If I don't laugh, I just might cry.

5:30 a.m.

Is what time I was forcefully awaken (is that correct?) from a dream.  To a child crying.  Oh wait, I was just up there 45 minutes ago...and 30 minutes before that...and an hour and a half before that...

6 a.m.  Finally, he won.  Audra had also needed my assistance at about 5:45.  She too, was up at 6 a.m.  Let the fun begin!  Since I everyone was up so early, I took a shower before the hubster left for work.  Amazing.  I thought to myself "this is going to be a great day!  Its going to be unseasonably warm, I've already taken a shower, and I get to go have coffee with some moms from school!".

9:00 a.m.  Im sitting at a coffee shop with 3 moms I don't really know.  They are so nice and so chatty...I feel like I've known them forever!  Elijah wakes from his morning nap around 10:00 and I pull him from his carseat.  Hes on my lap smiling, talking, kissing me...he was just being really good.  And then it happened.  Are you thinking he grabbed my coffee and spilled it all over himself?  Are you thinking he spilled it all over me?  Well if you were thinking either of those things, your wrong.  No, I dropped him he jumped out of my arms onto the concrete floor.  He hit his head on his carseat prior to landing on the floor.  That really saved some damage, according to the doctor.  He seems fine...Im so thankful. 

Anyway...I have to go get Audra from school a little early so that I can run them to the doctor.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that I happened to look in Audra's throat and noticed that it was super red, swollen, and with white spots???  Oh, and that the babysitter who watched them for me on Saturday called me yesterday to let me know she was diagnosed with strep??   OH, and how about the part about me taking Elijah to the doctor YESTERDAY for a double ear infection??  And I did tell you I set my oven on fire, right??  *sigh* 

1:31 p.m.  Im sitting here on the couch, blogging.  Both children are asleep.  Im waiting for Audra's strep test to come back.  I have a test tonight in Abnormal Psych that I should be studying for, but truthfully, I just want to take a nap.  Oh well.

Looks pretty good for possibly having Strep

Looks really good for having been dropped jumping out of my arms onto concrete.

My pumpkin pie shortly before I set the oven on fire.

And my oven post fire =[

*By the way...does anyone know if it is safe to still use the oven after its been on fire?

The oven, the oven, the ovens on fire

I have something that has been on my mind.  I would love to sit here and tell you about the awesomeness leading up to this main event, but I fear it would bore you.  Let me just say...Benny Hinn with a light saber...that, my friends, you must see.  Anyway...

Downtown Boston, 11:00 p.m.  Nick and I are with two other couples.  All of us are Christians, one couple actually pastors one of our Sunday services.  We walk out of a hotel after stopping in to ask some questions at the front desk.  Immediately upon exiting, a man walks up to us.  This man was older...maybe 60's?  Long grey hair that is in a matted pony tail.  Dirty hands...scraggly clothes...a back pack.  Im thinking homeless.  The man starts yelling some nasty things (I feel like Im sinning just thinking about the things he was saying, lol) at us, name calling and what-not.  Now mind you, there are 6 of us.  Out of the 6, he hones in on one...the pastor.  Kind of weird, huh?  As I was watching this madness unfold, I was thinking to myself "how is pastor going to bring some Jesus into this situation?".  And sure enough, pastor sticks out his hand and introduces himself.  I couldn't have been more proud to be a Christian than at that moment.  That my friends, is exactly what we have been called to do.  No matter the situation, if you claim to be a child of God, you need to think about what the Bible teaches you to do...

³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Matthew 25:35

The man swatted pastors hand away and continued to follow us down the street, absolutely berating him/us with profanities.  At one point he showed off some of his sweet karate skills with a kick (not actually landing on anyone).  He was also throwing out accusations of some possible CIA work on our part, lol.  Once we finally got in the car, he hit my passenger side window with both fists.  

My adrenaline was pumping, but I don't think I was actually ever really afraid.  Maybe because there were so many of us, maybe because no one was fighting back with the man.  And after all was said and done, we were able to laugh about it all.  Although, I think we all know how truly sad the situation was.  Who knows who the man is or what his problems are.  All I know for sure is that he wasn't 'right'. *sigh*

On a brighter  side note, I set my oven on fire tonight.  I may have made an awesome Pumpkin Pie with a crust I made from scratch, along with some home made whipped cream, but setting the oven on fire definitely docked me some domestic goddess points.  Oh well, thank the Lord it was contained to the oven.

Blood, sweat, tears

The day before yesterday, the kids and I were hanging around the house.  I was thinking about grocery shopping (due to a late October snowstorm, we had no power for awhile and lost all things in our fridge).  Im standing at the kitchen counter when all of a sudden, Audra trips, and falls face first into the edge of the counter and then falls straight back onto the floor.  I scoop her up immediately, look at her face, and see nothing but blood.  A lot of blood.  I go to reach for a paper towel, then think better of it, and go and grab a black pair of pajamas pants (you know, so she wouldnt see all of the blood and freak out even more).  I realize, after cleaning her up some, that she has either bit completely through her lip, or the counter cut her lip.  Either way, I know we have to go to the E.R.
Fast forward a couple of HOURS...we are sitting in an exam room, waiting for the doctor.  Nick has joined us from work.  Finally doctor comes in, takes a look (as Audra screams) and tells us she needs a stitch or two.  How do you stitch the lip of a 3 year old, you ask?  You must put them to sleep, right?  You know, since they will inevitably fight you and make it impossible to stitch them up (in our case, we actually opted for the glue)...especially since its on the face and you need to do a good job to prevent a disfiguring scar.  NOPE.  They do something even less traumatizing.  They take a bed sheet, fold it in half, and wrap the child like a mummy.  Then they make you lay on your back while you bear hug the child and squeeze them to death.  All the while you have a nurse holding the childs head still and squeezing the jaw shut-and a nurse holding down the legs.  This is all kinds of awesome.  Not really. 

So what do you do when you have to put your child through all of that?  You buy them ice cream, of course!  Chocolate ice cream with m&ms on top...

Real Houswife, baby!

Psh!  The real housewives have nothing on THIS real housewife!  Well, except maybe money...and nannies....and hairstylists...and designers...and personal trainers...

Anyway...I think its kind of tragic that our "reality" t.v. shows depict the reality of about 3% of the population.  I would really love to look into the life of a true housewife (you know, like the kind that live next door to you or I) and put to shame most of the reality t.v. women.  They speak so much of family and loyalty, yet what they are actually doing in their lives is so contrary to what they preach!  Their lives don't even mirror the day to day of a real housewife.  I want to see just ONE of them driving themselves to watch their kids soccer game.  Or how about sitting down and doing homework with their kids?  Or how about mopping the floors?  Gardening?  Silly Amanda...that doesn't get viewers! 

We don't watch them because they are Real Housewives.  We watch them because they are so not us...

Debbie Downer

I'm sure somewhere in the world there is a woman named Deborah Downer.  Poor thing.

Anyway, that should have been my name today.  For no good reason at all, I was miserable today.  Actually, I can think of a couple of reasons that contributed to my blah day, but it would be distasteful to say what is really on my mind.  So I will refrain.  Instead I could blame a little of it on the lack of sleep that has been building over the last few days.  Also a contributing factor could be the large amount of sugar cookies, made by my mother-in-law, to sabotage me and make me fat I devoured (and of course, felt guilty about).  Audra fell (sat) on Elijah's leg and for a few minutes, he wouldn't move it (nor would he stop crying).  I thought for sure I was going to have to take him to the E.R. for a broken leg.  I never fail to jump to worst-case scenario (how do they cast babies?  how will this affect his growth?  will they have to re-break it?...etc.).  This kind of thing isn't good for my heart.  Thank goodness his little leg is fine.  I also had class this morning...nuff said.

And here it is.  11:09.  Im sitting in my bed blogging after watching Bridesmaids, still feeling sorry for myself.  Thinking about all of the things I needed to do today that I didn't do...and of course, beating myself up over it.  For instance, tomorrow is Audra's birthday party (the other party was canceled due to an ear infection).  I was suppose to make cupcakes.  I did not.  Now I need to scramble to buy a cake that wont be nearly as cool *sigh*.  I really hate that I did that.  I suppose I could get up at 5 a.m. to make them before going to the 8:45 service, serving in the childrens ministry for the 10:00, going to a baby shower for 11:30, hitting up the balloon store for 2:30ish, making it home by 3:00 for the actual party.  Somewhere in between I need to pick up a gift bag for the baby shower gifts, decorate the house, and take a shower.  I could cry. 

Im praying for a sunny disposition tomorrow.  Im also praying for a really good, sound, nights sleep. 

This is what I mean...

When I said...

Owl-bird-tree things

So stinkin' cute!

All kinds of cute

I love this hat.

I love owls.

I love that whole owl-bird-tree thing that

has become kind of

popular lately.  Its not a 'retro'

type thing, is it?

Well, I dont know what it is, but I love it.

And even more than I love this hat,

or owl-bird-tree things...

I love this little boy.

He has brought more smiles to strangers,

more joy to my heart, and more light to the world.

=)