Confessions of a (crazy) Mom

I stooped to a new low last week when Brian was out of town. Nathan and I were out running errands and he announced he had to go the bathroom. We were nowhere near a bathroom, and I didn't really think it would be appropriate to stop and let him go potty in someone's front yard. (Call me crazy!) I knew I had to think fast because when Nathan has to go, he HAS TO GO! He had been having a lot of accidents in the days leading up to this, so I knew I really needed to prevent a bad situation.

This is the point that the story starts going downhill...

I remembered that I had seen a cup in the car, and I thought, "I can use the McDonald's cup and everything will be okay, right?" WRONG! I got out of the car, threw open the van door, and the cup was gone. (Since when did I start throwing the trash in my van away?) All I could find that would even remotely work was a Sippee cup. I thought about having him go on the parking lot, but there were too many witnesses. So, I did the unthinkable, I rationalized the use of the sippee cup. After all, I can thoroughly wash and then sanitize a sippee cup through the boiling process. And this was an EMERGENCY. So, I then had Nathan go potty in the sippee cup. At some point while he was peeing in the cup, he looked at me and said, "This is so much fun!"

So, where does this leave us now...

First, I tried boiling the sippee cup and it melted in my pan.

Second, Nathan is now even more obsessed with his bodily functions than before this incident. He actually told me a couple of days ago that he had made two big poopies...one looked like his daddy and one like him and they were so cute. (I am not sure we will ever be able to pay for enough counseling for this kid!)

Last, and probably the most frightening, I would probably do it again if I had to. (Maybe I am the one that needs the counseling.)

The Birthday Bash

I know what you are thinking...I have not posted in a LONG time. Life has been crazy and I honestly have not had a lot of extra time. In my defense, I did try to post once, but our internet went down and I lost everything.

So, to catch you up real quick -- My cousin is now back home after his surgery. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. They did have to cut his nerve, so he has no feeling on the left side of his face, but it seems like the pain is being managed with medicine right now, which is an answer to many prayers. Thanks to everyone for the emails and for praying for him!

At our house, we had a BIG day yesterday. David celebrated his 5th birthday. Man, talk about time flying. It seems like it was just yesterday when we brought him home from the hospital. I pulled out some of his baby pictures and showed them to David. We talked about bringing him home from the hospital and how much we adored him. He loved it.

I also thought to myself about all that happened along the way to get him to this day from the tough pregnancy with 3 months of bedrest, being told he might have Down's Syndrome, the emergency c-section delivery, the problems he had after birth with his blood sugar and eating to the "growing-up" problems that have made us worry, cry or pull our hair in frustration. I don't know if I thought about all this because David turning 5 just seems so impossible or if it was because I really saw him yesterday and was so thankful for him and being at this point with him.

I have always thought that David was a kind-hearted little boy, but he truly showed me his heart yesterday. He offered to let Nathan help him open presents and even said he could have one if he wanted. David and I went on a date for lunch and talked about growing up. He told me that when he grows up he wants to be a Big Kid (a.k.a teenager like the ones in the youth group) and a race car driver. He thanked me all day for everything we did. The moment that touched me the most though was when he blew out the candles. I asked him if he made a wish and he said, "I wish that I will stay with Daddy and Mommy and Nathan forever!"

If I could bottle up time, this would be one of those moments I would keep forever. I would pull it out when he is throwing a fit or yelling at his brother, just to remind me of how thankful I really am for him rather than getting caught up in the frustration of the moment. He is a blessing.

So to my dear, sweet David, you will always be with me and Daddy and Nathan forever because you touch us with your kind heart every day. But, if you want to live with good ol' Dad and Mom for forever, then you better get paid a lot as a race car driver because we charge a lot for rent!

Some of the Greatest Superheroes

As I write this post, my cousin, Doug, is in surgery to remove a tumor from his trigeminal nerve. The tumor is right in the center of his head between his brain and his brain stem. It is serious stuff and all of your prayers on his behalf would be greatly appreciated.

Doug's surgery started at 9:18 a.m. and will probably last 6 to 8 hours. They will biopsy the tumor, but right now the doctors are pretty confident it is benign. The main concern is that he could have permanent double vision and hearing loss. The doctors are not sure if the feeling will come back in his face and there is the possibility that the pain could get worse, which seems . So, please, please, please...offer up prayers for his health and for there to be no complications. These doctors are good, but God is better and is in charge right now.

Doug has obviously been on my mind a lot lately, and it has taken me on a trip down memory lane. Doug is my oldest cousin and we are 11 years apart. (I am the youngest of the family.) In between the two of us are his three younger sisters and then my older brother. The six of us spent our summers at my Grandparents farm in Nebraska and we sort of grew up with each other. We played together, put on programs with crazy skits together, worked together, had adventures together, teased each other and fought with each other. I think that we would all say that we love each other very much. My cousins seem more like siblings than cousins to me. I have spent my life idolizing each and every one of them as well as my brother, all for different reasons.

I can vividly remember hearing my cousins and older brother sing all the words to THE most popular songs of the late 70's and early 80's and getting so frustrated with myself because I didn't know the words and had a hard time even understanding what the words to the songs actually were. I thought that they were so cool, and I wanted to be cool just like them. I only cared about knowing the words because they did. (Looking back it is kind of frightening that this mattered to me, but you can't reason with a pre-teen girl.) I also remember how I was in awe of Doug because he was soooo adventurous. He would try anything, and I was always a little more on the cautious side (otherwise known as the boring kid). Now I have Nathan who reminds me of Doug on almost a daily basis!

As all of us have grown older and started our own families, we just don't get to see as much of each other as I would like. They are all still some of my greatest heroes -- still for different reasons but now also for some of the same reasons. Over the years, my reasons for admiring them have obviously changed. It is not so much about the fact that they know the words to all the songs or will try just about anything anymore. It is now about the character that they show during tough times. With Doug, it is about the way he jokes to keep everybody from worrying about him. It is also about the way they love their kids and how they are raising them to be servants of God. All of my cousins and my brother have seen a lot of good times and a lot of hard times, but they have all upheld the knowledge that God would see them through and be by their sides during the good and the bad.

On this blog, I have shared my boys' favorite superheroes, so now it is time for me to share some of mine. Doug, Sandra, Jane, Linda, and Steve, you are all my superheroes. You have been since the day I was born. Thanks for all you that you have taught me and continue to teach me! Mom and Judy and Larry, you guys were the ones who taught these guys how to use their super powers and become these superheroes. Thanks even more to you!

And for everyone else out there reading this, be sure to tell your superheroes thanks today!

A Nathanism

Quote of the day from Nathan after he spent a little time alone in the bathroom:

"THAT is the biggest poopy I have ever heard!"


Enough said. :-)

Spring Break Super Hero Fun

It is Spring Break and the boys have been playing like crazy. Yesterday, they were pretending to be super heroes. At one point, I saw David dressed in a long-sleeve t-shirt, his batman underwear, a batting glove on one hand and my beanie from when I was a Brownie on his head. Apparently, the outfit is what makes a great superhero. (I am not sure what powers he had, but honestly, I was too afraid to ask with that outfit!)

I have been Spring cleaning and trying to (finally) get all of our stuff put away from the move. I spent the day in David's room purging his collection of paper and reorganizing toys. I had to work hard to convince him that there are small children somewhere with no toys and that he no longer needed the baby toys that had infiltrated his room. He finally agreed and even helped go through some of his toys. After yesterday, I decided that my children have way too many toys, and we really do need to adhere to the "one toy comes in - one toy goes out" rule.

Today, I will work on Nathan's room. While his toys are already a little more organized, Nathan will be working on scrubbing his "artwork" off of the furniture. He so kindly announced this morning that I needed to come quick and look at how he colored his room. He used a colored pencil to color his furniture. He stood there with pencil in hand and asked, "Isn't it beautiful mommy?" I told him that his art was beautiful, but he needed to only color on paper. He then bowed his little head and said, "I am sorry that I colored a beautiful picture on my room." I sort of felt bad until I saw him glance up with a sly little smile and then when he realized I was looking, sobered up quick and bowed his head again. (Note to self: Watch out for that kid!)

Everything I learned this week

I have learned some very valuable things this past week, and I thought I would share them with you.

1. Apparently, I am going to be a grandmother -- David's little girlfriend, Carissa, announced that she is going to have two babies and David is the father. (Oh My!) They will be named Charlie and Lola (FYI -- This is from a show on Disney.) When her mom asked her if David was okay with those names, she said that he would be soon enough. And just in case you are wondering, Carissa informed her parents that she and David would be getting married because David said so. (How's that for a submissive wife?) I don't know how much these kids will enjoy being in Junior High and having parents that are in Senior High, but it will make some good material for the Jerry Springer show.

2. Pupils that are unequal in size can be a bad thing -- Brian had a small collision with a kid in the youth group during a flag football game. The kid was running towards Brian while Brian was diving to catch a ball and the kid's knee hit Brian in the head right at the temple. He had a headache that day, but it became worse the next day. He was kind of whining about it, and I wasn't being real sympathetic until I looked into his eyes and noticed that one pupil seemed rather large and the other seemed rather small. I kindly suggested he rest and call his Aunt Becky who is our favorite neurologist in the world. She advised getting it checked out if he continued having problems because it could be a sign of a more severe brain injury such as bleeding in the brain. Aaaagggghhh! (I think his headache got a little worse after hearing that!) So, the next day he went to the doctor to get his head checked out and walked away with a mild concussion and a great sense of relief. Through this, I did learn that 20-25% of the population's pupils are different sizes all the time. So now, you have also learned something new this week...unless you already knew that.

3. While he is creative, David is not the one to go to if you need a definition for a word -- If you have read much of this blog, you have probably come to the conclusion that David likes to talk. Well, not only does he like to talk, he uses words that he doesn't fully understand the meaning of out of context. Now, in his defense, I did this as a child; however, David has perfected my feeble attempts at using big words by adding a new twist to it. If he gets the least little hint that he has used a word wrong, he will then ask us if we know the definition of the word and then define it for us using his own definition. For example, the other day he said, "We'll have to intact them." I kind of snickered, and before I got a chance to ask him what he meant, he asked, "Do you know what intact means?" I shook my head no and he said it was when people were trying to get something...like when people were trying to get balloons. He then asked me if I knew what Tacky meant. So, I shook my head no again, and he said it is when something bigger is going to happen. It gets really funny when he realizes he said something wrong and then says it is a word in Spanish that means whatever he was intending for it to mean in his sentence. Silly Boy!

and finally...

4. Little boys come up with the best stalling tactics for bedtime -- Our boys have refined the art of stalling at bedtime or naptime. A few of my favorites from Nathan are...
"The puppy is ruffing at me." (referring to the dog next door that likes to bark)
"I can't sleep out there. It's raining." (as if we were going to make him sleep outside in the rain.)
"My pillow is wet/hot/bumpy." (There might be one drop of water from his cup on the pillow and it will always affect his sleeping. He doesn't realize that he drools like a madman while he is sleeping and soaks his pillow during the night.)
David just wraps his all up into one -- "These sounds are trying to keep me awake!"

Like I said, this week has been full of new and exciting revelations. I hope your week has been just as much a learning experience!

His Batteries Are Dead

I have come to an important revelation about toys. Manufacturers have crossed the line in the number of toys produced that require batteries. It has reached the point of insanity when every toy that enters our house requires AA or AAA or C batteries. I remember the good ol' days when toys were extremely special if they required batteries (like the doll that would eat and then wet her pants or my brother's programmable remote control car.)

Now, you may be asking yourself, "How did Stacey come to such an amazing and profound conclusion?" (interpreted to mean, "Will she just get to the point already?!") I realized this because of my children's attitude about batteries. My boys now think that if something doesn't work correctly, it needs new batteries. If there is something wrong with the computer, bathtub, couch, etc., one of them will say, "Maybe it needs new batteries." If I disagree with them or try to explain that the broken item doesn't require batteries, they will just look at me with a look of pity for not understanding the world of battery operated items.

At the end of last week, the boys were playing in the other room and laughing so hard. They came into the room where I was at and I asked David what they were playing. He told me they were playing the battery game. I asked him about the game, so the boys decided to show me the game. Nathan would lay down on the floor and not move at all. David then said, "Nathan your batteries are dead. I will get you some new ones." He then put new batteries into Nathan's back, and Nathan immediately jumped up and started dancing around the room. Then he threw himself back down on the floor. David looked at me and said, "Uh-oh, his batteries are dead again."

A little frightening, isn't it? I think I can use it to my advantage though. Every once in awhile, I threaten the ultimate punishment of taking the batteries out of a toy, and it usually gets the desired results. When they are running around like wild animals, I may have to threaten to take their batteries out if they don't calm down. I'll let you know if it works!

Curious Nathan

In the true spirit of Fun Friday, we had fun until we all dropped yesterday. The boys and I started out the day with a trip to the playground to meet some friends. We then went to the Present Store (a.k.a Dollar Tree) to pick out some fun gadgets with the dollars that Grandma Sandy sent in the boys' Valentine's Day cards. Our next stop was to pick up Daddy for a 2 hour car ride to watch one of the high school girls' teams in the state basketball tournament. (That was a little bit of a hard sell for 2 little guys, but once they found out Rebecca, one of our "Big Kids," was playing, it was a pretty neat thing.) They weren't real excited about a quick stop at a furniture store either, although David thought it would be a great idea to get a couch and TV for his bedroom. (I know men like their toys, but I honestly didn't realize that it started this young!) The ultimate thrill of the day, though, was our last stop at the movie theater to watch Curious George.

If you haven't seen it yet, it is a pretty cute little movie. After it was over, Brian pointed out that it did start a little slow. When he said that to me, I just looked at him with an "Are you serious? Don't you remember that this is a kids' movie?" look. Some people's expectations are just a little too high! The boys seemed to like it though. Keeping in nature with their personalities, David helped to commentate the movie and Nathan sat entranced with a silly little grin on his face.

For me, it was a strange moment of deja vu. About 5 minutes into the movie, I realized that Curious George is the epitome of Nathan. George had the exact same expressions as Nathan, and he even had that same look in his eyes when he was about to get into trouble. It was funny and frightening all at the same time. I looked over at Brian and started to tell him about my revelation, and I didn't even have to complete my sentence. He was already thinking the same thing.

On the way home, the boys conked out pretty quick. After they were asleep, Brian and I started talking about the similarities between Curious George and nathan and laughing at the irony of our lives. I told Brian that during the movie I wondered if I should work harder at seeing the wonders of the world through Nathan's escapades and learn to appreciate his curiosity a little more. I was feeling pretty proud of my deep revelation until Brian responded to my deep thought with, "I was just wondering if animal control could help us at all." Hmmmm...that might not be a bad thing to remember either!