Apparently I steal things...

I learned tonight that I'm a criminal.


A crook.


A thief.


While driving home from work today, I passed by a cute outdoor table. There she was, sitting at the edge of the road in front of someone's house, begging for a new coat of spray paint and a good cleaning to its glass top.It called to me as I drove past, and I made a quick u-turn. In an instant I decided to channel my inner Aimee Weaver, take this free table home, and make it look awesome for my back deck. After several attempts at getting it into my little Subaru (all by myself, I might add...I felt buff today!), I decided to take off the big glass top, get that in the car, and just leave a note on the table indicating that I'd be back with a truck tonight for my creatively fun, free find.


After Hubby got home from work, we packed the kids into the truck and took off to get my dirty little treasure. As we pulled into their driveway, I immediately noticed the table had been moved to the side of the house. How nice, I thought. They put it aside for me.


Riiiiight.


Hubby jumps out, approaches the table, reads the new note that's properly taped on it, (mine was just wrapped around one of the bars...who has tape in their cars these days???), frowns/laughs, and hurries back to the truck.


Here's where the word "free" now needs to be taken out of this story.


Apparently this table is the resting place for vegetables that these people grow and sell. At the edge of the road. It acts as their roadside stand...and I had stolen the top and was coming back for the rest of my loot.


You can imagine my humiliation when I had to go apologize profusely to the woman and tell her that the glass would be coming back, intact, to be reunited with its metal frame.


Moral of this story? Do not assume, at least in this county where every other person has a huge garden and either gives away or sells their veggies, that things by the side of the road are automatically free. Because you know what assuming does...it makes a...well, you know...


Oh, well...lock me up and throw away the key.

As if he doesn't eat enough...

My son seems to think that we don't feed him enough.


The 23+ pound, 11-month-old baby that controls many things in this house has been on an eating rampage lately. The Tank boy continues to eat everything and anything he can get his hands on. Oh, and not just food. The list of favorites includes toys, crayons, chalk, twigs, sand...



...and markers. Yup, bit the top right off. I'm not sure if his goal was to become a Smurf, but he definitely got close enough. His poop was bright blue today, and I'm praying that the color will come off of the cloth diaper. Sorry for the grossness...but I wanted you to get the idea.

He also has taken a liking to apples. So much, in fact, that he took tiny bites out of several of them before I caught him in the act. My family will now be enjoying apple crisp later tonight.


If he's like this now, what's it going to be like when he's a teenager?! :)

I just can't imagine...

Sometimes you don't even have to know people personally in order for your heart to break in a million pieces for them...


The principal at the school in VA where my sister works had one of the most horrible things happen two days ago. While backing out of her driveway on Sunday, she accidentally hit her almost two-year-old son, killing him. As I type these words, the knot in my throat just hardens even more.


This Christian family has one older daughter and tried and tried for a second child. They eventually became pregnant with twins, and the mom was so, so careful to keep herself healthy while carrying these babies. The twins will be two soon...but now they have to celebrate the birthday of only one child while missing her twin brother.


As a parent, can you just imagine the misery they must be going through? My mommy heart is so heavy and aches for them, and I don't even know them at all! I'm sure many of us feel this way for them.


So, please keep this family in your prayers as they prepare for Thursday's burial of little Nicholas Primo, who is now in the arms of Jesus.

Success!

We made it!


We are home after a successful and quick ear tube surgery, and my Tank baby is now napping for probably much of the day. Thanks for your prayers for a quick and relatively snag-free morning.


After calling us back into the pre-op area, the first thing they did was weigh him. He tipped the scales at over 23 pounds. No wonder my back is killing me this week!


We then had to put Caedon in a yellow hospital gown...you know, the one that opens in the back. I found it kind of funny, 1) because he's a baby and 2) because he was in the O.R. for all of 10 minutes.



The post-surgery, "coming out of anesthesia" part wasn't too much fun. Lots of crying, lethargic eyes, not holding his head up...he was pretty much a limp noodle in my arms. But after a few minutes you could see his eyes staying open longer, less crying, and more sitting up. We were home about an hour or so after surgery, and Caedon has been acting completely normal ever since. Ta-Dah! :)


And I did my best to keep the tears at bay. The most difficult part was when they took him from me to do the surgery, but I just misted up...no river here! I think I would have bawled, though, if Caedon had started crying or reaching for us. Thank God he spared me from that!


Now, on to tackle a busy, work-filled week! Enjoy yours!

Fullness of life

Did you ever have so much on your plate at one time that you thought you might explode?


And I don't mean food. I'm talking life...your overflowing "life plate".


Right now, mine feels full, heavy, falling over the table. Between doctor's appointments (kids) and moving...work events and tournaments...weddings and changes...unpacking and settling...life is F.U.L.L.


But as much as I complain about it, I must say that I don't mind it. It's not dragging me down and knocking me out...just a constant busyness. And honestly, I think I wouldn't want it any other way. Having absolutely nothing on my to-do list unnerves me to the core. I like being involved, having deadlines, staying on top of things. It's almost as if it keeps my brain going.



Speaking of keeping my brain going...my two little rugrats do plenty of that for me these days. My little 3-going-on-13-year-old keeps me on my toes, with her "drawing on the wall with cherry chapstick" antics and liveliness. And my tank of a baby...well, let's just say that I probably get more exercise because of him than ever. He is EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING. Danae never touched things or put things into her mouth as much as he has. Caedon loves to play in the toilets, touch outlets, chase down my vacuum while I'm trying to clean, climb the stairs...everything that I don't want him to do. Can I just tell you what we've fished out of that boy's mouth this week? Handfuls of sand from the beach (no lie...and eating it without crying), dog food, chalk from Danae's art table...the list is a lot longer than that. He's a true boy, inside and out. I just need to get used to it. :)



I also need to get used to the fact that, early Monday morning, we are taking my little man to his first surgery. The poor boy is getting tubes put into his ears bright and early Monday, and while I know it is probably for the best, I am so, so nervous about the anesthesia. I'm also wondering what's going to happen when the boy cries for his 6:00am bottle and I can't give it to him. :(Please pray that it all goes well!

Beach-bound

Wow, have I been a neglectful blogger or what!!


Sorry for the lack of communication. The past two weeks have been full of unpacking, adjusting, keeping a certain little boy away from the toilets (his newest shananigan involves toilet water...disgusting)...you get the picture. BUSY!


I promise to post pics of the house as soon as it looks like it's a home and not a warehouse. Right now, though, I'm packing the kids and myself up and heading to a certain popular Maryland beach for a few days. While I'm not looking forward to the 3+ hour drive with two kiddos by myself, I am looking forward to getting away to one of my favorite places to be. I can just smell the ocean water now!


Catch ya later in the week! :)

And we're back!

We have moved!



And I'm still alive...



Seriously, I am!



It just took the cable company this long to get here and hook up my Internet...and now it's all back to normal.



Now it's time to catch up on things I've missed, work that's waiting for me, and the tons of unread e-mails in my inbox.


Yup, right back to normal. ;o)