Blasted Bug

24 hour unmerciful stomach bug...................
5 affected people...............................................
3 long days.........................................................
8 pairs of underwear for Carson.....................
2 pairs of underwear for Kenzie......................
2 overworked toilets.........................................
1 blue throw-up bucket....................................
+ 32 hours of television...............................................
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1 happy mom that it's all over

You can see my 3 sick kids on the front couch, my little sick-hub on the back couch, and Brian had just sent a message from work saying that he was sick, too. Poor guy had to power through it at work while the rest of us watched movies all day. We didn't have enough throw-up buckets for all of us (and I'm totally opposed to letting the kids throw up in a bowl that I actually use for cooking - my brain can't get around the mental image of vomit-slop in the bowl I'm tossing a salad in), but thankfully some of us could make it to the toilet in time...and we were mostly in different stages of agony anyway, so we didn't all need it at once.

How was your week?

Dear Civic -

Dear Civic -

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said the other day. I won't deny the truth - when I flew out the door on Sunday and mentioned to Brian on my way that I was taking 'his car', I was referring to you...but I didn't mean it. Do you remember all the times I've called you 'my little green Civic'? That's how I truly feel.

I know I've been spending most of my time with the van. That must make you feel terrible - please know that I miss you too. I guess we both knew this time would come, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I remember one of the very first rides we took together...we packed all of my belongings into your brand new backseat, and you took me safely to my college dorm. Remember how scared and excited I was?! Remember how sad I was when my parents left? But you always sat right there in the parking lot for me...reliable and ready to take me home through the canyon whenever I needed. Do you think we could even count the number of times we packed you to the brim with friends and all our laundry?! And then all the road trips...St. George, Vegas, California... we had some good times that freshman year.

Oh, remember the accident? The car behind you on the freeway didn't even see that you were stopped in traffic, and he slammed right into you. After the officer left, I picked your back bumper up off the road and slid it gently into your backseat. Even though you were hurt, you still continued taking me home from California to Utah. You sure were a trooper that day.

Remember when we first met Brian? My favorite memory of you and Brian was early, early on when the three of us went to Arby's together late at night. We didn't know him very well - but you knew I liked him...and I was pretty sure I liked him, too. After ordering our food, we claimed a spot in the parking lot to eat. I turned your engine off so you wouldn't get too tired, but I appreciated the music you played while Brian and I talked. And talked. And talked. And talked. Two hours after our food was gone, we decided it was time to head back to the apartments - but you sly little devil! You pretended your battery was dead! I know, you blame me for leaving your lights and radio on for two solid hours...but we both know you could have found enough juice to start up. I know that because after we turned your lights and radio off for 30 minutes, you started up just fine...no extra help at all! You just knew our conversation was going wonderfully, and you didn't want it to end any more than I did.

You were so careful and smooth when you came to pick my brand new baby girl up from the hospital for the very first time. Wasn't she so beautiful and perfect? We tucked her snugly in the middle of your backseat and drove away. You took us on many drives with her after that day (almost every night, right!?) as we tried to drive her to sleep. That was back in the day when I could fill your tank with a $10 bill.

You've taken us across the country, seen our family grow, heard about our struggles and triumphs, never needing more than an oil change, a tune up, or a new tire (except the new bumper, once!), always reliable, always comfortable, always a beautiful, deep, sparkly green.

I still feel the same about you now as I have all these years - it's just that my needs have changed, and you just weren't built to be able to handle three carseats comfortably. I am happy with the van - I know that's important to you - but, the van will never take your spot in my heart. You're my little car, and each time I slide into your comfortable fabric drivers seat, I feel the warm fuzzies of familiarity and love.

Thank you for all the wonderful times we have had together so far.

Love,
Lindsay

PS - I'm sorry I turned your lights off when I was actually going for your wipers on Sunday.

Letting it go

"You love to eat dirt!" I tease Carson as we try to decide what to have for a mid-morning snack.
"NO!!! I DON'T like to eat duht!" he insists.
"Yummmm, yummmmm, yummmmmy! I'll go get a bunch of dirt right now for your snack!"
"NOOOOOO!" He's still smiling, but also a little concerned that this may not be a joke.

I pull down the chocolate powder to make him a cocoa-baba (chocolate milk) and say, "Here's the dirt! Hand me your cup, please, and I'll fill it up with spoonfuls of this yummy, yummy dirt."

His look is priceless...a mixture of relief and excitement.
"Dat's not duht!"
"It's not?"
"NO!!! I eat duht from under mine fingernails, though."

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One of the best pieces of advice I got in anticipation of my third baby was, "You just have to learn how to let things go."

I didn't really get it...what could be let go in my life? My children needed to eat - - - my house needed to be cleaned - - - my laundry needed to be done - - - what could be cut out? Now, 7 months into this baby #3 thing, I get it.

I have papers on my microwave that have built their own little community and have no intent on ever leaving.

There's a 2X1 foot square in the corner of my dining room that the vacuum can't reach unless I change outlets in the middle of my vacuuming...I don't think that square has been vacuumed for 7 months now. And I've all but forgotten the hose attachment...I think all the tiny scraps of paper and little dirt clumps have figured out that their safe place is anywhere they can hug a wall. The same piece of paper you noticed last time you came over will be there next time...and the next...and the next.

There's a layer of dust collecting on my mantle that is getting so high I can see it from a sitting position on my couch.

We have pancakes or quesidillas for dinner at least one night a week, and leftovers for another two.

My plants get watered when they're sagging so low their leaves brush the ground.

I can actually see the crumbs underneath the stove, and dust bunnies keep flying out from under the couches and entertainment stand.

And...my kids eat dirt out from underneath their fingernails.

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Yesterday, we had company coming in to stay the night. An old BYU friend interviewing for residencies around the country. I washed the sheets on the guest bed for him, and scrubbed the toothpaste remnants out of the bathroom sink. I picked up the bits of scattered toilet paper, put the extra stepping stools in the closet, and wiped the yellow spots off of the toilet (boys!). Just as I was turning my back on a job done well enough, I glanced at the white towels I have hanging on the towel rack. I quickly did a double-take and remembered what I had seen a few days before: a yellowish-green, crusty snot smear spanning 5 inches across the middle of the bright white towel.

Um, gross.

It was in this moment that I reached a new level of 'letting it go'. Generally, I would whip that towel into the washing machine before you could count to ten...but I didn't have time for that, and I didn't really have the energy for that either. So, I picked the towel up, turned it around, and slipped it back over the towel rack.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I only hope our guest didn't wipe his hands on that towel - he most certainly would have found the hidden crustiness.

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I've learned that life kind of prioritized itself. The things that REALLY bug me are getting done...the beds are made every day, and the rooms are tidy. There are usually no shoes in the middle of my floor, and the TV is usually closed behind the entertainment center doors. Our clothes make it into the laundry hamper and there are no toys on my kitchen floor (crumbs and sometimes giant pieces of food, yes...but no toys).

AND - I still get to play with my kids and feed them, too. :)

Happy New Year!

With these adorable cheeks in my life...


...these happy, bright eyes...


...this curly, red hair...


...these beautiful faces...


....and NO planned pregnancies to shake my hormonal balance...

2010 has the potential to be a great year!

And, as kind of a side note, I've been looking into digital scrapbooking programs (you think you have my new years resolution figured out, don't you? Well, can you blame me? All these pictures have to go somewhere!) - - - but I'm a little overwhelmed by the variety of them. Do any of you use a program that you love?

Attn: All Private Bloggers

Somehow, in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and layout changes, I lost all of my private blog links. I've been meaning to go through all of my comments to find you (don't you just love the fact that every time a comment is made, the name of the commenter is a link to their blog!), but when I started today I realized that it was going to take forever. (You really should comment more!) :) And I know I've deleted some of the actual invitations out of my e-mail...so that wouldn't help.

Fortunately, I can keep up with you through blogging but, unfortunately, it's sometimes the only way I keep up with you...and it makes me sad to think I've lost someone! So, if you've sent me an invitation to your blog (or have been meaning to), will you please leave a comment here so I can get your blog address again? I miss you all and want to know how your month has been! You don't even have to say anything in your comment...just a simple 'hey' will do!

And, if you happen to be reading this months after I actually posted it, still reply! I'll get it in my e-mail. (I've noticed that many private bloggers tend to check other blogs less frequently...so I'll be expecting you later!)

Thanks!

Zippo - The Happy Flying Elf and Christmas, too

"McKenzie, wake up! Let's go find Zippo!"

This is the sentence I've been waking up to almost every morning for the past month or so.

Meet Zippo. Our happy flying elf.

All through December, Zippo has been an important part of our family. He sits up in high places, silently taking notes of the childrens' behavior. Each night, he flies all the way to the North Pole to report to the big man himself about what he saw in the Alder household. When he returns, just before the children awake, he sits in a new place and waits for the new day.

When the kids wake up, they storm through each room in search of their new friend and, once he's found, they laugh and point, jump up and down and shout, "Good morning, Zippo!" Zippo smiles back.

I don't find it a coincidence that my kids have been exceptionally well-behaved this month. After sharing a toy or completing a chore without whining, I frequently hear, "I bet Zippo was watching!" I've been a little affected by this happy elf as well. Often, when I start reaching my temper-threshold, I see that little red hat and those bright blue eyes flash into my mind...Zippo has kind of become a symbol of a real belief I have: I am being watched and silently encouraged to make good choices!

Zippo flew back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve after everyone was asleep, and didn't return on Christmas day. We suspect he's going to take a long nap and then start making the toys for next year. We're sure he'll come back to us at the beginning of December next year to help us all remember to be on our best behavior always, even when surrounded by the comfort of our own walls, and especially to those we love the most.

Zippo's reports must have been alright, because Santa came and brought the kids some great treasures. (Yes, a mop included...)
Lest you think Santa spoiled the children...these are not all from Santa. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles spoiled the children. (Thank you!) :)

And now, for my Top Ten favorite things about Christmas this year:



#10 - Eating great food













Yes, it is a beautiful pie...but I didn't make it. In fact, I've never even attempted a pie like this. I leave that to my favorite pie-maker, Katie. :)



#9 - Making homemade popcorn and eating it out of our new popcorn buckets



#8 - Having sugar cereal on Christmas morning








Here I am, slaving away in the kitchen to prepare what we really all want for Christmas breakfast!



#7 - Having just the right amount of wrapping paper
This is seriously all we had left on Christmas Eve. After we cleaned up, we found one last present that needed to be wrapped, and Brian had to go rummaging around in the garbage can OUTSIDE to find all the scraps! I should have gotten a picture of that present after it was wrapped...it looked kind of homeless with all the different pieces taped together...



#6 - Opening presents











#5 - Watching the Nativity put on by kids



#4 - Quality time with the kids











#3 - Spending time with great friends

(I know, I know, I need to be better at taking group pictures with our friends!!!)



#2 - Staring at this handsome guy for a whole week



















#1 - Kid Cameras!!!
It has been SO FUN to watch these kids get into my obsession. :) This picture above captures my favorite moment of the Christmas season this year. (Don't worry, I'll get to telling you what the picture is...) On Christmas day, we decided to watch one of our new Disney movies (thanks to my brother Brian). We popped popcorn, brought the beanbags upstairs, turned the lights out and cuddled together with soft blankets as the kids watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time (sad, I know). Towards the end of the movie, the kids were shocked into silence when they thought the beast had been killed. They didn't move a muscle as Belle came and cried into the Beast's fur. Then, when the beast started rising from the ground, encircled by rags of clothing and magical sparks, Carson jumped up from his beanbag and shouted, "Oh! ... Oh!" He put his hands up in the air and ran out of the room as fast as he could. Puzzled, I asked after him, "Carson, where are you going?" And, from the other room, his little voice replied, "I have to get mine camwuh!" He came running back into the room holding his little camera and started snapping pictures of the television. (Yes, the photo is upside down...he won't believe us that he's holding the camera upside down, so we just let him be.) McKenzie joined in the fun seconds later, and Brian and I tried to muffle our laughs as flash after flash exploded from their cameras to capture this moment in time as the Beast turned into a prince.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful, too!

Ho Ho...Huh?

Santa: What can Santa bring for you this Christmas?
Kenzie: I would like a wallet, a mop and a camera.
Santa: Oh...*furrowed eyebrows*...well, that's an interesting list.

Santa: And what can Santa get for you?
Carson: Ummm....*palms turned up to the sky, head cocked and shoulders shurgged* ...a pwesent?
Santa: Okay. What kind of present?
Carson: Ummmm....*looking around*...like....*pointing to a shiny wrapped package next to Santa's chair*...like dat one?

My kids are easy to please this year. :)