Puuuusshhhh......

I stumbled across a reality show on Amazon Prime, One born every minute  follows a labor and delivery department in Columbus,Ohio that delivers over 6500 babies per year. Each episode features 4 births.  My two youngest girls love to watch it with me.

 Since then, Emmy will randomly say, "Puuushhh!" as she strains, ending with a shriek. Her baby ( always a girl) has arrived.

 Abby's underwear has developed a sag- a baby within. "Mommy, I need to take a baph so I can have my baby!" (Her births are all water births. )

The other day she was walking around with a little black baby doll that she'd "birthed".  "So, Abby was the baby's daddy black?" I asked. "No." she replied. "Well how did you get a black baby then?" " I push it out." she stated matter- of -factly.  

Our hands on history and science experiment today was brought to you by Little House on the Prairie.

After a short 5 hours of sleep I was wakened this morning by excited little voices and the pattering of little feet at 6:00 AM. "Mommy! We caught the gopher!" A few minutes later, " Mommy! It had onions in it cheek pouches!" ( Dumb gopher was devouring our onions). A little later, Rick trouped through to get his knife,      " Abrianna wants me to skin the gopher" he explained

Ugghhh... So tired. More pattering feet and  an excited voice, "Abby! Abby wake up! Look! Isn't this gopher paw so cute?"  ( Please don't tell me she brought a rodent foot into the house I shudder.)

Dragging myself, bleary eyed out of bed, I am met at the door by my dear husband with a gopher "pelt" in hand still baring the flesh of the gopher in a few places.

"Ewwww! Take that thing outside! Its gross!" I demand. "No!" he says. "I spent a long time skinning this thing for Abrianna and I don't want the cat or dog to run off with it!" 

"Well," I think." I'll wait for him to leave and figure some way to get it out of here. How can I do this without freaking out?"

"Abrianna, here's some salt. Take that thing outside and put salt on it. Then find a board, hammer, and some nails and we'll stretch it out to dry " ( Thank you to Little House on the Prairie for the inspiration)

Off she trots to gather  the items. Yes, I really did touch that disgusting thing and nail it on  the board. But it went into the garage for the day to dry. 

Daddy helped take it off and rub it with oil to make it more supple.

The crowning touch of this incident  was to find the used trap on my bar by the sink. Shudder

 

God's protecting hand.

I pray for my children individually daily. For Emmy I pray about teaching her obedience and that God will protect her. Boy, did God honor that prayer in a large way today.
We were invited over to a friends house. These friends bought our old house so those of you who have visited us there know what a dangerous blind corner we used to live on.
Abby was standing by the screen door and suddenly began shrieking. Rushing over to see what on earth could be the matter, I saw Emmy toddling across that blind corner and a mommy who was walking by on the trail walking out in the road to rescue her.
My heart in my throat I tore outside to get her- thanking the lady and cuddling my baby close. This could've have turned out so totally differently.
After spending the rest of the day "hiking" around Bennington Lake we headed home. Emmy was so tired that she fell asleep in the van and continued to sleep on the bed.
Waking up crying, Abri ran into the bedroom to help her down from the bed. I sat down to nurse her when all of a sudden she started throwing up on me ( shudder!).
Now, don't get me wrong. That's nasty, disgusting, and gross. But I'm grateful to God that I have this little sick girl this evening instead of no little girl at all.
Thank you Father in Heaven for your protection.

Shoes!

19 month -old Emmy was given a half dozen pairs of hand me down shoes at church this week. Oh the hours of  fun she and her sisters have had trying on and wearing the different pairs.
This evening while nursing her to sleep I reached down to gently rub her bare foot. She immediately pulled off  and wriggly and twisting away she tried in vain to get off the bed  crying " SHOE! SHOE!"  "No, honey. We don't wear shoes to bed." Bursting into tears she continued to try to reach her elusive shoes. After singing to her awhile she finally was able to settle back down and work on going to sleep. 

And the little girls did....

While visiting with Aunty Jen at the zoo, Aunty decided to take Emberley into the bathroom for a quick diaper change. Laying her on the changing table she asked Emberley to lift up her buns. Up went the little bottom complete with the super hero "Doot di doo!". Snickering Aunty asked her to pick it up a again to slide the new clean diaper underneath her. Up went the bottom again with a  triumphant," Doot di doo!" This was too much and brought down the house ( or bathroom) causing an outbreak of giggles by the other occupants.



A sneering  3 year old Abby approached me with doggie treats clutched one in each hand. "What are you? Are you scary?" I asked. "I am a super hero!" she staunchly declared. "Oh really?" I asked. "What are the doggie treats for? These are my weights! I am bery STRONG" she growled - as I choked back a snort/giggle.


"Mommy, I need help!" came from Abby as she twisted to show me a very dark red looking belly button. "What did you do? Did you put something in there?" I asked. "Uh huh! Its a Lego!"
This was too good not to show Rick so off we trooped to the office to show daddy. Then back to my bed where I could see. Laying her own her back I had her pooch her little belly out as far as she could. I tried squeezing it out. Didn't work. So I managed to manipulate it to its side and after several tried yank it free with tweezers. What will she think of next?

"Owie! Owie!" Emmy pointed to  a scratch on her knee, Pulling her little leg straight up to her face she kissed it all better.


What could make a better slip n slide than a door broken from its hinges? What could make it slip better than some liberally applied hand soap? "Mom! The girls made a slip and slide in their bedroom on their door and are using soap!" Lucas tattled. Pausing in my phone conversation with my Grandma Joan, I walked back there to see if it was true. Yes it was... "Well grab a bucket, water, and some rags and clean it up!" I instructed them. A minute later a tearful soap faced smeared little boy stumbled out. " Mom I bumped my nose! I stepped on their door and fell on by face!" ( snort/laugh I responded) Ummm okay....

Dressing up

Together...

A cowgirl in a tutu.

Abby Doll.

'Nuggle with me!

Abby stood on the floor beside my bed as I nursed baby sister to sleep. She kept trying so hard to tell me something that I simply wasn't understanding. Finally I asked, "Are you saying snuggle?" "YES! You haven't 'nuggled with me in so bery long!" I gladly invited her for a 'nuggle with me. Dashing to the bed and starting to scramble up, she held her thumb and index finger about 1/4 of an inch apart, " Mommy, I dis wittle!"
Sometimes this mommy forgets how little she really is at 3 1/2.