All For a Smartie

Today after breakfast I sent Zachary in to clean the bathroom. It takes him forty-five minutes, and I could do a better job, but if he does it every day it stinks less and he'll get better at it. Anyways, I headed upstairs with the other kids and Veronica went potty! It was so exciting and she got a smartie. The boys wanted a smartie, too, but we don'e just pass the candy out in our hosue. So Zachary offered to clean all three of the bathrooms and Quinlan stripped and remade the beds. I had the majority of our jobs done for the day and all I had to do was raid the Hallween candy! I still have the rest of the package in my pocket...I wonder what else we can get done today for a smartie?

Best Mommy Ever

This morning when I woke up, my husband looked at me and said, "You're the best mommy." Before you think Greg has suddenly grown sentimental, let me tell you about my night. Basically, I slept on a crib mattress, with an infant, in a room full of vomiting children. If you're squeamish, stop reading now! Only experienced mothers need continue!

Yesterday Quinlan fell asleep on the couch after lunch. Yup, he had a fever. Normally, I love it when my kids have a fever- it brings their energy levels down to within range of most other kids. :) After dinner they all started complaining about stomach aches. I thought they were just trying to get out of working. I even found Zachary in his bed instead of cleaning up the toys covering the hallway. Well, we were working, when suddenly Veronica starts vomiting. (Why is it always the two year old? They can't even pee in the potty chair, how can I expect them to vomit there?) Thankfully, she was sitting on a huge plastic road, so we were able to throw that in the tub and clean it off. Afterwards she seemed fine. Then she vomited again. This time I carried her (leaving a trail) to the bathroom (thankfully we missed Eleanor). Of course, by the time we got there, she was done! So we just decided to put everyone to bed early. You guessed it, she vomited all over her bed. So I brought her down on the couch where she vomited twice more. We decided that she and I would stay down here so I could take care of her, and Greg could get some sleep. When he went in to check on the boys, Greg discovered that Zachary had vomited all over himself. Several times, apparently. So the activity level in our house around eleven last night, was pretty intense as we showered Zachary, stripped his bed, started laundry, and moved Veronica upstairs. We pulled the crib mattress on to the floor in their room, and that's where I "slept." Veronica vomited a few more times, Zachary vomited again. To complicate all of this, Eleanor woke up at midnight, and Greg brought her in to me. She then proceeded to wake up every two hours all night long. I think I was up ten times, not counting the times I didn't get out of bed- I just heard kids moving around and got nervous it was going to start again. Everyone woke up a little before seven, and the kids have had diarrhea today. You know what your night was like when you're thinking of diarrhea as an "improvement!"

So, if I didn't earn the "best mommy ever" award last night, I don't think I even want to know what I have to do to get it!

Knights in Plastic Armor

We had a great time getting costumes ready for Halloween this year. Zachary and Quinlan were knights. I cut out shields out of foam board and the boys decorated them. Greg made some awesome swords that we spray painted- they look pretty real! We purchased helmets and breastplates from the dollar store. Some towels for capes and they were ready! Veronica was the princess they were to protect. She kept taking her tiara off, but was still pretty cute.

We took the kids to some friends for dinner. We visited a few of their neighbors then made our annual trek to the Ambassador, a nursing home not too far away. The residents love seeing the kids all dressed up. There are several people we've come to recognize from years past and it's good that the experience isn't just about the candy.

The next day we had a medieval feast! What a project that was! Zachary made most of the mincemeat pie. Quinlan didn't like cutting the meat because it was too yucky, and he didn't like stirring the fruit because it was too hot. So he watched. :) Zachary had a great time running the food processor and helping with every dish that we ate. There was a lot of food and it was all actually pretty good. We won't be doing this every year, but it was fun to have something different.

If you want to see more fall pictures, check out picasa. http://picasaweb.google.com/nette6132 I've put some photos up there and hope to keep that pretty well updated.

Rolling

Today Eleanor made progress towards mobility. She rolled from her back to her tummy! She's been able to flip off her tummy for a couple weeks, so I guess this means that rolling around the living room is coming soon. With my first baby, this was a celebratory moment. Today, I found myself near tears. It's so great to be able to put a kid down and know that's where they'll be staying! Even as wiggly as Eleanor is, she doesn't make it more than a foot from where I've set her. After rolling, will come the dreaded scooting- and all those dirty clothes that show the world I don't vacuum enough! Then she'll start crawling, walking, and running. Pretty soon she'll learn how to read and write and balance a checkbook. I'll be putting her in high school and Greg will be teaching her how to drive. We'll pack her off for college where she'll probably meet the man she'll marry. Before you know it, I'll have grandkids! And it all started today...when she rolled from her back to her tummy.