Aqui estan las pinches llaves?

Some days I've got it together, some days I don't. Today was one of those (more often occuring) "don't got it" days.
Jay took the kids to school this morning, so I didn't realize that my keys were lost until a few minutes before I had to leave to pick up David at preschool. I tore the house apart looking for them and finally made a frantic call to my neighbor whose little boy goes to the same preschool right after David. After making a call to the school and thanks to a good friend, David arrived home safe.
I was still looking for the keys because David had flu shots scheduled at his school and Kate had a Dr. appointment for an ear infection that had bursted. So the kids were left slightly unsupervised (stay tuned) while I was still scouring the house. I just about gave up and was going to feed them lunch when I FINALLY found a spare key. So I wouldn't miss the flu clinic at the school, we rushed out the door to get there in time. Well, Kate smacked her face on the car door and her nose started bleeding everywhere. I had to clean her up, change shirts, and stuff kleenex up her nose (she has nosebleeds often so she doesn't mind). We rushed to the school (still with Kleenex up her nose) which took a while, so by the time we were done it was time for Kate's doctor appointment. They ate a quick lunch in the car, then we got to the appointment where we had to wait in the tiny check-up room for at least 20 minutes--which is an eternity with these three kids. They were going nuts so we sang songs and played I spy.
As I was sitting there thinking about my crazy morning, I realized we looked horrible. Blake is recovering from a black eye and a small bruise on his forehead AND yesterday, he got another small black eye on the other one and another bruise on the other side of his head (self inflicted-he pulls himself up on everything-stable or not). So remember when I mentioned that I left the kids "slightly unsupervised" while I searched for the keys? Well Blake had gotten into the laundry garbage and decided to see what lint tasted like. So I had caught him but never cleaned it off his shirt (I have to throw in that he also took a good four bites out of a nerf ball yikes). Then I noticed a large amount of pink glitter stuck to the top of his head from Kate who had opened it up and got it everywhere. She had also drawn pink marker all over the bottom of his feet. Kate had her own problems...she also had colored marker on her leg and arm, not to mention her blood stained nose and shirt (yes the second one). She had also gotten a penny-sized goose egg on her forehead this morning when David accidently (?) whacked her in the head with a small tent pole (Harry Potter's wand--"bibbity bobbity boo I turn you into a snake"--kinda thing). It was still swollen red and bruised. I had tried combing through her hair before we left, but she had syrup from our morning waffles encrusted in it, so I just gave up. I have to say David looked normal except for the marker all over his fingers and the fact that he was there and seen with the rest of us.
I felt like a frazzled maxed-out mom today. Through the craziness of the morning, I called Jay a few times in tears. He always knows what to say and makes me feel like maybe I am a pretty good mom. He reminds me that we have four little kids...yeah gonna be crazy. I am so thankful for him and that he can support and love me, even on my worst days. And I would like to say sorry to any moms I didn't know that I may have judged, even just a little, in public places with trashy, bruised, dirty, unkept and sad kids. Now I realize they were probably very normal people having a very horrible day. Now that I'm done venting, I'm going to go find that key hanger Jay bought on his mission that says, "Aqui Estan Las Pinches Llaves".

Monster Mash

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Catch up

Just posting some random pictures I found on our other camera from the past couple of weeks...

Looking for Anna

The search for Anna begins...A short pit stop to chew on a toy...seriously mom, where is she?
Around the corner to the bathroom where he hears her taking a shower...she opens the door and he realizes she's there...come on open up!

Waiting in anticipation
Finally I found you! Loves his Anna...

Anna's school picture day

Words can't explain how much I love these kids of mine. Each one brings special and important things to our little family...I need to journal more about each of those things. As I was looking through these pictures of Anna I realized how greatful I am for her spirit in our home. She is so many great things...but especially kind, funny, gentle, smart, obedient, sweet, honest, caring, aware, appreciative, ready to serve and beautiful inside and out. Love you Annabanana.

Watch out...I'm eight months

[innocent][not so innocent]
[guilty][i'm getting so good at this stuff]

I'm pretty sure Blake can't be eight months already. I can't believe how fast the time is going by! Some eight month highlights...

1. getting really good at crawling and pulling himself up to standing

2. such a strong kid but has some nice soft, squishy thighs that everybody loves to squeeze...which brings us to:

3. he didn't cry at all when the nurse gave him his flu shot in his thigh

4. enjoys his new found skill of waving (more like a backwards finger wiggle)

4. helps remind me to vacuum more often

5. has a thing with eating small pieces of paper, crumbs and whatever else he comes across on our dirty little floor...always munching on something

6. here we go...he's starting to keep me on my toes...

Watch out ladies

This is at a BBQ with our good friends, Erik & Jamie, who we've known forever. They have an older boy and girl and this is their youngest little sweetie...Maisy, who is five days older than Blake. If we could get Blake to get this flirting thing down a little better, I think we would have one perfect match.

Seriously I SWORE I would never post these pictures but I have to...it's gotta go in our book this year. This is Jamie and I just a week or so away from our due dates. I looked so dang uncomfortable...because I was. Jamie looks like she was ready to go run a couple miles.

It's fall!!

It's that time of year when I laugh at all my relatives in Utah and when I remember why it's worth suffering through the heat of the Arizona summer...for FALL!!! I LOVE this time of year!We've enjoyed some nice weekends of weather, conference, friends and family. Here are a few pictures...
[Kate at Grandpa & Grandma Olson's house - her good mood]

[...and her late-at-night-I'm-filthy-no-nap-today tantrum at Grandpa & Grandma Olson's house][David riding the lawn mower with Grandpa Olson...seriously...his smile says it all]

[Blake getting spoiled..and well fed...by Grandma Olson]

(more) Battle Wounds

Now that Blake is crawling, he is so determined to pull himself up on any obstacle he comes across. In these cases, it was the bed (forehead hit the bedframe), the cupboard (his eye), and a small wooden chair (same spot on the same eye from previous spill). Staying happy still...So remember in a previous post--I mentioned Kate's hand getting slammed in a door? Well it has stayed swollen but she is still has been using it for everything. Every once in a while she would bump it and cry, but then four days later it got even more swollen and red. So we took a trip to the Dr. and then off to the radiologist for an xray. That was 2 days ago and we are yet to find out the results of the xray. I'm not too concerned I guess because she is still using it and the swelling went down today. We'll see.The same day Kate's hand got worse, Anna came down with a UTI/possible small kidney infection. She had complaining of lower right back pain for the past week or so and it finally got bad enough she couldn't walk/sit/stand/lay down without it hurting. We are still waiting to hear back what exactly she came down with, but in the mean time, the Dr. started her on antibiotics and she is back at school after missing a couple days. Okay kids....NO more bad stuff please! Well except David, who has stayed perfectly healthy so far...way to go man.