Ryan's Rough Day

He knew it was gonna be a rough day from the time he woke up. Poor Bubba.

When he crawled into bed with me this morning, he stubbed his toe on one of the bed posts. I was desperate to keep the baby and Aurora asleep for a little while longer, so I wrapped my arms around him and did my best to make him feel better. He tried so hard to be quiet, the poor dear.

After he finally calmed down, he wanted to get some breakfast. While he was coming up the stairs, the dog almost tripped him and he spilled his dry cereal on the ground, having to pick it up and start over again.

Right before we walked out the door to swim lessons, he knocked his head pretty hard on the corner of the breakfast bar in the kitchen. It left a pretty good-sized welt on the top of his head.

While at swimming lessons, there were all sorts of bugs around. He had to go potty before class started, but wouldn't step foot in the bathroom because there were all sorts of beetles crawling all over the floor (it rained really hard yesterday and all the ground beetles around here come to the surface for a few days after a hard rain). Halfway through his lesson, he decided he needed to go bad enough to brave the bugs. Reluctantly, he walked into the bathroom alone. There were june bugs all over the floor, I watched 2 or 3 crawl out while I was standing guard outside the bathroom. He finished as quickly as he could and ran out--all the while trying to pull up his swim trunks. I did catch him before anyone could see and pulled his trunks up properly. tee-hee!

There were wasps flying around at the pool today, too. One of them kept flying rather menacingly around the tables we moms were sitting on. We kept shoo-ing it away and it kept coming back. I don't know what it was protecting, but it was not happy with us. As the whistle blew, I was watching my kids trail out of the pool slowly. Ryan kept jumping back into the ankle deep water at the corner edge of the pool. Apparently, another menacing wasp was buzzing around his head. He swatted at it and it must have landed on him. All of a sudden, Ryan screamed "Bee!" and started crying, grabbing at the side of his jaw. I had Ellie in my arms and started running toward him (which was, I'm sure, quite a comical sight). I didn't know exactly what had happened to him, but my Ryan only screams like that when he's really hurt.

Sure enough, there was a little hole where a wasp would have stung him. It was starting to swell at the site immediately. Ryan started calling it a mosquito bite, but I asked him how big the bug was and he said it had big, loud wings. Unfortunately, the pool didn't have anything for bee or wasp stings. All they had was Neosporin and Hydrocortisone. A mom at the pool suggested I get some Benadryl to help with the swelling ASAP! This mom said she is allergic to bee stings and has to carry an EPI-Pen everywhere she goes. I sucked in air and prayed that my boy was not allergic!

So, off we went to the store to buy some Benadryl. I administered it immediately and within minutes, the swelling was gone. Thankfully, Ryan is NOT allergic to whatever stung him today! In addition to removing the swelling, the Benadryl had a positive effect on him; he took a good nap today! After all the excitement and misery from the rough morning he had, he certainly needed it.

Sink or Swim?

Neither of the kids can swim. I mean, they can't even tread water or float. It's bad, I know. I'm a bad mom. To be completely honest, we haven't really had many opportunities to go to the pool through the years. I have either been miserably pregnant, we've been in the midst of a move, or the cost of going to a pool as a family was just too outrageous. So, it really hasn't been that big of an issue before.

That all changed within the last 18 months. We went to visit my sister up in Colorado and were able to stay at a really great hotel for an even better rate. It had an indoor pool. Rob was incredibly exhausted, but I wanted to go to the pool. Of course, I couldn't go alone; both the older kids wanted to go with me (I wasn't pregnant with Ellie yet). But, neither of them could swim. I didn't get to swim because I was carting around two kids through the shallow end--one on each arm. That was Dec 09/Jan 10. I decided I wanted to put them in swimming lessons during the summer of 2010. Well, I was pregnant and put on all sorts of restrictions, so Rob said "No!" I tried to convince him that I could manage it, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. I can't get too mad at him for that.

Shortly after Ellie was born, Aurora was invited to an indoor pool party (in January!). She was so embarrassed because she was the only girl there who didn't know how to swim. She didn't want to wear her arm floaties, but she needed to in order to keep from drowning. That was when I started my campaign to get the kids into swimming lessons--for real. Rob was still against it. I think he really thought we would be able to teach the kids, ourselves. Of course, we would have to go to the pool in order to teach them and I knew that wasn't going to happen!

I brought it up every month. Finally, in May, Rob relented and told me to go sign the kids up for my sacred swimming lessons! I about jumped for joy!

I say all that to lead you up to this week. Today was our third day of swimming lessons--ever. Here's how it goes:

Day 1

Ryan doesn't want to get in the pool. He is sure that his feet won't touch the ground. I have to go into the pool area to encourage him to get in the water (parents are required to stay behind a fence so as not to distract from the instructor).

Aurora comes out of the lessons convinced she already knows how to swim because she can now swim for a few feet under water. I explain to her that what she described is not actually swimming; it is sinking. She scoffs and crosses her arms.

Day 2

Ryan still doesn't want to get in the pool. I have to walk him from the shallow end to his instructor once again. He gets out later on because he has to go to the bathroom (so proud of him for not peeing in the pool!) and I insist he climbs down into the pool at the ladder. He does--Yay!

Aurora is still convinced that she is a proficient underwater swimmer. I explain to her that I want her to learn how to swim on the top part of the water.

Day 3

Ryan gets in the water where the instructor teaches them to--at the ladder! Yay! I see him swimming out in the water with the floaty noodles. He still hasn't learned to kick his legs behind him, but he's at least doing what they ask him to do. I am pleased with that.

Aurora comes and tells me she can now float. Because she can float on her back, she thinks we need to go to the pool so that she can prove to me what a great under water swimmer she is. I told her before lessons that we would go on Friday so she could show me what she learned through the week. Of course, it being Wednesday, she wants to know why she can't show me already. She swears she knows all she needs to already and doesn't need to learn more tomorrow. I sigh and wrap a towel around her, telling her we are still going to wait until Friday. She continues to argue with me, insisting we go to the pool today. I tell her tonight is church and we won't have time after she cleans her room this afternoon to go to the pool. That satisfies her, for today.

I can't wait to see what they get to learn tomorrow. So far, the kids are using kick boards and floaters to help them learn the skill necessary to stay above the water. I'm hoping by the end of next week they can float on the water and tread water. My absolute hope is to be able to take the kids to the pool this summer and not have to worry about carrying 3 kids through the water.

I also hope that Aurora learns how not to sink. I've read throughout much of my life that the more fat a person has on their body, the more buoyant they are. Seeing as how both the older 2 kids have absolutely no fat on their bony little butts, I'm not surprised at their lack of floatation. We must start planning more fattening meals for them!

Father's Day...

Like many Americans, I didn't grow up knowing my father. My step-father and I didn't get along--and that's half my fault. I didn't WANT to get along with him; I always dreamed that my REAL dad would come along, like a knight in shining armor, and whisk me away to some far-off neverland where everything was good and real-life never affected us. That was childish and so far from what really happened.

My step-dad left when I was 17 and we haven't spoken since. Now, to be completely honest and completely transparent, my attitude was "good riddance". If he did try to make amends with me, I wasn't having it. Had I put my pride aside and realized that--for 14 years of my life--this man had helped mold me into the woman I am today, I might still have a relationship with him. However, I am too stubborn to ever have done something like that. Do I regret it? Sometimes. Having put up with me as a child/teenager ought to qualify every authority figure in my life for sainthood. To put it mildly, I wasn't exactly easy to get along with.

I did finally meet my biological father when I was 20. I searched for him and found him in 1 day! It was amazing. I decided one day that I wanted to find him, so I called my mom and asked her how she thought I should go about doing so. She miraculously recalled his Social Security Number (being a military wife, you have to commit that to memory) and told me to try the Air Force Locator Hotline. So, I did. They had me in contact with his Reserve Unit and the next day, we were talking.

It was neat to see all the things we had in common. It was also really great to meet him, finally. It has been nearly 10 years since that first encounter. Of course, with that much break in the nurture cycle that humans so desperately live by, our relationship has never really strengthened.

I do not harbor any anger or resentment toward either of my "dads" anymore, but I sure used to! It was hard growing up and feeling like I wasn't good enough for the men of my life. And, we all hear and see the stories about young girls who are just looking for a Father Example in their lives--and how they try to find it in young men, older men, married men, abusive men, and anyone else who will fill that hole in their lives. I fell into that trap, dating a few boys who were just completely wrong for me. I sold myself short and never made them aware of my full worth. Heck, I was just glad to have someone pay any kind of attention to me, no matter how little or meaningless it was. And, trust me, to them it was completely meaningless!

I will never forget Ms. Caroline Trumble, that CRAZY black lady I worked with. She loved Jesus. And, I don't mean that cuckoo kind of loving Jesus where she goes around telling people that Santa Claus is wrong and the Easter Bunny is pagan. I mean that puppy love kind of Jesus-loving that you always hear about but only get to see once out of every 100,000 Christians you come in contact with. I still haven't met anyone who loved Jesus as much as Miss Caroline. She introduced me to Him and I have never been the same since. I guarantee you, of all the stars in that woman's crown, I am probably the smallest, but my star is there!!!

Miss Caroline talked about Jesus in such a way that I swore He was gonna pop right out of one of the aisles of the Eckerd Drug Store in which we worked and give her a big smooch on the cheek! Thanks to her love for Him, I am blessed to be called by Him as His Own Dear One. She would balk at that and swear it was all Jesus--and that is true--but I would never have seen LOVE if it wasn't for her Love for Him. He really was her All in All.

I'll never forget the first time I heard God referred to as "Our Father". I seriously did a double-take. Then, someone explained how He is my Perfect Father, pointing out all the promises He makes in His Word. As this post is already long-winded enough, suffice it to say that I was so naive as to what a father should look like that it blew me away. It has been many years now since I began pondering this truth. I don't know if I'll ever truly grasp what it means for God to be my "Heavenly Father"--and, may I be bold enough to say that, many people who have had wonderful earthly fathers may never truly grasp this concept, either.

Most of what I see of a good father, I have learned from watching my husband with our children. Now, Rob is not perfect (although, he's pretty durn close!), so don't think that I'm replacing God with him here, please! However, I see how enamored Rob is with our 3 children and how much he sacrifices to spend time with them. I love watching them respond to the sweet care he gives--the times where he participates in one of Aurora's plays that she writes, or how he plays Super Hero Squad Squinkies with Ryan, or how he makes Elliana light up with just a simple "Hello!". It's amazing how they respond to him and how he delights in them. He delights in them. Rob also sings over them. He has a special song he's made up for each of the children. It's like their own theme music. Hmmmm.... I'm seeing a pattern here: So, Rob loves his children, sacrifices for his children, invokes a response from his children, delights over his children and he sings over them. All this is done with much joy.

I know another Father who does all this for His children. My God loves me and sacrificed for me (John 3:16, Rev 1:5). Because of His Great Love, I couldn't help but respond to Him; he invoked a response from me (Acts 16:14). I am His and He delights over me (Ps 35:27, Ps 37:23, Ps 147:11 and many more). And, finally, God sings over me with a great joy (Zeph 3:17--I can't wait to hear God's theme song for my life). He does all this because I am His child; He is my Father.

This Father's Day I am grateful for my husband, who loves our children with his whole being. I am grateful that Rob has such a great love for God that he, unknowingly, exemplifies the love of Christ in our home. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for opening my blind eyes and healing a heart of stone forged by many years of paternal neglect or mistreatment. Mostly, I am grateful for the Love given to me by God the Father, through Jesus Christ His Son, and for the daily hug I receive from the Comforter, the Holy Spirit now dwelling in me!

We Survived the SBC 2011

Rob was in Phoenix, AZ working at the LifeWay booths at the Southern Baptist Convention for the past week. This means that I was left home alone with all 3 kids for a little less than a week. It really wasn't as bad as I feared it would be...

We took Rob to the airport on Thursday afternoon. Only a few tears were shed. The days kind of ran into each other, but I'm trying to do my best to remember.

************Public Service Announcement***************

I did not post on here or on facebook about Rob's trip while he was gone. I would like to take a moment, as a woman who has previously been stalked, to warn the dangers of letting people know too much about your life. Please don't let the internet know when you are home alone. Please do not use that check-in feature on your phone or social media device if you are anywhere alone. Please, use your common sense. Even if your facebook settings are set to a very secure setting, you are not truly secure online--ever!

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Ok, now that's out of the way...

Friday went smoothly and the kids played really well together. Somebody was praying really hard for us. Not that my kids are hateful little you-know-whats, but they have a tendency to bicker like--well, like brother and sister, I guess.

Saturday, we went to a Lowe's Build & Grow clinic. The kids absolutely loved that! They felt so big with their hammers and nails. It was so adorable, I couldn't help but snap a photo.

We [barely] made it to church on Sunday. I tried to do both my hair and makeup. Since Ellie was born, the people at church only see me with either one or the other done up. This week, it was my make up. I may be too busy to notice that I miss Rob when he's gone, but apparently my slumber patterns notice. The bags under my eyes desperately needed cover-up.

It didn't help that Rob sent me THIS photo:

Yeah, not nice! He also mentioned how well he was eating. While he was out eating all sorts of high quality food, I ate 11 left-over sloppy joes while he was gone. Eleven!!! That's lunch and dinner every day, people!!! If I never see another sloppy joe in my life, it will be too soon!

I must say that it is kind of amusing that Rob came home with a sunburn. That's what you get for teasing this girl! God does really have quite a sense of humor.

We really didn't do a whole lot while he was gone; just a few projects around the house. The kids were pretty content with the things we did; painting, family movie nights, dog washing, bug killing, My Little Pony hair-braiding contests... You know, normal stuff. ;)

On Monday night, the kids tried to have a "Slumber Party" in Aurora's room. They were having a blast, hooting and hollering and playing board games. Around 10:30 p.m., Ryan came out and said Aurora was "bothering him" and that he would like to go to his own room. Hiding the smile that came to my lips, I told him he was welcome to go sleep in his own bed for the night. Within minutes, both kids were asleep. Hmmmm... I thought to myself, "I should let them do this more often during the summer. They're not bothering me and they're wearing themselves out."

That thought went completely out the window the following morning. Both kids were awake at 7:30 a.m. And, they were C-R-A-N-K-Y!!! *slaps forehead*

Tuesday was rough. The kids knew Rob was coming home that night and they were too excited to do anything. I did, eventually, get them to help me straighten up the house. It took vacuuming up a few items from their floors (which, btw, means that the vacuum's hose is now clogged with tiny toys and papers... Aaargh!) in order for them to actually clean their rooms!

There were storms forecast for the evening hours--the exact evening hours that Rob's flight was scheduled for arrival. Which meant that his flight was delayed. Which meant that the kids had to stay up even later. Which meant that they were going to be cranky again the following morning. But it was all worth it when they saw him in the airport. It was like watching those commercials when the soldiers come home. (Only, of course, Rob wasn't a soldier.) The kids ran to him and he picked them both up in his arms. A little melodramatic--to me, the military brat, for a week's worth of absence--but this is my family. I smiled and was so grateful for the scene that just played out. It fit us.

So, Rob is home now. Life is as it should be. I am hoping Rob gets a chance to go to the SBC in 2012. The city of destination? New Orleans!!! Oh, yeah! We will be going with him to that one!

My Interview

Aurora, with a french accent, came into the living room and announced that she was Marie J'Antae, a French "interviewer-kid". ;)

I went along with the act, only smiling while she was writing on her pad of paper. She asked me all sorts of grilling questions, like:

What is your full name?

What is your date of birth?

What is your favorite color?

Then, when the interview was over, she decided she needed to draw a sketch of me. She took her interview notes and her sketch and she is now writing a rough draft of my biography. (tee-hee)

I'm such a looker:

Funny of the Day via the Older 2

Aurora wears an old shirt of mine from my pre-Rob days. It is a graphic tee that says "BOYS ARE LIKE PARKING SPACES" on the front, with "all the good ones are taken" written on the back. Ryan can now read. He asked why all the good ones are taken.

Aurora answered: They're all married.

Ryan: Who's Mary?

Aurora: *sigh* No, Ryan, they are all MARRI-ED!!!

Ryan: Oh. Why are they all married?

Aurora: Well, the good ones are all married. The other ones are smokers and drinkers. No one wants to marry them! They stink!

Ryan: Oh! It's a good thing they're not married. We don't want a stinky Daddy.

Me: Shakes head and covers smile.

A Heat Stroke Waiting to Happen

So far this morning, I have spanked one child for not getting dressed and running around in his underwear. The other child did get dressed, but insists on wearing long sleeves, jeans and tennis shoes--with Christmas socks. The first child is still not dressed and the other child is still changing. How hard is it to put on shorts and a short-sleeved shirt? It's 2 items. I mean, come on! Even I did that this morning!

Oh, and to top it all off, they're both mad at me for making them wear weather-appropriate attire. This whole "train up a child in the way he should go" business is tough when your children behave like they should visit the Emergency Room for sunburn and heat stroke!

By the way, it's been half an hour since they started getting dressed. Neither one of them actually is dressed. Aaargh!!!

Not helping!!!

Ok, so putting all those thoughts out there didn't help me at all. I have seriously come here to type out a blog post 3 times this week and stared at that blank box each time. The Twilight Zone theme song should have been playing as the soundtrack for those moments of my life. It is so weird that I have nothing to say. Me! The girl who has always been picked on for talking too much!

So, my faithful readers (all 12 of you--and, I have to be honest, Rob is one of those 12 because I signed him up to be my follower! lol!) I apologize for being less than stellar at posting regularly.

In the meantime, accept this boring post as a tribute to the Rose household daily life going well and things not being completely out of proportion. Ah, good ol' summertime.

Bored Already?!?

School ended yesterday. I fear what this summer is going to be like; we don't have a whole lot of money for entertainment. With gas at nearly $4 a gallon, even going out to the "Free" things in the area costs money!

This morning, Aurora begged to get on the computer so she could play Math games. Right now, she is begging me to give her a spelling test. Ryan has asked to make "Play Centers" in his bedroom with groupings of his toys.

I think I'm in trouble...