*Caution: Puke Pic In Post Below. Ye Faint Of Heart Be Warned! ARRRRRGGH!
I am about to share a lot of gross details. Just a heads up for you.
I do not throw up. I hate it. So I don’t do it. I don’t out of shear Quigley stubbornness. In 29 and a half years, the number of times I’ve thrown up due to illness has been less than I can count on two hands. My three pregnancies didn’t add much to that number. Some people vomit well…like Greg for example. He can just relax, get it out, and feel better. For me, it’s violent. Without fail, it explodes out my nose, and brings no relief.
A stomach bug hit our house this past weekend. It’s taken me to a zen, slow-moving turtle place. I stop, breathe and concentrate through the urges to loose it, and then continue on being a mom. …and it all started with this:
This is how we found Eve at 12:30 am Sunday morning. (Who sleeps through that?!) We cleaned her up, and I spent the remainder of the night sleeping on the floor next to her holding a bucket. Dear, sweet girl.
Bright and early the next morning, I got up to shower and go to Stake Conference. We’d decided maybe I should go by myself, and honestly, I was quite looking forward to that. When I was ready to go, I peeked in on the kids only to discover Miles sleeping in a pile of his own vomit. (What the what?! Again, who does that?!!) Poor boy was fine all night, and I felt so bad that I was in the shower when he needed me. My children definitely do not have my iron stomach.
Greg says the best training to be a parent he got, was all his years of working at Six Flags. Cleaning up bodily fluids is just another day at the park. I’m so grateful that he just takes all that stuff in stride. He’s a wonderful man. I knew the children were in great hands as I walked out the door.
I started feeling funny during conference, but I was fairly sure it was due to a hard night. When it took me forever to make dinner that evening, and I could barely eat any of it, I knew I was sick too.
Monday was full of nuggling, (snuggling) watching movies by the Christmas tree, blog reading/writing, friends doing nice things for us, and Greg handling everything when he got home. Basically, we were lazy bums. By evening, the kids were on the mend. I’m not far behind them. Today, I got ready for the day. The wash has been started, meals are being planned, and music lessons will be attended. It’s another day in motherhood. As always, we have music helping us push through it. We took a break from the Christmas tunes this morning so the likes of Eddie Vedder could serenade me. I love his slower stuff…sometimes the harder stuff too. :) I’m sure that comes from years spent in the same house with my brother, Lee.
Hope you are all able to avoid the barfs this season! So sorry to any of you I may have unknowingly infected at Stake Conference. I’m sure you’ll have some extra immunity points because you went. You should be good. *wink* :)
Did you know…
…our little Eve turned THREE in June?!!! I KNOW!! I can’t believe it either. She just gets more and more fun/cute/sassy the older she gets. Greg, Brenden, Miles and I all adore her, and she knows it.
From the moment she woke up, she was grinning and giggling about it being her “bir-day”. Aren’t little kids the best when it comes to celebrating?! Eve was just exuding joy all day. She absolutely loved having everyone wish her a happy birthday at church.
Then she about went bananas when she opened the jungle animals Grandma and Grandpa H. got for her. We brought out her tree house/doll house so she could get right down to the business of playing.
The afternoon was totally chill. We hung out while she’d open something, and just watch while she explored it. Eve currently loves anything to do with animals (especially horses), farms and castles. There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that she hasn’t played with these new animals in her jungle. (Madison- She madly loves your old tree house!!)
Around last Christmas I found a huge Little Peoples castle set at a children’s resale store for crazy cheap. I was done with her Christmas shopping so I tucked it away for her birthday.
It had horses, and princesses, and dragons, OH MY!! :) It was so worth buying and hiding.
All three kids didn’t leave the front room until dinner time.
Eve wore the horsey party hat we made for days after. She’s been asking me for another birthday ever since. :) I’m thinking I need to look forward to my next birthday with that much excitement.
Breakfast on the porch
One fav thing for us this summer eating outside on the porch. Here are some snaps from a breakfast early in the summer. Eve was giving me some adorable half-moon-eyed smiles when Brenden startled us both by sneaking up behind.
important things
We were sitting side-by-side on the couch when Miles leaned in closer to say, “Mom, I love you more than ice cream.”
There’s just something about the way little boys love their mothers. It melts my heart like ice cream in the hot July sun. I could just eat Miles up, I love him so.
I got the children dressed and ready for the day before finding clothes for myself. Eve came around the corner, and took one look at my attire, and declared, “Mom!! We sames!” I love how she says “sames” when she sees a match. It may have just been me, but on this occasion there seemed to be a hint of embarrassment in her voice when she said it. We were indeed exact sames. Black lounge pants with blue Boise State t-shirts. A complete accident even though I had just dressed her not 10 minutes prior. I was too lazy to change, so we laughed about it instead. I’m glad she’s so willing to laugh.
Brenden lost his sixth tooth on the last night he was a six year old. It happened so long ago, and I’m afraid I’ll forget about it if wait to write it down any longer. January marked seven years passing me by in such a rush I could hardly believe it. Now first grade has ended, and he has an independence and fearlessness that I can hardly recognize. I just happened to glance at the class memory book he brought home yesterday. Each child has their own page with a paragraph of important things about them with a black and white picture of themselves underneath. I turned to his page, and found he had already colored his hair vivid orange with a marker. The text read, “The important thing about Brenden is that he has a mom that he likes. It is true that he likes playing video games. He is good at “Portal 2″ and Star Wars. And he is good at listening to his mom. But the most important thing about Brenden is that he has a mom that he likes.” That was the best gift he could have ever given me today.
There are so many things about Brenden at this age that are important to me…like the way he’ll still hold my hand when I offer it. I know the time for that is quickly coming to an end. Did you know that when something really tickles Brenden’s funny-bone, he covers his mouth, and giggles with his whole body? His eyes shine when that happens. I love that. Brenden still draws or colors at every possible opportunity. He reads, reads, READS anything with type on it. He always has a tune on his lips, and a groove to go with it. Nobody moves like Brenden. He has this quirky, jerky style that is so rad. (It’s kind of like if Mr. Robot-o could pop and lock, and had Pee-Wee Herman-esk mannerisms. Awesome.) Brenden will do anything to casually get out of cleaning his room. It drives me crazy, but I have to admire his creativity about it. He’s pretty crafty. B loves to play. I’ll often overhear him challenge his siblings to “Coffee me!” Then I’ll loudly clear my throat, and he’ll say, “Oops! I mean copy me.” I think its so funny that he still mispronounces that word all the time. Brenden’s brother and sister love him fiercely. Eve-E looked at him the other day, and said, “Brenden, you’re so cute!” He blushed, and grinned in a silly sort of way. You could tell he loved her saying that. He leaned over, sniffed her hair, and declared, “Eve, your red hair smells like strawberries.” She’s obsessed with Strawberry Korrcake (Shortcake) so that was just about the best compliment he could give her in return. They are such a funny pair. (I’m glad I overheard that exchange so I had some idea why Eve was asking me to smell her hair today.) Brenden loves his Book of Mormon, and does such a good job reading when it’s his turn. He loves to ask Greg and I how to say random words in different languages. I don’t know why he thinks we speak French! (Pardon my lack of French, Bud. Let’s stick to Spanish or Portuguese.) (…or Canadian, cuz you know they have a “unique” way to say EVERYTHING, eh.)
I want so bad to freeze this gap-toothed little boy in my memory so I’ll always have this time with him.
I am so blessed to be a mom.
04-11-2011
First thing in the morning, Eve put on her snow coat, and declared, “I’m going to the jungle!”
Later, (while still wearing her parka) she poked a spot on my face, and asked, “What that, Mama?”
“A mole”
“I don’t like moles. I like tigahs.” (tigers)
I started playing with her hair, and she melted into my lap like honey on warm toast. Relaxed and content, with a hint of last night’s sleep still in her eyes, she softly began to sing a sweet lullaby. “I love my tiiigah. Oh yes I doooo. I love my tii-gah. Oh yes, it’s true-ooo.”
She wore her jammies and a coat all day. She was too cute to change.
A tale of unders and a snowy day
****I’m not sure why I’ve had this post saved as a draft for pretty much a month. Better late than never. =) ****
Eve likes to fake potty training. It’s pretty cute, and annoying. I’m probably the worst potty trainer ever. My boys were both awful, so I’m taking an entirely different approach with Eve. We’re in no hurry to officially start, but I decided awhile ago that whenever she asked to “go” I’d accommodate. My goal is to be patient, and follow her lead. She asks all the time to use the toilet, and LOVES it. However, when her unders go on, she pretty much refuses to use the toilet. That’s so Eve. She really likes things to be on her terms. (No idea where she got that from.) After a day without diapers, we are back in them, and still practicing in the toilet whenever she wants. I’m ok with moving on her terms in this case. My boys have scarred me. :) Isn’t she cute in underwear though?!
I am loving December so far. It started off with a bang…eight inches of snow and a school cancellation. YAY! Wednesday December 1 was the first time my kids have experienced an official snow day from school. I think every kid can agree that there’s nothing quite so awesome as a snow day. After a slow paced breakfast, we suited up in our snow gear, and went out to enjoy the source of our mini holiday. It was perfect-for-play wet snow, and we had a blast.
I adore Eve’s snow kissed profile.
We got cold just in time for lunch, and a mug of hot chocolate warmed us up quickly. Hot chocolate is a big deal at our house. I’m so glad for modern advances in medicine. It makes it possible for us to enjoy a simple thing like hot chocolate as a family. Diabetes stinks, but life with chocolate is still good.
The balance of the day was filled with Christmas movies, blankets, and imaginary play. This classic Christmas special is a favorite at our house. I just about started crying when I discovered it again this year. I LOVED Grampy when I was a kid. I always wanted snow to stick on my boots the way it does on his. :) Anyways, as an adult I find the whole thing hilarious so I’m glad my kids love to watch it.
Inspired by all the holiday merriment, Brenden ( aka: Mr. Can-A-Costume-Out-Of-Anything) decided that Christmas was to be the theme of all games, and he wanted to be Santa.
He wore an old black leather belt wrapped twice around his not-so-plump belly, and his paper hat was too small for his head so he taped it to a bandanna. :)
Brenden had Eve wear her Christmas dress so she could be Mrs. Claus. She was all about dressing up, but basically ignored everything else. Playing with our LittlePeople nativity scene almost always takes precedence.
Miles plays a naughty elf really well…maybe too well.
Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman…
It seems Fall has come and gone so fast. Is it just me?
It snowed today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not altogether sad about it. Bundling up Miles like the kid from A Christmas Story (because he was sure he could make a snowman out of the snow/rain mix) made my morning. We have our radio perma-tuned to Christmas music, and I have a hankering for hot chocolate like nothing else. (That must be satisfied tomorrow.) However, Fall has been so nice this year, I hate to see it get so freezy. It’s a bit of a sad day when you realize that a cozy sweater just isn’t enough to cut it. It’s all good though, bring on the holidays!!!
In addition to being slushy, today was super busy. It was easy to tell that my children were feeling a little neglected as Greg and I worked on several projects. Greg had to leave for the evening just before dinner, and we were hurrying to get as much done as possible before then. The kids and I had a nice (but quick) meal together, then I was right back into finishing up what we had started. Long story short, by bedtime, my fuse had was all but gone, and my kids were increasingly hard of hearing. When the three little “dears” were finally jammied up, teeth brushed, and ready for bed, we all met in the boys’ room for prayers. That’s when I looked at my Miles, my Brenden, and my Eve, and I realized what I had missed out on all day. I asked them if they could think of a song that would help us all feel happy. Miles shouted out, “I Am A Child of God.” We sang it plus a song about a snowman, and it worked. I was really glad for that little bonding moment. I kissed my smiling boys goodnight, and carried my sweet Eve to her new big girl bed. (One of the before mentioned projects.)
I tucked her in with all her dollies, and she sweetly demanded, with outstretched arms, “Mommy, a hug.” How could I refuse? I leaned over to snuggle her when she wrapped her arms around my neck fiercely, and pulled my head to her chest. I could feel her hot breath on my face, and hear her steady heartbeat thump thump in my ear. I had the thought,” This is perfection.” I literally had to just close my eyes and savor it. After a short while, I slightly lifted my head just in time to see her eyes nod off. At the end of a day like today, I don’t know what I did to deserve such a gift.
I’m grateful I had the chance to tuck my kids in tonight.
Amen!
Wednesday afternoon I found myself looking through this month’s New Era for a thought to share at our youth back to school party. Just as something caught my eye, Eve walked in, flipped the magazine closed, and said, “Amen!” Of course, then it became a big game of “don’t let Mom read.” Amen after amen, she laughed and laughed. So did I.
I love being a Mom.
Life is in full swing these days. Brenden is officially a first grader. The first day of school was a week and a half ago! So early this year! I don’t know where our summer went. B’s loving class though. He has the sweetest teacher, and seems to be making friends. I won’t lie though, it’s super weird having him gone all day. We all miss him…a lot. It does have it’s nice points however. For example, Eve and Miles have started playing really well together. Greg and I are loving that. I’ve been enjoying the late summer days with only two kids to manage too. I’ve tried to minimize Brenden’s time away from home by opting to drive him to and from school everyday. I actually really like the flow it gives to the day.
The other day, picking Brenden up got a little interesting when Miles suddenly announced that he had to pee. Miles has this horrible habit of waiting until the last second to tell me he needs a bathroom, and it’s usually when a bathroom is hard to reach. We were kinda stuck in a parking lot full of people. Brenden was going to be coming out any second. Leaving wasn’t really an option, but the look in Miles’ eye told me I had better do something fast. I scanned the surroundings for ideas, and then I saw “it” in the back seat. I thought to myself for a second, “Are we really going to do this? Hmmm….yup.”
“Miles,” I said, “drop your drawers. You’re gunna pee in this bottle.”
I picked up the empty kid-sized water bottle, and showed him. I might as well have told him Santa had come early. See, that’s the great thing about having boys. Peeing in weird places is like THE MOST AWESOME ADVENTURE EVER. They are a bizarre breed.
When the bottle reached half full, and he was still going strong, the OH CRAP!’s starting racing through my mind. I was pretty sure we were going to have ourselves a Dumb and Dumber moment…minus the surplus of empties. Mercy! Thankfully he topped out at a little under 3/4’s capacity. Don’t think we’ll try that one again. (I shouldn’t say that…I’m sure now we will.)
You’re so welcome for the disgusting cellphone pic of pee in a bottle.
Welp…I think I’ll leave ya on that note. Happy Labor Day weekend! =)
Eve
My little Lammie,
Every morning you wake up around 7:45 am. I love to lay in my bed, and listen to you sing in you crib. When your Daddy gets out of the shower, we laugh at how cute you’re voice is, and he goes to your rescue. I can hear you two whispering, coming toward me down the hall. Then your eyes light up as you round the corner. Daddy sets you at my feet, and tells you to “Go get her!” We laugh again as you scamper to my arms. You snuggle for a second before demanding to be under the covers too.”Banket!” It’s one of my favorite parts of the day. I look forward to it every morning. Your head nestled right below my chin…torso to torso…perfection. Soon it’s peek-a-boo and blanket tents, and when all my sheets are successfully untucked, you start pulling at my hands and arms saying, “Come on!” You’re relentless. I try to resist, but resistance is futile. “Eee up Mommy!” you plead as you yank the sheets off.
Your language astounds me. Just these last few weeks you’ve been starting to use sentences, and you love to repeat whatever is said around you. (Scary.) You’re inquisitive, and form questions that I don’t expect. I can’t help but help smile at your curious eyes. I can tell you really what to know the answer. I love to see the wheels turning behind your eyes when I ask you a question in return. There’s so much there in your little two year old mind. It’s amazing.
Lately, you’re really into colors, and are really good at naming them. You love music too. Your Dad likes to exploit said love of music. Whenever you are sad, he knows all he has to do is open itunes, and all will be well. I guess I take advantage of it too. Singing “Wheels on the Bus” together has gotten us through many an unwanted diaper change. I don’t know why you love that song so much. You do though, and I’m grateful for it.
Now that school is out, the first thing you ask for when you wake up from a nap is Brenden. I can’t tell you how much I love that. Brenden does too. You two have a special thing. Maybe it’s the hair? You and Miles are great buds too, except it’s riddled with competition. :) You both know just how to get at each other. It’s sweet to see that he’s always got your back when anyone else is around though. I can’t ask for much more.
You are such a girl. It’s spectacular!! Never would have guessed that I’d have competition for my own shoes at this point though. It’s amazing to me how you gravitate toward “pretties”. It kills your father. It’s a whole new world of girliness for him. He’s always laughing, and asking where you learn it.
Eve, I adore having you for my daughter. You’ve open my heart wider than I ever thought it could. I think you came into our lives just when we needed you too. Just when I needed you. I feel like having you is one of those blessings that will only get sweeter as time goes by.
Happy Birthday Darling.
Love,
Mommy
*Written a month ago. Finally sat down to add pictures. :)
Alturas Lake
I’m getting ahead of myself here. Eve’s birthday letter is half written, and “saved as draft”. Oh, and I had a birthday (shout hooray) as well. Summer is here, and it seams that everyday there is something going on worth writing about, but lets just forget all that for a bit, and take a moment for now.
Last weekend we had an awesome extended family reunion for my Dad’s side of the family. Here are a few favorite memories I want to keep fresh in my mind:
1. Miles was so excited after gathering up candy from a busted up piñata. He kept smiling and calling for me to look at how much he got. Then knowing he couldn’t just dive into it, he went back to his seat and started offering pieces to my aunts and uncles. When I came over to talk to his about his haul, he picked one out special just for me. Sweet boy. We agreed that he could eat two, and save the rest for later. After getting some insulin to cover his treat, we were walking toward our cabin, and I said, “Miles, I’m so proud of you for sharing your candy so nicely. Thank you for being so kind.” His eyes lit up, and he said, “Yeah! Thanks Mom, for letting me give one to you! Did it taste like jelly?! Did you like it?”
He…wow…he is awesome.
2. Brenden is old enough to not be close to me all the time. It’s good for him. It’s hard for me. He’s darn smart, but he processes things a little differently than others. I worry…will he know when he’s gone too far, will he stand up to his peers if they are making wrong choices, how will he really respond if he gets in to an emergency situation? The latter is a big one since Miles likes to follow him. (Being willing to let Miles roam is a wholenotherenchilada. Can you say fried nerves?) Last year B loved exploring the grounds, but was cautious. He liked being close to the lodge. He took his time at meals. He wanted some space, but not too much. This year, different story. This year we had to hunt him down for every meal. Then he’d woof his food, and be back out the door sometimes faster that I could get my own food. Not just out the door either, but gone. Exploring went to a whole new level. I think it’s called “little boy heaven.”
Mostly it was awesome for me too. On Sunday afternoon however, I started to get nervous. I hadn’t seen either boys for two or three hours. I thought they were with Greg, but I found him asleep with with Eve. Of course, the worst started running through my mind…. Is Miles having a massive low, laying on the forest floor unconscious? Is Brenden lost and confused/scared? Bears? Wolves?… Lions? Tigers? Ok ok, I really didn’t consider animal attack, but I was starting to freak a bit. Miles turned up quickly, but I was still really unsettled about Big B. I needed visual confirmation. I looked around all the cabins…nothing. Finally, after I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest, I spied a blue striped shirt cutting across the dirt road that leads up to camp.
(Breathing slowed. Heart rate calmed. Smile on my face. Prayer of thanks.)
I walked down to see what he was up to. From a distance it was obvious to see that he was having the time of his life. I called, “Hi Brenden!” He beamed, and returned an exuberant, “HI MOM! Eli and I are having an ADVENTURE!” (Eli is his cousin and bestest buddy.) Simultaneously, they both started rattling off all the details of the imaginary world they had created.
Instantly I was back in my childhood…. I was tromping through the forest on a covert mission with my little brother, Morgan, and cousin, Nathan. I was paddling a canoe (poorly) along the shoreline with my cousin Molly, trying to avoid the where the water turned dark because it was evil. Sharese, Lorisa, and I were peeing off the porch of the cabin we shared, because we were too scared to run through the trees to the bathrooms in the middle of the night. (Yet for some reason, a “bear” still peed in a bucket on the floor inside during the night. Hmmm…Reese?) I was listening to summer thunder storms pound upon a tin roof. I was in a water fight, and everyone was using spray bottles. I had a pleather pouch full of spray-painted gold stones. (What was that for? Don’t remember.) I was singing in the showers. I was a master at horse shoes. I was eating ice-cold watermelon on the beach. I was sneaking cookies. I was riding bikes. I was tagging along with my older cousins. I was laying on the dock, watching the stars, and listening to the water softly lap against the wood.
I could go on and on, but the point is, there in all his excitement, Brenden was me as a child at Alturas Lake in Idaho’s beautiful Stanley Basin. What a blissful place to be a child! Honestly, some of the best times of my life. Now my heart was beating fast again as I listened to my own son tell tales of slaying dragons that terrorized the very same woods. Mid-sentence he was distracted by a mysterious hole. Both boys got down on all fours to see what lived inside. They decided it was a snake hole, and filled with rocks to kill the foul beast.
Pure imagination and joy. That. was. a. great. moment.
3. Eve.
Eve spontaneously holding hands with her cousin, Maryn, as they followed me to the lodge. Eve getting so excited when we’d go to find her other cousin, Claire. Eve trotting up and down the wheelchair ramp. Eve squealing with joy while playing in the ice cold lake. Eve sleeping in a normal bed for the first time. Eve being my own personal echo. Eve dipping her licorice in her water, and taking a bite….over and over until the licorice was gone. Then drinking the red water. Weirdo. Eve running with arms wide to her daddy, screaming, “I get you!” Greg’s face as they laughed when she got him. Auntie Reese calling her hair carrot-y. I love carrot hair.
Eve was so sweet this trip. Independent and sassy as ever, but in an even more endearing way that usual.
4. Best part of the talent show? My Grandpa doing his military march. He is the most adorable man.
5. Second best part of the talent show? (that was probably actually the best part) My immediate family singing 42 sharp-toothed buzzards. I caught my brother’s eye while trying to figure out my mom’s crazed math, and started crying laughing. Guess you had to be there. Lemme tell ya though, the whole thing was epic.
Family reunions are great. I wish we could have had more time. I feel like I barely got to talk to my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. It was so good to just be with up there with them though. I love them all! Thank goodness for the internet so that I don’t feel like we’re strangers.
The drive back was long. I didn’t feel like leaving. When we finally got home, Greg carried up the children. It was late, and they had been asleep for a couple hours already. I tucked in Eve, and the boys were instructed to get jammied up. When I came back to tuck them in, this is what I found:
Miles asleep in his closet. Sign of a good time. :)
just (me)linda 