Month at a Glance

There's been a lot of changes in the last month and not all of them the happy, lighthearted kind.  No.  I got a phone call one day.  The caller I.D. said "Town of B****, WY".  I knew right then that something was wrong.
"Is this Kelly?...there's been an accident."

It's a very weird thing to get a call from a police officer.  I immediately was a co-star in some sad movie, I could almost hear the music, setting the mood for the scene.  The officer kindly told me of my dad's death.  There's no way this is true, this must be wrong, I'll call my mom and she'll tell me it's wrong, he's just in the hospital or something.  Maybe they got the wrong person.  It was not in error that he called me.  I was not misinformed that my Daddy was dead.  I hadn't heard his voice since Mother's Day, when he wished me a happy one.  That was the last time I'd hear his cheer-filled voice.  At least on this side of Heaven.

I traveled to Colorado and the journey there is such, that I had ample time to let the news really sink in.  You know, when you are a mother, or a parent in general, your first priority is your children.  I had a couple days of getting them prepped to be without me for several days.  (As it turns out, I've figured that it takes 9 people to fill my shoes...but that's another blog entry.)  I didn't have time to really injest the news of my dad's passing.  I had too much to do.  Then, on a Thursday morning, I boarded a plane.  It hit me like a mack truck.  He was gone.  His smiling face, his kind eyes, his cheery nose, his gray hair, his flannel wearing torso, his jean-clad legs.  I would never see him on Earth again.  My heart ached terribly and I know the old man next to me on my Delta flight was wondering what on earth was going on with this young'un next to him.  Who wouldn't want the very small snack on a flight?  Not a girl who was the baby of 5 and was always a daddy's girl.  I felt like I was 6 again, sobbing about losing my blankie.

There are so many things I could share about my trip there.  But some of the moments are just too precious, too intimate and personal, to adequately share.  It was an enjoyable time in many ways.  The common denominator of sorrow bonded me to my sisters and mom in a way I didn't know possible.  It was a very special time of rememberance and joy, recalling the many wonderful and fantastic things he did for all of us.  We had a nice service for him and I think he would have been proud, except for the fact that we didn't have a whole spread of food to eat afterward, he would NOT have approved of the lack of beef or side dishes on that table!  But, other than that, he must have been proud to see his 5 girls stand and proclaim their love for him, all with the thread of the goodness of the Lord woven throughout and to see his wife, his companion for soooo many years, wear a smile on her face and garbed with love.  It was precious and I'm so glad and grateful I didn't miss it.

In the last month I've:
taken a trip
said goodbye to my Dad
sent my eldest to kindergarten
sent my 2nd off to k4
been blessed abundantly above what I asked, by both church and family, just to get me to CO.
gone on an interview and received a job offer
given notice at my current job
sold a dog
returned the uniforms for my husband's job that he got fired from
managed the monthly finances on a week's salary
cross-trained throughout Target

Some of these things are happy, but I can't help but label the month of August (and now on into September), as just a sad time.  I'm ready for this month to be over.  I'm ready to enjoy the holidays and start having some fun again.  I love my Daddy even though he's gone and I miss him.  What great hope I have, knowing that I'll see him again.  Can't imagine the thought of him just being GONE.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...don't know how people do it without the Lord.  For all of you who gave money...thank you.  For all your prayers and kindness...thank you.  For all the cards and sweet words...thank you.  For all of you that helped take care of the girls and offered to...thank you.  I don't deserve any of your sweetness, but I'm so glad you knew I needed to be there with my family and gave.  

Pretty, Pretty Princess

Did you know there's such a thing as a board game called "Pretty, Pretty Princess"?  Well, there is and Bridget got it for her birthday this last year from her friend Chelsea, (aka, Pinkalicious).  We finally got around to pulling it out and putting it all together and played it...it is SO much fun!  I even like it, I must confess!  You go around the board and land on circles with jewelry on them and you pick up whatever piece it tells you to.  It's just a fun, easy board game for the youngsters (and me) to play and we have enjoyed it!  If you have little girls, you should check it out!

How Bullseye Came To Stay

This, is Bullseye.  He's a 3 month old purebred Beagle and we love him!  Here is the story of how he came to stay...

I received a message on Facebook from a church friend, saying that she knew of a lady whose daughter   was selling a dachshund and she knew that we were sort of interested in getting a puppy at some point in the near future.  No pressure to make contact, but if so, here's the information.  They were only asking $100 for this 9 month old dachshund female and after running it by the Mr., he said to go for it.  So, I called and left a message with the husband.  Never got a call back.  I was a little frustrated, but figured I'd give him through the weekend to return my call.  Then, Sunday afternoon, I received another FB message from the mom that said, "she really needs to sell this dog, please call if you're interested."  I didn't understand, since I had tried to make contact, but whatever, I'll call again.  Called the daughter this time, left a message, she called back, etc., etc.  So, we set it up to go see the pup right after church on Sunday night.  She was very cute and Bridget and Violet loved her once they knew she couldn't possibly eat them.  Melody was not so easy...she cried if the puppy even looked her way!  We were decided and Bristol, as her owner affectionately called her, was coming to live with us the next day.  (We didn't have any of the necessary doggie items and it was 9:00 at night, or we would have snatched her up then.)  The girl even agreed to us only paying her $50, since she knew she'd be going to a loving home where she'd be happy.  Sounds like a plan, right?  Well, I heard my phone vibrate at 1:30 that next morning.  I rarely keep it by the bed, but I did this night.  It was said owner, pouring her heart out in a 3 page text, telling me she can't part with her beloved pooch.  She is pregnant and apparently her mom is the one who really wants her to sell her dog, because she's only 19 and mom doesn't think she can handle baby, puppy, and a husband.  (I agree with mom.)  Great.  I wish this text had come at 5 in the morning, because I then laid there, the rest of the night, figuring out how I was going to break this to my sweet girls, who were planning on what color doggie bed to buy the next day.  

Morning came and Bridget's first words were: "we get to get our puppy today!"  I burst into tears and she followed suit, knowing that something had happened.  I broke the news the best I could, assuring them that we'd find a more perfect doggie to bless our home.  They prayed that morning for a dog to come live with us.  They prayed at lunchtime and naptime too.  Matt had the day off, so we spent the entire naptime pouring over dog ads on the internet.  They were all just questionable, like scam-looking, or way too expensive.  The prospect of getting a dog anytime soon was looking grim, unless we wanted to get one from the shelter and  they didn't have any small dogs and those aren't always cheap, either.

In the meantime, I got a FB message from another friend who goes to our church, who felt horrible about the girls' disappointment.  She called and said that she felt so sorry for our poor little girls and that the Lord had laid it on her heart to buy us a dog, that she wasn't going to stop looking that day, until she found us a dog and brought it to us.  I immediately insisted she not do that; after all, it's just a dog and something we can definitely live without.  She insisted right back and said that if we'd let her, she was going to do this, end of story.  We felt horrible and so it was agreed on that if we gave her the $50 we were going to give for the other dog, she would pay the rest.  We still feel bad, but she wouldn't have it any other way.  Her and her mom brought us this precious Beagle right after she got off work that afternoon!  The girls were hysterical when they realized he was coming to stay and Bridget began shouting, "God answered our prayer!!"  Another couple in our church apparently raise champion-line Beagles and had a 3 month old male they just decided they were going to sell that morning!  So, when her phone call came, it was an answer to prayer all the way around.

I had to run to work just minutes after him coming to stay and so Matt spent the first moments with him and our girls.  They decided on the name "Bullseye", from Toy Story.  They love his mellow-ness and even asked me today if Beagles are just sleepy sort of dogs.  He is just precious and taught our girls, once again, the power of prayer.  What a wonderful Savior we serve.  He not only cares about souls, but cares about our seemingly unimportant desires as well.  Can't thank the precious friend enough, who brought him to us.  He has blessed our home indeed...and even Melody gives him kisses and hugs!

Randomness

It's been a busy week, so here are some random pictures, just to say hello!

Melody, playing with Daddy's shoes.

The girls decided we needed to make pink cupcakes the other day.  Not a bad idea!

My work of art for the week.  Violet, modeling the crown I made Allie for her girls' night out.

Eating chocolate fondue at the Melting Pot

Precious, sweaty little girl.

I could literally eat her.

Heading to work on the 4th.  Trying to be partriotic!

Look at the amazing rainbow on the 4th.  Breathtaking!

Waiting in the car for fireworks to start.

Silly girl!

Cheese!

Hope y'all had a fabulous 4th of July!

Look for new posts next week!

The Beauty and Blessing of Routine

We generally run our little home on schedules and always have.  We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost at the same time every day.  We follow the same pattern of getting ready for everything; dinner, bed, going to church, etc.  There are days we stray from a schedule and I'm not a schedule psycho; I know there's times we can't stick to it and my whole mental capacity doesn't implode or have a breakdown.  It's just nice to have a routine.  I know what I'm going to be doing every day at any given time, usually.  I think this does a couple things for our home:

1.  It keeps the kids happy. 

They feel secure, knowing a routine is in place and what they can expect from day to day.  It also makes those certain days extra super special when we do stray from the norm and stay out past naptime.  *eeek!*

2.  It keeps Dad happy.

He knows where I am and what I'm doing on a day to day basis.  Not that he requires that of me, it's just nice to know what the family is up to, when you aren't there with them.  He knows how our day goes and isn't left in the dark about anything.  (Well, except for all the puppies I look up on the internet!)

3.  It keeps Mom happy.

I thrive on routine.  I really do.  I like knowing what I'm doing and where I'm going.  People may think it boring, I call it calming.  Again, I'm able to roll with the punches, or just throw it all out the window for some fun, but on a day in, day out basis, this stay-at-home-by-day-work-by-night momma enjoys a schedule.  Some have made fun of our routine, especially when it comes to bedtimes for our young'uns.  But, let me just remind you that ours are the tots that go to bed at 8 in their OWN beds and stay there until morning.  They don't get up in the middle of the night, except to go potty, and they never have.  They have been on a routine since day one and they love it.  Which means Mommy loves it!

This is mainly just a testimony on scheduling and routines.  It's nothing to be scared of.  It's liberating to know when/where/what is going to happen.  I enjoy having a schedule and sticking with it.  You will too!

Puppy Talk

The girls have been talking about wanting a puppy for awhile now.  They talk about it and then they see a dog and freak out!  So, I thought maybe it was time to take them to a pet store, just to look around and warm up to man's best friend, while the pups are barricaded in a cage and not trying to jump on them.  We went to Puppies and Guppies in the Greensboro mall on Monday this last week and had sooo much fun!  The store actually has something similar to dressing rooms in the back, where you can play with a pup for a little while and get some hands on time with the pooch of your choice.  I was immediately  drawn to the Cairn Terrier in the window; she was so playful and having such a great time, so I asked if we could play with her for a bit.  The girls were excited at first and then once she started tugging on Violet's dress, none of them wanted anything to do with her.  "She's pulling on my dress, Mommy and that is NOT nice!"  I thought she was adorable, but the girls didn't agree.  Ok, we're done!  The nice store owner lady said, "I think I have a puppy that might suit your girls better."  She proceeded to bring in a dachshund, better known as a weiner dog.  Immediately the girls were excited and once they realized she couldn't get up much more than 2 inches off the ground, they were in love.  She was just their type!  Friendly, but not too skittish; playful, but not hurtful.  It took only a couple minutes and Bridget and Violet both were on the ground playing with her.  Isn't it amazing how that lady knew exactly which dog to put in there with us?!  They, of course, wanted to buy her on the spot, but that nice store owner lady who knew exactly what to entice us with, shared her price of $1,000+ and I quickly told the girls, "not today, but maybe soon."  So, needless to say, we're looking into dachshunds as a family pet.  Matt is not super excited, since we were both hoping to get another Westie like we used to have, but it's really for the girls anyway, not us.  We can get a Westie later, once the girls are older and not so fearful of bigger dogs.  I told him it was either a puppy or another baby.  :)  Which, we both know is not happening.  I promised I would wait to plunge into anything permanent until he gives the go-ahead and hopefully Melody will be completely potty trained before a puppy enters the home.  I'm really just giving it to the Lord, although, the girls pray for "Miss Dumbo" every meal time and prayer time, so I don't think it'll be long before He answers!  

Summer Projects

I've tried to keep the girls busy.  It seems like since Bridget's been home from school for the summer, they have this pent up energy that makes them do and say crazy things all day long and if I don't have some way to channel that, it explodes into chaos all over the house.  We've purchased a plastic pool, which provides MUCH distraction.

I've also tried to do some "schoolwork".  I don't really give this much credit, because really it's just themed fun.  Planned out coloring pages and cookie baking.  Nothing extremely educational, but it seems to hold their attention better if it's labeled as "schoolwork".  

Besides these activities, a visit to the gym, and the occasional romp to the store, that's about all I've come up with for summer festivities.  I could do the library, and probably should...I'm just always filled with dread at the thought because all they want to do is bang on the computer, or run around in opposite directions.  I feel like one day, someone is going to end up on one side, pulling books off the shelf and another one end up behind the counter, trying to climb in the book bin, while the eldest is right by my side, informing me of their naughty actions at the top of her lungs.  But, I should try story time and make it structured (aka: threaten the snot out of them in the car before letting them loose).  

So, what do you do when your tots are home?  I don't want to just watch movies all day every day of our summer.  And there's only so much fresh air we can handle after awhile.  I forgot to mention the park...that's always on my to-do list of big fun, and it's free, so that's a win-win.  I hesitate to join a moms group...that will have to be left for another post...and I'm toying with the idea of going to the zoo, even if Matt can't tag along for the day and I have to man all 3 solo.  (Especially since Grandma got us a membership!)  I am looking for any and all input, though.  Share with me your plans of adventure during these steamy summer months.  (Or brisk, rainy days if you're in Susanville.  :) )