Our Little Monkey!

Olivia has "no fear." Here she is climbing her way up on Connor's toy box.
Proud little Chickie!

"How do I get back down?"

"How about I stand and look out the window!"

Sitting back down after Mommy and Daddy said to sit on her bottom.....look at those eyes, that face; they have mischief written all over them!

One more time standing!

I did take away the "stair steps" that she use to get up to the toy box and this has not been a repeated occurrence. But I had to take pictures to document that she is a little monkey and we must keep our eyes on her 24/7. I've been tempted to put a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards on her!!! Or maybe just wrap her up in bubble wrap! Even though this is documentation of her doings, we do discipline her and sometimes she shakes he head no-no to us....not sure if she's identifying what she is doing is a no-no, or is she might be sassing back to us in a 14 month's old way.??????

She is so different from Connor when he was a baby. He was docile, sat in one place, laid back and was a big analyzer, observer and thinker.....Olivia is my hands-on girl, big time kinetics and observes with her whole body!

I love that they are different! I love seeing how they are becoming the individuals that God has planned them to be.......it's also fun to share with others what kind of monkey she is right now!
This is also evidence of my well deserved gray hairs!

This week in a flash!

Where did this week go? Last week of November!!! Well these are a few pictures that documented the week. The kids were so silly this week....This was last night; Connor was giving Olivia rides on his firetruck. It was a delight hearing their laughter. They also were playing chase, and few times they danced together (wish I had a picture of this; Olivia holds on to his pants and he rocks her back n forth while she rocks her head side to side)

Thursday Night Fun!
Thursday Morning fun: This is Paul's FAVORITE thing to do! Put the Christmas tree up! Here he is organizing the branches with excitement!
This is Olivia's true first time seeing the Christmas tree being erected. Last year the tree was probably a bit of a blur with bright lights! She was delighted to see such sights!
Here is our pro at the Christmas Tree Building Mission.,...or at least he thinks so.....

This is Wednesday: This is evidence that I am a MOM! Here lies legos and Connor's socks in our room.

Tuesday at Dinner time: Olivia wore the hat the whole meal.....why? I'm not sure because she hates having things on her head she usually pulls them off immediately...she was being silly.

Tuesday at meal time; Connor also being a bit goofy!

Here is Monday: another goofy girl picture!

That would sum up our week!

Bullet Weekend

• Friday, the kids and I had a carpet picnic downstairs and we watched Elf. Olivia really didn't watch the movie she played on her slide. Connor's favorite part is when he's picking the gum off the rails and eating it. My favorite is when he's riding up the escalator almost in splits.
• Friday night, we woke Daddy up and had a meal at Arby's (that's what Connor was thinking) We went to the Country Inn and Suites a big thanks to my sister Jolyn and her husband John. (A check will be in the mail) We went swimming in the swimming pool and hot tubbed. Watched Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and enjoyed cable tv since we don't have it. Had a nice little breakfast and went back home, after Connor got one more swim in the morning.
• Saturday, after eating a French silk dessert, I put on my i-pod and scrubbed the bathroom, and our room and vacuumed all the floors. I think I might be nesting and I'm not pregnant! I was washing walls, windows, ceiling fans the whole bit. Also did about three loads of laundry.
• The boys played video games and Olivia helped me clean once in a while or she just played and played. She and I read some books and I taught her what a teacher says: shhhhhh, so now she'll place her finger on her lips and say shhhhh.....this is added to all the other animal noises that she does. I wish I had them on video....there's the bear, cow, sheep, monkey, turkey, bee, owl, kitty, dog, car, duck......if she's not making animal noises then she's either saying uh-oh, ball, dog, nigh-nigh, num-num, Daddy or Mom-mom.
• Sunday, Connor made himself his own breakfast: peanut butter and grape sandwich. I sliced the grapes for him. He concocted it all by himself. The rest of us stuck with eggs.
• We went to church and it was our first time out of the cry room and everyone did really well! The kids have always been quiet, its the other kids that are a bit noisy. Olivia didn't want to wander like she usually does.
• Sunday afternoon, Connor watched veggies tales and then he and Daddy played on the computer. While Olivia was napping, I decided to scrub the kitchen; walls, stove, dishwasher, cupboards and organized and filed the bulky mail pile. Time flew by.
• Then we were off the Johnny's Italian Steak House for Grandpa Danny's birthday. Enjoyed the family and a nice dinner, (Connor ordered a 10 ounce steak and almost ate the whole thing, on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's he fell asleep, probably was so stuffed!) went to Grandma and Grandpa's for presents and yummy pies. (my diet starts today!)
• Told Connor that he'll be getting his eyes checked on Monday for Lazy eyes. He said that his eyes are not lazy. I told him that they are checking his eye muscles. He said that his eye muscles are strong. I told him to go along and let them check him and just follow directions. This morning out of the blue, he wanted Daddy to feel how strong his eye muscles were.
• That's about how our weekend went in bullets!

Two Hours of My Time............

I mentioned in the last post, that I went to work yesterday on Thanksgiving and they didn't need me. Since I clocked in, we get two hours paid, so I decided to stick around for my two hours, otherwise I feel a little funny getting paid for two hours while I'm at home. During this time, I managed to get all my CEU's caught up and while I was there, they found some work for me. They needed me to sit with a young man who was suicidal.

I retrieved my mental health nursing "hat" and prepared myself to talk with this gentleman. This young man was homeless, somewhere from the U.S. He was a poor historian when it came to where he was from, he told me about 6 states. He told me he got lost while he was at Des Moines. I asked him if he's finding shelter and food. He said yes, but he was tired of it and he wanted to be committed. This young man would talk back and forth from reality to his dillusional thinking and it was interesting. He was trying so hard to express that he needed help in the only way that he knew how. Whithout knowing his diagnosis, my guess is schizophrenia.

The only time he talked to me was when he ate his supper. He gobbled it down and then fell back to sleep. The only thing I could do for him was talk to him while he was awake. I had a great desire to pray for him while he was sleeping and so I did quietly in my mind.

On my way home, I couldn't get him off of my mind.....I thought that of course due to chemistry in his body he is like that, but I thought there had to be triggers to get him to run away and hitch hike. He talked little of his family and no one was out looking for him. He is this lost soul; physically and mentally.

I know that people can be very functional if they have severe mental disorders but this young man at this time is not functional. What happens to him? I know we have help for him..he'll go to our mental health unit, he could go to the state's facility.....I sure hope he doesn't fall through the cracks.......Then I thought here is this young man in pretty good physical shape, but just doesn't have his mind....

What happens to him spiritually? Why did I have a great desire to pray for this young man? I can only trust that the good Lord will provide for him whether he knows it or not........so, he opened my eyes this Thanksgiving.....he probably will never know how he touched me and made me think and care about him on a different level. I just spent two hours with this poor young man; homeless, without money, without food, without family, without a functional mind. Two hours is all I needed to be touched and think on a deeper level; how appropriate for Thanksgiving day.....

Bundled Up for Thanksgiving

Snow ball: INCOMING!
Snow Princess

These are the only Thanksgiving pictures I took this year. So I guess it documents that it was a cold and white Thanksgiving of 2007. The kids and I went to Grandma and Grandpa Roberts for Thanksgiving lunch. Right when we get into the house, Olivia was making her way to the snack cupboard; she's been eating like a horse lately (probably growing). Connor played outside until it was time to come in and eat. Butterball might be getting a letter of complaint from Grandma Roberts this year, the turkey took forever to cook and she followed their directions.....but still; it was a nice intimate lunch. Everything was yummy, Grandma Roberts made a wonderful lunch. Olivia ate a few bites and was ready for a nap. Connor ate pretty well and had a list of things he wanted to play. Time went pretty fast, and I was on my way to work. When I get there, I find out they didn't need me....we only had 12 patients for a 31 bed unit. I managed to work four hours and came home to snuggle with Connor. That was Thanksgiving all in a nutshell; nothing extravagant which is how I like it, just getting together and hanging out.

A Batman Birthday!

Make a wish and blow out your candles......Austin made his wish and wanted so badly to tell us his wish, but with great will power he kept it to himself so it'd come true!
Austin is making his "Reindeer Ears" for the camera. Grandma Prause made the fantastic Batman cake.....

Hey there Birthday Boy! Austin had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and enjoying his party. We had a wonderful time too! I told Austin, "Thanks Austin for having a birthday" and he replied, "Well, God made me so I could have a birthday!" I told him that I would thank God for making him, and that he was pretty special............

All We want for Christmas is a Box!!!!!

Having a hard time thinking of something to get these kids??? Just get them a box!
"I'm driving my car, watch out MOM!"

"Hop in Baby-O, I'll give you a ride"

A nice place to sit and relax......

This box went from being a chair, to a car, an airplane, and a house...............

20 minutes later, this box was demolished; ripped, cut from scissors, and marked on by markers....and into the recycling bin it went (it had a full life).

Count your Blessings

I just recently passed by a sign that said, "If you can't sleep, count your blessings." I thought about that and I think I'd be awake all night long. There are a lot of blessings that I could count.....

This is the time of the year, we are to search in our hearts and think of all the things we are grateful for. Each year I basically say the same things; my dear husband, lovely children, great immediate family, wonderful extended family, and awesome friends. I'm thankful for our roof over our heads, the food on our table and our jobs that support these everyday events.

I just didn't think I was getting deep enough. So then I thought about my experiences as a nurse and what I encounter during my work days. In the past month as a nurse and nursing instructor, I have witnessed people with much going on with them and their health. This cued me in on the basic things in life that I am grateful for and take can take for granted everyday. These basic things are battles for these people, in which I do not wish upon anyone but it happens in the mysterious ways of the Lord.

• A person with a trach. ( I am grateful that I can breathe with my own mouth and lungs)
• A person paralyzed from mid-back and down. (I am grateful for feeling and walking)
• A person dying alone. ( I am grateful for knowing the Lord and that I'll never be alone, even if I might be physically alone)
• A confused person ( I am grateful for my mind)
• A person who is getting older and losing their independence ( I am grateful for my independence and freedom)
• A person who can not speak the way they want to (I am grateful that I can communicate)
• A person that can not eat because of physical problems ( I am grateful that I can eat and receive nourishment)
• A person who is angry with the world ( I am grateful for love and humor)
• A person who holds grudges over the tiniest things (I am grateful for forgiving)

So, this year I feel a little bit better going deeper into thinking about my blessings and they are true blessings. Do I have battles? Yes, we all have battles that we deal with in our lives. Our battles are across a spectrum of mild to severe and can differ every day. One thing that I know is that my blessings definitely outweigh my battles.

Whom ever might be reading this post today (which is probably my loved ones: family and friends) Thank you for being a blessing in my life, and may your blessings outweigh your battles.

The Dream

Connor came up to me the other morning and said, "Mom, I had a nightmare last night." I said, "oh, tell me about your dream." He said, "You were buckling me into the car seat, but you didn't do it tight enough and the police officer came by and took me. He didn't take me to jail though, he took me to a party and Grandma and Olivia were there and we ate pumpkin pie."

Hmmm, what an imagination! I would like that one interpreted!

The Moon

Ummm, DHS may be calling me and taking my kids away.....okay, so it won't be that extreme...but what was I thinking???? I'm such a bad mom, do you know what I did? I taught C-man about "the moon." No, not the beautiful round object up in the sky.
One day he was delaying his process of dressing (this is an everyday occurence). He says, "I'm ready to go to school mom!" He looked so proud with his shirt on and nothing else. I said, "C-man, you don't want to moon your friends at school."
"What's a moon?" So, I went on and told him what "the moon" was.
I didn't know that he would soak this information up like a sponge and tell his teacher at preschool all about it.
Paul received a report this morning, C-man told Gail what "the moon" was all about. "it's when you pull down your pants and underwear and show your bare bottom." Oh, great! I can see it now, when he's mooning people on the school bus when he gets older, and I'll be the one to blame.
Must hold tongue next time and speak like 4 year old.

November Day

FALL FUN!

"Leaf Fight!" C-man exclaims as he and Daddy throw leaves up in the air and at each other. Olivia watches in delight.
"On your marks, get set, go!.....and C-man and Mommy run into the pile of leaves."

Hanging out in the bed of leaves.

Running through the leaves. This was a fun fast action picture of C-man.

Today after lunch, we all decided to bundle up in our vests and hats and make a pile of leaves in the front lawn. We adopted a few of our neighbor's leaves from the windy day the other day, otherwise we only have pine needles in the front lawn and have tiny locust leaves in the back yard, with a few adopted sycamore and oak leaves. So we managed to rake a pile sufficient enough to jump in. It was so fun, even Mommy and Daddy got in on the action. After our cheeks became rosy and our noses cold, we decided to head back inside the warmth of the house. The rest of the afternoon, Miss-O napped, C-man and Daddy played video games and I scrapped a few pages and managed to find time for a nap too!

This was one of our first weekends where we could enjoy each other and our leisure time, without being sick, busy, or cleaning. (Tomorrow's agenda: cleaning!)

Connor's Prayer

Last night Paul and I were at RCIA class and Grandma and Grandpa Roberts stayed with the kids until I returned home. I always enjoy the report of the night from Grandma Roberts and this report was very enjoyable. She said that C-man took down his Rosary that hangs on a cross on the wall by his bed. He told her he wanted to pray. She said that she lead him into prayer and thanked God for Mom and Dad, Miss-O, family and friends, etc....she thought they were finished and he told her that he wasn't finished. He held on the the Rosary and asked for peace and then whispered things and what she could get out of it is that he asked God to help him get the bad guys, especially the Green Goblin, AMEN!

How sweet is that? Prayer in the mind of a four year old!

I have been learning about the Rosary and how to pray and meditate on all of God's beautiful mysteries. What I learned is that I'm not worshipping Mary, because that was my first belief that Catholic religion does. But instead they use Mary to intercede our prayers and she acts as an advocate for our prayers. Anyways, C-man has only seen me pray the Rosary two times and he asked me if I was praying to people inside the marbles...no Honey, I said I was praying to God and through Mary. Oh! He states.
Usually at bedtime, we read the bible and say our own little prayers, but this was the first time that he wanted to use the Rosary.
Whatever works, I just want to instill spirituality/Christianity in his life and why not start young?
I just know there is something very powerful about prayer.

Who are the Saints in your Life?

Tomorrow, we rejoice in All Saints Day. Going through the RCIA program I have learned a little more about the Canonized Saints in the Catholic Religion. But there are many saints that are in our lives (or were in our lives) that aren't canonized and are truly heroes.
Of course, we identify those who we know who have died. Right away I think of my Grandma Weinberg; she was a Saint for battling through cancer twice in her life and she never let down her fun spirit until the very end. I remember Grandma Weinberg for the passion she had for life (any aspect) but especially music... and for her grand kids. Of course my next Saint is Grandma Mehmen, she was level-headed, gave me all kinds of advice on life, very analytical and brought perspective to my thoughts and actions. Grandpa Weinberg, another Saint in my life; hard working, love of nature and simplicity. Grandma Mim, I didn't know for so long, but I also consider her a Saint, she was fun, kind of heart, and again lover of nature. These people have taught me so much in my life, that I wouldn't be the person who I am today without learning what they did and how they lived life.
Now, for the Saints in my daily life; that's a difficult one for I don't think I can just pinpoint one person down. The Saints I would give my thanks to are those who love me, who care for me, keep me safe. Those who listen, who share a smile, and do random acts of kindness. The Saints in my life are those who live with me, they are my family and my friends. Those who I might work with or even a perfect stranger that comes into my life for a minute to provide an act of love.
Have you ever thought about a living Saint in your life? Who would it be? What do they do that is saintly?
I really like learning about St. Theresa from the Catholic Religion. Her main reason why she was a Saint is that she wanted to reach people with a simple act of kindness, sharing smiles, and giving away flowers. With this simple act, she reached many. Look what we can do to share God's love, just a simple smile to a stranger who needs it, or acts of kindness.....
Are you a Saint? I think if you are like me you would be humble and say that I can always improve in my saintliness, so I pray:
Dear Lord, help us all be saints and show God's love. We don't have to do great, magnificent things in our lives. Help us with our simple acts of love and spread peace to the people we meet in our lives. Amen.

Trick or Treat!

Here's C-man, Grandma Roberts, and Miss-O at the mall on Beggar's Night........ Miss-O, Teeny-Tiny, and C-man posing at Grandma and Grandpa Roberts.....it was a bit difficult getting everyone to cooperate...Miss-O kept running away...Teeny-Tiny was upset, and C-Man was just too excited!

Here's our Pumpkin Fairy, whatta sweetie!

"Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet, Give me something Sweet to eat!"