Q & A 1st round answers

jen came up with some good questions, so instead of a lengthy answer in comments..here is a new post.

A: i have not played any recent practical jokes. though i do have one in mind for my neighbor. i do feel as though i get, on average, one joke played on me by life daily.

A: did the stains come out? i am sort of a rock star of stain removal. you know they did, with the help of some strong (non-toxic) cleaner and a few rounds of me and the rag vs. the carpet, mattress, etc. i did just notice a few more blue glue clumps that i need to cut out of the carpet. another hidden perk of being a hairstylist. :)

A: how is brian's job going? great. this is brian, however, who never complains and enjoys everything he does. he misses some of the old people (i.e. jeff) but overall feels he made the right choice for himself, our family and his future. go b!!

A: what is the noise level in the house? at any given moment if you were to put a glass up to the door ( who am i kidding, you do not need a glass!) there is noise of varying levels of intensity. i will say, it is never quiet. if it was quiet...it would mean a big problem like unconsciousness or weak attempts to get the wood glue off the dresser. there is almost always someone whining, someone crying, someone screaming and someone tattling, and someone hiding smugly. 95% of the time 1 person (starts with an E..) can be making all of the above noises, all by herself. there are good noise days, like when they are outside and getting along, or when they are putting on a show or gymnastics routine. or when all you here is small girl breathing while listening intently to a story i am reading. i love those days.

A: would i be on a reality show? oh sister, you know i would. not even a question. i want to be on the mole the most. i would not do survivor because i have a gag problem and refuse to eat bugs. anything else, i would be up for. i would also like to host wipeout. i truly enjoy watching people wipe out. they would not even have to pay me.

A: my perfect day.....any day on vacation (ok, vacation w/o the kiddos) ..not forever, just a week or so. slow starting mornings, delicious coffee. a quiet shower where i get to shave above the knee and my armpits all in the same day. a good book (or 7 of them) a slight breeze...a yummy drink...a delicious supper...my favorite friends and our spouses... money to do what we want on vacation...perfect weather...a night of great sleep. that would be a great day. i would not come right home after that day. i need 7 of those days in a row.

A: jen, i think you would agree...there is no way i could pick just 1 food to eat forever. some of them (if i would never gain a pound doing it) would be my sister's homemade chocolate cake, pizza (different types, from different places) some yummy fish dish that i did not prepare...brownies (in case the chocolate cake was not enough) fruits and veggies (again not prepared by me) any sort of pasta.....

there you go. i am sure you feel more connected to me than ever before. this is kind of fun...if you think of anymore, i will answer them!!

Q & A

hello folks..i am here, but feeling a bit brain dead. i decided to use jen's blog idea and allow you all to ask questions about me, the girls, anything you are wondering about....ask away and i will answer as best i can.

hope you are all enjoying this last month of summer!!

lh

lauren.

happy thursday morning to you. on this blessed, sunny morning- my beautiful daughter walked into my room and informed me that i need to wash her sheets. "an accident?" i ask. she replies "not so much." the light through the curtains allows me to see that her skin appears raw and red.
"what happened?" i sit straight up in bed.

"not much" she replies calmly, yet sheepishly.

"lauren elise...what is up?"

"my ice pack melted, and my sheets are all wet."

(lauren needs an ice pack for one thing or another almost every night.)

"no big deal..i will wash them today."


fast forward 20 minutes. i am now showered and dressed and retrieving my coffee from the freezer. sitting on top of my coffee is a soggy, drippy plastic bag of pureed beets. my stomach contracts.

"lauren....is this what you used for an ice pack?"

"yeah, it melted..."

i can see that. i slowly descend the stairs to assess the damage. though beets on an almost new bedding set does have a lovely color...it is a mess like you have not seen in your life. drips on the carpet. soaked through to the mattress. spread out over the sheets, pillowcases and comforter.

"f.y.i. lauren. beets are not an ice pack."

"but it's my favorite color!"

"that's great...because i am guessing it will be here for a bit."

so help me, child.

a little truth about me.

my friend, emily, played a blog game of guess the one that is not true. her loyal blog readers were instructed to do the same. my options are not going to be nearly as exciting as hers...but here goes!

**while all of you give your guesses in the comment section of this blog, it would also be a grand time to quench a long time curiosity of mine by letting me know you read this blog. it is fun to see how many times this silly blog gets read, but it would be oh-so much more fun for you to sign your name!! c'mon people...for me?? for instance, alison- i know you read this. if you do not comment...it will be like a knife to your baby sister's heart.

you can do it!! you can do it!! roll call. sign the blog! sign the blog! sign the blog!

wooo-hooo!!


on to the game. guess the one that is not true.


1. most of the car accidents (minor, of course) i have been in, my parents did not know about. (with 89% of them being in my 16th year.)

2. anna was a twin.

3. i was engaged when i was 18.

4. i am addicted to nuts.

5. i am left handed.

6. i can change a diaper while hypnotized.

7. i was hit in the head with a tree.

happy birthday, miss anna.

six years ago today, at 6:18 pm, we met miss anna for the first time. she was 11 days over due and we were more than anxious to see her face. she was a big girl, 9 lbs. 12 oz.....and she had a mop of dark hair with blond streaks through it. she came into the world checking everyone out. besides her daddy, aunt ali was their in the delivery room. she was there because the probability of brian passing out seemed above average and she is, how shall i say it, more considerate, empathetic and compassionate...o yeah and more attentive than my darling husband whom i love deeply. ( we all have different strengths, brian..don't even worry about it.) becoming anna's mom was everything i had hoped it would be. we were/are crazy about that girl. i had a blast reading to her, shopping with her, snuggling her...all the great things you get to do with your first baby. she was a very early talker, walked a little before 1 and in her parent's eyes, was truly one of the most exceptional children ever created! :) she has grown up too fast. now she is all legs with some attitude. no part of her looks like the little girl i still expect her to be. a first grader in the fall, i know the years with her will not slow down. she loves to hear stories of when she was little. like how she used to call herself "nana-biggy hart" or how we called her biggy-smalls because after her almost 10 lb weigh in...she slimmed down into a petite thing, but she thought she was huge. she could wink at 9 months and answered every question with "ahhh....yeah!" her dark hair has turned strawberry blond and she has a whole nose full of freckles. she loves panda bears and wants to be a veterinarian (in china) when she grows up. she tells us she is never moving out (i am not sure how she will go to china?) and she is never marrying. she feels that being the big sister of triplets is "medium". i asked her what makes her so special and she told me it is the nice heart that God gave her.

happy birthday, sweet anna rae.

how is it possible you are already six......

a day for dad.

happy father's day, daddy.

you deserve more than a day. (but your weekend golf trip should probably cover it!)

we think you are great because:

*you come home every day. (i am not kidding, some days you want to keep on drivin')

* you are patient. (this will serve you well in the future, do not use it all up.)

*you always play with us when we ask.

*you work hard to take care of us. and with you as our dad, we know we are safe.

*you are "tough and sturdy".

*you ask us how our day was and listen to our stories.

* you show us who God is and how He loves us in the person you are and the way you love us.

we love you, dad.

children are a gift from God......

children are a gift from God....children are a gift from God....

please pardon my self-reminders. today has been, for lack of a better word- bumpy... at best. a couple of days ago i cleaned and sorted emma and claire's rooms, especially their closets. i headed into anna's room to start hers and it was a total disaster. not in the mood to tackle that, i thought. enter lauren's room and there really are no words. let's just say the child is a hoarder. i.e. a couple of weeks ago i went to change her sheets and found a bunch of stink weed under her covers. she said she put them there because she didn't want me to throw her "flowers" away. i had thoroughly cleaned the playroom on monday and the girls had succeeded in trashing it,so yesterday was 'everybody clean up' day.

you would not believe the moaning.
or the limbs that were now unable to function.

i tried to explain that 2 1/2 days ago it was clean, so with 4 of them working on it- it should not take long. that was 10 am. at 12:40 no one had started. there was a lot of thirst, sadness, rage, and tiredness. lauren actually asked to take a nap until i explained that when she woke up, her pick up duty would be waiting. i also pointed out that i had not made any of the mess and i was cleaning without complaint. point not taken. claire loudly whispered to lauren..'pretty quick she will just do it herself.' lesson on at that point. i gave the children specific jobs and headed into lauren's room. i threw away the plant tags, rocks, toilet paper rolls, used napkins etc. from her shelves and started on the floor. i am on my knees with the garbage bag ready to pick up the carpet debris at top speed. as i round her bed to the left, some of the things are not coming off the floor.

wait.

none of the things are coming off the floor.

upon closer inspection i see that the girl has glued things to her carpet. yes folks...GLUE.
so help me.
it is not just one thing....here are a few items that were displayed. coins, toilet paper, pebbles, stickers, leaves, candy, a chocolate easter egg, the hair of a barbie doll, wadded up napkin, tags from new clothing.
did i mention that it was blue glue?
f.y.i. it does not dry clear on carpet....it stays very blue. when i asked why in the world would she glue things to this lovely 5 month old carpet, she replies "you did not tell me not to". ladies and gentlemen, if this is her defense, i am in for a very long lifetime with her. "you didn't tell me which day i had to be home at 11p.m." (her father actually used this curfew excuse, so i guess we know where she gets it from). that's all i have to share, really. there is your update. i don't' find it funny yet. i have not gotten the glue off yet. it needs to be cut. i cannot yet bring myself to do that. needless to say, lauren has lost her glue privileges.