Aren't I awesome?

Having the boys gone for nearly a month...well, it was hard. I hated having my family split up, even for just a few weeks. But, as they say (I'm pretty sure), "That's how the cookie rolls!" (I love mixing metaphors.)

I missed things like Josh taking me on a tour of the Dinosaur Park in Ogden saying things like "Don't touch that. It's the itchylickitus. It will make you itchy for days." Or "This dinosaur was from 1982" (a very long time ago). I missed knowing where he is emotionally and physically. And knowing that I've got a plan for dealing with his various issues, whatever they are. Same goes for Emmett. Understanding your children, I've found, doesn't come naturally. It takes a lot of time and thinking and effort.

Oh, and Emmett. He's the funniest kid. Seriously, funnyness just comes out of him. When he was a baby and just learning how to walk, he could make people laugh by just stepping 5 steps in a row. That's talent. Lately, he's been discovering his own self-worth, which I find very endearing--and sometimes downright hilarious. Like when he found his toy under the driver's side seat and proudly announced it with an "Aren't I awesome, Mom??"

So, anyway, they were gone FOREVER (= 3 1/2 weeks). I would find myself bursting into uncontrollable, sobbing tears in random places like the garden or the shower or the church's restroom. But I got myself through it, and this is how:

New baby coming = nowhere for toys or playing. So, I
1. Kicked the cats out. (Ahhhhhh...) (It might be a pregnancy thing. Because I didn't dislike them this much last year.) (Arg. Cats. They throw up, and stink, and jump on your lap like it's their property, and tear up carpet, and get their hair all over you when they rub up against your leg...bleh. Lindsay, I love you, but I don't know how you do it.)
2. Cleaned up junk and old furniture and stuff and either donated it or threw it out.
3. Cleaned up old cat carpet. (I probably should have used a face mask for that. My throat was itchy for days.) (Oh yeah, I think I'm allergic to cats, just to throw that in.)
4. Made a plan.
5. Painted cement floor in basement.
6. Put up old fabric to cover insulation.
7. Trip to Lowe's. They cut the long cuts for me on their vertical table saw. (Pretty cool set up.)
8. Built and painted three cabinets/shelving units (Really, this should be about 18 steps, because it took the longest.)
9. Bought $35 couch from DI. It's in pretty good shape.
10. Had Ryan do all the heavy lifting.
11. Oh yeah, built a chalk board out of left over backing and 2x4s. And chalk paint, of course.
12. Imagined curtains (because I haven't put them up yet.)
13. And, of course, transplanted all the toys from the baby's room to the new play room. (That probably deserves more than one step, too.)

Here's the result:

Aren't I awesome?

Monsters

It's been a while...

Let me catch you up:

December wasn't so good. I was sick for all of it and January, too. Before you ask, yes, I'm pregnant. But then, morning sickness doesn't last six months, so...  I really don't have much of an excuse for not blogging (journaling) regularly except that my soul was so starved for sunlight and exercise this winter that I feel like I'm recovering from a massive trauma.

But things are looking up, except that whenever the weather is not so good, I sort of suffer from PTSD and relapse. Luckily, the nice days have outnumbered the bad, hence, I'm alive a little bit more than I was a month ago.

So, onto life:

Last night Ryan and the boys and I drove home from Twin Falls where my dad officially celebrated a long and successful career as a dentist. I could write a whole blog on how his work ethic has affected my life, but I'll save that for another day (in six months???). Getting the boys to bed was a top priority for Ryan and I after hearing two hours of teasing, yelling, and in general, 4 and 5 year old rebelliousness rearing its head. So, I summoned every ounce of patience I had left (after sternly lecturing the boys on "listening the first time"), read stories, tucked them in and ran out the bedroom door to the bath tub. (Ryan was running a quick errand at the time, so I had the whole quiet house to myself.) As I stripped down and put in bath salts, I heard a couple of small voices outside my bathroom door saying "Mom, we had nightmeers." (I think it's cute that they mispronounce some words.) It had been literally 4 minutes since I left their room, so I knew their "nightmeers" were fabrications. But, like the good mom I am, I gave them hugs and put them back to bed. (Okay, maybe I didn't hug them.) Then, just as in the past, whenever I'm frustrated and at the end of my rope with the boys, they do something that makes me laugh and wonder how I'd ever get along without them. Josh starts twitching and saying "owowow" and groans, "Mom, I'm having another nightmeer." Totally confused now, I ask him, "What is a nightmeer?" He replies, "You know, when the full moon is out and it makes us turn into a monster!"

Yes, indeed, they are monsters. But funny ones.

Who would you vote for???

The other morning, when I was watching the presidential debate that we recorded from the night before (that I fell asleep to while trying to watch with my husband), Josh was with me. He was very interested in why I kept telling them to be quiet so I could hear.

"Who is that, mom?"

"That's Mitt Romney."

"What is he saying, mom?"

"He's telling us what he would do if he were President."

"What's a President?"

"That's the person we made the leader of our country."

"Is he a king?"

"No, we don't have a king. We have a president. God is our king." (Good line, huh? I got it from Little House on the Prairie.)

"How do we make him a President?"

"We vote. And I hope this guy gets all the votes. I hope he wins." (I know this might be sounding like a political commentary, but it's not, I promise...just keep reading.)

"Would you want me to win if I were talking?" (Talking = running for the nomination, but we don't worry about particulars.)

"Yes!! I would absolutely vote for you! What would you say if you were talking?"

(Oh, the wisdom of children...)

"I would say: I hope everyone is safe and that no one dies. I hope we are all happy. And I hope Jesus comes back soon."

Isn't that what it all boils down to?