They Learned This From ME?

Lately my cell phone has been acting up-- again. I am well known for being rather hard on my cell phones. I miss the very first one I owned. It was massive, but I could drop it, the babies played with it, it survived my diaper bag, and was still in great shape after many years of use. Since that phone it has been nothing but trouble. I have a hard time getting my phone to last until I qualify for a new phone. This has left me with quite a collection of old phones.

A few weeks ago my dear children found this collection of phones in a drawer. They acted as though it were Christmas. Each of them picked out a phone and ran to find purses to hold their new phones. Even little JuJu babbled on her phone.

For days there were many creative rings for the phones heard at all hours. There were countless conversations with each other, with family members, with imaginary friends. This, though, was my favorite overheard conversation:

Bear: sings a crazy tune
Banana: ignores her
Bear: "Banana, your phone is ringing."
Banana: (dismissively)"I know."
Bear: sings louder
Banana: silent
Bear: starts babbling on about something.
Banana: (in a rather taunting tone of voice) "Why are you talking? I denied you!"
Bear: (quite cheerfully) "I know, I'm leaving you a voicemail!"

Since my cell phone has died, again, dh was kind enough to do a little digging and ordered me a new one. The website gives this description:
"designed for on-site field services. Built to withstand harsh conditions, it is certified to Military Standard MI-SID-810F, withstanding dust, shock vibrations, rain, humidity, solar radiation and altitude and temperature extremes."

If I were a betting man, I still think the odds are I will find some way of destroying this phone as well-- especially with the help of my girls. Heaven help us when they are old enough to need cell phones of their own (thankfully this is many, many years away :) ).

While out for lunch

Banana, my exceptionally bright fourth grader, is deciding on what she would like from the Chinese buffet line. She politely declares, "I'd like teriyaki beef not the human (Hunan) beef."

Wise choice my dear and I will stick with the General Tso's chicken.

Wound Ever So Tightly

I was telling a dear friend the other day that I feel a little like a guitar string that just keeps getting tightened, and tightened, and tightened. I am wondering when I might just go plink and break in two. So far I am hanging in there, although I'm really hoping the tightening will subside soon.

Despite the rough start to my sister's last week, she ended on some good notes (pun intended). Her recovery from LVAD surgery has gone really well. She still has a long road, especially with a transplant looming. Right now we are all just so thankful this surgery has gone as well as it could.

Our first week of school could have gone better. My poor children had to deal with a mother who was dragged kicking and screaming from an all too short summer in which only a quarter of the "To-Do List" was finished. To add to that, this mom is riddled with anxiety about how she will pull off the second semester of school with two new little ones. Her response to the anxiety is to push, push, push for a really successful fall semester. If the first week is an indication, we are in some real trouble.

Not only is this mom suffering from these emotional woes, she is hormonal. Seventeen weeks pregnant hormonal. You know, the tired of looking so fat, constant headache, can't get comfortable, overtired, and still suffering from morning sickness hormonal. To add to those physical woes, she has an ear infection in her right ear that is now making its way to the left ear.

The guitar string continues to tighten...

On top of these, this silly mom was trying to be super-cool, fun mom and signed her two oldest girls up for fall soccer. Banana is at her first practice right now. Monday and Wednesday evenings now include scarfing down dinner (a dinner I am hard pressed to find time to cook) and heading off to practice. Bear's coach called tonight and her practices are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. So now we get to scarf dinner (assuming I actually make dinner) every weeknight for the next eight weeks. What was I thinking?


I must have been thinking how cute these girls are in their soccer gear :)

It's Almost That Time of Year Again...

Regina reminded me... Not that I wasn't already seething in anticipation. There have been more than a few refrains of Carmen Ohio sung here in the last week or so. The little ones have broken out strains of "We don't give a DARN for the whole state of Michigan."

To further build anticipation, this video clip was sent to me on FB.

I'm all for the tribute, but I still expect to win!

I can't wait till kickoff! Go Buckeyes!!

From my Inbox This Morning

Congratulations! Your dossier has been delivered to the China Center of Adoption Affairs.

Now we wait... hopefully only a few more months.

In other news, Missy's surgery went well, but she is in for a long recovery. The next two to three days are especially important. Please keep those prayers coming.

We are on day 3 of our new school year. My expectation is just to survive this year, there is so much going on that I don't anticipate it will be one of our better years. So far days one and two reflect that. I already need some motivation-- even with my low expectations.

Missy

My sister has had a few really rough days. She was tentatively scheduled to have a Ventricular Assisted Device implanted later this week. However, this morning the doctors decided she needed the surgery today because of the rough days (and nights) she has had.

She is in surgery now. It is a long procedure-- open heart. Please pray for her.

A Dozen Years...

Soon to be half a dozen kids here with us, and already half a dozen praying for us in heaven.

Who could have imagined the journey we were beginning twelve years ago today?

I knew then there was only one person I wanted to embark on this journey with. Today I am even more confident of that.

I love you David.