A guilty conscience

A few days ago Scott pointed out some graffiti on a hallway wall. We both figured it was Brooke, just because she has written on the walls in the past. I was going to wait until I could get all four kids together and look them in the eye and ask them who wrote on the wall.

Today, Brooke told me that someone had written on the wall by her bedroom. She said that it looked like John's name so it must have been John. What she failed to think through when she threw her brother under the bus was that John knows how to make his "J" the proper way and not backwards. And instinct told me that John wouldn't make his "O" into a smiley face.

I told her we'd wait until dad brought the lie detector home and then he'd be able to tell who did it. This really didn't phase her. She said she wanted to see the lie detector.

Jacob saw the writing and became "Mr. Junior Detective". He had the kids give him a writing sample and then compared it to the one on the wall. He also asked me to install a camera up in the hallway so we could tell who was writing on the walls. He came to the same conclusion that we had. The tagger was Brooke.

So Scott took Brooke on his lap and talked to her. Her guilt got the best of her and she crumbled.

I hope this behavior isn't a preview of what is in the future. She's already in a gang. Its the Callaway Monkeys.

Jacob's birthday and Graduation Day

Jacob turned eight today. Eight. Eight years. Ocho anos. Where has the time gone? I think its gone pretty fast now that he's in school. I see him stretching out, getting leaner, looking more like his dad every day. Happy Birthday baby. I pray for many things for you. I wish you happiness, such deep happiness that you feel deep in your heart, in your being. I want you to pursue your dreams, but realize that they will not be handed to you and you have to work for them. I want you to pause and enjoy being a kid. You are never to old to play in the sandbox or play with Legos. But most of all. I hope that at every chance you get, you fill your cup with Jesus. "With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Now on to the trio. They got a diploma and graduated from preschool today. I even checked the authenticity of the papers. They are real. They are going to Kindergarten. God bless Mrs. M with patience, understanding and a good sense of humor because my babies are ready.

They all got their picture taken with their teacher, Mrs. P. All of them gave her hugs. Even though they are looking forward to Kindergarten, I know they will miss her. She was a very gentle and nurturing teacher. Kind of not like me. :)
Then they got their pictures taken with their chapel buddies. These are older kids, usually 7th and 8th graders who sit with the kids during chapel and show them how to act and behave. My kids love their chapel buddies. I hope the friendship continues for years.

In random thought, I realized that what parents do for a living really affects their children.

Do doctors kids have doctor's kits? Do teacher's kids play teacher? Do musician's kids have miniature instruments? Do stripper's kids have play poles? (I had to add that one) Do police officers kids have fake badges and guns?

For instance, with my husband being a police detective, they get to see their share of police cars, badges, policeman, guns, etc... They understand words such as "search warrant", "burglary", "lie-detector", "suspect". I am surprised that there is not more cops and robbers played here. They are more into power rangers and that kind of stuff. We don't have play guns in the house. I don't think thats even a possibility down the road. I realize that they can pretend anything is a gun, but I think its all too real.

Hodgepodge and Mother's Day thoughts

Nevermind it took 15 minutes to log in here. Its been five months since my last confession, er, blog. I've been blogging in my head and facebook. But frankly, I am just been lazy. And I feel for the guy named frank that the previous saying came from. Cause its not just a saying its also a name for a hot dog. And also for a common guy. Like if you don't remember someones name you can just say, "Hey, Frank! You wanna get the door?" And they know you are talking to them.

Back on track. Mother's Day. According to the great source of wikipedia, it was founded by a lady in 1870s. Woodrow Wilson made it a Hallmark Holiday in 1918 and now everyone remembers to call their mom on this day.

I received a cookbook from Jacob (made at school), I received some awesome handmade cards/pictures from the triplets (made at school) and then Jacob made me a paper plate card at home using his best cursive. I spent the day with my family eating a lunch at a supper club. Then took a 3 hour nap. Now THAT is a good Mother's Day. Love the nap.

I've been thinking about my life and what it takes to be a mother and smirking over those articles in the papers that kids write about their mothers. Did they write them willingly or did their moms put them up to it so that everyone else who reads that paper will know what a great mother they are?

I've decided not to go for the Mother of the Year award, ever. I won't be nominated because frankly, (it just flows so well... sorry anyone named Frank) I don't have the patience I should have, I favor the kids who let me sleep in, I don't cook as much as I should and I don't play with them as much as I should.

What am I doing during this time when I should be cooking or playing with them? I'm searching for my keys which mysteriously disappeared. I'm calling a tow truck and then trying to get a ride to the dealership to get new keys made while trying to figure out how to get four kids there and then get two vehicles home. Or, when I'm trying to make a home-made spaghetti sauce, I'm searching for for spoon rest that has mysteriously disappeared. Only to be found in the sandbox a few days later.

My patience is sorely lacking when I repeatedly find wrappers stuck under and in the couch when I say multiple times every day not to eat in the living room. I fantasize about the day when they'll understand that wrappers invite unwanted house guests and they throw them away. I really don't want six or eight legged creatures in the house.

I know the day will come when I only have to say things once and not repeatedly because they have become good listeners.

I live for the day that I can tell their girlfriends and wives about their escapades on creative peeing spots. The dryer, the front yard, the waste basket, the general area of the toilet. I will train them properly that their wives don't have to worry about seats being up, dribble around the toilet, etc...

I accept the fact that some of my children have inherited my sense of humor. Which is really funny to me, but may be childish, rude, or completely innappropriate in certain situations. Like in school, at church, when talking to adults.

So instead of having my kids write a bunch of untrue things about me, I'm going to write my Mother's Day wish for them.

I hope that someday you can look back and see that I tried to provide a home you felt safe in. That when I was discipling you or yelling at you, it was because I love you and want you to grow up learning right from wrong. I want you to learn that there are consequences to your actions. These actions can hurt yourself, other people and may not be following God's commandments.

I want you to know that I love it when you help me around the house. Its a great time for bonding while also learning how to clean and take care of our home.

I want you to think of others and how your actions affect them. I want you to think of Jesus and that He died for our sins. He loved us that much. I want you to show your love to others by treating them with respect, with kindness and being a light for this world.

I want you to remember all those times I took you to lessons or practices, or a road trip to something fun. All those things that took a lot of planning, money and patience.

I want you to remember the fun times. When I didn't feel like cooking so I threw out marshmellows on the table or I let you forage for yourself and some pretty interesting combinations are made. When we take a ride around the circle and you're all riding your big wheels. Or when we go to the park or Wild Air. When we're singing in the car some of our favorite songs. When we're on the couch and everyone has to pile on me. It can't get any better than that.

Be your own person, make your own path. But let God guide you. Enjoy your childhood because it goes way too fast.

February blues

Dear Diary,

I've neglected you. I don't seem to ever have time for you anymore. Its Facebook. Its addicting. And I can easily remember how to sign on whereas I keep forgetting my username on blogger. I'm not blaming you, well, actually I am.

I just keep clicking my heels, saying to myself, "there's no place like summer, there's no place like summer..." But actually we could compromise and just have Spring.

I took the kids outside today and while it took 15 minutes to go to the bathroom, get snowpants, snowboots, hats, mittens and coats on, it took only five minutes of Brooke getting a facewash to end her day. Then Matthew kept wandering in the house looking for constuction toys to bring outside. And I kept yelling at him because I didn't want snow and dirty snow all over the house. But the boys did have a blast outside, although I thought they'd go go bed without a fight. But they didn't.

Speaking of that, bedtime is a nightmare. I've never had a problem with the kids going to bed. Sure, there are a couple of days in a row that they mess around and don't fall asleep. But then they go back to going to bed and falling asleep soon after.

For the past three to four weeks, Matthew and John have resisted bedtime. I could put them to bed later, but I think they really need the rest. O.K. I really need the rest from them. But at 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. without naps, its time for bed. Matthew and John want to sleep in the bottom bunk bed. For a few nights I've allowed them to sleep together, but they disturb each others sleep.
Tonight I took away Johns blankets after he threw them and he got a few spankings because he'd be running around the room, upstairs, bugging matthew, turning lights on and off and just being loud. Matthew is a follower, so he just get riled up then. I finally scared Matthew enough that he'd stay in bed and luckily Scott came home to yell at John, or he probably would have been tied to a chair.

Fall Pictures II

Fall Pictures

Jacob's school is closed due to sickness. So we had some fun outside instead.

School's in session

Its been nearly a month since I last blogged. A couple of different reasons. I forgot my login and password and got sick of guessing. And secondly I've been sick for two weeks.

New stuff in the Callaway household... POTTYTRAINING

I started about two weeks ago with all three children. I didn't want to do all three at once, but I wasn't having much luck with Brooke on her own.

So I got about $50 worth of little toys, stickers and a reward chart and gave them stickers every time they tried to go potty. It only took a few days for the boys to catch on. Matthew is even dry at night about 1/2 the time. John is probably the most ready for underwear now, but can be just stubborn.

Brooke is another story. It took her a very long time to figure out how to use her muscles to go potty. She does have a few accidents during the day, but has done really well with improving how many times she goes potty. I don't think she's ready for underwear just yet.

The only problem is that the kids are potty-trained, not poop-trained. I think if I can catch them a couple of times trying to hide to go in their pull-ups, I can get them to go on the toilet.

Jacob started school two weeks ago. He doesn't really want to go to school. He's still got his shy problems from last year. He doesn't want to make a mistake. And then there is the whole, "they already have friends and I don't want to ask them to play with me" thing. I just wish he could make one or two friends instead of wandering around at recess by himself. It breaks my heart.
He's doing very well academically though. I was surprised to find him reading a level 1 book all by himself.

Matthew started Early Childhood two weeks ago. He's a good role model in the class as there are new boys in his 3 year old class. He even asks to go potty at school.

John started his speech class today. His teacher said he is doing so wonderfully and must have had a growth spurt in his speech over the summer.

The other thing we are doing is going to "school" otherwise known as library time at the Neenah Public Library on tuesdays when Matthew is in school. Its for 3,4, and 5 year olds without a caregiver. The key word is "without". John wouldn't let me leave him so I sat through story time, dance time and puppet time.

Sometimes its the last person you'd think

Scott went fishing with Jacob today and when they got home I took the kids to Michaels and then to the mall so Scott could get some sleep. I know, I'm very thoughtful.

We get to Michaels and we get out of the van. Brooke is the first to hold my hand, then as I yell for John he comes over and gets my other hand. Jacob is chasing Matthew around the parking lot trying to get his hand.

Luckily the parking lot is pretty empty and no one is trying to back over my children. So I start yelling at Matthew to hold Jacob's hand or my hand. We get into the store without Matthew holding anyone's hand.

Then the two little boys wanted to stand and started fighting over space in the cart. We were the highlight of other's shopping trip. A lot of whispering and stares.

I still take them to the mall. This time I put the steel grip on his hand and Jacob holds Brooke's hand. (It was really cute)

We play in the play area and then we're off to Stride Rite to get the kid's shoe sizes. Matthew refuses to hold hands and actually lays down in the middle of the mall. The other two little ones are running around us. Oh, I'd love to get my hands on that video surveillance. I start to get a little impatient and raise my voice.

The good news is that we made it to the store and back through the mall to our van without: losing a child, getting hit by a car, or social services being called for mommy dragging unwilling toddlers.

Brooke has a size 10 foot. She's 3. When is this going to end. She's going to be 6 feet tall with size women's 10 shoes. Definitely does not take after me. So now we need to buy her some new tennis shoes.

Questions unanswered

How come I find less and less time to blog, but more time to play scrabble on Facebook? How come I buy Iams Weight Control and Hairball Remedy but my cat is still chubby and vomits hairballs?

How can I get it through a certain 3 year olds head that stupid and poopy are not appropriate words. If I don't say anything, then the others think its o.k. If I correct him and tell him those are bad words, he purposely says them. Like, 30 X's a day. If I send him to his room, he just sits by the door and repeats those words over and over. If I put him in his high chair he just rants and raves and screams and says every bad word that he can think of. So I wash out his mouth with soap. Liquid soap. This has mixed results as he spits it out and usually still says them. So now I threaten him with Red pepper. I put a tiny bit on the tip of his tongue and that usually works. And I give him a drink after a minute or so.

But the kid just does not give in. Matthew, Brooke and Jacob spend half their day telling me what John said.

I don't know if I should try taking something away from him, physically beating the words out of him, trying a nastier tasting soap, getting a muzzle, electric shock therapy, its these things I fantasize about but never really push the line. Because I do really love him and just want to contain his spirit, but not break it.

Actually, I think the shock therapy thing would work.... hmm.... if we put them on dogs, why can't we put them on our children?

Vacation 2009

Vacation was filled with lots of firsts. Each of triplets caught their first fish. They seemed to like fishing off the dock. They also got their first tube ride before the boat. They didn't cry, but Brooke and John really didn't like the water spraying in their faces. Matthew was really relaxed and seemed to enjoy it the most.

The weather was very good. Warm, 70s, and only rained twice. The day we arrived and the day we left. The kids enjoyed playing on the playsets and running around. I put life jackets on them most of the time and they loved playing on the beach in the sand and in the water. It was just easier to watch them that way with their life jackets on. It gave me piece of mind.

Jacob was obsessed with finding out-of-state license plates. I got him a board that had a picture of the U.S. and then listed all the states on the back. You're supposed to check the state when you see it. He found 23 different states when we were in Minocqua. Thats amazing. But its a pretty popular vacation area.

I didn't have to stop at all on the way to Minocqua. It was a good 2 3/4 hour drive. But on the way back, Matthew had dropped his blanket on the floor while I was driving on HWY 29 and John unbuckled himself from his car seat and picked it up and gave it to him. I think I almost passed out. I pulled over and told him he had to stay in his car seat and he then thought it was a game. Brooke started doing the same thing, unbuckling herself when we were driving.

Sigh.

Finally, I had it with Brooke and we were in a parking lot going about 5 miles an hour. I put my brakes on a little harder than normal and she flew forward onto her feet and hit the seat in front of her. This not so gentle reminder has gotten her to keep her from doing it again. She wasn't hurt, just surprised. I told her that's why we wait until mom or dad tells you that you can unbuckle the seat belt.

I'm just getting over my migraine that started at 8 p.m. last night. I went to the doctor around lunchtime and he gave me some stuff to take when I got home. Luckily, my MIL and a friend were over and could watch the kids. For anyone who has had a migraine, you know how horrible it hurts. But when you're watching four kids who can't be quiet and are jumping on you, it really brings you to your knees. I'm glad the medication worked although I still feel a little fuzzy. A good fuzzy though.

Wow! Its been a long time!

Where have you been? Its been a while. Sit down and enjoy these pictures from the last couple of weeks. My baby boy is now six years old. And in some of the pictures you can actually see the new tooth coming in!
Our excursion to the New Zoo in Suamico last sunday. One of the rare times that all the animals are facing the same way and looking at the camera.

What a whopper! I'm not sure when this was taken. Jacob has been fishing a few times with daddy. Hopefully they will get to go this weekend too.

Faux Paus

Did you ever just have an embarrassing moment and really wish that you could rewind time? Luckily I can laugh at myself most of the time because well, I think God has a pretty good sense of humor and is looking down at me laughing too.

Some of my more memorable moments.

• When I walked into a pole at work after just coming back from Cancun in 1995. Two of my co-workers witnessed it. I was hungover and wasn't watching where I was walking.
• When I showed up for a job interview for the above job late because I had come to work that morning with one black shoe and one navy shoe.
• When I walked out of the bathroom at the old Shakey's with toilet paper coming out of my pants. Scott and our friend Aaron were there to witness that incident.
• Last Sunday when I went to Jacob's t-ball practice with my shirt inside out and didn't notice it until I got into the car AFTER practice.

Yeah, Scott, I know you're saying I told you so. We have this argument that has been going on for oh, 10 or so years. He thinks I should turn my shirts outside in (the right way to wear them) vs inside out. After years of analysis and agreeing to disagree, I've found that I take off my shirts from the bottom and they end up inside out in the wash. And they stay that way when they are in my closet. I usually don't look too much in depth when I pick out a shirt, just one that is complimentary to my pants. So, this is why I wore an inside out shirt and why everyone who was sitting behind me probably wondered what the heck is with THAT woman.

The triplets are driving me NUTS. O.K. truthfully its just Brooke and John, but I think in general its three things. They are 3, they are out of their cribs and they have stopped taking naps.

I am about to tie them down at bedtime. I'm so sick of Brooke getting out of bed and turning the light on or shutting and opening and shutting the door over and over. No amount of angry glares, shushing, yelling or swats stops her. Same thing with John. He bounces on his mattress, is running around the room, wrecks the blinds while looking out the window and makes it really hard for Matthew to fall asleep. And then on occasion, Matthew will join in on the foray and then everyone gets yelled at. Tonight it took 90 minutes for everyone to get settled.

By the time they go to bed, I am ready for peace and quiet. Three has been very challenging so far. Its not like I can put a shock collar on them and hit a button when they don't listen or run out of the yard. Its really wishful thinking and I would probably get social services at my door.

Then tonight as Brooke came out of her bedroom because she was wet, I changed her diaper and went into the bathroom to wash my hands and use the facilities. I look to my left, the wall, and right next to the toilet paper, is this (cringing) big gigantic thing. Its not moving. Its got about 50 legs and this really long body. It was so freaking scary I almost peed in my pants. Good thing I was already in the right area. I squashed it and flushed it down the toilet. And when I squashed it, I could feel the meaty part of the body breaking. Ewww. It was so big that I think it would supplied enough protein for a small child.

Kids are sick. Matthew got sick last monday night with a fever and cold, then Brooke with a cold, and then John with a fever and cold who still has one and then Jacob with a cold. Scott is also got some type of bug. I'm the last one standing.

A weekly recap

Alrighty. Whats new? Whats frustrating? Whats over?

New. Brooke has a new haircut. I just cut off the back to give her a shorter "bob" style haircut. Daddy was sad to see the longer hair in the back go, but it was a form of a mullet and we just don't do mullets.

Jacob lost his tooth last night. His tooth was hanging on by a thread. or root. His adult tooth is even showing. I kept trying to pull the thing out, but he was such a baby about it. Buck up young man, there are a whole lot worse things in life. So he pulled it out by himself. I gave him a deadline though, I told him he had to do it before 10:00 p.m. last night or the Tooth Fairy would not be able to guarantee same day delivery of said money.

Matthew started Early Childhood school this week. He attends Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 11:03. He has two teachers in his classroom all the time and then has additional speech therapy on those day in class too. His teachers just love him. He's such a sweetheart, who wouldn't? All three days though as I backed out of the classroom he started crying. Its harder in some ways than when Jacob cried at preschool. He's 3 and very much innocent and vulnerable. He is such a sweet child and I actually enjoy being his parent. Although, it seems like I don't have the time to cry about it being that I'm dragging around the other two.

The frustrating. Jacob has been acting very badly the last week or so. Its ticking me off. I've actually sent him in his room for an hour or so at a time. Its called "quiet time" in some households or its called "stay away from your mom or she'll wring your neck" time in my house. I just took all four out for a walk and he wanted to ride his bike. I gave him my expectations before we left. When I stay stop, he needs to stop. He didn't. Finally almost 3/4 around our circle a neighbor stopped him and made him wait until I caught up. I told him right away his bike was going away for a week and he was going to go to his room until daddy got home. Then I came up with the brilliant conclusion that to really hurt him was to take away his "boat" privileges. That means he can't play in our boat that's sitting in our garage. Now he plays in this boat hours a day if he could so I'm hoping that this means he'll remember how not fun this punishment was and listen.

What's over? Winter. I think we won't have any more snow. Its actually nice to get outside without coats on.

Easter hangover

The kids were patient enough to wait until daddy got up for the big Easter egg hunt. They found their baskets with a little help from me. This is a rare picture of all three children looking in the general vicinity of the camera.

Birthday pictures part deux

I really enjoyed the babies birthday. I love to celebrate birthday and get them all hyped up for it. I want them to have great memories of their birthdays and fun things we do. I'm the type of person, if you ask me how old I am, I'll say 33 1/2. If my husband let me, we would be celebrating 1/2 birthdays for the kids (and me).

It seems just like yesterday that my kids were in the NICU. They were there over Easter. It was very emotional for me because I wanted my family together for these special holidays and yet, Jacob had not even met his siblings yet. He was not allowed into the NICU due to the RSV season.

Matthew, love the lip curl. Such an angel waiting patiently for his birthday song to be over with.

John, on the other hand, had already sampled his cupcake.

Happy Easter everyone. My favorite thing to say on easter, "He is risen, He is risen indeed!"

More Birthday pictures of Brooke

Brooke was absolutely precious during the Happy Birthday song and all-too-eager to blow out her candles. (I'll post the other boys tomorrow)

Birthday hangover

I think I've almost recovered from the birthday party this weekend. Its so much work getting the house clean and making food, yet it was so worth it. The kids, especially Jacob, were excited for the party. I need to make a mental note to have the party for lunch next year instead of dinner/supper time because the day gets pretty long when Jacob asks for the 4oth time "how many hours until the party?" And trying to keep the house clean all day with four kids in it - well, its not happening unless you hogtie them.

I bought a preschool table to go in our dining room for the kids to play on. This table did not hold all the presents. I think they should be occupied for at least a few weeks. The theme was Sponge Bob Square pants. Its a nice neutral theme. Although its kind of creepy falling asleep on the couch and then looking up to see Sponge Bob's face over your head.

Brooke has been an absolute monster. I think its due to them not being in their cribs anymore. They can get in and out of their beds and they are staying up later fooling around and even nap time is really challenging. There is lots of running around and giggling. So I may have to change the wording to "quiet time" because I need a break. I need a break from my children. I need quiet, I need to be alone and not be elbowed, jumped on and licked.

Matthew and John still need to be separated during the day because they tend to play and someone likes to rip down wallpaper in their room. Seriously, I will string John up by his feet and leave him like that if he rips more down. I'd like to wipe that mischievous smirk off his face.

It doesn't sound like I'm really liking my job right now. Well, these times are very frustrating keeping the consistency really is wearing. But on a happier note, when I take all three to the store, it has been much easier. I still can't do more than one store without meltdowns, but how many grown men can you take shopping in multiples stores?

I seriously was really close to grabbing a drink today. And smoking. And it didn't help that we got to the YMCA late today. I took all four down to the dressing room and then sent Jacob out to the pool while I got the triplets to the drop-in day care. Went back downstairs and he wasn't in the pool with the rest of his class.

First thought is that there is only one way out of the YMCA and the people working by the door know Jacob. So I knew he was still in the building somewhere. So I went back into the family locker room and most of the private rooms were being used. So I started calling his name. When I realized that the only other place he was familiar with was Adventure Alley I started heading there only to hear me being paged over the loudspeaker. He was in adventure alley with three directors looking after him. He did really well, he told the lady working he was looking for me, he knew my name and when the director of swimming said she'd take him to swimming lessons, he said that he would stay right there until I got there.

This is going to turn me more grey than I already am. On Saturday, we had the FVMOM spring rummage sale and there are tons of people around. He was going between my booth and my sister Joan's booth. I went over to talk to him and he wasn't there. He wasn't by my sister Julie and he wasn't by another lady Angela that I know he knows. So I thought he went to the bathroom by himself. He's becoming more independent which has its upside and its downside to certain situations like this. He insisted on going into the boys bathroom earlier that day so I knew he would have gone in there. I heard voices when I cracked the door, but I didn't want to go in and scare some poor boys. Another lady I know said she hadn't seen Jacob out there so I sent another boy in to see who was in the bathroom. It wasn't him. So a thousand things are going through my head. There are strangers around, its busy, the doors are open to the outside. So as tears start to cloud my eyes and I feel my heart beating in my throat, he walks in from being outside. His cheeks were flushed from the cold. He had been outside by the truck blowing bubbles. And the truck was parked aways from the door. I hugged him and told him that he cannot leave the building without telling me. Sigh. He just does not realize the dangers around him.

People keep asking me now that the triplets are 3 if things are easier. Is 3 some magic age where they start to do everything by themselves and listen? Three is worse than two. They start to be able to reason with you and they are really stubborn without any substance behind their reasoning. They have quick tempers and short attention spans.

Now sure, I don't have to feed them every three hours and I'm not up all night with them. But when I put them down when they were infants, they stayed where I put them. I could also place them in swings or bouncy seats and go do something. But then again, I had more help when they were infants. So I guess its a toss up. I think I'll feel like things are easier after they are potty-trained.

And speaking of that, Brooke has regressed to wanting to wear diapers. However, she still only has one or two wet diapers a day and holds it very well. She just is learning "the feeling" of when she has to go and has not figured out how to relax and let it all out.

Yes, that was TMI. But its potty-training and its my life. Believe me, I can't wait to go a day without touching poop.

Obituary

Three cribs entered into the Callaway household on April 26th and April 28th, 2006 when Matthew, Brooke and John came home from the NICU. They were put to the curb the evening of April 1st, 2009. These cribs loved to be slept in, shaken, climbed and even didn't mind getting occasional bodily fluids on them. They endured much in their short life span. One crib was even passed down from Aunt Julie to Brooke and will be passed back to the family for future babies. These cribs are survived by their mattresses which are still being slept on by Matthew and John. While Brooke is sleeping in the bottom bunk bed in her room.

These cribs were particularly missed by John who freaked out at the sight, or lack of, them in their room. We'd like to thank everyone who borrowed or donated cribs, mattresses or bedding. They have been used and abused and you really don't want them back due to the mysterious stains.

And I will huff and puff and blow your salsa down!

Johnny is a very special child. He's not a child to be replicated, yet he'll be impossible to miss. He's got presence, he's got style, he's got his own style.

Tonight I attend a newer church in Appleton called the Core. http://www.gotocore.com/ Jacob was a fan because they served popcorn and drinks. It also helps that it was an old movie theatre and its just pretty awesome.

On the way home we stopped to get some groceries. I picked up some blackbean salsa and chips. I got home and the triplets tore into the chips and the salsa. Now, Brooke and John both liked the salsa. Matthew tried it, but decided chips were his thing. I gave John his own dipping bowl since he was drooling and very into the dipping process. I caught him blowing on his chips and salsa and then eating them. Just like we'd do if something were hot. The salsa was spicy hot, not warm hot. It was hilarious watching him eat because he was unaware that he was drooling and what was making his mouth so hot.

The children in this experiment were given milk to drink and they had their own napkins and ate on their own free will.

Crossing the line -the state line

Its been so long since I logged on to this account, I almost forgot my logon. Or it could be that being sick for the last four days has taken its toll.

On Sunday, my friend Shell Dinter, Jacob, Matthew, Brooke and John headed out to Minnesota to see some friends. On the way over, I had some rumblings in my tummy and thought "oh, oh." No way could I get sick! Jacob had gotten over his bug four days before this. Well, after five or six stops (just for me) we arrived at our friends, Bob & Cindy's house. Shell and I used to work with Bob and Cindy for a long, long time. I think I met Cindy in 1995 and from what I remember, our first trade ever was TSA - The Sports Authority. She and Bob got married a few months before Scott and I in 1999 and we even had our children at the same time. Jacob and Luke are a month apart and Erika and the triplets are three weeks apart.

Its nice that we've kept touch even though I'm not working anymore. So, I regress...

We arrive at their house on Sunday afternoon and the kids played so nicely together, the four of us catch up, we have a little birthday party for the kiddos and have a few glasses of wine.
The next morning, Matthew comes up to me and his pants are soaked through. I change him and its diarrheaish. Oh no. So I end up taking him in the shower with me to clean him up. He acts fine and frankly, we had plans to go to the Mall of America and just about nothing was stopping me.
We head to The Mall of America and Shell and I go to Legoland with the kids. She rents a couple of double strollers for the kids so we can get around easier. We spend a gazillion dollars at legoland. Jacob picked out a Coast Guard set that he wanted, I got the little boys a SpongeBob lego set for their birthdays which everyone can share, and a ton on Lego plates so we can build a table for the kids to build their stuff on.

Then we perused Hanna Anderssen, Gymboree, Disney Store and Shell probably got 1.5 seconds in a store of her choice. The kids got sick of sitting in strollers and were tired from not taking naps.

We met up with Bob and Cindy and the kids and ate at Ruby Tuesdays. Well, before that Bob took Luke and Jacob on rides while the girls did a little more shopping. Matthew just cried and fell asleep on Shell.

On the way home, I said I'd drive and follow the trusty Garmin that I borrowed from the in-laws. Cindy also had written out some instructions on how to get from their house to the mall. So really, we just had to reverse the directions and follow the Garmin and we should be able to get home.

(Just to caution the readers, I may not still have my road names right in this story and it may contain graphic language and descriptions that may be unsuitable for small children or delicate palates.)

I got onto 494 and then as I knew, I KNEW, that I should stay on this road until 35E North. But I was looking at the Garmin and I thought it showed me on the screen to take a right. Shell's yelling, "No! No! don't get off the highway!" This was my first of many mistakes with the Garmin.

So, we are in a big city with four precious children and I put my faith in the Garmin to get me back on track. So after a 1/2 hour of trying to get back to 494 or maybe it was 694, we finally got back to where we needed to be. During this time, Matthew had messed his pants, and it wasn't the ordinary messy diaper. It was the diarrhea diaper. Once you smell that kind of diaper, it will be engrained in your brain for the rest of your life. So we have our windows open a smidge and its pouring rain. Just as I'm merging onto one freeway to another, Michelle says, or screams, "Matthews throwing up!" And she dove into the backseat and tried to catch the vomit to lessen the mess. Shes a superhero.

As you know, you can't just pull over on a freeway, so I just open my window a little bit more and she cleans him up with whatever wipes we have and cleans up her hands. I don't think she realized it but she just held her hands up from her lap for quite awhile. Then we just started laughing hysterically. I mean, it really couldn't get much worse.

The Garmin gets us back to the house an hour after we left from the mall, while it only should have taken about 30 minutes.

I am going to write a strongly worded letter to the Garmin people. The thing would tell us to get off the freeway to drive on city streets and then have us get right back on that same highway. I'm not sure it tells us the shortest miles or what the logic is. The other problem is that if there is construction and the on ramps are closed, it doesn't recognize detours. So it will keep rerouting you to that same ramp that is closed. That's great in a big city you don't know.

On a positive note, it does tell you where the nearest McDonalds is.

So we enter the house, Shell puts the kids to bed, I give Matthew a bath, strip down the carseats and wash a bunch of stuff. O.K. how crappy is it to bring a sick child into another house?

So I get more sick overnight and we pack up to leave to drive home. Shell drives the whole way home. We stop to see her parents in Stanley, Wisconsin and had a really nice lunch. Jacob met the oldest person he know knows, Shell's Grandma. She's 93. The oldest person before that was Grandma Callaway's dad, Grandpa Ken. John wanted to be picked up by Shell's dad Dave and he wanted him to carry him around everywhere. John is such a stinker.

We arrive home and I get even more sick. Today I just laid on the couch and slept. With children running around. Go ahead, call social services. I need a break.

Things I learned on this trip.

Shell will probably never take a road trip with us again.
Shell didn't deserve to be puked on and I owe her a bazillion favors.
Bob and Cindy probably won't ask us to come back for a really really long time.
Jacob has now found someone else that he wants to marry, his new friend Erika.
Carry your own tissue because the toilet paper in gas stations or restaurants is really rough.