We almost lost him

That title sounded sweet in my head and then I read it and it looked maybe more dramatic than it is...or maybe not.

The him I am referring to is none other than extra family member: Owl.

He is so old and positively not white, in fact I would venture to say he is more like a permanent shade of grey. I love him so much though. Sometimes, i kiss Owen goodnight while he is asleep and I can't help myself and I kiss that little grey friend on his head too. It isn't that I love owl per se but all the things he represents and I know it is only a matter of time before he is tucked carefully away in a drawer cause he isn't needed anymore.

But for now he is still tucked under his friend's arm and often found by his side and I truly cherish every moment I see that. So, imagine the heartbreak when he went missing last week.

After a quick trip to the new office and a crazy night with Felix and Robee staying over, Owen started to look for owl the next day. We looked and looked and looked and came up empty. This lead us to believe he was at the office. After a trip to the beach to look for crabs, we headed to the office. Again, no owl. We changed our mind and determined he had to be home. After heading home we looked and looked again. I changed my mind again and decided he was at the office while Owen changed his mind and decided he was gone forever. I knew I didn't look all over the office and because moms have super finding powers, I was not calling him gone yet.

I dropped the crew off at the swimming pool and as I knew I could not swim in peace without owl, I went to the office. I started inside and planned to work my way back. I quickly eliminated the first three rooms and headed outside. From the back door I glanced side to side and there he was, favorite guy in the sprinkler ditch by the house. I totally felt like picking him up like a lost child and hugging and kissing him (and may or may not have actually done such a thing. Luckily it was just him and I and Autumn and they both can't talk and I am saying nothing).

So now he is home where he belongs. Owen was thrilled about his return and has held on a little tighter ever since.

And me, I get to watch my son run down the street with his favorite animal tucked under his arm for a little longer.

I know Owen would have been fine, but i sure wasn't ready to lose owl yet.

Please Bless

I am not always present to my kids, sometimes, even just the opposite.  I spend too much time on the computer, I talk on the phone too much, I am constantly looking up information on my phone, I make them watch shows so for a few minutes someone won’t ask me for something, and on occasion, I even send them upstairs to go to bed with the promise I will be right there, while all the while knowing they will fall asleep before I get there. 

The other day I read an article about how many kids are dying because they are left in hot cars.  The article said that it happens when people are out of their normal routine or when a parent that usually doesn’t have the kids is dropping them off.  It mentioned the most recent case of this happening occurred when a mom dropped off her 11 year old at school and then went to drop off her 5 month old at a church daycare but then went home.  She went back that afternoon to pick up the son that was never dropped off at daycare and was informed the child was not dropped off.  It was then discovered that the mom never dropped off the baby, forgot about him, and he subsequently died in the hot car. 

I know that things happen.  I really do.  Autopilot – I am guilty of it time and time again.  It wasn’t the kids being left in the car that bothered me about the article, but the suggestion of a solution.  An app.  There is an app you can install on your phone where you set an alert to remind you that you have your child in the car.  

I forget things, I make promises I don’t keep, I am a technology junkie, and I love my iPhone, but please bless that I don’t rely on that phone one day to remind me that I took my child somewhere with me in the car.  Or, please bless that one day I don’t climb out of the car remembering to take my phone with me, while my precious little babies stay behind. 

An app to remember your baby is just too much and reminds me that life is headed in a direction I don’t want to go. 

Please bless I just remember these guys cause I remember them. 

Hot

Today is a day that the air conditioner just got bumped to the top of the to do list. I see the weather report for the next two days and it is all I can do not to call this instant. We are all hanging out in one room with a fan blowing on us. The thermostat says it is 82 degrees in the house.

In an hour I will be working out at boot camp. You can safely assume I am not totally excited for that but will work hard nonetheless. Maybe I will feel like I worked extra hard with the excess heat, or I may die, one or the other.

The kids and I had no choice but to eat tons of chocolate chips today cause we are so hot.

It was either that or buy an air conditioner today. I should have just done both.

I always have what I need & forgotten 7 year old Stats

Ok. I admit it, I notoriously have a messy car. I clean it and within days it goes back to the way it was before. It is one of those cars that when you have a passenger ride with you, it is necessary to move all the stuff on the seat to clear a space.

I know you wish you were that passenger about now.

I cleaned the car today and in a way it is sad, cause you see, I have learned that with a messy car you always have what you need.

Some examples:

The kids and I found a farmer's market today and decided to stop by. I was wishing I had brought the sunblock. I decided to check the floor just in case and lo and behold: sunblock!

I was eating a nectarine the other day and it started to drip. Luckily, I found a towel on the floor. Mess avoided. ( can you really avoid a mess by using the mess? Hmmm)

We left in a rush the other day and I grabbed a piece of toast for Ivy. She was still hungry. Luckily, when I went to get her out I found our favorite snack.. Cereal in a bag. Problem solved .

Owen forgot his shoes the other day but never fear! The extra pair in the car worked fine.

Ivy wanted to wear a headband one day but couldn't find it. Yep, you guessed it, by the time we went into our destination: headband was on her head.

I sort of envision the car like a giant mobile purse, one with clothes, snacks, items to protect against the elements, important papers, earrings, water bottles, and toys.

When I leave tonight it will be like leaving without my purse.

At least that only lasts a day or two.

************************POST EDIT*****************************
And yet, another forgotten post about the numbers, which I may not care about when I am old and gray, but then again, I may.  So in case I do care:
Owen at 7:
4 feet  1 3/4 tall - 80%
55 pounds - 69%

The dr. says Owen will be 6' 1".  I hope she is right!
****************************************************************

Well at least he does that

I bother Greg on at least a daily basis about all the things that don't get done around the house (and rest assured I am now about to name some of those).

For example the front door lock needs repair, the skylights need cleaning, the sprinklers need to be fixed, and we really need to pull some weeds.

One good thing, we have a bunch of logs in the garage from a tree we cut down and they have been on the floor waiting to be shelved. Well, they are on the shelf. Cause Kristi put them there.

All of that being said, there is one thing that Greg does that almost allows me to forgive him for the rest ( I said almost and it will never be completely).

Greg takes Owen crabbing.

I hate crabbing, I hate boats, I hate the water, I hate killing crabs, and I hate eating crabs BUT I love the two of them to go together.

They went out today with some friends on a big boat. Owen asked the friends a million questions and constantly asked Greg to check the pots. They caught a giant sun star (sun star being a sea star (formerly known as a starfish) with more than five points and thank you Felix for that wealth of information). Owen talked about this creature for hours. I was told he just couldn't get his mind off it.

They brought home two crabs and Owen only wanted to ride with his dad, with the crabs.

I have too many weeds in my yard and I can't unlock the front door but I adore Greg for taking him.

(and no I still will not let you get a boat).

Wild child at 10 months

As we approach her ten month mark, Autumn is insane.

She stood for real tonight. The kind of standing where they let go and surprise themselves by just standing there. She was so proud.

She moves up the stairs with ease but struggles coming down.

She loves pulling Owen's hair and then scrunching her nose and laughing.

She stole from the store tonight and gave the other two kids a heart attack.

She fake laughs while staring at things she wants, especially a glass of water.

She loves Greg to put her to sleep and it drives me crazy. I will try for hours and she falls asleep for him in two seconds.

She loves her binky and "special blanket".

And we call her Ferby.

My expensive to do list

I feel like this list is longer by the day.
For example:

It is hot. When we replaced our furnace we started the installation for a heat pump. I need to call and get the rest finished for a mere $4000.

I had a bid on a fence and a gate. It was only $ 2000. I need to get this in as the other day I pulled up and the neighbor was in the backyard looking for her little boy. He was in the backyard looking at our baby swimming pool full of water. Please don't drown in my backyard little baby.

Owen has done a soccer camp and a baseball camp this summer and loved both. I asked him if he would like to do a tennis camp next week, to which he replied he would love to cause he is athletic. I need to sign him up for $125.

After our trial class next week, I am signing Ivy up for gymnastics for $58 per month.

Owen needs to start piano the end of next month. I am researching that to find a teacher that is the right fit. We are talking anywhere from $100 per month to $220 per month, and I totally anticipate piano will not be his dream but he has no choice and I am prepared for the struggles.

Ivy needs to get signed up for her Kindermusik class for $36 per month.

I need to get the invites out and pay the rest of the fee for the bouncy house party for Owen's birthday party. I owe $100.

We turned on the sprinklers tonight, half of them were either shooting in the air or pouring water into the greenbelt. We need to fix those and who knows the cost.

And then there is always that patio that I really want for way too much.

I just got tired thinking about this .....