My 2 oldest boys have been responsible for packing their own clothes when we go out of town for years. I tell them what they need to pack, they go pack, & then when they bring their bags down, I review what they were supposed to pack. That has worked out pretty well for us so far.
We did the same routine for the wedding this weekend. I told them both they needed to pack for one night, including shirt, shorts, underwear, pj's, swimming suit, nice clothes for the wedding, nice shoes for the wedding, & their toothbrushes.
They actually had both been invited to sleepovers the night before the wedding, so Chris picked them up in the morning so they could make sure they packed everything they needed. (Side note, we really need to plan better to ensure the boys are not both gone on the same nights, that was a lot of work taking care of the 3 babies with only Chris & I!) During this time, Cameron realized he didn't have his toothbrush, and Tyler decided it would be a good time to clarify what clothes would be considered "nice" for the wedding.
I told Tyler that he could wear shorts, but not jean shorts. I told him the white checkered shorts he got from Old Navy would be good, with a nice blue shirt. However, I wasn't specific enough on that one. He did bring a nice blue shirt, with stripes. It did not look so good with the checkered shorts, so he ended up wearing jean shorts. Cameron put on the shirt he brought to discover it was too small, luckily he had a jacket to go with it, but it was pretty warm out.
We needed to stop at WalMart anyway, because Chris forgot his swimming suit & we needed powdered formula for Baylee, so I found each of them an inexpensive shirt to wear to the reception. Once we got back to the hotel, Tyler realized he had forgotten clothes for the next day. Then when they went swimming, Cameron discovered he didn't have his swimming suit.
Both of those were items that I specifically asked them before we left the house. When I asked them if they had packed those items, they both stated yes! And, yet, since their father also forgot his swimming trunks, it was kind of hard to get upset with the boys.
The babies & I all had everything we needed, including snacks, because when you are dealing with a 1 & 3 year old, you can't have too many snacks. (The formula didn't count because we didn't have any powdered formula at home for me to have packed, plus WalMart had the formula on clearance for $5.00 a can!!! I bought 3!) In fact the babies all had 4 outfits packed because do you know how fast they can pee through their clothes?! I also had at least 12 diapers/pull-ups for each of them. That may sound like a lot, but that is what I always pack for them, and I have run out while we were away before! (See the previous entry on Diarrhea while we're out of town)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
It Never Fails
We had an out of town wedding this weekend. I am seriously not exaggerating when I say then every time we stay somewhere overnight one of our kids ends up sick, either colds, ear aches, stomach aches, diarrhea, you name it, we've had it.
We thought we were prepared this time, we even got 2 hotel rooms so that Caleb & Baylee would have separate rooms & not keep each other awake and I remembered the baby Tylenol and ear numbing drops. We made it through the wedding just fine, and dinner. Caleb started to get a little crabby at the reception, but we just figured he was tired.
After dinner, the older boys & Amata went to check out the pool while Caleb & Baylee took a quick snooze. Chris brought Amata back for the dance (pictures of that coming soon) and took Caleb up to the room that the older boys were in. (Cameron also claimed he didn't feel well, but I think it was more a matter of he & Tyler wanting to hang out in the room.) Chris did come down to the reception a couple of times, but for the most part, he also ended up spending most of the evening in the room with Caleb.
Us girls, however, were the party animals. We stayed at the reception until 10:15! (Sad, but true, 10:15 really is a late night for me.) Within a half an hour of getting to the "girls" room, both Amata & Baylee were asleep. Baylee did wake up again around 1, but I just brought her to be with Amata & I and we all slept until after 7. Chris brought Caleb over to our room shortly after so he didn't wake up the boys. I guess Caleb hadn't slept well all night. (Boy, was I glad I got to sleep in the girl's room!)
The drive home was about 3 hours long, although we did stop on the way to see Jared (the last foster child we had who is in a group home for now). Caleb was pretty crabby for the whole ride, and during lunch at Pizza Hut with Jared. I felt kind of bad since we didn't spend a lot of time with Jared because of that, we were back on the road within about 1 1/2 hours. I did tell Jared we would try to go up again soon and spend more time there.
He was still crabby when we got home, he would tug at his ear a little, but we weren't sure if that was just because he had been laying on that ear. He also had his finger in his mouth constantly, so we thought maybe it was a tooth. I tried to put some Ambesol on it, but he bit me! So, instead, I put the Ambesol on his finger since it was always in his mouth anyway.
We thought we were going to be in for a rough night, but it actually wasn't too bad. I sat up with him until about 11, but then once he was snoring & I laid him in his bed he actually slept through the night. But he was still crabby this morning so I took him into the doctor. Because he's been so crabby, he screamed while we were in the office. It was really hard to tell if his ears were infected since they were red from his screaming! But she said there was some reflux she should have seen that wasn't there, so she was pretty sure it was infected.
Last time he had an ear infection, he got a rash from the Amoxicillin, so she decided to try something else. I'm hoping it is just a coincidence, because I noticed when I changed his diaper it looked like there might be another rash starting. I'm going to give it until tomorrow to see if it gets any worse. I really don't know what they do if he ends up allergic to penicillin. I've never actually had a child allergic to anything before.
But I'm trying to think positively. He was still pretty crabby tonight even after he had his first dose around 11 this morning, but hopefully by tomorrow he will feel much better, and hopefully there will be no rash!
We thought we were prepared this time, we even got 2 hotel rooms so that Caleb & Baylee would have separate rooms & not keep each other awake and I remembered the baby Tylenol and ear numbing drops. We made it through the wedding just fine, and dinner. Caleb started to get a little crabby at the reception, but we just figured he was tired.
After dinner, the older boys & Amata went to check out the pool while Caleb & Baylee took a quick snooze. Chris brought Amata back for the dance (pictures of that coming soon) and took Caleb up to the room that the older boys were in. (Cameron also claimed he didn't feel well, but I think it was more a matter of he & Tyler wanting to hang out in the room.) Chris did come down to the reception a couple of times, but for the most part, he also ended up spending most of the evening in the room with Caleb.
Us girls, however, were the party animals. We stayed at the reception until 10:15! (Sad, but true, 10:15 really is a late night for me.) Within a half an hour of getting to the "girls" room, both Amata & Baylee were asleep. Baylee did wake up again around 1, but I just brought her to be with Amata & I and we all slept until after 7. Chris brought Caleb over to our room shortly after so he didn't wake up the boys. I guess Caleb hadn't slept well all night. (Boy, was I glad I got to sleep in the girl's room!)
The drive home was about 3 hours long, although we did stop on the way to see Jared (the last foster child we had who is in a group home for now). Caleb was pretty crabby for the whole ride, and during lunch at Pizza Hut with Jared. I felt kind of bad since we didn't spend a lot of time with Jared because of that, we were back on the road within about 1 1/2 hours. I did tell Jared we would try to go up again soon and spend more time there.
He was still crabby when we got home, he would tug at his ear a little, but we weren't sure if that was just because he had been laying on that ear. He also had his finger in his mouth constantly, so we thought maybe it was a tooth. I tried to put some Ambesol on it, but he bit me! So, instead, I put the Ambesol on his finger since it was always in his mouth anyway.
We thought we were going to be in for a rough night, but it actually wasn't too bad. I sat up with him until about 11, but then once he was snoring & I laid him in his bed he actually slept through the night. But he was still crabby this morning so I took him into the doctor. Because he's been so crabby, he screamed while we were in the office. It was really hard to tell if his ears were infected since they were red from his screaming! But she said there was some reflux she should have seen that wasn't there, so she was pretty sure it was infected.
Last time he had an ear infection, he got a rash from the Amoxicillin, so she decided to try something else. I'm hoping it is just a coincidence, because I noticed when I changed his diaper it looked like there might be another rash starting. I'm going to give it until tomorrow to see if it gets any worse. I really don't know what they do if he ends up allergic to penicillin. I've never actually had a child allergic to anything before.
But I'm trying to think positively. He was still pretty crabby tonight even after he had his first dose around 11 this morning, but hopefully by tomorrow he will feel much better, and hopefully there will be no rash!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Progress
We received our adoption assistance paperwork in the mail yesterday for both Baylee & Caleb, which means now we can petition for their adoptions. It has only been a little over 2 months since that paperwork was sent to the state... obviously it was not at the top of their priority list.
Don't get too excited, though. It will still probably be several months before we actually get a court date. Once we file the petition, there is something else that has to be sent to the state before we can even get a court date. But, at least we are moving forward.
I don't worry too much about it since we know we get to keep them, but it would be nice to actually get to make legal decisions for them and to not have to remember their legal names whenever we go to the doctor or court. (Right now, I don't even have Caleb's medical insurance card, the carrier won't send it to me because I am not his legal guardian. I'm just the one who actually takes him to the doctor and the one who has to sign the forms at the doctor. Luckily, the clinic was able to get the information they needed, but, still, it would be nice to have it myself.)
Maybe we can even get their adoptions finalized by the end of the year. (But I wouldn't hold your breath).
Don't get too excited, though. It will still probably be several months before we actually get a court date. Once we file the petition, there is something else that has to be sent to the state before we can even get a court date. But, at least we are moving forward.
I don't worry too much about it since we know we get to keep them, but it would be nice to actually get to make legal decisions for them and to not have to remember their legal names whenever we go to the doctor or court. (Right now, I don't even have Caleb's medical insurance card, the carrier won't send it to me because I am not his legal guardian. I'm just the one who actually takes him to the doctor and the one who has to sign the forms at the doctor. Luckily, the clinic was able to get the information they needed, but, still, it would be nice to have it myself.)
Maybe we can even get their adoptions finalized by the end of the year. (But I wouldn't hold your breath).
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Biology
Of my 5 children, 2 are biologically mine & my husbands. The other 3 all have the same biological mother and different biological fathers.
In the past I never really gave much thought to any sort of bond between biological siblings. I just kind of thought that when you grow up in the same house together, you usually end up being fairly close to each other & acting a lot like each other. And, honestly, with my 2 oldest boys, I never really looked for signs that there was any sort of special bond, other than brothers living in the same house, and sharing the same bedroom, for that matter. But now that we have our youngest 3 children who are not biologically related to the oldest 2, or to my husband & I for that matter, I have to admit, there just might be something biological that gives us a closer bond than just growing up together. Then again, maybe I'm just imagining it, who knows?
Some things I expected, they all have the same nose, and the same belly laugh, I think their smiles are pretty similar, too. Amata & Caleb have the same big brown eyes (Baylee does not have the Hispanic genes in her, so she's got blue eyes). So far, Caleb seems to have a knack for getting into trouble, just like Amata. Baylee is young enough that she doesn't really get into trouble, unless you count her constantly trying to go down the stairs by herself.
But some things I didn't expect. When Caleb was just starting to laugh, we had to work so hard trying to get laughs out of that boy! I dang near broke a sweat sometimes. Amata on the other hand, could run in a circle 10 feet away from him and he would laugh so hard, a deep belly laugh. It is the same way with Baylee. We can get her to laugh if we are tickling her or something like that, but for Caleb & Amata she will laugh just looking at them. Caleb can be almost sitting on her, which I don't think could feel that great, and she will just start laughing.
I'm just saying, it's not fair! Chris & I are the ones getting up in the middle of the night and changing the mountain of dirty diapers. Would it kill them to laugh that easily for us?
It certainly doesn't make me love any of them more or less, it's just something I thought was interesting.
In the past I never really gave much thought to any sort of bond between biological siblings. I just kind of thought that when you grow up in the same house together, you usually end up being fairly close to each other & acting a lot like each other. And, honestly, with my 2 oldest boys, I never really looked for signs that there was any sort of special bond, other than brothers living in the same house, and sharing the same bedroom, for that matter. But now that we have our youngest 3 children who are not biologically related to the oldest 2, or to my husband & I for that matter, I have to admit, there just might be something biological that gives us a closer bond than just growing up together. Then again, maybe I'm just imagining it, who knows?
Some things I expected, they all have the same nose, and the same belly laugh, I think their smiles are pretty similar, too. Amata & Caleb have the same big brown eyes (Baylee does not have the Hispanic genes in her, so she's got blue eyes). So far, Caleb seems to have a knack for getting into trouble, just like Amata. Baylee is young enough that she doesn't really get into trouble, unless you count her constantly trying to go down the stairs by herself.
But some things I didn't expect. When Caleb was just starting to laugh, we had to work so hard trying to get laughs out of that boy! I dang near broke a sweat sometimes. Amata on the other hand, could run in a circle 10 feet away from him and he would laugh so hard, a deep belly laugh. It is the same way with Baylee. We can get her to laugh if we are tickling her or something like that, but for Caleb & Amata she will laugh just looking at them. Caleb can be almost sitting on her, which I don't think could feel that great, and she will just start laughing.
I'm just saying, it's not fair! Chris & I are the ones getting up in the middle of the night and changing the mountain of dirty diapers. Would it kill them to laugh that easily for us?
It certainly doesn't make me love any of them more or less, it's just something I thought was interesting.
Rachel's Challenge
Since I shared the attitude my 12 year old has at times, I feel it is only fair to share his good days, too. Tyler brought a slip home from school yesterday stating that he would be going bowling this afternoon.
Our middle school has accepted Rachel's Challenge. As part of that, several students & teachers have certificates to give out when they catch a student being respectful or responsible, or basically being a good role model. Once they give out the certificate, that person gets a treat & entered into a drawing to go bowling. That person is also then given the certificate to pass onto to somebody they catch being a good role model. The idea is that you never know who has the certificates, so hopefully the students will try to be respectful all of the time.
Tyler said a teacher gave him the certificate because he was helping another student with his homework. I'm not sure when he was actually given the certificate, but they had the drawing earlier this week & his name was drawn to go on the bowling trip. Nice job, Tyler!
Our middle school has accepted Rachel's Challenge. As part of that, several students & teachers have certificates to give out when they catch a student being respectful or responsible, or basically being a good role model. Once they give out the certificate, that person gets a treat & entered into a drawing to go bowling. That person is also then given the certificate to pass onto to somebody they catch being a good role model. The idea is that you never know who has the certificates, so hopefully the students will try to be respectful all of the time.
Tyler said a teacher gave him the certificate because he was helping another student with his homework. I'm not sure when he was actually given the certificate, but they had the drawing earlier this week & his name was drawn to go on the bowling trip. Nice job, Tyler!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Picture Time
I took my 3 youngest to Sears yesterday to get their pictures taken. Amata just turned 3, Caleb is 1 1/2 & Baylee is 8 months. I usually try to take a day off so that I can have their pictures done on a weekday when it is less busy. But this also means I have to take them all by myself.
This one wasn't too bad, I thought. I'm pretty sure this is a full body one they cropped.
Amata went first, she'd the easiest one. She loves to see pictures of herself and is usually very smiley when there is a camera around. Although, she also gets pretty wiggly, too. I try to limit myself to only purchasing 2 different poses of each child, because with 5 it can get spendy!
This picture was probably my favorite, except for the fact that she looks way older than 3 years old! She's even got the mussed hair!
Baylee went next, and she did fine, but she was pretty stingy with her smiles.
This one was by far the best smile of the day.
I just liked her expression on this one.
Caleb went last, hoping that he would have warmed up a little by then. The last time we got his pictures done I had to bring him back a second time because he was having NONE of that! The second time around started out pretty iffy. After a couple of minutes the girl suggested that maybe we should let the other appointment go first and see if he's better after that. I also brought one of his balls, because the best way to make Caleb like you is to play catch with him.
So, this time, I remembered to bring a ball, and I let them know from the beginning that he should go last. He wasn't great, but at least I got a couple of cute pictures from him. She pretty much had to be ready to take the picture & I would try to get him to go onto the background.
That's why she had to put his name on this one - to fill up that side of the picture because he was standing so far to the side.
This one wasn't too bad, I thought. I'm pretty sure this is a full body one they cropped.
I wasn't planning to take a picture of just the 3 of them, but the girls were willing to give it a try. The smiles are pretty iffy, but I still thought it was cute. Can you tell it was the last picture of the day?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Can we say attitude
Tyler is 12, almost 12 1/2 which officially makes him a "pre-teen", and the attitude that boy has had lately does not make me look forward to the teenage years!
I should preface this by saying that when Tyler is with other people he is a very nice young man. In fact, I was working the City Wide clean up last weekend and one of his teachers made it a point to tell me how much he enjoyed having Tyler in his class. In our schools, they use steps for discipline. You start with one step, which is basically just a warning for everything from talking in class to forgetting to have your planner signed, and it goes up to steps 5 or 6 which lead to detention, suspension, etc. Last year, the only step Tyler had all year was given to him on the first day of school by a teacher who wanted to set a precedent because some of Tyler's friends had been talking in class. This year, his only step was from forgetting to have a math test signed. So, really, I'm not exaggerating when I say he can be a nice boy.
Maybe that is why he can be so irritating with us, maybe that's how he's able to be so nice in school. Yesterday, on our way home (maybe not "on the way" but in the general area) we decided to go to the outlet mall because both the boys think they want to buy themselves a leather coat, and I had told them I would buy them an outfit at Old Navy. (I kind of wanted to stop at Liz Claiborne, too, but the babies had had enough by then)
Wilson's Leather didn't have any coats their size, so that was a bust, but we did still make it to Old Navy. In addition to the shorts & shirt each of the boys picked out, I also got them each a pair of jean's that were on clearance for only $8, and Tyler also got some flip flops since he didn't have any yet, this year.
From there we went for lunch. I had mentioned the other night that I thought we'd been eating out a little too often, and not at very healthy places, so we decided to go to Subway since we still had about an hours drive home, and waiting to eat there wasn't an option. Tyler had said he wanted McDonalds, and so when we pulled into Subway, he started pouting. First, he claimed he didn't like Subway anymore (like his taste buds changed within the last month), then it was that they didn't fill him up (they had $5 foot longs, and if he would get anything more than meat & cheese on his sandwich, it might be more filling!) I was pretty tired of his sulking by the time we were done, so I decided to eat the cookie I had gotten for him because I'm mature like that, and because I like their cookies. (He didn't even know I had gotten the cookies, so it was not as mean as it sounds, it just made me feel better.)
On our way home, we had mentioned to him that maybe he should see if he could mow our neighbors lawn. He's older and his health has not been real great, lately. But Tyler had a million excuses why he didn't want to do that. He plopped himself on the couch, and other than trying on his new clothes, he didn't do much else. Chris made a list of chores that needed to get done, but he didn't do those because, "Cameron took all of the easy ones".
Chris made steaks for dinner, and because as I may have mentioned before, our boys are kind of picky eaters, they "don't like steak", although I really don't know the last time they tried it. Since Cameron had done several chores and had not complained at all during the day, Chris gave him a "free pass" for dinner, letting him just eat chips & cheese and not losing his TV. Tyler also didn't eat the steak, but he couldn't understand why Cameron got a free pass and he didn't. He said if he would have known that would happen, he would have had a better day. We tried to explain to him again why Cameron was let off the hook, but with Tyler, once he decides that something is unfair, he refuses to listen to any explanation. (I did even try to explain that that's why you should just be nice & helpful all the time, because you just never know when there will be a reward, but he wasn't listening to that either.)
After having to hear him whine for at least 10 minutes, he was told to pick up the living room. He said, "why, I didn't even do anything." I said, "that's exactly why you have to, because you haven't done any thing at all today." He really is a pretty smart boy (at least book smart) which is why I don't get why he cannot understand simple English!!
P.S. Mom, wipe that smile off your face - I thought you were more mature than to want me to have a child that acts like I did at his age!
I should preface this by saying that when Tyler is with other people he is a very nice young man. In fact, I was working the City Wide clean up last weekend and one of his teachers made it a point to tell me how much he enjoyed having Tyler in his class. In our schools, they use steps for discipline. You start with one step, which is basically just a warning for everything from talking in class to forgetting to have your planner signed, and it goes up to steps 5 or 6 which lead to detention, suspension, etc. Last year, the only step Tyler had all year was given to him on the first day of school by a teacher who wanted to set a precedent because some of Tyler's friends had been talking in class. This year, his only step was from forgetting to have a math test signed. So, really, I'm not exaggerating when I say he can be a nice boy.
Maybe that is why he can be so irritating with us, maybe that's how he's able to be so nice in school. Yesterday, on our way home (maybe not "on the way" but in the general area) we decided to go to the outlet mall because both the boys think they want to buy themselves a leather coat, and I had told them I would buy them an outfit at Old Navy. (I kind of wanted to stop at Liz Claiborne, too, but the babies had had enough by then)
Wilson's Leather didn't have any coats their size, so that was a bust, but we did still make it to Old Navy. In addition to the shorts & shirt each of the boys picked out, I also got them each a pair of jean's that were on clearance for only $8, and Tyler also got some flip flops since he didn't have any yet, this year.
From there we went for lunch. I had mentioned the other night that I thought we'd been eating out a little too often, and not at very healthy places, so we decided to go to Subway since we still had about an hours drive home, and waiting to eat there wasn't an option. Tyler had said he wanted McDonalds, and so when we pulled into Subway, he started pouting. First, he claimed he didn't like Subway anymore (like his taste buds changed within the last month), then it was that they didn't fill him up (they had $5 foot longs, and if he would get anything more than meat & cheese on his sandwich, it might be more filling!) I was pretty tired of his sulking by the time we were done, so I decided to eat the cookie I had gotten for him because I'm mature like that, and because I like their cookies. (He didn't even know I had gotten the cookies, so it was not as mean as it sounds, it just made me feel better.)
On our way home, we had mentioned to him that maybe he should see if he could mow our neighbors lawn. He's older and his health has not been real great, lately. But Tyler had a million excuses why he didn't want to do that. He plopped himself on the couch, and other than trying on his new clothes, he didn't do much else. Chris made a list of chores that needed to get done, but he didn't do those because, "Cameron took all of the easy ones".
Chris made steaks for dinner, and because as I may have mentioned before, our boys are kind of picky eaters, they "don't like steak", although I really don't know the last time they tried it. Since Cameron had done several chores and had not complained at all during the day, Chris gave him a "free pass" for dinner, letting him just eat chips & cheese and not losing his TV. Tyler also didn't eat the steak, but he couldn't understand why Cameron got a free pass and he didn't. He said if he would have known that would happen, he would have had a better day. We tried to explain to him again why Cameron was let off the hook, but with Tyler, once he decides that something is unfair, he refuses to listen to any explanation. (I did even try to explain that that's why you should just be nice & helpful all the time, because you just never know when there will be a reward, but he wasn't listening to that either.)
After having to hear him whine for at least 10 minutes, he was told to pick up the living room. He said, "why, I didn't even do anything." I said, "that's exactly why you have to, because you haven't done any thing at all today." He really is a pretty smart boy (at least book smart) which is why I don't get why he cannot understand simple English!!
P.S. Mom, wipe that smile off your face - I thought you were more mature than to want me to have a child that acts like I did at his age!
Camping Fun
We decided to stay at our camper this weekend, the first time this season. We decided to get a seasonal site this year, hoping that we'd use it more than last year if we didn't have to get it set up & take it down every time we wanted to go. Plus, when we did tow it last year, we got about 6 miles a gallon....and with gas prices at almost $4 a gallon already, who can afford to tow a camper!
Luckily, when we bought this camper, we were thinking ahead. Although we didn't think we would have 5 children at the time we bought it, we did want to have enough room for more foster children or so that the boys could bring a friend sometimes. Little did we know that this camper that technically sleeps 9 (7 comfortably) would barely be big enough for all of us!
We did have a good time, though. And hopefully, we'll camp enough this year that the babies will get used to sleeping in it. Last night was OK, but both Caleb & Baylee woke up a couple of times.
There is a river not too far from our camp site, which the kids enjoyed walking to & skipping rocks. Amata threw a bunch of sticks in for the crocodile that she decided lives in the river. I wasn't aware that crocodiles lived in any rivers in Minnesota, maybe Amata knows something I don't! Because she is certain there is one in that river.
Caleb just liked the being outside part of camping. Hopefully it will be warm enough to use the pool next time we go. And hopefully they will have the baby pool filled by then, since that was a big reason I wanted to stay at this campground! Swimming is not as much fun when all you do is walk around carrying babies. Amata & Caleb will have much more fun if they can actually walk & play in the baby pool.
It was supposed to storm this afternoon & evening, so one night was all we spent there. Now we can spend tomorrow cleaning this house...it gets pretty bad in the summer when there is so much to do outside.
Luckily, when we bought this camper, we were thinking ahead. Although we didn't think we would have 5 children at the time we bought it, we did want to have enough room for more foster children or so that the boys could bring a friend sometimes. Little did we know that this camper that technically sleeps 9 (7 comfortably) would barely be big enough for all of us!
We did have a good time, though. And hopefully, we'll camp enough this year that the babies will get used to sleeping in it. Last night was OK, but both Caleb & Baylee woke up a couple of times.
There is a river not too far from our camp site, which the kids enjoyed walking to & skipping rocks. Amata threw a bunch of sticks in for the crocodile that she decided lives in the river. I wasn't aware that crocodiles lived in any rivers in Minnesota, maybe Amata knows something I don't! Because she is certain there is one in that river.
Caleb just liked the being outside part of camping. Hopefully it will be warm enough to use the pool next time we go. And hopefully they will have the baby pool filled by then, since that was a big reason I wanted to stay at this campground! Swimming is not as much fun when all you do is walk around carrying babies. Amata & Caleb will have much more fun if they can actually walk & play in the baby pool.
It was supposed to storm this afternoon & evening, so one night was all we spent there. Now we can spend tomorrow cleaning this house...it gets pretty bad in the summer when there is so much to do outside.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
You've heard of the pregnant man...
Now meet the pregnant boy...
I guess he also decided to have butt implants.
I guess he also decided to have butt implants.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
They still keep calling...
Even though we have put our phone number on the do not call list, we still seem to get a lot of unwanted calls. And since my husband runs a daycare out of our home, simply not answering calls that show up as "unavailable" on the caller ID is not an option.
Chris will get several telemarketing calls during the day, and they just don't get a clue when we hang up on them, so he has started giving the phone to Amata when whey call. She loves it! What I cannot believe is how long these people will stay on the line. One guy stayed on with her for almost 5 minutes! He kept asking if he could talk to her mommy and she kept changing the subject, usually to one of her many boo-boos.
Today, while I was home for lunch, a call came in that said it was from Ontario....I don't think we know anybody from there. Amata talked to them for about a minute or so. Her side of the conversation went something like this:
Hi.
What-cha doin?
I got a owie on my arm.
Why she said be quiet? (laughing)
My baby Baylee is crying.
I'm gonna play outside with my friends later.
Why she said be quiet? (laughing)
Bye.
Mommy, you want to say bye?
I'm gonna hang up now.
It might be mean, but I just really don't understand why they stay on the line so long with her. We've listened on another phone before & they will ask her questions and everything. You would think they would figure out by now that if I want a better interest rate or credit insurance, or whatever else they are offering, I'll call them...don't call me. I don't buy anything over the phone.
Chris will get several telemarketing calls during the day, and they just don't get a clue when we hang up on them, so he has started giving the phone to Amata when whey call. She loves it! What I cannot believe is how long these people will stay on the line. One guy stayed on with her for almost 5 minutes! He kept asking if he could talk to her mommy and she kept changing the subject, usually to one of her many boo-boos.
Today, while I was home for lunch, a call came in that said it was from Ontario....I don't think we know anybody from there. Amata talked to them for about a minute or so. Her side of the conversation went something like this:
Hi.
What-cha doin?
I got a owie on my arm.
Why she said be quiet? (laughing)
My baby Baylee is crying.
I'm gonna play outside with my friends later.
Why she said be quiet? (laughing)
Bye.
Mommy, you want to say bye?
I'm gonna hang up now.
It might be mean, but I just really don't understand why they stay on the line so long with her. We've listened on another phone before & they will ask her questions and everything. You would think they would figure out by now that if I want a better interest rate or credit insurance, or whatever else they are offering, I'll call them...don't call me. I don't buy anything over the phone.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Way Too Often
I've mentioned before that we live in a pretty small town, so when I'm in town, it doesn't faze me at all when people remember me. I'm on a first name basis with the nurses, doctors & receptionists at the clinic in town...I've been there at least 6 times so far this year, 3 times in the last month & a half, for check ups.
But, when we need to go to urgent care for after hours things, we have to drive to Albert Lea which is about 20-25 minutes away, and has a population of over 10,000 people. There are times when I go to Albert Lea & people do remember me, but that is usually because those people are from my town. Although, I admit the owners of the 2 consignment stores there do remember me...but I have 5 kids, so I shop there a lot!
On Sunday, I decided to take Baylee into urgent care, she had goopy eyes. It didn't look like pink eye, so I figured it was a cold in her eyes since she did also have a runny nose. But she didn't sleep very well Saturday night, so I wanted to have her ears checked - I just hate ear infections at night. So, I went to the front desk and said I wanted to have Baylee checked. When she asked for her name I had to think for a minute, since I don't use her legal name very often. The nurse then looked at me & said, "Oh, that's right, your a foster parent, I remember you."
I think that might be a sign that I am there just a little too often!
But, when we need to go to urgent care for after hours things, we have to drive to Albert Lea which is about 20-25 minutes away, and has a population of over 10,000 people. There are times when I go to Albert Lea & people do remember me, but that is usually because those people are from my town. Although, I admit the owners of the 2 consignment stores there do remember me...but I have 5 kids, so I shop there a lot!
On Sunday, I decided to take Baylee into urgent care, she had goopy eyes. It didn't look like pink eye, so I figured it was a cold in her eyes since she did also have a runny nose. But she didn't sleep very well Saturday night, so I wanted to have her ears checked - I just hate ear infections at night. So, I went to the front desk and said I wanted to have Baylee checked. When she asked for her name I had to think for a minute, since I don't use her legal name very often. The nurse then looked at me & said, "Oh, that's right, your a foster parent, I remember you."
I think that might be a sign that I am there just a little too often!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Belated Happy Mother's Day
I'm a little behind, but to all to all of the mom's out there, I hope you had a great day!
I had a very nice mother’s day. I got to sleep in, even though Chris didn’t get to sleep in on his day (Saturday) due to the garage sale, and a little boy screaming at the top of his lungs around 6:15.
Then the kids wanted me to opened gifts right away. The boys always do such a nice job! Cameron picked out earrings for me, and Tyler picked out some flip flops for camping this summer. The babies got me a new key fob for my truck. (You don’t realize how nice they are until yours goes out for a month & you have to unlock the doors with an actual key while carrying a baby or two.) Chris also got me a new mother’s ring, since we are officially done. Completely. No matter what! 5 children, a daycare and a full time job are all that we can handle. We’ve probably bitten off a little more than we can chew at this point…my house is filthy! We’re thinking about getting a maid it is so filthy! But that’s a whole other story. I really like the ring, and wanted to post a picture of it, but no matter what I try, it always seems to end up blurry, so you'll just have to trust me that it is very pretty.
We decided to go to Mankato and I was planning to go to Red Lobster. But at 1:30 they were still saying it would be an hour & a half wait. So we ended up at Chinese buffet, which I usually like, but when I was hungry for Red Lobster…you know.
After that Baylee & I went to Sam’s Club & Wal Mart for groceries while Chris & the other kids went to get a new front door. Very exciting, isn’t it?! The boys did help me to unload the truckload of snacks & frozen goods from Sam's when I got home, I don't even think they complained about it...that must have been their final Mother's Day gift.
I had a very nice mother’s day. I got to sleep in, even though Chris didn’t get to sleep in on his day (Saturday) due to the garage sale, and a little boy screaming at the top of his lungs around 6:15.
Then the kids wanted me to opened gifts right away. The boys always do such a nice job! Cameron picked out earrings for me, and Tyler picked out some flip flops for camping this summer. The babies got me a new key fob for my truck. (You don’t realize how nice they are until yours goes out for a month & you have to unlock the doors with an actual key while carrying a baby or two.) Chris also got me a new mother’s ring, since we are officially done. Completely. No matter what! 5 children, a daycare and a full time job are all that we can handle. We’ve probably bitten off a little more than we can chew at this point…my house is filthy! We’re thinking about getting a maid it is so filthy! But that’s a whole other story. I really like the ring, and wanted to post a picture of it, but no matter what I try, it always seems to end up blurry, so you'll just have to trust me that it is very pretty.
We decided to go to Mankato and I was planning to go to Red Lobster. But at 1:30 they were still saying it would be an hour & a half wait. So we ended up at Chinese buffet, which I usually like, but when I was hungry for Red Lobster…you know.
After that Baylee & I went to Sam’s Club & Wal Mart for groceries while Chris & the other kids went to get a new front door. Very exciting, isn’t it?! The boys did help me to unload the truckload of snacks & frozen goods from Sam's when I got home, I don't even think they complained about it...that must have been their final Mother's Day gift.
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