First, Second, Third, Fourths, FIFTHS?

Ever heard of it? Fifth's Virus. It's a skin rash...Berkeley's was on her face. It started Friday and just looked like a few little pimples coming up on the skin. Then, throughout the weekend it spread a bit. Berkeley's cheeks would go really red and blotchy. It would come, go away, come again, go away. Lotion didn't help. Allergy medicine didn't help. Weird, right? Well, after going to the doctor, it turns out she has a skin virus called FIFTH's. It doesn't hurt, burn, itch...nothing. And there's no treatment. You just "wait it out." However, you CAN'T be near pregnant women if you have this virus. It's very dangerous for them...or their babies....and I'm not sure why. I guess you usually get a fever right before the rashes come (we didn't notice this in Berk) and that is when you are contagious. Unfortunately...we were around my pregnant neighbor AND my pregnant friend on Friday. But...just in case we saw YOU on Thursday or Friday...and you are hiding a secret pregnancy ...this is your ALERT to call your OB. Tell them you were exposed.

I'm posting the pictures just as an FYI. You can watch for when your kids get it. It isn't "severe" looking...just rashy.

Anyhow...Christmas was quick and chaotic. I hope to mail out our "Pre-Valentine, Happy Late Christmas and New Years" packages this week. Sorry to those we have failed miserably....we try hard! I just did a lot of photo cd's this year and all the editing takes FOREVER. I love it...but it's time consuming. Here's a review of what our Christmas entailed:

Gingerbread houses.... Always a fun tradition.

I love how you can take this:

And turn it into THIS:

Traditions Continued...We also had a great time this year painting our own wooden ornaments. We did this when I was a child...and although I don't remember painting the ornaments...it was always so fun to see what I had painted and hang it on the tree each year. Here are ours:

McKenna's are all the orange ones...a Christmas color delight for many in the world! (Not.) But hey, she had fun! I had fun too. Berkeley took her time and did her best work. They were excited to hang them on the tree once they had dried.

We did make it to the Zoo Lights this year but not until after Christmas. You would think at this point in this paragraph...I would talk about how cool it was...how much smaller the crowds were after Christmas....or something of the sort. Not so.

People...we are going to talk about hot chocolate.

Lucky for us, going after Christmas meant we got hot chocolate mugs at half price...$4.00 ! WHAT THE HE**!? $4.00 for hot chocolate in a light-up mug? That is insane. And did I mention that was HALF PRICE !?!?! Who pays $8.00 for freaking hot chocolate in a light-up mug??? And, whomever you are, STOP DOING THAT! Shame on you, crazy people. YOU are the reason Hogle Zoo thinks that they can charge this amount!! For that price....it may just be cheaper to treat frostbite. (You don't need all of your fingers anyhow. You have ten of them.) For EIGHT DOLLARS - that mug better wash itself and put itself away. IT WASN'T EVEN DISHWASHER SAFE!

Truly, what is the zoo thinking? It's a mug and it's filled with hot chocolate. EIGHT DOLLARS??? How do people with more than two children afford it? It's a good thing I was able to look past the SICK prices and enjoy the scenery...right? Can't let a little posh hot chocolate ruin the Spirit of the holidays!?

Since we are on the "Spirit" of the season though, our little family did have a GIANT surprise blessing this year. It's hard for me to talk about it, because it still touches my heart so much. But we had a couple "secret" angels of Santa (and Heavenly Father) donate a load of extra presents to the girls for Christmas morning. This came after these two "angels" already had spoiled them openly with gifts. It truly made the girl's Christmas morning, to wake up expecting only three presents each...and seeing such a "plentiful" display. It was overwhelming to me and our cup truly "runneth over". Thank you to them again, you know who you are. You'll never know just how much it meant.

It's always so funny to me how neatly wrapped gifts start like this:

And end up leaving a room looking like this:

It's the MERRY part of Christmas, I suppose!

Jenny Miller, you wished us a very "pink" Christmas.....and I thought I would take a picture of the livingroom Christmas morning...just to show you how accurate you didn't know you were (lol):

Two little girls = A LOT of pink! It's so much fun. It' won't last long.

I get so intimidated as each year as the costs to raise children get bigger and the budget stays the same. But there have been many this year who have helped us out and done little (and BIG) things to help us function comfortably. Obviously my Mom and "Grandpa Russ" are two of those people. They've gone beyond the normal to help us out...and we can't say "thank you" quickly enough...before help is on its way again. This goes the same for Shannon, John, Grandma Debbie, Wolfy, and so many others. I used to be great at getting "thank you" cards out...but not-so-much lately. If I missed saying "thank you" to you...."thanks so much."

Finally, I wanted to mention my absolute gratitude, for the ability to witness yesterday's Presidential Inauguration. I'm so proud of the progress we have made as human beings. I am so grateful my children will be able to live in a world where positive change occurred. It's cheesey...but I stood in my livingroom, made Berkeley hold my hand and watch too, and teared up as Barack Obama took his oath of office. I told Berkeley and McKenna that, one day, they would want to remember where she was in that moment. At four, Kenna most likely won't remember. But at seven-years-old, there's a good chance Berkeley will. I hope so.

Dwindling Moments...

So, I have no uncommon excuses for not keeping things updated around Christmas. There will be a fun update on all of our December activities soon. But, until then, it should suffice to report that no one died while buying, wrapping, giving, or opening presents. The cards got out. The packages are still not mailed. And life will proceed at a quickly moving pace.

That is why tonight, I was blessed to have McKenna fall asleep while laying in my arms. I was reading a blog, talking to Berkeley, and she just wrapped her arm around my neck...and drifted off. Moments like these are dwindling as she grows older (four going on twenty-five)....and so I must savor them.

Thanks, Heavenly Father. I needed that little moment. She's been hard lately.

Pictures I just had to share....

So this will be kind of RANDOM (at best...) but there are some pictures that I have been wanting to share for awhile. I haven't quite figured out a way to tie them into other posts. So...here we go! All in the name of humoring Mel:

I love this picture . Don't know why. Can't really explain it. I am quite "intimacy deprived"...it could be that. But this was awesome to me!

Who thought of this? And better yet....Who was able to create this with a computer? Soooo cool!

Next....

Never short of creating laughs at our house....

One day I was sitting in the livingroom and Berkeley just wandered out with this "get up" on. The photos may lead the average parent to ask...."How does a child create this look from the"dress up" box? " Well...it seems to be a combination of Sunday clothes (from her closet), and the "Doctor Kit" drawer accessories. Berkeley looked so serious, that it left me no doubt that my "crazy" gene had transfered over to her juuuuuuuuuust fine!

~I like to call this look "The Crazy Amish Lady".

Next...

I flew to St. Louis in October, for one of my best friend's weddings. I ran across one of the cutest window displays I'd seen in awhile. I just thought it was so fun. So I took a picture of it for you all:

Mini Denim Jeans! (Can you imagine the NUT that sewed all of those? Insane!) When this window display "expires".... some store employee is going to give these to her daughter...and that girl's Barbie is gonna be "set" with her new "jeans collection" for 2009! I'm almost jealous for Berkeley and McKenna right now, almost.

I took a "close-up" too (cuz I know you're beggin for more!):

I love how each little jean is "posed and placed." So fun! Clearly I need to get out and have "big girl" time more often, since I came home with a picture of this window....and took no photos of the "famous ARCH". But this was my thought: There are probably TONS of great pictures of that arch online. I can look-it-up IF I need to see it again. But pictures of cute window displays...with MINI JEANS?

Well, I guess I could just go into the girls room and look through the Barbie clothes....

And finally....

The Halloween Costume McKenna just HAD to have in AUGUST...we purchased and she REFUSED to wear the wig at all. It was the thing that "made" the costume...since Kenna is brunette and Sharpay from HSM is blonde. However, she put the costume on WITH the wig a few days ago....and it was so cute! So I had to share:

She realized she forgot the ever important, LIPSTICK, so we had to capture that photo moment too.

"This Little Light of Mine ~ I'm Gonna Let it Shine!"

Berkeley, my seven-year-old, has struggled with Selective Mutism since she was quite young. This is a condition in which a child has major anxiety speaking in social situations. They may speak freely and in a normal voice tone at home, but anywhere else outside of the home can be a struggle. Children who suffer from SM can react to their anxiety by being completely silent or masking their real voice in an effort to "hide" themselves. In Berkeley's situation, she has almost always refused to speak publically...or she would speak in a very high "mousey" tone, which few could understand. This made things difficult when pre-school and kindergarten started. Near the middle of Berk's kindergarten year, we sought help through the school's speech therapist, a school counselor, and an outside source for therapy as well. She made huge improvements in the first grade and has done REMARKABLY well in second grade. She still occasionally struggles or hesitates to speak in front of her class or groups, but I can't complain when comparing to what things were like before.

For me as a mother, this has been really hard to watch a child go through. Always being incredibly social and verbal myself, I couldn't believe one of MY children would be shy or anxious about talking to anyone! In fact, I always thought my kids would have the opposite problem. It was also difficult for me to see what a fun, outgoing, free-spirit Berkeley was at home -- and then see her completely shut down. She was holding her true self from the world, and to me, that was tragic. She is a bundle of spirit, love, and humor when she is comfortable. I would look at pictures like these below.... and wonder why she couldn't just be comfortable in who she was:


This week though... something fantastic happened...

I got a call from a school PTA member. Berkeley has taken the "Grand Prize" in the K-2nd grade Literature category for the 2008 Reflections Contest! I was so surprised and excited for her! She would be so proud! But then the PTA lady dropped the bomb: "We were wondering if Berkeley would be willing to read her poem in the school assembly honoring Reflections winners- tomorrow!" Immediately I knew that wasn't about to happen --even on a good day for Berk. I explained Berkeley's speaking issues to the lady. She offered to have Berkeley read her poem on a video camera (and then they could play it for the school) if she felt more comfortable that way. It was worth a shot.

I wish you all could have seen that sweet girls face when I told her that she won! It was priceless. She immediatley asked...."Am I going to be on t.v.?" I told her that there was no t.v. broadcast....but that she was invited to read it in front of the school the next day. She blurted out the second-grader equivalent of "Not just 'no', but HELL NO!". I explained the "video taping" option to her and she refused that too. But as the night went on...she was considering it. I couldn't believe it!

Sometimes our children will move mountains right before our eyes -- and Berkeley's mountain was before her. She came home from her Dad's that night, asked me to curl her hair for the video taping, put on some pink eye shadow and lip gloss....and recited that poem FROM MEMORY --right into the camera!!! I couldn't believe it. It was even very close to her normal voice tone! Truly she was not about to let her "big moment" pass her by in silence.

The next day, I was SURE she would decide to just "bag it" last minute. But we got up early....curled every stitch of her hair....and 'off' to school she went. The assembly came - they announced her name - and she walked up to accept her award. They played the video. She stood there while the crowd applauded...and I was a teary mess of pride! Even her past teachers were blown away at what they were seeing. It was AWESOME!! So many people came up to her afterwards, congratulating her and hugging her. It was a BIG moment. She had overcome something inside of her. Even if it was temporary, she had allowed her true self to be seen!

That night...she snuck into the livingroom after her sister had fallen asleep. She said to me with a smile..."I was kind of embarassed when they played that video for the school." I looked at her and said "Yah....but did a little, tiny part of you feel really proud too?" She shook her head "yes"-- and we talked again about how awesome that day was.

Tiny miracles. One day at a time. One proud little-girl and one VERY proud Mom.

"You did it kiddo! Way to go!"

Her film is below. It is a little dark in the background...but the sound is great. You may need to turn it up--but she speaks clearly. Enjoy it!

For when your kitchen table has that "not so fresh" feeling...

It's been awhile and I apologize. Life just takes over sometimes...and I have just been working to keep up with it. I'll dive in on what we've been up to...it's a long one, people. Thanks for those who actually read it all the way through! I'll use a lot of pictures to try and keep you entertained as I ramble about the cuties.

McKenna started pre-school in September. It is so cute to see her with the other kids because she is so tiny. I kept thinking how fun it would be to see them all lined up together, so I asked them to pose one day. Here are the photos:

See that little, tiny, bug (second to from the left)? That's McKenna!

Here's a closer look:

McKenna has decided recently though, that she is NOT a big fan of pre-school. She cries, pleads with me, and carries on and on and on. However, we are paying to do this...she is going. But not before she tries to kill me first. To say she is in a "rebellion stage" right now would be an understatement. She has decided that NO ONE is going to force her to enjoy pre-school. She demonstrated this in her pre-school pictures recently. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, come back with me, to the day BEFORE pre-school pictures......

Every child apparently does this once in their young lives. Berkeley had her turn two weeks before this and McKenna decided to try the same thing. She cut her own hair. I had put McKenna in her room for quiet time, and was resting on my bed waiting for some headache medicine to kick in. The next thing I know, Kenna is asking me if she can get a drink. I noticed quick that she'd cut it and, when I asked, she fessed up immediately. With pride she announced that she had only cut "a little". WRONG!

Here she is BEFORE she found the scissors.... (notice the bangs and longer hair length): ...and AFTER her little mis-deed....(no more bangs, length is long and short all over):Then some lady at "Great Clips" tried to fix it (that's supposed to be the "jagged bang look"):
It was frustrating...but at least we had a WAD of hair to show everyone who asked about her "pretty new haircut!". ANYWAYS.... Back to pre-school pictures.

We got to the studio and McKenna REFUSED to sit and smile for anyone. The photographer told us to just "walk and talk by the background" and he would casually snap a shot when she smiled. Well...Kenna was on to his evil plan. She stood there glaring the entire time. When Berkeley and I backed away from Kenna for a second.....this was the shot he got:

(Photo courtesy of Wayman Photography 2008)

Awwww....doesn't she look...just...so....pissed? My Little Diva.

Then today when we were talking about going to pre-school...she announces "I've had ENOUGH of my ABC's!". I thought I was going to die laughing. She proclaims to me "I DON'T want to do "W"...I already know that one...and I NOT going to go!" She lost this argument.

Halloween came fast and furious at our house.....Berkeley got her costume in July. McKenna got her costume in August. Kind of. McKenna REFUSED to wear her costume on the day of her pre-school party...and Berkeley wore her costume to her school party only. Then, Halloween morning, they come out of their room dressed in matching Cinderella dresses that we've owned for years. They announced that they were going to be "MATCHING CINDERELLAS!" (I'm quietly visualizing my money swirling down a flushing toilet...along with the purchased costumes....) Of course, I captured the cute moment:

Near Halloween we also carved pumpkins. I always forget what a pain it is to dig all the pumpkin guts out. Luckily - we painted most of ours. BUT....this year I waxed all "Martha Stewart" on myself...and tried not one, but two of her Halloween ideas. I must have had a fever or something. Anyhow...here is Martha's version of the lime green and copper glitter pumpkins: And here was mine (Take note: We made such a mess with the lime green pumpkin that there is NO copper glitter pumpkin. Maybe next year....NOT) :

As you can see....it is just NOT the same without a periwinkle wall in your house and black accents to boot. My bad.

BUT....hold onto your seats...because the other "Martha" idea turned out pretty cool. I was rather proud! Here is Martha's version of a green pumkin (called a Banana Squash?) with a spider carved in it:

And here is mine: Not too shabby~! I was quite proud. Very cool looking...and that's coming from an arachnaphobe! (No doubt, spelled wrong.)

Finally.....a short story about cleanliness:

We have always kept diaper wipes on the back of our toilet, so that we can all keep ourselves "fresh and clean" (Perschon Good Potty/Body Ettiquette Page 1). Therefore, it is not unheard of for me to grab diaper wipes when I'm in a hurry and use them to wipe something off the bathroom floor, toothpaste out of the sink, etc. We also use the Kirkland brand of Clorox Wipes to clean around the house.

When the girls were little and they wanted to help me clean...I would hand them a package of diaper wipes and let them wipe down the walls, their bikes, toys...whatever they wanted. I didn't like them to touch the Kirkland/Clorox wipes because of the chemicals on them. However, as Berkeley & McKenna get older, I will show them the "proper cleaning items" and model "how Mommy does things" for chore time.

That said....

Recently I was at the store and decided to purchase some feminine cleansing wipes. I thought it might be good to see if these worked suffieciently, since the diaper wipes can get expensive and you can't flush them. I went home, put these feminine wipes on the back of the toilet, and went on my "fresh and clean" way. (You can see what's going to happen, right?)

A few days later, when I was in the shower, the girls were helping to clean up the house before company came. I hollered to Berkeley to please get the Clorox wipes and clean off our kitchen table. I hadn't heard Berk come into the bathroom...but when I got out of the shower I noticed that the "feminine wipes" package was empty on the bathroom counter. Berkeley had apparently been feeling too lazy to track down the Kirkland/Clorox wipes....

And that, my friends, is how our kitchen table got cleaned with feminine cleansing wipes.

EQUATE FLUSHABLE FEMININE WIPES....

For when your kitchen table has that "not-so-fresh" feeling...

Any one want to come for dinner?

Moving...

Sucks.

(I will update soon when I get my computer up and going at the new place. I'm exhausted right now. The boxes are hovering over me at night and begging to be unpacked. If I hide under the covers they think I'm not there....shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....don't tell.)

Love at first sight?

We went up Milcreek Canyon this weekend for a night of roasted hot dogs and smores. The campfire was perfect. The scenery was gorgeous. The weather was not too cold. The kids were fantastic. The stars were dreamy. It was so great. There was only one kink....the bumble bees.

We found between seven to eight bees inside of my friends', niece's, jacket. Poor thing...she got stung twice! She was so brave. The job of going through the 'infested jacket' belonged to me. Those who know me....know that this isn't even in my REALM of things I'm comfortable with! I even killed the live bees I found in the jacket and threw them into the fire. I was totally being cool about it. You all would have been proud. Until I wasn't so brave....



About ten minutes into the hunt for bees....I felt this 'tickling' in my shirt. I walked over to the side where no one could see...and reached down my shirt to "double check". I figured that I was just being paranoid from the whole experience. I saw and felt nothing. So I kept on checking around our site...trying to see where the bees had come from.


Then came more "tickling"...and not the good kind. Its the kind of sensation and movement under your clothing that whispers to you....."NOPE....you're not paranoid...you're about to disrobe in front of children..." I looked down and saw the bee in my clevage. Frantically....I'm swishing and twisting my clothing to get it out. I didn't take my shirt off...but with all the panic...I fear that I educated my friend's niece and nephew beyond need. I was in a panic! I immediately felt like that bee was EVERYWHERE in my shirt! No one had seen it drop or fly out...so I finally had to remove my brazier under my shirt to be double...TRIPLE sure. Once I was convinced that he was gone, I was relieved that I didn't get stung!



Post Bee-Attack....I had these images of me getting stung, having an allergic reaction, and then having to show the doctor my "affected area". It would be the one time I got the single, available, 33-yr-old intern, right? That would make a good love story: "Tell us doctor, was it love at first sight?"

Anyhow...sorry for the long break in posts...but I've been sick for three weeks. Almost all is well now...and I'm trying to catch up on everything. So, for now, let's end with Berkeley's favorite joke to tell people when she's feeling naughty:



Q: What do you do to scare a bee?




A: You yell "BOO!-BEE!"

I'll show you mine, IF you show me yours.

The girl's father got married this summer. Their new step-mother's name is Dawnelle. She is very nice and sweet to my girls, and I appreciate her for that. Many times throughout courtship and engagement, Dawnelle has been selfless enough to watch the girls, feed the girls, bathe the girls, and even plan fun activities with the girls. It takes a special person to do this, and we are blessed to have her. However, I think we may need to ask a wee bit more of her in the near future...

You see, Berkeley came home with an interesting thought last night about Dawnelle, that I hadn't thought of before. (And I have thought deeply about potential questions that may come up...so I am ready!) But when Berk shot this one out...and I did not have a pre-rehearsed or even NATURAL response for her right away.

We were eating dinner and randomly she says to me: "Mom, this isn't fair. Why does Dawnelle get to see our naked bodies, but we don't get to see hers?"

I must say, her point seemed quite valid. My first reaction was to possibly say "Well, because you are a child and she is an adult." But that isn't the right answer. That would teach her that if an adult wants to see her naked...she has to do so. So, then I thought, "Well, because she helps to take care of you when Daddy and Mommy aren't there." But...that would mean that ANYONE that is taking care of them (their friend's parents at a sleepover, for example) could see them naked too. That isn't okay with me either.

I mean, the girls ARE sharing something very private with her....why wouldn't she trust them with her body parts too? ( I giggle to myself.) Eventually I fumbled something out about how it doesn't seem fair, but that Dawnelle can be private if she wishes. And, I reassured Berkeley and McKenna that Dawnelle is trying to help them and she is someone who can be trusted...along with Daddy, Mommy, and Grandmas.

Deep down though, my twisted head was thinking...."Yah, Dawnelle! Fair is fair! Show the girls your TA-TA's!"

This one is going to come back and haunt me if I eventually marry a man with little girls of his own...isn't it? (LOL) Have a good day and I love you all!

An atheist and a ho meet at the library...

No, I won't explain the title to you...it's a gift for someone special.

I just wanted to ramble today about my frustrations with being single again and dating. I've discovered a lot about myself in the two years that I've been single -- and it may take a miracle to find a man "qualified" that will marry me. My requirements don't seem weird to me....but then sometimes I wonder if I expect too much ? Let's post these frustrations and requirements publically for you "marrieds" to look at...and silently 'revel' in the fact that you are NOT in my similar position....

1. I've discovered that I am a bit high maintenence. Not in the DEMANDING way...at least....I don't think in that way. I just expect the people who want to date me (steadily) - to actually want to spend TIME with me -- other than texting, IM-ing, or on email. I can't just see "him" once a week.....anyone can be on their best behavior once a week! We need to be around one another when we are ornery, sick, annoying, silly, happy, sad, talking to ourselves....ALL of that.

2. Honestly....this has nothing to do with money....but I am so sick of meeting men who don't have a steady income/job...but want a steady woman/family! Especially now that I have kids...I need to know my man is going to be able to support us. I'll help/work too, I don't mind helping at all. In fact...I WANT to be a part of it all. But long bouts of unemployment, iffy jobs that may/may not "take off", or little part time jobs (--where you are unhappy but not looking to improve your life --) makes you a red flag for instability later on. That is scary to a woman! Men who are in school are in a different situation and I get that - but women can also see a man's goals to move forward - and she can put faith in the 'end goal' too. Again, this has nothing to do with having money. I would rather be poor with my best friend, than lonely with a loveless marriage.

3. Third, and this might still be under the "high maintenence category...", but I have learned that I need a patient man who can listen to me ramble. This may come as a total SHOCK to you all...but I talk a lot. It's something that just developed in me recently (like at birth) and it's part of who I am. But I've learned that I need "my man" to know that I just need to talk it out....then I'm better. He doesn't need to fix it for me, he just needs to actually listen and talk about it with me. He already knows I'm smart enough to know the right answers and he only makes suggestions when I ask for them...or when the moon isn't full. However, this man also knows how to "shut me up" in a way where I won't argue back too! ;-) Are there still men this patient out there?

4. Next...A guy needs to somehow, by an act of God, think that I am somewhat "cute" with my ponytail hair. That is my favorite way to put my hair when I am at home. It isn't the most attractive look for me (it may be my worst) but HE has to somehow find "sexy" mixed up in all that. Is this possible? I am not sure.

5. The men I date must be not living with their mother (without good reason). You can love your Momma. You can adore your Momma. But no Momma's Boys.

6. The man I date needs to be funny. He cannot just THINK he is funny....but actually BE funny. I need laughter in my life! I want to make him laugh outloud (and not because of the ponytail hair)...and I want him to be able to catch me off guard with his remarks! I don't want "fart humor" (but most men come with that built in) -- I want really, clever, banter! That's got to be such a gift in a good marriage.

Anyhow...that's not everything....but some "food-for-thought" when you are out there looking to set-me-up. You are looking, aren't you? Don't leave me out here alone people....it's SLIM PICKIN'S! Don't ANY of you have some single, stretch-mark-loving, freckle-adoring, PATIENT, men as brother's/uncles/or distant cousins? Okay....well, we don't have to tell these unsuspecting lads about the stretch marks until they really, really, really like me. How's that for a singles ad? Huh? Any takers? Did I mention I can cook? (That's a lie too.)

Umm....anyone? Anyone?

Okay...maybe I'll just go eat a bowl of cereal and go to bed. Thanks for listening. Love y'all.