A Sample of My Life:

A miserable night of sleep for Mom & Dad leave Morgan on the "it List"....as in, "This is IT! I've had it." (It is also synonymous with the 'other' list that may come to some of your minds.) I do think it was the straw that broke the camel's back - finally! It was one of those nights where you were awake more than asleep. So Morgan is being sentenced to sleeping all night in his own bed. Hopefully after a handful of nights of temper tantrums he'll succumb to growing up & will realize his nights in Mom & Dad's bed have come to an end. Wish him luck, it'll be a rough week for the guy....and I think it'll be pretty hard for Morgan too.

Brian is sitting at the table while Tristen, Bryson & Halle work on their homework and I hear hearty laughter and jokes about uni-brows. Hal's in particular...poor girl. She is still wishing very hard for a sister, as Keely can attest to.

Speaking of Keel, last week her & Uncle Brian were here for a visit which was really enjoyable. We had a fun time - lots of laughs. They got in late Friday night and we sat at the table and chit-chatted for a while before turning in. Saturday morning they went with the kids to Jui Jitsu, and we hung out in the afternoon, playing games. Sunday was a nice day and we decided to go on a hike. Keely & Brian watched the chaos of seven people around them scurrying around to do the work entailed to get five kids ready for a hike. I mean it seems simple enough, but just imagine:

"Caden, get your shoes on." "Hats! You guys need hats." "I don't want to wear a hat." "Do you guys have your water bottles?" "Where's the Ergo carrier for Morgan." "Mom, will you tie my boots?" "Caden, get your shoes on." "Why do I have to wear a hat." "Get a sweatshirt for Morgan." "But Mom it's not that cold out." "CADEN! Get your shoes on!" "Amber, Amber! Where's Mom?" as I'm upstairs getting hats. "Go to the bathroom." "Tristen's not wearing a hat." It's a small sample, but ugh...it's tiring just typing it...I can't imagine having to be an innocent bystander on the sidelines witnessing this craziness.

Keely did lots of dishes (Brian helped) and they got to see how big the kids have gotten...all except Morgan who will be three in about 4 weeks but is still wearing 18 month pants and 24 month tops. She laughed hard at Caden & Morgan's obnoxious, rowdy behavior. The way they nit-pick and pester each other constantly and the unique dynamics of their relationship... perhaps on some level it was so familiar to her. That sort of bond where you are wound so tight nothing is uncalled for, there's no "out of bounds"...(think Keely, Chandra, Sam here....) The type of bond where once one them started laughing there was nothing you could do to stop it...the sick, twisted sense of humor was just ALWAYS there! The laughing so hard the potato soup comes right back up...right back in the soup bowl. Some things are just the way are - not to be messed with or questioned because who but the wisest of men would ever know the true answer. So I usually watch from a distance with a puzzled look on my face and shake my head because I tire of yelling and I'm exasperated.

WEDNESDAY

So Wednesday was a sort of a quiet yet typical day. The kids were being really good and all the sudden around 2 pm the electricity goes out. I'm so annoyed. The last time this happened (which was for no apparent reason, the electrical surge blew 2 of our thermostats) and during a wicked storm last summer some lighting knocked out a compressor on one of our A/C units. So I call my friend (who happens to be a neighbor) to see if their electricity is out. Interestingly enough it is not. You know how you have that nagging feeling that goes from psst... to "HELLO!" I find myself scrambling out to my desk. Low and behold...there on top on my photo printer is my electric bill. Check written, postage on envelope...all ready to be mailed. I wonder to myself how the heck this never made it out with all the other bills that I had paid several weeks ago...and I remember. There was a coloring contest. I was waiting for Bryson to finish coloring the picture. So I grab my checkbook and a new bill that had come the day before and I suck it up. Talk about embarrassing. I mean good grief! So I drive there and walk in to pay my bill. Hand her a sealed, stamped envelope that contains the already paid, but never sent bill. She smiled sympathetically and said, "I'm so sorry!" It was my own darn fault. They were very nice and with in a couple of hours our electricity was restored. Lesson learned.

THURSDAY

Decide to run to TARGET for a few groceries and misc. items. Give Tristen, Bryson and Halle instructions on what to read while I'm gone and take Caden & Morgan with me, under the delusion it'll be an easy trip because I only have two kids instead of five. Chandra found this particularly fascinating and wondered why I thought having even two would make a trip easy..."especially those two?" she wondered aloud over the other end of my cell phone as I expressed my careless thoughts with her. I hang up and continue to push the cart. I watch them. Morgan has a Buzz Lightyear, Caden has a Buzz, and Woody is dangling upside down by the spurs of his cowboy boots. I hear "AHHH!!" and swooshing sounds as Buzz flies through the air along with the sound effects of punches being thrown, filled in with laughs and giggles and Morgan's "Buzz!" "Woody!" It's not that they're being bad so much that they are lost in their world of make believe and are oblivious to that fact we are in public and there are people all around us. Then Morgan's decides to announce, "I farrted. Mom I farrted." A lady just a few feet away politely pretends she doesn't hear. "Just say excuse me Morgan." "Scuse me Mom." We finally finish and head to the check out. They both have tired of playing with Buzz & Woody by the time we entered the check out lane. This leaves them to tease and taunt each other. Caden was very helpful and loaded everything he could onto the checkout belt but when that task was complete he joined Morgan in horseplay. We're almost done and most of our purchases are loaded in the cart when likely half the store hears something between a squeal and a yell. Of course it's my kids - I look down at the end of the lane to see Caden standing there squirming with one of his fingers clenched in Morgan's teeth. I rush down. Caden is panting and Morgan is laughing. Caden has wicked purple teeth marks on his finger and he's gasping for little breaths. My scolding runs off Morgan's back as he sits there and grins. It's like he know's I can't spank him in public or something. I go back to pay after telling Caden to keep all finger's away from Morgan's teeth. Yes, this is another strange game these two play. Caden likes to see how close he can get his finger's to Morgan's mouth without getting bit. Don't ask...I don't know...I'm only their mother and I rarely see any of my DNA in either of them. So as I pay the nice girl behind the counter I hear Caden's laughter and look down to see Morgan's little body laying out in the front of the cart like someone basking in a hammock. I'm so glad that we are finished. By time we reach the parking lot both boys are laughing hysterically and I don't even know why. But it's funny, and I laugh.