It's All In The "CO"

Punkin', our fourth-born child, can be described in one word: Precocious. Not "precious" - although she is that too - but her own personal descriptive word is pre-CO-cious. Ah, the "CO" says so much about her! If you look up that word in the dictionary, her picture is next to it. Really.

Punkin' was born the week my dear brother was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. We found out his fatal diagnosis on a Monday. I was standing next to my washer and dryer while my sister told me the awful news on the phone. I called my doctor and asked him if he would consider an induction, because my brother's prognosis was dire and he had very little time to live. I needed to be with him and my family. My doctor agreed, but it turned out it would not be necessary. The stress I was under put me into labor the next day, and my baby girl, all 8 pounds of her, was born the following morning. I called my sister and she asked me, "What are you doing?" and I said, "Oh, having a baby!" Punkin's birth in the midst of all our family's devastation over my brother was a breath of fresh air.

Punkin' and I bonded so strongly the moment she was born, I practically grabbed her from the doctor and started to check her over myself. I asked him if she was going to have an extra chromosome like Peanut and he said "No, she's fine". I was so relieved I burst into tears. I don't think I realized until that moment how much I actually did worry about that possibility.

Our first night together, when I finally let the nurse take her to the nursery so I could get some much-needed rest, I was awakened to Punkin's loud cry as the nurse brought her down the hallway to me. She handed her to me, and the crying stopped instantly. My fourth baby and I still stand in awe of the strength of the mother-child bond. I will never forget that moment. The nurse said, "I've been trying to get her to stop crying for over an hour so you could get some rest!" I was torqued. What's up with that? This was the same nurse who gave Pickles a bottle of formula in spite of my explicit instruction that he was to have NO BOTTLES. It was written in his chart and I put a sign up in his bassinette. Perhaps this nurse could not read, and she must have also been deaf - because I told her when I agreed to let her take Punkin' to the nursery that if she cried at all I wanted her brought back to me. I know the nurse knew I was stressed, I know I needed my rest after having labored the night before - but who lets a newborn less than 24 hours old cry for over an hour?!?

Anyway, I'm getting irritated all over again just thinking about that, but those moments set the tone for the next nine months with our new little baby. She never wanted to be apart from me. And I was clinging to her for comfort as much as she needed me. I know that much of it was due to her feeling the stress I was under as my brother's health rapidly declined. He died just five weeks after she was born. I'm so thankful he got to see her and to hold her.

Peaches was one of the only other members of my family who could calm Punkin' when she was crying. She developed colic and it was very difficult at times. She had a very good set of lungs and could scream until I think even her angels must have been tempted to plug their ears. I tried very hard to be thankful for her cries - because Peanut almost never cried. She didn't cry after she was born, she didn't cry when they were digging around in her arms to find a vein, she didn't cry when she was hungry. Peanut was too content, if there is such a thing. I remember thinking, "I just want her to cry!" Well - I sure got what I wanted when Punkin' was born!

Speaking of Punkin's guardian angels, she has kept them very busy in her soon-to-be-8 years. One of my favorite stories to tell about her is the time she fell through the hole in the floor. When she was very little (about two or three) we were renting an old farmhouse and in the hallway there was a broom closet that she and Peanut loved to play in. They would go inside, shut the door, and giggle and giggle, thinking they were hiding from the family. One Wednesday night as we were getting ready for church they were playing inside the closet, and we heard a loud crash, then Punkin's scream. I dashed to the closet, but the only one standing there was Peanut, looking bewildered. I could hear Punkin' crying, but I couldn't see her. The broom closet was attached to our bedroom closet through the side, so I thought perhaps she had climbed inside our closet and something fell on top of her. I ran into my room, threw open my closet door, and started to pull boxes and clothes out as fast as I could. Punkin' was still screaming, and we could not find her!! WHERE WAS SHE?!?!?!? I began to grow more and more panicked, I considered calling 911, and then suddenly Kyle realized that THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE FLOOR. Right where my darling little girls had been standing. At this point I began to scream and cry, I thought perhaps she had fallen into the old cystern that was underneath the house. Talk about scared!! I think I was feeling the same desperation to reach her as she must have felt as a newborn, screaming for me in the nursery while some stranger attempted to comfort her.

Kyle ran for a flashlight while I stood there like a raving maniac and when he flashed it down the hole he could see her walking around in the basement. He ran to the basement door and down the steps, and instantly Punkin' stopped crying and said, "Oh, hi Daddy!"

The miracle of it all is that Punkin' did not have one single scratch, bruise or scrape on her. She had fallen eight feet onto solid concrete, through a hole that had been cut years prior for a stove pipe. Our landlord had just put an old thin metal sign over the hole - and the sign crumpled under her weight. It had sharp edges, so that if she had fallen onto it she could have been very seriously cut or punctured. Not only that, if Peanut had been the one to fall, she would likely have been seriously injured due to her low muscle tone. In my mind I can just see one of Punkin's angels softening her fall. She was just fine.

I was not. I was in hysterics, practically having a nervous breakdown. I gathered my children around me like hens gathering her chicks and blubbered something about never allowing them to leave my side as long as they lived. To this day I have a phobia about kids playing inside closets. You just never know when there might be a hole in the floor!!

So, that is a little bit about my Punkin'. She also has a sense of humor a mile long - very much like my Mother's. One of her comments when she was little was, "Mama! I hurt the elbow that's next to my foot!!" (She meant her ankle.) I'd write more about her hilarious "Punkin'-isms" but this post is already too long.

I hope God gives you something to smile about, and to be thankful for today. I woke up thinking about this - and just wanted to share it with you.

~ Beth ~

Happy Birthday Kyle

Today is my Honey's birthday. He is 42 today. I remember when he turned 35, a (very young) friend of ours told him, "If you live until your 70, you are half dead already!" ACK.

I baked a lovely cake to have with supper (chocolate bundt, with chocolate frosting and marshmallow filling), I'm making one of Kyle's favorite meals, and the kids made him cards and pooled their pennies and bought him one of his favorite candy bars. PeeWee was counting out money and lining it all up, trying to decide how much he had and if it would be enough to get a present for Daddy. I thought that was pretty sweet.

Kyle has an interview at the Moorhead Airport for a manager position this coming Tuesday. He has always had a deep love for all things Aviation. When I met him in 1986 he was working on his Pilot's licensing, and over the years has worked his way up to Commercial Pilot. He talked to his Dad this afternoon and told him that ever since he was a little boy he has dreamed of a job like this. Will you pray with me that God will give him this position, if it is His will?

I can't think of a better birthday present for my sweetie. ~ Beth ~

Am I Becoming A Morning Person?!?

Something is wrong with me. I have been waking up early - sometimes too early - and I've been able to get up and going long before the children wake up. I used to savor the time I had after they went to bed - in fact, I savored it so much I often ended up staying awake until the middle of the night. But something must have happened to me when I turned 40 because when I see 9 or 10 pm my body insists on going to bed. And if it reaches 11pm my body thinks it's exhaustified. Hmm - there must be a correllation between going to bed early and waking up early...

This morning I woke up and thought it was still the middle of the night. Nope - 6am. I thought I smelled coffee so I went to the kitchen to investigate - I figured Kyle had made some earlier when he left for his 5am shift at work. Nope, no hot coffee. Oh well, I just went ahead and made some and right now I am enjoying it (with flavored creamer - French Vanilla - I might add.)

I think perhaps one other reason I'm able to be so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning is that I am feeling so much better after having lost 75 pounds. I am off 2 of the 3 blood pressure medications I was on and I'm going off the third. I can take a walk or bike ride without needing oxygen, I don't get sluggishly tired every afternoon, and I am sleeping so much better (less snoring). The health benefits have been so wonderful. I do need to keep losing, still have a ways to go. Over the summer months my weight loss has slowed but that's to be expected. I'll get there - I've come too far to turn back now!

Besides Mr. OneMore, I have a friend coming over today so we need to get some housecleaning done this morning. Sometimes I feel woefully inadequate when I am having company over. Okay, most times I feel woefully inadequate. I often say that if you are coming to visit me, drop in anytime. (You might wanna call first, I am a tad busy with all these kids.) If you are coming to see my house, give me a 24 hour notice. And if you inspect the closets or under the furniture you'll find something, all right. If you have the audacity to bring a white-glove mentality, I'll bust your kneecaps, at least in my mind I will anyway. Because I've had a white-glove house - BC that is. Before Children. I can still clean like that, it just doesn't stay that way for more than, oh, an Olympic minute. I get my living room all nice and neat, dusted and vacuumed and decorated and lovely - and out come the Magentix and My Little Pony set and the Lincoln Logs. This is why I have home decorating magazines - I can see what those fancy living rooms are supposed to look like. But when I pine away for something like that, then I hear my Mom's voice saying, "You're gonna miss those smudgy fingerprints and sticky Koolaid splashes and toys on the floor sooner than you think!" My dear Mom was the epitome of the 50's housewife. Spotless, beautifully decorated house, incredible meals, able to sew or craft anything - yet when I visited her and Dad in their new Arizona home with my first baby when she was just 9-months old, Mom left the smudges from her pudgy fists on the floor-length bedroom mirror for a very long time. She could not bear to wash it off - she was so overjoyed to have my baby girl in her house!

Well, I reckon I need to waken the troops soon. We have a busy day ahead of us, today is Math, Spelling, Geography/Social Studies/History, and probably some Grammar. (I love diagramming sentences. Seriously.) Oh, and Homemaking 101. I might even bake a loaf of bread today - I found a recipe that my family loves. They can devour a loaf so quickly it's shocking. I wonder if there is an Olympic event for that?

Have a dandy day ~ Beth ~

Finding a Topic

Sometimes I think, "Today I just wanna write." but I can't always find a topic. So I decided to just start writing and hope that a topic will find me.

I was kinda crabby yesterday. I've had extra kids this week (for a total of 8, make that 9, counting the Biggest Kid of All - my hubby) and so that meant extra cooking, extra laundry, and lots of extra noise. By suppertime my ears were ringing and I told them they could not talk to me unless they were bleeding from an artery or their pants were on fire! (This was a joke, of course. I think a couple of them took me seriously, though. :)

I had to laugh at snack time yesterday afternoon. I sent them all to the park after we got done with schoolwork (the little bit we managed to squeeze in anyway) and while they were gone I sliced up two cantalope and had it served up on plates on the table, ready for them to eat when they came in. They started to trickle back to the house, then it was like a shark feeding-frenzy! They were like little typewriters, snarfing from one side of the rind to the other. When they got done there were rinds scattered all over the table. I wish now I'd have taken pictures. Or video - they probably set a new world record for fastest disappearing cantalope. (How do you spell cantalope? Cantelope? Cantaloupe? Can't remember!)

Today is our last day with two extra boys, as their parents are coming home tonight. Even though it's been chaotic I know I'll miss them in the quiet after they are gone. I should say the "relative quiet" because I'll still have my own five plus one more for daycare. Mr. OneMore is quickly becoming part of the family though and finding his niche. It's not really like doing daycare. And the dog has certainly claimed him as part of her pack, especially considering the facewashes she gives him when his Mom brings him "home".

I'm thankful the weather has been so incredible lately, especially this week. The kids have played outside much of the time, and we've been walking to the park every day as well. Good, fresh air. And it gives me a chance to regroup and pick up the house a bit when everyone is outside. And check my email :).

Well, homemakey-type things are calling my name, and the kids all need breakfast. They slept in a bit this morning, as they were up late watching a movie with the Biggest Kid of All. Speaking of the Biggest Kid of All, I've yet to see a man who can get children more wound up than he can. He's a kid magnet. The Pied Piper on steroids. I told a friend the other day I'm going to get all the kids prescriptions for Ritalin and I'm going to get myself some Valium. I think I'll get a tranquilizer for the hubby too. You can imagine the noise level when he gets eight kids hyper and laughing, then the dog starts barking...

Anyway, I wish you a quiet, peaceful day. Add some chaos, and laughter, and maybe a few tears, and you'll have a family.

Soapbox Time

I'm going to wax political for a moment. If you don't want to read a conservative opinion, then hit delete. Yes, these are my opinions. It's also my blog. ;p

First of all, take a moment to watch the following video. Watch it all the way to the end, it will make you cry.



That says an awful lot.

A couple of other things have happened in this election campaign that have gotten on my remaining nerve a bit. One is an article that was written last week entitled, "We Can't Afford McCain's Tax Cuts" - huh? Since when can we not afford having more money in our pockets?

The other is a quote from Joe Biden that I saw yesterday (which incidentally has mysteriously been buried amongst nasty articles about anyone even remotely conservative) where he stated, "Be Patriotic - Pay More Taxes". My response to that is, "Tell it to the members of the Boston Tea Party!!" Honestly, I can hardly believed the man dared to say such a thing to red-blooded Americans. It's kinda comical though - I think he just shot himself in the foot there, so to speak.

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now. Have a nice day.

Update from the Almosta Ranch Homestead

Hi Kids,

It's a lovely morning here in the Red River Valley and the weather has been so gorgeous this week. Actually I think it is one of the nicest summers and falls we have had weather-wise in my memory. Seems the kids have been playing outside more than inside, which is always good.

We have extra kids right now. Some friends of ours went on a vacation so we have two of their boys for a week, and we are also having a little boy who is PeeWee's age join us full-time while his mom works. It's been a very busy household and I am constantly amazed how much food that children can consume. We had a tea party yesterday, with real tea, grapes, and cookies. You'd have thought I'd thrown a deer carcass to starving lions when I brought out the Nilla Wafers. And the grapes went down so fast I was certain I'd be performing the Heimlich on someone. I don't think they even chewed!

School has been going well. We are reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Farmer Boy" about Almanzo Wilder's childhood in NY state on a huge farm. That book makes me so hungry. You need to have a snack on hand if you are going to read it, otherwise you'll drool on the pages. I thought it would be a good book to read with extra boys in the house. Yesterday we read about Almanzo's favorite food, which is "Apples n' Onions" and so I googled it and found a recipe. Our neighbor had given us a big bucket of apples (which were almost gone!) so I fried up onions and apples in butter, threw in some brown sugar, and we all tried some. I thought it was pretty good, very different, but good. The younger kids didn't like it and the older kids were rather neutral. I probably won't make it again but it was fun to try something new. Next I plan to try "Bird's Nest Pudding" - another recipe from the book. It's baked apples in a merengue crust drizzled with real cream - google it and drool.

Well, I reckon I should get some tasks done, considering they are screaming at me from every room of the house. The tasks are screaming, not the children. I've yet to find a way to silence screaming tasks. Except to get on the computer. ;)

Have a dandy day!!

And WHY do I homeschool again??!?

Two blogs in one day! No, I'm not feeling particularly creative today. Writing is an outlet for me, and right now I need to VENT. So, brace yourself. If you are having a Happy Homeschool The-World-Is-So-Wonderful-Day, I suggest you don't read any further. Because what I am about to say will pop your little homeschooling bubble.

Disclaimer for First-Time-Homeschoolers: Yes, these days do occur. If you think otherwise you probably should not be homeschooling. Yes, that is my opinion. It's also my blog. ;)

Let me 'splain.

Today has been one of those days where I can understand why some species eat their young. I even said that to my 15-year old today!! First of all, I woke up at 4:30 am (FOUR-THIRTY IN THE MORNING) and could not go back to sleep. Four, no five, make that six, antihistamine and a major allergy attack later, I was drinking my coffee, relishing the peace and quiet before I heard the pitter-patter of little feet, and the stomping of big feet. (Why do teenagers walk like elephants?) The first irritation of the day came when I realized the child responsible for bringing in the groceries last night neglected their duties and LEFT THEM IN THE CAR. Which meant (get ready now) I DID NOT HAVE FLAVORED CREAMER IN MY COFFEE. Just plain. (By the way, hubby took the car to work, so it was not a matter of simply going outside to get the groceries.) You coffee drinkers understand me here, especially you Moms out there who are addicted to, I mean drink coffee. It is one of the few pleasures I enjoy during my day. I drink my coffee, wake up, have my devotions, check my email, etc. and basically get ready for the day. Is a little flavored creamer too much to ask?

Then I made the mistake of waking up the children. I should have, repeat, should have let them sleep. Because as soon as they awakened, they needed to eat. And as soon as they needed to eat my carefully straightened kitchen and dining room was quickly in a state of disrepair. Sigh.

After breakfast I decided to tackle cleaning the stove and refrigerator. I know - why?? Well, our property manager was sending out someone to inspect the stove and fridge - and I wanted whoever was coming to look at them to think that I actually cleaned them once in awhile. Little do they actually know...

Anyway, I assigned one child the task of washing dishes. For whatever blessed reason that child got sidetracked not once, not twice...but three, make that four times. The first time they were mesmerized by something on the tv. The second time they decided it was time to check on the dog. The third time they went to change clothes. The fourth time they chose to CLEAN THEIR SHOES ON THE TABLE. No, I am not kidding. By this time, with no flavored creamer to sweeten me up, I was a tad frustrated. I gave this child THE LOOK and asked them, "WHAT are you DOING?" This child actually had the audacity to look surprised and then said, (and I am not kidding) "Well Mom, I decided that since you were using the scrubber on the stove that I would do this first, because I can't wash dishes without it." HUH?? My kids all think I was born yesterday. I'm not sure what planet this child is from but I proceeded to inform them that it is possible to wash dishes with a WASHCLOTH. What a novel idea!!

Later in the day while we were having school, I was doing our daily Bible reading, and I swear that every possible way to wiggle, act up, or be naughty possessed not just the little ones, but the big ones too. Actually my youngest was probably the best behaved of the lot. I try not to be a Nazi during Bible reading but in my opinion that is the most important part of our school day. I expect the kids to respectfully listen, although I do let them draw or color. I was not able to allow even that today, because drawing became "I wonder if I can color on my brother's skin with this marker" and "how far can I rip this paper" and "If I eat this paper will it taste good?" and a scrillion other little naughty things. So I took away the paper and tried to sound reasonably cheerful during the rest of Bible reading. It's hard to sound cheerful when reading Leviticus though.

After phonics with the Little Ones, I had them pick up the living room (all those bits of paper they didn't eat were on the floor) and an argument erupted over who owned what scissor. An argument also erupted down the hall with the Big Ones who were doing spelling. So I referreed the Big Ones, broke up the fight among the Little Ones, then retreated to my bedroom. If I can just make it to bed time...if I can just make it to bed time....

Shortly after sitting down to relax for a moment I heard the loudest slam I have ever, ever heard from the door downstairs. Turns out a visiting friend was mad about something. I had the sense to thank God no fingers were severed. And the dog wasn't in the way. She'd have been cut in half, I just know it. I reprimanded the offender...and sent the whole group to the park. Now it is quiet in the house. Ahhh...

I think I'm going to go lock the door!!

I Remember

I remember on that day, 9-11, where I was when I first heard our country was under attack. The phone rang, and my friend Suzanne was on the line. "A plane just hit the World Trade Center!" she exclaimed. I scrambled in my mind to think of what and where the World Trade Center was, and might have even asked her. I vaguely remembered reading about the attack in '93. My next thought was that surely it was an accident, a small aircraft hitting a skyscraper. I briefly remember thinking it was too bad, surely a few people would lose their lives in an accident like this. Suzanne told me to turn on my television, and that she would call me later.

I went into the kitchen where I had a tiny tv/radio combination, the screen was black and white and just a few inches across. I turned on the news station just as the second plane slammed into the second tower. With horror I realized this was a huge catastrophe, and that it surely was no accident. Talk began to surface on the news about a "terrorist act" and further word came that the Pentagon had been hit, and another plane had gone down in a field in PA. I was so scared, and the horrible images on the tv screen terrified me. Would they hit the base in Grand Forks? How could I protect my children? Should Kyle come home from work? What was coming next?

We all remember seeing people falling or jumping to their death. Awful. Watching the first tower, then the second, come tumbling to the ground, knowing there were thousands who were dying. People dazedly walking through the streets, covered with soot, or blood, or both. Then the long days of rescue and recovery, hoping and praying for just one more survivor. There were only twenty people rescued alive from the rubble. They likened the falling buildings to a "washing machine filled with chunks of concrete". It sickens me that many people never even had a trace of their loved one left to bury. One rescuer said, "There were thousands of people in these buildings. Where ARE they?!?" I can only imagine their frustration.

Like the generation before us who witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor, 9-11 is also a day which shall live in infamy. I still cry when I hear stories of people who lost their lives. Let's remember to pray that we will never forget, and pray for God's mercy and grace upon this great country of ours. God, please bless America!

Reflectively yours ~ Beth ~

Trig Palin

I watched part of the speech Sarah Palin made last night. I must say that I was impressed. Typically I don't get too involved in politics, and I avoid political discussions like the plague. However, when I saw the Palin family join her on stage, and saw her take her baby boy Trig (who has Down syndrome) into her arms, my eyes filled with tears. I read that the Palin's knew Trig likely had Down syndrome before he was born. Typically babies with Down syndrome who are diagnosed before they are born (9 out of 10, to be specific) are aborted. That horrifies me. Nine out of ten babies with Down syndrome who are diagnosed before they are born are aborted! It makes me sick to fathom this.

If this was the only issue on the table in the upcoming election, McCain and Palin would get my vote. Of course I will base my voting on more than this one issue - but in my opinion human life is the biggest issue of all. Not oil, not the economy, not healthcare, not education - but the sanctity of human life. McCain is not as pro-life as I would like to see - but Palin has balanced that nicely and is living out her conviction with her own child.

Yes, this is my opinion. But it's also my blog. ;)

I hope Sarah Palin will tell the world about the awful statistics against pre-born babies with Down syndrome, and other special needs. Those of you who know Kaylee understand where I am coming from. Can you imagine us taking her life because she was created with an extra chromosome?

God's word says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". He formed us in our Mother's womb! We are His handiwork, created for His pleasure. I shudder to think there will be people who see baby Trig Palin and think he did not deserve a chance at life. I'm sure there have been those who have thought that when they have looked at Kaylee as well. People have said as much to us in person. Really.

I'll be watching Sarah Palin closely. So far, she has my vote. And in forty or fifty years, who knows? Maybe Trig Palin will be president!!