Archives for 2008

*update: I have literally searched the internet until my eyes hurt and haven’t even found anything similar to lovey. Tia is doing alright, bless her heart, but she doesn’t understand. She keeps asking for lovey and can’t seem to understand that he’s lost. When we took LEe to the airport tonight, I asked Tia and Sloan if they wanted to go. Tia ran and got her shoes and came up to me grinning and asked (in Tia speech) if we were going to get lovey. Her little face was so expectant. I think she thought we were going to retrieve him and it broke my heart all over again. I have some women named Rosemary looking for me. She actually makes a living searching for lost loveys! Crazy. I called the hotel again about 20 minutes ago and got someone else who put me on hold to go check and see if anything had been found. Right afterward my phone disconnected and I haven’t been able to get through since. AAAAAGGHH! So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get through soon and she’ll magincally say she found him! No such luck – they do not have him but there is still the possibility that he got tangled up in the bedding. It will be a couple more days before they get all the linenes sorted out and washed so a tiny flicker of hope is alive. Hope with me, will you?

We went to SeaWorld this weekend. I’ll share more pictures later, but right now I’m so heartbroken I have to post this as a way to grieve. Tia got a little purple and white lovey bear when she was born and fell in love with it and since she was a little, little baby has carried it everywhere she goes. Lovey bear was a part of her and part of our life as I was CONSTANTLY looking for him. When she got hurt, she wanted lovey bear. When she was tired, she needed lovey bear. Lovey bear was her comfort. And as much as it annoyed me to have to search for him ten times a day, I loved lovey bear as much as her. But today, we lost our beloved lovey bear. And guess who’s struggling with it the most? MOMMY! I am just so sad, I’ve cried all afternoon. Every time I think about it or someone mentions it, my eyes well up with tears. I’m a mess! We think we left him in the hotel room in Orlando and we’ve called the hotel twice to talk with them about it. They’ve assured us that housekeeping will be on the lookout for the beloved bear but it could be a day or two, especially if he got stuck in the linens. She actually just came out of her bedroom asking for her lovey and she’s now laying in bed crying, and I’m bawling as I type this. I know that in the grand scheme of life this is not a big deal, but that little bear was a piece of her. It was a part of her babyhood and a part of who she was and I’m just so sad. I keep praying that the hotel will just call and say they found it, but I’m afraid that they won’t. I’ve spent a good hour scouring the internet for another one, but it’s been so long and it’s such a random little thing that I can’t imagine ever finding another one. But, if any of you are internet savvy, it was a purple and white Animal Alley panda lovey. And if you find one, I will literally be indebted to you for life. So, there it is. Today’s trauma. Here are a couple pictures of Tia and lovey that I took last week.

My dear boy,
You are five years old today. I can’t believe it. I’ve heard the saying that the days are long but the years are short and today I really believe that. Five years ago today, I looked into your face for the first time and I knew you right away. You rushed into this world (and I mean rushed) surprising all of us with how big you were. Nine pounds, three ounces! Two days earlier the doctor told me you’d be around 7-8 pounds. You had enormous hands and long skinny feet. Your head was covered with the most beautiful white fuzz I’d ever seen. That was a special gift from God as I had secretly been hoping for a blonde baby. And you, my boy, have managed to stay big. Of course, you are no longer covered with all the adorable, squishy rolls and your cheeks are no longer fat and full, and I think you may have finally grown into those hands. No, all those things have been replaced by the body of a child. A grown up boy. Today, after lunch, daddy and I took you on a walk. You rode your new Razor scooter and we just marveled at how big you’ve gotten. Your arms are long and spindly, your back ripples with fresh little muscles, your legs are so skinny and strong. You’re a kid! How did that happen?

I love you so dearly. You are full of spunk and life. You are genuinely a funny kid. For a long time you were funny without even trying – now you are learning to be funny on purpose, which is even funnier. You are turning out to be a master mimic like me. You hear voices and you can repeat them quite well. It’s not a trick that will take you far in life, but it’ll get you a lot of laughs. You are polite and caring. You love to learn and read and hear new stories. You love it when I make up stories at night, but there are certain rules that I must always follow: the story must always revolve around a little boy, a little girl and their mommy, and it must always include some sort of talking animal. Telling you stories is an exercise in imagination for me, and memory as once I tell one you like I have to tell it over and over in minute detail. You are extremely athletic and amaze me at some of the things that you can do. Already at five you are riding a bike with no training wheels, swimming independently, climbing up poles, riding a two wheeled scooter like a maniac and scaring your poor mama half to death, and a whole host of other things. You amaze me sometimes, well all the time really.

I do confess that sometimes you are hard to parent. You challenge me in a lot of ways. I am sorely lacking in patience and some days you take mounds of patience. You are a great kid, but you are a bit too smart for your own good and sometimes I wonder if perhaps you may grow up to be a lawyer because I’ve never met someone who could argue and negotiate with abounding energy. I do not always handle things well with you and there have been many nights that I laid in bed praying that the Lord would protect your heart and mind from my failings. Despite my shortcomings, however, you are turning into such a gentleman. The other day we were in a store and you saw a young lady struggling to get out the door with a stroller. Without being asked, you walked over and opened the door for her and let her out, then told her to have a nice day. It was so grown up and I almost cried.

I pray that as you grow, you begin to have an ache in your soul for the things of God. I pray that the fire with which you approach situations is channeled into the things of the Lord. I pray that you know Him and love Him and grow up to serve Him and model Him. You are asking a lot of questions about God and Jesus and salvation these days. Your heart is ripe and I pray that your daddy and I have the wisdom and grace to answer your questions.

I love you so much, Sloan. I am so grateful that the Lord chose me to be your mom. I have enjoyed these last five years and look forward to the next five. Now that I know how fast they go, I will try harder to cling to the precious moments. You are a gift.

We took the kids out in the boat last night to watch the fireworks. This could have gone one of two ways – it could have been a wild disaster with tired kids melting down and Landon freaking out from the loud noise. It could have been hot and muggy and we could have gotten eaten by mosquitos. OR it could have been perfect, with the kids being absolutely angelic, Landon sleeping forawhile then waking up to watch the fireworks with big, curious eyes and no major melt downs. You can probably guess that the latter is what happened. The kids were spectacular, the fireworks were amazing and the night was all around wonderful. The weather was perfect, there was a nice cool breeze and not a mosquito to be found. We anchored out in the Gulf and all around us we could see fireworks bursting in the air, a kaleidescope of color. When the Clearwater show finally started, the kids were primed and ready and ooo’hd and aaa’hd the whole time. Landon was, of course, an angel baby and genuinely seemed to enjoy the show. Even though we didn’t get back until 10:30 and to bed until 11:00, they were all great. They did wake up a little before 7:00 this morning, which was not ideal, but whatever – it means I’ll get naps today. Sloan was hilarious last night. There were some people parked in a boat next to us that kept yelling and whooping and hollering. Sloan joined right in and yelled over and over, “Yeah Baby – that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” It was great. Hope everyone else had a fun day!

So I’m sitting here listening to the radio, my hair still drying after a nice hot shower to rinse the beach sand off me and the kids. We smell of soap, coconut and chlorine. Our tummy’s are filled with chocolate chip ice cream and we are sufficiently worn out. We’re having a blast. The only challenge has been figuring out sleep arrangements. We’ve got Sloan sleeping on an Aerobed on the floor because Tia moves all over the place when she sleeps and she would probably beat him to death if they shared a bed. Sloan keep waking up at 4:00 thinking it’s time to start the day – not cool. I’m exhausted, but we’re having fun – minus the sunburn. I try so hard not to burn but today was one of those overcast days where you don’t realize how much sun you’re getting. I got some cute pictures of Landon at the beach today. He enjoyed himself, and he ate a ridiculous amount of sand. I’m sure his poops will look great tomorrow. So that’s the update for now. Not that exciting considering all we’ve done is swim all day every day. As soon as I figure out how to get pictures onto this computer I’ll dowload some. G’Night!

I almost busted…
We are here after a rough travelling day. Tia had a terrible afternoon. She did not sleep well last night – she woke up crying at 1:40 for reasons unbeknownst to me, then at 4:30, Sloan came tearing into the room saying she was missing…apparently she’d fallen out of bed and went right back to sleep on the floor halfway under her little bed. So she did not have a good night’s sleep. Combine that with no nap and you get a screaming, litterally uncontrollable screaming, child for the last half hour of the flight into Tampa. Oh, and to the man sitting in front of us who kept shooting us dirty looks and shaking his head in disgust…dude, you chose to sit in front of me so back off!

Anyway, Tia also scared the bejeebers out of me in the airport when we lined up to get on the plane (we were on Southwest). I thought she was lining up behind us but when I turned around she was gone. I started frantically looking for her and could not find her anywhere. My spidey senses kicked into hyper drive as I turned around in helpless circles. Finally Sloan said he saw her up at the front of the line. I ran up there calling her name and someone told me she was boarding the plane. I tore past the lady taking tickets and ran down the gateway and found her almost on the plane! Did no one see her? Geez! She kept me on my toes today for sure.

Now everyone is asleep. I already took them swimming and sufficiently wore them out – something I plan on doing pretty much every night for the next 26 days. I’ll update with zany tales when I can! Until next time – good night!

When I was in about fourth grade, we lived in a great two story house in Hudson, Wisconsin, a small town within spitting distance of the Twin Cities. My room was situated just above the back porch overlooking a vast field and miles of forest. It was an idyllic place to grow up, full of exploration, sledding, and outdoorsy fun! Another cool thing about my room was the fact that I could climb right out my window and sit on the roof, or at least the part of the roof that hung over the porch. I did this on occasion feeling very rebelious and super cool. I’d sneak out there, sit for a minute, then hustle back inside before my mom caught me. I never asked if I could do this because I had the slightest feeling that perhaps she would not think too favorably of what I thought a marvelous idea. I had day dreams of sitting out there, reading one of my new Babysitter’s Club books, breathing in the fresh air that whipped out of the trees and into our back yard. It made me feel just like the little girl in The Secret Garden, who always had a fun and unique place to sit while reading.

Well, one day, I got real balls and decided I wanted to explore further. I don’t know where my parents were that I had such gall to give this a try, but they were apparently a safe enough distance away that all commen sense was able to flee my scrawny body and lead me into the way of stupidity – a common ailment of youth. I tentatively tiptoed down this stretch of roof, past my brother’s window and followed the roof up to the right where it got really steep and really high. My goal was to make it to the chimney and survey the land around me, then go back to my room, victorious. My plan would have been fool proof had it not been for the nest of horse flies that I stepped in on my ascent. Suddenly swarm by giant, hungry creatures, their kaleidescope eyes surveying their next meal, my brain screamed, “abort, abort!” Biting my lip to keep from calling out and bringing undo attention to myself, I made a hasty retreat, nearly sliding off the roof to a certain hospital visit. Luckily, I caught myself and managed to get back into my room in one, albeit slightly swollen from the bites of about 500 flies (okay maybe not that many…) piece. I’m not sure if my mom and dad ever heard that story so if this is the first time, uhhhh sorry I did that?

Aaaanyway, my point is that today as I was watering my plants and Sloan was supposed to be having rest time, I suddenly look over and the little Houdini is standing in the landscaping outside his window all proud and beaming. He figured out how to unlock his window, push it open, push up the screen and climb out. Thankfully, we live in a ranch so this is not that big of a deal, save for the fact that I have no doubt he will do this again, and likely at a time when we are not watching because doggonit if the kid isn’t just like me! And if we ever move into a house with second story bedrooms, you better believe there will be some kind of alarm attached to it because I know a little too much about what Sloan is thinking in that adorable little head of his. Of course, I’ve no doubt he will outsmart me at some point and that someday he will probably share a story with me of the dumb things he did as a child while I unknowingly went through my day thinking my little angel was in his room reading. What goes around comes around huh?

We’re having Sloan’s 5th birthday party today. His birthday is not for a couple of weeks still, but since we’re going to be out of town we’re throwing a party early. One thing that drives me nuts is my complete lack of ability to make a nice cake. Martha Stewart would probably melt into a puddle of bitter tears if she saw some of the dreadful concoctions I’ve made, including this one: