threemainboys

About My Husband's Love

2010-02-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday night was coaches appreciation night. I was asked to write something about Howard's coaching career to read before the games. He was just a bit surprised. Below is what I shared.

Howard Main began his coaching career in 1997 as an assistant coach to Steve King. He coached under Steve for three years and when Steve pursued his coaching goals with Special Olympics, Howard stepped into the role as head coach in 2000. His love for the game and for the kids he has coached is apparent to anyone who knows him well. Howard has served in the capacity of boys coach longer than any other in New Hope’s history. He more recently spent two years as athletic director and has coached in summer basketball programs with local area high schools. He was instrumental in the gym floor project and the fundraising for it. Howard has worked very hard to build the basketball program over the last 13 years, not without significant sacrifice at times. Howard has gained so much from his coaching opportunities at New Hope. He has developed a great rapport with many other schools and counts several of the coaches he competes against as his friends.

His proudest moments of his coaching career are not measured by score alone and often come after the games are over. Weather being approached by spectators of the opposing teams who thank him for the great attitudes of his players or the restaurants who stay open late on road trips and express how well mannered the kids are while eating at their fine establishments! He feels blessed to have the opportunity to coach such outstanding young men. Our three boys were born during the time that Howard has coached and all of them could call the New Hope gym their second home. He appreciates how well our own boys are cared for and loved by the basketball players and their families.

If I had to choose some of Howards fondest memories, they would most notably be the dangerous game of fossil ball, being left behind while using the restroom in Bandon (it only took and hour to figure out Howard wasn’t on the bus!) trips to Paisley complete with shooting range and hot springs, convincing some naïve boys that Northlake HS actually had a mechanical bull in their gym, the week long time spent at Lake of the Woods in the Colvin’s cabin, tearing out the orange rug to make way for a new floor, the sage rat hunt in Eastern Oregon with his current coaching staff of Josh and Darren, countless super bowl parties and the annual overnight practice.

Howard has been fortunate to be a part of some wonderful things as the product of his efforts, in most recent years three consecutive state playoff appearances and the schools first ever state playoff victory for basketball. The basketball program has also received several academic honors from the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association including the top award in 2007 for the highest grade point average of any boy’s basketball program in the State or Oregon. Additionally, he had the honor in 2009 of co-coaching with James Ellis for the All Star Tournament. The team was comprised of the top athletes from among the Skyline and Mountain Valley leagues, and included one of our own, Noah Cunningham.

Howard has experience difficult times as a coach, including losing players to injury, bus trips ending up stuck in the snow, our third child being born with severe medical complications during the season 4 years ago, and missing baker City by 4 points last year with a loss to Mohawk. But the hardest moment by far was when his coaching partner and friend, Gary Heater, passed away during basketball season 5 years ago this week. He loved Gary and the level headed consistent demeanor he brought to the court. Gary balanced out Howard’s often excited coaching style and Howard carries with him many memories and coaching tips from his good friend.

As his wife I often find more entertainment in watching Howard coach than in the actual game, his animated movements and pacing of the sideline has simmer down, but he still makes me nervous on occasion. I also witness the amount of time and dedication spent behind the scenes preparing for each game and each season. Its apparent in the coaching books and magazines stacked up on the book shelves, the water bottles in the dishwasher, the laundry room full of uniforms and towels, the couple time spend folding all that laundry, the fogged up bathroom mirror with plays etched in it and the familiar voice of the newspaper reporter who calls every weekend late at night for the final scores.

I suppose there are many things I have missed trying to reflect over the last 13 years but the one obvious thing is his love for the players and the life lessons and character building that speak louder than a score board ever will and go farther than the court will ever take a player. In Howard’s own words “no worthy pursuit is without challenge and sacrifice” and I believe he would call this experience a worthy pursuit.

2009 Christmas Letter

2009-12-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

You’re holding it in your hot little hand! It’s the Main Family’s Fashionably Late Christmas Letter….it’s how we roll these days! I figured your mail box would be lonely after Christmas and would need a little cheering up, so I delayed in getting our card out just to be considerate of your mail box and its feelers.

Let’s get down to business, we have lots to share. Leading the team this year in Christmas letter news is Howard. Howard is plugging along in his college studies and doing quite well. He is planning to graduate with his associate’s degree on June 12th, with ten credits over the required amount. We will spend this summer having fun and then Howard is slated to enroll at Southern Oregon University in the fall to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. Howard is in his second year at New Hope teaching High School science and math and Junior High PE. Basketball season is in full swing as is customary this time of year, making it his, um, let me think, 13th year coaching. It’s starting to run together a bit. Howard is managing to do quite well juggling his work load and homework load. He is a great daddy to our three not-so- little boys and always manages to get them out the door in the morning with lunches packed, homework done, clothes matching (for the most part) and on time for school.

I have been dispatching for emergency services for almost 3 years now and have been working graveyard for way too many months. I get home around 7:30 in the morning just in time to see the boys as they walk out the door. I have more than enough work hours due to short staffing issues and find myself trying to find the balance between being grateful for a job when many others don’t have one and being frustrated with working too many hours and missing out so much on my kids lives. I enjoy my job but it really does take a toll on my energy level and my family time. To combat some of the work stress I joined the gym for the first time ever and changed my eating habits greatly. Sure I still eat junk food on occasion but in the last 3 months I have lost 20 pounds, 2 pants sizes and am actually starting to have a figure again! I feel good and have a few more goals to reach, namely loosing 15 more pounds and running in the famous Pear Blossom run in April with my sister, Katie. Lastly, I have succumbed to the peer pressure and have joined the Facebook scene. My mom told me I had to and in a moment of weakness I listened to her, broke down and opened an account. Now, I can’t help the darn habit.

Jordan, 10 years old, is our super active, super boy. He loves science and anything related to space. He is playing saxophone, enjoys his piano for fun, still rides mountain bikes on my dad’s race team, joined the fun sport of BMX racing this year and played baseball for his 2nd season. He has done quite well as a left-handed first baseman and has tried his hand at the catcher position. He is very athletic and loves physical fitness. He also eats 3 times the amount of food I do and is wearing a size 8 men’s shoe! Need I say more about how much he has grown this year?

Grant, 7 years old, and sweeter than ever, is taking after Grandpa Steve more and more. His imagination and day dreaming are at their peak (especially in the classroom and on the baseball field). He comes up with the funniest stories and characters and keeps us laughing with his ever evolving mind. He has a very best buddy named Adam who shares many of his same interests and imagination and they love spending time paling around, fighting bad guys and building Lego creations. Adam’s house is way more fun than ours ever will be and I’m pretty sure Adam’s parents will serve us with adoption petition papers soon, as they would love to have Grant for a son.

Carter, who just turned 4 years old this month, started pre-school this year at New Hope. After asking every 3rd day last year when he was going to get to go to school, we decided we shouldn’t stifle his interest in school any longer, even though still only 3 when he started in September. He is writing his name, knows his letters and loves to sing! He has learned so much in the few short months he has been in school and is so excited every day to go. He asks every night at dinner, “Is tomorrow a school day? “ and when we answer yes he says, “YESS!” and when we say no, he asks “How many days until it is? “ He loves his teacher and his friends. He is so enthusiastic about life and his brothers and everything we do and everywhere we go. He is happy all the time and loves monster trucks and candy. He is terrible about sneaking candy under the bunk beds when we are not looking and hiding the evidence of wrappers in the far corner!

Lastly, Warren, the other boy in the family, is enjoying his promotion to “inside dog” this year. Although he thinks he is a lap dog, forgets he isn’t supposed to sleep on the couch and has snatched more than his fair share of whole loaves of bread off the kitchen counter when we were sleeping, he’s hasn’t been demoted to “outside dog” yet.

Collectively as a family we spend lots of time at the basketball gym cheering for Howard and the New Hope Warrior’s boy’s basketball team as well as sitting at the ball parks watching Jordan and Grant practice and play baseball. This last summer we took our first ever “real” family vacation to California and visited all of my family, spent three days at Disneyland and one day at Newport Beach. We also visited Diamond Lake, Crater Lake, Lake of the Woods and the Oregon Coast while camping this summer. While having fun with the previous listed activities we also spend many of our days cheering for the Oregon Ducks. Howard and I made it to Autzen Stadium this year to watch the Ducks play twice! 4 out of 5 in our family are Duck fans and are excited they made it the Rose Bowl! The lone Oregon Beaver fan of the family will remain anonymous for his own personal safety! It’s hard enough being a Beaver fan these days without your mom throwing you under the bus in a Christmas letter.

Having all the boys at the same school where Howard teaches is a huge blessing. It has eased our stress with my ever changing work shifts and just this last week all three boys were in the same Christmas program at school. Jordan played his saxophone in the school band and Grant had a speaking part! Carter was just plain cute in his little tuxedo and just after getting into his dress clothes for the event, said to his brothers, “Go ahead….touch me….I’m SHARP!” Where do my kids come up with stuff like this?

As a whole we haven’t done too badly this year with medical events. All the boys’ breathing issues appear to be subsiding as they grow up. Only a few routine visits to the ER for rowdy boy behavior requiring x-ray confirmation that nothing was actually broken! Leave it to their mother to end up with the worst injury of the year after falling off a quad at the sand dunes and subsequently having my leg run over by it. Compared to years past we really did well staying away from doctors. I’m sure it’s because of that AFLAC policy I got roped into at work!

Merry Christmas to you, albeit somewhat late. We hope you enjoyed time with those you love as you celebrated the gift of Jesus Christ our Savior. May all His blessings be yours in the coming year.

With much love,

Howard, Mandy, Jordan, Grant, and Carter (and Warren Sapp, the inside dog)

It's My Birthday!

2009-11-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me. I am 31 today.

Can't wait to find out what the day holds.

I still get excited about birthday's, even though I am...

31.

Mandy

Resurfacing

2009-11-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

Holy Hanna it's been a long month! Finally slowing down from the mayhem and getting into a new normal with basketball season kicking off last week. Here's what's been going down in our busy boy household....

1) The aforementioned basketball season is once again upon us. Howard is busy with coaching every night and games on the weekends starting in two weeks. The season will carry on through the beginning of spring.

2) We all shared a good round of the flu! Glad that's over with.

3) I managed to squeeze and extra 83 hours of work in this MONTH! Not by choice. I'm sure I have a few more lines in my face after that last round of overtime.

4) My work schedule has changed to a full graveyard shift so now I am home with the boys longer in the evening. Tuck them into bed and then head for work at 11pm. In the morning I come home to help them get out the door for school and then I hit the hay. Seems to be working well so far.

5) Grant is losing teeth like a madman.

6) Jordan did a great job carving his own pumpkin this year.

7) Carter learned to buckle his own seat belt. Small victory in this house!

8) Howard and I left the kids with grandma at the beginning of October and set out on a date to the Oregon Ducks home game in Eugene. Freezing cold and lots of fun.

9) The boys and I took a day trip to the sand dunes and did some fun quad riding while Howard went back to another Ducks game without us!

10) We took family photo's in the park of which I will post separately when I find an extra moment.

11) I have lost 15 pounds and have been making the gym a part of my new routine! Not so rigid on the healthy eating anymore. Need to get back on track with that. Have 15 more pounds to go!

That's the highlights.

I will get busy blogging again here soon.

Love, Mandy

Not Feelin' It

2009-10-02T14:02:00.001-07:00

I'm going to take a little break from my blog. Just not feeling very inspired to write much these days. I have several brutal weeks on the horizon with overtime and mandadated shifts and frankly, my job just takes it out of me sometimes.

As an update to my raw food eating. I'm doing pretty well. I have ventured off course a bit and added in some vegan meals and learning a whole new world when it comes to healthy eating.
I've dumped the dairy, meat and processed foods and am really enjoying fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, etc. Sure I've cheated a few times with food I just couldn't pass up one little bite of (like mint chip ice cream) but for the most part I'm staying on track.

As a bonus I've also lost 10.5 pounds so far and my tummy troubles are completely gone. I also joined a gym and have been excercising regularly which is an entirely new concept for me.

Takin' a breather.... I'll be back to writting again soon.

Mandy

Good Friends

2009-09-23T23:33:00.001-07:00

Last November I turned 30. In appreciation to my dear friends I rented a beach house on the coast and took all my friends for a few days of fun. We ate great food, scrapbooked til late at night, and had a fun girls weekend playing on the beach. I wrote them this letter and read it aloud to them during one night of our trip. Other than those friends that night, I have never shared it with anyone. Too honest I suppose. Or too deep. Either way, I think enough time has passed that I feel I can share without too much embarrassment. Pride is a difficult thing. Not easy to handle, not easy to face. In re-reading my own letter to my friends I can see progress and pain in so many areas of my life since that time. Still so much room for improvement. So much room for growth.

I wrote it as if I were talking, not as if I were going to publish it, as that was never the plan. You will have to excuse the grammar and punction flaws. Here it goes:

November 2008
Why I invited you all to celebrate my 30th birthday: Yes, you all are skinnier than me but you are all older than me too….so we should be even right?

First of all, you each possess certain qualities that help a person, who is afraid to bear their soul for fear of judgment, get through life. At some point in time I took a huge leap of faith and confided in you that life wasn’t as great as it appeared on the outside. The days I told each of you were some of the most freeing days of my life. After Carter’s less than perfectly planned birth and the huge medical bills that followed, doubled with the sudden screeching halt of income from the housing market decline, the death of a close friend, the mortgage payment’s doubling and me going from being a stay at home mom of 6 years to now supporting my family with an extremely stressful new job, an intense training program as a 911 dispatcher (only then to face layoff due to budget problems)… I realized that at some point in time, I couldn’t keep it all inside anymore.

However, good came out of this experience that has taught me more than I could ever have hoped for. What I realized was that even though I lost my home, my car, my security of a steady income, my ability to be a stay-at-home-mom, and all that we had worked so hard to attain… I still had my children, and one little miracle baby that God chose to heal from a tragic medical problem. I still had my Husband and I still had my God. I had my parents, grandparents, sisters and friends. I still had Hope. I believe that without each of you, I couldn’t have the perspective I have today….what I’ve become during these last few years I hope is for the better. I’ve learned to be satisfied with much less. I’ve learned to pray, even for the very small things, I’ve learned to trust that life isn’t always going to go the way we hope for it to and that just about the time you get used to the new normal, it changes again. I hate change. I’ve come to understand that about myself. I hate not being in control of my life, and everything that I lost I couldn’t control. I think that I handled the time of Carter’s illness better than the loss of all my possessions. I wonder why I trusted God with my son more than I did with my stuff? It seems as though I had more faith during our time in the NICU then when I walked away from our home for the last time. I hope someday I can understand my “less than logic” on that. The learning process is certainly not over. There were days when I scream to the sky why? Why everything we own? Why not just the car? Is this lesson in humility over yet? Do I have any pride left in me to rid? What was God thinking? God why won’t you just call me on the phone and tell me, please?

For the first time during all this I heard God’s voice. After 3 years, really heard it. A few weeks ago I was laying in bed, trying to sleep, very frustrated about a situation and praying and asking God the 20 questions I usually do, most beginning in “why can’t you?”(no wonder I can’t hear him) I was laying very still and suddenly I heard Him say two words, and two words only.

"Allow me".

I almost fell out of bed.

What? Allow me.

Is that all your going to say?

Whoa..I think that’s all you need to say. Point taken. I think I’m tired now.

For days…those words replayed over and over and over again in my head.

Allow me.

Have I been so wrapped up in every painful event over the last few years that I couldn't even allow Him to help me bear my burdens? Allow him to handle the tough stuff? Allow him to show me the why when I asked? Allow him to take control? I still don’t think I have allowed him. Instead, I cry out for Mercy. I plead with God that this is all I can handle. Please don’t give me one more hard thing. Not right now… or my next home will have padded walls. Why can’t I just roll over and submit? I think I’m still afraid of losing more and that somehow if I allow him, I will lose more. I never promised any of you I was logical! This is clearly a journey I have not finished.
My job has changed me also. I have evolved from a naive person to a very thankful, but eyes wide open person. Ironically during my time of own personal crisis, I helped people with their bad days. I’ve talked to elderly people when their spouses have just died, parents whose child just might be Satan himself, people who have witnessed tragic car crashes or found someone who has just committed suicide. People who have nothing left, not even their minds, because they have made such poor choices they have ruined themselves. I’ve talked to people who think they hate me even though they don’t know me. Broken hearts because of terrible home life, and people who could care less about anything but themselves. These stories change a person. These stories live in my dreams and cause me to be mindful of just how much worse life could be and thankful for the life I have. Mindful of what life would be like without God. This job has made me question my faith and my God more than I ever have before. To look hard into why I believe what I do. Again, a journey I have not finished.

I wrote something about each person I invited even if they couldn’t attend this weekend.
Here it goes…

Katie…Just because were sisters doesn’t make us friends, were friends because we choose to be. Your selflessness is inspiring to me. I love how you love my boys and what a help you have been in raising them. There’s obviously a reason why Jordan’s first word was “Katie”. Every good kid deserves a great mom and I’m glad Titus picked you. (Don’t worry, I’ll teach him his first word!) Your level headedness, patience and discipline are admirable traits I only wish I possessed half of.

Michele…You make me laugh. So. Hard. But more than that you saw me on my cranky days, my happy days, my tired days, my sick days, my bad mom days, my messy house days, my filthy house days, my clean house days (let’s hope that’s the one you remember) my “I’m pregnant” day, and my decorate for Christmas days. ….and you didn’t put your house up for sale even after all those days. You are the best neighbor I have ever had and loved living next door to you. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the friendships we made while living on Trinity and being friends with everyone on the block. Well, except maybe for the pink house!

Susie..my other neighbor. We met when our world’s were crashing down around us. Except that you could smile and I could not. Our hearts can only handle so much some times and even though it’s hard for you to smile now, the day will come again. He promises it will. I wish I could say what the outcome will be but just know this…God is God, and we are not, and He is the same today and yesterday no matter the circumstances. Hold on to those hopes.

Cara…While you are my friend I have know the longest, It’s been a while since we have spent time together. Yet every time we do we fit right in. Watching Jordan and Owen grow up is only reflective of how long we have been friends. It’s exciting to watch Owen grow to be such a great kid, with opportunities most kids don’t have. Thanks for always keeping in touch by email, Christmas cards and mutual sporting activities, and for always sending a kind note and a Birthday e-card!

Monica… better known and as Moniqua…and another mother of three boys. Thank you for being such a great second mom to my kids, if only you could have breastfed them, darn. You have done more hours of babysitting than any friend should and always with a smile on your face. I appreciate you for the time you spent at the NICU and the time you spent at Applebee’s listening to the worst thoughts I’ve ever shared with a friend. I cherish the good times, when we laugh so hard, you snort and the tears flow uncontrollably. I wish I could say I love the late night scrapbooking with you...but dear friend 8pm is not late.

Vicki…You have to be the most gracious person I have ever met. You love deeper than anyone I know. You wear your heart on your sleeve (and that’s not a bad thing) and you appreciate friendship wholeheartedly. Your visit in the NICU proved how strong one can be during such an uncertain time. What a difficult day that was for you, even years later, to visit Carter and yet you and Wayne still came. To have a friend who knew right where I was because you had lived it before meant the world to me. You brought groceries when I was locked up in the house with a very sick newborn, mastitis with a fever of 104 and a flooding backyard irrigation canal threatening to flood my house all while my husband was out of town and I couldn’t lift sandbags because of a c-section. My favorite memory of you was our last scrapbook trip 4 years ago when you tried to hang yourself with the seat belt.

Kristin…where do I begin? The bible study group with LeaAnn and Jen, eggs and toast and a friendship was formed. The day Jeff cut Emma’s hair and you called and cried…and I told you to take a picture because it wouldn’t last forever and one day you would laugh. The day Jordan buzzed his hair to the scalp with clippers and I called you crying. .and you laughed and told me to take a picture because it wouldn’t last forever. The day Michael shaved your hair because of chemo treatments and you were bald and you called crying, and I told you to take a picture and email it to me, because it wouldn’t last forever and praise God it didn’t. One of the strongest, most determined friends I have. You have been dealt more than your fair share of physical pain and illness and you still smile, that huge smile. Your faith in God and unwillingness to be bitter about the hand you’ve been dealt is notable and praiseworthy. I look forward to picking out a room to share with you at the nursing home when we are old.

Amy….I was 7 months going on 11 months pregnant. Running through the airport…. barefoot…a plane with no breaks or steering….a twin bed to share between the two of us….full of ants, and my baby in utero kicking you in the back. The worst rain storm of our lifetime put to eighties music. Dinner plates bigger than my belly and cheep internet cafe’s linking us back to life as we knew it. Who better than to spend it with than you. Thanks for enduring the journey to Costa Rica even though hit-on by more than 1 tico every hour! Thank you…for allowing me to be a part of your life, the good and the bad and the great. Who can forget your 30th birthday, your bridal shower or the rain on your wedding day. Or the “who’s Paul?” question. And most importantly, for making me, in almost every conversation…tell you something good that happened for that day. Congratulations on your expectant child…let’s not try to reverse the twin bed scenario, k?

Rue….My newest friend, you are one not afraid of ugly words and an ugly heart. Thank you so much for the always encouraging words and the prompting to seek counseling during the ugliest time of my life. I feel like I should reassure you that I’m not entirely mental! You met me at a vulnerable time and caused me to think in a perspective I never have before. It helped me crawl out of a hole and make life go on…even if it’s not the same as it once was or what I want it be. I appreciate your insight, your willingness to ask the hard questions and sympathize with a situation you didn’t have to. For reaching out and caring more about me as a person rather than just a client with a sore neck. I hope I can someday return the favor. Although, I probably shouldn’t touch your neck! And a big congratulations to you too on your soon to arrive baby. You will be a great mother!

Naomi…..I’m thinking it was the infamous Main/Imel camping trip that sealed our fate as “friends that can survive anything”. We look back and laugh, only because it really couldn’t have been any worse, or so we thought. We have both been hit with real life disasters since that time and oh, how I wish we could laugh at them the way we laughed then. In spite of this, you have been an immense joy of a friend… your humor, candid words and gracious heart. Your wiliness to add my three kids to your four and call it “a fun weekend” so Howard and I could get some much needed time away. Always remembering our birthday’s and anniversary, always checking on us after a hospital stay…the beautiful letter to Carter for his scrapbook and last years Christmas thoughtfulness. My nickname for you…"Tell it like it is Naomi"…because I can always depend on rough cut honesty and no-hold’s barred opinions. Hang in there my friend. We can only look up!

Michelle…another mother of 3 boys…our Road trip to Disneyland. Another pregnant trip for me. All our boys and two of us on the teacups. Those were the days we became friends. What I never saw coming was the loads of time you put into our family when Carter was born. You organized meals for a whole month! Your family visited us in the hospital and you called nearly everyday to check on us. You printed off every email update and later I was able to scrapbook the whole event because of it. You give so much of yourself to others in such a practical way. I appreciate all the hand me down clothes for my boys, they really do help. Thank you for everything you have given our family. You have a great laugh and a great heart!

Lastly Jennifer…how can I forget my birthday buddy. Of course you were not invited. Seems like your celebration is far better than ours will ever be down here. I still miss you. Just when I think it gets better another birthday comes around and I think about sending you a birthday card and I’m sure Jeff doesn’t want one in the mail like last year. So instead I’ll pay tribute to you here among friends and selfishly wish you could have been here to, but how nice it is not to have to visit you in the hospital every November. And how nice it will be when we can visit again, on a November day in Heaven. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to curl up next to you in bed during your final days on earth and cry and visit and laugh... and talk about Heaven and how you were almost there, knowing full well it was just around the corner for you. I hugged you and you told me you would watch for me there. On the day you died I brought a meal to your family, and Hope met me in the driveway with tears in her eyes and said, "My mom couldn't come to my swim lesson today because she was too busy dying." And I picked her up and held her little body and wished life didn't have to be that hard.

Thanks for reading.

Mandy

Out of the Mouth of Mom, vol 1

2009-09-21T15:30:00.001-07:00

Phrases actually uttered by this mom this week in this house:

"Stop doing that, NOW! I don't have time for a broken elbow today."

"For the 4th time today, put the couch cushions and pillows back on the couch."

"Please don't pour your puke bowl over the top of the dirty dishes."

"Please don't leave your puke bowl on the living room floor for the dog to find."

"Stop jumping into the pile of clean laundry"

"Why did you take my freshly washed, very clean sheets off my bed and put them on the dog bed? I don't want to sleep in dog hair."

"Keep your pee in the toilet."

"I really don't want your second grade school picture to be a picture of you with a dent in your forehead. Don't jump off the top bunk."

"Stop jumping on the couch cushions."

"This is my bath, not your bath, please stop playing in it and go find something else to do."

"Yes, the 3rd fish just died. I put the first one in the freezer so we can exchange it. The second one I flushed because it wasn't all the way dead, just mostly. That one... I'm leaving for your dad to scoop out."

"Take off your seat belt now, take off your shoe now, and kill that spider NOW before it comes near me, I don't care if the car is moving."

"Please eat your hot dog before eating that cookie. They are both bad for you. "

"Nice job buddy. You did a great job building that skeleton castle."

Stay tuned for more "Out of the Mouth of Mom" quotes. With three boys the fun never ends.

Mandy

The Middlest

2009-09-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Middlest Child, as he calls himself, is not having a good month! His sob story follows, as told by his mother.

A few days before school started he went to his back to school open house to find out that his very best little friend was not returning to class, instead to be home schooled by his parents. He also learned that night that not just his bestest little friend, but all of the boys in his class were not returning this year. Therefore, making him, THE ONLY BOY! (At least recess is mixed with other grades so he has a few boys to romp around the playground with.)

The last day of summer he was living it up outside in the cul-de-sac riding his bike with his brothers while dad looked on. One little monster of a yellow jacket found himself stuck in between the middlest's helmet and head. It bit him over and over and over on the top of his head and while trying to get it his helmet off and out of his hair it bit his thumb many times too!
I was awakened in the middle of the day (night time for me remember) to his screams of pain and while looking at his head realized that the yellow jacket was still stuck in his hair and biting him. Poor Grant. His head hurt so bad I couldn't give him a haircut for the first day of school.

Fast forward a few weeks to one afternoon walking in the door from school. I was down the hall fixing my hair and heard screams from the living room as the boys walked in the door from school. Seems they got into a bit of a scrap outside before entering the house which was finished with a swift kick to the middlest's behind from the left foot of the oldest! Darn boys. Both were crying. Grant with a really hurt butt and Jordan with a hurt foot. So hurt I took him for xray that showed a possible fracture but I have to take him back next week for further pictures. I don't have much sympathy for that foot! The littlest, watching this whole brawl play out, sits aside near the middlest lego masterpiece creation and while all of us were down for the count and breaking up WWF in the entry way and assessing victims, proceeds to destroy the lego kingdom the middlest so fervently built. Salt in a wound.

Finally, two days ago I came home for lunch (at 8:30pm) to tuck the kids in bed and guess which two were scrappin' again? This time Grant took a header into the bookshelf and hit his eye really hard on the corner of a sharp book. While bloody tears poured down his face...I was checking his eyeball for leaking fluid! Ended up to be a cut inside his lower eyelid from the impact and the eyeball is fine. Confirmed by a visit to the eye doctor who encouraged wrestling away from the walls and toward the middle of the mat! Darn boys! In all that, the eye Dr. asked to see him back once the eye heals to check his vision. He suspects glasses may be necessary. We will know in a few weeks.

I think the middlest needs a vacation!

Mandy

Going Raw

2009-09-10T00:24:00.001-07:00

I'm giving raw foods a shot. Going to give it my best attempt and hopefully never look back. I work with a few men who eat this way and they have plenty to say about how great they feel and how much energy they have. Not to mention how much weight they have lost.

With that being said...can I tell you how hungry I am? I know it's just a learning curve for my tummy to not be full of bread and dairy and meat. Instead I am chugging down lots of green raw vegis and other vegis and fruits and nuts.

It's a learning curve for my brain too. What can I make for lunch? What kind of salad dressings can I create? How rigid do I want to be? How practical is this when I am away from my kitchen at least 12 hours a day while at work.

I am drinking tons of water with lemon. I feel water logged. I suppose that will eventually be a comfortable thing for me. But for now, I feel like my insides are sloshing around.

It's a bit more involved than how I am making it sound but I think I am making some good choices about my future health.

I will update with my raw food progress in a few weeks. Provided I haven't died of hunger (o:

Mandy

Girly, Girly, Cupcakes.

2009-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today.....

My sister Brittany....

Came to my house....

With my mom...

And my sister Katie...

And we played in a vegi garden...

It even had a naughty little rabbit....

I took a little break to hold a sleepy nephew....

and then we played some more.

Here is our little garden...

and here are the busy farmers.

The End.

Camping Snapshots

2009-08-21T00:50:00.001-07:00

We spent the last two weekends at the beach in Brookings, the Chetco river, Diamond Lake and Crater Lake. Here are some of my favorite captured scenes...I love the outdoors! (...but don't love dirt).

(Tiki Bob...compliments of Grant's imagination)

Thanks for lookin'

Mandy

Do you remember the day?

2009-08-19T01:18:00.000-07:00

Howard,

Do you remember the day? It was hot. Like 107 hot. The days before were sheer chaos. Brandon in the hospital. Mom and the bird dress (o: The cake lady was MIA. My unaltered dress was locked in the seamstresses house while she was away with a family emergency. The slide show wasn't ready and UPS was on strike. No balloons, no flowers, no tuxedo's. It was all on a loading dock in no-man's-land.

Do you remember the day? Brandon was released from the hospital with his arm in a cast 1 hr before it started, still dirty from the car crash. The cake lady came after I walked down the isle and magically threw the cake together. The balloons and flowers were re-shiped and the tuxedos came in that morning. None of them fitting correctly. The flowers were sent to the wrong place and the photography wasn't what we asked for.

Do you remember the day? My dress fit perfectly. You looked perfect and nervous all at once. Dad messed up the words in his song and I sang to you in front of 350 people without crying. We said "I do" and left the church. Not one indication of the chaos leading up to the big day. (except for our best man wearing a cast and sitting on a stool, still slightly dizzy)

We had no money for our honeymoon, so we opened all the cards in the backseat of our getaway car and took the checks to the bank before hitting the road. We ate dinner in our wedding clothes... and a couple next to us celebrating their anniversary sent us the flowers from their table.

Do you remember the day? The day we became us. I was 18. You were 19. We were kids who knew we loved each other.

From "I do" to " we still are", look at how far we have come and how far we have to go.

We've owned 3 homes. Our first only $97,000. The next we stripped to almost nothing and rebuilt with our own hands. The third we helped build new and then gave up for the oportunity of a college eduaction for you, leaving behind so many good memories in those 4 walls we called our home.

We have three beautiful boys who run us ragged, make us laugh til our sides hurt, are always hungry and often rowdy.

We have had a child so close to death, and now our miracle is almost 4. Oh the doctor bills!

We've consoled each other during the deaths of close friends.

We have celebrated winning high school basketball games that you have coached. And winning kids that you have helped with your natural talent of teaching and coaching.

We have bought groceries with loose change from the couch and glass jar.

We have given so much to help others.

We have had some major fights without the kids even knowing.

We have grown up together.

No, it for sure hasn't all been easy.

The last 3 years being some of the toughest, still with some bumps in the road on the horizon.

Often times with a smile on our face and a lump in our throat, we press on.

Hopefully better and not bitter.

As we have walked this road together, sometimes in companionable silence,

I have enjoyed you.

I appreciate you and love you.

If the first 12 years are any indication, the next 12 should be even better.

Happy Anniversary, a few days late. (It's how we roll).

Mandy

I need a loofa. Seriously.

2009-08-19T00:57:00.000-07:00

Camping is under rated. We just spent the last two weekends living it up on the beach, in the woods, at two lakes, and a river. With a break in the middle so I could work, we sandwiched it in with camping trips on either end and had a rip roaring good time in the dirt.

But seriously....I need a loofa. After disneyland and two camping trips.... I need a pedicure. My feet have had it.

Here's proof before it washed down the drain...

Is that sick or what?

Mandy

The Twelve Days of Vacaton

2009-07-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Day 1 and 2
After our 4th of July party we came home and started packing. We packed until we were tired and then got up in the morning and packed more. I couldn't leave my house until it was clean so we made sure all the laundry was done, had clean sheets on the bed and all the garbage was out. We hit the road late Sunday morning and stopped in the evening to visit my cousin, Sharon an her kids, who lives in Vacaville. Sharon's husband DJ was out of town for job related training. Once there we met up with my aunt Christine from Texas, cousin Selina, from Hawaii, and Grandma Betty from Southern California. We had dinner with them, stayed the night and went to the Jelly Belly Factory the next day. After lunch we hit the road to finish our long drive to So Cal.

*Note: Grandpa Betty is my dad's step mom. Christine is her daughter and Sharon and Selina are Christine's daughters.

Day 3

We visited Newport Beach and played all day. (see previous beach post for photos) The weather was great. Very breezy and 90 degrees. This was by far the most relaxing day of our vacation. After the beach we met our friends, Ed and Rikki, at In and Out Burger in Laguna Hills. I forgot to take a picture of Ed and Rikki. We ended up with some pretty righteous sunburns in all the places we missed with sunscreen. The boys had racoon eyes and howard and I were just plain crispy.

Day 4
We stayed at my Aunt Terrie and Uncle Dan's house. (they wouldn't let me take a picture of them) for the duration of our vacation. They have a wonderful home and were very gracious. They said they enjoyed having a family of two parents and 3 hooligans for a 10 day visit. I'm sure they are still finding remnants of sand and fingerprints from our stay. On day 4 we spent our day running errand, visiting a local park, doing laundry, cleaning the sand from the car, reorganizing our belongs and resting for the long days ahead at Disneyland and California adventures.

Day 5

Was our first day at the "happiest place on earth". We chose to visit California Adventures. Our very first ride was Tower of Terror. Bad parent confession #1.What horrible parents we are for putting Carter on that ride! He is still traumatized by the event. If I had any idea what the ride was like I would have never put him on it. Jordan, Grant and I enjoyed the bigger rides like California Screamin' and the Maliboomer for the rest of the day while Howard and Carter played arcade games and smaller kid rides. In the evening we watched the electrical parade.

Day 6

We spent the day at Disneyland. It was Grant's 7th birthday, so he was given a special button to wear that said "Happy Birthday Grant". Everyone who worked at Disneyland that day stopped him and wished him a Happy Birthday! 800 birthday saludes later, he was tired of wearing the button. We spent the whole entire day at the park and our legs were so,so,so sore. This day was much hotter and humid than the first day, with temperatures around 107. My cousin Stephanie and her husband and kids met us in the park for the day and my aunt and uncle came later to spend some time with us also. We watched fantasmic and the firework show. The pirate ship in fantasmic was really cool to see. The boys enjoyed the Peter Pan vs. Captain Hook battle. Here is a picture of grant on his 7th birthday and a few other photos from that day.

Day 7

Day 7 was Saturday and we were not about to go to Disneyland for a 3rd day in a row with already sore legs and it being a weekend. Instead we drove to Murietta (near San Diego) and visited with more of my cousins. It was about 110 degrees and cookin!

Thankfully, they had a huge community pool.

Unfortunately, we didn't take any swim clothes.

Thankfully, it was so hot we didn't care. The boys stripped down to their undies and Howard and I wore our clothes in the pool

We ate lunch and visited with my Aunt Linda, her new fiance' John, my cousin Buddy, his wife Amber and their kiddo, Dustin. My other cousin, Julie, her boyfriend Chris and Julie's two kids,Gunther and Audryalso came to visit with us. I didn't get a picture of Linda and John but I did get pictures of everyone else.

*Note: Uncle Johnny is my mom's brother. We missed seeing him and two other cousins, Lori and Annie, who are Buddy and Julie's other two sisters.

*Note 2: Amber and Julie are both pregnant, Amber due soon and Julie in January.

Day 8

On Sunday, back at Aunt Terrie's house 4 of her 5 kids (more cousins) came to visit and have a BBQ. Uncle Dan BBQ'd New York steaks that were so tasty! We celebrated Grant's birthday and Aunt Terrie's birthday with a cake. Although, Grant got the candles and most of the glory. My cousins Amy, Stephanie, Christopher and Matthew were there. The very middle of them, Nathan, lives in N.C. with his wife and 3 boys. Stephanie's husband Maurice and kids Jackson and Carys joined us as well. Grant dressed up his skeleton stick from Disneyland for the occasion and the kids played in the pool.

*Note: Aunt Terrie is my mom's sister.

Day 9

We visited Disneyland for the last day. On this day we hopped back and forth between both parks, riding on rides that we missed in the first two days and riding all the ones we loved a few more times. On this night we met some friends from my work for dinner at the House of Blues.

Jim and Jennifer and their boys Derek and Jimmy were on a separate vacation trip to Disneyland and it was great to see familiar faces after so many days from home. After big juicy burgers, greasy fries and cold beer we went our separate ways with the idea that we would see each other back at work in a week or so. A few more pictures follow of our last day at Disneyland, the hottest and even longer day in the park. We arrived at 10am and stayed until 1am. Howard carried Grant to the car while I carried Carter. Both of them sleeping soundly as we left the park. Bad parent confession #2. We ran our kids into the ground enjoying all the sights and sounds.

Day 10

We were technically still at Disneyland. We got home at 2am and by the time we showered and got into bed it was almost 3am. I was jolted out of bed at 8:30 by my phone ringing. It was Jennifer. Jim had been having chest pain since the night before and finally at 8am they decided to call for an ambulance. They had gone by plane to Anaheim and didn't have a car. So I headed back to Anaheim as quickly as I could and scooped up Jennifer and the boys to head for the hospital where Jim was at. Jen went into the ER room while I stayed with the boys in the waiting room. A little while later Jen came and confirmed that Jim had a heart attack. Apparently the juicy burger, etc. caught up with him! I spent the rest of the day at the hospital to help out while Jim had an angiogram and then got them settled back at the hotel with some groceries. With Jim in the hospital and Jen with no car, and no kids allowed in ICU they decided that it would be best for Jen to continue to take the kids to Disneyland each day while Jim stayed in the hospital.

Later that night we headed to Pomona to visit more family. Yes, there is more... Aunt Denise and Uncle Tom, Heidi and Tyler. (the middle child, Annie, is in Chili for a mission trip). Heidi is married to Russell. This day happened to be Tyler's 18th birthday and his girlfriend, Emily (from Oregon) came to help celebrate. My Aunt Yvonne and Uncle Richard were there too. We ate a wonderful home cooked dinner. It tasted great after 10 days of fast food and Disneyland food! Tyler's birthday presents were one of a kind. Doesn't any 18 year old boy want 1) an animal trap for squirrels 2) a new shower head 3) a case of lifewater 4) Ax body wash 5) a USB thumbdrive? Hilarious combination of gifts.
*Note: Aunt Denise and Aunt Yvonne are my dad's sisters.

Day 11

Was supposed to be our drive home, but we had a few days of cushion before I had to be back to work, so we decided to stay and help out with Jim and Jen. Sometime during the night before, Jim ended up having what was thought to be a second heart attack, but it ended up being a major heart spasm. None the less, a second angiogram was performed to make sure there was no more blockages. We drove over to Anaheim. Howard stay with the 5 little boys at the hotel, took them swimming, cooked them dinner and got mset up with a movie, while Jen and I headed back to the hospital. That night it was determined that Jim would be released the next day so we decided to bug out the next morning. (This is were I add a note about how wonderful and brave a husband I have to take 5 boys, ages 3-9 to a swimming pool by himself!)

Day 12

We left at 5:20 am, only 20 min behind schedule. Beat the rush hour traffic in So Cal and stopped for breakfast after the grapevine. Near Stockton we diverted for a quick trip through the Ghiridelli's chocolate factory. We travelled all day and ended up pulling into our hometown at 7:30pm. 14 hours later, we arrived home with mom at our door step with a hot meal for our tired souls. It was so nice to come home to a clean house and a warm meal. Jim was release from the hospital a bit earlier that day and is now back at home still recovering.

Total people we visited: 6 friends, 1 former neighbor, 1 grandma, 3 Uncles, 5 Aunts, 15 cousins/cousins spouses, 8 second cousins, 2 second cousins (in utero).

And that my friends is the longest post I have ever written! Hello, hello, are you there? Your eyes are glazed over. Are you still with me? Oh, good, there you are. Nice to have you back in the present again. Thanks for Sorin' over California with me.

Mandy

Facebook

2009-07-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to say. I'm weak. I gave in to the peer pressure and opened a freakin' facebook account. See what happens when my husband goes out of town for a week and I'm left to my own devices? I hardly have time for my blog or email, let alone facebook. What was I thinking? And I didn't even do it correctly. Apparently my settings were too low and before I could post one thing, I had near 87 emails from people wanting to be my friend. In theory, that's nice and all. But I don't chose friends based on what their photo looks like on the internet. I think it would be better if I actually know them. Do you agree? I don't want to be friends with everyone who ever attended the same school that I did, 15 years prior and 10 years after. Maybe I should, but I wont allow my better judgement to further succumb to facebook. Not gonna do it. Maybe my problem is more that I don't care to share my daily life with half the world. So why the heck did I join facebook?

Wow, how grumpy was that last paragraph? I sound like the meanest person I know. I just woke up to find that half of the world wants to be my friend and I'm not interested. I haven't yet recovered from vacation and the first week back to work and I go and do something that is going to suck even more time. Maybe I should go buy a new outfit and a lottery ticket while I'm at it? How 'bout it? Oh, and a new lamp shade. why not? I don't even have a lamp, but it sounds like a good thing to do.

Husband had better get home soon, before I paint the kitchen orange.

Mandy

Beach Bums

2009-07-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

Life is a beach, especially in Southern California. Here's proof that we played hard at Newport Beach, and came away with some nice sunburns on all the spots we missed with sunscreen. (and a couple jokes at the end for my mom)

Mandy

4th of July

2009-07-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

A quick flick capturing the fun on the 4th of July.

Mandy

Of babies, bike races and the birds and the bees!

2009-06-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

I think I've hit maximum exhaustion. My friend had a baby this week and I look at her and can see the exhaustion beginning to set in. And I look at myself in the mirror and then wonder where my little 5 pound excuse wrapped in pastel is, for I look like someone who has just had their 13th child.

Jordan and my dad have huge bike races this weekend. Howard's grandpa's 90th birthday party was today and I hosted a baby shower for a friend of mine. 3 major events all in the same day. I have had 3 hrs of sleep each night for the past 2 days and I'm officially getting my butt kicked (again).

Howard is out of town (again). Can you guess why? Yep, didn't have to think too hard. Basketball. He was selected to coach an all star team in Sisters, Oregon this weekend, so off he went to get his weekly fill of basketball. To understand my husband's love for basketball is really indescribable. Just know that if they made basketball shaped breakfast cereal, he would eat it everyday. (Rabbit trail ended here.)

Back to the birds and bees part. Our lovely 7 year old chocolate lab was "altered" this week. He is recovering from surgery and is shaved in a few strategic areas. In addition to this event, the baby shower proved to provide even more brow raising topics in front of my oldest son. I was not in charge of the baby shower games, some else was and she chose a very risque poem/game. I'm sure my days are numbered after this week when it comes to the birds and bees stuff!

So how about those bike races. We are headed 25 miles out and up. To the top of the trees for the gorgeous views tomorrow of the valley we live in. Racers from all over Oregon heading our direction for some serious competition. So I get to man a post at the top of the mountain watching racers and relaxing in the sunny mountaintops. A much needed fresh air moment!

One more week until vacation!

Mandy

Yard Sale, Shmard Sale

2009-06-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Did I mention I hate yard sales? I seem to forget I hate them until I have them. Then ((smack))! Yard sale day is here and I remember that I HATE YARD SALES!

So yesterday was the big day of yard sale hating day, but with a twist. We expected nice warm weather. We expected, in fact, hot weather. After all, it is nearing July and by now we are usually cooking with fire in these parts of Oregon. But someone has a sense of humor and after dressing in shorts, flip flops and a t shirt it chilled off nicely, threatening to rain and the wind blew hard.

Freezing.

All day.

Freezing cold.

People would drive by, look out the window from their warm heated cars and not even get out!

Freezing.

All day.

Freezing cold.

An occasional drive by looker in a warm, heated car.

Still freezing.

And then, a huge group of cars would come, everyone would get out, everyone would run through items on display and then run back to their warm, heated car.

And we...froze!

All day.

The second twisted element of this yard sale is a dear friend that I will introduce here now on my blog. She is my great friend Naomi, we have know each other for a little more than 10 years and our families get along great. This is our friend that we lived with when our own house flooded. Yesterday appeared to be payback. And I'm still contemplating the continuation of our friendship.

Mike and Naomi drove up in their cars on Friday night, dropped off two car loads of crap into our garage. We ate pizza and Naomi returned bright and early the next morning to set up. Their crap scattered out all over our lawn, Noami proceeded to sell one thing after another. The first hour almost half of her wonderful yard sale items were sold at dirt cheap prices. Within the next two hours our whole lot of sale items were reduced to about 25% remaining to sell. 23% still belonged to me. I had sold nothing! Nothing at all. Oh wait, I did sell one $3 item.

Then, to salt the fresh wound, out came the evil side of Naomi. This is the side that comes out on occasion when Howard referrers to her as the "meanest person he knows". Her daughter reached for the money box and asked if she could count it....to which Naomi replies..."No honey, it isn't appropriate to count money in public with people watching. Plus we wouldn't want to make Howard and Mandy feel bad." And shortly after follows up with a comment like this. "We have made so much money, a whole lot more than Howard and Mandy have". Only to follow with "Hey, thanks for offering to have the yard sale at your house. This is a great venue and we really sold a whole lot more than you did!" What a lovely lady she is. I just love her. So much so, I wanted to squeeze her until her head popped off! We ended the day with $40 more than we started with and a whole garage still full of stuff. Noami wouldn't officially disclose how much money she made. She didn't want to make us feel bad, blessed soul of hers.

This is why I hate yard sales. $40 total. Not worth it. Hours of preparing, and the cost of newspaper ads, signs and take out food. $40 minus $5 minus $20 . You do the math people! $15 for about 10 hours of work! And, a messy garage to boot.

But don't worry. Please don't fret.

Noami's garage is clean.

They are probably eating dinner with a banquet table in their garage as you read this.

(And let's not forget, they made more money than we did.)

So this is my vow. And I tell you now, my reader, so you will hold me to it. Next time I mention these two words YARD and SALE in close proximity to each other. Remind me of this: The next yard sale I have, everything will be free! I'm not going to bother negotiating with someone about a price for silk flowers I haven't used in 10 years. Or a puzzle I'm not sure has all the pieces, or a candle that was never even opened.

I'm just going to say, "Here ma'am. Please take it, enjoy this fine candle that doesn't match anything in my house, and by the way ma'am...my friend Naomi, she is a keeper, even if she did make more money than I did".

Mandy

Baseball Boys

2009-06-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday wrapped up the baseball season. The boys had two games within an hour of each other so grandma and Aunt Brittany helped in getting everyone to opposite sides of town for their last big games. I think Jordan's team ended in a 3 way tie for 1st place but the verdict is still out on that one. Take a look at my cute kids. Sometimes I could just lick them they're so delicious.

Mandy

We survived, our house did not.

2009-06-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

We survived our final week of sheer chaos. Our house on the other hand, suffered like none other. Baseball season, college classes and overtime work hours have finally come to an end. Here's photographic evidence of the bomb that severly destroyed our home, barely leaving survivors behind.

This was my "clean laundry couch". I counted 12 dryer sheets when I was done folding.

A small sample of the homework piles and laptop cords on the living room floor.

No caption needed here.

And lastly, the catch-all kitchen counter top. Obviously not used to prepare any sort of meal!

After my photo session complete with hard hat , I went on a cleaning binge, however the catch-all counter still remains. With different "important" stuff of course. This coming week we will organize the cupboards and garage and get ready for our upcoming yard sale on Saturday. All profit will go to our quickly approaching vacation and hopefully after that I will be able to see all counter tops, the floor of our garage and an empty storage unit that we can vacate!

Until then, I have more cleaning to do. No rest for the wicked.

Mandy

Countdown

2009-06-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'm continuing in my fashion of blog neglect. Every day is packed full of 12 things that should have 5 things in them. But that's how we roll! The countdown has begun for a few things on our radar. Namely, Howard's college classes end this thursday. For the summer anyway. So the next few days are plumb full of finals for him. Our boys last day of school was Tuesday. They have been out for almost a full week now, and howard's last day of teaching was Thursday. Baseball season is wrapping up with only 2 games left for Jordan and 1 for Grant. I'm still working graveyard about 6 days a week and officially tired of overtime hours. But, we are heading to disneyland in just under a month and I am trying to stash as much cash as possible for the roadtrip to So Cal. Jordan is still racing bikes a few times a week and I actually jumped on a bike with him yesterday and rode to baseball practice with him a few miles down the road.
The kids are enjoying being out of school and I am enjoying the sporting events they participate in. The weather has been georgous with occassional thunderstorms and the kids are enjoying the outdoors as well.
On the radar for the upcoming weeks are two basketball camps for Howard's basketball teams, a yard sale, a bike race in the mountains, a baby shower for a friend, 4th of July celebrations, a two week vacation from work for me that includes a trip to visit all of our family in California, disneyland, legoland, and then in August a camping trip to the beach with some good friends. Somewhere in all that we have Grant and Jordan's birthday's and our 12th anniversary.
Does your summer look like this? I can't wait for the fun to begin! It starts Thursday night with a celebration that the endless homework has ceased (for 2 months at least).
Ok, time to start the day...
Mandy

Against Better Judgment

2009-05-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

This video makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. Against better judgement I am going to post it to my blog. Don't know why, it just cracks me up every single time. I'm in one of those rare moods to do something brainless and ridiculous. I'd better warn you though, you may loose brain cells watching this video.

(don't forget to pause playlist music at right of blog before watching)

Here goes funny!

Mandy

Saturday Night Live - Mom Jeans

Neglect

2009-05-17T00:19:00.000-07:00

If this blog were a child, I would be guilty of neglect. I would have been turned into child protective services by now. Truth is, I'm getting my butt kicked at the moment. The last few weeks have been going faster than me. I can't keep up. I have been working 56 hours each week for the last two weeks, plus all the baseball, bmx, and year end school projects. I'm still alive. But basic needs are hard to meet right now. Let alone the extras. Except tonight, after a long day of work, I treated myself to a full leg wax and three episodes of Law and Order. Relaxing, huh?

Here's the highlights of the last two weeks.

1) Howard's birthday was a blast. We took some friends with us and went to dinner and a movie while the kids stayed the night at grandma's house.

2) Jordan's baseball team is tied for 1st place in his minor league.

3) Grant had a field trip to a Mexican restaurant where he ordered his meal en espanol!

4) Carter hasn't broken any bones. Even with his new tricks of jumping off the couch.

5) The homeowners insurance adjuster called me to get our side of the flood story, and actually seemed to be quite fair. We're hoping and praying that things turn out fairly.

6) Nephew Titus came to visit on Mother's day and also took a few steps this week.

7) We bought a new-to-us car. A van actually, and have joined the ranks of "soccer moms unite", except for as it applies to baseball and basketball.

8) Howard is three weeks closer to finishing this term of college classes and enjoying the summer off with the boys and coaching summer basketball.

9) We were given some vegetable plants for free and are going to plant them tomorrow.

10) We were given a piano for free and Jordan is enjoying having it in his room.

11) We sponsored a child through Compassion International. His name is Dipak. He lives in India and is 7. I introduced his photo and story one night at dinner when the boys were acting like a bunch of brats. It changed their tune instantly! They suddenly had a lot less to complain about.

Of course there are a quite a few not so fun things that have happened over the last two weeks, but today, I chose to share to positive ones.

Mandy

I would never

2009-05-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Howard-

Today is your birthday....

But I won't write a sentimental post about what a wonderful husband you are....

I won't comment on what a great dad you are to our kids....

I won't get all mushy about how you are my absolute favorite....

I certainly won't go into detail about how 14 years later you still make me melt inside when you hug me....

And I would never put a song to this post that makes me think of you when I hear it.
(pause playlist at right before playing video)

I would never do that.

Happy Birthday to one stud of a guy!

Love,

Not Me

Fed up

2009-04-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

I think I’ve finally reached the moment that I’ve been waiting for. The moment when I am so tired of being overweight, I’m ready to do something about it. Since starting my job as a dispatcher I can safely say that I’ve gained somewhere around thirty pounds. I wish that in the job description it forewarned this in bold print, but instead I think it was in the fine print on 1 out of 800 forms I read and signed. It seems that this phenomenon occurs to 90% of the dispatch population. The other 10% I have ill feelings towards.
It’s no secret now that highly stressful shift work, combined with sitting down in a chair, a phone cord tethered between my ear and my desk, and 10 or 12 hour days in a room with no natural light or windows causes the hand-to-mouth impulses to increase. But before I tap out an ambulance call for chest pain for myself while on duty, I have decided that now is the time to lose the weight.
I’m tired of not fitting into my clothes. I’m tired of not feeling my best. And as much as I hate exercise, it works well for me. I’ve done it before and I can do it again.
I have two weaknesses. The first is Pepsi. Not diet, just plain old regular Pepsi. It’s likeness is to motor oil, but on ice. My second weakness is ranch dressing. I love salad but it has to have ranch dressing. Same with pizza. And who can eat pizza without ranch and pepsi? Gotta break the habit... or sirens will be heading my way.
But in all seriousness, the “baby fat spare tire freshman 15 chunky monkey muffin top” look has got to go. And I’ve already started. I haven’t had soda in several days. Hence the cranky, “I’ve got a headache” vibe I’m putting off. I have increased my fruit, veggie and vitamin intake by huge proportions and I actually exercised today for a brief 20 minutes.
I figure if I gradually ease my way into the changes it won’t hurt so bad and I will be more inclined to stick with it. It helps too that Howard is taking a health class for a few college credits and had to make some lifestyle changes. He opted to cut out fast food and soda. Not a bad choice at all.
I'd like to think that I"m not vein. But the idea of getting into a swimsuit that flatters both me and the suit before it gets miserably hot outside is definitely in my subconscious. Until then, if you see me with junk food please invite me to go swimming. That should deter me from eating any more.
Mandy

The Other Shoe

2009-04-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

The other shoe has dropped.

I figured the day would come. At least expecting it to happen softened the blow a bit.

The mail arrived last Friday and Howard walked in with a short, one page letter from the home owners insurance company that paid for the water damage to the house.

It stated that through their investigation it has been determined that we are responsible for the cause of the damage therefore "please promptly remit a check for $10,700".

Right.

I have that in my left shoe.

At first, Howard was mad. And I wasn't. I told him how it can't be that big of a surprise. This is standard procedure. We just have to go through the formal motions of working it out. Blah, blah,blah.

Then the next day...I was mad. Furious. And he was not.

I guess it doesn't help if we are both mad on the same day.

Now, we are trying to figure out our next move. Clearly it was our washing machine that leaked. That's not the issue. The issue is that the home owner let the water sit for 8 days before tearing out the carpet, thus resulting in way more damage to his house and our furniture than should have happened.. That part is not our responsibility and that's where it gets messy.

So, as if we don't already have enough daily life to juggle, we now have to battle it out with the insurance company.

Because their "investigation" did not include a phone call to us to ask our side of the story.

And because my left shoe does not have a wad of cash in it to throw around.

And if it did.

I'd have a lot better things to spend it on.

Like new shoes.

And a brand spanking new washing machine.

Mandy

Proud Mom Day!

2009-04-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, the title is meant to be sarcastic.

My child...or should I say MY child....my SWEET, little darling 3 year old son....did the unthinkable.

Today, in the beautiful sunlight, while at the playground (it hurts to be so painfully honest, that's why it's taking so long for me to spit it out)

PUNCHED ANOTHER KID IN THE STOMACH!. Not just some kid, but a kid we don't even know.

And after he did that unthinkable act, he poured salt in that fresh wound and

CALLED THE KID A BUTT HEAD!

MY kid. MY stinking little brat of a kid!

It's a proud mom day.

Let me just make it clear. PROUD.

I wanted to crawl into the nearest gopher hole at the park and die.

Instead, I marched him back over to the kid (who let me point out was about 6 years old and didn't punch him back but should have) and made him apologize for both and gave him a very long time out.

What has my child rearing come to that my own flesh and blood just acted like one of "those" kids on the playground?

Proud Mom Day's thankfully don't happen often. But when they do, they really make me want to spit. Lord have mercy on my son's soul.

Mandy

Lay an Egg!

2009-04-12T22:07:00.001-07:00

I'm not in a good place right now to write a nice Easter post. Truth is, I'm so tired, I can't think hard enough to make out a grocery list, let alone remember everything once I'm at the store!

Does this really have to be the week they remodel and rearrange Wal-mart so that at 11pm I can't find the bread?! Why are they out of peeps and marshmallow eggs? And why, in the middle of the remodel, on the night before a holiday, do they have only 4 check stands open? And why, why, why did they not include a self-checkout with their "new and improved" look?

I have on the other hand read some wonderful Easter posts that you will find along my side bar from MckMama and BringtheRain. You are much better off reading those than anything I could share right now. Instead I'm tired and a bit disappointed. I really wanted to attend our church's Easter service as they are always incredible, but could not pull myself together to make it happen.

I'm on my 3rd week of a graveyard shift and hurting. My house looks like a bomb went off. Laundry is half washed and half folded, and none of that is my doing. My sink is full of dishes and it's after 10pm and I'm just gearing up for a long night and ready to clean the house. Seriously. Which doesn't work well when everyone else is sleeping. No one wants to be woke up by a vacuum cleaner or washing machine, which is why it's not getting done during the day either. And to think I have to do this for the next 5 months! I've been told the 3rd week is the hardest. After that it's smooth sailing. I'm question the "smooth" part. I look like a zombie at the boys baseball games and probably have very few intelligent thoughts when speaking to my friends. Note to friends: I apologize. Check back with me at the beginning of October.

I'm not a coffee drinker. I try to limit the amount of Pepsi I consume but sometimes I just need a jolt of caffeine. Pepsi at 5am is not a reasonable solution to my sleepiness. Neither is popcorn, 12 mini snickers bars or a frozen, microwavable, Salisbury steak dinner with fake mashed potatoes and hard corn. (Did I just admit that?) My coworker takes Excedrin Migraine, when she doesn't have a headache, just to stay awake. See how all logic disappears when you work graveyard? She once was a reasonable person.

In spite of my lethargic demeanor I managed to snap a few photos of this weekend's events and only dropped the camera twice. (just kidding mom)

Not all eggs make the cut.

Yes, that's pink. My favorite.

Proof of my zombie state.

The rivalry between my boys runs deep!

Nephew Titus's first Easter and his baby dedication day.

Love, Mandy

ps. Banquet just called. They want me to retract my statements. Apparently Salisbury steak meals meet the minimum standards of a well balanced 5am meal.

Play Ball!

2009-04-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today was opening day of little league games. We just spent a greater part of the day at the ball fields cheering for two handsome little men. I love the too big baseball caps that bend little ears outward! The all important cup checks and the seed spitting are a bit over the top for me. Grant started his first experience with baseball playing coach pitch, and Jordan moved up to minors and is enjoying his position on 1st base. Jordan's team won 8-7 and we only had to call an ambulance once for a little guy who caught a pitch with his nose and teeth. Not too bad for opening day!

Dug out days, here we come.

Mandy

Take a Hike!

2009-04-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we surprised our kids with a spur of the moment (for them, we thought ahead a bit) family day and told them to get ready for a whole day of fun. When they asked where we were going we said, "we don't know, you guys get to pick".

We set 3 rules.

1) Somewhere we can take the dog.

2) In our car by dark to head home.

3) Spend $50 or less. Not including food and gas.

The boys hashed it over and decided they wanted to go on a hike and they picked Table Rock. So we set out for a beautiful 2.8 mile hike up Table Rock and 2.8 mile hike down. Here's some photo's of our hike.

(This is the first photo in 2+ years that all three boys are looking at the camera and smiling, I about cried on the trail when I finally reached this long awaited moment of photo victory).

The end of the hike proved to be a trail of tears for Carter. And every hiker on the mountain heard him! He walked almost the whole thing with a few rides on mom and dad's shoulders.

After we climbed down the mountain we still had plenty of day left over and the boys decided they wanted to go bowling. Can you dig Grant's fashion statement? I about wet my pants when I saw this get up! Carter joined Howard's team and with that handicap and a little help from bumpers and a ball rack, they beat us all with a score of 105! We finished off the bowling alley with a trip through the arcade.

On our way home we happened across a brand new playground that was not quite finished but still open for play.Since the sun hadn't set completely the kids jumped out and played until the sun went down.

And we took this funny picture of our bobble head dog!

After dark we hit the road and finished the night off with a take n' bake pizza and baths. Once the kids went to bed we plugged in a movie and called it a night. The next morning I could barely walk. E-ver-y-th-ing hurt. Hiking, bowling and crawling around on a playground with our kids was a work out! We had a blast welcoming spring! It was a gorgeous day.

Mandy

Deep Thoughts

2009-03-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

I have issues. Lots of them. But the issue this week that keeps rolling around like marbles in my head is that of prayer. I find myself on occasion dissecting in my head why I believe what I do, like breaking down a puzzle and examining each piece as I put it back together. This puzzle of faith.

It seems there is this waxing and waning of prayer, similar to a tide chart, that intertwines my thoughts. And when life gets really yucky I question why I pray. I think prayer can be broken down into a couple very simple categories...without getting into a theology session... I will break it down into these three: thanksgiving, supplication and repentance. The first and third are a piece of cake for me. It's easy to thank God for supplying our needs or our wants and it's easy to say thanks when things are seemingly going our way. It might not be easy to ask for forgiveness when we have done wrong but I find it not being a difficult process to understand. We may not like to apologize to God for our errors but it's a necessary part of prayer.

It's the middle one I get hung up on. Supplication. Letting our "requests be made known to God". Why do I do this? He already knows what I am going to ask before I ask it. He already knows the desires of my heart. He already knows the days planned out for me. He already knows what He is going to do. He already knows. Does my asking change God's mind? I don't know the answer.

You might be ready to walk away from your computer right about now, wonder if God may strike you down for reading my post and attempting to follow a train of thought I am heading down. Near blasphemy you might be screaming. But hang in there, it gets even deeper.

I have a friend with a family member who has walked away from Truth, put his family and children in jeopardy because of poor life choices. I have two more friends on the verge of loosing their homes because of the economy. My dad has been out of work for a year. I follow two other blog writers, one who's baby died and one who's baby is very sick right now, both writer's with a deeper faith than my own. I have another friend who lives in severe physical pain most of her days and another friend who died from a lifelong illness. I have a job in which I see and hear pain everyday. I myself have lived thorough significant pain in various forms. Our youngest child was in the NICU with very little promise of survival by all doctor's diagnosis. People from all over the world prayed for our son and our son lived. A miracle brat we call him now! But God chose to heal our son. If it were not for the thousands of prayers on our son's behalf, would God have still chose to heal him? What is the appropriate way to pray for things like this?

The Bible says to make our requests know to God. That He won't give us more than we can handle. That He will give us he desires of our heart. That He will supply our needs according to His riches in Glory. That He knows the plans He has for us. That He wants us to come to Him in prayer. I know all of these things. I know them. But why do I believe them? Why do I have to dissect the puzzle and examine each piece? I'd like to think that it's a good thing that I do this. That each time my faith increases. But I'm not sure that is true. Am I kidding myself by saying so?

I took a week long class on mental illness and this so called mental health expert said that people who claim they have a direct line to God have a mental illness. That those who say they can "hear God's voice" are just mentally ill and are usually paranoid or blah, blah, blah. She also said that we have evolved and that we used to be able to smell all of our organs within our body, blah, blah, blah. The discredit box in my head checked rather quickly once this stuff started spewing from her mouth. She held up a diagram of a brain labeled with all these complex systems the whole time she spoke about our brain evolving. Ironic, huh? At one point I wanted to raise my hand and declare myself mentally ill since I talk to God and that I openly admit to hearing His voice at times. But I was slightly afraid of her so I kept my mouth shut. I contemplated moving out of the room in case God struck her dead with lightening! But seriously? Seriously? Mentally ill for praying?

I have this desire for my kids to come up with a "better" dinner time prayer. Every night each child wants to pray at the dinner table, and each one says the exact same thing. "Dear Jesus. Thank you for this day, thank you for our food. Please help tonight to go well. Amen." and then the next kid says the exact same thing. I urge them to think outside the box, to become a bit more sincere in their dinner prayer instead of this memorized line that has become the easy standard. But what do I say when they ask why? I want to believe what comes out of my own mouth. I want to believe what I know to be Truth. So I continue to dissect. To let the marbles roll around and ponder.

So by now your asking, How much longer is this post going to be and what does she believe about prayer? And here are the answers. Not much longer. And can it be that prayer benefits the person praying more than it benefits God or his plans? I think it becomes an exercise to keep us in check with our Savior. To remind us of who is in control when our feelings fluctuate and our mind races with questions about the unknown. I'm not certain that by asking for God to heal an ill person until we are blue in the face that it means He will heal them. But I believe that prayer changes our mindset about what God chooses for the ill person. It allows us to accept the outcome of what God has already set in motion. It gives us a peace about the present, because this side of Heaven we wont always know the reasons for pain. For this reason I must fall back into these reminder from God's word.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

Mandy

Baby Stellan

2009-03-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

my charming kids

Please pray for baby Stellan. I follow a blog http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ and this gal's 4 month old baby is currently in the NICU with a severe heart condition. To read further please visit MckMama's blog at the web address above.

Back to "Normal"

2009-03-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've neglected my blog a bit this week. After a long bout with the stomach flu I felt so behind on housework and life stuff. I had to jump right into a long work week therefore barely had time to check my email or balance my checkbook. Yikes! That left the following equation: Blog = Backburner.

This week I attended a week long training class about mental illness. It was put on by a law enforcement agency in a nearby town and was very informative. I really enjoyed all that I learned about the various types of mental illness and how best to approach those inflected by the different types. We heard from various people who suffer from PTSD, Bi-Polar, Panic/Anxiety disorders, etc. I was so amazed that these people could stand up in front of a room full of cops and share their "dark" side in an effort to educate the ones who have to contact them during their times of personal crisis.

This week also marked the start of Little League season for Jordan and Grant. This is the first year Grant will play and he is very anxious to get started. Their practices are on opposite ends of town with one practice ending and the next one starting at the exact same time. We have until Wednesday to figure out how to clone ourselves or invent time travel. I had no idea how fun (or funny) little league was. Jordan started playing coach pitch last year and it was our first experience with baseball. Howard and I had so much fun watching the kids play. It is hilarious at times. Little boys with sunflower seeds and cleats running their little legs off and throwing dirt clots in the outfield. Our boys are looking forward to a fun season once we hit the sporting good store for pants, cleats and the all important protective cup!

I'm settling in to watch a movie with Howard on this first night of spring break! I'm trying to adjust to a 6 week graveyard shift that starts tomorrow night. The boys are actually still up. They just got home after a failed attempt at spending the night with friends. Their friend ended up running a high fever and getting sick so Howard went to pick them up. Grant is in the bathtub crying big crocodile tears lamenting that he had to return home prematurely. The influenza bug is not on our list of fun things to do for spring break, but my son doesn't understand that yet.

Happy Spring everyone!

Mandy

Nothing Worse

2009-03-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

There is nothing worse than throwing up! I hate it. Hate it. Hate it. Last Thursday, I had my friends over for dinner and Howard had taken the boys to run some errands. They returned somewhat earlier than I had expect and when they hit the front door I knew by the tone of Howard's voice it wasn't good. Carter had puked all over the car. My friends decided now would be a good time to head for home. Thus our dinner ended abruptly when the puking child entered the house. I don't blame them one bit. No one wants to get sick! Especially when you are my friend Amy, who is 6 months pregnant, or my friend, Monica, who just had the stomach flu two weeks prior. Howard apologized for my dinner guests leaving so abruptly and then said he thought Carter just ate too much for dinner. Combined with the hot chocolate from "Disneyland dad" while they were running errands, he probably just got too full. We spent the next several hours cleaning the car, the kid, the clothes, the bathroom and the carpet. What fun. Isn't parenting a joy?
But I didn't buy into the overeating explanation. And, I was right. All day Friday, Carter continued with the obvious flu he picked up from daycare. Don't we love germ bucket 3 year olds who don't use proper hygiene?
Grant and I spent Friday and Saturday together at the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, pictures and wedding of our friend Sarah. He, as you know from the previous post, was her ring bearer. And a mighty fine one at that. Howard spent the day's home with Carter and his affliction. Then, on Saturday night we went to dinner at Applebee's before I headed to work for a few hours. Carter appeared to be feeling better and we thought we were over it. HA! What was I smoking?
I crawled in bed late Saturday night after work and woke early in the morning Sunday to a terrible feeling. Running to the bathroom I puked for the next 12 hours. I hate throwing up! Hate it. Hate it. At some point I was ready to call for an ambulance because I couldn't get off the bathroom floor and felt like I was going to pass out. Instead Howard carried me to bed and gave me Dramamine. Little white miracle workers in a bottle. But let me tell you how much I never want to eat at Applebee's again. Sometime during the day Grant started throwing up too. The next few days were pretty much a blur as I and my two youngest boys slept in one bed with a puke bowl within reach.
I should point out that during the time we were throwing up our socks, Jordan was coughing up his lungs. Howard took him to the Dr and came home with four new Rx's and a pneumonia warning if he doesn't not get better soon. Howard did a super job of keeping up with everyone and caring for us while we were down for the count. He washed all the laundry in the house. ..but didn't fold any of it and I still can't find my small couch q:o). He even washed all the reds together and only turned one pair of white underwear pink! I was so impressed at his attention to laundry details. Jordan wont be so impressed when he finds pink undewear in his dresser!
We have never had the stomach flu in our house until 3 months ago. I think twice in 3 months is more than enough. We should be clear for at least another 5 years, right? I'm still holding my breath for Howard though. He didn't get it either time and I pray he doesn't.... because I can't carry him to bed.
We are feeling better with only occasional urges to toss everything we just ate. Carter puked again last night after everyone was asleep and Howard and I found ourselves stripping another bed and washing sheets at 1am. Hopefully eight days is long enough for this bug. The sun is out and I am opening all the windows to air out the germs!

Mandy

Little Man

2009-03-09T21:11:00.001-07:00

Grant was asked to be the ringbearer in our friend Sarah's wedding on Saturday. We unfortunately have just had our second run in with the stomach flu in the last two months, so I am delayed in sharing pictures of our little handsome boy. Here is a recap of his big moment before the stomach flu hit us in full force.

I will post more in a few days when we are on more than a Gatorade and pedialyte diet.

Mandy

I'M MAD!

2009-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, I said it. I'm mad. I've been trying not to be mad, but it's not working. Part 4 of the basketball posts has an underlying story that is the cause of my anger.
You see, my husband has been coaching basketball for a better part of 12 years. The first two years as an assistant, the next 10 as head coach and in the last 3 years, also the athletic director for our small private school. He has earned his keep plus more like all devoted teachers and coaches of small private schools. Way more hours than the pay is equal to. And... that's fine. He certainly doesn't do it for the pay or he wouldn't be where he is. The real reward comes in the form of the kids he gets the privilege of coaching. What a great group they are. (I think I have said that a few times before already). To say that his time has come to take a trip to the state playoffs is an understatement. There have been many years that he has been one game away from the post season play but this season takes the cake, clearly the closest his team has ever come.

Which brings me to the source of my anger.

The team we played last Friday night, in short, cheated. They had a coach that took the team to the state playoffs and won the championship for the last two years in a row. He is no longer the coach of that team and we had to play them last Friday for a chance to go to Baker City. They have new coaches but for some reason felt the need to have the old coach stand at the end of the court nearest our bench and coach the other team using hand signals. Clearly a violation of the OSAA rules as well as an ethical violation as coaches. But, it wasn't noticed by the officials and although my husband asked the officials to have that man moved, they did not make him, unaware of what he was doing. But, in order to file a grievance it takes a certain amount of time. That amount of time wasn't there due to the impending playoff schedule that was preset. Now, our team didn't play to the best of their ability. We already know that. No question. They earned the score they got, but the team that won was also a team that had 4 grown men and a few players all in on the cheating act.

I am mad.

I am furious, and I can't get over it.

I've spent a better part of 5 days being mad deep down inside and not able to shake it from my thoughts.

There is this internet forum in which you can discuss the games,etc and I logged in and posted something about this other team's antics. I made a comment along the line of "consider the example these men are setting for the young players on the team as they blur the line between black and white".
Bad idea. I was not only called a liar and a slanderer for making such accusations against their "pillars of the community" but I had the "and you call yourself a Christian" line dropped on me.

Boy howdy did I stir a pot.

Now I'm mad and insulted that someone would turn such a blind eye to blatant cheating and consider me the one in the wrong for pointing it out.

I play by the rules. Black and white. I work for the police for pete sakes! I like order and law and rules. And if someone breaks them they shouldn't get rewarded for it. We don't buy people ice cream for running a red light!

But, it doesn't always work that way, I know. Especially now. To see my husband work so hard for something and then watch a school that cheated go instead of us...MAKES ME MAD.

My husband will file a formal complaint and follow the proper channels like he is supposed to. But it won't change anything for this season. The games have already started in Baker City. The other team just won their first game in the first round of the tournament.

Bitter? Maybe.

Disappointed? Very.

Angry? How did you guess?

Mad? I already told you.

Fair? Not at all.

Say a prayer for my heart, please, as we sit on the couch listening to the play by play of each game over the radio instead of being there.

Go ahead, say it. I know what you are thinking. "Life isn't fair". "It's just a game". "Don't worry, there is always next year".

This is about the time I wan't to throw a huge tantrum. But instead, I'll put on my big girl panties and deal with it. It's better if I not cause a scene in my living room in front of all my kids. They will have no idea what I'm talking about and I will look like a loser in my own home.

Smiling on the outside, aching on the inside. Truth be told.

Mandy

Kids say....

2009-03-03T20:57:00.001-08:00

Grant is on the verge of losing his first tooth, which made me remember one of the funniest things he has ever said. One day when he was about 3 and Jordan was just starting to lose teeth, we were walking downtown and ran into someone I attended high school with. She was pushing her 8 month baby in a stroller. Grant was admiring the little girl when he looked up at me in amazement and said "Mom, that baby has lost all her teeth...she only has two left!"

Teeth seem to be a theme lately.

Mandy

Basketball Part 4

2009-03-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

As they say...all good things must come to an end. We lost our 2nd Regional State Game on Friday to Mohawk High School. It was a very disappointing loss for our boys and even more for my husband. Only a 4 point loss makes it that much harder. 5 points away from Baker City is tough to recover from. But the best thing about this team is the great kids who are on it. These boys have the best character, composure and class. Attributes that will carry them far in life...way beyond a gym floor or basketball score board, and they aren't too shabby at the sport either! My husband is very blessed to have them.

The evening practices, endless uniform laundry, weekend road trips, late nights and concession food diet is officially over. Back to cooking at home and having dinners together as a family. And once the end-of-season grieving period is over for my husband, I will have him back too. We have one huge awards banquet to plan to celebrate the accomplishments.

So for now, It's game over. Until next season anyway...which starts again in November. The countdown has already begun.

Mandy

Basketball Part 3

2009-02-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

Oh Boy. Newspaper clippings. Internet sports forums. We are not like normal married people. Now we are talking only in brackets. You know the ones....this team plays this team, the winner plays this one, etc. All the "what if's" and scenarios in every which direction we can think of them and how they will be played out. We are this close. The boys can taste it.

On Tuesday we scratched the idea of a bus and loaded up into comfortable car pool vehicles and drove our team North to Woodburn. We hit the factory outlet malls for some good deals and some nerve diversion therapy. Scoring good loot is always soothing to the soul, right? We arrived at Country Christian School with plenty of time for the boys to shoot around and get the nerves worked out. Their school packed one side of the gym and slowly but steadily our fans arrived. We had 63 people show up to represent our cheering squad and our voices were definitely outnumbered, but our spirit was not! The Warriors didn't start the game off too well, we quickly were down by 14 points at the first 4 minutes of the game but we picked away until we got to within 6 points of the Cougars at half time. By the middle of the 4th quarter we had tied the game. It was back and forth for a very tense 3 minutes of game time until we tied them again with 0.9 of a second remaining. We took it into overtime and won by 7! Our boys worked so hard for that win. After the game we celebrated with our loyal fans at Denny's and hit a hotel to catch some sleep before heading home Wednesday.

Now we do it all again tomorrow. Traveling north to a little town called Mowhawk. It's down to 16 teams across the state and after tomorrow, only 8 will remain and head to Baker City for the playoff games. Out of 75 teams in our class 1A division we have made it to the sweet 16. The first time in our team's history to make it to the 2nd round of Regional games. The best New Hope has ever done in basketball! Howard is so excited he can't contain himself. And if you thought he had it bad during my post about his nerves, he has only just begun! Today already, the air around him is thick with intensity. Sounds of another language being spoken during incoming calls from all over the state to his cell phone....coaches giving their advice about Mohawk and their two cents about strategy. You would think this was March Madness. Oh, wait, it will be next week!

If there was ever a time to get excited about a sports event, now is the time. It's the end of the 3rd quarter and we are heading into the 4th. This team is having the time of their life and I think Howard just might be too.

Go, Warriors, Go!

Mandy

Commercial Break

2009-02-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

We won!! Now sitting at a hotel lobby waiting for my laundry to dry. Had to post that we won our first game of the State Regional Games in Salem.
We are onto the next round Friday. I will post when we get back home with all the pertinent details. Thanks for cheering!

Mandy

Basketball Part 2

2009-02-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

Fried bread. Hot dogs. Gatorade. Popcorn. Bubble gum. Corn nuts. Soda. Burgers. Chocolate. Nachos. Corn dogs and Quesedillas. You name it, we ate it, or sat next to someone who ate it.

Friday and Saturday were jam packed basketball days. We played our first District Tournament game on Friday and lost by 9 points. Some of the boys nerves and attitudes got the best of them and we struggled to get past some bad calls by the fellows in black and white stripes. But our boys stuck with it and learned from their mistakes. We pulled out a good win Saturday night and placed 3rd in the District Tournament. Three of our boys were awarded either tournament or all league awards or both. We are very proud of our basketball team and all that they have accomplished this season. These boys are a great bunch of kids on and off the court. Howard really loves watching these young men grow up and work hard for what they believe in. Even though there are times he would like to knock their heads together, they really are outstanding teens that are a far cry from the norm these days.

So the warriors are heading to Salem on Tuesday to play the first Regional game which is a division of the state tournament. We are playing another Christian school that we played during our pre-season. We beat them at that time but they apparently were missing a key player. Should be a good tight game and a great experience for our boys and coaching staff.

It's almost half time. Enjoy the airplane toss, 50/50 raffle and a poorly copied version of "Back in Black" while we gear up for another quarter. I'll post another basketball commentary on Wednesday when we return home from our road trip. Hopefully it's a write up on the 3rd quarter and not a final score. Say a prayer for my brave soul as I, for the first time in 5 or more years, dive head first into a bus load of teenage male athletes and their crazy fans for a long trip north. My zune will be fully charged and my novel close at hand. Hopefully these two pieces of sanity will drown out the chaos.

Now take a potty break and go eat a frito pie! It's officially half time.

Mandy

Basketball Part 1

2009-02-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Oh, I never thought I would see the day when I would allow this huge portion of our life to interject itself into my blog. I thought this little corner of my world would be basketball free....but since the BB word has been dropped a few times already..... and since Howard's team is doing so well....I guess I better pay tribute where it's due. Here goes....

It's game time Warriors.

"Pink Panther" "Brick House" "Eye of the Tiger" "Na,Na,Na,Na, Hey,Hey,Hey...Goodbye" "Mission Impossible" When basketball and pep band collide...these songs become ingrained in your head at the most inconvenient times, which is often these days. Howard's basketball team is gearing up for the District Tournament this weekend. Today a practice, tonight a team dinner, Friday a school pep rally, Friday night the first big game and Saturday night the second game.

Translation: a whole lot of laundry going on in our house this weekend!

Depending on where they place in the tournament..decides if we travel on Tuesday to the Salem area or host a regional home game. A regional home game would be a first ever for us. So would a trip to the state tournament, and these boys are close. With a little more hard work, they will see it happen.

(Interject History lesson here) Our gym has been the talk of the league for a couple of decades. Sometime in an era past, someone decided that burnt orange was a great color of carpet. FOR THE GYM FLOOR. For almost 2o years our sports teams have been playing on orange industrial carpet. Rug burn and bacteria euphoria! A few years ago teams began to refuse to play at our gym. The league forced us to find another gym to host all of our home games on, which meant that we played at local churches, the boys club, and elementary and middle schools. Two seasons ago our school raised enough money with a matching grant to install a real hardwood gym floor. We have been able to host games at our gym again for the past two seasons and the crowd just keeps growing!

So with this history lesson in mind, the local newspaper decided to do a featured article on our gym and the ever growing crowd and winning season of our boys basketball team. They did a great write up and blew our cover a bit. Howard likes to lay low for the most part. He likes the surprise attack idea. Not too much attention, no ranking. Just a little swoop in and sound win. That's how he likes to roll, at least on the outside. At home, he is a bundle of nervous energy...replaying video's of past games and taking notes for upcoming practices, reading playbooks, spending countless hours on the phone. (Not countless, they show up on the cell phone bill, so someone is counting). Months of hard work, in preparation for two final weeks of post season play. My friend Michelle and her family come to watch games quite frequently. Michelle gets her entertainment out of watching Howard jump around, and the rest of her family watches the actual game. Howard can get pretty animated without realizing it during an intense game.

The air is thick around our house. You can feel the intensity and the warm up music hasn't even started. So much prep work for 32 minutes of game time. I'll update when the weekend is over.

End of 1st quarter....

Mandy

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

**UPDATE**

For those wondering, you can read the comments attached to this post. Chocolate covered strawberries aren't so good 4 days later. But the construction paper and glitter card came out great. Equal to something I made in 3rd grade. It's been years since using glitter so I really did impress myself. On a side note, Howard saw this post as I was updating my blog and mocked me for a while after reading it. He said the picture looked like I was getting ready to "bite him in the neck and drag him in the weeds". But then I think he felt bad for mocking me because I found two new songs added to my zune the next morning. "I'm Still a Guy" and "Little Moments" by Brad Paisley.

Guess he loves me.

I tend to think Valentine's Day is over-rated. I don't know why, It's just not that exciting for me. Seems that it's so commercialized, but then I guess every holiday is for that matter. So I told (or asked) Howard in so many words not to get me anything. I don't really see the point in buying gifts for a holiday I think is over-rated. He said fine and we agreed that we didn't need to exchange gifts. I guess I should explain that it's possible I would feel differently about the holiday if it were not for basketball season. I can probably count on two fingers the number of Valentine's day's that we've actually spent together, alone. Most all other years, Howard is away for a basketball game or I am with him and an entire basketball team on the marked date. Today is no exception, I am home paying bills, Howard is 4 hours away in a tiny town called Powers, coaching the last game of the league season. Playoff's start next week, so the season is not over by any means.

But the real reason I started this post is to brag about my husband. Yesterday while preparing to leave for a basketball game, I walked into the bathroom to find one Dove dark chocolate bar, one wrapped red rose and two pieces of computer paper sitting on the counter. Typed out on the papers was a poem Howard wrote. Not some cheesy Valentine's poem you would find in a greeting card... but a serious, thought out, publish-in-a-book kind of poem. Seems that 3 terms of college writing classes paid off. Apparently while staying up late to finish "chemistry homework" he was actually writing. And no.... I'm not about to share it with you. For two reasons, 1) I don't have his permission and 2) It wouldn't make sense to anyone but me. His poem details only things that we would understand about our life since we met. Now I feel like a heal. I didn't even get him a card. I did try, but I waited too darn long and the only cards left were worse than not buying one at all. Valentine's cards about drinking beer are just not funny. Nor do they apply. Thank God for both.

So now it's really late. My husband is still an hour or more away from home and I am getting ready to dip strawberries in chocolate for when he gets home, if I can stay awake that much longer. I'm considering busting out the red and pink construction paper, the Elmer's glue and the glitter and making a card similar to what I made in elementary school. At least it would be original without any undertones of beer drinking. The kids are asleep and they wouldn't even know I was having construction paper fun without them. I'm off to the kitchen ....

Mandy

Love

2009-02-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

"But God demontrates His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

Dog Gone

2009-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, Jordan was sick and stayed with my mom for the day instead of going to school. When I got to grandma's house at the end of the day to pick him up he proudly announced that he had lost a tooth. The rest of the story came out later that my mom's dog got the tooth at some point during the day and had it in his mouth, but they fished it out and rescued the tooth from Titan's jaws.

In all the moving my mom ended up with my jewelry box which she gave back to me on Monday night. Inside was our "tooth star". I painted this little jar that we call our "tooth star" several years ago when Jordan was about 4 and Grant was just a baby. When our kids lose their teeth, they put their tooth in the jar and sit it next to their bed for the tooth fairy to find. It was so exciting to have our famous jar returned on the same day Jordan's tooth fell out.

When we got home Jordan put his tooth in the jar and left it on the kitchen counter. Tuesday morning arrived but there was no dollar bill to be found. The tooth fairy doesn't look on kitchen counters we found out. Bummer. Later that night I heard a scuffle in the kitchen. When I walked in Carter had been playing on the floor with the "tooth star"and the tooth was missing. When I asked him where the tooth was he pointed at our dog and said "Warren ate it". This poor tooth was destined for a dogs mouth! I swept the whole floor but never found it. I'm sure it's long gone in the intestines of the dog, and by now the backyard. That night Jordan put the star by his bed. Here is what the tooth fairy found.....

She might not look on kitchen counters but she does make exceptions! Cha-ching. Saved by the note! I love my kids. They crack me up sometimes.

Mandy

Friday

2009-01-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Our insurance company denied our claim for covering damages to the house. They are covering damages to our personal belongings but water damage to the structure is apparently excluded. Therefore, the rental agency is now trying to file a homeowners claim for the damages but things are still feeling sticky to me. I have a very unsettled feeling about the whole thing. I wish that the rental agency would have filed a homeowners claim long before now, but so far they have not. I spoke with them today and it sound's like they are going to but they are making some unusual requests from us for copies of documents related to our policy. I am still asking that you pray for this situation... that it will work out without any more tension than has already been created due to the delay in repairs being made, etc. Pray that Howard and I make wise choices with how to proceed.
Changing the subject all together, I attended the memorial service yesterday for Silas and Joshua. It was a full house with many people in attendance. It was a hard scene to watch as the siblings and close friends, including the Cunningham brothers, were pallbearers for the caskets. Who would think that at 16 years old you would have to carry your friends in a casket? What a sobering moment for these young boys and families.

Song

2009-01-28T21:45:00.001-08:00

Two posts in one day...I know.
I was just visiting my friends blog and I'm going to give a little plug here for it. It's called "Stepping Heavenward" and you can access it on my sidebar or visit www.prayingforkristin.com and it will redirect you to her blog. She has a post there today from a song by Barlow Girl. Great song, hop on over and check it out. If I was smart enough to figure it out I would post the video here, but I know just enough about computers to be dangerous.
Changing the subject completely and for a very important reason......tomorrow morning is the memorial service for the Emery brothers. An open invitation has been extended to the community where the boys lived with their family. Please pray that this service will reach those who attend. I'm not one that agrees that a brow beating message at a funeral should guilt someone into beginning a relationship with Jesus, but I think it's entirely possible that someone can come to Jesus from a painful event such as this. Please continue to keep this family in your prayers. While they rejoice that their children are in Heaven, it is no doubt a bittersweet day ahead for them.

Blood and Water

2009-01-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well, the day has finally arrived. We moved into our house last night, finally. We had a great time staying with friends. Somewhat of a vacation from the reality of life to be honest, but we are back into our own routine and trying to unpack the mayhem the occurred over the course of the last few weeks. We are not having a good experience with the insurance company though and I covet your prayers about this matter. The actual homeowner apparently doesn't want to file a homeowners claim but wanted his own employees to do the work. Our renters insurance says they may not cover damages due to how our policy was written. (whatever that means) Then there is a sticky mess with the original carpet cleaner who let our furniture sit for a week and get water damaged from exposure to water too long. I hate stuff like this. I want to plug my ears and say "la la la" but I cant. I am trying not to get anxious about the whole ordeal. It's in God's hands and out of my control at this point. I've been told by many to let the insurance companies fight it out and not to worry about it, but it still leaves unsettling thoughts.
We should have some answers this week, hopefully.
I've thought about these last few weeks and have pondered the reason why God allowed blood and water to "pour" with my nose problem and the washing machine ordeal. Maybe I read too much into things, but I can't help but keep returning to a mental picture of the Cross. The blood and water that flowed from Jesus side when he was crucified. Why this modern day, practical blood and water lesson now? All I come up with at the moment is that in all things no matter how practical or everyday they are, I need to look to Him. The One who gave everything for me. His life for me. The One who who loves us no matter our painful thoughts and frustration. The One who I need to run to when my burden is heavy. The One who provides all things. The One who knows my days. The One who has it all in palm of His hand. The One who knows the outcome and the reason before I do.

Mandy

Emery Family Update

2009-01-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

Last night at the basketball game I spoke with Mr. Cunningham who had been at the hospital earlier in the day with the Emery family. As I understand it, the doctors took Joshua off life support for a brief while to see if there was any brain activity and there was not. They decided to wait until all the family could arrive before shutting down all the machines permanently so some others could say goodbye. I do not know the timeline of that event. I can't imagine the grief this family must be feeling to have lost 2 of their 7 children in such a tragic way. But I also have this picture in my mind of Silas greeting Joshua in heaven, and how wonderful that must be. Please continue to pray for the Emery family. They were known by many in our community and no doubt are leaving a void on this earth. Please pray for the Cunningham family and their children who were friends of these boys.

Joshua

2009-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while at work I took a 911 call about a car crash. Two brothers, one telephone pole. Silas, age 20 died. Joshua, age 17 is being kept alive by machines in a nearby hospital. After arriving home, Howard told me that these boys were close friends of some boys on his basketball team, Noah and Eli. Noah was called out of class yesterday to be told the news. The Emery family is in need of prayer as they grieve the loss of their son, Silas, and as they live through the upcoming days with Joshua in the hospital. An email update this morning from the school office said the following....

"Good morning --- Some of you may have heard about this, but anyway ---
We'd like to ask you to really be in prayer for the Emery family who attend Shan Creek Community Church (this is the church where Guy Shields is Pastor - Pastor Shields has two children here at NHCS and he is also on our school board). Two of the Emery boys were in an accident and the 20 yr old was killed, and his brother has been declared almost brain dead. The Cunninghams also attend this church and these boys were good friends with the Cunningham boys. The doctor who is dealing with the one who is close to brain dead said that he was also in that condition at one time and he "came back" to lead a normal life - as a doctor! Therefore he won't quickly "pull the plug". So, please pray for Bob & Susan, the parents, and for Josh, the one in the hospital. Only our great and loving God can get them through a time like this. Please also remember the Cunningham boys in your prayers."

Thank you for praying for this family and all who are affected by this tragic event. I will continue to post as I receive updates.

Mandy

Under Construction

2009-01-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

Or should I say destruction? The contractors were at the house today and they pulled out all the rest of the carpet, padding, cabinets and some of the subfloor. Dust bowl comes to mind. Our insurance approved our claim and will pay for damages. A huge,huge answer to prayer. Our furniture needs repair and we will be compensated for it after depreciation is figured in. It won't be enough for replacement if necessary but we are still thankful for not having to cover all the expenses ourselves. And we have to keep remembering that it's just stuff. We can't take it with us when this life is over. We should start seeing some construction and installation soon, which will be exciting. Our spirits are better and it feels there is light at the end of the tunnel for the unpacking stage. If you remember from previous posts, it was Howard's basketball team that packed our whole house up and moved it in about 3 hours. Then things from my parents house were added on top and now more things from inside the house were moved out and added to the pile. So our garage is something comparable to a rock formation with multiple layers! We again have to shuffle things around tomorrow to accommodate the construction. It's like playing chess, right? Or maybe sardines.
Mandy

"Vacation"

2009-01-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

To my five faithful blog followers, here is an update....

Our carpet is not dry. On Thursday we were told we could move into our house and that the carpet was dry. Not so much. We were at my parents and still helping them pack and arrived home around 11pm. Tucked the kids in bed and began to sort things out only to find many places in the house that were still wet and more belongings that were damaged. On Friday morning I called the rental agency who sent out a contractor. By 11am, all the rest of our furniture was out of the house and all the carpet pulled up. The carpet was mostly dry in fact, but the padding, walls, subfloor and baseboards were not. Seems there was a bit of a breakdown in communication between the carpet cleaner and the rental company. We were told it would be best not to be there, for obvious reasons.... tack strips exposed, musty damp air, and no furniture. So,all our belongings are once again in the garage. We grabbed a few things that day and headed to my parents to help them get all the rest of their house moved. Our dear, dear friends Mike and Naomi offered us a room in their home and we made a crash landing late Friday night into their home.
The boys think we are on vacation. They love Mike and Naomi's house and playing with their 4 kids. They get along great and are enjoying the one week long slumber party. Our dog thinks he is heaven; he now has a running partner in the form of another furry lab friend. Warren Sap and Clark Kent. They're quite the pair. There's lots of room to run and stomp through the woods and a bonus room that's been turned into a Wii marathon mania. Naomi felt she had to apologize for the low thread count sheets on our bed and the mismatched sheets on the beds she set up for the kids. She clearly doesn't realized how much we don't care about soft sheets at the moment and how grateful we are to them for giving us a place to go for a week or so. We will know more hopefully by Monday or Tuesday what a timeline looks like for getting back into the house we haven't lived in yet. At this point it's up to insurance companies and the rental agency to sort it out and really out of our hands.

I the midst of this I want to share some things and people I am thankful for....

1) Noami and Mike, who gave us a warm place to stay, then kept our kids so we could get much needed errands and tasks accomplished.

2) The warm fireplace that Mike keeps piling logs into.

3) That Mike's shirts fit me since I can't find any of my own clothes. (I'll get over it later).

4) Howard's coworkers at the school who have been so thoughtful and provided us with some extra cash to help with the added expenses this situation has given us.

5) My husband, who isn't mad at me for not staying home after putting clothes in the washing machine.

6) My dear friend Vicki, who showed up at my parents house with boxes and helped us pack up the kitchen.

7) The many people who have stopped us just to hug us and let us know they are praying for us.

8) Monica who spent 3 hours at the laundromat with me.

9) My parents and sisters and grandparents who have helped all week with our kids and a place to stay for the first week. Any my grandma who made dinner for our whole family several times last week.

10) That my kids have been mostly healthy during the last few weeks.

11) My parents house is empty. It's all clean. New owners will move in tonight! Sad but good. Lots of memories in that home. My sister was married in the front yard. Howard and I lived with them there on two separate occasions. Many family gatherings were held there and lots of friendships strengthened there.

My nose is doing better. I saw the Dr. last week who gave me sudafed for my sinuses and some anxiety medicine to take the edge off. (thankful for those too) My stress level and tension have been a little high. Can't imagine why? I've made it through 2 days without crying! Progress! Pure progress!

That's if for now. I will update when I know more. We appreciate all who have kept us in prayer and have offered help. If I met you with a blank stare last week or silence on the phone, I just didn't know what we even needed or where to begin. Please understand and don't worry, I'm sure when I know which end is up again I will be looking for help putting my household back together. And if you spoke with Howard and his frustration came out in a quippy kind of way, I'll apologize on his behalf too.

Much love,
Mandy

First Grade Witnesses

2009-01-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

In the midst of our mess I have to share something really cool with you. Grant's teacher was "Teacher of the Month" through a local radio station. Yesterday the radio station came out to Grant's 1st grade class and presented his teacher with the award. The broadcast was live on the air and during the course of the presentation Grant's class was able to recited their memory verse live to our entire community. Here is the verse they said:

2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Pouring

2009-01-11T21:38:00.001-08:00

I sit tonight in a half empty living room that belongs to my parents until Friday. Howard sits next to me doing homework. Our backs against the wall, there is no furniture. Scattered around us are boxes half full or half empty,depending on how you look at them. The kids are upstairs trying to sleep. But who can these days with all that's happened in a matter of 3 days?

My little corner of the world has felt like the corner of a boxing ring, and I'm not so sure that I am winning, but I'm still fighting.

The home we have been living in belongs to my parents. Their own home just sold and they need to move into the house we are in. And fast. So I began my quick search for a rental house last week. On Thursday I found one, we hit the bank for a large sum of cash to secure the home, and signed papers at 5pm as the doors were closing. We got the keys and headed home to start packing. For the last several days I have been suffering from bloody noses, chest pain and shortness of breath. I presumed all were from the anxiety of trying to find a house in a quick like manner. On Monday I had one bloody nose and on Wednesday I had three. Now the title of my post is "pouring" for a reason. These nose bleeds were doing just that and lasting about 30 -45 min each time. On Thursday I went almost a whole day without one. After signing papers, I had it all planned out..... I would go to the new house, clean the whole thing and then go home and start packing. Friday I would start moving things over. Instead I spent 3 hours Thursday night trying to control 3 more nose bleeds. My mom came over and my sister drove me to the ER. After a pleasant 2 hours in the ER the doctor cauterized my nose and sent me home. $100 co-pay and a new deductible for the year.
On Friday I woke up, crawled in the bathtub and started to wash my face. Apparently the hot water wasn't what I needed. More pouring...and not from the bathtub. This was my ninth nosebleed in 4 days and I was not feeling that my legs would hold me up. I struggled to get out of the tub. Carter got me some napkins and I called my mom at work and she came over. She took Carter to the neighbor and me to ER for 5 hours of torture. The doctor was not so pleasant as the one the night before and he "packed" my nose twice while it continued to bleed without ceasing. "Packing" meant shoving a rigid sponge (similar to a tongue depressor) up my nose and then spraying Afrin into the sponge, only to pinch my nose with the rigid sponge inside in hopes that it would stop bleeding. This is where I should mention that the sponge was about 6-8 inches long when dry and 8-10 inches long when wet. My brain hurt. My eye hurt. My ear hurt. My head hurt. Another $100 copay and more to add to my deductible. When the doctor decided that packing wasn't working he called the ENT office in town and sent me in his direction. I'm not sure why this didn't happen 5 hours earlier? The ENT took out the packing and numbed my whole face. That was the best I had felt all day.He then cauterized my nose which he said would not have stopped with packing as it was "a gusher". The cost: Priceless. He sent me home with these instructions: No lifting, No straining, No bending over, No stress. For 3 days. Got it? Friday I was home around 5pm. I had plans to get all the utilities transferred to the new house and call the insurance company re: new car policies and a renters policy. Didn't happen. I was at the ER all day.
Saturday morning came and I had not packed anything, nor could I pack anything. My nose had more packing in one day than my house did. By 11 am my dad and 3 of his friends and Howard's 20 or so "blessings" showed up. His mother and his entire basketball team of high school boys were in my living room. They packed my whole house, loaded it into cars and one big moving truck and moved our entire house in about 3 hours. It wasn't the way I would have planned for it to go in a perfect world. But it was how it had to be done and they did a great job. I gave orders in my lightheaded state of mind. They lifted and carried like an army of ants. I showed up to my new house and things were EVERYWHERE. In a very loose order...boxes were all over the house. The boys bedrooms each had a bed and a dresser, they didn't match up, but who cares, it's all organizable later. By 3pm all the blessings were out the door for a basketball game and I was left with a house full of chaos. I didn't listen to anyone and I didn't sit down and rest on the couch. I wanted the washer and dryer hooked up. I wanted clean sheets to sleep on before Howard got home. So I called a friends husband and asked him to hook them up for me. He came over, we checked and double checked. Everything was a go.

I threw in a load of sheets.

Loaded up the car with two little boys and the dog.

Headed to the grocery store for milk, trash bags and dishwasher soap.

Went to Mc Donalds. 8:15 pm for Happy Meals.

Got to Albertsons, they were having a sale. Spent about an hour at the store.

Arrived home. 9:15 pm.

Opened the garage door.

Water.

Pouring.

Pouring....out...of...the... door...

Tears...

pouring... out... of... my... face.

The entire house was flooded. 2 inches of standing water in every room.

All the chaos..all the boxes. Soaked.

My shoes, my pants, my face. Soaked.

I called the rental agency 24 hour emergency number that was attached to the rental agreement on the dashboard of the car. I couldn't even speak. I just sobbed. He came over in 10 min and had a carpet cleaner there about 10 minutes after that.

300 gallons of water extracted in 2 hours.

Everything is wet. All the children's books. Some of my pictures. All the furniture. Most of the clothes. Some of the electronics. The carpet, the walls, the baseboards. The garage floor. Almost everything we own and the house we just rented. Guess who didn't have renters insurance effective on Friday? Me.

Guess who couldn't wait until Howard came home to put the sheets in the wash? Me.

Somehow in the moving of the washing machine the drain hose came loose from the bottom. It all appeared to be working when Jim and I checked it out. But it apparently wasn't and I wasn't home to catch it. Instead I was at a great sale at Albertsons trying to pinch a penny and get $15 back for spending $30. Guess who should have been home doing what she was told? Me.

Howard came home immediately after hearing the sobs on the phone. We moved as much as we could out to the garage. My sister came over and got our children and some clothes and took them to my parents house. Howard and I worked until almost midnight getting our precious things into the garage. It's just stuff. I have to remember it's just stuff. We can't take it with us when this life is over.

The repair cost: I have no idea. Lord have Mercy.

So, we can't be in our new house. All our stuff is scattered between three houses and a storage unit and we are in an empty living room at my parents house. At the new house the carpet is wet and the heat is cranked up to 90 degrees. The blowers are running and if things don't dry out soon all the carpet will have to be pulled up. My parents have to be out of their house on Friday and we are helping them pack and move. Today I spent 2 hours at the laundromat washing a car load of wet clothes, dirty clothes and my parents clothes. Oh, and I almost forgot. Sheets.....300 gallons of water wasn't enough of a rinse cycle for them! Monica came to help me at the laundromat. I told her not tell Jim what happened but she didn't listen and told him anyway. Guess who else doesn't listen? Monica. I hope and pray Jim doesn't feel bad. It certainly wasn't his fault. We both checked, it just came loose.

So here I sit. Again wondering why and pouring my thoughts out into a blog. Writing seems to be a stress reliever for me. I emailed a friend earlier who is always so encouraging and affirmed to him what I know to be true. God is still the same. He is the same today as He was on Thursday,and the days my children were born, and the day we got married, and the day I lost my job, and the day we were served lawsuit papers, and the day we bought our first house and the day we were told our baby would die, and the day we brought our baby home, and the day I got a new job, and Howard's first day as a teacher, and the day the new house flooded. He is still the same. No matter where I am or what hurt or chaos occurs.

He is still God.

He knows.

He is in control.

He will provide.

And I? I don't listen well. I don't do what I'm told. I don't like to be still. I want everything to go a certain way. My way.

And I am not in control. I don't know everything. I can't provide it all. I need to learn to let things go.

I'm in a boxing ring and I'm still fighting but I'm not sure I'm winning. Down for the count.....1....2.....not giving up. Stuborn. Strongwilled. Driven. Broken. Call it what you want.

Mandy

Gingerbread, Holidays, Costa Rica Friends and Slugs

2009-01-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Look what we made today! Yes, I know it's January 3rd but it's a great example of how random our life has been since Christmas. The boys have been begging since before Christmas to make the gingerbread house great grandma bought for them and today I said "why not? It's 2 in the afternoon, I'm still in my p.j.'s and the house isn't getting any cleaner so go for it." This is the product of our imagination....with a little help from the kit directions. Here's a few photos of the boys too.

So, here is a recap of our Christmas and New Years and everything in between. On Christmas eve we spent the evening with Howard's family eating, eating and eating some more. We were not supposed to exchange any gifts this year but Howard's mom cheated a bit and made gifts for all of us. They were wonderful...the boys each got a work apron for tools and toys and Howard and I each received a scarf and I received a handbag. Cheryl is quite talented in her sewing and knitting skills.

We spent Christmas morning opening presents with our boys. I went off to work for a few hours and then we spent Christmas evening with my family opening more gifts and eating a traditional Mexican dinner. Tamales, rice, beans and corn. Sweet tamales and flautas for desert. Way too much food and way too tasty!

The day after Christmas our friends from Costa Rica; Priscilla, Marco, baby Sebastian and Mila (pri's mom) came to visit. We started the visit off by taking Marco to the ER for a toothache an hour after they arrived. When he learned the wait would be 5 hours he decided that was too long. I brought him back home where he suffered all night in pain. On Saturday my mom called our family dentist at home and he graciously met Marco at his office. A few shots of Novocaine, some antibiotics and some pain killers and a scheduled appointment for a root canal on Monday did the trick! He was able to get his pain under control and looked forward to Monday when he finally had his root canal. He lost 9 pounds while here for the week because he didn't want to eat with a sore tooth. On Saturday night we shared a traditional Christmas dinner of ham and all the fixings with our Costa Rica friends. We also exchanged gifts with them and they each shared their testimonies of how they became Christians. New Years Eve we went to church and then we built a campfire and roasted marshmallows. New Years Day we headed up the mountain to shoot a variety of guns. It was the first time Priscilla had shot a gun and probably the last too. She wasn't too fond of it even though it was her idea. New Years night we spent at my sister's house. She and her husband made pizza for the whole group. We prayed as one big family for the upcoming changes that are soon approaching for many of us and for safe travels for Mila, Pri, Marco and baby while they travel back home. They are great friends and we will miss them.

Now onto the most unpleasant part of the week....

Howard left for another basketball tournament yesterday and will return home later tonight. I thought it would be a great opportunity to load the cans and bottles up and take them to the store for recycling. I thought wrong. Those machine are enough to make the most patient of people go insane. The first store had a broken plastic bottle machine and it was freezing outside so we headed to the next store which has an indoor center. There was a line and after waiting 20 minutes for an open machine the boys were becoming impatient. They were crying, and I wanted to cry. The walls were sticky and at one point I saw Carter put his hand on the wall and then lick his hand. Grant, against his better 6 year old judgement, filled the sink with water and got his long sleeves wet. Then took his shirt off and dragged it across the bottle room floor! Where did these children come from? I raised my voice a little too much about some nasty disease they were sure to acquire after that and I think I scared the bearded lady next to me. Carter licked the shopping cart in defiance. My face turned an angry shade of red. After each machine subsequently broke, the bottle attendants fixing them and Jordan and I getting through the rest of the cans we were finally done! We unstuck our shoes from the bottle room floor, threw away the slugs that Grant found on our bags of cans, grabbed a few groceries and cashed in our $25 worth of can vouchers. NEVER TO DO AGAIN! I wasn't very nice to the checkout lady when she asked if I had found everything ok and I threatened to exchange the boys for new ones if they didn't walk to the car without licking one more thing. We got home and I sanitized every square inch of us! Today, the boys and I have been hanging out recovering from yesterday's traumatic bottle/can event. I started taking down Christmas decorations and the boys interrupted with a request to make the gingerbread house, which led me here to update the blog. Howard will be home soon and I can't wait. But for now, it's back to housework and un-decorating.

Matthew 2:9-11

2008-12-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

...they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Oh Holy Night

Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining;It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices!

Oh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born!

Oh, night divine, oh, night, oh, night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another;His law is love and His Gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Christ is the Lord! Oh, praise His name forever!His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Anticipation

2008-12-23T22:12:00.001-08:00

It's supposed to snow again.

The boys can't wait.

Carter has been singing..."I don't have no gifts to sing...rump bum bum....rump bum bum....I don't have no gifts to sing....rump bum bum...rump bum bum" in his own offbeat little tune. I hope to capture it on video before he learns the correct words.

Each night a few more presents show up under the tree and each day the boy's are a little more anxious.

And so am I.

The anticipation of Christmas day is exciting.

Howard and I have a tradition that the boys haven't been privey to so far. We sleep on the floor "under" the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. All the lights off execpt for the lights on the tree.
We talk about what we look forward to most the next day. Quiet little pillow talk in case we get caught by litte ones. Two grown people tiptoeing around in their own house, getting silly with anticipation of what's to come the next day. We are always awake on Christmas morning before our boys are...so any evidence of a slumber party is destroyed. I imagine the day the boys find out it's over. They will beg and plead to join the fun and our little secret will be no more. But for now, it's one of our favorite traditions that only the two of us know about.

Tonight I made tamales in preparation for Christmas dinner with my parents. My sister and her husband made the meat tamales a few days ago and I made the sweet pineapple ones. While they were steaming on the stove I wrapped presents and talked with my grandma on the phone about Christmas. Seems we're both anxious about it in different ways.

Our Christmas eve will be spent at Howard's parents and Christmas day with my parents.

Then more anticipation.

Our friends from Costa Rica are flying in the day after Christmas and we will have a traditional dinner on Saturday with them. So the tamales are for us and the ham is for them! Go figure. But these are friends we have had for 13 years and since seeing them 2 years ago, they have added a little one to their family. Something more to look forward to... a litte tiny baby.

I can't help but wonder if this anticipation is only a slight window into the anxiety, fear, joy and hope Mary felt when she knew Jesus's birthday was drawing near. I just wonder.

Merry Christmas friends.

Love, Mandy

Christmas Spirit

2008-12-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

I can't help myself today..I have to post twice. Do you know when you think to yourself after you've had a conversation, "oh, I should have said..."?

While at work the other day I was talking with my friend who shared with me that each year it feels less and less like Christmas. That even with the Christmas music playing and the kids making cookies and wrapping gifts for the family, she doesn't have the Christmas spirit quite as much as she used to. There's more pressure on herself to buy gifts for the kids, etc. While she happens to be working overtime and varying shifts which clearly would make anyone tired and have less Christmas spirit, I just listened to what she said and didn't comment much. Maybe it's cause I was tired too.

But here is what I should have said and albeit a little late.

"Stop. Just stop. Stop feeling that you're inadequate as a mother. Stop wondering if your kids will have "enough" under the tree. Chances are, your kids lack for nothing. Instead, go home and sit down at the dinner table. Ask your kids to think of a kid in the their class who's family doesn't have much this year. Think about a family in your church who is without work. Think about the elderly person who has no family to visit them. Don't worry. It won't be hard. I'm sure each person at the dinner table will have an idea of someone within 30 seconds or less. Now, as a family share about each person thought about and why. Then decide as a family which one you will chose to bless. Yep, that's what I said. Dip into your Christmas fund and decide which one...Then go to walmart, buy some gifts and wrap them up together. They don't have to be extravagant. It's the doing that matters. Then deliver them anonymously or not."

100% Guarantee. This will change your Christmas spirit. God gave us His only son so that we may have life. Share this Christmas truth of God's love by giving to someone in need.

If after that little exercises you still want to make an impact. Visit my favorite Christmas gift website. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ Click on the gift catalog and chose a gift to send to impoverished children and families in third world countries. Each of our kids pick something from this catalog ever year and remember it all year long. This is done early in the Christmas season and keeps their little Christmas lists in perspective. (although Jordan did ask for a Wii... he said it was little!)

So go for it. School's not out yet and I'm sure your kids will have an idea. Just ask them (and run their choice by the teacher who usually can verify the need).

Then, if you want, share what you did in the comment section. I'd love to hear what impact you made for eternity and how it changed your Christmas spirit.

Mandy

The Why's

2008-12-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today, the NICU doctor came into our hospital room at 4am and told us that we needed to be prepared that Carter was not going to live. On Sunday he turned 3 years old.

Today at work, we had a baby stop breathing and die.

Why?

Today my baby lives and some else's does not.

Why God?

Carter ruptured his lung shortly after birth, by day two his heart was so enlarged it collapsed his other lung and then his little heart stopped delivering blood to his lungs. He was put on a high frequency ventilator and a boat load of medications. He didn't eat or move for the first 6 days of his life. God healed him when the doctors said he would die and and three days after Christmas we brought him home for good. His story, our story, and God's healing hand witnessed to more people than we ever will know. Hundred of people all over the world prayed for our son thanks to a nifty little thing called email. News spread like wildfire of his condition and his subsequent healing by God. What a powerful witness to the doctor that day when three hours after telling us our son wouldn't live, we went back into the NICU and Carter had made a huge turn around. The doctor said he couldn't explain why the sudden progress and I looked at him and said "I can, it's called prayer."

But why today, did God allow another baby to die?

And why did I have to be at work when that call came in?

Why today on the this significant day?

These are the why's that I wrestle with in my soul, in my sleep and in my subconscious. And events like today shake me. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more thankful for such a miracle baby, but I can't help consider the pain of those not able to hold their babies today. The hundreds of children who die each day in Africa from starvation or the one's who perish due to war or earthquakes. Somehow I doubt that the pain a mother in Africa feels from the loss of multiple children to hunger is any less than the pain a mother in our own country feels who's child has died for no explainable reason. Yet mother's in Africa don't have a blog to share their feeling or a support group to get through.

I know the answers I'm supposed to know about the whys. I know we live in a sinful, less than perfect world. I know there will be pain in this life. I know that God is God and I am not and that He is the same no matter what happens on this earth. But I still can't help the whys. The thing is, I'm not sure I really would want the answer if offered to me. It might just be an unbearable one. I share this to relieve a bit of anxiety I feel today and also to praise the One who gave us Carter. The verse that has stayed with me the most since this time is this: "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." Psalm 62:8. In a sense, that's just what I am doing. Pouring out my heart and thinking out loud.

Here are some pictures of Carter, the before and after if you will. Our kids were still not feeling well..so we cancelled his birthday party. Then, I went to walmart and bought a cake with a Christmas ornament, pulled it off, put some monster trucks on it and we went out to pizza. Christmas cakes shouldn't be orange anyway. Later that night Carter puked it all up..in our bed of all places, but at least it was enjoyable for the moment. It's a far cry from the little party we had planned but he's only 3 and it's likely not to scar him for life. Plus, it's a molehill that I didn't make a homemade cake and celebrate in our home. Things could be worse, couldn't they?

For those who prayed for Carter and our family during those weeks 3 years ago, again I say thank you. Mandy...for all the boys

licking frosting !

Our Christmas Tree

2008-12-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

Do rum and tree's go together? I was beginning to wonder. We broke out the decorations and the boys were just a little overzealous. Grant started throwing garland everywhere and lights were all clumped on one side. I realized at this point that my perfectionist tendencies were starting to come out and this wasn't going as I had planned. After putting most of the light on the tree, one strand decided it had a mind of it's own. Half the lights went out...argh. I took them off the tree, plugged them into the wall and Jordan and I were searching for the problem child bulb....

(insert geography lesson here)

...the fire station can be seen from our front porch. Tonight our house almost became visible to the firemen from their front porch! The problem strand of lights starting buzzing, then an orange glow from the wires broke out and then sparks and flames. FIRE! Thanks to Jordan's intelligent little brain, he unplugged them immediately and called aunt Brittany who was driving through town. She stopped to pick up more lights for us. I wasn't about to drag puking kids to Walgreen's. I'm so glad that strand of lights was off the tree when that little flame show occurred. Howard should be home soon from his basketball trip, the travel is a bit slow going due to falling and packed snow. He will be excited to see he missed the tree decorating event all together,he just doesn't dig that part. He will be more excited to know that there is still a roof on our house. I enjoy dispatching for the fire department, but it's another story to have them dispatched to my own house. Here are a few of my favorite ornaments. Did I mention I love Christmas trees and ornaments?

I think that sums up the evening. It's officially Carter's Birthday since it's the wee hours of the morning. If I sit and think about it too long my eyes will water...and so will the eyes of those who know us well. That story will have to be saved for a later post.

Love,Mandy

Puke!

2008-12-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is my first blog entry...and it's titled puke! It's called threemainboys however I promise that this blog is not all about bodily functions just because the majority of our family population is boys.

Let's rewind...back to last saturday night. My office had a Christmas party at the county jail for all the employees..please keep reading..I know it sounds a bit creepy... Christmas at the jail...but don't worry, it get's worse.

Howard's school was hosting their very first basketball tournament and he couldn't attend the Christmas party so I took the three boys and we headed in with food to share. I had worked graveyard the night before, came home and took a nap, made a run for the store, baked two desserts and a main dish (in 1 hour might I add) then ran the littlest son through the hair salon for what was supposed to be a quick haircut that took a whole hour... by the end I was ready to ask the girl for the scissors so I could finish it myself...but I refrained and grit my teeth as he got the worse haircut ever! We made it to the Christmas party, sat on santa's lap, (ironically I just typed satan and had to back up to change my characters around...but Carter thought he was satan anyway) then headed out the door for the basketball game. We caught the tail end of the winning game and were on our way home when my tummy started to rumble. We tucked the kids in bed and I told howard I wasn't feel well. Figuring it had to do with sleep deprevation from being up for almost 32 hours I crawled in bed and fell asleep. Two hours later....pat pat pat.. "mom"...pat pat pat.."mom" and then the sounds of puking coming from the stairs to our room... from that moment one it's been one whole week of puking from me and the boys.

I have worked graveyard all week, come home in time for Howard to leave for school and just in time to catch more puke in a bowl and try to take a nap. My kids have missed a whole week of school and we managed to make it to their Christmas program at school last night because we thought everyone was feeling better. Did I mention that on Monday we got a Christmas tree? Did I mention it's still sitting in the living room without any decorations or lights?

This week was howard's last week of college classes before next term so he had 4 finals this week. He cleaned up puke all through the night while I was at work still not feeling well, and I cleaned up puke all through the day while he was teaching and taking his finals. The only carol's in our house this week have been "oh, what fun...it's is to clean..." you get the idea.

Howard left for a basketball road trip yesterday and the kids had their Christmas program last night. We arrived just in time to throw the costumes on the kids and take a seat. It was only then that Jordan remembered he was supposed to wear all brown like 4 others in the program who collectively were the 5 pheasants. Well, this program had 4 brown ones and one with a grey sweatshirt and blue jeans. Oh well....life goes on doesn't it? I'm laughing now but last night I was in tears. I'm tired. It's been a long week and now my son is sticking out like a sore thumb. It could have been worse..another little girl wet her pants in front of the whole crowed of approx 250 people. After the program my mom took the boys home...I went to work and then came home this morning to sleep. I just picked up the boys and arrived home to hear an announcement from Grant that Jordan just puked all over the bathroom. That was the understatment of the year. At one point I considered a garden hose but then realized we dont have one of those drains in the floor like public bathrooms do. The tile and the porcelain would have faired just fine but he new cabinets probably not so much. My dad will thank me later since he just finished building this cute little house we are living in at the moment. So, I settled for removing the toilet seat and putting it in the bathtub. After washing down every wall, baseboard, tile and exterior and interior of the toilet, tub and sink we have the cleanest bathroom on the block! Don't worry, I won't invite you over to see it. Carter's asleep on the couch next to me now running a fever and I have officially decided we will not be having a birthday party at our house tomorrow night for him. I may instead rent a house tent and fumigate the the entire thing to eliminate the flu bug altogether.

I'm sure your wondering by now..."Why is she sharing this?" You see that's just who I've become. I'm not about to write a blog that shows the happy pretty side of life only. You're going to see the ugly, not so fun part about life and being a mom too and I hope that through it we learn together and look forward and up.

So thanks for ready my first blog entry..I look forward to sharing about better topics soon. It's time to decorate a tree now.

Mandy