Author: monstauffer

Signs of The Country

  1. Your detour takes you to another detour making an 8 mile trip closer to 20 miles.
  2. 800 feet of road closed with no warning or detour signs equals guess & go methods.
  3. 15 passenger van with at least 15 kids and more piling in the door.
  4. Pontiac G6 (2000+) parked beside a sun-faded Kia with broken windshield wipers stuck mid-wipe on the passenger side.
  5. Ferrah Faucet hair, bright pink overalls with matching long-sleeve shirt loading groceries into a 1990’s Cherokee 4×4 in the Walmart parking lot.
  6. 9pm at Walmart has more life than the main strip through town – even with it being a truck route.
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Other’s Day

Maybe it’s the fact that Matt’s birthday sign is still hanging by our table. Maybe it’s that the diaper laundry needs done. And things need packed for the girls. And we missed Sunday School because the girls slept in. Maybe it’s the extra flare of allegies that are making my stomach sour from the added mucus (mmmm, yes). Or maybe it’s the fact that I view Mother’s Day in terms of my Mom and Matt’s. Or maybe it’s that nothing abnormal happened this morning, the same kiss and goodbye as every other Sunday.

But today does not feel like “my” Mother’s day.

I have this laundry list of things to do today – laundry included. And going to Grandma’s house to celebrate her. And then there’s trying to fit in naps and the question of where. And then there’s the evening church service and everything that makes today feel like a small holiday celebrating something or someone else.

I’m not trying to sound selfish or complainy. That’s not the point at all. Today just doesn’t feel like My Mother’s Day. I see the posts on facebook and the organizations’ links to generic Mother’s Day greetings, but it just seems like Mother’s Day is happening everywhere but here.

Kind of odd, but true.

It’s just the start of another day here. Normal breakfast needs from two little girls and one swimmer tag-along. Normal getting dressed and faces wiped and teeth brushed. Normal breakfast table conversation. Normal showering and getting dressed with nothing that really seems to fit or in which I feel comfortable in this baby-carrying phase. Quiet… normal.

I’m not expecting fanfare and quite honestly I don’t enjoy being in the spotlight and am hopeful to avoid any Mother’s day public attention at church when we go to service here later. But it just feels… like it’s not My Mother’s Day, but it’s everyone else’s.

So today I’ll enjoy celebrating Grandma, remembering our celebration of Goga (my Mom’s pet name) yesterday, and I’ll run the schedule as normal, enjoying our girls and their delights.

Maybe it’s just that Mother’s Day feels like every other day because… that’s what Mother’s Day is.

Err maybe it’s just the prego hormones playing with my head. 😉

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Christmas on May 11th

I heard the doorbell ring while I was sitting at the computer researching local pick-your-own farms. My ears perked up… could it be? I had just heard air breaks…. Could it be?!

I half-danced to the doorway as I saw the joyful brown tail end of the truck through the front window’s open blinds. It could be… it could be.

A smile spread across my face as I saw the small package sitting on my doorstep, the delivery man having returned to his truck with a wave.

MY PACKAGE!!!!!

Christmas had come on May 11th when it was scheduled to come on May 12th.

I swiped up that package and headed for the kitchen pear knife in the knife-block. (Am I the only one that uses those things to open boxes?)  The seams cut easily and joy filled my heart at the sight of the bubble wrap (a promise of pop-ability later). There it sat, my organic coconut oil – a hope of three year old eczema and toddler diaper rash surrendering control.

So what did I do?

I knew she was still awake in that crib, fighting the occasional nap time stubbornness. I plucked that child right out of the crib, pasted her fanny and tucked her right back in. And the already asleep three year old? One side of her cheek was dusted. =D

People… it was CHRISTMAS!!!! hehe.

– Hopeful for future results. =)

*** When you fight sensitive skin needs any hope of relief is such a welcome helper, especially when watching your kids suffer. That AND… clearly I am easily amused. 😉

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Wordless Wednesdays: Close

 Close:
it’s their default. 
– blessed so.
*** I had to post this edition of the Wordless Wednesday late due to these pictures be taken in a batch of Birthday pictures given to Matt on his Birthday Thursday. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Thanks for your patience. 😉
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Our Matthew

Today’s Matt’s birthday!!! Happy Birthday, Love!

To celebrate, the girls made cards last night to give to him for his birthday today. Well after making the cards they couldn’t stand him not being a part of their little worlds and had to give it to him right then and there. So he had pre-birthday card enjoyment last night.

Rachael (40 months) wrote almost all the letters on her card, excluding those we have yet to learn (we’re on P right now as we head through the alphabet). I’m proud of her little 3 year old work.

 Only letters she didn’t write were T and Y.
Only letters she didn’t write were V, Y and U. 
(And obviously the date and age.)

Abi (22 months) clearly did not write the letters on her card, but she did add the commentary on the inside and tell me what to write:

Front & Back
[Abi’s words:] “Tell Daddy… ‘Here Daddy Birthday.”

Today Matt will be spoiled with his choice of cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We have a family tradition of getting to pick whatever you want to eat for one or two meals the day of your birthday. Matt has a lunch date at a local hospital today and his pick was red lobster for a nice date with Mommy and no kiddies tonight. So that left breakfast for the “I’ll ‘cook,’ dear” meal of the day. I’m grateful he picked something easy and tasty. 😉

I’m SUPER excited about giving Matt his gift today and I won’t tell you any more because I want it to be a surprise.

Last night Rachael came out to the store late after church with me to pick out Daddy’s “practical gift” and get his cupcake. It took everything within that preschooler to pick the blue cupcake for Daddy over the pink one she was sure he would enjoy as much as she desired. But she thought about Daddy and settled for the cupcake with the most sprinkles I have ever seen on it – well aware that our tradition is to get an over-sized cupcake and cut it into equal pieces to share amongst the family. So when our teeth and tongues are blue tomorrow, you’ll know why. 😉

So from me and the clan, I send out a huge  
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 
to our dear Matt. 

– We love you so much more than we can possibly express in one day.

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