I just need to laugh...

The morning started off with COLD! It is finally here. Yesterday it was 90 degrees and today maybe 50. I dropped off the kids at school and headed down the road home. Andrew in the back seat said "diet coke"? So, we headed down to sonic to utilize the drink sticker that makes Route 44's a buck. We came home and stayed in our PJ's until noon. I did some wash and then I quickly realized I needed diapers and a prescription and Calli was going to be home in 15 minutes. I jumped in the shower and the bus pulled up right as I was getting out. Needless to say I had to run my errands. I usually do these without the company of my darling Calli but I decided to take her to Toys R US and Target. BAAAAD IDEA!

You know when your child asks you questions over and over until they get the answer thy want to hear? Well, that is Calli but on steroids. The questions get tiresome. Especially,"Can I play with a friend?" So, at Toys R Us (the place I purchase diapers with my rewards =) ) she would not listen to me at all. People must think I am crazy and the worst mom. I am very vocal because I am afraid of losing her at a store. It starts out something like this: Calli (in a sweet voice), Calli (a little more firm), Calli (demanding), and finally CALLI where are you? (almost yelling. We get done and I noticed they charged me a dollar too much, yes a dollar. If I am going to drive all the way to Toys R Us I am going to get my dollar back no matter how bad the kido is being!

We get into the car and guess what Calli says, "Can I play with a friend when we get home?" AHHHHHH!!!

Our next stop is Target. I stragetically walk through the store to the pharmacy to hit all of the clearence endcaps I can without really stoping. We get to the pharmacy and the girl working ignores me. She walks around, I think pretending she is working, and then acts like she didn't see me standing there. I say "I need to pick up a perscription," "Last name?" she says. "Nice." No one ever get's it right. It is so simple, just the way it sounds, N I C E - not the way I sound. While she is getting the perscription Calli starts to scream. There is blood everywhere. The girl loudly tells me her nose is bleeding. I look at her and say, "do you have a kleenex?" It doesn't stop and Calli won't let me help her. She thinks if she continues to wipe it will stop. So, screaming I rush her to the bathroom where it continues to bleed all over the sink. It finally stops and we head back to get some popsicles and cheetoes. We get checked out and are leaving the store and Calli stops to check out her nose in the window mirror. You know, the one we all check our selves out in as we pass and hope no one is on the other side watching us. She is making the funniest faces while she is trying to see UP her nose. After about a minute, I start to laugh at her. All of the sudden there is a knock on the other side of the glass. Calli was very confused. Oh what people must think of her!

Earlier this week her teacher sent home a note saying that her class is the most challenging she has ever had in 39 years of teaching. I've heard that one before.

Today I am frusterated, happy, angry, laughing, questioning... Thanks to all who accept Calli for who she is. Also for accepting me for who I am - a mother trying to figure this girl out. I know sometimes Calli and I can be high maintence but hey we are a package deal. Thanks for the friendships and encouragement.

I just need to laugh... Calli named her baby dolls Jody and Adam. So cute and Adam is wearing the most beautiful white dress!

Disaster Stirkes the Nice Family

As the old saying goes: "Bad things happen in threes!"

1.

Andrew and I were taking a shower one morning, while I was getting out I heard a big thud and I just knew it was bad. As I picked him up I could see his skull and LOTS of blood. I do not do well in those kinds of situations. I grabbed a towel wrapped him up laid him on the floor took off my towel and put pressure on his head. I had him hold it there while I threw on some clothes and frantically looked for the phone. The first person I thought of was our neighbors the Allen's. I dialed their number several times to get... "this local call now requires ten digits" WHAT? It was about 3 days into the new change and it was not registering. So I called my friend Sarah. She happily answered the phone and rudely I interupted and said "Andrew fell in the shower and cut his head open." She immediately came over thinking I was exagerating. NOPE, it was worse than she thought, but luckily she didn't mention that. Shaking I drove us to the hospital while she took care of Andrew. So, here are a few lessons learned while we were at the hopital:
1. Head wounds bleed like crazy and then stop.
2. Little boys with their skull showing still have no fear and climb all over the chairs and jump off in the emergency waiting room.
3. The needle is the worst part until they strap your baby to a board and he is screaming for his Mommy.
4. A sucker and teddy bear doesn't make a child like those people who just tourtered him.
5. It isn't about how many stitches for some doctors, it is about the ruler. Aparently Andrew's wound was over an inch long, WOW.

2.

I was taking Marshall to baseball practice when I stopped for a little family crossing the entrance to the park. All of the sudden I heard this big BANG and then I realized it was us. Some one slammed into us. He was not paying attention - NO SKID MARKS. The speed limit on 1300 East is 35 MPH. I am assuming he was going at least 35. Marshall was a little shaken up, Calli and Andrew had no idea what was going on and I was way sore. One of the dads from Marshall's team was a life saver. He came and stayed with me and helped me with the kids until the police said I was OK to go. The next day I went to the Dr. and everything checked out great. I was still way sore so the Dr. ordered me some physical therapy. It was great, a few weeks of massages every other day. After a long process of getting the car fixed, it still isn't all the way fixed to my satisfaction. I have a really annoying creek in the drivers window or door. I need to get it back in but I can't be without my car. I am afraid it will never be the same.

3.

I really, really, really HATE willow trees! All of the neighbors surrounding our house seem to have them.

Baseball, Birthday and Boys

Happy Birthday Bubby Boy. Double digits, the big 10!

Marshall plays baseball for the Tough Country Predators. He plays first base, pitcher and outfield. Marshall's goal for this year was to hit a home run. In the last game his team played Marshall crunched the ball into left field for his first home run of the season. Great job Marsh!
For Marshall's birthday we took the baseball team to the Buzz game. What a great group of boys. They had so much fun trying to get baseballs from the players. At the end of the game one of the players game Marshall a bat. You couldn't wipe the grin off his face. Marshall's birthday falls right close to his cousin Fatih's and Uncle Josh's. We celebrated their birthdays at the cabin. Thanks to Aunt Susan we had a great piniata for the kids to wack at.

A week off Kindergarten...

Calli had a week off Kindergarten in the month of May for testing. I decided that we would fill the week with fun activities to keep her busy and keep mom from going crazy! Here are some of the fun activities we did:

Thomas the Train in Heber, Utah

There was a petting zoo at the train station. Andrew was horrified of the animals and Calli tried to tell him it was OK to touch them. She probably would have rode them.

Children's Museum

Calli loves to play dress up. At the Childrens Museum her favorite thing to do is to be the mail lady. She dresses up and delivers and collects all the mail. Today she decided to do it farm style dressed as a cow eating some home grown carrots!

Andrew loves to play with the balls he was at the ball station for hours. Then of course he headed to the kitchen to play a little house (his and Calli's favorite thing to play).

The Cabin

What a fun week off school!

Hot for a Day?

We have had some pretty crazy weather this year. It seems like we skipped spring, my favorite time of year. It got real hot and then came the rain. One Hot May day we were at Grandma Julie's so we took advantage of the weather and broke out the kiddie pool. All the cousins were having so much fun. Calli asked grandma to get her a cup to play with in the water - Watch out everyone, here comes the water fight!
Eli was a little timid with all the kids and the water. He wouldn't get close to the water.

Cute Molly was having some trouble with her swimsuit bottoms.

Calli's best side!

Photo Shoot by Hilary

Hilary dressed Andrew up in his Mexican Soccer uniform we brought him from Puerto Vallarta. She took him in the back yard, set up a goal and went to town. Here are the results:
What is up with the tongue hanging out? I guess he is really concentrating.
Pretty impressive for a rookie!

Pine Wood "DADS" Derby

Marshall took second place last year and all he could talk about was beating the boy who took first. Well, this year Marshall and his dad worked a lot harder on their, oh I mean Marshall's car. Last year they made the car in just one day after returning home from Maui on the red eye. This year they were confident that their hard work would pay off and they would take home the championship. After a very interesting (I use this word because the bracket was all messed up) way of teaming up the cars. Marshall came in second place again. He did win last years champion so that made it all good. Great job "4"!