

OxyMORON

I was driving all over the Northern Virginia area today and while on my way home was stuck behind a car with the license plate that said "Vick 7". OK apparently he's a Michael Vick fan. No big deal. We are a house of Hokies and although we don't condone what he did, at a time we were fans. Maybe this drivers' license plates hadn't been up for renewal while #7 has been behind bars. Then while waiting for the light to change I realized that the below "Vick 7" was "I am animal friendly" with a little cat and dog on the side of it. Really? Must be a starving comedian.

Ummm, No Thank You Ri

Riley: "mom can I put fertilizer on you?"
Me: "no"
Few seconds later...
Me: "Ri, why do you want to put fertilizer on me?"
Riley: "so you can turn into a chicken egg and I can heat you"

Obviously, Ri is learning about the life cycle of the chicken at school. Clearly, we need teach the difference between a person and a chicken.

Simon's idea of a fun hike

Simon was getting ready to head out to preschool when I told him after school we'd be going on a hike. He got all wide-eyed (if you know Simon, you know the look well).
Me: "we can look for butterflies and flowers"
Simon: "but I want to look for snakes and lions"

I of course will be taking my camera along. I'm hoping to not come home with pictures of snakes and lions.

Ri needs to work on his photography skills

I was passing out the kids dinner tonight when Riley said he wanted to take a picture of me in his brain. He held up a an imaginary camera and gave a big "click".

Ri: "Ok, lets see you are wearing a Hokie shirt, glasses, sneakers and a little bit of pants..."
Andrew: "Ri she has her pants on, you can't just a wear a little bit of pants"

I will say that Andrew was just as shocked by Ri's photographic memory and even turned around to make sure that I was in fact wearing pants.

For the record, I was wearing a pair of capri pants.

The bad Angel made him bite his nails.

Me: "Nolan are you biting your nails again?"

N: "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll try not to"

Me: "Good"

N: "It's just that the bad angel on my shoulder told me to and the good angel told me not to, but I listened to the bad angel"



If only we all could explain so easily why we choose to do things we shouldn't do.

Kudo's to the "A-Cups"

I went for my first mammogram today and much to my sister's dismay didn't take pictures or have a live video feed available for her comedic enjoyment. When my dear sister went for her first mammogram a few years back apparently she found it funny to imagine how it would even be possible for me to get into the boob-squishing machine and wanted to be there to see it happen. About 6 weeks ago, I felt a lump and after ignoring it for a week, I made an appointment to see my OB/GYN. It's funny I've never seen him for the "GYN", but always for the "OB" and as a matter of fact this appointment was really my 6-week postpartum check-up. I was only 2 years late :) Dr. Scott Forrest laughed and said he figured I'd just call my 6 week check-up in since I'd done it so many times before.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about the mammogram, I think it was a normal reaction and one that was mixed with many different variables. What if they "found" something? What would the future be? What if they laughed at me as they tried squishing my overly petite girls? What if it really did hurt as bad as EVERYONE told me it would? What if I really was THE smallest patient the doctor and mamo tech had ever seen (and at 5'7" I'm not talking about my height)? How would I handle any of the above scenarios?

Well today God sent Karen into my life and she was a true blessing to this nervous lady. Karen was the technician that did the looking, smooshing & pushing. I did get nervous at the beginning when she tried setting me up on the machine and had to stop and put a smaller "smoosher" on (as you can see, I am not hip on technical mamo-terms). She didn't even laugh at me and later told me that I could tell my sister that I got to the number 3 on the smoosher (I let Karen know that I was pretty sure M.O. would have made it to a 9 or 12).

It was the longest 90 minutes EVER, but 6 images and a sonogram later, I walked out of there with GREAT news, all clear! My petite girls and I are some happy campers tonight. There really was no pain, just some discomfort. So maybe the smaller the better is the rule for mamo's ;)

Cheeseburger Joes get 2 thumbs up!

Last week the Kraft Food and Family magazine arrived in the mail and it was loaded with lots of good recipes. I've been getting this magazine for a few years now and have found many recipes, but alas they've never been made. Not this month! I tore the magazine apart and placed the recipes in my handy-dandy-to-do-binder. Easy organizing, but unfortunately many a recipe have ended up in the binder never to be seen again. Well it is the second day of the school week and I'm on my second recipe.

The Cheeseburger Joes are basically sloppy joes, but no need for a can/envelope of "joe" mix. All the ingredients are already on hand. I of course had to double the recipe, so here it goes...

2 lb. ground beef - browned and drained
1 cup bbq sauce & 1/2 cup ketchup mixed together
Add sauces to beef, warm and serve on buns with cheese.

Add some cucumber slices and carrot sticks and dinner was served in under 20 minutes ;) That's my kind of meal.

Lions and Tigers and Bears.... OH MY!!

Yesterday we took a little Park Family Field trip to the Catoctin Zoo up in Thurmont, Maryland. We've driven by the zoo plenty of times on our way to visit friends in Pennsylvania, but have never stopped in. On Saturday afternoon, the Baker Family called to see if we'd like to tag along with them to the zoo. Without much thought (you know like what it would take to get 7 people out of the house for 7:30 am Mass, packing up a change of clothes for the kids and snacks for the car ride) we agreed. I've found these are the best kinds of outings and actually the most relaxing (yes that word can be used in the same sentence with "outing" & "5 kids").

The overall review on the zoo..... The Park's will be monkeying around at The Catoctin Zoo and Wildlife Preserve again! The kids were able to get far closer to the animals and see them much better than they ever could have at the Washington Zoo. No there are no pandas, but truly we've been to the Wash. Zoo before and never seen the panda's. Also no giraffe's or elephants. So what did they have? Monkey's galore, reptiles, lions, tigers, bears, wolves, fish, birds, jaguars, and the best part (according to the boys) were the 2 playgrounds situated throughout the grounds. We were there on the opening weekend, so there were actually a lot of animals that weren't back from their winter siesta's. It was still an awesome time. It was pricey and I think the next time we go we'll be purchasing a yearly pass. Yes, the kids had THAT much fun!

At least Beamer won't have cavities

Well we know Beamer has an affinity for sweets, but the good news is he's trying to practice good dental hygiene.

These tooth brushes were found a few hours after the "little" syrup mishap. It's not as if the kids leave them laying around on the floor, but Mary Kate is known for going into the bathroom and brushing her teeth with whichever tooth brush she can get her hands on and then passing it along to Beamer. She likes to share, we just need to focus that towards something other than the kids tooth brushes.

Poop Economics

Kids these days just don't understand how to make a few pennies. Back in my day the rule was "penny a poop" and boy did I learn how to make money. Our little "Gus" was a good pooper and better yet, I was a smart kid. I learned fractions at a young age and realized that the pooper scooper could also cut poops in half and therefore one poop became 2 or 3 poops! Now obviously I wasn't a rocket scientist or I would have also realized that I could have made up any number because no one was going to actually count the poops to verify the amount I had picked up. Hmmm, the money I really could have made.... Oh well!

So yesterday, the rain had stopped and the weather had warmed up a bit so I figured it was about time I ventured into the mine field of poop that had taken over the back yard. I was having a panic attack just thinking about the amount of poop I would be scraping off of Mary Kate's shoes if I didn't get out there soon.

Bag in hand, away I went about scooping Beamer's poop when I flashed back to Virginia Beach circa 1984 and all the poop I picked up each weekend before Dad would mow the lawn. Andrew has done some pickup for me, but it is usually because I'm busy and the poop-bomb is in his baseball running path in the back yard. His pick-up usually involves plenty of gagging and whining and carrying on. Surely, I never behaved that way? I was all about the money after all. When all was said and done yesterday, I figured my kids could have easily earned a few dollars and even more if they chose to do some chopping o'poop. I wouldn't have verified the amount, but would have been mighty thankful for the job being done. They may have even been able to pull a thorn or two.
I have to look at the funny side of things or I would really drive myself crazy some days and as I've said before, I do tend to grab my camera to capture some of the crazy things. Last Fall, I was cleaning up the backyard when I came across Nolan's missing plastic frog. He would never be able to play with the frog again, but I had to take a picture of its final days....

Beamer does have a history of eating things other than his food. I've found star wars Lego's protruding from his poop bombs along with Mary Kate's colored rubber bands, broken balloons and the absorbency from diapers. This dog loves diapers. The dirtier the better and the absorbency actually continues to absorb and comes out a nice fluffy looking poop.

So aside from the money that the kids could make and then use to help boost the economy of the local 7-11, there are many a laughs and gags that can be had from pickin' up the poops!

I have now exceeded my use of the word "poop" for the day!

Bill Clinton in need of a 6th grade sex ed class

Former President Bill Clinton needs to lay off the "O" Kool-aid, it's killing his brain cell(s) and making him look like (more of) an idiot than he already does. Apparently, he needs to dust off the Websters dictionary and maybe sit in on a basic 6th grade sex-ed course. He sat down for an interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN to discuss Obama's allowance of further embryonic stem cell research.

Clinton: I think - the answer is I think that we'll work it through. If - particularly if it's done right. If it's obvious that we're not taking embryos that can - that under any conceivable scenario would be used for a process that would allow them to be fertilized and become little babies, and I think if it's obvious that we're not talking about some science fiction cloning of human beings, then I think the American people will support this....

With all due respect Mr. Clinton, YOU ARE AN IDIOT! Let me dumb it down for you. First step is an egg is produced. Second step sperm comes in contact with the egg. Third step the egg and sperm become one and then the cells begin splitting and ta-da you have an embryo. So in case I lost you, ONCE THE SPERM IS CONTACT WITH THE EGG IT IS FERTILIZED! So in reference to what you were quoted as saying above, it IS a "conceivable scenario" and they would become "little babies". So NO we will NOT support embryonic stem cell research.

Truly, the evidence and research is not even there for embryonic stem cells. There have been more cures and steps ahead in medicine as the result of stem cell's taken from other areas of the body that do not involve the killing of embryos. What about "cordblood"? They are full of numerous "adult" stem cells and could be incredibly valuable to research, but instead they are usually just discarded post delivery. How many thousands of babies are born each day? Imagine the research that could be done with all the stem cells that are literally thrown in the trash each day?

I'm all about finding cures and advancing scientific research. However, I don't agree with the destruction (Mr. Clinton that is another word for "killing") of embryo's. Especially, when there are other options.

For another thought/view on Obama and his undoing of the restrictions put forth by President Bush with the use of embryonic stem cell research check out this guys site. He's my new favorite read.

I'm scared of heights

Came across this nifty little height calculator and filled in the blanks to see what my future holds. I'm afraid, very afraid!
Andrew - 6'1"
Riley - 5' 11" (obviously very dependent on how well he eats)
Nolan - 6'2"
Simon - 6'2"

Mary Kate was too young to get an accurate height. Oh my goodness though, I do believe we have some recessive genes at work here. I'm only 5'7" and the hubster is 5'10". Maybe I need to start being a little nicer before they literally start looking down at me...

Simon Says "I gotta pee"

Well Simon says that ALL the time. I truly believe that his bladder is the size of an ants. This afternoon we had to pick Ri up from school and then I stopped by the house to wait for Simon to get home from pre-k. Simon hopped in the car, climbed over the back seat into the very back of the van to help himself to "one" Capri-Sun. Off we went to the allergist office to get Ri's allergy shot (only about a 15 minute drive). Riley was called back within 2 minutes of signing in, had his shots and then Simon announced he had to go to the bathroom. No big surprise. Riley took him to the bathroom and then back to the van to head home. 2 in-the-van pit stops the first at McDonald's for Ri, Simon and Mary Kate and then to Chic-fil-A for a salad for me. While in the drive-thru for MY lunch, Simon announced he had to pee. Really? Played this game before. "Simon we aren't getting out of the car. You just went and you are going to have to hold it for 5 minutes."

The crying and frantically grabbing at this pants begins (does that really stop it?). I patiently remind him again that he just went and we would be home in a few minutes (the calm voice was in over drive since at the same time I was putting my order in). Now remember I'm not dealing with a newly potty training child, he's been potty trained for 2 years now. Once we had pulled through the drive-thru and the crying calmed down, I actually thought maybe he finally "got it" and realized we'd be home soon. HA! Joke's on me.

We pulled into the garage and Simon was looking at me sheepishly.
Me: "What's wrong?"
Simon: "I peed my pants"
Me: "Why?"
Ri: "Well you told him too"
Me: "Thanks Ri, but I didn't think he'd do it"

OK so fine while using my calm voice, I may have said (very sweetly) something to the effect of "well then I guess you are going to pee your pants". I didn't think he'd REALLY do it!

Once he was changed and I was done eating, I went out to clean out the car and discovered that the "one" Capri Sun was actually THREE!! No wonder he had to go to the bathroom. I guess he doesn't have the bladder the size of an ant, but he just drinks too much (secretly). We'll be adding that to the list of behaviors to change.

Why Riley won't be a Pirate

Ri: "I don't like Pirates because they drink a lot of alcohol, they don't follow Lent, they say a lot of bad words and say the Lord's name in vain"

This conversation all came from him seeing an A&W commercial in which people were drinking out of a barrel. He must have drawn a connection to Pirates and then felt it necessary to reassure us that he wouldn't become a Pirate.

Some day I'll just need to write a book about Riley. He cracks us up. I've said it many times, we are so blessed with him and I think every family should have a Riley ;)

Beamer's Sticky Mess

Yesterday morning I was full-throttle into the Tuesday morning rush when everything came to a sticky screeching halt! I had just let Beamer in from being in the back yard and he seemed to cower away from me. Very strange since more often than not if I'm moving he's right under my feet. As I was running to take a shower, I found Beamer "hiding" in his crate and he wouldn't come out. I was thinking he's either sick or he did something REALLY bad. I pulled him out and there was a familiar smell, but not one that would normally be associated with dogs. Hmmmm, did he get a hold of Simon's plate of waffles? He sure did smell like syrup. I ran downstairs and was reassured that Simon's plate of waffles had not been attacked by the dog, BUT the Costco size FULL bottle of syrup that was on the pantry floor was now 1/4 full and laying nicely on it's side (the cap was left inside the pantry as he was trying to drag this into the other room)....

Fortunately, for the dog and kids sakes I tend to have a semi-decent sense of humor about these situations and choose to grab the camera before reacting. Like the time I heard the Costco size box of Frosted Flakes being dumped on the floor by Simon. Maybe what I need to do is stop shopping at Costco??

So I ran upstairs, camera in hand, planning to snap a picture of Beamers sad face, but instead found him getting sick. DUH! A bit too much sugar for you? It was 9:15 and I had yet to get showered and Simon needed to be in Chantilly at 10:00 and Mary Kate wasn't yet dressed. After smearing the syrup all over the floor with a roll of paper towels, I grabbed the vinegar and voila! the sticky mess was gone. Beamers crate would have to wait until I got back.

I left the back door cracked so that Beamer could come and go as the syrup was working its way through ;) This I would find was going to be a blessing and burden. When I walked through the door at 12:30 he was running around in the backyard terrorizing the poor neighbor that was gardening. Beamer came running into the house and it appeared as though he was wearing some kind of camoflauge dog sweater. NOT! That "sweater" would instead be all the leaves that were not raked up 3 months ago caked to his body! Beamer was now a walking leaf pile. No I did not get a picture of that, you may use your imagination.

I won't lie, I did take some pleasure in bathing him and not-so-gently pulling the leaves out of his fur. Love this dog, but seriously it's like having 3 toddlers!

It's in the bible

After watching the movie "School of Rock" with Andrew tonight, I asked if he thought Ri would like this movie and he said he would.
Me: "yeah, but we have to make sure the bad words aren't repeated like A - double S"
Hubby: "well it's in the bible"
Andrew: "yeah, Jesus road the ass down to Jerusalem"

Riley's thinking ahead

Ri: "when I grow up my job is going to be the president, but if I lose then I'll be a priest"

Have I said yet today how much having Riley around rocks? Every family should have a Ri ;)

Lenten Sacrifices

This year I've done decided to do things a bit differently for Lent. In years past, we've abstained from meat on Fridays, given something up (candy, coffee) and worked on something personal (usually held within our hearts, but not spoken of). We've never required any sacrifices from the kids other than abstaining from meat. For the past few years, I've seen many ideas floating around the internet full of great ideas of things families can do together in preparation for Easter, but I've always been overwhelmed at the prospect of implementing anything. Not this year! I've been confined to the house since Monday afternoon with sick kids and this has allowed me to put some plans in place. No errands to run. Caught up on the laundry. Today, Ash Wednesday, was the perfect day!

It's really nothing spectacular to the outside world, but for me I feel as though I have had quite an accomplishment. I found a site for making a "Crown of Thorns" and enlisted the help of one sick child to help place the thorns (grandma also helped out when she stopped by). With the leftover salt dough, I made crosses for each child. I then typed up a list of our families planned sacrifices. Later tonight, everyone will sign the list and it will be posted on the pantry door to remind us of the sacrifices we'll be making to help draw us closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.