A Moment of Peace

Last Thursday seem to be a bit hectic. I had to do a bunch of running around when I got off work.  Trent's football practice, grocery store, and taxi-ing kids to the Jen-awea football game.  I thought I'd spend some quality time with the youngest by carting her around with me. While at the grocery store, Eric texted me asking me to run to Home Depot to get a furnace filter.  Not a problem, I was heading up that way. As we pull in to the Depot parking lot Caitrin chimes in with attitude.."Why are we here?"
 I reply "Dad asked me to get a furnace filter, so we're stopping here."
Not losing the attitude, Caitrin tells me "I know you and Dad love each other, but seriously, he needs to learn how to do things on his own."
Pretty shocked by her response and not sure where that even came from, I told her that we were out and about and I have no problem running errands for Dad.  We run in and get the furnace filter and a small package of batteries for the thermostat.  Not thinking, I thrown the batteries in a bag and out the door we go.  Heading home, she still had some "tude"..
Caitrin: You know what Mom? Your phone is WAY better than Dad's.  You know what? He deleted all of his games off of his phone.  Can you believe that?  Even Zebra Paint! Of all games, Zebra Paint!
Me:  Well, I'm sure he doesn't want you guys on his phone anymore.  Don't know what to tell you. Sorry.

We get home to unload the groceries quickly because I have to get Trent from football practice.  Caitrin starts crying because she wants to help.  So I tell her to grab the closest bag which happen to be the batteries. She holds it up like a dead skunk.
Cairtin:  Really, Mom? Really?  Did you really think you needed a bag for this?
Me: Caitrin, just get in the house.

Rushing back out the door to get Trent, I kiss Eric good bye and tell him to have fun with Caiti.  I see our German Shepard, Adella, sitting at the back door with a sad look on her face.  So I pat my leg and tell her to load up. 
Apparently that offended Caitrin "I want to go, too!"
Me: NO!
Caitrin: Why?!
Me:  Because Adella doesn't talk!

Good News and Good Company

Life with three kids is forever busy, and I realized that it's been forever since I last blogged.  Summer has come and gone, and now fall is vastly approaching.  I'm hoping with that, things will greatly slow down.

These past few weeks have been filled with lots of joy and blessings.

Last week my little sister, Missy, came up from Boise to celebrate my youngest neices'  third birthday, and my other little sister, Jenni, drove over from the Tri-Cities to join in the festivities.  I also got to meet Jenni's daughter, Mataya, for the first time. There were about five kids under the age of five.  Once the clock struck 9pm, the tears started to flow, Jonnie and I knew it was bed time and ditched right out of there. 

Earlier the same day of the birthday party, my mom's boyfriend George, proposed to her.  So my mom will be getting married and I will once again have a step-dad. I have nothing ill to say about George.  He's a wonderful man and it seems that he has brought my mother back to a life that we all thought was gone.  He makes her happy and has graciously accepted 5 rogue kids as his grand kids. 

A few days later, we found out that Eric's sister, Chaney, and her husband are finally expecting!  They have been trying for so many frustrating years.  They've have gone with the whole fertility circus, just to be let down every month.  None of us were supposed to know but Eric's mom was too excited she had to tell everyone. Chris and Chaney were a little scared and didn't want to say much until their ultra sound two days ago.  Low and behold, they found 2 little beans in her belly! We are going to be graced with another set of twins for Eric's family hopefully sometime in May.  Everyone is over the moon!!  I honestly can't wait!  This will make grand baby 18 & 19 for the Reel Family...

Six years ago this past September was the last time I got to see my grandparents from my mother's side.  They live in a travel trailer and go all over the place.  A small family fall out had occurred and they just avoided this side of the states.  When my sister and I pushed for amends, shortly afterwards we found out my grandmother had cancer.  If that doesn't make a quick shove to forgiveness, I'm not sure what does. After her surgery and her getting used to a different life style, my grandparents agreed to head out this way.  They arrived this week and we've spent every night at my mom's house playing catch up.  It's amazing the traits and similarities that are found.  Though my son favors Eric's looks, he favors my grandmothers habits.  When they left six years ago, I had just found out I was pregnant with Caitrin.  They hadn't meet her yet.  The older four always talked about them, so when Caiti walked into my mom's house, she ran right up to my grandma, and said "HI, GRANDMA!! I missed you!!"  It was the cutest thing.  We are hoping the weather will cooperate this weekend and have a great big family barbecue. 

I'm also hoping that I can find a little more me time and blog more often...

Conversations...

Setting:  Selected schools around the valley provide free lunch for children 0 - 18 years old. My sister likes to take all the kids down to the Junior High to eat so they don't eat her out of house and home.  On this particular day, crispidoras were served.  As my sister was driving  back home, Trent was still gnawing on what was left of his.

Trent:  Aunt Jonnie, what are crispadoras made of?
Jonnie: (not hesitating) Cat. Why?
Trent: What??!! (chucking the crispadora out the window)
Caitrin: I don't see what the problem is.  You eat pig.
Jonnie: Why did you throw that out the window?  I was only joking!!  It's made from cow, hamburger, ground beef.
Trent: Aunt Jonnie, I don't feel so good.

She had to pull the car over from laughing so hard.

I'm not sure if I should be upset at the fact that Trent actually believed my sister, or concerned with Caitrin not caring that it could possibly be a domesticated household animal...

Conversations...

Setting:  We were packing up our trailer to head over to the coast to send the 4th of July with Eric's family. (More on that if I can find time to upload my pictures)

Caiti:  Hey, Mom.  Do you think.. I mean we'll be really good.. and not move.. I promise to sit still... Can we ride in the trailer on our way to the coast?
Me:  Umm.. NO!!
Caiti:  But, why not?!
(I didn't want to scare her, but I needed her to get the point)
Me: Well, let's just say that something happens and the trailer comes unhitched from the truck, you could get hurt really bad, and you might even die.  So NO. Sorry kiddo.
Caiti: Yeah, I'd be pretty mad if I died.

Conversations

Back in the summer of 2008, Eric was laid off along with 250 other boat builder here in the Valley.  As a family we had a crash course in "need vs. want" real quick.  We found that we didn't "need" cable and had it shut off.  Though things are perfectly fine now, we still maintain that mentality and find that cable is among things we don't need.  We watch movies in the evenings and that's about the extent of the ol boob tube.

This past Saturday morning Caitrin had woke up and stumbled onto the couch.

Caitrin: Mom, will you put in a movie for me?
Mom: Nope.  It's "No TV Saturday".
Caitrin: You are so mean!
Mom: I know.  But me being mean only means I love you.  Isn't that right, Tarren?

Tarren's room is right off the living room.  I knew she was trying to wake up and was hearing our conversation.

Tarren: Yea, well.. most of the time.
Mom:  What's that supposed to mean?
Tarren:  All the other times you're just PMS'ing.

The child obviously doesn't know how dangerous those words are.

As for Eric, he had to hold himself back from spitting all his coffee out..

First day of Summer Vacation...

 I came home on my lunch hour to find this...

He must have stayed up way too late last night celebrating....

Hard Lessons Learned

Tarren has always been my sick child.  She had many ear infections as a baby, had a bout with pneumonia, bronchitis, strep, and now with her hay fever she's had many sinus infections.  All have been treated with various forms of penicillin.  This last round must have done her in.  She woke up Wednesday morning with a rash but only on her sun burned area from the weekend.  By Thursday morning, the rash had spread to her entire body.  At that point I knew it was the allergic reaction to the amoxicillen and hauled her in to the hospital.  I was hoping to just go through Minor Care, but they pushed her thought to the ER because they were worried about her breathing.  The doctor got her hooked up with a Z-Pack and told me to keep her doped up on Benadryl for the next couple of days.  Poor kid, she says she's not in pain, but my heart breaks just looking at her.

ARMS

BACK

LEGS (her thighs are way worse)

Her poor hands, feet look just as bad.