- SOME MORE FUNNY KID THINGS (past/present) -

sorry, but with a title like this, i could write everyday & have lots to share - someone (who'll remain nameless for now) decided when she was younger, around 8ish (keep in mind kiara's 5, ruby's 4 & karleigh's 3 now) that she was going to make me breakfast - well, she made me toast - awww, how sweet you might add, but you didn't see it - it was burnt to a crisp (never saw something THAT black), but soggy & wet on the other side, not burnt at all - i said, "(XX nameless, remember), how'd you make this?" - she said, "oh mom, it's the coolest thing, i thought i'd make you breakfast, but to save time i buttered the bread first & then toasted it so when it came out of the toaster, voila, it was ready to eat!" (oh my!!)

another story about (nameless) was recently, like within the past XX months, she decided she was going to make a frozen pizza - well, it was cookin' away & the top got very done, but she said the bottom was still somewhat 'raw' - i went & looked & she'd not taken the cardboard out from under the pizza (oh my!!)

(insert prayer here that before nameless moves away from our home, that our house doesn't mysteriously BURN DOWN!)

today, i was talking to kiara & she mentioned that in school they'd asked all the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up - i asked what her response was & she said, "gosh mommy, i wanna be a person who sells popcorn at the movies!" (you gotta know kiara to appreciate this, this kids lives to eat & she does it well - it's all about food to her from morning until night - at the breakfast table as she's eating, she's discussing what time lunch will be & what's on the menu - at lunch, it's a repeat preformance as it's all about what's for dinner - there's times that we'll do a late breakfast & then have a pretty big lunch & no one's hungry for dinner so we just kind of snack - well, kiara wants her 'snack' at a table as she's all about being at a TABLE 3 times a day!)

yesterday i'd taken ruby to get pics taken & while we were there waiting for our appointment time to come, we were shopping (gotta do something, right?) - well, there was a sale paper in the bottom of the cart that she was looking at & kept pointing at costumes & then making a sign (sign language) that i didn't know - i tried & tried to figure out what she was talking about, but nope, mom wasn't getting it - she was beginning to get frustrated with me so in her frustration, she began rummaging through my purse, grabbed my cell, handed it to me & loudly said, "mommy... HELLO!" - (everytime i don't know what she's signing, i call my best friend angela to help me out as she's fluent in ASL) - even though she never knows 'who' i call, she does know that 'when' i call, i come up with the right answer - i took her advise & called ang & found out she was signing 'WRONG/NOT RIGHT' - after looking closely at the pic she was pointing out, saw a dog in a halloween costume & to that she was telling me, "that's soooo wrong!!" - how funny!

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- I'VE BEEN TAGGED -

i've been tagged, so here goes:

what i was doing 10 years ago: i was the mother of 2 (wow, seems like a long time ago) & we were living in lafayette, indiana - we worked on the praise & worship team for the church we were attending - we kept busy (or so we thought) & life was good

what i was doing 5 years ago: i, along with spike were waiting to go in to IBESR with kiara & i was getting used to the idea of being a mother of 3

what i was doing 1 year ago: i'd gone to haiti with spike, my mother & brit - neither mom or brit had ever been there before & we were there from october 3-10 & had a wonderful time!!

what i was doing yesterday: forgetting children at school (ooops!) - yep, i'd picked everyone up from school at the appropriate times, came home, got lunch ready, let the girls play a bit & told them to get ready for naptime - kiara says, "doesn't karleigh have to take a nap too?" - EEEEK, i'd forgotten to pick her up (does that mean i've got to many children???)

5 snacks i enjoy: black jelly beans (the cheap ones!), peanut butter candy they sell at halloween in the black & orange wrappers - marshmallow easter eggs, seedless grapes & doughnuts (fresh yeast ones that are flimsy = VERY fresh!)

what i'd do with a million dollars: pay off our home, build our dream home, pay off our parents homes, set up a fund to help pay for haitian adoptions & give to the church

5 places i'd like to go: haiti, france, haiti, the holy lands to take spike as he's always wanted to go there & then, back to haiti!

5 bad habits: not sitting down to eat throughout the day, but instead, just 'piecing' all day, saying to my girls, "this' the last time i'll tell you" (over & over & over), picking at my fingernails, feeling the need to be in control (but i'm soooooo good at it!) & at the end of every day, wishing i'd taken more time with the kids... 1 on 1

5 things i like to do in my free time: BLOG!!, go shopping, go to haiti, get my nails done & go places with my family

5 shows i like to watch: although i don't hardly ever watch TV, i'd say... andy griffith, little house on the prairie, mad about you, a baby's story & home makeover shows

5 things i hate to do: go shopping for clothing for me, argue with my family, pack up things in the house in order to move, tell salesmen 'NO' at the front door (i do, but hate it!) & iron

5 biggest accomplishments at the moment: dustin, brit, kiara, ruby & karleigh (wow, that was an easy one!)

anyone that reads this... consider yourself TAGGED!

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- GOD'S CONTINUING TO MOVE! -

well, i just opened my mail & in it was $50, a very sweet note (not signed) & a short story (very appropriate for a situation dad/mom's dealing with) - a HUGE thank you to whomever sent it & just know we're praying for you that you'll be blessed above anything you can ask or think - here's the story that was sent:

Making a difference... Once a man was walking on a beach & he saw many starfish on the sand. The starfish were dying because the tide was going out & the starfish couldn't reach the water. A small child was running up & down the beach, busily picking up starfish & throwing each back into the sea. The man said to her, "Child, why are you even bothering? There are so many starfish to help, you can't save them ALL, so why not save one & then stop?" The child stopped, picked up a starfish & threw it into the sea. "Because I made a difference to THAT one & had i stopped, IT wouldn't have lived", she said.

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- MY BEST FRIEND!! -

just wanted to share a picture of my best friend angela caswell! - she came to my house the other day & we ran to walmart to get her pictures taken - just got them back & couldn't believe how well they captured 'her eyes'! - angela, love the new hair color too, you're adorable girl!!

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- DOES IT MEAN YOU'VE TO MANY CHILDREN WHEN... -

you forget to pick one up from school????????? - it's been a morning, let me tell ya - i'm on a blood thinner everyday & i got up this morning & couldn't hardly walk as my foot's throbbing - i can tell from past experiences, that my blood levels are off, so i'm ms. hobbles today - i race around (alright, i limped), getting kiara ready & off to kindergarten at 8am, got karleigh ready & off to preschool at 9am & ruby stayed home with daddy today as he's working at home - i then ran (alright, i limped) to the hospital for my 'blood check', then i went to mom's to drop off another of brit's christmas presents since we've no room & she'd know it was for her - i then went back to pick kiara up at 11am, then grabbed some tacos for lunch, came home, fed everyone & they'd playtime (kiara & ruby) while i got some things done - we were just putting things away, doing laundry, etc. & i told the kids to get things picked up for naptime - they'd done it all & it wasn't until i said, "now go potty" that i heard the words, "isn't karleigh gonna take a nap too?" - i looked at the clock & it was 1pm on the dot (karleigh gets out at 1!!) - i said, "OH NO, I FORGOT KARLEIGH!!!", to which her 2 sisters began laughing (they wouldn't have laughed if they'd been the ones left, i can assure you) & headed for the door (quickly!) - i drove as quickly as i could to the school & picked her up - i apologized to the teacher, but she said they were running late today so they'd just stepped outside to look for us (WHEW!) - i brought her home, plopped them all 3 into bed, am blogging now - i then have to leave in 30 minutes to pick brit up from school as she/i both ordered new glasses the other day & they're in (she'll be thrilled!!), so have to go pick them up, then have to drive to indianapolis to pick up another of brit's christmas presents as our walmart didn't have it, so they called another walmart that did - (brit, i know you're reading this trying to see if by some chance i've slipped & written in something that you can read & learn what your christmas gift is, but nope, i'm smarter than that!) - well, anyhow, i'm pooped, limpin', dealing with a headache = from the way it sounds, i'm a mess!! - i'll write more later (guess you all knew that!!)

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- ANOTHER PRAISE THE LORD! -

just checked my email & there's been another $25 donated via paypal towards madisyn's adoption - they're now up to $1398 & it's still rising!! - thanks to all who've donated so far & for those others that are planning on it, it's appreciated more than you know

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- SHE'S OUT, PRAISE THE LORD, SHE'S OUT!! -

yep, just got off the phone with barbara & she said she's got madisyn's dossier in her hands!! - they went into IBESR on march 28, 2007, so it's been 6 months & 5 days in IBESR & their number was (love to say WAS!!!) #14726 - they've had to wait longer than madisyn's sister loudnie (being adopted by my BIL/SIL) & also longer than one of madisyn's friends jenna (being adopted by some of our very good friends) because problems with their attorney GRRR - anyhow, long story short, they're out - oh my goodness, it feels so good to say that & know that their IBESR wait's over FOREVER - now, moving on to the next 'wait', at least we're 1 step closer to madisyn coming 'home' - praise the lord!!

we'd been planning all along on telling dad first & then he could share with mom - well, we just found out (9:30pm) & since dad's gotta get up in the mornings at 3am for work, he goes to bed VERY early - well, we knew if i called & asked mom to wake dad up, she'd know for sure (she's a pretty smart cookie & you usually can't put anything past her) - so i talked my hubby into lying (hehe) - he phoned & when mom answered, this' how it went,

spike: "georgi, hey it's spike, does wayne work tomorrow?"
mom: "yeah, why?"
spike: "oh, so he's already in bed?"
mom: "yeah, what's going on?"
spike: "well, kyle's re-doing our jeep ya know & he just called & has to order a part for it, but has to order it tonight online & needs to know what size the (spike named some jeep part) is & since the jeep used to be wayne's, i wanted to confirm with him that the size i was thinking, was the right size"
mom: "oh, well hang on & i'll get him"
dad: "hello"
spike: "hang on"
me: "dad, it's me & i wanted you to be the first one to find out"
dad: "huh?" (keep in mind dad's been asleep for about 3 hours!)
me: "dad, you're OUT OF IBESR!!"
dad: "oh wow, what did your mom say?"
me: "she doesn't know, we wanted you to be the one that shared the news with her"
dad: "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
mom: "WHAT'S WRONG???"
dad: "we're out! - we're out of that SBIN or whatever it's called"
mom: "we're out? (cry), we're out? (cry), we're out? (cry), we're out? (cry)"

that was about it - i'm so proud of spike for being the liar that he is... i just love him (wink) - also, thanks kyle for being a part of the 'big lie', you're awesome!

- Lori - [keep smilin'] just try & get me to stop!!

- DOES $.10 MATTER... REALLY? -

in the full scheme of things, does $.10 REALLY matter? - well, it's driving me crazy, i can tell ya - i went to balance my checkbook (need i say more?) & after a LONNNNNNNNNNNNG time, i'm still $.10 off GRRR - i can't tell you how this fumes me as i'm so careful & then to find out i'm wrong! - well, i know most will say, "get over it", "move on", "get a life" & "don't ya have better things to do with your time?" & yes, i do have, i'll move on & get over it, but GRRRR, that just irritates me to no end (sorry)
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- SPIKE'S BAD AWFUL DAY -

man, spike sure had 'one of those days' today & he's still not home - he got up a bit late this morning & was trying to get some work done prior to leaving the house - he had to be somewhere about 11:00, but HAD to finish what he was working on (insert stress) - i'd left, but talked to him once on the phone & he just sounded 'busy' (insert stress) - i told him to phone me when he left the house, which he did - he asked me to be praying about some new projects - we're doing fine financially, but with the upcoming house selling, moving into an apartment, building another house, etc., he'll be needing some more projects to come up very soon - he's got at least 5 now that are in the 'ready to sign contracts' stages, but they've just not signed yet & he really needs this to be done soon, just so he can move on without having to think about it all the time (insert stress) - as we're talking on the phone about all this he says, "AHHHHHH MAN!!" - to which i say, "WHAT?" - he says, "i think i just hit a car" - i say, "call me back!" - minutes later he does call to say that he'd to stop on his way to his 11:00 meeting (which remember, he's running late for), at walmart to pick up some 'convention items' as that's where he's headed was to a convention - as he was pulling into his spot, the car next to him hadn't lined up straight & spike cut a bit to close & yep, swiped the side of our van! - he got out & checked & the other car was fine as it was their bumper that was 'hit', but it was rubber so no harm done - but then he looked at our van & he said the trim strip down the side of the van that 'pokes out a bit' has about a 3-4' strip that's paintLESS - luckily it's on the trim strip & not the van door or anything, but it doesn't matter, it's ours & we take care of our things UGH - that devil's sure trying his stuff right now as we've had 3 of the kids all sick with ick (fevers, watery eyes, coughing, sore throats, aching, runny noses, etc.) all on medicines, etc. & we're tired of it! - devil we're not going to back down with what we feel god's called us to do here with this house sell & this house build - you better just back off now as we're not going to! - pray for spike to have a better day tomorrow - he's a great husband, great dad & a great provider - i just love him!

PS after all this happens, he phones to tell me that he'd just spoken with his brother (they work together) that's already at the convention & instead of it starting at 11:00, it didn't even start until 3:00 so in the end, he didn't even need to rush!!
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- MADISYN'S BLOG -

well, i re-did madisyn's fundraising blog over the weekend & i must say, i like it a LOT better - go check it out by clicking here - for those that are interested in donating to help bring madisyn home, you can use paypal or mail the $ to me which will go directly to the foyer de la nouvelle vie agency that madisyn's being adopted through - you can also click on the paypal donate button on my blog (located on the left hand side, just above the fundraising thermometer) - thanks for all those that are praying for my sister to get home soon - her paperwork's been in IBESR for 6 months now, but they're hopeful that their time in IBESR's quickly coming to an end - thanks & hopefully this will help get her home soon! SIDENOTE: $26 has already come in just in the past 2 hours (praise the lord!!)
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- ANYONE NEED A QUAD STROLLER? -

i just posted for the first time on ebay! - i'm selling a commerical type quad stroller that i've started the bidding at $300 (paid $530 for it & still have the receipt) - if you'd like to see it, go to ebay.com & put in this number (130159177094) & you'll be able to view it - we're moving & don't want to have to store it - thanks!

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- MENU MONDAY @ LORI'S DINER -

this week will be a very busy one (are there any for us, that's not??) - anyhow, we're getting on the heavy duty packing this week as we rented (today) a storage unit so we're determined to get boxed up everything that we can & take it to storage so that things look 'bigger' when people come to look at the house - man, this selling a house's a LOT OF WORK! - here's the menu for this week as it stands now (all meals are subject to change at the discretion of the management)

monday (october 1)

hotdogs

chips

fruit

tuesday (october 2)

crockpot meatloaf

greenbeans

wednesday (october 3)

chili/crackers (chili supper @ the kids' school)

peanut butter sandwiches

thursday (october 4)

smoked sausage

macaroni & cheese

friday (october 5)

schwans lasagna

sourdough bread

- Lori - [keep smilin']

- OUR DAY/EVENING -

well, we were all sitting around today as the 'twins' are sick (thanks kiara for sharing what you had!) & about 2pm the phone rang - spike got off & yelled, "everyone help as they're showing our house in 2 hours!!" - keep in mind everyone's in jammies, no one's got clothes laid out as we weren't going anywhere - no one's eaten lunch - toys are all over the living room floor as the girls were just chillin' & playing quietly (alright, not quietly, just playin') - the floor needed swept & we were right in the middle of doing all the laundry from the weekend - EEEEEK - everyone jumped up & started in & worked together well - brit was vacuuming & dusting, spike was finishing what he was working on as he's got a project due tomorrow, i started getting the girls ready & whomever wasn't being lotioned/dressed was picking up toys - we made it!! - we were out of the house & at the dr. office right on time - the twins were seen & yes, they've the same ick that kiara had - we then went to dinner & dustin me us there (monkey BBQ=mongolian BBQ), ate & then came back home - hopefully the family that looked at the house today will buy it & we'll not have to re-do this scene anymore (a girl can hope, can't she??) - we'll post when we know more & hopefully that'll be soon
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- WE NOW LIVE IN A 'NO SNIP' ZONE -

that's right! - i'm working hard on our family living in a 'no snip' zone as i get so tired of hearing the kids (sometimes us too!) snipping at one another - it's getting ridiculous & it's got to stop! - they'll go to play dolls for instance & all i'll hear's "she's covering up MY baby!" - "i don't want HER to play with me!" - "i want THAT baby, not this one!", etc. - so, after listening to it all morning (everyone's feeling sickly, so keep that in mind), i've declared our home as NO SNIP ZONE... effective immediately!!

- Lori - [keep smilin']

-IT'S OFFICIALLY ON THE MARKET -

yep, that's right - we put our house up for sale & it went on the market as of friday - you can view it by going to www.pictureplanit.com/g/c/6543crossbridge.html - when you click on this link, you'll see a picture of our home & you'll see 3 buttons at the bottom - click on the SLIDE SHOW & it'll automatically start flipping through the photos - as it's doing this, move your cursor to the top right where it says ZOOM (don't click it, just lay the cursor on it) & it'll make the pictures fill the computer screen so you can see the details better - we love the house, just need more room - let me know whatcha think! - also, please be praying it sells quickly so we can get the builder started building our new home
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- MAMA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG! -

our at least a brand new pair of glasses ordered, but that wouldn't have really made sense (& we all know this blog ALWAYS makes sense, doesn't it?? - brit & i both went in on friday & had our eyes examined (me for the first time in over 11 years!) - we both ordered new glasses & they'll be in next saturday - i'm excited, but i know me & it'll take a lot of work for me to wear them - brit came in here earlier & said, "so mom, when you get your new glasses are you even going to wear them? - dad & i were talking about that at the game today & he said he doesn't think you will & i've gotta admit, i don't either!" (they love me sooooo much!) - i'm really going to try hard to make myself wear them on a regular basis as much as i do NOT want to - what i really want's contacts, but my eyes are sooooooooooo sensitive, i'm really not sure i could without looking as if i were crying all the time - i'll post a picture of these new glasses & let you all 'coax me' into wearing them - i really do like the looks (not on this fat face of mine, but there's none that would look 'cute' on me... those of you who 'know' me are nodding their heads up & down at this statement)
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- MORE SICK KIDDOS grrrr -

well, went to bed last night with my throat feeling a bit sore, but woke up this morning fine & thought, whew, i'm in the clear! - well, went through the day with way whiney kiddos (the 2 little ones), but thought they were just 'having issues' - well, spike & brit left me for a bunch to sweaty boys in black/gold uniforms & went to the purdue game - they called to see if i'd want to bring the bear cubs up & have dinner at our all time favorite restaurant pepe's mexican & "YES", was my reply - we went up there & had a good time & the food was wonderful (as always), but.................................... on the way home, karleigh cried (VERY hard) all the way home (45-60 minutes) GRRRR & this' so not her - we got home, got jammies on & to bed it was - well, that was just before 8pm & i was in there about 45 mintues ago & she was still away - i took her to the bathroom again & when getting her up, noticed W.A.R.M. = fever!! - i took it & yep, she's up to 101.5 (rectal) GRRRR - i gave some tylenol & put her back down - she's resting if nothing else, which's good at this point - well, then i move on to my 'blog chair' with the sounds of ruby snoring behind me as my puter room's brit's bedroom (god... we really need a bigger house) - as i'm typing this, ruby sneezes 2 times VERY loudy & doesn't even wake up (how can a person even do that???) - i've got everything out for church in the morning, but the sheplers may just be homebound tomorrow GRRRR - i'll post more about better things, so read on
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- WHAT I'M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW -

spike's in the living room playing/singing with the 3 bear cubs & they're all having a grand time - i was in there, then it came bedtime & i was out-voted! - daddy said that he'd sing awhile & i could go blog & they were sure excited about that - they're in there singing at the top of their lungs: 'if you're happy & you know it', 'twinkle, twinkle, little star', 'give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning', 'jesus loves me', 'amazing grace' & 'this little light of mine, i'm gonna let it shine' - they're all having a great time! - one funny kiara story from today went like this - kiara got sick last sunday (fever, coughing, sore throat, headache, watery eyes... you get the picture) & so she wasn't at school monday, tuesday, wednesday or thursday - she went back today & had a blast - while she was off, we did hair, which like i posted a few days ago, was a HORRIBLE mistake, but..... - when she came home today i asked her what the bus driver & her teacher said about her not being at school for so many days - she said,

kiara: they both asked me the saaaaame thing!
me: what did they say?
kiara: they asked me where i've been for so long?
me: what did you tell them?
kiara: i just told them you needed me to stay home because we had to re-do my hair!

UGH - i'm slow, but not 4 DAYS LONG SLOW!! - i'm telling you, after all these kids get through school, i bet i'm sure looked at weird by people who've taught our kids! - kids, what would i do without them (not be embarrassed??)
- Lori - [keep smilin']

- HAIR DAY(S), BUT ALMOST DONE! -

well, monday night since kiara was missing school anyhow, i decided i'd go ahead & start with her (giving her a new 'do) tuesday morning & then do the other 2 since they'd school - well, in theory that makes since, but oh my goodness, i'll never do that again! - what was i thinking making an already sick child go throug having her hair done?!?! - poor baby girl, mommy's sooooo sorry - she handled it alright, with only minor tears, but with many, many, many breaks (but that's alright) - we got it finished & she loves it... WHEW! - i then took karleigh's down & did hers last night - she did wake me up in the middle of the night saying her 'hair hurt' OOOPS! - it's been a long time since i've braided it too tight, but this time i did more of a veil style on top so i wanted to make sure it stayed (guess that's not an issue now, huh?) - she didn't complain at all today, so i think she'll be fine - today after ruby got home from school, i took hers down & gave her a bath, got her conditioned really well & she's now ready to go first thing in the morning - i'll finish her tomorrow & we'll be done until the end of october YEAH - even though have 3 bear cubs with heads full of hair, different textures, different lengths & hair that takes soooo much time, i'd do it all again in a minute as i love doing their hair! - they enjoy having it done & i love doing it - our kids almost never get candy (alright, unless they're at nana's house, right mom?... mom AKA 'queen of the chocolate snacks for the grandkids') - what works for us here at home's on hair days, whomever's in the 'hair seat' can have suckers - they can have as many as it takes me to braid their hair, just so long as they don't chew them - they've got to lick only & then they can have more - 1 bite & they're done! - it's funny because they're all so eager to be in that 'hair seat' & getting suckers, but they don't even ask before it's their time - i'm so glad i didn't give in a long time ago & give the 'waiting ones' suckers to help them wait as it wouldn't be as effective as it is now - i'll take pictures of them all 3 after having it done, but here's a couple pictures of the pattern i'm using, taken of kiara last night [keep smilin']

- Lori -

- SICK BABY'S GOT 'FREE HAIR' -

well, i went ahead & took kiara's hair down today as she'll NOT be going to school tomorrow - she's no better at this point, but has only had 2 doses of her meds & we don't want to infect anyone at school now, do we? (gosh, wish everyone felt this way!) - after getting her hair down, she went into a pretty hot tub (kiara: "wow mommy, this' very hot!"), but i explained to her that it'd make her feel better & after sitting in there playing for about 45 mintues, she's certainly agreed! - we then got her slathered up with lotion, put cholesterol conditioner on her hair, combed it through, gave her the meds & put her to bed to not hear a word from her since (& she slept today from 2-6!) - she'll be sleeping with us tonight as we do this for all the kids when they're sick (thank god brit's not been sick lately! -hehe) - i'll post pics of her 'new do' tomorrow if it turns out (hehe) - until then, this mama's heading for the shower [keep smilin']
- Lori -