Barney? Are you kidding me?

I don't know what it is about being sick, but it always creates some sort of bizarre portal that allows Barney back into our house. Honestly. When the girlies were little they were BIG Barney fans. It's a little difficult to admit. It could be worse, I know. It's good clean fun, I guess. But really, every time they get sick they seem to revert back to the Barney days. I was sure (or thought I was) that I had seen my last Barney video after our many, many sick days in January & February. Guess not. They did snicker and put on their ornery faces after putting in the DVD. I think maybe they initially just did it to see what my reaction would be, but we're actually watching it now. Well, that might be because I told them that they had to! :) They almost seem to be enjoying it though... On the plus side, they do seem to be picking up on some of the absurdity of it all. During one particular farm song there was a skunk onscreen with a collar. I've never before heard anyone mention the collar, but this time they did. That's a good sign, right? Will we still be watching Barney videos when they're 16 and sick? I might just drag them out at that point. What goes around comes around, you know...

Silly Girls

I've got so many things I need to get down on "paper" but just haven't taken the time to do so. I had a couple of hilarious happenings last Friday (wow - a week has passed already?) that I wanted to remember (or write down so I wouldn't have to remember).

On our way home from school every day I ask the basic questions: Did you have a good day? What was your favorite thing? Did anything bad happen? For the record, the favorite thing every day is recess. Yes, I know...typical. I always follow up by asking what they did at recess that was so much fun. Here's the conversation that took place between Hannah and me...

Hannah: "I played in the casino with Ainsley."

Me: "You played in the CASINO?" (I wish I could adequately convey what thoughts were running through my head at warp speed. It was something along the lines of "Okay, so they've heard the word casino, but how do they know what occurs there? A casino set-up at school? Huh?" It was at that point that I decided to delve a little deeper into it all.) "What casino are you talking about?"

Hannah: Mama, you KNOW... That wooden building out in the grass."

Me: "OHHHHH...that's called a gazebo."

I'm pretty sure my laughing - to the point of crying at one point - lasted all the way home. That one was a real doozey! :)

The other conversation that made me laugh (and cry as well) took place at supper with Addie. Gary and I took the twins (Hannah stayed with Meme) out to eat in Lawrence at On the Border (they love Mexican food). The girls were trying to convince Dad that they really like to go shopping (hint, hint) and wouldn't even worry about getting anything, they just like to shop. He made a deal with them that we would go to one place (it was already 7:15 at that point and we knew we had sleepy girls). I kiddingly suggested Home Depot, anxious to see what response I got. Addie took the bait and replied, in all seriousness, "I would really prefer Target." I was, again, in tears laughing. It really is always something...

On the First Day of First Grade...

Mama cried (but only after leaving the girls) and they were "a little excited and a little nervous" as they said it. Boo, as is usually the case, was pretty clingy this morning prior to leaving the house. She wouldn't look at me on the way to the school and didn't say anything to me once we got there. It's the way she copes. It's heart-breaking to me, though. It just brings back those horribly guilty feelings I had of leaving her in the hospital. I realize it's a totally different situation, but once you experience that and the corresponding feelintgs, you don't ever forget it. I also realize that she doesn't remember that (I hope she doesn't, anyway) whole period of her life, but I do. I will never ever forget. Anyway... I'm assuming that things are going great for them, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't counting the hours until I can go pick them up.

Doodle's appointment yesterday went off without a hitch. They didn't even use N2O on her - which frightened me at first. She was getting pretty scared by the time the dentist got in there, but he had an amazing way with her and calmed her right down. I went to the waiting room at that point and tried to stay busy with the other two girls in order to stay worry-free. By 3:20 (our appt. began at 2:00) I was getting a little antsy. They called me back shortly after that and she was done. Her dentist said, "I want you to know that you have a real doll here. She was such a sweetheart and did everything we asked her to do. She did extremely well, especially considering all the hard work we had to do in there. She's the best little patient we've ever had." She had a pretty difficult root canal, apparently. She woke up at 4:15 this morning with it hurting, so we got her some ibuprofen and let her sleep with us until she had to get up for school. Hopefully she'll remain pain-free today.

On a side note, my devotion today was well-timed...as usual. The scripture was Judges 2:6-3:6, and the devotion itself focused on the need to teach our children to love and obey god and the importance of passing on our faith to our children. There have been days when I have felt like I am just not doing enough, and then I hear one of my children say something that really touches my heart. Last night before bed Hanny reminded her sisters that, "No matter where we are, even at school, lots of people are always with us. God is always with us...and Mama, and Dad, and Meme, and Papa, and Jonathan...because they're in our hearts." It's so comforting to know that my children have that knowledge. I want them to have a relationship with God, and the best way for that to happen is to demonstrate it in my own life. That's what really matters.

Quick Prayer Request

Just wanted to put out a quick prayer request before we leave. We got a call late yesterday afternoon that Doodle could have her first dental visit (1 root canal/crown, 1 filling, and 1 seal) this afternoon at 2:00. We were supposed to go to Back to School night at the school this evening, but decided we probably wouldn't be up for it and might not be back in time to get there, so we took our school supplies out this morning. While I'm thrilled to get at least one visit under our belt before school starts, I'm a little anxious about it all. I'm taking all three girls, but Jonathan came up to give me another set of grown-up arms for the day. I'm so thankful he was available and willing! :) Hopefully she'll come through the day without a hitch and will be up and ready to go tomorrow morning. I'm just a little nervous because I don't know what will happen or how things will go. It's the unknown that is a little scary! :) Please keep us in your prayers. Thanks!

Practice for School - Day 1

So this is our first morning really practicing our morning school routine. I am pretty pleased with our results! :) Eating breakfast so soon after getting out of bed is our biggest hurdle. I know how they feel. I don't like to eat for at least a couple hours after getting out of bed. They start first grade Wednesday and are cautiously excited about it. I really think they'll love it once they get into the swing of things.

On a totally different subject, my devotion this morning was absolutely fantastic. The scripture was the last two chapters of Joshua (maybe not the most profound info available), but the devotion that went along with it was phenomenal and well-timed. It discussed the necessity of depending on God and how our tendency is to depend on ourselves until things get really bad. I see that in myself so often, and it's something I've been making a conscious effort to change. It's amazing (although it shouldn't be surprising) that when I pray prior to beginning anything I have significantly better results than when I wing it until things make a downward spiral and then pray. I've even blogged about it before: Pray first, then act. Back to the devotion, though... It basically stated that as long as things are going great, it's easy to be complacent and lose our dependency on God. It's true. I see it in my own life. So today I'm thankful for all the struggles I have, because although I certainly do not enjoy them, they do improve my dependency on God. It's definitely worth the trouble.

Wild Thing

Does every family have a "wild thing?" In our house it's Doodle. I know, you'd probably never expect that. She puts on a very timid, quiet, well-behaved show, but get to know her and you'll be shocked (and sometimes embarrassed) by what she says and does. She is ornery with a capital O! Having an identical twin doesn't help matters, either. They can create HUGE messes together, but they do it with such innocent smiles...

I took Hanny to the dentist this morning for her first filling (which, incidentally, turned out just fine). When I returned and took her to Meme's house, I traded her in for her slightly younger sister. Doodle rather enjoys being at home by herself (obviously not TOTALLY by herself). We spent time playing Connect Four and Dominoes, which she loved. We also spent time in a wrestling/tickling match. She gets hilarious during these things. The same little demure child who wouldn't think of talking out of turn in public tells me that my breath smells like "skunk and cow poop together" and then settles in with many "big boob" references. I know, I can't believe I'm telling you this either. I'll give her credit though, she is one quick-witted kiddo. She is an absolute hoot! :) It might be best that she only shows this side of herself around our house...

Doodle's Update

Before I take the time to write about our weekend in Branson, I think I'll post about Doodle's trip to the dentist yesterday. On the positive side, he was wonderful with her and is very concerned about making it all a good experience so that she is not scared to go to the dentist (like her mother...) in the future. That's huge, as far as I'm concerned. On the negative side, however, she's going to have lots of practice going to the dentist because she has two root canals/crowns to do along with a few minor cavities to fill and some seals to put on her permanent teeth. She's got a couple thousand dollars worth of dental work to be done. That was a shock, to say the least. I'm just sorry the poor girl ended up with my teeth! Our first appointment to get started on things is set for September 9, but we're on the list to be called if a cancellation should arise. I'm not sure whether to hope for that or not! :)