On the Road with 5 boys

Steph and I took the boys-all 5 of them-on a fun filled crazy road trip a couple of weekends back. We packed up and went to Boo at the Zoo in Duluth and then to Grand Rapids at a Pumpkin Patch.

I had to take a picture of how we actually got 5 carseats and all our crap in a minivan! Emmitt is next to Bradyn (who let me do his hair) in the other back seat. I have always said I refuse to own a minivan, but I am sure glad we had one on this trip or it would not have been possible. We had stuff shoved in every compartment possible, our suitcases, the stroller, dvd player, dvds, snacks...I think Steph and I were most worried about where we could put all our stuff we knew we would purchase from Target?!

The four big boys dressed up at the zoo. What better than a turtle, 2 monkeys and a lion? Hey at least they fit the animal theme! Parker was a monkey last year with the twins and I am really glad that we didn't dress him up like a monkey this year because I called Nate-Max and Max-Nate no less than 100 times that weekend. I told Steph to put N and M's on their backs next time. A side note on Parker's lion costume-cousin Nick wore it when he was 2 or 3 and he is now 13, so it has made the rounds through nieces and nephews.
Trick or Treating
A preview of how cute Yoda can be
The 5 boys in a pumpkin pile. I took about 400 pictures that weekend and almost got a couple of where all 5 would glancing in my direction.
At the Pumpkin Patch they had all different kinds of these cutouts for the kids to stick their heads in. This one happened to be small enough or close enough to the ground that they could get their heads in.
Nate-or-Max, kidding I know it's Max (unless his mom leaves a comment that I have it wrong) on a haybale with Parker-showing us their muscles.

The pumpkin patch had a huge slide coming down the hay loft. It went super fast but they had fun going up and down, up and down.

The corn maze was one of the funniest moments we had that weekend. Bradyn picks the sports questions to get us through the maze, Steph and I sort of looked panicked that we may not be able to answer them all, but were relieved when we found the answer key. So you have to pick which entrance to use-Obama or McCain-and get into the maze and start answering questions. So we get in there and make the boys wait until we find out if we go left or right. We get through about 4 questions and come to a pole with a number 6 on it?! Steph and I look at eachother and realize we have done something wrong. What does number 6 mean? Question 6? We have already asked questions and have never seen a pole before!! Crap...so we just start back tracking. I am pushing Emmitt in the stroller and the 4 boys are running ahead of us and we just keep shouting left, right, left, left...a few times Bradyn says, we just went in a circle...are we lost? No, no, we say, just keep going. Did I mention it has started raining when we were "lost" in the maze? We finally get out-through the entrance-and we start cheering and telling the boys good job, we did it! Bradyn wants to go in the other entrance and we flat out said no, let's go see the animals!

Emmitt consumed his weight in straw while on a very long hay ride.

A few things that come to mind from that weekend~we got to see babies Lauren and Landon at the mall and have lunch together. So we actually said "3 adults, 7 kids" when we needed to be seated at the restaurant! A waitress from another section came over to tell us that she could hardly tell that we were there, the kids were that well behaved. A couple were next to us at their table (trying) to enjoy lunch and the woman kept looking over at us, I told her I would buy them a drink when they were finished and she said that she was actually enjoying watching us because they have grandkids that live far away.

We had a woman outside of Target make a snide remark about population explosion when Steph walked in the store with the 4 big boys and I followed with Emmitt...doesn't that lady watch Jon & Kate plus 8? As if you can control having multiples-snag!

Bradyn and Parker grind their teeth when they sleep! 7 people in one hotel room with 2 beds is not all that much fun.

The weather could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse.

It seemed like everytime the kids fell asleep we were just about to our location. And when we wanted them to nap they wouldn't! Emmitt was great both days, but had a rotten night. The weekend was very busy, lack of naps, lots of fun, the hotel pool saved us. The kids got along well for the most part, but 5 boys are BUSY! I am finally not too tired to write this post, I think I have caught up from that weekend. I think I'll just stay put for awhile.

It's okay

when you fall down...you've got to...you know-well it didn't quite work that way with Parker this weekend. He had his first 2 practices of skating.
Saturday he was all fired up. I got him dressed and right out on the ice he went. And down he went, again and again and again. Helmets are obviously mandatory, but to fall the full 3 feet he is from a standing position flat on his back finally got the best of him after about 40 falls. He was bawling on the ice and wanted mommy. So we watched the last 10 minutes of practice. I told him it was okay to fall down, that's how you learn to get up...which I should mention he wasn't real good at either. So after practice we got home and talked about skating. He liked it, said he wanted to go again, but that he wanted me to hold him. We get there Sunday and he is again all fired up to get out there. This time I put some of his hockey pads on...the poor kid. He puts one leg on the ice and I think, good, he is going to get on it...and wait, nope, off he comes crying again. Walks right off the rubber mat, with newly sharpened skates, and over to me at the stairs. He refuses to get on the ice. Parents aren't allowed during the practices to be out there with him. So we watch the practice continue from the sidelines. Every 2 minutes or so a teacher comes over and asks if he wants to come out on the ice and he cowers behind me (and Emmitt). I tried everything but he wouldn't go. So a teacher suggests we go to the box and he can watch up close there. Pretty soon, she comes over with a bucket of bean bags. He gets to pick out a bean bag (purple) and toss it on the ice. He does. Then she says he has to go get it. And he does! He plays with the bean bag, tossing and retrieving it like it was no problem. She looks up at the clock and says it was time to go. The practice only lasted 30 minutes...it took 25 to get Parker on the ice.

So later Sunday afternoon family skate time is here. I ask Parker if he wants to skate with mommy on her skates. He does. So we get all bundled up and get to the rink and he goes right on with me. I want to at least show him how to push the guides they have and that he might not fall down so much. We were pushing a walker like old people use for awhile on the ice but it wasn't going anywhere. Then we see his buddy NoNa (Noah) and he is pushing away on a guide. So we try that one and Parker could actually get from one place to the next with out me hanging on. We played Zamboni on the ice for awhile-laying on the ice-and we made snow angels too. We took breaks in the box. But most of all I got him out there with out being too scared. He even smiled too. So I have a few more weeks to decide if we go for skating or get our money back! We don't want to push him, so we are letting him decide if he wants to go or not.
Until next weekend...
PS-we have snow on the ground!

dark cloud...

Dark cloud please go away…I am hoping that this depressing post gets that dark cloud over my life right now to go away. Far far away.
1. My husband has been working out of town for the last 3 weeks
2. A month ago an employee of mine turned in her 2 week notice for a higher paying job
3. 2 weeks ago I hired 2 new employees
4. 1 week ago 1 of my new employees quit
5. I had trained in the employee that quit for a week
6. Training in employees requires lots of time, lots of energy and lots of money
7. I have none of the above
8. After my employee called me at home to quit, the DFL called and asked if I had time to chat
9. I didn’t and started crying to a random stranger on the phone
10. 1 week ago I hired another new employee
11. I worked 8am-7pm, 8am-6pm and 6am-6pm to train in my new employee
12. I am tired
13. Last Tuesday (the day after the employee quit) a member of mine walked in and said “you don’t look too perky”
14. I started crying
15. I cried for 2 hours at work, in front of all my other members
16. Wednesday I got flowers from a member and the card said “Just to Brighten Your Day”
17. I started crying at work again
18. I am on week 5 of a chest cold
19. 3 weeks ago Bear was gone all week to Grand Portage
20. Last week he was back and forth dusk ‘til dawn to Baudette
21. This week it’s back to Grand Portage
22. It’s hard being a single parent-how the heck did my mom do it with double the kids I have?
23. I tried to get my sister to come North for a visit to tell me it’ll all be okay
24. She can’t
25. I was going to pay a visit to her
26. I forgot that I volunteered for a very important church function this weekend
27. I had the function written down in my planner!
28. I have been at the grocery store every day for the last 4 days because I forgot items that were on my list
29. I have a sinus infection
30. Parker and I bonked heads and my teeth hurt=sinus infection
31. My doctor is on vacation for 10 days
32. Last time I had a sinus infection I had to be on 2 rounds of antibiotics and he gave them to me over the phone because I didn’t have time/he didn’t have an appointment opening for me to go in
33. I need to get my kids and myself the flu shot
34. The whole crap on mercury/vaccines/autism makes my head spin
35. The flu shot is for Influenza in your lungs not the “flu” like the stomach flu…or food poisoning people!
36. Did I mention I am on week 5 of a chest cold?
37. Warren on DWTS made me laugh so hard I had to rewind it and enjoy it all over again
38. Bear wanted me to make an apple pie this weekend
39. I did
40. He had ONE piece
41. Thought the extra calories would help keep my milk up?
42. Stress makes my milk supply go down
43. Emmitt refuses a bottle from Stephie still when he feels like it
44. After 8 months, don’t you think he would figure it out
45. Do I actually get up in the middle of the night to pump to keep it up?
46. I am way too stubborn to buy formula
47. I signed Parker up for “figure” skating to learn the basics
48. On the phone, the woman asked if I had skates for her
49. He’s a he, and he’ll wear his teeny tiny hockey skates from last Christmas
50. It cost me $172.50 for a 3 year old to join skating
51. I have to sell 40 candy bars!
52. And try to sell 5 Christmas Wreaths for $15 each
53. I get to collect tickets during the ice show
54. I got to put a $20 costume deposit down for the ice show
55. I put Parkers skates on him in the house tonight to walk around
56. He looked like a Weeble Wobble
57. I can get my money back up until November 12th
58. His first practice is this Saturday at 8 AM!!
59. Bear was in figure skating for a year or two
60. It was Disney on Ice
61. He was Mickey Mouse
62. He’s a great skater and hockey player
63. I went for a 2 hour walk on Saturday to burn off the apple pie I ate
64. I have 3 baskets of laundry to fold
65. Parker had 3 timeouts at grandmas tonight for “not listening”
66. He got off the timeout steps before his minute was up
67. I told him he can’t go to skating if he doesn’t listen to the teacher
68. He says in a sassy taunting voice “well, I’m going to go on the ice and you can’t get me”
69. We left grandma’s house
70. Parker wouldn’t eat supper
71. I offered to heat it up for a bedtime snack
72. He is sleeping right now with nothing in his belly
73. I’m tired
74. Emmitt’s is squawking right now…
75. Tomorrow is a new day and I am hoping it is sunny and cloud free

some of the weirdest things happen...

being a parent can sometimes cause you to panic when it's nothing and even though you've been told "it's nothing" and tell yourself "it's probably nothing" you still panic. other times your told "you should go in" (to the doctor) and you wait and wait to see if it goes away on it's own. I am currently on week 4 of a nasty chest cold, that is probably nothing...but could be bronchitis or pneumonia or viral or I could really use an antibiotic. this brings me to the boys; I have brought them into the doctor to be told, it's nothing, or it's viral and it has to run it's course...and I've brought them in when it is something like a double ear infection and tonsillitis. Or like 2 years ago when we had strep throat 4 times in 8 months. Or your-kid-has-medium-sized-tonsils. This time was with Emmitt. I notice this bruise looking thing on his gum or in his gum. So I do the usual: ask just about everyone I see to take a peak in his mouth and tell me if they have ever seen anything like it. Now I couldn't guarantee that he didn't bump his mouth on something and cause it to bruise...I can't watch them 24 hours a day or protect them enough from normal bumps and bruises. I get the mixed answers of: never seen anything like it you should take him to the doctor who could tell you it's a dentist thing or take him to the dentist who says it's a doctor thing or just wait and see if it goes away. And I feel bad for Emmitt who is clearly in pain from teething or in pain from this bruise on his gum, and I feel stupid for not knowing if he bumped it on the coffee table while he was chewing on wood for his afternoon snack. What if I go in and they say, he bumped it and I feel like a total paranoid parent...which I thought with the second child I would be less paranoid. But what if the kid has an abscessed tooth or a rotting baby tooth or something else totally weird. What if they need to lance this to drain the blood pooling under his gum or worse, they pull a baby tooth before it's even hit the surface??? What if? So I of course take my mother's advice-they really do always know best-and call our local dentist. He says it's probably a hematoma of the gum from the tooth actually pushing through but if it'll make me feel better I can swing by and he'll take a look in the hallway just to put me at ease...okay now we're going somewhere. So immediately after work I pick the boys up from daycare and head to the dentist. I wait for him to call us back to the hallway or where ever and he straps on the gloves and attempts to look in Emmitt's mouth. We are successful after a few attempts of prying his lips apart-it helps that he is still strapped in his car seat. The dentist finally and casually says "yep, just a hematoma of the gum, that's really nothing, you should wait and see what the eye teeth can do-sometimes the whole gum is black". So I officially brought my kid in for a bruise! But it could have been one of the freaky things I thought, right?
And just to show you all how unbelievably weird it looks-here's a picture-This was taken yesterday and I had him at the dentist 3 weeks ago. The tooth is still not through the surface, but in the last 3 weeks a bunch of other teeth have come through...

Watch Me Grow

8 Months Old

8 Months and 8 teeth. Very busy this month. Continues crawling like a mad man. He momentarily will let go of what he is holding on to and realize he is standing unsupported, waivers and sits on his butt. Happy baby unless his teeth are bothering him. Still chooses to fight the bottle when he feels like it. 5 outta 7 nights he sleeps straight through, the other couple of nights he screams and acts like he is starving and is completely calmed down by nursing. Which I was refusing to do for awhile, but now decided is just plain easier to nurse him and go back to bed.

He is sporting his new "mummy's boy" shirt which is so perfect...he is a momma's boy and of course it's in honor of my favorite holiday.

Daddy has been working on the road these last couple of weeks, so it's been just me and the boys (and all my family that is available to help me out to keep me from losing my mind). We made a trip out of town last weekend (more to come on that) and now daddy is back home at night, right where he should be. Right in the middle of the living room floor playing with the boys...

a toothbrush, laundry basket and baby legs

Emmitt went from crawling one day to pulling himself up the next. He is getting much better at it now, but it took a few weeks to master it. The laundry basket proved to be a great toy! And of course his baby toothbrush. The big boys were out at the shack so it was just Emmitt and I. What a fun day. It is good for all of us to split up once in awhile and have some one and one with the kids. He was just chillin' in his baby legs and going a hundred miles an hour around the living room.
Oh that hair...people are constantly touching the fuzz, and grabbing the "top curl". Bear wants it off, but people, myself included, would freak if we cut it.

The side view of "Crazy Hair"
This is how he sits. I can best describe it as a track hurdler. It looks unnatural to adults but you put him down, he crawls and when he goes back to the sitting position, his legs do this.
And of course the push off to start crawling again. Another trait he has is "the puppy". He always carries something is his mouth, breathes fast through his nose and crawls. It is hilarious to watch.

The Giant Puffball

Bear and Jonny were out hunting for birds at the farm last week and come upon this big white thing off the trail.

Bear: Hey Jonny check it out, what is that thing?
Jonny: A dinosaur egg?
Bear: holy cow that thing is huge!
Jonny: let's pick it up
Bear: it's a mushroom
Jonny: is it poisonous?
Bear: I don't know, let's take it home and cook it!
Jonny: I don't like mushroom's
Bear: I have a book, I'll look it up and have my sister-in-law see if it's poisonous since she works in the soil for the feds

Okay-so he comes home with this dinosaur egg and swears it's not poisonous and expects me to eat it! I don't think so.

I told him if he died from eating that thing I would kill him!

So he looks it up in his "How to Identify Edible Mushroom" book he got for Christmas one year and discovers is "just a giant puffball" and you can totally eat it! So he starts slicing it up and giving it to people. Then he starts cooking it. Referring to online recipes of what he can do with it! I refused to let him feed it to Parker. The recipes he got all say it tastes best when sauteed in butter and would resemble the taste of tofu or melted cheese...yum! I could hardly contain myself with excitement to eat it! (sarcasm there in case you couldn't tell).

This is actually only half of the mushroom...
Just to really compare size-it is huge!

The Journal

In case you didn't see the print version...our Curves Quilt made the Journal. The pictures don't show up online and the print version isn't in color...but it is beautiful!



http://www.ifallsdailyjournal.com/news/leisure/curves-quilt-reflects-bond-faye-whitbeck-staff-writer-11069