Still haven't gotten the pics off my camera. Maybe soon. Why is it that there are always a hundred more things to do than I ever have time for? I need a wife. That's what I've decided. That and a nanny. Oh wait - if I had a wife, she'd be a maid AND a nanny. Yep. That's what I need.

House Hunting

Grandma Lynn is coming back down tomorrow to do some more house hunting. She has to be out of her place in less than a month, so there's no time to waste. I know she's getting anxious and a little nervous about getting something that she loves in time, but I also know it will all work out. And if we have to have a live-in babysitter for a little while before she finds a place, then so be it. :) Heck, I might even get to go get a hair cut!!

It is on my list to download pics from my camera today, so hopefully I will have some time to post some pics from Rachel's dance recital last Friday. She did great!!

We're also doing a little landscape action in our back yard. The rain and yuckiness have hindered our work a bit, but at least we got our landscape bricks around what is to become our flower beds... or as Mike likes to call them, dog borders. Pictures to follow.

I'm off to do some organizing today. I may be calling Superchikk to help!

The Week From.....

This has been one of the craziest, busiest, most irritating weeks of the world. Sunday morning, I had praise team which meant being at church by 7:30 am. Sunday night was the children's musical and my choir kids (including Rachel) singing in "big church". Monday was work and then a 2 hour dance practice. Tuesday was babysitting and then a 3 hour dance practice. I thought I was going to get the evening sans children, but plans changed at the last minute and that didn't work out. Wednesday was Grandma Lynn's arrival. She's looking for a house here, so she came into town to do a little home shopping. Wednesday night was our last night for children's choir and our pizza party. Today was work and immediately after that was getting the girls ready for the 2 hour dance dress rehearsal. Let's not forget all the prep I've had to do for Friday Night Out since I'm not going to be there tomorrow night. Tomorrow is house hunting all morning and then the afternoon will be getting things ready for the recital tomorrow night, and we have to be there an hour and a half before starting time. Saturday morning will be more house hunting and I'm not sure what the evening plans are now, as they have changed in the last 24 hours. Sunday morning is serving in preschool. Sunday afternoon, I might crawl in a hole and not come out until Monday morning.

The sad thing is, there seems to be extra stuff that just keeps popping into my week - this week of all weeks. Today, I was about to explode but refrained, somewhat, from throwing a few choice words around. I haven't been able to get to my exercise class for over a week and haven't had time to myself AT ALL in about 2 weeks. I'm just so tired that it makes me want to cry sitting here thinking about it. And yet, there are still demands for my attention and action that won't quit and I have to keep going. Oh what I wouldn't give to not have anything more pressing to do, anyone to be responsible for, or anyone else to think about but myself for even a couple hours. That, my dear friends, would just be bliss. Unfortunately, I do not currently have that luxury. What if I had a lunch hour to go out for a while by myself? What if I had a drive to or from work where there were no children in my car? Even that would be wonderful.

I told Lynn that when she moves here, I have one request - that she babysit my kids for a day so that I can go get a hair cut, my eyes checked, and my teeth cleaned. Because to do any of that stuff that most people would consider easy/manditory things, I have to get a babysitter. I haven't had a hair cut since October. I haven't been to have my eyes checked in about a year and a half. And we'll not even discuss how long it's been since I've been to the dentist. Let's just say I've been on Tyson's insurance for over 8 years and they've never paid a dental bill for me.

Do you feel sorry for me yet? I certainly feel sorry for myself after writing all that. Is there a bright side to things? I'm trying really hard to see it, but not having much luck.

Movies and "Zac Outrun"

Yesterday, Tanner and I went to see "17 Again". It was super cute and hilarious. We laughed a ton. And yes, I thought Zac Efron was a cutie! Today, Rachel and I went to see "Monsters vs. Aliens". I'd never seen a movie in a theater that was in 3D, so that was a treat for Rachel and me getting to wear our "super cool" 3D glasses. It was a cute movie and as Melissa said, I had to snicker a few times at the sci-fi movie references that were in there. Went right over Rachel's head, but whatever. And one of the funnist things that I still snicker over was when the pres said he was going to change the threat level to brown...cause he had to go change his pants. HEHE! THAT was funny.

But the funniest part of the day was when Rachel was talking about Tanner and I going to see the movie yesterday and she said, "I really like Zac Outrun." I'm pretty sure I snorted from laughing so hard when she said that! Zac Outrun. Yep. Still giggling from that.

Well, I Thought I'd Cried My Last Tear... for a while...

...but I hadn't apparently. I was told about this blog, so I had to go check it out. I'm literally in tears as I write this. It's by Angie Smith of the group Selah. They lost a baby last year and had a post from April 7th, what would have been the baby's first birthday. Go read it when you have a chance, but bring a tissue. Mercy.
http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/


And I just found this video on their site. Literally - I am WEEPING!! I think I'm crying harder now than I did all three performances of playing Mary Magdelene. Can you even imagine? It tears my heart out of me to think of losing one of my children. That must be the MOST horrible pain any mother could ever face. God, bless that woman right now and give her an enormous portion of your peace today.
I'm totally serious - if you have any sort of a tender heart, do NOT try and watch this without a kleenex. I'm not even kidding!! It will rip your heart to shreds!
http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/04/slideshow.html

Alone Time

.... if I don't get some soon, I think I might scream at anything that walks near me! I usually am a pretty good people person and I enjoy being around people. But I think I've been around people (and by people I'm including my children) and I haven't given myself enough time just by myself. I love my children and even as I type this they are doing some really cute things, but sometimes I just need to have some time where I'm not thinking about anything and I'm not around anyone.

Porter is as cute as can be but oh. my. gosh!!! He's into EVERYTHING!!!! Before I sat down to type this, he found the box of Alphabits that I just put by the trashcan and took it to the living room and thought he'd see how much of a mess he could make on the living room carpet. I had to get the vacuum cleaner out and suck up all the crumbs. It wasn't even that it was crumbs so much as it was that powder that's in the bottom of the cereal bags. This morning, it was an empty milk jug and a banana peel that he pulled out of the trash and was taking through the kitchen. He also loves to get the pens out of the drawer at my desk, as well as all the lotions, hair products, band aids and medicines we have in the bathroom cabinets. And Lord help me if I leave a book or magazine within his reach. Rachel was NEVER in to stuff like Porter is. I feel like I would have to keep him caged most of the time to keep him out of things! It's enough to wear a woman OUT!

And Rachel.... apparently that child has a problem with not being obedient in her class when it comes to talking. They have a discipline system to where they have little clips they move to green when they have a warning, to yellow if they are told again, and to red when it's really bad. When I came to get her today, her clip was the lone clip on the RED!!! I still don't have the full story, but her teacher told me that it wasn't as bad as it looked and that she didn't realize her clip was already on yellow or she wouldn't have had to move it again. I don't know exactly what happened there, but apparently she wasn't "red clip" bad even though that's where her clip was. Last time she moved her clip to yellow, she got a spanking from Daddy when she got home. It doesn't look good for her today.

Can you get a feel for why I need a smidge of alone time?

Oh Dear Computer

We have our computer back!! Glory Hallelujah!! All the files are there. We're still having email issues. It'll be fixed soon, I'm sure. I'm just glad to have a screen bigger than an inch to look at! That phone is fabulous and I'm glad to have had it this past week for keeping up with stuff, but my goodness, it was beginning to be an "eye sore".

I've been challenged to a baking competition by Angela. You know, I usually can't let a challenge go past me. I'm going to try and not let this one get past me either. I'm not sure how it's going to fit into my schedule this week, but I'm going to give it a shot at some point.

Porter has been very snugly this week. He was just standing beside me and laid his head over on my lap and was saying, "aawwww". How precious is that?! He's been very into giving me and his sisters hugs, too. I'm going to try and savor every moment of this because, as we all know, it won't last.

MOPS is calling and my hair needs to be washed before I step foot out of this house!

Later...