Can't a mom poop?!

Sorry. Was that TMI? I couldn't think of a better title.
Today was going well. Really well. My kids were getting along, I hit the gym for my new favorite class, then I picked up Alli's friend from her preschool to keep her for the afternoon. We hit McD's on the way home and I splurged on 3 happy meals....which only reminds me why I don't (the kids hardly touched their chicken nuggets) and I let them play. Forever. Kaitlyn was sleeping in my arms so I let them play to their hearts' content. They met some other girls there and became BFF's in an instant. Suddenly, I got the urge...you know, nature called. But I wasn't about to take care of it there. I had 4 kids and no stroller, and I wasn't going to have a party in the bathroom. After hearing the other moms announce they were leaving soon, I added my 5 minute notice that we were leaving. We loaded up and headed home so I could take care of business. The kids begged to play in the front yard but I made them come in just while mom could use the bathroom. I put up the gate, checked the floor for chokables, put Kaitlyn on the playroom floor in front of a dollhouse, propped open the playroom door so she wasn't trapped, and locked myself in the bathroom right around the corner for some alone time.....I mean, can't a mom have a quiet moment to use the bathroom? The older kids ran into the garage to play with chalk. I guess Kaitlyn wanted to go too. I heard her coming out of the playroom and starting to climb over the little Dora couch that happened to be blocking her path. I remember there were some of Alli's school papers on the Dora couch so I could tell she was attempting to climb over it. Then, I heard it. That horrible sound of head hitting tile....or so I realized a few moments later. I heard her cry a hurt cry. Not quite finished, I opened the door, and I could only see her little rump and I could tell she was flat on her stomach. I tapped on the door frame to get her attention and let her know I was in the bathroom (thanks to my long go-go-gadget arms), telling her to come to me . The cry changed. It was a different cry than I'd ever heard. And she wasn't coming, so I hopped off the toilet (pants at my ankles) and saw blood coming from her nose and mouth and drops of blood on the tile. I was surprisingly calm. I picked her up and grabbed some toilet paper, wet it down and started wiping her face and hands, trying to see exactly where the blood was coming from. Her eyes were closed and she kept tilting her head back in pain. I was afraid she'd faint, or throw up. All the while, I was trying to pull up my pants one handed so as not to startle anyone coming in....and to cure the draft. The left nostril was the first culprit. But her mouth, her poor mouth. I was checking to see why it was bleeding and the worry set in when I thought her new little baby teeth on top had been jammed up into her gums. Come to find out, her top lip was swollen so it only appeared that her teeth were recessed, but they weren't. Her teeth must had just cut into her lip. I finally got her to drink some water to clear out her mouth and held her on the couch until she calmed down. I was so relieved it wasn't worse. We have a new rule after today to keep those little couches on the carpet.....they make for good catapults...or bad ones.
And so I've realized, that yes, a mom has to put her kids' needs first...even sometimes at inopportune times. And I've decided that's okay.

Sitting in the yard on a Sunday afternoon

We were chillin in the yard..... just waiting for the sun to go down. It was me and the kids and the baby a climbin' on the ground, on a Sunday afternoon.

This is my little poser. I all her my zig zag child because she is always covered in a mix match of clothes and accessories. We also call her the bag lady because she can most often be found carrying a backpack or purse, stuffed with toys and markers and who knows what else. She's my eclectic Alli.
And Cole...not so willing to pose here... when he's in a good mood, which is most of the time, he looks like a little charmer. But when he gets in that grumpy mood, the humphs come out. He folds his arms tight, and "HUMPH!" It makes it worse when we laugh...which we almost always do. It's just followed by, "Hmmm.....humph!.....hm."
As for now, the darling vibes just come naturally from this one...

Marci's Shower

Nani knits a sweater, blanket and booties for each of her grand babies....they are true keepsakes.
My contribution to the decor...a diaper cake!
Tasty deliciousness...let's not talk about how many calories are in a slice.

Girls just have it in them...they dream of this day from such a young age.
Marci's mom Sharon, Gina (Marci's sister), and Nani
Kari, and the game show host
Marci's friends and co-workers were the most generous people I've met. Marci is so set up now for this baby to come. We can't wait for Nani's namesake to arrive....little Shirley May!
(I just had to add this sweet picture here at the end....Dan brought the kids over after a day at McDonalds...where else).

She's a third child

What? It keeps things efficient. Naps in the high chair mean less changing of the crib sheets...right?

For the yearbook

It's too bad this picture is blurry. It's pretty sweet. My boy. In a dress up. With his pants around his ankles after a bathroom visit. It doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait....it just did...the fluffy princess shoes. This one's going in his senior yearbook for sure.

Friendship lasts forever

So when I went to BYU, I had these neighbors in the dorms. I suppose I was a bit of a goody goody and was bothered by their loud music and the fact that they had guys in their room against the honor code. I finally took the matter to our Room Attendant after trying to study amidst the loud music. She came into my room and shared a scripture with me. It was in Matthew 5. It talks about loving our enemies and even praying for them. It was a doink to the eyes. I thought she would go in there and lay down the law, but instead, being an inspired returned missionary, she did something that would change the course of my relationship with that neighbor forever. And so it began. I went next door and started talking to them. We talked about music we liked and classes we were taking, where we were from (we grew up in neighboring cities in southern California) among other things. Now when I was studying, I would just ask them to keep the music to a low and other times, I'd come over and we'd dance around the dorm to their loud music. One of those girls was Tiffany. We were an unlikely match when it comes to friends. She was a bit rebellious and I grew up a bit more straight arrow. She helped me break out of my shell and become more social, while reading scriptures became a more common occurrence in her life.
We would dress our selves up and go out on the town....in search for a Provo party. It was one of those nights that she did my hair and makeup and took me to a restaurant of my choice for a Friday night out (she had a car). And that is how I met Dan at Panda Express.

Our path took a strange course....one you might assume would take us apart, but somehow, through ups and downs, and dating the same guy at different times, things just worked out. And now, when we meet every few months, we pick right back up where we left off....and the best part? Our families are growing and we get to see our kids play together. There are some people who come into our lives at key times and help us to become who we are today. She is one of those. College life was fun in large part because of my friendship with Tiffany. Looking back, I see that that RA was led to tell me what she did and it is a lesson I will remember. Here's to you Tiff......I hope we can reminisce together until we're old about those good ole days at college. Love you!

Today's Checklist

9 AM: Get rice cereal sneezed in my face....Check
11 AM: Shower with tired screaming baby in background......Check
11:02AM: Shave legs with new razor and get tiny cuts everywhere......Check
11:30AM: Let baby suck on and then puke on necklace while still around my neck....Check
1 PM: Get grease all over my hands from trying to fix Cole's bike chain......Check
2 PM: Get peed on during pee sample collection from Alli's physical.....Check

All in a day's work.