Corona-Tine Weeks Ocho y Nueve

Linking up with Kelly ... wrapping day 63

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Passing on my LOVE for hammocks to my children...  

Speaking of hanging out.. 

Lee and I have been sitting out on the front porch most evenings and contemplating life and Corona and the weather and work and kids and everything and this showed up

It was truly majestic and the pics don't do the colors justice.  A reminder of God's covenant for sure. 

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I still drag everyone on our normal morning and sometimes afternoon walks... 

I thought C was wearing one of the girls hoodies but it turned out to be mine.

No personality at all...nope 

R knows I love flowers

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In my spare time (hahahahaha) I've been inspired to fill up the walls with puzzle and other assorted frames... 

I'll have to post my weekend progress on the girls room. E's begging for a wall color... maybe in the fall? 

---4---

The boy needs a haircut and I told him he could not buzz his hair like Papa just yet.

Great excitement around the house one day last week was... 

So entertained. 

My guy

He's getting so big, if I sat and thought about it long enough I could cry. 

---5---

Double Digits: 

She's got a book problem. 

I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (aloud) to the group this week (so we can watch the movie) and it is AWESOME. We are loving it!

Enjoying her new bday skates : ) 

E BEGGED to turn on the sprinkler Friday night and I made her call Lee to confirm which was oh so wise on my part because once she fiddled with the front sprinkler for 15 minutes she drug the back sprinkler all the way to the front - much to Lee's chagrin the next afternoon (but I told him he couldn't be mad at them because 1. he approved it and 2. she was being resourceful). C may have been better suited in a bathing suit because she didn't realize clothes are REQUIRED 

---6---

The Puzzle Report:

We are onto another puzzle... Six maybe? E has claimed this for the nursery and I tend to agree with her. The brighter evenings has afforded the big girls a little extra neighborhood freedom so puzzling into not what it used to be but its okay. 

---7---

Wildlife Report...  

The girls were collecting ladybugs for the "Ladybug Hotel" - they were having a hard time keeping them in so we opted for the hotel theory. M has to do a bug project for school and she chose a ladybug. I was hoping she'd find a round rock and paint it red (they have gotten into the painted rock selling business in the afternoons) but that didn't happen. The project is due Monday and all we have so far is a styrofoam sphere. 

Thanksgiving Dinner and St. Francis

E nearly stepped on this during one of our morning walks. We hoped that by not touching it, its mom would come back and teach it how to fly. 

Last night I pulled a tick off of Lee. It hadn't fully burrowed??? but it did bite him because a small part remains stuck under the surface of the skin. Praying that it is not a lyme carrying tick.  Oh and M saw a black snake slithering across the back yard today which was a topic of much conversation. 

7QTs - Hard Rice Krispies, Dances, Outdoor Habitats

Linking up with Kelly ... first week of February 

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This week has been an interesting one culminating with some whacko weather yesterday afternoon that canceled everything. The wind was pretty scary. Today the big girls had school and the preschoolers were on a delay which meant we did not opt in for preschool. So they enjoyed a morning of PBS and general fighting and bickering and snacking while I attempted to get work done pretty well if I may say so myself. 

Also this week, much to E's great disappointment the AHG summer camp she went to last year is not operating this summer - I'm telling you last summer she had the best summer and didn't even know it. So that was a tear-filled conversation which is strike number two against summer 2020 because her (and mine) favorite local drama camp also got axed (we found out about that late last year and she was depressed for a week). So I had high hopes to try a non-AHG camp that is only an hour away and after careful coordination with her friend from school and getting R on board... E got in and R and her friend are on the waitlist!!!!!!! because registration opened last week and I said no to this camp originally because of the AHG camp. The irony of it all. So we are crossing fingers for two openings. 

Finally in other I don't want to hear it news... we met with the builder about our addition plans, cut the fat and talked about a bare(-ish) bones addition to the kitchen and laundry room - I mean the whole thing is truly a want as opposed to a need but you get the point... before he left I asked him if he'd do what we were talking about and he basically said no. For a variety of reasons, sinking money into this house... trying to live in a house without a kitchen for AT LEAST 45 days... nothing major or anything. 

ALL

THE

SIGHS

So now I will stop the whining and because there's a whole lot more to be grateful for...

---2---

Tonight is the Daddy Daughter Dance at school 

M insisted Papa not see her until she was ready

E insisted that she not match her sisters 

R, along with the others, was thrilled for the flowers and the dab or two of lipstick I let them wear

LOVE THEM!!!!

2019 - didn't post pics!?!?!
2018
2017
2016 - I think they went?

---3---

Today was Pizza Lunch at school which it is required of each class once a year to do the treats for pizza lunch. I have and probably will always do Rice Krispies - because I'm OCD like that. No deviation, please. So E's class had treat duty two months ago and there were reports of crunchy Rice Krispies, which normally would mean nothing to me but Lee said something about them and how they were REALLY crunchy... too crunchy (insert all the annoyed-ness because he's probably right, and nobody has EVER said anything about the texture before and heck I'm making homemade treats instead of getting Zebra cakes people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) nothing against Zebra cakes or anything but you know

Eating the last one...

Well, let me tell you. If you Google hard Rice Krispies then you will know the problem because I am always running short on time. Turns out if you power-melt your marshmallows your Rice Krispies will be rock SOLID. Well you know what happens if you DON'T rush through the marshmallow melting process... 

THEY ARE WAAAAAAAAAY better. 

So after five years of making Rice Krispies for pizza lunch treats, guess who won't be rushing marshmallow melting EVER again. MOI - it is worth the wait and makes all the difference!

---4---

Why can't all the bananas have stickers?

This girl might just drive me over the edge with her sassiness at school. Continuing to try and reign her in but not break her spirit because I love her. 

This guy might be driving me crazy but not taking his rests nicely so I'm trying to figure out alternatives for afternoon break time.

---5---

I'm pretty sure boys were meant to exist outside. I really think that outdoors is A's habitat. He loves to be outside and the warmer weather this week has meant even more outside time. 

He loves to dig a hole and this week he decide to dig a hole by the gutter to which I asked him if he thought Papa wanted him to dig right there and he said 'probably not'. But he did find a 'sleeping snake' - an earthworm. Then when all the rain came it was filled up with water to A's delight. He would have been outside all day today had I let him but it was blustery and cold so I nixed his hole digging plans. 

---6---

I mentioned here that I evicted J from the nursery bed. Well that didn't last long but he is falling asleep in the crib now so I have the bed to myself for part of the night. 

---7---

On tap for the weekend is practice and pancakes, church, celebrating R's #8!!!!!!, and hopefully running 12(ish) miles. The half marathon is two weeks away and I finished the 12.5 miles last weekend so I know now it is possible to finish - maybe not in the time I'm hoping for... but then my crazy foot decided it needed to hurt but it has been getting better over the course of the week so I'm banking on a solid run before the party. 

Next week is R's actual birthday and Valentines Day with all the valentines that are needed for school plus dinner with Lee and our third wheel J because he still doesn't take a bottle because nobody's tried... 

7 Quick Takes - Ticking the Tocks to Christmas

Dear Life - I love you. But you are absolutely crazy... 

--- 1 ---

Just a small reminder that reasoning with a 2 yr old is basically impossible... 

I couldn't even tell you why she was mad

Parenting 2 yr olds can be super challenging... 

This concludes the PSA reminder

--- 2 ---

Our 5th week of Advent activity... 

They unwrapped 6 bags of Hugs

Which is a HUGE help

Furthers proves my point that I'm OCD about some things? Anyhow, they were way good and we gave them out as teacher gifts and will be giving them out to neighbors/friends this week coming up. 

--- 3 ---

I also made pound cake sans kids because they are a bit of a distraction... 

I definitely underestimated the amount of flour we had but was able to get 2 batches done with no problem. The biggest limiting factor in all this is the time it take to bake. With the double oven and eight mini loaf pans I get one batch done in about an hour. And I don't just happen to have 5+ hours to allot to baking all the necessary cakes so... I divided it up. 

Cutout paper to fit bottom of pan, spray Pam to make it stick = the only way to do it

This year I was so bound and determined to not have an experience like I did last year which makes me look super crazy but I blogged about it anyway so everyone can have a good laugh. 

Then this was the scene at 5:30 in the AM. I woke up at 4 and knew I had a shot at getting 3 batches in before school so I was game. 

BUT I forgot to check the pantry and realized I only have enough sugar for one flipping batch. So at 4:45 with one batch in the oven I scurry off to Harris Teeter for some sugar and sour cream and chips (for E's class party the next day). The store is quite quiet at that time of day : ) 

Now I remembered to take off the paper from the cake this time but I didn't do it on my previous two batches and I was super bummed because I really wanted everything to be perfect. And then I got to thinking, how not cutout I am for this line of business - especially after my brilliance from last year. But I am slowly figuring all this stuff out. Similar to the way I think about this whole motherhood journey. I make mistakes daily but by the grace of God we are still here and, while not perfect, it's a heck of a ride. 

Enough of the philosophical stuff. Lots of flour...

18 eggs

That could have made a lot of some really good whip cream.

40 mini loaf pound cakes ready to vacant my freezer

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This was the funniest part of my week for sure.. 

I let the girls decorate and address their teacher cards. That meant writing a list out for E but R needs a bit more direction. Well I was feeding A and in order to avoid a 3-yr-old screamfest Lee was roped into helping. It was the first time (I think) that he's hands on helped a kid with writing. Somehow both E and R ended up left-handed and he and I are both righties. When he first got ready to help R start I seriously looked at him and asked how in the world he was going to help her and see what he was writing. 

For whatever reason it was the funniest thing to me and there was belly laughing and tears by the time he was done helping her with the eight cards. 

The writing wasn't fantastic but as he would say - your handwriting isn't anything to jump up and down about Chicky! 

--- 5 ---

As if that wasn't enough excitement. This was the week of both Christmas programs on the same day. 

After a play-by-play plan of attack was sent out, Grammy and Grandpa Joe came to our house and helped us get out the door. This was a time that E legit couldn't find her shoe and we were late and there was crying and yelling and then it was under the couch. That's how the night got kicked off. Then Lee and Grandpa Joe stayed with R at her program - and it was reported she did awesome!

Grammy and M and A and I shot over to E's school to save seats and we were there 20 minutes earlier than the 45 minutes early the kids had to be at the school and we were still fifth in line for seats (in the little church basement). We ended up in the perfect spot - though it helped I knew where to sit because A and I stuck around for the dress rehearsal that morning because I wasn't sure how he'd do and I didn't want to miss it. E did an awesome job on her speaking part and I think I grew a grey hair or two being nervous for her - because I'm a worrier like that. 

--- 6 ---

So we survived the double header programs like champs so everyone celebrated with class parties later in the week. 

Somehow I didn't end up with a pic of E dressed for her party but indulge me for a moment and then you might know why... 

Friday should have been textbook easy. R and M didn't have school and were staying home. I had to help with E's party and the ONLY thing I had to bring was chips and dip. I got the sour cream the day before and I was set. Friday was the only day I could figure out how to fit in the van oil change (because I was 2000 miles overdue : ( ) So I'm rushing to get everything in the van and ribbon on the pound cakes and stroller in the van because that carseat is KILLING my back and Lee says do you have everything you need? Yep I got it all chip, bowls, sour cream and mix. Drop E off at school, race over to the dealer, think it would be wise to get gas because the van is reading about 15 miles left but I'm late for work so I'll just get it later, drop off the van, take the shuttle to work and realize as I'm getting out of the shuttle that I left the chips and bowls on the counter in the laundry room!!!!!!!!! 

What the what. 

The shuttle driver calls the dealer to see if they can move up my appointment time so I have time to race home to get the party supplies - oh and Lee is in Raleigh getting our Christmas tree and stuff so it's not like he can rescue me. 

After checking out at the dealer, I get in the van and I see there's only 6 miles left until empty (and that's only a suggested empty amount right?). There is no gas station on my way home and I don't have time for a detour. I make it into the neighborhood and I'm on 2 miles. I start thinking to myself - okay who can I call if I run out of gas on the way to the gas station. I come up with a decent list, get the chips and bowls and shoot off. Only to be realize I've hit: 

Before I leave my neighborhood and the gas station is a good 4-5 miles away. 

Take a deep breathe and start praying..

Fortunately the story doesn't get any more dramatic than that. I make to the gas station and to the party on time. And for whatever reason I managed to not get a pic of E : ( 

--- 7 ---

Not to just totally nix A from the blog...

Thanks a lot kid

Our boy!

The load of boy clothes I never would have imagined I'd have to wash. 

Last night Lee and I went to a kid-free Christmas party. E and R were at Grammy's and M was with Jibbe. A tagged along because he's not on the bottle using train quite yet - he was fine though. This morning I woke up and there was light coming through the shades and I thought something was wrong. Then I remembered 75% of the kids weren't in the house and the baby was sleeping. Getting out of bed at 7:45 has never been so peaceful