Calling in Sick

So I am back from the dead. I don't remember being this sick before. Usually you get sick, and after a horrible 24 hours, you start to kick it and feel better. Saturday I was out in the sun at 4 soccer games spreading the entire morning and afternoon. The boys forgot water, so I gave them mine and left the other one for the babies. By the time I got home around 6 I was BEAT! I just crashed in bed. Chet had just gotten home from hunting for 4 days but I had no energy to even talk. I got up Sunday and went to 7:30 meetings before church. I called Chet and asked him to bring my jacket it was freezing. I left midway through sacrament, and I was the only member of the relief society there. I turned over conducting to the teacher and went home and crashed. Chet was super busy all day Sunday, from one thing to the next. Monday morning he flew out at 5:20. I pulled myself out of bed to take the kids to school (only because it was raining or they would have been on bikes) and needed a 2 hour nap by the time I made the mile drive (Cael and Colby left to their own meal making skills, ritz and peanut butter!). Then I had to take Cael to preschool (PB sandwich on a piece of folded bread as we walked out the door). That landed me back out (luckily Colby crashed with me) for another 2 hours. I woke up with my alarm to go pick Cael up. After picking up him and the boys, I crashed again. Chet called and I didn't even know where the kids were. I was so sick!!! I only got out of bed to go to the bathroom, and then I thought I was going to pass out. I started crying on the phone to Chet at about 6 Monday night. He had basically been MIA for all the time (for good reasons, and we had no idea I would be this sick! I am hardly ever sick!) I had been sick, and I was of NO help to the kids. He called my best friend here in Gillette, and she was Saint Erin. She stopped and got the boys pizza, me gatorade and chicken noodle soup (oh as a side note. Chet asked Cars if I ran him to Walmart with cash if he could run in and get me some chicken noodle soup. Carson got this look on his face of complete confusion, and says, "Like carrots and celery and onion?" He didn't even know there was cans of chicken noodle soup. I thought that was really funny!) She came over and let my babies show her all kinds of tricks, let my older boys talk her ear off, all while she did my dishes and cleaned up the house. I was laying in my bed thinking I was dying! I had gotten progressively worse, and everytime I tried to drink any liquid, I couldn't keep it in me. I knew I was dehydrated but couldn't do anything about it! It was crazy. Things got worse and worse, and by the time Chet got home I asked him to take me to the hospital. I was GONE by the time I got there. They gave me something in my IV, and to tell you how gone I was I didn't even know that I got a CT scan. Chet said they had to pull me out and take out a bobby pin even. I don't remember it at all. 6 hours later, they sent me home and I've slowly recovered. Today Cars and Cart told me that they didn't feel well so I let them stay home. It is delivery day so Carter says that he wishes he could call in sick like Dad did for his job (Tuesday to help with all the kids) I told him he could, Caden would love to deliver for him. Cars gets all excited and says, me too! I told him that they would have to pay Caden their money for this week. Cars looks at me like he was really thinking in his head and says, "Caden is not getting his bow before I get my dirt bike! I will deliver because I am NOT paying him!" What a total PUNK! My boys are such punks. And I absolutely LOVE every bit of them!!! Another side note: Carter and Carson are total rock stars when it comes to stepping up to the plate. They were so helpful with the babies while I was sick. Cars gathered them in my room for family prayer and facetimed Chet, got them in their jammies, brushed their teeth, sang to them, helped them say their prayers, and put them to bed. Carter was helping with all kinds of cooking and cleaning too. They were awesome! Caden...um Cadenland I think. I couldn't be sure, I was almost in a coma!

Too Much Info

Sometimes my little Carter just drives me crazy. He is this little sponge, that wants to know everything about everything and everyone. He just lerks around waiting to hear some piece of information, to store for later questioning. He is extremly smart, and he knows it. He wants to be the smartest. When Carson told him today that he was NOT the smartest in the fourth grade, he reappeared with a certificate from last year declaring him to have the highest test scores of the grade. That kind of annoying. I tried to tell him not to be that way at school, without crushing his desire to want to learn. Such a hard thing. Well he informs me today that he knows how to shut off the water to the sinks from the basement. I just stood there, milling that over in my mind. To figure that piece of information out, he had to have been in the furnace room, messing with things, and then coming upstairs to see what it did. What a weirdo!!! I am very curious to see what this kid does with all these smarts. Hopefully he pays for me a nice retirement, IN THE LOONEY BIN!!! Oy!

More Babies

Today, in all seriousness, Cael tells me that we need to have another baby in our family. Remember that this kid speaks from the other side sometimes, so I ask him why he would say that (because it's going to have to take about 10 messages from the other side to convince me to have another baby!). He says, "We have a bed that no one is sleeping in. We need a baby for that bed." I said, "What about when you get older and Brody (cousin) comes to see us in the summer, where will he sleep?" Caels reaction, "oh yeah, good thinking mom!" He was satisfied. Then we are sitting at dinner and Cael is telling Chet a story and says, "...since Mom has a baby in her belly..." Me: "I DO NOT HAVE A BABY IN MY BELLY!!!" I turn to Chet and said oh yeah listen to this one...Cael why do we need another baby? He just looks at Chet so matter of factly and says, "Because we have toothbrushes that are not being used. We need another baby to use all the toothbrushes!" Chet told him he would find a better solution that to have another baby. Geesh, what's this kid doing to me!!! He better not be speaking things that he knows and I don't!!! Holy moly!!! SO glad I KNOW I'm not pregnant right now! Crazy boy, he could get an overwhelmed mama worked up in a quick hurry!

Santa

While checking out at the library, Colby was standing at my legs pulling on me to go. He was ready to nap and needed out of the library. All of a sudden he goes silent and started following a big guy with a beanie on. The guy slightly turned around and Colby says, "Mom! It's Santa! Mom, Look! It's Santa!" He had a full white beard half way down his chest. He really did look like Santa. The guy started laughing and said, "You think I'm Santa huh?!" Colby just stared at him and said, "Yeah!" He just stood there the entire time it took for the guy to self check and walked out. The whole time Colby kept saying under his breath, "It's santa! That's Santa!" It was really cute!

Strength and Courage

So about 4 years ago I had a breakdown. I actually went into a heart specialist and wore a heart monitor for a month trying to catch what was going on with me. I went into the ER 3 times I believe. Finally, we realized it was anxiety. I totally had to take a chill pill, literally and figuratively speaking (until I read about the side affects and what coming off the medicine does to you and I quit taking them after 3 days!) After realizing what it was, I just had to let go. So lately I have been stressing again. I have gone a little crazy. As Chet said, I am all over the board. Happy one minute, crying the next. The boys have been a little baffled I think. I am usually pretty sassy with them and give it to 'em straight. Lately I just cry (More in the last month than they have probably seen their entire lives. At least twice a week!) So Chet left to go hunting today leaving me for a couple days and nights by myself. Cars asked if he could say family prayers tonight and he got really serious, like he was really pleading with Heavenly Father for something. He says, "Please give my mom the strength and courage to put us to bed tonight." As soon as he was done, he leans over and gives me a big hug and tells me that he loves me and that I am a great mom. I was a little confused. Strength and courage? Courage? What the heck!?! I didn't think I was that crazy, but usually if you watch your kids you can learn a lot about yourselves! I'm glad he is praying for me at least. We all need a little help sometimes I guess! (Glass half full, right!)

Nice Face

Tonight as we were wrapping up the bedtime routine I slapped Cars on the butt and told him to get moving. I told him that he had a muscular butt and that all the girls were going to be saying that he had a cute butt in high school. He was getting embarrassed and I asked him if he would like if all the girls liked his butt. Carter pipes up and says, "I would much rather have a nice face than a nice butt." just so matter of fact like. Duh Mom, who cares about my butt. I asked Chet if he thought the boys would care. He said yes. They still didn't think they would ever care. We do still have a little while. We will enjoy this time we have left of innocense (sp?) Love my growing boys and all the adventures and conversations we have. Today for the entire time I was putting on my makeup for church, I got to hear all about Cars's poop. I kept telling him that I didn't care, but he kept telling me that I needed to hear this or that about it. Boys! Gross, but you just have to smile!

Caden Turns 8

Holy Moly! Caden turned 8. I was really worried about the boys turning 8, and then being held accountable for everything, but it was nothing compared to the worries with him! For his birthday he just wanted $100. He thoroughly wears out a bike every year and needed a new one, so we bought him a bike and taped the $100 bill on the handlebars. I was thinking I got away easy. Oh no! The spending of that money has about drove me crazy! I was soooooo happy when it was finally all spent! He is still living happily in Caden-Land! He is still super sweet and loving to Chet and I all the time. He cannot fully consider dinner done until he has come over, made Chet scoot his chair out, and sit on his lap. It is so funny, like clock work, every.single.night! He loves to snuggle. He loves his art still! And he LOVES to play with friends. His whole world revolves around playing with friends. He loves to ride his bike, play football, play cops and robbers, shoot his bow, OH MY GOODNESS shoot his bow, and eat! Chet has a bag in the backyard for shooting at, and Caden and the neighbor boy Conner (who is very experienced with a bow) shoot almost every night in the backyard. They love it, and Caden will do almost anything for me for bow time. He is getting very good! He hopes DESPERATLY to go hunting with Chet this year. Chet told him no because he couldn't sit still. Caden asked for how long and Chet told him 20 min. Caden sat on the lawn right then and there for over 20 min until Chet told him he could come in for dinner. He still just sat perfectly still until Chet told him he had passed the test. Then he ran inside. However, they are playing club soccer and that takes all his Saturdays for a while. Soccer. What a fun thing. They are close enough in age to be on the same team. All three boys. Caden might be the star of the 3 boys. He is the best for game one for sure. He is aggressive and skilled and passionate and fun. Then later in the day after many hours in the heat sprinting his butt off, he turns into lazy boy. When Caden makes his mind up about something, like that his legs hurt, that he is tired, or anything like that, it is MADE UP! He loses all rationality. We tease that his middle name should be Lynn after my Grandpa Lynn Smuin. He acts so much like him it is kinda scary. Everyone that knows my grandpa would know why I was scared! Caden has no fear at the amusement park. He rode every ride there. He loved all the slides at Water World too. Put a dog or cat in his path and he might just lose his mind, and all bodily function, but he loves adrenaline. He loves to dance. Tonight while at Wal-Mart he took my change from the machine and was standing far enough away from me in the self check area that I couldn't grab him and was doing this na-na-na thing while doing this hillarious pelvic shake. The employees were dying laughing, and so was he just keeping the money out of my reach. He is really into girls. He loves to chase them, write them letters, draw them pictures, etc. Luckily they all like him back so it works out good for him. He is NOT on a shortage of friends! He has a lot of friends. He loves to eat! And eat! And eat! Here's some favorites of his at this time:

Breakfast: Waffles. He eats about 2-1/2 homemade waffles. 10 squares as he calls it.

Lunch: School lunch because it's with all his friends!

Dinner: Pizza

Dessert: Ice cream and ANY other dessert known to man. We call him junk gut!

Color: every color. Every color reminds him of something or "inspires" him to do something, so whichever color is right in front of him he would claim as his favorite.

Movie: Kickin It. He likes to watch boys break dancing and riding dirt bikes!

Subject: All of them as long as he gets to do it with friends. He EXCELS at Math. And loves art. And P.E.

Over Labor Day weekend we had his baptism. He had a TON of support, both from family and friends. He invited EVERYONE! Including all the nonmember neighbors. He asked them if they knew what baptism was and if they wanted to come watch his. He is a GREAT missionary, although he still says that he cannot be away from Chet and I that long so he cannot serve as a full time missionary (Lynn I tell ya!) He loves primary! He asked his cousin Taylor to baptize him. At first I was bothered that Chet didn't mind. But we left all the decisions up to him, and it turned out amazing. He couldn't have been more proud to have Taylor doing it, and having Chet confirm him. It was a very special day, and he was very happy at all the people that were able to make it and support him. 

Cade-A-Babe, as we call him, is so special! He has some of the best qualities! I love how much he loves me and expresses that to me everyday. He is so fun and funny! I love to be around him! He makes my heart happy, and I hope that he lives an entire life full of the Holy Ghost. The night before his baptism as we kneeled down for family prayers, he said he was sooooooooooo excited to get the Holy Ghost. I hope he is always that excited about life in general, and especially the Gospel.

Funny

After picking Cael up from school he was telling me a hundred miles a minute everything that happened at school. He LOVES, really I could not emphasize that enough, school. I was half zoned out, so sadly I don't even know what it was he was saying. He got to the point of punchline I could tell from his voice, and he looks at me in the mirror, with his eyebrows raised, and says, "That is funny!!!" and then he totally busts out laughing. Then I started laughing at how funny he was, and he was starts shaking his head and saying under his breathe how funny it was! Oh my gosh, it was adorable! He is so dang cute. He makes me laugh!