Audrie Day

Audrie and I had an Audrie and Nana evening.  We went to the Mint Tea Import shop and settled in to listening to the full moon drumming circle. Audrie made a friend and they played and danced.  We had tea and juice.  Audrie got to play one of the drums and she really liked that.  Afterwards we went shopping at Walmart to get some flea medicine for Minnie.  She was a very well behaved girl and had a good time just with Nana.
I found the chalk drawing amusing.  I had just been thinking about Spock this afternoon and then saw the drawing when we went to the drumming circle.  Too funny.

Lucky

The little man gets his swab done today for his DNA test for paternity.  It is a good day to count our blessings.  Someone had told Wes that the little man was not all there in his head.  That he was mentally deficient.  Wow.  I have no idea where that came from.  It was in the realm of possibilities since he was a drug affected baby.  But for us and the little man we are so blessed that as of right now, he is normal.  He is smart and alert and learning.  He is meeting all his milestones when he is suppose to meet them.  He has been screened twice already and will probably go through many more screenings in his growing up years.  We watch  him progress and show us how intelligent he is.  He is already good at problem solving and that is a biggie.
We are blessed in how easy of a baby he is.  How happy of a baby he is.  He doesn't fuss to fuss.  He smiles a lot.  Gives lots of loves.  We count our blessings every day for him and about him.

Big Boy

We will know for sure soon, but for now....it sure appears to us that the little man is ours.  Wes is a short man.  The little man is not going to be short.  The little man grinds his teeth like Papa and sneezes like the Linn's.  He looks a lot like Mike's baby pictures.  Either way we love love love him.
I will feel sad for Wes if he gets his heart broke.  On the other hand I will be laughing my ass off because Tanya based all of her decisions concerning us because of her jealousy of the little man and as she put it numerous times.....he isn't Mike's kid. You know...how dare we take him on when we wouldn't take on the kids SHE gave up for adoption, when he isn't even related to us.

Weed

The little man is growing like a weed.  He had his nine month check up today.  He grew six inches since his six month check up and is now in the 95th percentile.  Still in the 95th percentile for weight.  Doc says he is going to be a big man.  Everything is still good and he didn't get any shots today.  And here poor Audrie was all set to comfort him afterwards.
His one year check up is already scheduled and he will get shots at that appointment.

Ups and Downs

So last week we were so happy to finally be one step closer to paternity.  Then we found out we were exactly where we were before.  Up, down.  Today I talked to someone from the AG office and Cassie has been swabbed for sure.  She did have an appt. before her arrest, but she never made that appt. and it had nothing to do with the arrest.
The little man has an appt at the end of the week for his swab and Wes has an appt. next week.  So finally the show is on the road.  It is a relief for it to be moving forward.  Time to get out of limbo.  Although every day is a day of love.
Wes and the little man had their third visit today.  We went and had gelato for the beginning of it and then he and the little man returned to the CPS office.  Audrie and I then went on our walk.  We walked further this time.  We went at her pace.  So that meant every tree got hugged.  Sticks got picked up and hit against parking meters and signs.  Every step got taken up and jumped down from.  Every dog and a cat got petted.   She was exploring her world.

Nighttime

Audrie ate some oranges and that gave her a lot of energy.  She has a lot of energy anyway.  So we went outside after dinner to play ball and wear some of that energy off.  Up and down the hill she ran.  The little man even went down and up by himself once.  As they were starting to wear down we realized there were bats flying overhead eating bugs.  Hopefully eating some of the flying termites that are around today.  We watched and watched them.  They are pretty cool.  Everyone was much mellower when we came back inside.  A little exercise and a little nature watching always makes for a good quiet evening.  And while we were getting ready for pajamas the moon poked through the clouds and was beautiful.  Audrie still loves the moon.

More Painting

After naps today Audrie wanted to do some more painting.  So we put dinner together and then moved outside with the supplies.  She made lots more hand prints in a wine colored design.  That is what happens when you mix all the primary colors in the box.  The little man had a little more interest in it and got paint in his hair.  He is so cute.
I had read somewhere about how younger kids get to experience things at a younger age than their older siblings.  And that is so true.  Some of it is just circumstance and some of it because the fear is gone once the older child does it.  :)  Anyway the little man is enjoying getting to do what his sister does.  Afterall she is the cat's pajamas to him and Nana.

Zach's Party

Zach turned 11 years-old last week.  His party was today.  There was a pinata.  Audrie got a kick out of hitting it with the bat.  She even got some candy to fall out of it.  You could tell she then didn't know what to do....hit some more or try to get some of the candy.  The other kids had all played this game before.  It was fine with us that she only got a few pieces of the loot.  And she seemed all right with it also.  The little man loved the bouncy balloons.  He could even make it bounce like it is suppose to.
Zach has always been a clothes horse.  The thing I noticed about this year though is he now is very specific about which clothes he wants.  I was informed he needed Levi Skinny jeans.  All right then.  No more cheaper $10 dollar jeans from JC Penneys.  This I know about kids...if they don't like what you bought, they won't wear it.  So I would rather spring the extra dollars and get him what he wants and know he is wearing them.  Lucky for me I found just what he wanted on a good sale with an extra coupon.
I think all of the kids had a good time.  I know ours did.  Thanks for the invite Zach.

Fingerpainting

Due to Josh coming over for dinner last night we had to postpone fingerpainting.  So before dinner tonight we broke out the supplies and moved the high chair outside.  The little man needed to be part of the action and he seemed to enjoy watching and doing a tad bit of painting.  Audrie really liked making hand prints once she figured it out. I bet next time she gets even more out of it.  It was great fun and it did just wash off of them.  Creativity at its best. Giving them all the exposure to all kinds of different things.  I think it is good for them.  And I enjoy it.
Our summer list is now down to OMSI, another trip to the zoo and the city bus ride.  Got to like it when it all works out.  The way the year started I never would have thought it would.

Summer Plans Revisited

Wow.  We only have three things left on our list if we don't count the city bus ride.  OMSI, another trip to the zoo and finger painting.  The plan for today is to take care of the finger painting.  I got the paints and Papa found the paper and the cardboard.  We are thinking it is going to be an outdoor on the deck activity.  I think Audrie is really going to like it.
We may push OMSI until this fall, which means we will only have one more big plan for the summer.  Guess we will fill in the rest of it with trips to the park and Papa wants to go do a picnic at Lewisville Park.  Originally he hoped to take the little kids swimming, but the weather has cooled down too much for that.  Doesn't hurt Nana's feelings any.

Fountain

We took the little kids to the park today.  Audrie seems to have more fun in the fountain than anything else.  It wasn't really warm today, but she got wet anyway.  You could hear her squealing from quite a ways away.   She loves going to the park and playing on the playground.  The little man just watches and longs for the day he can play on the playground.  Maybe next year.

Integrated

I imported the old blog into the new public consumption blog.  Was pretty easy.  Maybe I'm not as technology challenged as I think I am.  I'm kind of glad to have it all back together though.  And I think for now I will still keep this blog.  So I am down to two instead of three.  :p

Already?

I guess not really.  Picasa, the site that holds the pictures for my blog says I am almost out of space.  Wow. So I have been going back through and deleting all the flowers, animals, and scenery.  Didn't make much room.  I may have to pay for storage space if I am to keep blogging and adding pictures.
It feels like I ran out of space soon because this blog is only seven months old.  But in reality I have been blogging since Feb. 2008.  That is a lot of words and pictures.

After this and much thought I decided to put the blogs back together again.  I am just under 1000 posts.  Wow.  That is a lot of words.

Today

I am grateful for Trish coming to the house and working with Audrie.
I am happy for Mom's memory as it stays with us.
I am breathing.
I am practicing ahimsa and doing okay today.
I am laughing at karma.
I am enjoying the sense of humor in the little man.  He likes to almost bite and then only stick out his tongue when told not to bite...as if to say "see I'm not biting, I'm just licking."
I am amazed at the color of Audrie's hair.
I am hoping that if DNA says the little man is Mike's that Wes won't be too heartbroken, but I know he will.
I am hoping that if DNA says the little man is Wes's that he means what he said about our relationship.
I am appreciative of my siblings.
I am still feeling connected to my brother after our trip.
I love Dave, my sons, the little kids and my mom.
I am blessed.

Spoken Language

Audrie had speech therapy again today.  She is coming along so well.  She is now starting to use verbs correctly.  Her sentences are consistently three and four words long.  Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds.  Trish is very happy with her progress.  I'm very happy with her progress.  I like it when she actually answers me now.  :)

Mostly Monday

Today is our day all week where other than work, nothing is happening.  Mom brought over dinner tonight and Dave bbqed up the burgers.  They were divine. Audrie thought chips for dinner were a treat.  The little man loved the fruit. It was nice.  We ate outside since it has cooled down to a reasonable temperature.  Audrie and I played ball out in the yard while Mom entertained the little man. Just a quiet evening enjoying the simple pleasures and good company.

Another Trip to Puffin Cafe

Nana had a hankering for one of those wonderful fish sandwiches at the Puffin Cafe.  Made arrangements with David to meet for dinner.  The time came and we went.  Texted David when we got there.  He had totally forgot.  Good thing for him, he lives five minutes away.  While we waited Audrie burned off a little energy and the little man chewed on the bench.  Then David arrived and we went to the restaurant.  He had iced tea while we had dinner.  We watched lots and lots of boats go in and out of the water.  It was a nice meal with great company and the weather was perfect for outdoor dining.  Not too hot and not cool.  Thanks David for coming out and seeing us.

Time For One

Debating, debating.  It appears that Tanya has finally quit reading my public blog.  I never understood if she wanted us out so badly, why she continued to read it.  Anyway....now that she is gone, perhaps it is time to combine all the blogs back into one.  Going to think about it for a bit.

Delights

We had a delightful day.  The little kids went to Jodi's to spend the day while we went to Portland Saturday Market.  We walked around and looked at all the art and all the people.  Only found this magnetic chalk board to buy for me and pair of hoop earrings for Dave.  We rode MAX and watched people and listened to their stories.  Amused by the guy who was telling others how he lives in the fifth quadrant of Portland.  We saw lots of homeless and street performers.  I laughed at one guy's sign that said he needed money for parts for his space ship. Since it made me laugh, I gave him fifty cents.
Once home we got to take a nap before picking the kids back up.
Then out to the weed patch we call a garden.  Picked peas and a couple large zucchini for bread.  There are baby beans so we will be eating those soon.  While shucking the peas the little man decided to eat them and like them.  I knew he would like them eventually.
Dave also finally got my turtle hung that we bought in Seattle.  Isn't it grand?
Lots of delights today.

Audrie

She can be so loving, generous and funny.  And then on the other hand she can be so mean.  Part of being two years-old.  I find it interesting watching her.  She will take everything away from the little man.  Toys, blankets, dishes, etc.  But she shares her food with him.  No sharing of toys, but she will share food.  She can be such a little mother.
And then we wonder why the dog doesn't lose weight.  She shares food with her too.

Appreciative

It just feels like a day to feel appreciative of what we have.  We had a great sunny warm day which my tomato plants love.  Now I need to get down to the garden and see how they fared.  We have a garden that gives us nice fresh vegetables with no pesticides or herbicides on them.  We have two little kids who love us and show us all the time.  We have kisses and hugs and cuddles and giggles.  We have the greatest helper in Jodi.  The little kids love her as much as we do.  We have this great extended family that do what they can when they can.  We have a nice roof over our heads and a full pantry.  We have diapers and pull ups.  We have jobs that allow us to spend lots of time with the little kids.  It is a good day full of love and blessings. And Cassie has been swabbed so we are one step closer to paternity.

Really???

Seems Cassie got herself arrested.  A burglary 2 charge.  So both of Audrie's parents are in jail right now.  I'm just in shock that she got caught.  She is usually so careful and always can talk her way out of it. The good news is now she will be swabbed for the DNA test for Connor.  Once you are in jail you have no choice.  The other potential father was going to have a private test done because he was tired of waiting.  Guess now he doesn't have to.

Visitation

As expected there was no morning visitation for the little kids.  There was a miscommunication a few weeks ago so one parent thinks all visits were cancelled.  The little man did have his afternoon visit with Wes.  I did not get a feel good or bad.  I liked the fact that he was there at all and when he was suppose to be.  He changed a diaper, fed the little man some snacks, and played with him.  Both Beth and the CASA worker said he was good with the little man.
My understanding is he is tired of waiting on the state DNA test.  The hold up being Cassie not getting her swab done.  So he is now paying for a private test which is suppose to be 98% accurate.  I believe this is to be done in the next two weeks.  So maybe we will finally have a closer answer.  Although in my heart I already have my answer. The little man is mine.  :)
If Wes is not the dad the new custody arrangement will be started.
And while I was typing this we found out that Cassie will be tested.  She doesn't have a choice now on that due to other choices she made.  C'est la vie.

Relieved

I woke up this morning and decided to change my earrings.  That led to a hunt for my earrings and the incredible feeling of loss of yet another missing piece in my life.  Later in the day I realized that my favorite bracelet was in with the earrings and I was really feeling upset.  I had hoped beyond hope that the bracelet had fallen out when the dish fell behind my dresser.  That is what prompted me to move the dish in the first place.  Nope it was not behind the dresser.
And then for some odd reason I looked on the bookshelf and found the dish.  Yay!  I did not lose the earrings or the bracelet.  I felt much relieved.

For Carey, Nicole, and Justin

I was reading a blog about grandparents' day coming up in Sept.  It talked about how special the relationship is between grandparents and grandchildren.  I know this is true.  I am especially fond of my grandchildren.  But it got me thinking.  As much as I miss my dad, he must miss you.  I remember how he made sure to always travel through Minnesota to see you guys.  The only input he had on decorating the house was that your pictures were on the wall.  He talked about you all the time.  You were his grandchildren and his pride and joy.  He was gone before grandchild number four came.  Long gone before all these wonderful great-grandchildren came to be.  I'm so glad that you had him and that he had you.  I'm also glad that you still have other grandparents in your life.  They are special and it is a special relationship.  I just thought you should know how your Grandpa felt about you from someone who knows.  He loved you.

Sunny Sunday

Turned out to be way too hot to go to the playground today.  So skinny dipping is the order of the day.  The pool just awaits a little more shade and the temp outside to come down a little more.  Otherwise we have been hibernating inside out of the sun.  Audrie has been coloring.  It is her new activity that she likes to do.  I don't know how she knew where the crayons were, but she did.  Today she also wanted the color books.  I read that coloring is good for starting the process of learning how to write.  So we are in that process now.  :)
Overall the weekend was pretty good.  I had two extra chores I wanted to accomplish.  Clean out the frig and clean out the car.  The frig got done just before I went grocery shopping.  I hate finding stuff in the back that went to waste because it was out of sight, out of mind.  The car still waits.  Audrie has been grazing on blueberries.  I love seeing that.  The weekend just went by too quick this time.

Hantwick Picnic

We decided to do the Hantwick trail again today and take a picnic with us to eat at the end of the pavement.  We invited Jodi and Zach to come along since Jodi wanted to get out of town for awhile.  We parked at the trailhead and started down the trail.  Dave, Zach and Audrie went down by the stream and washed their hands.  We finished walking the trail to the pond.  There is a nice picnic table so we had our picnic there.  The little man decided that cantaloupe and watermelon are both all right to eat.  He chewed on a piece of watermelon the whole walk back.  Audrie and Zach threw sticks in the pond.  I think Audrie discovered that leaves are not that great to try and throw in a pond.  She also experienced touching some dried up moss that we got down from a tree.  She was fascinated with the way it hung in the trees.  Audrie actually walked almost the whole way back and most of it is uphill.  Amazing considering she thought she wanted to ride almost the whole way down.  Good thing Papa decided to take the bike stroller.  Big enough for both little kids and our picnic supplies.  We saw lots of animal trails, but no wild animals.  We did see one dog.
It was a nice hike and we enjoyed the company of Jodi and Zach.  Thanks for coming with guys.

A Good Friday

The first day of trying more patience and praise was a good day.  This does not mean that Audrie is now being so sweet to her brother.  It does mean that there was a little less stress.
The little man and I had lunch with our friends.  He impressed them when he bit his nana and made her bleed.  Wow.  He has sharp little teeth.
Got grocery shopping done.  Yeehaw.  The cupboards were a tad bare.  At least Audrie's shelf was.  Now we are all stocked up again and it feels good.  I also managed to get some work done in the house.  Never ending jobs that is for sure.
Papa got almost all of the neighbor's mowing done.  All of this is going to free up Sat. afternoon for an activity with the little kids.  Last weekend was our weekend.  This weekend is the kids'.

A Good Walk

Today after naps, the little kids and I headed up to the lake.  Audrie spent a good amount of time playing on the playground while we waited for Papa to get off work.  Then we walked on down to the lake and out on the dock.  We saw a huge carp and Audrie was fascinated.  Decided to take a walk along the upper trail for a ways as it is a nice trail and strollers work on it.  We made it to the top and headed around the walk in campground.  By the time we got back to the playground Audrie was about wore out.  She went down the slide twice and had no issue with going home when we said it was time.  A good walk for all of us.  It may not have been long but the hill made it a work-out.
Trying to make sure we keep doing activities together.

Not Done Right; Done Right

I've been stewing about this.  We notice the things not done, not done right.  This week I can tell you every mistake made at work, but barely remember the 50 things done right.  When mistakes have to be fixed we see them and not the things that got done and didn't need fixing.
I think this translate at home also.  We spend an awful lot of time telling Audrie to stop this, stop that, no hitting, no yelling, etc.  Not so much telling her thanks for indoor voice, cuddles, and good stopping.  Makes me wonder if turning it around would have a different impact on our day.  Focusing on the positive in all ways.  
I think I am going to try and work on this this weekend. Implement more positives in our talks.  Thank you for indoor voice, I like how you are cuddling, etc.  We'll see if it has any kind of an impact.  And maybe the impact will only be on me.  I will feel better in a good way being more loving, more happy, more positive.  Because the little kids are the most important job I do right now.  Meeting their needs and one of those is a good role model.
Patience, perseverance, and panache.  And let's create something this weekend.  Maybe it is time to paint.

Again

Mike is in jail again.  Stupidity, but that is where he needs to be.  I'm not taking his calls.  Dave took one and told him not to call.  That lasted all of two days.  So I am in ignore the phone mode.  I have more important things to do than play addict games.

Newsy

The roast was wonderful.  My mom came over and joined us for dinner.  She only gets home cooked meals when she eats at our house.  Being as how she has dementia, that is all right with me.  I would worry a lot more if she was cooking every night.
Two more pallets came in at work today.  That puts our total for the month so far at 24.  When I left there were still 12 on the floor.  I worked on all the extras while the rest of the crew worked on pallets.  I'm still not sure why bossman is stressing about the art pallets.  The buyer said they were not ready and there was no rush and yet bossman wants them out NOW.  They will go when they go.
Wes has been given his time slot for visitation with the little man.  It will be Wed. afternoons for now.  They start next week.
We got three more zucchini out of the garden tonight.  Looks like the peas are getting close.  I fed one to the little man and I don't think he liked it. Wow.  I love peas out of the garden.  Good thing he likes squash.
Still thinking about my trip to Reno.  I was so impressed with how well behaved Sarah's kids are.  And I was so impressed at how smart at parenting Sarah is.  She said things that took me years to learn.  Gives me hope for the future generation.
Kristie's boys are back in Georgia for the remainder of the summer.  That means the chatting will be a little less as she will be busy living life and doing things with the boys.  Sigh.

Today

I am planning the roast dinner for tomorrow night.
I am soaking up the sun.
I am picking blueberries and feeding them to the little kids.
I am practicing ahimsa.
I am breathing.
I am happy to have work to do.
I am amazed at how much the little man likes squash.
I am sending love and light out to Mike.
I am wondering what Kristie did today.
I am feeling many blessings beginning with sight.
I am enjoying all the love in my house.
I am ready for sleep after my lovely root beer float.
I am thankful for my family, including those Clays up north.

Vocabulary

I hadn't even thought about it.  The whole time Audrie was little I admonished people for cursing around her. I kept telling them that sooner or later she would be repeating what they said.  I always expected her first curse word to be the f word.  Nope.  She says damn it with a big G word in front of it.  She got it from Papa.
So she spent the weekend with her aunt and uncle up north.  Isaac's only real comment was she has an interesting vocabulary and he told us what she said.  Oy.  She does have an interesting vocabulary, but she didn't impress him with the other words she knows.  But she did make an impression with her cursing. Hopefully next time she sees them she will have outgrown that curse and moved on to others.  :P

And the Rush Is On

Went to work this morning to find five pallets sitting on the floor and one on the counter.  27 boxes from UPS from Friday waiting to be logged and received.  So I got working on the logging and bossman went and picked up the other three pallets at central receiving that came in on Friday.  Yeehaw.  Just as I finished the logging UPS showed up.  Got to love Wade.  He brought me 55 more boxes.  There was another hour of logging before I could even start to receive anything.  And I had several things on my desk to take care of from Thursday.
The rest of the crew showed up and we were working when a big truck pulled up.  He had to be sent to central receiving to drop his eleven pallets for us.  Bossman had brought up five or six when it was time for me to leave.  Should be very interesting going in in the morning to see where they fit all the pallets.  The most we have had in the warehouse before was 15.  I love this time of year.  And I think I am the only one.  I like it when they all show up at once and we just go to work.  Everyone else is just overwhelmed and I'm in my element.

Home Again

We picked up the little kids from their aunt and uncle's house in Buckley on our way back from Seattle.  They had a blast.  Audrie was so tired she fell asleep before we hit I-5.  It made for a quiet ride most of the way back.  I'm sure Treva was glad to get back to her routine.  She forgot what it was like to have little kids who aren't self-sufficient.  :P  She said they were easy though.  So thankful for them.
We got home and in two minutes Audrie had dumped her toy box all over the floor making a huge mess.  She and the little man played in the pile for quite awhile.  Then she actually helped me pick the toys up without prompting. Usually I pick toys up at night and don't think to ask her to help.  It is a habit we both need to develop,
We checked out the garden.  It was really hot here while we were gone.  The garden needed a big drink.  I picked three zucchini and steamed them for dinner.  The little man has zucchini for the next couple of days.  He likes it.
Feels good to be home with plans to stay here the rest of the summer.  Now back to our summer routine.

Seattle Pictures

Great Day

It was such a great day. We started off with coffee at Forza. Then the king called to us. We spent nearly an hour with King Tut. My impression is the exhibit 30 years ago was better, but I'm sure there are more security issues now. Anyway we enjoyed it.
From there we hopped the monorail and got delivered a few blocks from Pike Street Market.  We strolled through and bought a cool frog. Saw the cutest teepees for little kids and wondered if Betty could make one. We had lunch at the Athenian and watched the waterfront of the Puget Sound. It was so lovely. Bought a couple t-shirts for our little people. Caught the monorail back.
We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. And then spent time relaxing. The hotel had upgraded our room, so I took advantage of the jacuzzi tub. I liked how I never ran out of hot water in filling it. They take a lot of water to fill. It felt really nice after all the walking we did.

28 Years

Today Dave and I have been married for 28 years. It is a long time.  We have been through a lot of life in that time.  We have experienced the illness and death of our fathers. Lost three grandparents to old age. Lived through alcoholism and recovery.  We gave birth to our son and raised him. We built a house.  We took on raising our grandchildren. We survived having an ex-spouse and finding a place of understanding with her. We raised the children from that marriage. We survived the tumultuous relationship with Tanya. We are blessed in our new daughter-in-law Kristie.  We applaud our son Doug for his life choices. We have been saddened with our son Mike's choices in his addiction.  We have survived all of it.
We continue to live through recovery, addiction, parenting grandchildren, my mom's dementia and life in general.  Seems like yesterday and many lifetimes ago we got married. We have lived many lifetimes since then.  And today we rejoice in having lived through all of it and still stand united for 28 years. Happy anniversary Dave. I love you. Thanks for being with me through all the good and the hard.

Bits and Pieces

Things I forgot. On the flight down to Reno, we had all male flight attendants. They tend to be a tad bit funnier. The airline has wi-fi available for laptops. After safety instructions one of the flight attendants told of the amenity with a glib reference to if you really need to connect to the Internet in our hour flight.  It took me a moment to grasp what he said, and then I found it very funny.
On the flight home I spilled my soda.  The attendant gave me some napkins and kicked the ice out of the walkway. The other attendant came by and picked up the ice, asking who was throwing it around. I admitted to it. She then asked me if I wanted another beverage in a cup with a lid. Too funny.
Other than the casinos being noisy, Reno is a pretty quiet city. I took a walk and was amazed at the lack of noise.
Pat and I went to the Harley Davidson store in the casino. I thought I was surprised at the prices in the Harley shops in Hawaii and London.  $37 for a woman's tank top. Man. We did not buy anything in that shop. I just bought some plain old Reno t-shirts down the street.

Working On It

So the kitchen is again clean and the floor really mopped to get up the yogurt.  The little kids have had baths and smell much better.  The laundry is almost done including the load that I started before I left and was still in the washer when I got back. Audrie's bed is made.  The toys were almost all picked up.  Funny how they don't stay that way.  Now to get the little kids back on their schedules.  They are so far off.  Maybe tomorrow Dave won't need to sleep all day.  Good to be home, and I suspect I won't be going again any time in the near future.

Creativity

I think Audrie has been trying to tell us that she wants to do some creative projects.  She loves the feel of cat litter sifting through her hands.  And isn't that pleasant?  Must be time to break out the sand box again.  She painted her brother yesterday with yogurt.  Must be time to get some finger paint.  See where I'm going with this.  We did get out the color crayons the other day and she drew a beautiful picture for Nana Nita.  She told me there was a cat in the picture.  One little bitty section was what she pointed to for the cat.  `
I've been reading these amazing blogs by women who are creative and do all kinds of creative things with their kids.  I keep thinking we should try some of these things like finger painting in the bathtub.  The problem is at our house we don't just have creative supplies around.  The exception to that being the crayons and markers in a basket from before.  Must be time for Nana to do some shopping and stock up.  I truly think Audrie needs some more outlets for her creativity.

Home

I am back home safe and sound.  The house is a little worse for wear.  The little kids are a little worse for wear.  Papa is a lot worse for wear.  But we all survived it.  Papa is going back to his short work week with short hours.  The little kids had baths and cleaned up pretty nice.  The little man says Nana, Nana a lot now. Warms my heart.  Audrie has discovered that jam on toast is pretty good.  Her daddy wouldn't even try it until he was about six years-old.  It felt good to get back to hugs, kisses, snuggles, cuddles and smiles.  Dave liked my hair.  The little man fell asleep on me twice.  And Audrie just keeps giving me lovings.  It was great to get away and great to get back.