It Ain't Just a River in Egypt

I'm not a fan of introspection. I don't like falling short and introspection always shines a light on the many areas I flounder. It's no wonder that I've become somewhat of an expert at DENIAL. It's the backbone of my existence...the philosophy I have long subscribed to.

A prime example of this denial is my staunch refusal to accept the fact that my 36 year old body (post 3 children) isn't capable of the same freakishly insane things my 25 year old body was. Early on in life I earned the label of "Night Owl". I like the night life. I like to boogie. And it used to all work out fine. But now? Now I find myself puttering around until past midnight every night and wonder why at 7:30am I'm just a mumbling, tottering, mess of a person.

Some would think I didn't know better. They would be wrong. I know there are consequences...I just don't want there to be consequences. Shouldn't that be enough?

OUCH!

Attempting to reason with a 6 year old hurts my brain.

My Men

The handsome men in my life.

What's In a Name?

Our kids all have nicknames. It's the way we roll. Our newest addition (yes, I realize at 17 months he's no longer "new"...whatever) has been assigned "Bubba" and "Turdis", among others.

Following the eightieth injury this week, however, Ian and I decided we missed the nickname boat and both agreed that something like "Bruiser" would more aptly describe the attitude and condition of our little man.

Our boy has become "thud" personified.

Hey...that's not a bad nickname either.

First Grade

Today is a big day. On a scale of 1 to 10 for "bigness", today is a 10. At least for this girl:

She was so excited to start "all day school" and has been counting down the days for quite awhile. (Her mom has been anxious as well since Lindy's anticipation for greener grass has caused a never-ending stream of complaints about home-life.) She happily posed for pictures (practically a first for her) and couldn't stop beaming the whole day.

Ellie has been caught up in all the back-to-school hubbub right along with her big sis. Her school, however, doesn't start until Sept. 8th. This unfortunate setback didn't prevent her from posing for her share of photos as well (she kept asking me to take more).

What cute girls we have! I'm so glad that they are enthusiastic about this time of year. It's so much fun to watch them enjoy life and revel in all their new experiences. Both girls have told me that they "LOVE" their new teachers. The great thing is that they will have no problem expressing that love on a daily basis...what lucky teachers.

Good luck, Lindy. Have fun and remember that WE LOVE YOU and are so proud of you!

One Last Day

I'm not a huge fan of crowds (especially crowds of children). Nor am I fond of the heat and sun. So when Marci asked us to join her and her kids for an afternoon of romping around at a local splash park I initially said, "I don't think so." She attempted another approach by telling me how much my kids would love it...and I buckled. And I'm glad I did. Because my three hooligans certainly had F.U.N.

Curtis wasn't so sure.

Big sister tried to help.

But this is the closest he got.

As for Ellie...I really don't know.

Now wasn't that a great way to spend our last real summer day before school starts? Yes, yes it was.

Please Help - (With Explanation)

Due to my habit of over-preparing for everything in my life I have an abundance of these:

And I don't like them. Anyone interested?

Post-Edit:

For those of you not understanding the connection between over-preparedness and my plethora of candy...I made a cake for our Cub Scout cake auction Saturday and needed orange and red "fruit slices". So I bought them. A lot of them. And didn't use them all. Thus the excess. Does that clear it up? :)

I Have a Problem

It seems I have a problem. I know, it's not uncommon...everyone has trials in their life. We all have our own personal battles to fight. I've had my share and will, I'm sure, continue to face adversity throughout each phase of my life. Right now, however, my trial has a face. This face, to be more specific:

How is this a trial?, you may ask. Well, it turns out that this little face has some sort of mind-bending power that makes me do all sorts of un-Amy type things like...

feeding it Rice Krispie treats and Oreos for dinner.

and casually watching as once-clean hands turn into this:

Shocking, I know. But what's a mom to do? I'm defenseless against the cuteness.

Chloe

Today I was able to take some pictures of little 2.9-week old Chloe. This little girl was seriously ADORABLE! She was wide awake for the entire shoot...and promptly fell asleep as soon as I put the camera away. It was my first shoot with a non-sleeping newborn. They are not as easy when they are awake!

Here's one of my favorites from the day. Teri will post some more when I can get them to her.

Thanks for the practice, Teri. She's just BEAUTIFUL!

Primary

I was recently called as a counselor in the Primary. It's been a transition from sitting on a chair for a couple hours (listening avidly to any and all instruction) to running around like a chicken with its' head cut off. Literally. There are three advantages to this particular calling:

1. I've never had a two-hour block of church pass by so quickly in my life.

2. I can now say that I workout at least once a week--I sweat so much each Sunday that I'm just sure it counts.

3. I have at least one hilarious story to share each and every week.

Which brings me to the point of my post: One of the boys in the primary was called to give the scripture. He was assigned the week before and I assumed (erroneously) that he has prepared a tidbit of wisdom to share. He marches up to the podium, scriptures in hand, and proceeds to flip randomly through the pages. He stops, suddenly, and gives this little gem:

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." James 1:14

I almost choked on my own spit. At least I can be assured that there is little chance any of the 7-11 year-olds actually paid attention.

The Running Man

And no, I'm not referring to the out-dated, yet awesome, dance move I still can't do. I'm talking about my husband and his first ever half-marathon. Wahoo!

He woke up "bright" and early at 4:00am this morning and met his two little sisters on the way to the top of the course. They waited almost 2 hours for the race "organizers" (I use the term loosely) to start the race. At 7:00am, about 1 hour later than scheduled, the race was on. Ian went into it hoping to complete the 13.1 miles in less than 2 hours. He met his goal by finishing at 1hr 54min. That's about 8.5 minutes per mile...awesome!

Way to go, Ian. We are SO proud of you. And I'm so glad I made it in time to see you cross that finish line. You rock! We also need to give a shout out to Becca and Tizzy who finished the race only minutes after their older brother. You girls did great. Anytime you three want to run a race, let me know...I'll be there at the finish line with a camera and my diet coke. :)

(And yes, he really does look this nonchalant right after finishing a 1/2 marathon. Something in the Jones blood, I guess. Members of my family would all be red-faced and panting...regardless of the shape we might be in. We don't run. I leave that up to Ian.)

Appropriate Dress

She is convinced we should be satisfied that she wears her helmet...even if her choice of clothing leaves room for all sorts of scrapes, gashes, and bruises. Fingers crossed.

Blessed

My kids have been so lucky this year. We have been able to spend an unprecedented amount of time with cousins. From both sides of the family. And they absolutely LOVE it.

(February with the Arizona cousins)

(July with the Montana cousins)

(July and August with the Washington cousins)

This weekend we are gearing up to spend some time with the remaining cousins...from Utah and Idaho. What a treat!

But, we've discovered a drawback to all of this family bonding time. Eventually cousins have to go back home. This is where things get sticky for the Jones family. In particular, for our tender-hearted 6 year-old. After our Washington cousins drove away this morning Lindy spent quite a bit of time weeping (literally) and drawing this picture of them driving away in their little red car.

For several minutes she sat, staring longingly at her drawing, as the tears fell freely down her cheeks. (Since this little drama has been acted out following each and every visit, we are fully expecting additional showings this weekend prompted by another departure.)

In spite of the emotional setbacks, however, we do feel incredibly grateful to have a family willing to gather our little ones together as often as possible. We are truly blessed.

Time Out

Look how pitiful he looks...I nearly had to get him out. Good thing his time out is only a minute.

Motivation

I never used to have trouble staying on top of housework. Having been raised by a father slightly OCD in nature I've always found cleaning to be enjoyable...even therapeutic. Then I went and had children. And, wouldn't you know it, the hours of the day are somehow consumed by three little rugrats and I find less and less of it left over for my ever-so-missed hobby of cleaning.

To compensate I've contrived a Housekeeping Priority List (all in my head...not on paper). The kitchen is number one, particularly the counters. The family room and living room are neck-in-neck for second place. After that the rest of the rooms in my house all garner attention based on a) their likelihood to be seen by a person outside of my family and b) need. I'll be honest...the List, with it's variables of "a" and "b" have led more than one room in my house to be severely neglected at times. Here's where it gets interesting: if any one room has been slighted for too long I find I am often provided with compelling motivation in the form of a child.

Case In Point: If the hallway bathroom has been left too long to it's own devices and is in need of a good scrubbing I will be faced with either:

1. A toddler picking "something" out of an un-flushed toilet and smearing it on the walls and floor

or

2. A three year-old standing on a stool in the middle of the bathroom floor watching (quietly) as water gushes out of said un-flushed toilet.

Both of which have happened in the last 10 days. True story. Now, these little "reminders" to scrub and disinfect one little room in my house may have caused less-than-kind words to be hurled at my sweet little ones...but, I certainly have one spotlessly clean bathroom. All in spite of my incomplete housekeeping list. The glass is half full, people. Half. Full.

Ellie Likes Corn

Can you tell?

(The pictures are blurry...but you get the idea.)