Almost missed the reunion!

Today was the annual Mathis-Darnall reunion in Marshall County. We've been going for the last 4 or 5 years. Usually we take Tim's Mom since it is her family and she no longer can drive herself. This morning we called her to see if she wanted us to take her and we didn't get an answer. At 11:30 (after about an hour trying to reach Mary) we got concerned and called her sister, who also happened to be in charge of the festivities. We found out that the reunion was from 12-3, not starting at 3 as we had been told. We made it just after everyone had settled down to eat, but our contribution was PB&J sandwiches and two cans of pringles. I had planned to do more, but sandwiches were the only thing I could think of that I could assemble en route to Draffenville. Call and confirm. Our new policy with all things. Yesterday it was a lifeguard that didn't show up at the kids' party, today we almost missed the reunion. I also have to remember to bring the phone in the house and not leave it in the car. That way when folks are trying to call you about family events, you can actually get the call!!

All tied up

Friday night we stopped by DQ for some ice cream. I ordered while Tim stayed in the car with the crew. We had decided to eat it on the way home as it was getting late. When I returned to the car Carter was crying and Matthew and Laurel were in a panic about him being trapped in his seatbelt. I didn't really think it was any big deal so I handed off ice cream to Tim and went to untangle him. Somehow the child had managed to twist the belt around his waist, retract the belt, and lock it. There was no slack to maneuver the belt and it would not unlock without retracting further. I got the booster seat out from under him, and still there was not enough slack to loosen the belt. I told Tim he was really stuck and he took over as I perused the owner's manual to see if there was any way to unlock the belt. We start discussing who we could call for help. Who would lend aid to a child tangled in a seat belt? The fire department? A tow truck? Sometimes you wish you had AAA. Tim decides that instead of focusing on untangling the belt, he would try moving Carter. He had Carter stand on his head and then he turned his body around the belt until he was able to get it untwisted (picture untwisting a corkscrew). Crisis averted. Another saga in the craziness that is our life. You would think stopping for ice cream would be fairly uneventful!

Kids' Party

Today was our annual kid party. We had a pool party on MSU's campus and fun was had by all. The kids really got into the "hosting" aspects this year. They helped plan, shop, prepare, and clean up. It was a great time and they enjoyed the time with their friends. I unfortunately forgot to take pictures!! I had my camera in our swim bag and forgot to take it out, bummer. Usually Tim reminds me but he was busy with Katey in the pool. Maybe it was my subconscious mind telling me not to be photographed in my swimsuit! Thanks to everyone who came and made this year's bash a good one! Next year I will remember to better document the event.

Amazing coverage

So Tim got home today and read the blog and disagreed with me. He told me that while Katey's mistreatment and milestone are worth documenting he didn't think that was the event that should have been posted. He asked me why I didn't post about the way we started our day. Frankly, I didn't want to relive it. However, with his suggestion I am persuaded to share. This morning Laurel was going to assist her sister with some applesauce to go with her bagel. Katey loves the "sauce" and Laurel has gotten pretty adept at serving food. She gets it from the fridge, removes the cap, pours it in a bowl, and goes to put the cap back on (which she had left near the fridge). En route she trips over a toy. The applesauce jar falls to the floor and amazingly enough the glass jar doesn't shatter (perhaps because the lid was not on?). That blessing is overshadowed however by the coverage reached by the contents within. The curtains, the ceiling, two walls, the cabinet, the floor, the vent, and INSIDE the duct work below- all splattered with "sauce". It took Tim, Laurel, and I working together for 20 minutes or so to get it all cleaned up (thank goodness for a tall husband who can reach 12 ft ceilings using a kitchen stool!). The curtains are still in process- rehung after washing, but wrinkled and in need of steaming. Laurel apologized profusely-even giving us a homemade card with an apology. It was a true accident, but who knew applesauce could go so far.

The fourth child

Today Katey felt the burden of being #4. We loaded up to go to town to go to the library and stop by the pool where we are planning a party for tomorrow. It was hectic. Finish morning school, hurry to the car, get back for Katey's nap and afternoon school. I was a crazy woman trying to get out of the house. The kids put themselves in the car, with Laurel helping Katey. I headed down the road and handed out some crackers to tide everyone over for a late lunch. As I glanced back at my little girl I realized she was still wearing PJs. Upon further examination I realized she also only had one shoe. I felt terrible, yet thankful I had realized it before getting too far from home. She is a pretty independent kid. She has learned to do her own thing. However, today I realized that I have to pay a little more attention to the littlest of us.

Okay, as I was typing the last sentence, almost ready to click "post" the following occured: Katey went in the bathroom next to where I was on the computer, took off her diaper, and went "pee-pee" in the potty-all by herself. She soaked the bottom edge of her dress in the toilet, and seemed surprised by all of us cheering for her, but she's just proved my point. Independent kid.

A good man

You have to give credit where credit is due. Yesterday I had a bad day with the kids. Chips were stolen from the food cabinet and crunched into a million pieces by the youngest two, flour was all over the kitchen after making homemade playdough with all four of them, crayon was colored on the walls, and finally a fight over the crayon box left crayons all over and under the table. By lunch I had a terrible headache and by 3:30 pm I was desperate. I called Tim and asked if he could come home. This does not happen often. I knew he had things to do but I needed a dark, quiet room and some sleep. I really didn't think I could make it another minute. He packed up his things and came home. I expected 45 minutes of rest, "just let me rest until dinner" I told him. He suggested taking the kids away so I could get some real rest. Grateful I helped him load them up and I went to bed. At 7 pm a friend stopped by to pick up something. I couldn't believe the time. I called Tim and found out he was on the way home. He had taken the kids to ride bikes on campus and then to McDonalds for dinner (we had coupons - no we are still not fans of the golden arches). My headache was gone and I was able to finish up our day. The kids had enjoyed some fun time and been fed, it was a relief to have that done for me. I am not good at singing his praises often enough so I thought this time I would make a point to share.

Carter in print

Carter was on the front page of the local paper on Saturday. He is in the background of a picture for a story about the summer in the park activities. He's the one with the solid blue shirt and shark swim trunks and the big smile. Cut and paste the link below to see the full story with a larger picture.


http://www.murrayledger.com/articles/2008/06/21/top_story/news01.txt

You've got to love small towns!