The Puddles

I need more time. More time to get my to do list done. More time to spend with my family.  More time to spend on myself (a very foreign concept). More time to sleep.  I am trying to do to much sometimes (like I just volunteered to make chili for 22 kids for Rodeo day at Ben’s school.  What was I thinking?!!) I try to please too many people and sometimes I just plain fall short.  Today I nearly failed my children.  I woke up late.  Yuck.  I stayed up too late again and tried to get that “one more thing” done.  Don’t worry the children made it to school on time (barely).  I just can’t live on four to five hours of sleep every night.  There are some that can.  I am not one of them.  It is a wonder that I don’t drink more coffee. I already drink a pot a day.  If only they invented a caffeine patch.  Maybe in my spare time I can work on that issue . . . Hmmm.

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Yes.  That’s right.  Texas celebrates its Independence Day from Mexico and everyone dresses up like a cowboy (Ben has roped his stuffed puppy).  Our three are ready for a rodeo!

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We are cleaning the playroom from a week of mess.  And enjoying a dinner of flat tacos.  Our family favorite.  It is a good day.

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Our blessed visitors got Chris through Old Testament in seminary.  God Bless them.  They have been fast friends ever since.  They both didn’t come at the same time. Their churches (all five of them.  yea. that’s right. FIVE between the two pastors) are doing a mission project is Orange (they are all from Pennsylvania.) so E was here the first half of the week and then Will stayed for the last half.  It was a busy but fun week!

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Ainsley is at the grocery store with me and she is singing "Amazing Grace." Several people came up to her complimenting her on her choice of song and how well she was singing. Which only encouraged her to sing more.

Wow.  You would have thought that the Puddles have dropped off the face of the earth.  We have been swamped this week, and barely found time to call mom this week to say that we were alive.  We have had guests this week at our home.  Dear friends of ours from seminary and their 18 month old daughter visited for a week.  The puddles are convinced we need another child because they had so much fun with Lydia.  They would be satisfied with Gordon living with us, but I don’t see that happening soon.

I had a ton of extra work this week plus normal household chores.  I managed to go to the grocery store every day this week and sometimes twice in one day.  We are pooped!!!

So here in the lowdown on the Puddles from this week . . .

Madie – is alive.  She is almost at 100 points for AR and she is totally psyched about that.  She has a major report due next week about what she wants to be when she grows up.  You will never guess . . . yep. she wants to be a pastor.  (Ben on the other hand told me today that he wants to be a stay home dad and spend all day cleaning so that when his kids come home they never have to do any chores.  I told him that was certainly his choice!  But this stay-home mom was making her son do chores!) She interviewed Chris and Will together (that was interesting.) and now has to work on completing the project.

Ben – is alive. barely.  If he didn’t crack me up on a regular basis with his stories, I think that I may have sold him to the Schwan’s man a long time ago.  He went for a barium swallow on Monday at the local hospital for his acid reflux.  All tests came back normal.  YEAH!!  The doctor says that he probably has reflux but there are other reasons why.  So we are on to the next step for figuring it out.  The cardiologist called and I think we will have to increase his blood pressure medicines to get his pressure lower.  We think that the meds are upsetting his tummy causing his reflux.  Increase meds. Increase tummy problems.  Vicious cycle.  But got to do it.  He has had an awesome week at school.  He just loves it there.  Something about chasing girls at recess but he doesn’t kiss them when he catches them?! I quickly told him to stop the story.  Don’t say anymore about kissing girls.  I needed plausible deniability if questioned by the authorities.

Ainsley – is alive. We found out officially this week that she is lactose intolerant.  YEAH!!  It just means that we give her lactaid chewables before she consumes dairy and give her lactaid or soy milk.  No problem.  My fridge is starting to look like the dairy case at Krogers.  We have whole milk, skim milk, soy milk, lactaid milk, and chocolate lactaid milk.  Pouring milk at dinner this week has required the entire countertop and multiply trips to the fridge.  Ainsley is still figuring all of this out.  Her tummy has not hurt at all this week, so she is happy.  We think that we will get to take her off two of her medicines in the next month.  Now that we have figured out what caused her tummy issues.  It should clear up and not require medication anymore.  YEAH! YEAH!

Madie actually told me tonight that she is jealous of her siblings and that she wished she had more medical problems like them.  I pray to God that her wish does not come true.  We discussed it later and I made her understand that this prayer was not a good one.  Yikes!  I can barely deal with two right now. No one else needs to be sick today or tomorrow or ever!!!

Ok.  So you know that we are alive.  You know that we haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. The children seem content right now. Our week with friends is over.  We miss having a full house.  That is always a joy!  We always (and I do mean that literally) always feel lonely after everyone is gone.  There is a reason I always wanted a huge family!  But I think that I’ll work on the multigenerational angle and not the dozens of children angle.  At least for the sake of our marriage!  But boy  . . . those three puddles are relentless on the baby issue.  I just keep sending them to their father.  He has a stronger will power than me!  He can more easily say no, heck no! Not is this lifetime!  Don’t even think about it! etc. etc. etc.  Let’s hope that they are beginning to see the picture!

I will put up more pictures tomorrow.  It has been a long day. And I am bushed.  The puddles are all tucked in and my warm bed is calling to me.  Good night.

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