Things I Want Out of This Blog

I started blogging so I could have somewhere to keep my thoughts and daily events organized. I feel like I am forgetting so many of the cute little things my kids do and this is such a good way to preserve those! Up until now, I have memories jotted down in emails or letters so I really want to try and put some of them up (at least the ones I want to remember)! Some of you may have heard these stories before but they are more for my sake. And they are fun to look back on and remember!



This is a picture of our back yard and the following is one of my craziest days since moving to Cleveland. It was sent in an email about a year ago...right after we moved in.

We've had a few surprises like the houses are all really tight with fitting things in because the staircases wind up and turn sharply. I guess no one had more than a twin size mattress in the 1920s. So we are still sleeping on an air mattress and we had to buy bunk beds that we had to build inside the room they are going in for the kids. We also got here and the house hadn't been cleaned from the previous renters so I hired a cleaning company but they couldn't come until yesterday....which leads into my incredibly awesome day!!!


The upstairs of the house is carpeted and the carpets were getting cleaned yesterday. I started out the day by dragging all of our boxes and kids toys and some furniture out on the balcony. The carpet guy calls and says he is going to be early. So of course, I was not dressed or ready cuz I had just gotten out of the shower. In the process of my shower my kids managed to spill a cup of milk and Braden peed on the carpet. No worries - the carpets are getting cleaned today. The carpet guy comes and informs me he is going to be 2 hours and we can't walk on the carpet for another 2. So I have to occupy my kids for 4 hours. The carpet guy kept tripping the breakers with his huge carpet machine so I have a maze of extension cords throughout the house. Finally we got it to work.

I took the kids to the park so carpet guy could finish. I get back and go to put all my sheets and pillow cases in the washer and it doesn't work. I called the carpet guy and had to argue with him to get him to come back and fix the outlet he messed up. Oh yea, the whole time this is going on the baby is screaming cuz I'm not holding him (thanks to all those who spoiled him in Utah!!) Just as I get the kids settled with a movie, it starts raining and lightning strikes just up the street knocking the power out. Kids are all crying now because it is hot and the TV doesn't work. After about 10 minutes of a torrential downpour, I then remember all of my stuff on the balcony. I have to drag all the soggy boxes over my freshly cleaned carpets and down stairs. Hailee's stuffed animals were all soaked. Braden's bed was soaked. I was completely soaked. My kids were getting into all kinds of trouble so we decided to just leave and go to the store.

While at Target, Braden pooped his pants, Bennett peed all over his outfit, me and his blanket. Braden threw a ball and hit a lady in the head, Hailee and Braden were fighting over a bag of popcorn which exploded all over the checkout line. We had to meet Dane for dinner somewhere since we had no power. He walked into the restaurant, looked at me and said, "woah". I was still wet from the balcony incident and pee. Half of my hair was out of the pony tail it used to be in, kids were hanging all over me and screaming, and I had all the mascara from one eye running down my cheek. We had an unenjoyable dinner and went home to a scorching house that is now steamy from the wet carpet. I had to give my kids a cold shower to cool them down so they could sleep. The power finally came on at 2:30 this morning.

Today is going to be much better. I am having the cleaning people come to clean the rest of my house and we are going to the mall. I'm sure we will have more adventure there but hopefully nothing like yesterday. I hope everyone is doing well. Love you all!!!

Nat

This is the letter I typed to Hailee's Kindergarten teacher 2 years ago!!! I can't believe she will be starting 2nd grade this year! I'm not old enough to have a 2nd grader, am I?

Dear Mrs. Gaines,

Thank you for the opportunity to get to know our daughter. We appreciate the extra time and effort you have put forth to get to know her better. We are so excited for Hailee to be in your class and look forward to getting to know you better throughout the year.

Hailee is our first child so she is our first one in school. She has one brother, Braden, who is two. They have a very close relationship and she is an excellent help to her mom and dad with him. Our family moved to Texas 3 years ago. Hailee was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where all of our extended family is still. Her favorite color is pink and like most little girls she loves dolls and princesses.

Hailee has always had a knack for learning new things. She asks a lot of questions and usually catches on really fast if things are explained in detail. She has a special love for animals. She is very gentle and kind and animals are usually drawn to her. She has a lot of stuffed animals and plays pretend with them. She tells us she wants to be a vet or a zookeeper when she grows up. She is very sweet natured and loving and has always been very pleasant to be around. Hailee also has a special gift of music. She has always had an amazing sense of pitch and catches on very quickly to songs. She is currently learning how to play the piano and is doing very well.

We have also noticed that when it comes to making friends, Hailee is unassuming and non-judgmental. She gets a little overwhelmed in big crowds of kids and usually does better playing with a very small group or just one friend at a time. Our family attends church every week and she has a lot of friends from there that she plays with.

One of the concerns we have as parents is that she sometimes has a hard time focusing and concentrating. She has a great imagination but along with that comes daydreaming and the ability to tune everything out around her. We hope to be able to learn some new ways of helping her stay on task, as she will be responsible for assignments.

Again, we are very excited for this school year and even though her mom will miss being with her everyday, we know this is the best thing for our sweet daughter. We look forward to helping out in anyway we can and hope to play an active roll in her education. Thanks again!


Sincerely,

Dane and Natalie Sanford

This is an email that was sent to me about the differences between men and women getting an oil change and I decided to add my own comments. All moms with kids can relate.

There's another type of person that wasn't mentioned:

A mom with 3 kids trying to get an oil change.

1) Take your best guess at when last oil change was because the kids have ripped off the cool "tattoo" from the windshield.
2) Bundle all kids in boots, coats, hats, gloves, scarves.
3) Undo all the coats, hats, gloves, scarves because 1 child has to pee and the other one has a messy diaper. While changing that diaper, the other kid goes missing and you search the yard and house for 10 minutes.
4) Finally get on the road listening to The Wiggles In Concert the entire way there. Sadly enough, you sing every word of every song because you have now heard the same cd 1,679 times.
5) Get to the oil place an hour after you had planned on right at everyone's lunch hour. You are 10th in line.
6) Wait in the waiting room large enough to fit only two chairs and one table filled with boiling hot coffee pots, cups, tiny straws and other sorts of kid-friendly items.
7) Remove crawling baby from the infant-size table 25 times.
8) Explain to 6 year old why we don't drink coffee even if we are really thirsty.
9) Remind 3 year old it is not okay to stack the chairs on top of each other and jump off.
10) Watch and count every car have it's turn while listening to kids complain about being hot and hungry.
11) Remove all cold weather apparel and 3 year old's pants he's just peed in. You were expecting this you have a spare!
12) Realize that it is lunch time and you have no lunch for your now crying children.
13) Seeing how you are now 6th in line you decide to run across the street to McDonald's.
14) Commence winter dressing - again!
15) Buy 2 happy meals and an extra large Diet Coke for yourself. ($11)
16) While running back across the street, baby dives for your drink spilling it all over himself and you.
17) Kids start crying again because we got the "boy" toy instead of the "girl" toy. And they forgot to give us ketchup.
18) Go back to McDonalds retrieve necessary items and buy new Diet Coke. ($2)
19) Return back to oil changing place trying to strategically hold the baby over your wet white shirt.
20) Oil guys bring you some part that you have no idea what it is but you would be an absolute fool not to replace it. So, need a new one for only 20 additional dollars ($20).
21) Baby has squiggled out of your arms and heads for the coffee table 8 more times.
22) Other kids have begun a french fry fight.
23) Oil guy continues on about how he's never seen such horrible wiper blades either and he wouldn't be a gentleman if he let me walk out without buying new ones.
24) Whatever! just hurry and get it done ($25)!
25) Clean up fries and broken coffee pot baby has tipped over ($30 for new coffee pot).
26) Despite the cold weather you are now sweating profusely.
27) The oil change will be $45 - You didn't know that your car takes extra fancy oil that's an additional $15? Sorry we didn't mention it before ($45).
28) Three hours later you return home.
29) Husband calls - says he's been trying to call you all afternoon. What took so long? Weren't you just going to get an oil change??????


TOTAL COST - $133


This is why I dread getting an oil change! Oh the joys of being a mom!!!

Those are all a bit random but it is a start. More to come, I'm sure!!!!