The Ozmerican Life

Keira:  "Where's God Mama?"

Me:  "He's in you!!!"

Keira:  "I want to open my body, take him out, and eat him up!!"

I pray that you always have that kind of passion for the Lord, my sweet little baby!

I've been working on a quilt for Ava for 2 years.  Although it feels like it takes that long to make a quilt...it actually doesn't.  I work in spurts...working on it for a few weeks solid and then taking months off.  I have a great friend from college who also quilts.  When I need to get motivated, I invite her over to quilt.  I'd have her over even if she didn't quilt.  She's the sweetest thing and I love her dearly! 

She came over last week to get me motivated to finish it up.  It's time.  2 years later, it's time.  I was sitting on the couch watching the Olympics last night, stitching away...still on my motivated high from her visit last week. 

Ava is beyond excited to have her quilt nearing completion.  She stuck her head right up close:

A:  "Let me just watch a stitch.......(watching me take one single stitch)....ooohhh, yep that's how you do it.  Got it.  If I watch something just one time I pretty much have it.  That's all I need to know how to do something."

Me:  "Really?  You're now a sewing expert just because you watched one stitch?"

A:  "Yeah.  Like I watch you and Dad drive.  My seat is in the back diagonal from you so I can watch everything you do.  I pretty much know how to drive already.  Sometimes when you're driving I pretend I'm turning the steering wheel with you.  I already know how to drive."

If it were only that easy...

Quaid got kicked in the face.  I was glad.  I got to hug him for a long time all in a row.  Something I don't get too often from my big man 8 year old.

Jentzen told Quaid that, "You have faith, you need to be kind to other and play nice with them...even if you don't want to, cause you have faith and God wants you to."

Ava got 4 shots at the doctor.  She didn't move, flinch,  or make a peep the whole time.  She just sat there and took them, one by one.  She made the nurses day...and got an extra sticker.

Keira....there are no words that properly due her justice.

Where to start catching up...well I'm not sure, so just some random thoughts....

It's June....summer :)  We haven't had breakfast before 9am.  We have lazy mornings but still manage to accomplish a few things.  Schooling is on the DL.  We read with the goal of going to Chuck E Cheese at the end of the summer.  The kids are totally motivated.  We've been working on counting money and making change.  I've wanted to scream a few times...seems I still haven't quite figured out how numbers work in each of my kids heads....it's all very different from kid to kid. 

We went to the beach this week for the first time.  I feel like it's been the first fun thing I've done all summer.  Seems that my co-workers like to take vacations in June and I have a problem saying, "No, I will not work for you."

Every weekend is booked until the end of September, save one Friday night.  Lots of fun cabin weekends with friends, friends from out of town, Boy Scouts, and Twins game.  It's for sure a good busy :)

Keira is always worried about figuring out who her "Best Buddy" is for the day.  When it happens to be Jentzen, they've got some ground rules covered.  "If we bite each other then we're not Best Buddies."  Good, glad to know they have it under control. 

Nathan grauduated from college.  Whoo Hooo!  I'm so proud of him.  Something 5 years ago, I thought would never happen...he has exceeded my expectations!!

We got stuck in the middle of the lake on a pontoon with a dead battery.  Nathan saved the day for us.  Of course he did.  He's our knight in shining armor....or I guess maybe our knight in green seaweed armor. 

We're planning the finer details of our trip to see Nathan's family.  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  It can't come soon enough.  Melanie and I are a kindred spirit...all the way across the ocean in two different worlds, we are so the same.  Well, except for that whole scrap booking thing....I think she's crazy :)  The kids will actually remember this trip and we have no kids taking a nap, no diapers, and no bottles.  It's going to be one big party!!  And we're bringing our 13 year old niece along for the ride.  I couldn't be more excited to show her the down under mother-land.  And she's never seen the ocean either.  There is something about the ocean and I couldn't be more happy to be the one who gets to show her the best beaches ever!!  She's scared of sharks and seems to think they'll be looming close to shore just waiting for her...it's going to be awesome.  Pretty sure a fake, strap on shark fin and a brother-in-law that can swim under water from far away hidden distances will be in order!!

Nathan had to lead the 4 year old Sunday school class all by himself, I was working.  Oh how I would have liked to be a fly on that wall!!

Ava turned 7....Nathan put "Ava's 8th birthday" on Facebook.  Classic.

My goal was to have a joyful, relaxed summer....we're doing just that!

Ava:  "Mom, would you rather not eat or spend time with Daddy?"

Me:  "I'd rather spend time with Daddy."

Ava:  "Me too, I don't care if I starve, I'd rather be with Daddy.  I just love him so much."

Keira and I were hanging in the bathroom while she was "doing her thing."  While she was taking her sweet time, she noticed her underwear....

K:  "Mom, is that Dora on my undies?"

Me:  (not really looking that close) "Yes, it is."

K:  "Why does she have long hair?"

Me:  (now noticing that it isn't Dora, but a random princess/girl figure, and not really wanting to back track) "Maybe she just has long hair sometimes."

K:  "Yeah!!  Like maybe when she goes to princess parties!!"

Me:  (just going along with it)  "Sure, I bet that's right."

K:  (thinking......)  "That's silly!!!  There's no princess party in my underwear!!!"

And just for the record...if you're ever calling in your child from outside and you hear, "Just a minute Mom, I'm just holding some dog poop!!"  It's okay, you can just pretend that it's really just pine cones, it worked for me.

Jentzen loves movies...there's just no other way to say it.  Out of all our kids...he asks the most for movie night, movie morning, movie afternoon, movies, movies, movies.

Friday and Saturday are movie nights...and he knows it.

Last night, Monday night, he asked for some special reading time with me before going to bed.  All the other kids were put to bed and he grabbed a book and crawled into bed with me.  We cuddled as he read his book.  He kissed me and hugged me and told me how much he loves me.  Then in the sweetest little voice...."Mom, could we have special movie time when we wake up?"

Me:  "No Jentzen, it's not movie time tomorrow."

J:  "Well we could just do it special tomorrow."

Me:  "How come you love movies so much?"

J:  "Well because we can learn about God and learn the true things we're supposed to be learning!"

 
He just about caught me with that one....I almost said, "You're right Jentzen!  We'll find a good movie to watch tomorrow!"  Almost, he almost got me!  Was his whole evening of reading, hugging, and loving all in the plan??  Either way, how I held strong to his precious little smile and charm, I'm not sure.  Maybe next time I won't....