LIFE WITH 4 KIDS

bigger hugs

2010-03-11T06:59:00.001-05:00

I awoke this morning with a smile in my heart and on my face. My baby girl is 5 today. I could hear her already running through the house making the precious beautiful “noise” that she makes. It was 6:00 am. usually my medicine doesn’t allow me to be awake yet, but I took it early last night hoping to be able to wake early, and Praise God it worked. I got up and there before me was my beautiful child with a smile and a gleam that said, “well Mom, I’m 5 what do you think?

I gave her a huge hug and she just stood there in all her 5 year old proudness. Then her Daddy came looking for a hug. He asked for a hug from 4 year old Teagan. We looked but couldn’t find her. Daddy was “sad”. Teagan in her delightful voice and personality says, “It’s ok Daddy cause I’m 5 now and bigger and stronger and can give you better hugs than just a 4 year old.” What a precious gift.

Teagan Hope Anastasia Martin born at some point in the afternoon on March 11, 2005 weighing 8 pounds and a few ounces was just beautiful and with a head of black hair we knew that this child was already staking her claim and declaring her spot in our family. Beautiful hope of the resurrection is the meaning of her name and she has on so many occasions been there to remind us of God gift of Hope and his love.

So today celebrate with me the joy that is life. The joy that is being 5. The joy that is getting a princess leapster before 7 am on your 5th birthday. I will selfishly and happily reserve the joy that can only be mine as her mother.

Thank you God for Teagan. Thank you for life, for hope and for birthdays.

Proud mom of Teagan and kri too and woj,

eyes

2010-03-10T18:22:00.001-05:00

Everyone know the secret of mothers. We have eyes in the back of our heads. They can’t be seen. Then can’t be found. But on the day that our children are born or adopted or put in our care we grow these special eyes.

So this afternoon my kids were running around doing something, but I didn’t know what it was. I couldn’t use the “back eyes”. Know why? Because Teagan kept coming up to the back of my head and using her tiny hands she was covering my “back eyes”. I was trying with all my might to hold very still and not look because obviously it was important.

I still don’t know what exactly they were doing, but I notice that the kitchen trashcan is very full and looks like the upstairs trash has been emptied into it. Since we just had a little talk about working together to take care of the house, I”m wondering if my secret little helpers were busy being trashmen.

I’m overwhelmed by whatever act of help they were offering, but I’m more moved and excited that Teagan had to cover my back eyes. It brought a smile to my face and a joy to my heart that hasn’t been there in quite some time.

Thank you God for simple pleasures and special treasures like the belief of little children.

Momofkrit and woj,

observation

2009-08-03T09:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday My hubby and I helped out during the Sunday School program at church. We were with the 2nd - 5th graders and I made a few observations.

#Boys always migrate toward each other especially if there is a ball anywhere in the vicinity!
#Girls sit and talk and are constantly looking around to see who else is coming in and who might be looking at them.
#When sitting in a large group on the floor, girls always sit in the front.
#The boys group together in the back and find it impossible to keep their hands to themselves.
#Popcorn in a syrofoam cup is eaten politely by girls and then the cup is placed beside them till it is time to throw it away.
#Popcorn eaten by boys is consumed in massive handfuls or rather "drinkfuls" from the cup with the goal being to finish the snack so the cup can destroyed. Then the fun begins. The boys compete to see who can make the coolest weapon or cartoon character with the styrofoam cup pieces.

So I ask you, if that group had been a group of adults, would anything have been different?

The things that make you go hmmmm....

blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
KT

July 31 update

2009-07-31T09:22:00.002-04:00

An overview of our life for the past few days:

Rhiannon has spent the week in MD with her cousin Aubrie. Although having a wonderful time, she announced last night, (THursday), that she would like to return home before Friday. You see, Friday night is her snuggle night with Mommy! :-) She has been promised a snuggle night whenever she returns...
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On Tuesday I took the 3 kids and drove down to school first thing in the morning. We were hoping to get some deals at the uniform resale. Alas, there was nothing left as we arrived 20 minutes after the start time. I drove home empty handed and feeling as though I had just wasted 2 hours. Later that afternoon I took the 3 kids and drove to West Chester for a dr. appt. After a little difficulty finding the building we arrived and went into the building. Upon finding suite 203, however, the door was locked. After several phone calls to find the dr number I called and was told that the appt was On Wednesday in Exton. I was a day early and at the wrong office. UGGGG....

We left again feeling a bit like we had wasted time so I decided to take the kids out for a treat. In the process I got lost in and around WC and when I finally did find a McDonald's there was a sign posted saying this: "No Loitering allowed. 20 Minutes allowed for dine-in customers." Alrighty then. KIDS: eat fast and don't dawdle cause we might get kicked out of here! :-) A few wrong turns on the way home and finally we arrive back at home sweet home 3 hours after we had departed. A 3 hour trip to McD eh?
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Wednesday we traveled to Exton at the right time on the right day and arrived at the right office on time! :-) Teagan was not much interested in being at this appointment and when the nurse suggested she sit in the big patient chair since she was the queen, she politely declined. Iain, however, asked if he could sit there. When the nurse playfully questioned him saying, Well are you a queen, Iain properly responded, NO, but I am a King! Suffice it to say, Iain occupied the chair for the remainder of the appointment.
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Yesterday I helped Kyle with his laundry. I folded 6 pair of Pj's, 3 pr pants, 8 pr shorts, 12 shirts, 2 pr sweatpants, and 1 pr underwear. hmmmm......
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As an update, Teagan is having her tonsils taken out on Tuesday morning. I have a dr appointment on Wednesday re: my shoulder. Only 3 weeks left till school starts. WOW....

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
kT

finding a sitter

2009-07-20T10:01:00.002-04:00

One of my least favorite tasts as a mom is finding a babysitter. I have avoided this for most of my "mom life" by finding 1 wonderful person at a time to be our "nanny". At this point in time, however, we no longer need a "nanny" and so we are back to finding sitters.

This past weekend I was invited to go on a date with my husband and another couple. This offer brought 50% excitement and 50% dread. Yay, a date. Drag, a sitter. I don't mind having a sitter. I don't mind leaving my kids with a sitter. I just dislike the process of Finding a sitter.
After a few calls and no luck here is what happened:

"Kyle, please go and get my cell phone so I can think of someone to call to watch you kiddo's tonight."

Shortly thereafter I hear Kyle coming down the steps on my phone. "Yes, this is Kyle. Hi how are you? My mom is looking for a babysitter for tonight and I was wondering if you were free and if we could come to your house. Tacos? Perfect. Ok, well, here is my mom."

At this point I am standing in my kitchen in shock looking at my 9 year old son with disbelief and I could only ask 1 question: "WHO IS IT?"

"Oh, it is Barb Irwin, Mom." Barb Irwin? She is a wonderful lady from church who has helped me fix my screens and brought me meals when I was sick and 1 time even took 3 of my kids for the evening so I could rest. She has 4 kids of her own who are all in high school and college. Barb Irwin?

"Hi, Barb....Uh..how are you?"

At this point I hear Barb tell me about how nice and polite my son is and how she would love to have them over for dinner and she was planning to make them taco's one night this summer anyway and they don't have any plans and what time is good?

So my children went to Barb's house Saturday night. They took their bikes and their Pj's. They ate taco's, managed to convince Mr. and Mrs. Irwin to get their bikes down off the rack and ride with them, went out for ice cream and were all in Pj's mostly asleep on their bed when we returned from a wonderful date to pick them up.

The funny thing about this little story is that if Kyle had asked me, as he should have, to call Mrs. Irwin, I would certainly have said NO. We wouldn't want to impose on another family! However, my children had the time of their lives. This morning Teagan asked if she could go there again tonight.

So many thanks goes out to the Irwin's for loving our family and especially our kids. And much to my shock and inital horror, much thanks goes out to Kyle for taking care of finding a babysitter!

If you need help managing your household, let me know, I'll send Kyle over for a few hours! :-)

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
KT

(momofkrit - mom of Kyle, Rhia, Iain, and Teagan, and wife of Jamie(Aaron))

random

2009-06-12T08:58:00.002-04:00

The rumors are true: I did in fact wake all my kids at 12:45 am Thursday morning and take them to the drive through of McDonalds. WHY??? Well because that is when it opened of course. It has been closed for rebuilding for several months and they did a "soft" opening from 1-5 before the official opening began at 5. For fun we went for fries. Fun Cheap memories.
The cost of fries? $5.24
The memories? priceless

Yesterday Rhia went to go outside to play and I called out, "Get your shoes". She said, "Oh, but mommy, I'm and Indian and they don't wear shoes." Looking at her in confusion, I realized she was wearing her Indian costume. My response? Oh, well, you are right. Ok, go and play.
How can you argue with history?

Today is Teagan's last day of her 1 and 1/2 long preschool adventure this year. WHat a blessing that has been for her. Because I was so sick a friend was able to enroll Teagan in preschool and she has gone 3 times a week and LOVES it. I'm not sure how we'll be able to send her next year, but boy has it been fun for her! She can write her name and loves that she has her own school.

Today just for fun I will be acquiring 2 additional dogs for a week. My mom and sisters are going on vacation together and I"m watching dogs. Should be fun here!

Other than that, we've been visiting the library every week and the Y every now and then and reading books together and practicing our laundry skills! :-)

Loving being able to be a mom again,
Momofkrit and woj,
KT

New Bible Story

2009-05-31T18:42:00.002-04:00

"Teagan what was your Sunday School Lesson about today?"
Well, Mommy, is was about Saul and he was on a big boat.
"Are you sure it wasn't Paul"
Nope, Mommy actually it was Saul.
"Oh, OK and what happened to Saul/Paul?"
Well, actually he was on a big boat and it got broke and fell apart in the water. And all the people fell into the water and they all got into a whale. except Saul actually.

"OK, so your story was about Saul on a boat that crashed and all the people except Saul got into the belly of a whale?"
Yes, Mommy, that was my story.

Daddy - Teagan it was Saul and they landed on an island.

NO, Daddy they didn't for real!!!

This reminded me of the stories that my sister Erin used to after Sunday School. Stories about Noah playing with Gorilla's and Moses and the big boat etc. We all used to laugh and my Mom would patiently listen to her stories. I was my Mom today as the rest of the family kinda quietly chuckled.
Too cute.

Unlikely blessings

2009-05-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

Easter Day

2009-04-12T20:28:00.003-04:00

No pics, but, great day. Kids all went to church with Daddy and although they were wrinkled and a bit dishelved, they looked nice and well, we did the best we could.

After church we hung out and did some stuff around the house. (I say we, I said, "kyle move this here. Rhia pick that up and put it away. Iain please return this there. Teagan ok, exactly. thanks honey) :-)

Later in the afternon, the Stovers came over. I awoke to a delicious smell of pork and potatoes in the oven. An egg hunt with the kids, dinner, strawberry dessert and watching the masters with dear friends. What could be better. I have NO interest in golf. I've never watched the master in my life. But, being with friends, and watching my kids play and enjoy themselves, make watching the masters fun! :-)

Now, I'm back to loopy and even now can barely see staright, so I'll go. Happy Easter all.
kt

I'm alive

2009-04-12T02:42:00.003-04:00

I'm alive and well, HIS Spirit is within me, because HE died and rose again!..

Happy Easter! HE is risen, HE is risen indeed.

I have always loved Easter Sunday. The weather is always beautiful, doesn't matter if it is cold or warm, wet or dry, windy or calm, it is always beautiful.

I remember getting up WAY TOO EARLY to go and sing at a sunrise service when I was a teenager.

I remember the Easter I had the flu and had to go to the ER. They gave me a shot in the you know what and I fainted on the floor.

I remember the year we came home from church and our dog had destroyed our Easter Basket and eaten all the candy. I really thought Zach was going to die and not from the chocolate!

I remember the MASSIVE coconut eggs which my grandmom Rahilly always had on her table.

I remember just spending the day with my family enjoying the freedom to worship and the freedom in Christ which has set me free.

Once we had children, I remember the fun of making up baskets and doing Easter Egg hunts.

I remember the chore of finding clothes and then having professional pictures taken to justify the cost of the clothes. :-)

I remember the year I hosted Easter at my house on mill road and made cheese fondue with ham and I was the only one who enjoyed it.

I remember 4 years ago when Easter was a few days after Teagan was born and I had just returned home from the hospital.

This year: I am on bedrest. After 2 months of a somewhat confusing and undiagnosed injury, I have, they think, a torn shoulder muscle and a misplaced rib. Around the clock pain meds, make me loopy and unable to drive. Mandatory rest and no use of my arm, makes me unable to care for my family as I normally would. However, this Easter, I have had the privilege taking time to pray. I have opened the window and felt the breeze and listened to the birds sing their praises. I have watched the flowers open and demonstate the beauty which God has given us here on earth. I have listened to the beautiful sounds of my children playing outside. I have watched in amazement as the meals and help have poured into my home. The family of God has been to me the hands and feet of Jesus ministering to me in my time of need.

What a Saviour, we serve. The amazing sacrifice he made by taking my sins and dying on the cross to allow me access to heaven and the right to be called a daughter of the kingdom is really unfathomable. And in addition, he surrounds us with beauty, with singing, with children who have faith like no other, and His Spirit moves within us enabling us to serve one another.

I am humbled. I am convicted. I am saved! Around me is pain and confusion. Around me is strife and discontent. This world is fighting against the very creator who made made us and offers His free salvation. BUT: my soul is quiet within me. I am calm, resting, truly RESTING, in the arms of my Saviour.

So, what will I remember from this Easter? I suspect that I won't soon forget the inconvenience of being on bedrest with 4 children, or the unease I experience every time I take a pain pill, or the extreme pain I am in when it is time for my next dose. I hope I won't forget the beauty of the family of God serving one another and taking care of me and my family. BUT, what I really want to cherish in my heart from this Easter is the quiet I have experienced beforehand. The glory of the birds, the beauty of the flowers, the cool of the wind through my bedroom window. God has revealed himself to me this year in a way which I would not have experienced had I been going about my normal duties as a wife/mom/working woman.

While, I truly pray this bedrest and pain end soon, I am thankful for the time of rest and reflection. He is risen? Oh yes, He is risen, INDEED!

Happy Easter 2009,

Blessed to be woj, and momofkrit,
KT

finally happened and I need your help!

2009-04-01T17:48:00.003-04:00

So we've joked about it for years now. My husband likes to push the envelope. He has taken on the judges, the courts, the state and he's usually won too. But we knew one of these times he would push too hard and find himself in contempt.

Yup, contempt and sent to jail!! I was silent when he called me and I finally told him to use the time wisely and try to find some good clients while he was there because there was no way I had the money to bail him out! :-)

So I packed up the kids, put some ice on my sore shoulder and we went to the Big House to visit him. He gave me the name of a good attorney to call and of course when I called Joe Shark, his office said he was away on Spring Break, fishing probably!

Here is where things stand right now. My hubby is scrounging for clients during yard time and I've got the kids counting change trying to collect enough money to make bail. If you feel inclined to help please send a few dollars in an envelope to the address listed below. Thank you for your support and I will keep you posted.

Bail Out Money
c/o Katie April Fool's Martin
123 Fooled-you Street
Laughing, PA 40109

Mom Quiz

2009-03-23T21:45:00.003-04:00

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Kyle - I love you
Rhia -Sorry we don't have any food
Iain - Go do stuff for me
Teagan - Clean up the toy room

2. what makes mom happy?
Kyle - When she know we have a clean car/house
Rhia - When she takes a nap
Iain - When we clean up the toy room
Teagan - When I give her a kiss

3. What makes mom sad?
Kyle - When we don’t obey her
Rhia - When the house is not clean
Iain - She's never sad
Teagan - When we don't obey her

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Kyle - She doesn’t usually
rhia - she raps
Iain - She raps
Teagan - when she giggles me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Kyle -Umm…a show off?
Rhia - I have no idea, little?
Iain - she liked playing

6. How old is your mom?
Kyle -53 no no no, 34
Rhia - 35
Iain - 35
Teagan - 35

7. How tall is your mom?
Kyle - 4 feet
Rhia - 5 feet, no I think 7 feet
Iain - 10 feet
Teagan - BIG

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Kyle - Be with us
Rhia - take naps
Iain - color
Teagan - lay down

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Kyle- Go to starbucks
Rhia - Take naps
Iain - work
Teagan - clean up the toy room

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Kyle -Giving me most of the money
Rhia - being funny
Iain - getting rich
Teagan - singing

11. What is your mom really good at?
Kyle - Baking
Rhia - coloring
Iain - cleaning
Teagan - doing the "puter" (computer)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Kyle - Making good food that we like
Rhia - following instructions for the road - like maps
Iain - sports
Teagan - I don't know

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Kyle - Takes Talks to mrs. Baumann and rejoices when she gets a phone
Rhia -Helps the school
Iain - Helps the school
Teagan - dishes

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Kyle - Gross stuff
Rhia - quiche
Iain - chicken
Teagan - pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Kyle - When she helps us
Rhia - I don't know
Iain - Because she's my mom
Teagan - she likes bears

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Kyle - Gray matter (ben 10 alien)
Rhia - sleeping beauty
Iain - Handy Manny
Teagan - Cinderella

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Kyle - Fight, argue and have fun.
Rhia - We talk and watch TV
Iain - Play games
Teagan - Go to sleep and take naps

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Kyle - We’re both humans and love each other.
Rhia - we both have red hair
Iain - We have the same skin
Teagan - We like McDonald's

19. How are you and your mom different?
Kyle - I’m a boy
Rhia - She likes different food than me
Iain - she has red hair and I don't
Teagan - I don't know

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Kyle - She takes care of us
Rhia - She says she does
Iain - She does stuff for me
Teagan - She makes me happy

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Kyle - Anywhere, but is has to be with us.
Rhia - go to school
Iain - to the store, probably Walmart
Teagan - Pizza Hut

My baby

2009-03-12T20:57:00.002-04:00

So...after arriving at the hospital on march 11, 2009, I was given a bed and heard the best words ever...WE'RE KEEPING YOU...I was so relieved. My baby was finally going to be born.
Epidural was great. Slept till morning. Hooked up the get me going drugs and then I met the DR. It was not my dr. but rather the on call lady. She was NOT nice. In fact, she was mean to me. She yelled at my Mom (who yelled back), and she told me I couldn't hold my baby's new bear (which I kept holding) and she told me to stop breathing the way I was breathing (which had helped me deliver 3 babies already). From that moment on, I relied on my nurses, my mom and my sister, and just trusted in God for the rest of my delivery.

Teagan Hope Anastasia Martin was born on March 11, 2005. She was around 8 pounds and somewhere between 19 and 21 inches long. It was early afternoon.

Here are the important details. SHE HAD BLACK HAIR! Uhh...there was no switching she hadn't left the room. How did my baby get black hair? My previous 3 babies had unmistakable red hair from birth on. How did the 4th come out so different?

A true blessing from God. The black hair was just the beginning of Teagan saying, hey I'm here and I'm different and I'm going to let you know that I am here. She is wonderful. Her personality is so charming, and her love of life is contagious. Unless she is hurt, that girl always has a smile on her face. She was the easiest baby and she slept through the night at 8 weeks. My other kids didn't sleep through the night till after they were 1. She didn't walk till she was almost 2 and she didn't talk till she was 3. But that child has completed our family in a way we never imagined. God was so good to send her to us and allow her to be so different and unique.

Teagan is the smile of our family. I pray that she will grow into a woman of God who is always able smile and is able to share her joy with others.

So Very Blessed to be,
MomofTeags,
KT

Teagan is 4

2009-03-12T20:00:00.005-04:00

We started the day by heading to her favorite spot:

STARBUCKS...she loves the buck. When she was a baby, I used a trip to starbucks as my escape. I'd grab the baby and head out for a break. When you have other kids, taking the baby with you is a break. Go figure.

After a drink and a snack we headed to Build-A-Bear. While she has a bear, she was just a baby when she "built" it. Just Teags and Mommy building her bear! Wow...we had fun. She immediately picked the panda and quickly chose the outfit to match.

Step on the pump and fill the bear. Add a heart and sow it up. We love build-a-bear!

After we got our new bear, Julie, we stopped by those rides in the middle of the mall. I've entitled this picture WOW...they move! You see, I never put money in these things so she didn't really know they move. (Hey, at 75 cents a pop, I can't afford to let all the kids ride on these things!)

Another specialty...a normal size cookie from the food court WITH a princess castle on it. (IF we get cookies, I get the buy 3 get 1 free of the mini size!)

Then off to school where we had a party with her friends!

After a delicious meal at her favorite restaurant, McDonald's, we headed home to open gifts. Thanks for the book Iain!.

Sisters, Sisters, Rhia gave her a Max and Ruby DVD. It doesn't get any better than that!

My big brother, Kyle. She loves her big brother. Kyle gave her the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse book!!

My precious babies.

Blessed momofkrit,

March 11, 2005 Part 1

2009-03-12T19:42:00.002-04:00

Baby Teagan just an hour old. Don't I look amazing for just having given birth! Got to love modern day deliveries.

March 11, 2005 Part 2

2009-03-12T19:41:00.002-04:00

Ok, ok so I'm the half/awake one in the back and the beautiful lady holding my baby is my sister Erin. The other beautiful lady is my mom who is holding Aubrie who was 3 at the time. Rhia was 3 and Iain was almost 2. Kyle is sitting on a bed reading...shocking...he was 5. The handsome guy is my great hubby!

sorry, no beds

2009-03-10T23:18:00.004-04:00

YIKES!!!!

4 years ago today I woke very early and very excited to have a baby. I'd been waiting for 9 months for this day. My induction had been scheduled a month earlier and the bags were packed, the nursery was ready, the kids were taken care of, the relatives were in town, and I WAS READY!

So at 6:00 am, I'm dressed with make-up on, my nails done, and my hair fixed. And I waited.....and waited...check the directions...."PLEASE BE READY BY 6:00am. THE LABOR AND DELIVERY ADMISSIONS OFFICE WILL CALL YOU WHEN IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO COME IN. so I waited...and paced...and waited...started to worry. After all, I'm 9 months pregnant and ready to get this baby out! Oh, and by the way...I'm hungry and can't eat.

8:00 I give up and called... just to check. Sure enough, I was on the list and they would call me when they were ready for us to come in.

9:00 still waiting...still pregnant... and still hungry...

10:00 THE PHONE RINGS! "Mrs. Martin, I'm sorry but there are no beds available today. We have moved you to the list for tomorrow. Please follow the same directions you received for today's scheduled induction. Have a nice day."

HAVE A NICE DAY???

Let me ask you... Exactly what is a 9 months pregnant lady supposed to do on the day of her scheduled induction when the induction will now not take place? Seriously, I've already done the false labor get sent home from the hospital thing 2 days before. How can I wait till tomorrow morning to even get started on this delivery process? I thought I was going to meet my baby today...

That was a long day. A very long day. My Mom and sister Amy were great at keeping me occupied. I still remember walking through T.J.Maxx trying to stay busy and glaring at the people who looked at me and were pointing. After all, this was my 4th baby and I was full term. Large doesn't really describe it and waddle is a nice description of my gait. After shopping, we went to Wendy's. I ordered chili and asked for several extra hot sauce packets to add to my lunch. They say spicy helps! Then that afternoon, I added a few drops of the desperate woman's guide to induce labor: blue cohosh. There was NO way I was going to not make it into that hospital the next day.

That afternoon with spices and blue cohosh and raspberry tea swirling in my stomach I crawled into my bed to try to sleep away some of the long hours till 6:00 am. By evening my plan had worked. I was contracting! Yeah...I was really having contractions!!! Between 8:00 and midnight I had contractions and tucked my kids into bed and called Miss Lindsay to come and help.

At midnight I called the dr...and we all crawled into the car headed for the hospital. This time, with contractions coming and my induction scheduled in less than 8 hours I was determind that 1 of those beds WOULD BE MINE!!! Finally this very long day that was supposed to be my child's birthday had passed.

momofkri,
KT

random

2009-03-09T20:14:00.002-04:00

One of these days I'm going to write down all my grand thoughts on my 3 week break from life.

Ok so as for today:
*Tonight, Rhia went with her grandparents to Crosslands (a retirement home) for a monthly Vespers service. They sing songs and tell a Bible Story and do various other things. Tonight Rhia actually said her poem for all the older people at Vespers! I am so proud of her.

*Yesterday, the kids were putting on a play. Rhia was the director for a change. (I'm not sure where Kyle was or how Rhia managed to be the director.) Anyway, she was trying to convince Iain to participate and it wasn't working. She finally suggested that Iain could be a shark. Iain looked somewhat interested, but when Rhia said that he could be a shark that scared Teagan, Iain took off like lightening. What is it about little boys and scaring their sisters.

Proud moment: tonight the kids all got a special treat from their grandparents. Kyle - skittles. Rhia - peanuts, Iain - peanuts, Teagan - a pacifier lolipop. Teagan, who is in a growth spurt and keeps tripping, and dropping things, and missing the potty because she doesn't recongnize her own body, dropped her lolipop and it broke into pieces on the floor. Immediately the tears erupted from her eyes and the cries came from her mouth. Rushing to support her were ALL 3 SIBLINGS! Kyle immediately started helping her clean up the mess. Iain and Rhia both rushed in offering pieces of their candy to replace Tegan's great loss.

Wow...once in a while my kids will do something that makes my heart melt and shows me that my kids do love each other and at least some of what I am teaching them is getting through. Praise God!

I worked for the first time today in 3 weeks. I'm pooped and grumpy and hurting and want to go to bed but know I won't get comfortable...so...I'm blogging instead. I think I'll go raid my frig for some very yummy leftovers from all the delicious meals friends have brought for us. Of course that won't help me fit into my pretty purple bridesmaid dress in August. Oh..the age old dilema...to eat or not to eat....

Pondering,
momofkrit,
KT

Kyle does Fine Arts

2009-03-07T19:54:00.004-05:00

In traditional form, Kyle performed his poem at Fine Arts this year with passion, and clarity. This is his 3rd year reciting a poem for the annual Fine Arts Festival at Tall Oaks Classical School. For a child who loves the stage, this particular requirement comes quite naturally for Kyle. Still, each year the poems increase in difficulty and and length and require more stage presence and better articulation and performance skill. This year he recited Armies in the Fire by Robert Louis Stevenson. A tough poem to bring to life, but he did a great job!

Proud momofkyle.,
KT

Rhia does Fine Arts

2009-03-07T19:41:00.003-05:00

Little Miss Rhia, so shy, so quiet...YOU GO GIRL.
This is the girl that managed to get through the entire first year of preschool without talking. During her second year of preschool she actually talked a few times.
In kindergarten she learned to stand tall and actually speak words out loud. She did really well and was a great leader. This year was a big step for her. At the ripe old age of 7 she was asked to memorize a 90 word poem and recite it on a stage with a microphone in front of an audience!!

She memorized The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson. She did a great job. You may not understand every word, and you may not be overwhelmed with her stage presence, and you may not say she has a future in public speaking; but you can't deny that this girl has overcome many of her fears and has accomplished a great feat!!

Proud momofrhia,
KT

Iain does Fine Arts

2009-03-07T19:35:00.002-05:00

This past week Tall Oaks Classical School hosted its annual Fine Arts Festival. The kindergarten class recited, King Alfred's War Song, based on Psalm 91. Iain is in the back right corner. Don't miss the 2 kids in front of him. What a riot. They did a great job.

MomofIain,

uh slight problem

2009-02-25T21:54:00.002-05:00

So daddy is at a meeting. I'm laid up on the couch unable to move or pick up anything. Teags falls asleep standing up leaning against me. What should I do???

Any ideas?

KYLE TO THE RESCUE...He moves the computer. Picks up her feet and plops her on the couch! YEAH KYLE!!!

Poor girl..

When Dad plays Mr. Mom

2009-02-25T21:44:00.003-05:00

So I've been laid up now for over a week.
Nutshell - did something bad last saturday Feb 14th to my neck. Now have pain in neck, shoulder, right arm and spine. I've been in and out of dr. offices and x-rays and scheduling MRI's and calling PT people etc.

anyway, I can't do anything around the house since I can't move and am in great pain and on loopy meds.

In come Mr. Mom: poor guy. He got the flu last week from taking me to the dr. office. Now's he's busy driving the kids all around trying to keep up with there schedules as well as his work. And he is trying to do housework and keep things moving at home. Did I mention we've had kids home from school at various times as well with the flu?

This afternoon pretty much summed it up. He met the kids at karate, after Mrs. Baines, who has been AWESOME, dropped them off. Unfortunately, when iain took Teags to the bathroom she didn't make it in time. So she peed her pants. and then he had to bring her home, pick up dinner on the way, give her a shower, run back and get Kyle, bring him home, eat quickly, and run to a meeting, get home at 9:00 carry Teags up to bed, go back out to the store to get Goodnight's for Iain, come home wake Iain, switch laundry, put away dishes, and then sit down to do legal work. Boy it is tough to be Mom AND dad. i sure couldn't do it.

If you see my hubby...give him a hug and tell him he's doing a great job! Better yet, send him an e-mail and encourage him! He really is being just wonderful and I love him so much.

Thanks to all who have helped with food and transportation and childcare!
Mrs. Ferro, Mrs. eckman, Mrs. Baines - you all ROCK!!

Here's to making the potty on time, getting homework done, having clean uniforms for school, and making all my dr. appts!

Blessed to be WOJ!! and mom of krit,
KT

reclaiming the roost

2009-02-21T08:51:00.003-05:00

So you've heard the term, the chicken has flown the coop. Today, I am going to coin the term reclaiming the roost. See, my house looks like I, the chicken, have flown the coop. However, my arm is feeling better, my cough has subsided and it is time to start clucking.

We are going to cluck through the kitchen and find the counters.
We are going to cluck through the living room and disinfect the couch.
We are going to cluck through the laundry room and once we reach the washer, we'll start it.
We are going to cluck through the bathrooms and rediscover the joy of sitting with peace.
We are going to cluck through the bedrooms and make the beds.
We are going to cluck through the toy rooms and hope to make it to the other side.

Off to find my little chicks and make them cluck.... (oh this will be fun...)
Reclaiming the roost,
KT

The truth about pain

2009-02-19T12:58:00.003-05:00

I am 35 years old. Oh my word, did I just admit that out loud. How appaling. Actually, I don't care. I'll tell you my weight if you want to know. :-) Anyway, my point. I am a rather healthy 35 year old woman. I have 4 children. Yeah, yeah, you all know this, I know just stick with me. I gave birth to 4 children. There was a lot of pain involved in childbirth. I have broken 2 bones in the last 10 years. I fell while pregnant with my Kyle and broke my left arm. Very fun. I fell while roller skating last year with my kids, actually, Kyle, and broke a bone in my right arm. Very fun. There is a lot of pain involved in broken bones.

Here is my point...I have a high tolerance for pain. I say this without pride. Truly, I used to take pride in my high tolerance for pain, but no more and here's why.

Last weekend, I enjoyed a lovely Valentine Dinner with my hubby and sisters and their hubby's in Lancaster. Following our great dinner we stopped by to pick up our kids at my aunt's house. (Thanks Caite for watching my kids!) Poor kids were wiped out and sound asleep. I leaned down and picked up Teagan from her sleeping bag and POOF. Pulled muscle in my neck.
OUCH!
GOt the kids home and into bed and tried to get comfortable myself. My neck was really sore and in fact, I couldn't move it. My whole shoulder was hurting. The next morning, I was in bad shape. Couldn't move or turn, although I kept trying. Finally I called the dr. and decided to go in for a visit. My hubby drove me since I couldn't drive.
The dr. asked lots of questions and then began the process of feeling my neck and trying to move it. In the process I began to feel quesy and dizzy. Next thing I knew, my head was between my legs and she was using SMELLING SALTS to revive me.

WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED? I tolerated the pain till it really hurt and then passed out.

Here's the deal folks. If you have a high tolerence for pain, that means that pain doesn't feel the same for you as it might for others. However, when you do feel pain, which admittedly is severe, you have no pain management skills and you are a complete wuss.

So, if you, like me, have a high pain tolerance, be careful lest you fall or strech or pull...once the pain does hit...you are likely to pass out and make a complete fool of yourself in the doctor office.
(Plus, in the process you will manage to infect yourself and your hubby with the flu by being in the dr. office.)

High Pain Tolerance = total pain wuss

Learning Life's lessons the hard way,
KT

before 7:00 am

2009-02-18T07:36:00.000-05:00

Let dog out.
Take steroids for my pulled neck muscle.
Throw in a load of laundry.
Wake kids.
Make coffee with my 20 second machine.
Review homework.
Make popcorn for lunches.
Make chocolate cookies for school lunches.
Help kids get dressed.
Switch laundry.
Cut oranges for the rest of the family who is home sick.
Give Kyle inhaler.
Hold off Teagan until at least 7:00 am on candy hearts.

Now that I have had a nice quiet relaxed morning, I'm off to the rest of my day. Good thing I have my 20 second coffee machine!!

momofkrit and woj,
KT

You know you are a real mom when...

2009-02-11T07:16:00.003-05:00

You know you are a real mom... when your favorite way to pass the time while pumping gas is to do the Itsy Bitsy Spider through the window with your preschooler.

You know you are a real mom...when you let your 3 year old go up to the fountain drink area at McDonald's to refill your Diet Coke because she drank it all.

You know you are a real mom...when you actually take your kids INTO McDonald's and eat inside.

You know you are a real mom when... your kid totally wipes out on the floor and you don't even flinch and then you laugh when they say, "That was awesome!"

You know you are a real mom when... you bravely walk into a shoe store with 4 kids and attempt to fit them each with new sneakers.

You know you are a real mom when...you threaten to drag the kids out by their shoulders if they misbehave in the shoe store.

You know you are a real mom when...you you just sigh as all 4 children suddenly need to "go" once you have everyone carefully situated in the shoe store.

You know you are a real mom when...you don't freak out because the new sneakers made your 5 year old run so fast that he ran around the whole store.

You know you are a real mom when...calmly tell your kids, "I'm not lost, I know exactly where I am, I just don't know how to get where I am going."

You know you are a real mom when...you find a way to occupy your children while you wait for an HOUR before the exciting tour of QVC.

You know you are a real mom when...you ask your kids for help on the computer.

You know you are a real mom when...you say, "I don't care if you don't like it".

You know you are a real mom when...firmly tell your chilren to "SHUT YOUR MOUTHS AND STOP TOUCHING EACH OTHER IN THE CAR".

You know you are a real mom when...you firmly scold your children for saying "Shut your mouth" to each other.

You know you are a real mom when...you rig up a traffic light system in your car so your kids can see if it is Green - talk, Yellow - whisper, or Red - SILENCE...

You know you are a real mom when...you forget to use your brilliant system and instead shout, QUIET.

You know you are a real mom when...you always have a least 1 load in the washer and 1 in the dryer. ALWAYS.

You know you are a real mom when...you make yourself a healthy lunch for work and forget to take it with you.

You know you are a real mom when...your 3 year old sticky her hand in hot wax and you use the opportunity to see if your 7 year old remembers what she learned in health class about treating burns.

You know you are a real mom when...a day later you discover the burn blistered and popped and realized more sympathy should have been given. OOPS..

You know you are a real mom when...you tell your kids every day to pick up their rooms.

You know you are a real mom when...you tell your kids you feel like a broken record and they get silent and finally ask what a record is.

You know you are a real mom when...you respond with a scratched CD.

You know you are a real mom when...you make the kids count out $3.00 in coins for their hot lunch.

You know you are a real mom when...you carefully pack 8 packets of Ketchup and several napkins for your oldest who can't possibly eat hot dogs without Ketchup.

You know you are a real mom when...after a long day you still peek one more time to see that all the kids are sleeping peacefully and are covered.

You know you are a real mom when...you love your kids so passionately that even when they drive you crazy you stick by them and keep going.

You know you are a real mom when...you quit being a mom...for about an hour...every now and then.

You know you are a real mom when...you run away from home and only make it as far as McDonald's and discovering Shamrock milkshakes are out you get one, feel better, and go back home.

You know you are a real mom when...you Lysol everything after another kid coughs in your house.

You know you are a real mom when...your kid says, I don't feel well and you respond with great horror, "Are you gonna Throw up?"

You know you are a real mom when...you kid says NO and you respond with, Oh Good, get ready for school.

You know you are a real mom when...your oldest is intersted in rapping and you tell him that is fine but you must rap in Latin!

You know you are a real mom when...you start beat boxing along with your Latin Rapping Son.

You know you are a real mom when...you can type on the computer, cook dinner, do laundry, study for the history test, check math homework, talk to your hubby on the phone and play babydoll with your daughter all at the same time.

You know you are a real mom when...can laugh at yourself, laugh at your kids, and laugh with your kids.

You know you are a real blogger mom when...you waste the time to write all this crazy stuff down.

You know you are a really blessed mom when...even though you'd like a break every once in a while, your favorite thing to do is be with your kids.

Blessed to be woj and momofkrit,
KT

My day at home

2009-02-04T19:59:00.002-05:00

Kyle was coughing this morning so I stayed home with him and Teags.

I did laundry...I mopped the floors...I started the crockpot...It was great.

Tonight we're going to actually have a sit down family dinner. Chicken marinated in orange juice, garlic, thyme and balsamic vinagrette, couscous, a salad WITH veggies, and fresh bread thanks to Giant.

As it turns out:
Kyle didn't feel so great and didn't really want to eat.
Iain and Daddy ended up having a date night to take through some stuff.
Teags fell asleep ont he way home from Karate and skipped supper.

Rhia and I had a delightful meal together.

The best laid plans....don't usually work the way we plan or intend, but I sure enjoyed having a dinner at home with just Rhia. I'm gonna head to bed soon as I fear Teags will be up in the middle of the night asking for food!

a mom who keeps plugging away,
KT

Before 8:00 am

2009-02-04T08:05:00.003-05:00

This morning before 8:00 am

Rhia - woke early as usual and got herself dressed and ready for school and then began about her morning task of getting the rest of the family ready. She made lunches and breakfasts and encouraged and persuaded and eventually whined because of the late hour at which they were leaving for school. (7:20)

Teagan - woke talking...saying, Mommy I can't open mine eyes, I'm too tired. However, she refused to say in bed.

Iain - woke and was a ragdoll for about 10 minutes until I reminded him it was 100 DAY at school and he was able to wear his 100 DAY sweatshirt we had made for him. It has 1-100 written on it. He did a fabulous job. He dressed and began his morning routine of cereal and desperatly trying to find his shoes which are always in the same place. Then he proceeded with his daily copying of his sisters just to annoy them. All was well.

Kyle - woke with a ACHOOO and nasty cough. His voice sounds like it is changing although he is too young and his cough is deep and not fun. He looked miserable and asked for 10 minutes. I finally had his Daddy talk to him and we decided to keep him home. However, before 8:00 he was downstairs starving. He does have some sort of cold going on, but I fear it could be a long day. He just announced that if he doesn't make it through the final round of American Idol then he wants to go on and be a professional basket ball player. I guess the Jr. Titan basketball team that our little Classical School provides has inspired him.

Fiona has jumped on everyone's face and played with her bone and eaten her breakfast and now she's down for the morning.

Mommy is well, amazed that morning is here already and amazed that I've already been awake for 2 hours and feel like I just got up and need to sleep for 3 more days. Good news though: around 11:00 my new K-Cups for my coffee maker will be delivered and then I'll be a live wire as I try all the different flavors!

Thanks all for now. It is only 8:00 am so who knows what else will happen today. Remember this is the life of,
woj, and momofkrit,
KT

socks

2009-02-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

I now have an ENTIRE basket of folded matched socks.
I still have an entire basket of mismatched socks. But I no longer have 2 baskets of mismatched socks. This morning I proudly showed my work to the kids and they were very impressed. Rhia said, "WOW Mommy, you did ALL that?"

Now, getting the appropriate socks into the appropriate rooms and drawers might be another challenge. However...I'm gonna give it a try. If I succeed, I'm gonna take my sister Erin's advice and treat myself to Starbucks...real Starbucks...with fat AND whip!

:-)

Frustrated Mom

2009-02-01T12:42:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if this is really what life is all about. I know there is deeper meaning because I know Christ came and died for my sins and that eternal life with Him will be wonderful. And I know that earth is NOT eternity. However, is my life right now really reduced to keeping children from hurting each other. Stopping battles regarding who is being the meanest. Cleaning up after messes which the kids have already themselves "cleaned". Preparing food which the kids won't like. Cleaning up after a dinner which no one really ate. Washing clothes so they can just get dirty again. Helping with homework so they can go to school and bring home more homework. Sweeping the floor after every meal. Feeding the dog.

Mind you, I'm not really complaining. I realize all these jobs need to be done and that God has called me to do them. Perhaps it is the redundancy. Perhaps it is the seemingly worthless lessons that I end up teaching every day. Perhaps it is the undue pressure I put upon myself to be Mrs. Ingalls, Mrs. Walton, Mrs. Cosby, 2009 Mother of the Year, and work for the first time in 9 years all rolled into one.

I would venture to guess that most moms find themselves feeling this way at some point or many points during their journey of motherhood. Each day is so the same and each day is so different that we can't figure out how to walk straight. With my particular family there are 6 personalities, 6 likes and dislikes, 6 ideas of how to do things, and somehow "Mom" is supposed to mesh them all together into one happy loving family that works well together and enjoys being together. All the while, doing the laundry, and cooking, and cleaning, and homework, and studying each child, and spending time with hubby, and remembering to feed the dog. Poor Dog.

Today I find myself in a battle of heart and mind. In my mind, I know that I am completely incapable of accomplishing any of these tasks on my own. And that is Great! Because, God is and He wants to walk alongside me and enable me to do my work with His power and not my own. In my heart, I feel as though I fail each and every day to meet the needs of my family. There are mismatched socks everywhere. The bathrooms are not really clean. I have raised my voice several times already today because of their fighting and bickering, but I have yet to sit down and try to reach them at heart level to talk about why fighting and bickering is wrong. The uniforms are not clean yet for tomorrow. And I really can't recall the last meal that included vegetables.

So, today's blog is not so much funny, although some may laugh thinking of my kids running all over the house in dirty clothes and mismatched socks yelling meanie head at each other. Today my blog is more of my mind trying to reconcile with my heart and so wanting to just end up in Jesus arms but not sure how to give it all up and still get the clothes clean for tomorrow.

I'll end this blog trusting in the Jesus who came to save me and praising God for his grace and mercy that covers over all my inadequacies and praying that my children will not suffer permanent harm from the lack of vegetables and matching socks.

woj and momofkrit
KT

snow day and stuff

2009-01-29T20:53:00.002-05:00

So we did have a snow day and it was nice. The kids played in the fort. The kids played ice skate around the house. The kids made cookies, thanks to Costco frozen dough, and Mommy made popcorn. We watched movies and stayed in PJ's ALL day. We never even made it outside. This morning, I was ready for school to be back in session. :-)

Getting ready for school this morning I was doing my daily task of trying to find matching socks for the boys. This is unfortunately a daily task and one which I despise! However, it it what it is. Anyway, I found some for Iain and then searched and searched and could only find 1 blue sock and 1 black sock for Kyle. Both colors are part of the uniform code and it doesn't say anywhere that you can't wear both, so I gave them to Kyle who didn't even notice and he went on his merry way. No one will notice, right?

Of couse someone noticed...Kyle changed after school into BB outfit and after the players had prayed and before they took the court, the Ref mentioned that he found 2 black shoes and 2 socks in the changing room. 1 sock was blue and 1 sock was black. AHHHH...of course I knew immediately that it had to me my child. Yup, sure enough...I carefully snuck over to the bleachers and quickly put the "goods" into my bag. Tonight I am going to sit down and look through that massive basket of mismatched socks and find socks that are at least the same color for tomorrow!~

KT

What I love about my kids

2009-01-27T19:43:00.002-05:00

My kids love to spy on me.
They also say things like, "Mom, I'm going to spy on you now. Tell me if you can see me, ok!"
Giggle...Giggle...Giggle...Does hearing them count as seeing them?

My kids love to make forts.
"Look guys, Mom just cleaned up the toy room, Let's make a fort and rearrange everything all over again.

My kids love to find hiding spots.
This evening I was making dinner and when I turned around from the stove ALL my pots and pans were in the middle of the kitchen floor. Why? Because the double door cupboard makes a perfect hiding spot if you are 3!

My kids love to pretend it is a movie theatre.
I often find myself suddenly placed in complete darkness because someone is turning off ALL the lights. The funniest part is we usually are not watching a movie or even TV for that matter.

My kids love to ice skate.
On the hardwood floors. put on a pair of socks...from the large basket of mismatched socks...clear the floor and GO...Run as fast as you can and then GLIDE across the floor and into a piece of furniture or a wall or another person. What fun...Just make sure mom has 4 ice packs ready.

My kids love to eat.
snacks. This evening at dinner..."Mom, I'm not hungry anymore...can I have dessert?"
Mom, I only had a granola bar, an apple, a bag of chips, and my leftover pretzels for a snack so I am starving can I have something before dinner? Hmmm....I wonder why he wasn't hungry for dinner?????

My kids love to play.
At least I think it is playing...this is what it sounds like.
Ouch...don't touch me...Mom, tell him to get off me. Mom, she kicked me...Giggle Giggle...Mom, she broke my eye. Giggle Giggle..No, It was my idea...No, I get to go first. No I built it, But you used MY toy, he pulled my hair, Get off of me...Giggle Giggle...Do you want me to get angry? Mom, he called me an angry boy, giggle, he is sitting on me. That is my spot. Wait I have to go to the bathroom. Let's spy on mom. Mom, We are going to spy on you now. Can we have a snack and turn off all the lights and hide in the cupboard? She broke the fort. Don't touch me. He has my toy...she touched my leg...let's ice skate...

My kids love to HELP...
They take their plates over to the sink and spill the contents on the floor in the process.
They help me put away dishes from the dishwasher...or any dishes for that matter...clean, dirty, whatever.
Tonight...I was putting away clean kids cups. They had been sitting out drying for a few hours. I didn't check them to make sure they were empty because well because they were clean cups that were drying on a towel. Well, someone had tried to help by putting their half filled OJ cup on the counter with the clean cups. So as I dropped the clean dry cups in the kids drawer, I also dropped a cup of OJ into the drawer. When I turned around to grab a towel to clean it up I tripped on the pots and pans which were placed on the floor and as I stood there trying to compose myself Teagan scared me by opening the cupboard and shouting BOO...
My Kids are SO helpful.

I love that my kids are hoping for a snow day tomorrow. I love the idea of spending a snow day with my kids...wouldn't it be fun to build more forts, ice skate on the floor, bake cookies using clean or dirty dishes.

If it snows and if we have a snow day and if I do any of those things...I'll let you know if it was as much fun as the idea of doing it. :-)

Loving my kids,
KT

Next time I jump rope...

2009-01-22T20:54:00.002-05:00

This blog is not for the faint of heart...If you are one of my more refined readers perhaps you should skip this entry...although I will mention pearls.
For the rest of you who live in the world of reality like me, sit back and prepare to laugh. Fair warning though: if you are female...do your kegals...

This morning I drove on a first grade field trip. I did NOT get lost! (Unlike last year when I managed to get the kindergarten teacher lost in downtown Wilmington and had to be escorted to the Delaware art museum by a DE utility truck.) I did NOT get a ticket. (Unlike last year when I and other 3 second grade moms got a ticket for driving straight through a turn only lane.) It was a lovely field trip.

I'll skip through my boring afternoon of reorganizing the file cabinet at work, and fast forward to 3:30 pm.

Location: the gym
Event: Junior Titan basketball game
Alternate event: moms using the time to exercise

Ok...so I dump the fancy work clothes and put on the sweats. (For my refined readers here is the good part.) I kept my pearl necklace and earrings on because I didn't know where else to put them.

Workout time: the one gal is a personal trainer so she was in charge and the other mom and I just did whatever she said to do. First up- Jumping Rope for 30 seconds. Now it has been awhile since I have worked out. However, I'm still fairly young and surely I can get through 30 seconds right? If only that had been my problem. What should have been on my mind was the fact that I have not jumped rope since, well, since before I had 4 children.

Ready...GO....1,2,3,4,5, uh oh 9,10,11,12,13,14, oh no 19,20,21,22,23,24,25, come on katie hold it, 29, 30. Whew...that was really close...too close...actually...that was bad...but I think we can keep going...

Wait...what? You want us to do it again?
Ready...GO...1,2, AHHH, 6,7,8, oh this is not good, 10,11,12, wait where did my partner go? Oh no she is running across the gym to the bathroom...18,19,20, OH NO I SHOULD HAVE JOINED HER, 28,29,30. RUN KATIE RUN!!!

too late...

So I managed to finish my workout and watch my son play basketball and even went out to Chick-fil-a with friends. (don't worry Em..by the time we went to dinner I was all better...well almost.)

So Lessons learned:
First Grade field trips are good.
Next time I jump rope I'm brining my Depends.
Always wear pearls, you never know when you might need them to draw attention upward!

KT

inauguration

2009-01-20T11:58:00.005-05:00

"Sit down kids." How many cars are there mom? Why are ALL those people there? Why would the former presidents want to be there? Ew...is that Clinton? Can we have a snack? I think 1/2 of the population of the world is in DC. "Listen and be quiet guys." Is he president yet? I think I just saw Trevor and Taylor. I'm hungry. stop kicking and be quiet. Can I be president one day? Oh, I just saw Mrs. Bush. Why is that guy in a wheelchair? Are they going to announce EVERy single person that walks in? Do we need to pray to? Is that guy standing there a statue? When can we have a snack? Is it almost over? Is he president yet? WOW...WHAT KIND OF HAT IS THAT? Mom is that singing good? It doesn't sound like My country tis of thee. "Guys, sit and listen." But we're hungry..."Ok, Ok, I'll get the Cheese-itz" Is that McCain? "No, kids that VP Biden." Can I have more? Wow...those people are happy. "Kids, please sit and listen to this music, it was arranged just for today." why mom? Is he president yet? Stop touching me. Can we go there today Mom? Stop sitting next to me. I need more Cheese-itz, "Kids you are missing it!" what is he talking about? "He is swearing in. " Oh, so is he president yet? can we have lunch now? Is he going to talk forever? Do we have to listen to it all? I'm still hungry. Ouch..he hurt me. She touched me. Happy Birthday Obama...I mean happy president day... Is the first president alive? Get off me! Fionna is visiting the neighbors. Mommy, if he does a good job will you vote for him next time? Does he love God? What's for lunch? I'm starving. You said after he became president we could have lunch. "Would you all please sit down and stop touching each other and just be quiet for a minute. You are watching history." Is he done yet? Mom,I really miss school can we just go to school now? I don't want to go to school. Can anyone read the phonebook in one day? Mom, have those statue people stopped saluting yet? Is Martin Luther King there? I bet he would be happy. He just said, God Bless you...does that mean he is a Christian? Do the Obama girls still have to go to school? "Ok, kids we don't have to watch the rest of the speeches." No, Mom, now I want to. But I don't like her curly hair. Get off me. Mom, I'm gonna go and get some lunch now. Etc...Etc....Etc...Etc...

When my kids kids ask if they remember when the first African American President was inaugurated I think they will remember being hungry!!!

I tried to give them a chance to watch history. I have a feeling my 3 year didn't quite get it!

It's true

2009-01-20T09:08:00.002-05:00

I took advantage of the weather and my schedule and the history happening today. When I saw delays for local schools and looked at the roads in my development I rolled back over and went back to sleep.
I was planning to pick my kids up at 12:30 today anyway for dentist appointments and if I was going to to drive them in late, what was the point? (Now just to clarify, our school wasn't delayed. Our headmaster wrote the book on how to have school in a blizzard.)

So we are all in our comfy clothes watching history on TV and taking advantage of a vacation day in January.

KT

Monday Monday

2009-01-19T22:23:00.003-05:00

Up at 6, out the door by 7 headed to work/school.
Assembly at school...keep Teagan quiet and occupied.
Take a break and run to Costco for lunch items for kids.
Play nurse in the afternoon and go through lots of old files.
Leave school/work with 5 kids at 4:00
Drop off Ray
Arrive ON TIME at tap to discover it is cancelled due to weather.
Yeah..BTW: it was flurrying at school but at home there were 4 inches on the ground.
Ok, skip Tap call Daddy cancel his 5:30 pick-up from tap lessons.
Drive home on slippery unplowed roads.
Uh...my driveway is long and uphill and with 4 inches of snow, my van ain't gonna make it.
Kids OUT: hike up the hill and find your gloves...I don't care if they match.
Someone please explain to me why I only have 1 shovel and 4 children?
6:00 - I have shoveled the driveway and managed to get the van up the hill.
Daddy calls...he'll be late.
Now on to making some sort of dinner.
check math, study history, Bible, vocab, spelling, and science.

Oh right switch the laundry:
WHAT IN THE WORLD??? Just for the record: washable markers means the ink washes off. It does NOT mean the markers themselves can go through the wash. Now my washer is green. Great.

Ok..a bath with bubbles and a Little Penguin in a glass and I am calmer.

Now on to watch 24 and then probably Law and Order to calm down after 24.
Good thing tomorrow is Tuesday...I don't think I could handle another Monday just yet.

kt

Laundry

2009-01-18T20:18:00.003-05:00

I could write a book.

Every mom could write a book.

Try sorting....try not sorting...try doing it by gender...try doing it by day...try doing it all in one day...try hot water...try cold water...try making everyone else doing it...etc..etc...etc...

Here is the kicker: even if you have found the perfect system, which I'm convinced doesn't exist, there is one thing that will drive even the perfect laundry mom crazy!! FINDING CLEAN FOLDED LAUNDRY IN THE MIDDLE OF A DIRTY LAUNDRY BASKET

How? Why? Who? When? I want to have it out with someone but instead I'll just make a pile and politely suggest that the owners of the previously folded clothes first smell the folded clothes and then assuming the contents are not gross, PUT THEM AWAY!

If you any of you have found the error proof perfect way to do laundry, I'd be happy to try it.

frustrated laundry mom,
kt

Bridal shopping

2009-01-17T20:06:00.003-05:00

So today I took Rhia, Iain, and Teagan and we ventured to the bridal shop in town to see our Miss Lindsay try on a few dresses. I gave the typical speech about Don't touch anything, Don't run, Don't yell, Don't - well do anything wrong.

So we get there and there are many beautiful dresses and lots of cool jewelry and accessories. Rhia immediately went for the tiara's while Iain tried to hide under the dress rack. Teagan found a mirror to entertain herself and I attempted to look calm and converse with Miss Linsday and her step-mom.

It was fun to watch her try on dresses and it was actually also fun to watch the kids in this new environment. Iain and Teagan found chairs covered in fabric and decided to hide underneath them. I actually didn't know where they were!

Tomorrow Rhia and I will join Miss LIndsay and attend a Bridal Expo with lots of vendors and I'm sure that will be fun. Rhia inherited her cool sense of fashion from Miss Lindsay so I love to watch the 2 of them shop together.

That is all for now.

Momofkrit,
KT

cleaning

2009-01-17T15:02:00.002-05:00

So I have a confession to make. It is deep. It is personal. It will likely change your opinion of me. But the truth must come out. Here goes...

I HATE TO CLEAN!!!

Yes, I like to have things clean. Yes, I know cleanliness is important. Yes, I know there is a sanitary factor involved. Yes, I care what my house looks like. Yes, I want my house to look different than it does.

HOWEVER: I hate to clean. I'll vacuum....but dusting? Laundry? Bathrooms? Kitchen? Floors? Putting away clothes? Organizing school papers? Cleaning out the garage? Doing the basement AGAIN? The toy room? (Has anyone else ever noticed that a clean toy room always turns into a fort?) Ironing? (Although my new iron is awesome and I like to iron while watching 24)

I wonder if I'm just not wired to be a housewife...are some women like that or am I just jaded? I look at super moms I know and their perfect clean houses and part of me is jealous and part of me wonders if they ever sit down and chill out?

There must be a balance somewhere...I know I know Fly Lady to the rescue...problem is you have to start with a clean kitchen sink and well...have you seen my sink lately?? Yeah..when you can't even accomplish step 1 it makes it hard to continue.

Anyway, there is it... My secret is out... I've blown my cover... Whew... I feel better.

What to do now...I think I'll vacuum...

:-)
KT

random

2009-01-17T10:16:00.002-05:00

It has been so long...I have so many things each day that are blog worthy, but I am so tired by the end of the day that I don't get to record them...here are just a few "overheards" at our house.

Mom, can I please have my Christmas money to take with me to the store?
No, Kyle, I am holding onto that money.
Mom, are you planning to save it till I'm in college?
WOW, Kyle, that is a great idea! Thanks
NO MOM, I'm planning to live at home so I won't need money then....

Mom, I'm sad.
Why Rhia?
Because when Taylor is a senior, I'll be a junior, and then when she graduates I won't get to see her at school every day.
Well, Rhia, that is true, but we don't need to worry about that now. And you'll still her I'm sure.

Mom?
Yes, Iain.
Do you live at college?
Yes, Iain, often you do.
But, if you want to come home and live with your Mommy, can you?
ABSOLUTELY, Iain. :-)

Mom, Trevor and I are planning to go to the same college. Can you help me write the letter saying we can live together there?

After a late basketball game, on the drive home:
Ok, guys, what homework still needs to be finished?
Well, Mom, I have a math sheet and I can't remember if I have any tests, but I'm too tired to do homework or study now. I'll just tell my teacher that we were at the BB game and I couldn't get it all done. She'll understand, don't you think?
Uh....NO!!!!

For the 5th January in a row, mice have decided to take up residence in my special car.
We've once again banned food in the car and cleaned it out and vacuumed it clean.
Yesterday during the 8 degree weather, I broke the eating rule and let the kids eat their soft pretzels from Friday Pretzel Day at school. Before I knew what was happening, the kids collectively decided that eating too much salt was bad for you and thus must be also bad for mice. In an attempt to "help" with the mice problem, they ALL scraped the salt off their pretzels and dumped it all over the floor the of the car. TAKE THAT YOU MICE! Maybe they are like slugs and will shrivel up and die!!

While watching the varsity team play basketball the other day, Teagan was sitting on my lap. As the boys ran past Teagan turned up her nose and said, "Oh Mom, what is that smell?". That, Teagan would be the smell of big boys playing basketball. "YUCK, Mom, those boys stink!"

On Friday, I had an event at school and Teagan joined me but was getting a bit bored. The kindergarten teacher offered to let her join the class for the day. So I dropped Teagan off to join her brother in class and didn't hear another word till the day was over. Later, I asked the teacher how it went, and she told me Iain took complete care of Teagan the whole day.
When I asked Iain, he said, "Mom, Teagan did well, but it was hard work helping her all day. Really hard work!"

My hubby is on fire when it comes to criminal defense this week. He came home saying he had a good time visiting the prison and all the prisoners are asking him to be their lawyer. Hmmm...when you win all your criminal defense cases you might be a good lawyer, you might be protecting the rights of citizens, or you might have friends in the wrong places...If he starts hanging out at the prison on the weekends "just for fun", I'll be worried!
TOTALLY KIDDING HERE...HE DID ROCK THIS WEEK IN HIS CASES...BUT WELL, YOU KNOW....

That's all for now. I'm going to try to keep this updated now so check back soon.

blessed to be
woj and momofkrit,
KT

For Mom

2009-01-13T15:21:00.003-05:00

Mom...this is for you...all those lessons didn't go to waste.
I forgot my music over Christmas so this is made for you.
Love ya,
KT

What is your Christmas Eve dinner?

2008-12-25T06:36:00.003-05:00

We started a new tradition last night for Christmas Eve and I think it just might stick. Put away the chips and salsa, return the antipasta tray, meatballs move over and say hello to Christmas Eve Breakfast. Yup...we rolled out the waffle maker, fried up some bacon, and turkey bacon for Dave, and I took my spot by the stove and made omelets to order. Yummy!!!

We had to miss church because of an ice storm so we had our own little service with Christmas carols and even the traditional candlelight version of Silent Night. (Each kid holding a Yankee Candle jar counts, right?)

We opened our Christmas Eve PJ's and played a new board game ImagineIf and then tucked all the kids in for their long winter's nap.

(IF YOU STILL BELIEVE IN SANTA DO NOT KEEP READING)

Then..we rearranged furniture and pulled out all the gifts and set them up under my Mom's tree. It is about 2 and 1/2 feet tall but it sits on a pretty table and so the presents are actually "under" the tree. With 14 people it is safe to say there are a LOT of presents.
We wrote the note to Santa for my cutiepie niece Aubrie and Emme and I even helped Santa out by eating all but the crumbs of the Sticky Bun which Santa receives at our house. I drank his milk dimmed the lights and retired for the night.

I"m pretty sure before I went to sleep I heard "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night". OOPS...sorry for eating your Sticky Bun Santa...

:-)

Apply these rules only during the holidays!!

2008-12-22T17:17:00.002-05:00

HOLIDAY EATING RULES
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffettable knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots,leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannotfind it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that ithas 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turninto an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have onefor me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's the holidays!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point ofgravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out ofyour mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk orwhole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sportscar with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to controlyour eating. The whole point of going to a holiday party is to eat otherpeople's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and NewYear's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling thebuffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat ofeggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, likefrosted holiday cookies in the shape and size of Santa, positionyourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can beforebecoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair ofshoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat, Pecan. Have a slice ofeach. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin.Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert?Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with themandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, havesome standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the partyor get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-readtips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Rememberthis motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention ofarriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather toskid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up,totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

author unknown...

A Day in the LIfe of...Me

2008-12-17T20:39:00.002-05:00

Awakened from a dead sleep:
Mom-Mom I set my gym clothes out last night, but Kyle is wearing them!! Please get up and help me. (They actually wear the same size except for pants.)

Getting ready:
Mom, Did you pack my lunch?
Mom, where is my backpack?
I can't find my other shoe...
Are you ordering me 2 hotdogs for lunch?

Driving to school:
Mom, I'm freezing. I'm hot. He touched me. Tell him to be quiet. She just slapped me. Mom, please go over my spelling words. No, do MY Bible test. No MY TEST IS TODAY... Did you bring money for my hotdog?

At school:
Mom, can I please watch a video? Actually I want to color. Can I have a snack? I'm thirsty Mom. I have to go to the bathroom...Is it time for aftercare yet? NO, Teagan it is only 8:30 and yes you may have Another Lolipop!

Walking through the hallway:
Hi Mom, my belly hurts.
Hi Mom, my test went great!
Hi MOm, I got a cut on my finger!
Mom, can I play with a friend after school.
Did you order me a hotdog?

Driving home from school:
I'm hungry. Mom, please tell me you have snacks. I'm thirsty. She stole my pencil. No, it was my pencil. Stop singing I'm trying to do my math problems. Mom, can you time me for 1 minute. Here Mom, please check this math paper. (Remember I'm driving here!) Mom, I NEED a snack. I have to go to the bathroom.

At Home:
Look Mom, I made a picture for you! I even cut it out! SEE!! (I see the mess in the other room where all the pieces are all over the floor I just mopped.) Mom, thanks for cleaning the Living Room, it is much more fun to jump in here now. Can we ice skate on the floor mom? Are we having a snack tonight? She kicked me. He punched me. Can I have a sticker? Where are the Sharpies? I'm starving.

Bedtime:
I'm not tired. Can I have a snack. Will you snuggle with me? We didn't read. I didn't get to play today. My belly hurts. Mom, come tuck me in. Mom, are you coming in my room next. Mom, can I get a drink. Mom, I need to talk to you. BZZZ the dryer is done, BRRing the dishwasher is going...scrape scrape the dog wants in...PANG PANG goes my head. Goodnight children!! Please go to sleep now. I love you all very much.

Mom...I'm still hungry....

Mom...what is for lunch tomorrow?

Mom, can we go to Applebees tomorrow night for dinner?

AHHHHHHH....

I'm going to bed and dreaming about children with full bellies.

KT

practical

2008-12-16T06:59:00.002-05:00

This morning I was getting ready in my bathroom when I spotted my husband's phone randomly placed on the bathroom counter. I decided to be goofy and call him downstairs and ask if my coffee was ready yet.

So I did.

Rhia - hears him talking on the phone to me and says, "I can't believe she called you from upstairs. She has 2 feet why didn't she just come down and talk to you?"

My ever practical and often tactless daughter's wisdom reigns once again!

KT

Dates

2008-12-15T10:01:00.003-05:00

So yesterday morning I took Iain on a date. We went to Starbucks and I used my birthday gift card from Emily Stover (Thanks Emily). Iain had a Ginormous Rice Krispie Treat and I had a large coffee. We sat and talked and read books and just enjoyed being together. I love spending time with my kids one on one.

Iain is started to put letters and sounds together and guess what, they make words. Reading is so fun! I can't believe my little boy is reading words and almost 1/2 way through kindergarten.

Last night I was getting them ready for bed and Iain comes out of his room yelling, "Look, Mommy, my P.J.'s growed into me!" How cute it that. They were Kyle's old PJ's that had been too big.

Saturday I took Rhiannon to see the Nutcracker and then we went out for Chinese with one of her best friends Taylor. Her face was very intense while she watched the dancers and I know she enjoyed the entire show. Clara was played by a girl in our school so we were able to say hi to her afterwards which was pretty neat. While at the Chinese restaurant Rhia looked around and said, "Mom, why do all those people look Chinese?" Well, Rhia, because THEY ARE! :-) She was also very distraught because the napkins were folded so they sat like a cup on the table. She eventually asked me for a real napkin. I laughed and told her that the napkins could be UNfolded! :-) You can dress them up but you can't take them out.

Kyle declares he is next for a date and somehow I have a feeling his date will eventually have us at Walmart looking for some new something or other. Teags? Well, she gets to spend all day with me all the time so I'll have to think about her date. Maybe we'll go to the library or something.

Dates with the kids are so fun.

Now, I MUST schedule a date with my hubby!

Christmas Gifts

2008-12-09T19:19:00.004-05:00

The Gift of Christmas Past:
The Clapper
Kyle would like a new light for his room for Christmas.
Clap on...Clap off...Clap on.Clap off...THE CLAPPER.....(You know you are singing it!)

The Gift of Christmas Present:
The Snugie
Order 1 now for $19.95 and we'll include this great flip light for your bed. Available in 3 favorite colors. Keeps you warm while giving you full use of your hands! You should really get one. In fact they sometimes have a buy 1 get 1 free deal. Be careful though, they are tricky...we are now the proud owners of 4 of these delightful new products currently in shipment!! :-)

The Gift of Christmas Future:
The Flying Car
Hey Mom, when they come out with the flying cars can we get one?
Sign up for one. You know we did!!

So if you are feeling rather Scroogish, remember, just order Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future and you'll soon be saying God Bless Us, Every One~

CLAP OFF (Darkness filles the room.)

helper

2008-12-07T17:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Rhiannon decided to be a my helper around the house. She just wanted to be with me and do what I did. We loaded some laundry in the wash, swept the floors, folded the blankets on the couch, cleared the kitchen table, made some beds, and finally ended up at the dishwasher. As we were loading dishes Rhia stopped and looked at me. With pure disbelief she said to me, "Mom, do you do this EVERY day?" I chuckled and said, yes, basically I do. Then she asked a very challenging question, "Mom, do you LIKE doing this every day"?
I paused and then said, I love taking care of my family and this is part of taking care of my family, so Yes, I like doing this every day.

Thanks Rhia for the fresh perspective on my daily tasks. I hope that she will grow to enjoy helping me take care of our family and one day enjoy taking care of a family of her own. What a blessing she is to me!

Momokrit,
KT

gift ideas

2008-12-06T09:05:00.002-05:00

A few gift suggestions for anyone with kids:

Stockings - yes, the kind you hang from the mantle. You can get cheap ones at Walmart. Just give them to your kids and see how creative they will be. They make great hats, arms, ornaments, and best of all ice skates on hard wood floors. Have a first aid kit nearby. Our Christmas decorating isn't complete until someone gets hurt from our annual "skating".

A new "throw" - the kind you buy to put over the couch and use when watching TV on a cold winter night! These gifts are full of uses. They make great hiding spots. You can also use them when building forts or playing dress-up. My favorite use is the "sled". All kids except 1 pile on the blanket and the remaining child tries to pull the "sled" around the house. Hilarious!!

Today I plan to return all the gifts I purchased and just buy a few additional throws and stockings. Think that will work?

Momofkrit,
KT

um Excuse me?

2008-12-01T19:55:00.002-05:00

Studying with Kyle:

Kyle did the Spartans and Athenians get along?

No. enough said.

Well, actually your study sheet talks about the resentment because of their influence.

Well, I realize it says that on the study sheet, but I just don't think historians have figured out yet why they didn't get along.

Um, excuse me? You don't think historians have figured out something you learned about today? Wow...we have some major work to do in the area of humbling.

Kinda funny though!
KT

Tea Party

2008-12-01T10:14:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago Teagan and I enjoyed a tea party with my Mom, My sisters Amy, and her baby Jonah and Erin and her daughter Aubrie, and Amy's mother-in-law, Jackie and her friend. We were celebrating Jackie's 60th birthday! The tea shop had hats for customers to enjoy during lunch and the girls had a great time choosing hats for themselves and everyone else!

Jackie and Amy's baby, Jonah

Is Teagan under there?

We tried to convince my mom to wear this hat to work later that day, but she didn't.

Katie and Erin - both with their eyes open!

My Mom, Amy and Aubrie!

Thanks for the tea party Jackie! Let's do this again when you turn 61! That was fun!!

More than just cereal?

2008-12-01T10:08:00.002-05:00

This morning I opened a new box of cereal before any of the kids came downstairs. Inside, I found a toy. To many of you this is not unusual, however in our house, the toy is usually gone before I even place the new box in the pantry.

Anyway, I tucked the toy away and when Teagan came downstairs after the others had left for school. I gave her the toy. OH WHAT GREAT DELIGHT! She was amazed that there had been a toy in the cereal box. She pointed to the picture on the box and exclaimed, "Look Mommy, it is just like this picture here!"

Lessons learned:
Poor Teagan has never experienced the simple joy in life of finding a toy in a cereal box.
Kyle Beware! Teagan now knows......

KT

Elmo

2008-11-26T07:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I told Rhiannon I had tried a new dish at our Chinese restaurant called Sesame Chicken. With wide eyes and confusion she said, "Does that mean it has Elmo in it?"
I laughed for about 2 minutes straight.
The things kids say...

confusion

2008-11-24T08:52:00.003-05:00

(Last night I bought a new 3 pack of gum.) ((My kids LOVE gum.))

8:25 am - Mommy stumbles downstairs after enjoying her sleep-in morning.
Iain comes running up with the pack of gum. Mommy, Mommy, can we have this now?
No, Iain, it is too early in the morning.
Ok, Mommy, can I just open the package for you so you won't have to do that yourself?
Ok, Iain, just be careful with those scissors.
Mommy, I'm just going to take the plastic wrap off this pack of gum so it is ready for you.
Mommy, I'm just going to give everyone a piece of gum to hold onto until you say we can eat it.
Mommy, everyone has a piece of gum now, can we please eat it?

(Still not quite awake) What? Oh, ok, I guess it is ok to eat it now.

Did I just get scammed? I'm a bit confused.... and for some reason I am chewing gum!!

mom of sneaky kids,
KT

quick update

2008-11-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

It has been forever, I know. I have all these pictures to post and stories to write, but it is cold and rainy and everyone in my house is asleep except me so I'm going to bed. But first a few things:

Kyle tested tonight for his next belt in karate. He is now an orange/green belt and I couldn't be prouder of him. I'm not just proud because he got the belt but because he has been really dedicated to his karate and he works REALLY hard at it. It warms a moms heart to see your child really enjoying and working at an activity that you have researched and prayed about and then paid for. He is getting very strong and building muscle and although he might not be a famous baseball player or the first pick for the soccer team or pick-up basketball, I would certainly choose him to walk with me down a dark road!

Rhia is desperate to loose her first tooth. It is so loose. In fact the adult tooth is almost completely in behind it. Her cousin Aubrie lost her second tooth over the weekend when we were together and oh the sadness!! What a sweet moment I had when I found her crying in a corner and I was able to just hold her and tell her it was ok...Life can be so hard....

The kindergarten teacher at school pulled me aside this afternoon and gave me the biggest compliment. I think I will tape it to my bathroom mirror so the days when I think I'm totally failing and want to quit I can read it and keep going. She told me that all of my kids were so special and so nice to have in class. They stayed focused on the task at hand, were obedient, and a joy to be in class. Although she hasn't had Teagan yet in her class, she has taught all 3 of my other kids and what a joy to hear those words. My children are well behaved and obedient and focused. She said Iain is a great student and she can always count on him doing exactly what he is supposed to do and setting a good example. So Mrs. P. if you read this, THANK YOU THANK YOU for encouraging me today with your words. Raising children is a thankless job and often the job review comes in the form of negative comments from the kids themselves. What a blessing to know some of what I am teaching them and working so hard to instill in them is indeed getting in there!! Praise God!

And Teags...oh I just love that kid. She rocks....

Happy Mom,
KT

Uh...HELP

2008-11-12T18:48:00.002-05:00

so this evening when I asked my kids to move all their stuff off the kitchen table, the response I got, was this: well that binder in not actually mine; it is God's.

How exactly does one respond to that without either laughing or totally flipping out?

Thankfully, Daddy was here and responded because I just stood there and looked like a fool!!

Crazy kids,
KT

take your parent to karate night

2008-11-11T20:13:00.002-05:00

Yup, that pretty much sums is up. If you've read my blog in the past you can probably just stop now because you can guess how the night went down. However, if you need a good laugh or aren't familiar with my family read on....

I arrived at the karate studio right at 6:15 with 4 kids. A class of 9 students was getting ready and Master Kloss was trying to convince parents to join the class. 2 other brave parents were ready to go, a mom and a dad. Ok, I thought, I can handle this. I'm not the only parent, this won't be so bad.

So we greet each other and come to attention and say stuff in Korean (which Kyle understands) and then do jumping jacks...Bonus...I can do those. We move on to pushups. I can pretend to do those. But hey, if you've seen my son do pushups, mine don't look too bad. A brief moment of rest and the parents exchange quick hello's. (Grrr...the Dad over there takes karate but is on break for an injury...he doesn't count) The Mom is nice and I'm glad she is there. Moving on to some sort of blocking. Ok, cross your arms and then block, wait how do I hold my hands? Bend your knees, face front, thumbs up, no down...."MOM! HOLD YOUR HANDS RIGHT".
(At this point I am really wishing that I could crawl in a hole a die. Why is the mom next to me getting this so quickly?)

Ok, now the fun part. The kids have these blocking and whacking things and we get to kick and punch and block each other. This will be fun. Punch, BONK, hey, why did you bonk me on the head? Kyle is laughing hysterically and continues to bonk me as I attempt to punch the proper way. This scene continued for several minutes as we took turns doing different blocks and punches. I tried to beat up on Kyle, but he is good at punching and blocking so I didn't succeed.

Now kicking...I hold this blocker with my arm and let you kick me? What if you miss and punch my face? OUCH he kicks hard...be strong Katie...be strong. (What is mom doing over there? Man she is good.) Who is this new dude coming to class? Oh another blackbelt...great he is trading places with mom...now I am truly the only one out here who is clueless...
MOMMY....Teagan get off the floor go read your books....Where is Iain? Oh, there he goes running to the bathroom....Why did I sign up for this?

More stretching and jumping and kicking and finally class is over. I survived. At least for the first part of class I wasn't the only crazy clueless parent out there...I think Kyle had too much fun beating up on me!

As I rounded up my kids and said goodbye to the instructor he smiled and said, "Thanks for playing" Hmmm....I said goodbye to the nice mom who had been my clueless partner and as we talked she shared with me the fact that before children she studied karate for years and was one step below a black belt. NOW YOU TELL ME.....No wonder all those other parents just sat in the chairs watching....

Alright kids let's go..I've lost my dignity here and it is time to leave...
I think the fact that I was the only clueless parent willing to join my child during take your parent to karate night earns me some points toward mother of the year, don't you?

crazy, clueless, mom who loves her son,
KT
KT

one rolled over and they all fell out

2008-11-11T08:11:00.003-05:00

So let me state at the outset that NO one actually fell out.

However, the song would not get out of my head. You know the song, ..."and the little one said, Roll over, I'm squished, so they all rolled over and one fell out..." last night at 3:30 my 3 youngest kids and I had a little party in Mommy's bedroom. We all took turns using the bathroom and then tried to get comfy in Mommy's big bed. Only problem was there were 3 kids and 1 dog and only 1 Mommy. I posed this dilema to the kids and Teagan in her half-awake state offered a solution, "I know Mommy, I can just sleep on top of you!" Lovely...just lovely....
I somehow managed to bribe Iain to sleep on the outside with the promise of switching him with Teagan at some point. Once we were all settled and ready to fall back asleep Fionna took Teagan's advice and crawled on top of me.

I went to sleep hoping no one moved or woke up again and when the alarm went off a few hours later the only change was that the kids were squishing me!!

I know, I know, I could get rid of this situation by removing them from the bed...but I'm just not ready to give up my snuggly kids in the middle of the night. Besides it usually ends up being just 1 kid a night. However, if we continue to have 3:30 am parties I might have to put a stop to this snugglefest!!

Tired Mama,
KT

so happy and so sad

2008-11-09T19:53:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that my little nephew Kaden is 1 year old today.
A year ago I held his little body just minutes after he was born. That night my sister Amy and I painted his nursery to surprise Erin for her birthday on the 13th. What a great day!! I was so happy that day to meet him and see my sister with her precious baby boy.

A YEAR?? How did that happen. My own kids birthday's seem to come quickly but somehow this birthday came REALLY fast. I'm so sad I can't be with him today. Happy Birthday Kaden. Aunt Katie loves you SO much and can't wait to give you a BIG birthday hug!!

kt

NEW TABLE

2008-11-08T22:43:00.003-05:00

7 years ago we moved into our house. In addition to the house we also purchased the refrigerator, the kitchen table, and the Ford Winstar van from the owners. While the van and the frig were new, the table was not.
We used the table.
we really used the table.
I have 4 kids who really used the table.
I sanded and painted the table.
I cleaned the table.
The table is dead.

This evening my brother-in-law David and his wife Kathie delivered a new table to our door. My Mom and my sister Amy generously gifted me with this gorgeous table 6 chairs.
I can't tell you how excited I am and how blessed I am.

Dave was here so Dave did what Dave does....Tighten and attach and fix things. I love how Dave always seems to be here when I need a fix it guy! dave you rock...

Flip that table boys, but don't scratch or drop it!!

Ok, baby, you and me how is going to win???

From hand wrestling to 3 hand wrestling...Katie loses.

Oh yeah, we're gonna love our new table..

Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas to me!!!

Pics from Halloween

2008-11-01T22:29:00.003-04:00

READY FOR TRICK OR TREATING

Standing beside a scary ghost BOO!!!

Kaden the Lion

Teagan the Baby Princess Bride

SIR IAIN, the KNIGHT

Aubrie, the Princess Bride

Rhiannon, the Renaissance Girl

Kyle, the SPY

ALL TUCKERED OUT Whew that was exhausting.

The Martin family colleced 8 pounds 2 ounces of candy!!

That just simply is not right.

washing with soap

2008-10-29T16:38:00.002-04:00

YOUR MOUTH that is...

You see after school today my kids heard another kids say, Oh Cr*%. As this child is not mine, I explained to him that we don't say that word in our house and he made him sit quietly till his ride came.

My kids thought this whole scene was entertaining. Iain tried to take the word and make a new word with it. Teagan just kept saying it over and over. I carefully explained to them that we do not and WILL NOT say that word and if I heard it ever again from either of them they would get their mouth washed with soap.

Teagan looked at me like I was crazy. I suggested she go and ask her older brother about this experience which happened but once to him, but she just smiled at me and said, "Oh C&$P". My jaw dropped open and I just looked at her in disbelief.

Anybody still use soap bars? We don't. What in the world do you use to wash a mouth? Hmmm....motherhood is all about thinking on your feet. Let's see what is at the kitchen sink. Anti bac...no that can't be good. Dish Detergent with bleach, no that isn't good either.
ARBONNE...pure, safe, and beneficial. Who cares that it is shampoo, it is pure safe and beneficial. And no child has ever died from getting a bit of shampoo in their mouth.

So I put a little on my finger add some water, make her stick out her tongue and apply a little bit of pure, safe and beneficial to her tongue. Let me tell you, friends and family, that tongue is clean! It has been purified, it was safe and definately beneficial. At least until the next new word is discovered.

If you have never done this with your child, you have never seen what follows this procedure, but it is quite funny actually. They cry, and then it bubbles, then they spit and want a drink, but that makes it bubble more. It is quite effective. It just takes time to go away and they remember washing with soap!!!

I'm a mean and nasty mom......but I hear some moms use tabasco sauce...yikes, never tried that.

KT

misc...

2008-10-28T20:54:00.002-04:00

Kids are funny...

Mommy - Teagan, why did you run when I told you not to?
Teagan - Because I wanted to Mommy.

alrighty then...

Kyle - Mom, did you know that the Dictionary has BAD words in it?
Mom - Like what Kyle?
Kyle -Naked, Nude, Buttocks
Mom - when were you looking these words up?
Kyle - we were finished with our spelling words so I was reading the dictionary...
Mom - great....

Mommy - Rhia hurry up, you are in a parking lot...
Rhia - continues walking slowly...
Mommy - RHIA hurry up.
Rhia - Mommy, I'm coming, I'm thinking very hard about what to bring for show and tell.
Mommy - RHIA that is in 3 DAYS!!! Hurry up.
Rhia - Mommy, it is important that I think about this and am prepared.
Mommy - right...let's think in the car ok!!!

Iain - Mommy, I know what I'm brining for show and tell this week. CARROTS because I love carrots and want to eat them every day.
Mommy - that is great Iain. But what is your phonogram of the week?
Iain - K so carrots is perfect.
Mommy - hmmm....well...

For those of you who are very proper just stop reading at this point....................

In our family we laugh at "toots". We try to blame them on each other or the dog.
The boys, with the exception of my very proper husband, find this hilarious.
This evening someone tooted, I'll remain nameless, I mean....
anyway, the boys decided to get up close and personal in order to find the buttocks (BAD WORD) that produced the toot..

BOYS ARE GROSS!!!

momofkrit,
kt

new invention

2008-10-26T22:30:00.002-04:00

I'm going to invent a new machine. It will sell to every home in the United States.
Here is how it works:
You have a piece of dirty clothing that you place in a laundry shoot. It goes through the shoot and it automatically deposits into the appropriate color basket. Once the basket reaches the full level the basket is automatically emptied into the washer and the washer starts on the appropriate cycle. After the clean laundry is transfered to the dryer and dry it is then automatically folded and placed in a clean basket. The clean folded laundry is then put away in the appropriate drawers.

How much do you think that cost? WHAT? You say it is free?

Oh right, it is free, and it already exists. It is called a MOM!

sigh...
kt

Go....

2008-10-26T02:57:00.002-04:00

Phillies!!! Although I fell asleep at 1:15 and missed the end, I woke at 2:45 to check the news.
since when did I become a sports fan???

see them sleeping

2008-10-21T21:06:00.003-04:00

I overheard this today and loved it. So I will now take it and claim it.

People often tell me how sweet or cute my kids are. I often have teachers or staff or trainers or coaches or parents or strangers tell me something nice about my kids. It is so great to hear these wonderful positive comments since as the mother I see all the other bad stuff too!! I am learning to thank people for their compliments and use the opportunity to encourage my children. Too often I am catching them doing something wrong and I forget to "catch them being good".

Today I overheard a mom say, "My children are so sweet and you should see them when they are sleeping!" Even if you've had a terrible day, if you creep into their room at night you can't help but be filled with love for that precious child.

You know, this is how Jesus sees his children! He rejoices over us with singing and He quiets us with His love. So tonight as I "see them sleeping" I will be thinking of what a blessing my children are and also thinking of the great love my Father has poured out on Me allowing me to be called a Daughter of God.

kt

thanks and you owe a quarter

2008-10-18T10:56:00.003-04:00

I really enjoy my job. I don't really have a specific job description except to help my boss however I can. This works for me and I like the freedom I have to give ideas and use my gifts.

This week we had about 80 thank you notes to send. These were already later than we had wanted as I had been sick and unable to get all the addresses last weekend. So, on Monday of last week I volunteered to take all these notes home, hand address them, label them, stamp them and mail them. Monday night and all day Tuesday I worked to complete this project. By Wednesday they were all in the mail system.

Friday, there was a returned envelope on my desk. Hmmm....I thought, I must have put the wrong address on this... Wait, that says postage due... What? OH NO!!!!!!!!

You see I had 2 rolls of stamps in my drawer...I grabbed one and used it. Never looked at it. Didn't remember one of my rolls was a roll of 17 cent stamps.

So yes, I sent 80 thank you notes to grandparents of our students thanking them for coming to grandparent's day and yes, I put insufficient postage on every single one of them. So...they will either be returned, or worse, delivered to an unsuspecting grandparent who has to pay a quarter in order to be thanked.

Although we work on a smaller budget and we are responsible for fundraising, let me assure you this was neither an attempt to save money or raise money!!! :-)

Oh how embarrasing....

kt

missing you

2008-10-16T05:38:00.002-04:00

A more personal blog this morning, but hey, it's my blog I can write what I want, right? :-)

I miss my niece and nephews! My niece is in kindergarten and very busy in gymnastics and I miss her imagination and story telling. Her brother is almost 1 year old! He is starting to talk and I just want to hold him. My other nephew is crawling and standing and I so want to see his great smile and the twinkle in his eye.

I miss my sisters. We really need a sister weekend.

I miss my mom. She is working a lot this fall and I'm so proud of her. But I miss her.

Hugs and Kisses through the cyber world dear loved ones!
KT

the beauty of dogs

2008-10-15T08:07:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon while experiencing a summer day in fall I left the front windows open while we went to karate. I wasn't thinking about Fiona's friend Jasper across the street...

We came home and found Fiona outside. Inside we discovered a screen with 2 holes. I guess she wanted to play.

Why are there 2 holes?

One to get out and one to get in???

"who me"

Dogs are great. Man's best friend.

Ever wonder why man's best friend eats the trash, likes to roll in poop, eats your crockpot dinner, eats your neighbor's chicken and pancakes, and makes holes in your screens?

confused dog owner,
KT

red spices can be tricky

2008-10-14T16:39:00.003-04:00

This morning my father-in-law drove my children to school. Every Tuesday he drives them and my mother-in-law makes them breakfast for the car ride. (so sweet!) Anyway, apparently my kids got to school a bit late today even though they left on time. The reason?

The cinnamon sugar container was apparently switched with Old Bay Seasoning! OOPS...So they made a stop to get a new bagel.

I think that is the best excuse I've ever heard of for being a few minutes late for school! :-)

I sent the above e-mail to the kids teachers and this response came from Rhia's teacher:

wow, the old "we swithched the cinnamon with the old bay" excuse again..... third time this week!

I love her sense of humor.

overheard

2008-10-14T07:44:00.002-04:00

* While driving home from school Rhia was in the back between 2 five year old boys. They were goofing off and eventually starting blowing kisses around the car. Then the 1 boy said, "let's kiss Rhia!" Iain responded with disgust "NO WAY". Rhia, with her fists to her chest, responded by saying "IF YOU DO I'LL PUNCH YOU!" you go girl...

* Last night at dinner Rhia announced that she needed to get to bed early because she is student of the day and needs to write the date on the board. "I don't want to fall asleep while I'm writing the date!"

* Early this morning Rhia asked "did the Philips win the baseball game?" :-)

* "Daddy you are awesome!" Teagan this morning- making her daddy's day.

Lessons learned:
My Little girls need lots of sleep, think their Daddy is the only man in the world, and are happy that Iain's baseball team won regardless of their name.

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
KT

up for qualification

2008-10-13T08:27:00.002-04:00

This morning I fixed the ducks. You can sort of see here the fading ducks on our wall and my new addition. Of course I don't have yellow paint and although I have the duck stencil which my sister made me keep in case I had any more children, I'm not a great artist so I improvised.

I used my publisher feature made a duck to attach to the wall. Isn't she cute!!

TEAGS WAS VERY HAPPY!!!!

So she wouldn't feel slighted, I also made a little spot for Fiona our pet. Iain likes to call her fifi.

You may now send in my nomination for mother of the year. Oh wait, nope, hold off on that, Teags already made her lunch this morning. Maybe tomorrow....:-)

momofkrit,
KT

NOT mother of the year

2008-10-12T21:25:00.002-04:00

It's true that I work for a great mom who was Mother of the Year in 1995 I think.

I, on the other hand, do not qualify. Did I make dinner? Yes. Did I do laundry? Yes. Did I play games? Yes. Did I give love when she hurt herself? Yes.

So what makes me NOT mother of the year? I didn't make a Teagan duck.

You may be wondering why that is a big deal. Well you see, in our kids bathroom we have ducks stenciled on the wall and 5 ducks are personalized and named. Daddy has a tophat. Mommy has a bow. Kyle has sunglasses. Rhia has two bows. Iain has a cool baseball cap. There is no duck for Teagan. There isn't even a duck anywhere close by that could count.

I didn't worry about this when she was first born. She couldn't read and didn't know. I didn't even worry about this when she turned 2 because she wasn't talking yet.

However, this evening after she brushed her teeth I saw her looking at the ducks saying, Daddy, Mommy, Kyle, Rhia, Iain, hmmm....
she didn't say anything. she just looked sad.

Tomorrow I'll be stenciling a duck. A BIG duck with a tiara!!

not mother of the year, but mother to my kiddo's, poor things,
kt

This pretty much sums up the life of the 4th child.

When Kyle went to kindergarten I sent him a personal note every day in his lunchbox.
When Rhia went to kindergarten I sent her a personal note at least once a week in her lunchbox.
Iain is in kindergarten and I am following a once a month note in his lunchbox.
Teagan goes to school with me every day and she packs her own lunchbox. :-)

eagles v. wolfs

2008-10-09T08:10:00.002-04:00

Today is our last day of soccer. At the end of practice/game, there will be pizza and awards. Iain was complaining that he isn't good and no one ever tells him he is good at anything except defense. Figuring he didn't know what defense was I tried to describe it to him. He then launched into...

"Mom, I know what you are saying, it is like when the Eages are playing the....Wolfs. The Eagle comes running with the ball and the Wolf stops him. That is defense."

Ok, we've got the concept and we've got the home team. Any ideas where the Wolf Team is located?

In need of a sports parent for my son,
KT

PJ's with friends

2008-10-09T00:28:00.004-04:00

This evening I ventured out being so very tired, but looking forward to spending time with friends. I went to pick up my friend Liz who is turning 30 tomorrow, well, today, and we stopped at Starbucks for a treat and then headed to another friends house for dessert.

With 5 ladies from our couples small group last year we celebrated with Liz and even got to talk to another friend in Ohio who recently moved away and had her 4th baby boy this afternoon. CONGRATS CARRIE!!

Pumpkin cake, apple pie, cookies and more...it was so delicious. But the best part was sitting with friends in our PJ's talking about life. Yes, we really wear our Pj's, I even went in my big fluffy purple slippers!

We left at 11:30 and I'm home now at 12:30 and about to get ready for bed. What a crazy late night in the middle of the week, but what a treat to refresh and renew with sisters in the Lord.

When I came home it looked like this... guess the evening at home wasn't quite refreshing and renewing...

Do you think I should move them?

Nah....sleep well my loves.
Thanks for the fun, girls.
KT

lunch

2008-10-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

So today was an early release Wednesday. (Every other Wednesday the kids get out at 12:40.) Wanting to do something special with them, I talked to a friend and together we took 7 kids to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.
It was fun.

for them...

After claiming a table for the boys, a table for the girls, a table for the younger boys and a table for the moms we took orders and ordered food. Forgetting our manners, there were many requests such as, "where is my ketchup, I don't like that drink, I need mustard, where is my food?" Once we were settled it was better.

for them...

We still ran around like maids serving this and that and cleaning up this spill and getting more whatevers. Then came the bathroom break. One after another they came and asked to use the bathroom. Finally, one child asked if we could just take an official bathroom break from our lunch. :-)

Gathering all our trays and kids we left the restaurant saying to ourselves, "This was fun. This was fun." You see, when you take 7 kids to a fast food restaurant it will be fun. It must be fun. It has to be fun. For the kids....

Andrea and I desperately need a girls coffee night....
momofkrit,
KT

E sometimes really means E

2008-10-06T05:46:00.004-04:00

When the gas gauge says E you should really pay attention. Otherwise you might be on a special outing with your 7 year old daughter and run out of gas.

You should also not lose your own keys so that when calling your husband for help he is stuck because you have his keys.

Calling a neighbor to borrow a car is a great idea, assuming their car is reliable and won't get stuck behind your car, unable to start.

Happy to have made it home last night,
KT and Rhia

pancake

2008-10-06T05:43:00.002-04:00

Yesterday after church we let our dog outside.
she returned a few minutes later.
With a fresh half eaten pancake.

We didn't have pancakes for lunch.
We didn't have pancakes for breakfast.
We didn't even have pancakes for dinner the night before.

My apologies to the neighbor who lost their pancake. I can only hope it was either on their deck on in their outside trashcan. Yikes....

Not claiming my dog,
KT

E for Effort

2008-10-04T23:30:00.002-04:00

My husband is great. He really is. I have a shirt that I like to wear which says, MY HUSBAND ROCKS. I love telling the world how great he is.

Ok, so all perfection has a flaw... that would be my cooking. Or at least that is what I am told. This evening my hubby told me he had the best meal of his week at lunchtime today. He was tailgating at a football party!! How good could it be?

What does that say about my cooking? Not much. Questioning my hubby as to what that says about my cooking his response was...well...fast forward to where he politely told me that I get an E for EFFORT.

We have already established that I don't like cleaning.
I'm not good at cooking.
Laundry is my Nemesis.

hmm...good thing I found a day job cause being a housewife doesn't sound like it fits me very well!!

momofkrit and woj,
KT :-)

finder - giver

2008-10-04T10:46:00.003-04:00

So what is it about being a mom that allows you to have this amazing ability to find things?

Mom, where are my sneakers?
Uh...check under your sister's bed.
Yup, thanks mom!

Mom, where is my DS?
Uh, look in my computer bag.
Yup, thanks mom!

Mom, have you seen my ballet shoes?
Yeah, try your shoe bin.
Yup, thanks mom!

Honey, have you seen my keys?
Try the table beside the couch.
Great, thanks.

Mom, where is my mine?
Teags, try the toy room.
Yeah, thanks mom.

Mom, where is my Latin book?
Try the car.
Yup, thanks mom.

Where are my pokemon cards?
Uh..that's easy, look on the floor in your room.
Oh, yeah, thanks mom.

It is a great joy and pleasure to have the "mom-sense" and ability to be the finder and giver in my family. I love being able to find things and give my family joy.

momofkrit and woj,
KT

Best Friends

2008-10-03T07:58:00.007-04:00

So last Saturday my little, big 9 year old had a joint party with his best friend, Trevor. We had a BLAST!

The theme of the party was a Spy Training Camp. When the boys arrived, they were identified, presented with a kit of supplies, a uniform and an "agent-in-training" button which was used to enter and exit rooms throught the camp.

Once all the boys had arrived, we ate pizza and then got on with the fun

This cake, was the beginning of fun. You see it looked like a cake, it even smelled like a cake. We lit the candles, sang happy birthday, and when we cut into the cake..........................

IT WAS STYRAFOAM!!!!

You see, someone had stolen the cake!! But inside the cake was a letter requesting the agents-in -training call British Spy Headquarters in London. After talking with our spy contact the boys received a coded message and part of a code translation and then they were left to find the missing dessert.

The coded notes took awhile to decode, but the agents-in-training caught on enjoyed running out in the rain in search of the next clue. At one point the boys were instructed to take 25 paces West and look up.....

This one took a long time as the clue was hidden under Mr. Baines hat! :-) Yes, we parents actually took great delight in watching the boys trying to figure this one out. It is true.

The girls at the party actually knew where the clue was and Rhia enjoyed "being in the know" but pretending to be a spy anyway.

After running around in the rain and solving more clues the boys were finally directed to the missile training room i.e. the pinata painted to look like a bomb. When the candy finally fell so did the last clue directing the agents to call headquarters to receive their final clue. At last the boys looked in the big box which gets very hot in the kitchen and they found the REAL DESSERT. They were then congratulated, presented with new buttons and allowed to eat the dessert.

Before all the boys had even left, Commander Martin and Commander Baines collapsed on the couch. It is a touch job getting agents in training to follow directions!!

Once all our friends had left Commander and Lt. Commander Martin and Baines and their new official Spy Agents posed for a picture.

What a fun day. I hope the boys all had fun. I know I did. It is quite possible that the adults had more fun than the kids.....

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,

Lt. Commander Martin

Spy Trainer

funnies

2008-09-25T07:51:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple quick little funny scenarios in our house this week:

After 4 hands have been raised to pray for dinner, Daddy finally picks Iain. We all bow our heads, close our eyes and wait. Silence..... Iain?...... "Um, Start me out out Daddy" :-0)
Iain then thanks God for the food and good behaviour that day in school and lastly for Kyle since it is his birthday. In case God didn't know, Iain specifically mentions, "Thank you God for Kyle's birthday. He is turning 9 today!!"

Sitting in the ballet studio doing homework with Kyle...
"We have to study now, Kyle"
"Mom, I'd rather do this at home."
"Well tonight I need to make your birthday cake for the party on Saturday"
"But, Mom, I don't want a cake. I don't like cake."
"True, but the cake is important to the theme of your spy party."
"But Mom, I want the frozen apple pie in the freezer. Can't we study tonight?"

(My fault for letting the conversation continue after saying time to study now....but funny in hindsight!) How can I make an apple pie look like a magnifying glass? and if the main spy mission is to find the missing cake an apple pie just won't work. Of course he doesn't know all these details! SHHHHH don't tell him.

Once again this morning found Mommy frantically running around the house searching for something that started with a "W" for show and tell for Iain. (Someone needs to write a book with show and tell ideas!!) Finally I pull out a Noah's ark puzzle hoping to see a walrus! Yes, there is half of one! Searching, I find the matching piece and TADA, a walrus. I run into the other room saying, " I found something Iain." Carefully putting the pieces together I say, LOOK, if you hold these together you have a walrus!

Kyle looks at my puzzle pieces and says, "Hey Mom, why doesn't he just take the one piece with the whales on it?" Punk...... (Of course, the second puzzle piece has 2 beautiful whales on it.)

Daddy comes in the room and says, Why didn't you just grab a water bottle, Mommy?

I officially declare my show and tell days OVER. Sorry, Teags...ask your siblings or your Daddy. I'm done. My 9 year career of last minute show and tell discoveries has just ended.

Happy to have retired, but sure I'll be pulled out of retirement next week,
Momofkrit and woj,
KT

3285

2008-09-23T07:26:00.003-04:00

That is the number of days which God has blessed me with an incredible little boy named Kyle James Martin. September 23, 1999, is one day I'll never forget. That day marked a new and exciting chapter in my life and one that although I had dreamed of, I could not have imagined.

33 Hours is the length of time which Kyle spent trying to decide if he was ready for this new world. 33 hours is the length of time which I worked waiting to see the precious face of this new life which God had created. Oreos is the smell which I remember permeating the air. Aghast is the emotion I saw on my hubby's face when he saw the distorted face of our little boy. "I need help NOW" were the words I heard the doctor yell through the intercom after my baby was born. Fear was the look in my mother's eyes as she watched the doctor work. What is wrong with my baby??? Was the thought in my head. Seeing my baby calmly placed in my mother's arms, the thought changed to, "What is wrong with ME?"

My beautiful baby boy was born at 7:53 pm weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and 21 inches long. (Yes that is the only measurement and time I know by heart.) Aside from a few very close to the eyes bruises from forcepts, he was perfect. The distorted alien look of his face which my husband has first seen was now gone and only a very awake and very alert baby lay in my arms. He stared at the lights for several hours after birth. The fear in my mother's eyes was replaced with relief and joy. Satisfaction was written on the doctor's face as he completed a birth that he said, "Doesn't get any harder than that!" Overwhelming joy, exhaustion, relief, Praise, and anticipation filled my mind as I tried to process this new life in my arms, a birth that almost caused me to bleed out, and the responsibility that now lay on my shoulders as mother to a child.

12 Weeks was how long it took my body to recover from this birth. 12 seconds is how long it took me to bond with this little guy! You see, I had to bond, and Bond, and Bond. He NEVER slept! Never. It wasn't until Rhia was born and took naps that I even knew that babies actually slept. :-) Kyle was always awake, always alert, always intense, always charming and engaging. He went everywhere with me and together we grew into our roles as mother and son.

At 21 months, Kyle became a big brother and took the responsibilty seriously! He took great care to warn his baby sister of outlets which only "MOMMY AND DADDY" could touch. He read the book Goodnight Moon to her since he had memorized it long ago. I even trained him on how to work the VCR (Yes it is true), so he could entertain himself while I took care of the house.

At 3 and 1/2 Kyle again became a big brother and this time to another baby boy. Kyle was so proud to have a brother. He helped me so much with cleaning up and running errands (To get clothes and diapers). All the while, Kyle remained alert, awake, intense, and endearing to all he met.

During his second year of preschool, Kyle again became a big brother and took on this role with his traditional sense of responsibility and love. Loving this little sister in a special way, he began a bond with her that remains to this day.

Fast forward to today, the year 2008. My little 7 pound baby is now 9 years old. I look at him with complete amazement and love and still have overwhelming joy, exhaustion, praise and anticipation as I look at my responsibility to care for and mother this child. He is getting so old, and yet is still a baby. He is so quick and smart, and yet just a novice. He has the beautiful faith of a Child of God, but still the immaturity of youth.

I love my Kyle-bug. I love him more than words can express. He will probably never know how much he changed my life or how God used him as a miracle in my life. But that is ok. All I want for my son is to know the incredible love of God, the best love a sinful mother can offer, and to walk in the will of the Father whom he serves.

On Kyle's first day of kindergarten he walked up to a woman, who is now my boss, and said, "Hello, my name is K-Y-L-E, Kyle." He left that day waving goodbye to students and staff from grades K-12 and to this day he continues to know students and teachers alike in his school. I wait with great delight anxious to see what God has for this little boy. How will God use him? Where will He send him? What struggles will have to encounter along the way?

I don't know the future, but I know what is true today. God blessed me 9 years ago with a gift that is more than I could have asked for or imagined and as God gives me life, I will treasure that gift and love him to the best of my ability. As he grows, as he learns, as he fails and as he succeeds, I pray I will be in the background smiling and saying, that is my son, one of the 4 greatest gifts God has given to me and my husband.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY K-Y-L-E KYLE!! I love you.

Blessed to be momofkyle,
KT

Yesterday

2008-09-23T07:16:00.004-04:00

So Sunday night I went to great efforts to prepare for Monday morning. All the backpacks were ready AND in the car. The lunch boxes were packed and in the outside frig. My bags were packed AND in the car. Everyone's clothes down to belts and shoes were out and ready to go. I had even ironed my clothes and the boys shirts for the week. (If you don't know, I don't often iron!!)

Saying to my hubby right before bed that I hoped all this prep work would make our morning easier, I joked that someone would probably get sick or something because after all this is my life. I then immediatly prayed that God would spare us any sickness. He did indeed, Praise the Lord, and He also gave us a bit more sleep than expected. In spite of efforts to set 2 alarms we all overslept and my hubby woke us all up at 7:00 AM! In case you don't know, we are supposed to LEAVE at 7:00 AM. AND I had to take the kids which meant I was working all day.

In 15 minutes flat we were all dressed and in the car with all our supplies. We even made it to school in record time arriving at 7:58 am. Good thing I planned ahead! :-)

Momofkrit,
KT

guest author

2008-09-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

New York, New York

2008-09-20T06:13:00.002-04:00

So about 15 minutes ago I sent my oldest, Kyle, out the door at exactly 6:00 am to go on the biggest adventure of his life thus far. He and Aunt Helen are headed by train to visit the big city, NY.

Amazingly, he was wide awake at 5:30, dressed and ready for his big birthday trip. They are going to visit the biggest toy store in the world and have lunch. He is very excited. Everyone is excited, or at least everyone was awake with us. Yup, it's Saturday morning at 6:15 and the whole family is awake. hmmm....why can't they wake up on school mornings?

We reviewed with Kyle some of the NY safety points, like not talking to strangers, or walking away from Aunt Helen, and Kyle looked completely confused. I know he thinks we have lost our minds telling him things he already knows, but New York is much different from our little town!!

Reminding Kyle not to point or say anything out loud if he saw something strange, Kyle replied, Like a tatoo? Well, maybe, I responded not wanting to introduce anything into his still naive young mind. :-)

So now, we are all going to try to go back to bed. I originally suggested an early morning trip to Perkins for breakfast and although the idea was nixed, I fully believe that in about 2 hours after fitful noncontinuous sleep I will have wished we went with my idea.

Off to sleep...maybe,
MomofKYLE,
KT

Christmas in September

2008-09-18T19:41:00.004-04:00

Sorry If my last post sounded a bit like a Christmas insert letter!
It's been a pretty uneventful week in our house...at least funny story wise...
KT

updates and quotes

2008-09-18T19:41:00.002-04:00

Teagan - "Mom, can I have another snack?"
Teags is doing a good job adjusting to her new fall schedule of going to school every afternoon and some mornings too. She is working on charming students and staff alike and if there is food around, she is good to go. In spite of all the toys and books and activites offered to her, she would prefer to just do whatever I'm doing and be wherever I am. Sounds like a typical 4th kid!

Iain - "Mom, It's hard to be good all day at school!"
Iain is a great student and very well behaved - at school. The transition from 3 days of preschool to 5 days of all day school with a little bit of aftercare too is making Iain very tired, but he is adjusting nicely. While his classmates and teachers sing his praises at school, Mom knows he's still a 5 year old boy and what doesn't come out at school, comes out at home. :-) What a great kid.

Rhiannon - "Mom, I know what the "D" stands for in daddy's name - Aaron D. Martin."......
wait for it........."DADDY!!! :-)"
Rhia is working very hard at school and brining home great papers every day. She is quietly enjoying all the learning although she would probably tell you that school is too hard and she doesn't have enough time to play with her friends. She is also continuing her ballet education and has added tap dance this year.

Kyle - "Amo, Amas, Amat......"
Kyle can be found repeating his Latin chants every night in addition to practicing his recorder, studying for "reading writing and arithmetic", and doing his karate forms. Now an orange belt, Kyle is at the top of his beginner class and enjoying this new skill very much.

Katie - "Be quiet and sit down or I will Swack you with this spatula!" This was uttered during a pancake dinner on one of the nights Daddy was gone and Mommy was all done. If you don't know the meaning of Swack - see a former post.
I am loving my job at Tall Oaks Classical School and especially enjoy the daily adult interaction. My house suffers since I don't enjoy cleaning and I don't have much time to clean! Oh well. This afternoon I attended a Latin for Parents introductory overview of Latin so I could figure out how to help my son study. Did you know that in addition to conjugating verbs, Latin also conjugates nouns??? And that there are 5 different kinds of these conjugations - called declensions? And did you know that nouns have gender? OH my, I sure hope my kids pick this up in school, my brain hurt just from the 1 hour overview.

Aaron - "BY the way, I have a 6:00 am meeting tomorrow morning and you have to take the kids to school."
AHHH...on the day I wasn't going to go to school but work from home. Oh well. Anyway, back to Aaron. He is doing well, enjoying some upcoming changes in his law practice, working on some interesting cases, doing some latin on the side, driving kids to school in the mornings, you know, your basic great Dad!

Fiona - "Wonder where that crockpot went and I wish they would stop putting the trash behind that shut door. What is a dog supposed to eat around here?"

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
KT

Kindergarten Tales

2008-09-14T17:32:00.004-04:00

On Friday Iain's Kindergarten Class had a Tea party to celebrate letter T. The boys all wore ties and the girls wore hats and gloves and they all used fine china and drank real tea with tea cakes. It was SO cute. I was the snack mom so I got to watch the whole thing and it was adorable watching these 5 and 6 year olds behave like ladies and gentlemen.
Would you trust your china to this Dennis? He did a great job!
Iain was such a gentleman as he helped his partner get seated in her seat.

Teagan joined the party with me and although she didn't get a teacup she was delighted with her hat and teacake.

Last week was also a special week for Iain as he was the leader of the week and got to use the very sought after "pointer". He did such a good job and looks like a professor!

Blessed to be Mom of Iain the Leader and Gentleman,

conjugations and Ranch Dressing

2008-09-11T23:09:00.002-04:00

This evening at dinner our family engaged in a new kind of communication. Latin.
My husband was in a particularly good mood and was making Latin vocab words quite entertaining. The whole family was involved and we were all trying to memorize the Latin vocab words for Kyle's test tomorrow.

Now when I say whole family, I don't actually mean all of us. There was one little girl who doesn't know what the word "fatherland" means in English, much less Latin, and she was entertaining herself with her food. I happened to glance her direction and caught this sweet child drinking the ranch dressing straight out of the bottle. Yes, the bottle top was in her mouth and she was helping herself. Catching my hubby's glance, I nodded in her direction trying to hold back my laughter.

Daddy wasn't so kind. He immediately yelled, "Teagan what are you doing? What do you think you are, a dog?" Teagan removed the bottle from her mouth, smiled and said, "Woof, Woof".

I'm confidant I"ll never remember the Latin word for fatherland, but, Teagan drinking the ranch dressing? I'll take a quiz on that any day.

Blessed to be the mother of a Latin student and a ranch loving daughter,
Momofkrit and woj,
KT

Latin is great

2008-09-10T20:40:00.001-04:00

For some...
I don't get it.
I don't know how to help Kyle with it.
I'm very frustrated by it.
Why do we study a dead language anyway???
(Please don't send me the responses, I know all the answers......)

sock monster

2008-09-10T07:48:00.002-04:00

So exactly how does the sock monster work?
and WHY?

Before school started, I purchased 6 pair of socks for each child for their school uniform. I made a special drawer for their socks and reviewed the importance of putting both socks in the laundry.

so how is it that we are only in the 3rd week of school and each morning I'm scrambling for socks? It seems even when I have them laid out for the kids they disappear.

I really hate socks and I really don't understand the sock monster.

kt

bedtime prayers

2008-09-09T23:53:00.002-04:00

Imagine 4 beautiful children all in clean PJ's with clean combed hair sitting nicely on a bed listening quietly while taking turns sharing highs and lows of their day. Imagine them now bowing their heads and praying beautiful well expressed prayers before bed.

*Ok, I'm sure that scene took place somewhere tonight, but it wasn't my house.
*There were 4 beautiful children. (It's my blog and they are my kids so I'm allowed to say that.)
*They all had on PJ's of sort but nobody had clean hair and it certainly wasn't combed.
*We were all on a bed but sitting is probably not an accurate verb.
*Taking turns sharing highs and lows, yes, listening quietly to each other? Um...no...

Mommy was trying hard to listen. This was especially hard to do with Iain's feet in my face, Kyle chasing Fiona off the bed, Rhia giggling because Teagan was taking SOOO long, and Teagan declaring she had 3 highs and 3 lows! (At this point I must explain. We do this every night usually at dinnertime. But tonight Daddy was at a meeting and Mommy was anxious to get them upstairs so I decided to add this to bedtime. Teagan doesn't really get it. She shares something about her day, but the whole highs and lows is still a bit too abstract for her. HOWEVER, she will vehamently argue with you if you try to tell her that what she is describing is actually a high and not a low. AND if you interrupt her OR laugh she will INSIST on starting over.)

*Bowing heads and praying? Yes. Well expressed? Well, I truly believe that God loves to hear little children talk to him no matter how they express their words. One child was thanking God for all the expensive gifts he might receive in the future, while another was praising God that no one in her class got a tally today. A third was pleading with God to help 2 of his friends in school not get their bears down (the discipline system), and a 4th insisted she would do it on her own in spite of 3 offers to assist her. In fact with each assist, she started over! All the food we ate today has been very blessed and although there was a request for Mommy and Daddy to learn to obey "me", I trust that God knew the heart of this request.

Of course this time of praying took a few minutes and it was not without incident. Mommy even included in her prayer that Teagan would put her head on her own pillow and stop playing with Rhia's eyes and that Iain would stop touching Kyle with his feet and at one point Mommy even slapped the leg of a guilty party. (As is turns out, I slapped the wrong leg. So then I prayed for forgiveness.) Once we were finished the kids burst into laughter at the fact that I, in their words, "Whacked" the wrong kid. I didn't like that word so I tried to correct them and say "slapped" but it came out, "Swacked" which brought about an addition round of laughter.

I finally got everyone to their own rooms and settled in their own beds. What a night. I bet that Mom I mentioned at the beginning has all her laundry folded and put away, her house is dusted and organized, and she has meals planned for the next 3 weeks. Yeah, well... like I said, not my house.

Blessed to serve a God who listens to the hearts of our prayers and loves my children,
Momofkrit and Woj,
KT

GUEST AUTHOR

2008-09-08T08:35:00.001-04:00

This was written by my sister and posted on her blog after my post yesterday. Thought you all would enjoy...:-)

Clothes
I love to share Aubrie's clothes with my niece Teagan. It's so fun to see her wear the clothes that Aubrie has outgrown. Occasionally, though, Teagan manages to find an outfit or item of clothing that we have not actually given to her (yet) and she likes to hold onto it. Usually this is a result of one of our many trips to visit family and understandably things get lost along the way. Usually I don't even notice they are missing...but then my sister posts a picture of Teagan wearing the "stolen" item of clothing on her blog and now I remember...hmmmm...So THAT is where that dress went....hmmmmm.....what to do.....I know...I'll just call my sister and ask her if she could (in her free time) please wash and press the dress and overnight it back to me since she has so much free time and extra money. I mean seriously...have you read her blog? She doesn't have ANYTHING going on in her life. It would actually be kind of me to give her a little "project." You know...something to get her out of the house. I'll call her first thing in the morning. Yeah...good plan. Never planning to get the dress back but so thankful for my sister,Erin
Posted by Erin Thorne at 10:48 PM

People in my eyes

2008-09-08T08:29:00.003-04:00

Seeing the world through the eyes of a 3 year old is a wonderful experience. She frequently tells me at night time that she doesn't want to close her eyes because there are "people in my eyes".
This morning she came running down saying, "Mommy, the people in my eyes was Aubrie, my cousin, and we were playing together!"

Dreams must seems so strange when you are 3 and describing them as People in my Eyes is just brilliant.

MomofTeagan,
KT

What was I thinking?

2008-09-07T21:15:00.003-04:00

After church, my hubby wasn't feeling so well due to his cold so he headed home. However, the kids look forward to the mushroom festival all year long so.....I took all the kids by myself to the festival. Now, I realize most people don't know where our town is or care about it. However, the mushroom festival draws people from ALL OVER THE PLACE and it one of the biggest festivals across the country. since it rained yesterday the festival was a 1 day event this year. So, imagine all the people.

ALL THE PEOPLE , LOTS OF PEOPLE, MANY MANY PEOPLE, and there is me with 4 kids. No stroller. We park about 1/2 mile away, walk and search for hotdogs. Getting 2 we eat those and keep walking looking for hamburgers. No hamburgers in site. we walk back to get 2 more hotdogs. We look for ice cream, see our karate studio with spiderman, find icecream, get our picture taken by a reporter, and finally about 3 hours later make the long trek back to our car with a bag of popcorn for daddy in hand.

It was quite an event. I didn't see anyone, I was too busy looking down counting heads.

What was I thinking?

Crazy mom trying to make my kids happy,

momofkrit and Woj,

mushroom festival

2008-09-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

Today was the annual mushroom festival.
Our church always hold our services outside at the park during this festival and it's one of my favorite services of the year. There are so many people and I like to look around and imagine what it must have been like when Jesus talked to the thousands or when Moses preached to the people in the dessert. As I look around and see moms feeding babies, and older siblings chasing toddlers I imagine the scene would have been similar as parents tried to shh their kids and all the people were gathered together to praise God. It was an awesome service.

Miss Lindsay returns

2008-09-05T22:43:00.002-04:00

Miss Lindsay was our nanny/babysitter for several years before she moved to Texas. Recently returning to the north, she is now working in D.C. Tonight she came to visit us and the kids were THRILLED. They were so excited they didn't even change out of their uniforms. We had a great time together. We love you Miss Lindsay!!

Shhh...Teagan

2008-09-05T22:38:00.003-04:00

This morning Teagan and I had a date at Starbucks. While there we watched many people come in and out. At one point a very tall skinny lady walked in. She was wearing extremely high heels, extremely tight pants, and an extremely tight fitting-short halter top. Teagan, appaled at this sight, stood up from her seat, pointed at this lady, and yelled, "Mommy, that lady forgot her top!". Trying to smooth things over, I replied, "yes, dear but look at her pretty shoes, Time to go now...."

Blessed to be mom of a 3 year old,
KT