When did you get so big?

My little Mac n Cheese chef


In other news, since I don't have a "crafty" bone in my body I wonder what crafts would be fun to do with kids on a plane? I plan on buying pipe cleaners since I am now adept at making monkeys, iguanas, babies and of course snakes. I can't think of a single thing other than that wouldn't include beads, glue, a long list of supplies, or a lot of space. Zak just loves to make crafts I know that I could keep him entertained at least one hour out of the 7hrs or so we will be in the air.

The things I've been thinking of bringing with us are:

playing cards
paper and crayons
coloring books
stories
I'm going to buy each of them one special toy but other than that I am fresh out of ideas. At one point I considered bringing play dough but didn't know if I could get that through security. HELP!!!!

I'm going to go crazy

So, the rest of the story goes like this:

Phillip took the job in Philadelphia but all of us will only need to be out there during the summer
Phillip will be flying out June 3rd
The kids and I will be flying out June 9th from LA so really I will be leaving the central coast on Sunday June 8
This gives me a little over a week to buy luggage, clean the house, pack, wrap up the school year (a bit early) and say good-by to friends. If you are my friend and I don't get to say good-by it's because I have completely and utterly lost my mind.

When my to-do list is longer than my 6 year old I know I am in trouble. Please pray for our family to

find a furnished apartment/house
get all the last minute details taken care of
have a safe and easy 8 hr journey to Philadelphia (we might be bringing an aged relative to help)
be able to put aside my stress and love on my children while I make all the preparations I need to

Counting my blessings

1.) Phillip has been out of work for 1 month - and we are doing o.k.!
2.) Phillip is walking around with a cane! yay, no more crutches!!
3.) We get to stay for 6 days at a 4 diamond hotel overlooking Independence park and will be out here for Memorial Day! (The last time Phillip and I flew anywhere together without kids was for our honeymoon so you can imagine how nice this is for us, especially since we're not paying for any of it!)

This morning Phillip and I walked to his interview together and then I went on to explore the area. Right away I could tell things here are a wee bit different.

I know I'm not in Cali anymore because

1.) The water is to the East
2.) I am the only one walking around wearing sunglasses
3.) I can't use my shadow to figure out what direction I'm facing
4.) to keep the brick sidewalks of the tree lined streets clean they use a vacuum
5.) the city of brotherly love has a lot of ... well ... brothas if you know what I'm saying. I guess I had forgotten just how white bread San Luis Obispo is and I'm liking the diversity.

Conclusions: I will be very happy if Phillip ends up taking this job, but only because we would leave as soon as the show finishes in about 7-9 months. (This is the building that his office would be in)

Details, details, details.

Just to clarify, Phillip hasn't taken a job in Philadelphia but we are considering it so we will be flying out next week to check things out. Right now we are thinking that we would live there for 7 months or until Phillip finishes the project he is working on and then move back. We don't want to live over there permanently but the adventure of going over there for a few months is very tantalizing. I can't imagine the history and sight seeing we could do if we lived on the East coast for that long! Phillip and I are really praying about this since we would need to move withing the next few weeks if he did take the job. It's crazy to think of packing up the house, finishing Zak's school, moving nearly 3,000 miles away ... and then moving back. I'm so excited about the possibility I can't even think straight! If you think about it PLEASE pray for us!!!

hint

Quotables

These are little thing I overhear the kids saying throughout the day- not one long disjointed conversation. I love being a SAHM!

Eliannah: where's my sword?

Me: Please don't put your baby in the cooler!

Eliannah: I go shopping wif my poopons

Zak: I have a song stuck in my feet

Eliannah: the bad guy came and ate my finger and then he ate my dwess!

Me: no weapons at the table guys.

And then there's Eliot who goes around all day singing,"For Jesus lice and glory". I wish I knew what song he was singing so I could correct him ...

Happy Mother's Day!

On Motherhood

belly fat, sagging rack
the little ache in my lower back
unwaxed eyebrows
"mommy" nails
child proof locks
safety rails

The agony of labor
the burp rags full of spit
despite all this I'm forced to admit
it is still with out doubt entirely worth it!

Zak told me that in kindergarten when his teacher asked him "What are mommies made of" one of his friends replied, "Mommies are made of pretty!" I think that by this point in my life I am made of at least 20% chocolate and probably about 10% donut. I'm not quiet sure about the remaining 70%, hopefully some of it is still pretty!

time to cut the cord

In the year that we have lived at our apartment complex I have never
1.) discovered a body in the pool
2.) dodged bullets by hiding behind a parked car
3.) escaped a bloodthirsty serial killer by jumping into a dumpster
4.) had to apply pressure to the gunshot wound of police officer harmed in the line of duty
5.) provided an accurate description of a suspect to a police sketch artists and had the mob come after me in revenge.

I think it is time to stop watching so much crime drama but when we called cable to disconnect the offered to give us a rate of $4.99 for an entire year and a $25 discount (which is equivalent to the next 5 months free). Since the Olympics are coming we decided to try and cut back on our own and leave the cable connected.

When Phillip first injured his leg, and later after he was recovering from surgery, the only thing he could do was watch TV. We are well beyond that stage and are rediscovering our love of books. I'm reading a historical biography of Rachael Jackson (President Andrew Jackson's wife) by Irving Stone. (If you have never read Irving Stone he is an excellent writer and his book about Michelangelo "The Agony and the Ecstasy" change Phillip and my life.)

I love books! Who knew they could be so mentally stimulating! Even though "The President's Lady" isn't a religious book by a religious author and the Jacksons weren't religious people I have been very challenged by the way Rachael and Andrew Jackson lived their lives and faced incredible challenges. It's funny, I don't think I've learned anything that directly applies to my life from watching "The deadliest Catch" (Phillip's favorite show) or "Man vs. Wild" (my favorite show).

We'll see how self-disciplined we can be ... we might have to pull the plug after all.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo I have been wanting to recommend a blog that I've been caught up in lately. It's mostly a bible study through the book of Romans but with a few twists and an interesting perspective. I've hesitated to mention it because it is in Spanish and is difficult for me to read but hey, check it out you never know how much highschool spanish you can remember until you try!


alternativacristiana.blogspot.com

fast fingers

70 words

Speedtest

(I cheated, this was my 3rd try)

First born

Trail blazer star gazer
first act, stage fright
curtain raiser.

whistling wonder
happy hummer
you transform the grumpiest grumbler

always smiling, heart beguiling
reaching, stretching, upward climbing

tender hearted, your life's uncharted
keep that soul of yours ramparted

Live for God and you'll live with joy
you'll always be his child
and my little boy.




And for those of you out there that hate poetry I'll say it like it is: I love my son!!