The many hats of Meny

Meny got brand new hats today in the mail from the bag (my mom). I had to let her model them and I made Taylor model with her. Taylor doesn't do modeling. I love the pink hat with the bow. I can't wait to bundle her up in her winter gear and plop a cute hat atop her cute little head. Except for the little pink and green stripey hat- it's gonna be a bag for Taylor's marbles. I just don't understand that hat at all. Maybe they were thinking, "I'm gonna make a bag work as a hat?" I donno. It's weird. I do want one of those knitted bows for myself though. Okay Ma?? Get busy and...go. I'm waiting. I want one.

In other news, Taylor didn't have school Monday or Tuesday and had a 2 hour delay today and tomorrow. It's kinda nice starting school just to stop it again. People are still recovering from the hurricane. A house down the road had a tree on their roof. They had it removed today and there's a nice hole in their roof. Some of our friends still don't have electricity- 5 days later. We discovered we're missing a shingle. I think we need to apply for federal disaster assistance immediately.

My final report

We drove around today and have realized how lucky we are to have absolutely no damage to our house and practically no yard clean up to do. My poor flower beds are pretty beat up, but I can live with that. This dangling broken tree limb is the extent of our damage.
Our house still has all its siding, trim and shingles. About two houses down in the woods behind our house there was this tree. That dirt clump is the bottom of the tree- it extends up about 14 feet in the air. I've never seen a tree pull up so much earth around it.Driving around today we saw this over and over- trees down with huge amounts of ground pulled up with them. Hooray we made it through our first hurricane! I have to say I don't think I'll stick around for another one. I didn't sleep at all the night it came through. All I could think about was the tree in our backyard (the top picture) crashing into our bedroom. Or Ezra's room getting blown off our house, or trees slamming through our bedroom window, or a tornado ripping through...I was so glad to see daylight.

A little bit of the aftermath

This is a little bit of our neighborhood. We were lucky- no trees on our house, no siding or trim or shingles ripped off. Just a couple of doors down from us there is a downed tree that pulled up about 14 feet of earth with it. I've never seen so much dirt pulled up by a tree!! Pics soon.

Live from ground zero

breakfast by candlelight...
I couldn't really capture how badly the trees were whipping around...
After we got the generator CRUNKED! We had a fan, the fridge, a laptop and the TV plugged in! That's roughin' it in style.

and this is Jeebs' weather channel try out tape.

Another update

We made it through the night. I'm not gonna lie, that was freaky. I woke up every 2 hours and could not go back to sleep until there was a long enough lull in the storm to relax. We were still in bed this morning around 7:50 when the electricity went out. At least we made it this long. We have friends that have been without power since 10 last night. The wind is crazy. I'm just glad it's finally daylight, but I am tired and I'll have to post pics soon, but they'll be through a window. I think the eye is about to go over in the next hour or so, so this should be interesting. Remember the Alamo!

Hurricane Irene, live blogging coverage

This isn't really live, this is from Wednesday night at Walmart. This is the bread aisle...
and the milk coolers. Jeebs bought extra flour so I could make bread. The only milk left was whole milk and I really don't mind.

Right now we're laying in bed listening to the rain hit the windows. We can't hear the wind inside the house yet, but I'm sure it's going to pick up soon. I'm thinking if we had gone to Raleigh I could at least be getting in some shopping tomorrow instead of hunkering down in the house all day.

1 Day down

179 to go. Actually 178 too go now woohoo! I am not a school person. I don't celebrate my kids being out of the house, fighting them to do their work and the constant inability to go anywhere because Tates has to be at school. So, my friend Red gave me the idea of an after first day of school party. Sooo I made cupcakes and game bags. I had little to work with and going to the store is an act of congress lately. I had to be creative. We played water balloon toss, musical chairs and a coloring competition. But, the favorite was Jeebs picking a number and the person with the matching number got to slam a cupcake in his face!
Jeebs was a good sport. There are lots of pics on here of my feet so I thought I'd put one of my face. Meny looks a little scared, but that's how I roll...using my kids to cover most of me in pics.

I'm not ready for fall movies

I am weird when it comes to movies. I can not stand to watch a movie that doesn't go with the season. Like watching a Christmas movie during the summer is nails on a chalkboard for me. During the summer it has to be summer movies. Each summer I seem to land on different movies that define summer. This year it was The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Tangled and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. I loved Sorcerer's Apprentice- give me a good chick flick where a nerdy guy gets the girl and I'm smitten every time. My all time favorite winter movie is "While You Were Sleeping". Fall is Nancy Drew, all the Harry Potters and Hocus Pocus.

ps I am not ready for school to start. OH the stress. Anybody got any good ideas for first grader curriculum?

and also, I have been slobbering over these shoes all summer and I have resisted - Jeebs' wallet does the dance of joy

Things not to do at the beach

1. Don't wear a bikini. It's just nasty...too much skin. Believe me, a normal one piece swimsuit is plenty o' skin for the whole world to see. You're walking around in yo' bra and undies...I don't know how someone was able to make people okay with walking around in public with just a bra and undies. Genius really. We do not salute you. (I wonder what fashion funkiness I could convince people to wear hmmm)

2.Don't be so thorough during your rinsing off. I'm talking to you bikini girl getting too far inside that cup with your rinsing and you creeper dude standing with your back turned to me and my chillens. I can still work out what you're rinsing with your back turned...eww.

3. Don't skim board so close to me. Really, there's a lot of ocean and a lot of beach so it's not okay to just use my area because I look like a nice chubby mom with four kids that won't mind your snot-nosed self getting all up in my spot. Thank you though for not decapitating one of my kids with a rogue board.

Thank you and good night.

Pretty baby

Three month old little Meny in her cute outfit from Uncle Adam and Aunt Shantae. She is growing up too fast and I have the shoulder, arm, neck pain to prove it.

I ran a mile and a half yesterday-hollah. I'm still chubby-boo.

Yesterday as I sat...

I started thinking of my sister. I was remembering her charging through BYU campus with her calf muscles bulging, her witty retorts to stupid things people would say, and how she always had a positive spin on everything. I remembered walking home from campus up the side of a mountain and she would stop and tell me to "pretend to look at the view" so she could catch her breath. The tv was blaring with some cartoon and the baby lay asleep on my lap- just a normal moment- but I started getting sadder and sadder. I felt like my facial features could drip off my head and land in my lap. My throat began to hurt and my heart began to pound until I pushed those thoughts away and filled them with my daily routine. What am I going to make for dinner, gotta change out the laundry, put the baby in her basket and maybe she'll stay asleep. I miss her so much lately- it's almost seven years and I realize that soon it will be a double digit number that denotes the number of years I haven't seen my sister. I hate that. Sometimes I have dreams that I'm doing this or that and my sister is there like she always was in my life. I know they're only in my head, but what does Dumbledore say? "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? ..."

We keep it interesting

Summer is almost over and I don't want to think about starting school again. I guess this is our new reality for a long while. I do not like it Sam I am. It's the middle of August and it was actually nice outside. I forced the kids out for a walk down to the gazebo for a little trick scootering. There is a sign that says no skating or skateboarding, but it says nothing about scootering soooo...
After our walk I forced them out to pick weeds, evil laugh.
Nice weeded flower bed with my pretty moss roses, practically the only dang thing that bloomed. And all four of my chillens...Mooks was chillin' in the moses basket.

Need some cute girl clothes?

I am selling some of Taylor's old gymboree outfits and hanna andersson shoes among other things. I have listed them all on ebay. If you're interested here are the links:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724369967&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724399439&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724372271&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724418350&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724378051&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724408022&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724413844&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280724413844&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Sizes range from 5-7 and there is one super cute mini boden skirt size 11-12. The shoes are size 12's and one size 1 pair of boots. You know you want 'em.

And just because Mooks looked cute this morning...just patiently waiting for the rest of us to get ready for church.

What a cuter

Percy AKA Wallie

Drastic times call for drastic measures. Percy got the gift of a Nessa shave. With 4 chillens and a house that won't sell, Percy's grooming comes in last. Sorry "Wallie". Today he started shifting gears and Jeebs immediately scooped him up and held the mail under his mouth as he ran out the door. Ezra immediately asked, "Percy spit-up?" and Jeebs came back in the house to tell me he had a toenail stuck in his throat. Nope, that was my thumbnail...he likes them for snacks. Apparently, like Marshie, it got stuck in his throat. And yes, my thumbnails are as big as toenails.

Meny ain't so mini anymore

(excuse the red eye- I couldn't resist the smirk)
Meny is about to outgrow the sink-tub. She actually has chunks and more chins than a Chinese phone book. I love to see her gummy smiles and hear her baby ooooh's and ahhhh's. Jeebs definitely has another meny-me.

My kids have it too easy, but that is gonna change

I made my chillens pull weeds on Friday. It was painful to watch. I could have weeded the flowerbed whilst holding Meny in a quarter of the time, but I was determined to let them do it. Apparently they thought you could stare the weeds out of the ground or complain them out of the ground. My daddy is now vindicated. He used to threaten to put a rope handle on my rake if I didn't quit leaning on it. I feel his pain. (I still insist that a rake with a rope handle would be no good to anybody, it makes no sense daddy!)

My Ward

New Bern has been rough. We've gone through a disgusting rental complete with a 250$ water leak debacle, several medical expenses not covered by insurance, job moving 2 hours away 6 months after buying our home, job loss, miscarriage and a continually depreciating house that has been on the market for almost 4 years. The saving grace? Our ward. The gospel is the same every where you go and I am eternally grateful for that. And, every ward has the good people you like and those ones that bless your life by teaching you patience. We have questioned our decision to move here over and over again and we have always come to the same conclusion- whatever has happened we have loved being in our New Bern Ward and meeting some of the best people. Today I came home with two things I will love forever.
This picture of Ezra was taken in nursery the day I was doing music in there for a friend. We were singing "To Be a Pioneer" and I forgot my boy pioneer hat...so the boys had to be little boys that lost their hats on their trek and borrowed their mother's bonnet (or something like that). This is Ezra's nursery face- he's got them all fooled. He looks so angelic. One of the nursery leaders took a picture of him and brought me a copy- hilarious. And this...
Remember this man? His mother gave me this music today. It's one of his original compositions. She wants me to work on it and play it for him so maybe he'll remember the piece. I can't wait to play it and I hope I can do it justice. I really am a mediocre pianist, but I am so excited to have a piece of his music for my own. This same sister also crocheted me a baby blanket for Kilmeny (which I will keep forever) and at 90 something was doing jumping jacks in the nursery. Awesome.

Peachy Peach again

I bought milk at Walmart. It leaked in the back of my car. We have a liner in the back of our Tahoe and I thought it would be easily cleaned and contained. When we got into the car to head for the 3rd day of pony camp yesterday a wall of rotting gut wagon smell knocked us down. Wow- spoiled milk is bad. Now I know exactly why Glen unleashed a whole Peachy peach air freshener after the infamous spilled milk. It's getting worse the longer it sits in the boiling hot car. I'm afraid to get in the car today.

PS never take Ezra to the movies again. He was insane. I thought it would be the baby we would have to stress about, but holy hannah Ezra came out of nowhere. He was taking cues from the movie- as soon as it got loud he would get louder and in the quiet slow parts he was fascinated with his seat and continually wanted us to "watch this!" There were only 3 other people in the movie theater, which almost made it worse because there was no hiding the fact that it was our kid being a crazy person. Jeebs did apologize, but the older lady sitting in front of us said nothing and moved several rows down. I understand a rowdy kid messing up your movie experience, but we did wait 3 weeks to see the movie and we went on a Thursday night. Ahhh Ezra- it's a good thing I love you.

August 2nd (August is useless)

7:15 drag myself out of bed

7:25 do my Jillian Michaels 20 min workout that still kicks your rear end and makes your quads quiver so you can't bend to go potty

7:50 throw out the oh so nutritious cold cereal and toast (at least my kids are liking ezekiel bread these days)

8:15 throw everybody (minus Cagey) into the car

8:20-9:10 drive to Morehead City like a bat out of heck

9:10 throw Tates out of the car for pony camp

9:20 turn back around and head for pony camp to drop Tater's water bottle off that we forgot to leave the first time.

9:30- 10:45 wander aimlessly around Bed, Bath and Beyond and then Michaels with nothing specific in mind, but still managing to spend $20

11:00 head to the beach for the first time this summer (pathetic, I know, but I just had a baby)

11:15 nurse baby, give Ezra a snack

11:25 head for the water

11:30 put feet in the water and Ezra freak out

11:35 head back to the car carrying baby because she is done being in her wrap

11:40 get back in car, nurse baby, change baby, nurse baby some more

11:55 head back to pony camp

12:10 pick up Tates and head for Panera (ahhhh Panera how do I love thee)

That was my day yesterday and today was another day of pony camp with 3 hours to kill in Morehead city. I went to Harris Teeter first to look for the few things that I can only get there and then headed to Walmart. I hate Walmart so much. I wrapped my baby again and took my non- nap taking 2 year old with me. After about 5 minutes into the store Ezra became totally irrational and inconsolable. A nice lady stocking sausage gave him a cereal bar- she was my hero for the day. He got up in the cart and ate his bar quietly. 3 minutes lady Meny got sick of being in her wrap and decided she wanted in on the party. She starts screaming and screaming and again I get all the fun looks from strangers. Sorry Mooks, no cereal bar for you! By this time I have her in one arm and dragging my buggy up to the front to check out. Apparently only 3 registers work in that row of 700 registers. While we were waiting Ezra decided he'd had enough of his cereal bar and started handing it to me in pieces. After I took the first chunk and then refused to take the rest of it he too the liberty to just prop it in the crease of my arm that was busy holding Mooks. I wonder what joys tomorrow will hold. There is a new Five Guys in Morehead, is it worth the calories? And remember I've been working out for almost a month now without a change in the scale- awesome.