After the rain

I guess it rained over night last night because when I got up at 6AM, it was still a little drizzly and the ground was wet. By 10AM, it was nice enough to play outside. It gets so hot here in the summer. Especially in August (or this close to August). It was a nice relief to have the cold 90 degree air! LOL!!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Foreclosure

Now, come on! People give you a house that you don't have to pay a mortgage on, and you take out a mortgage on it!!! Now, you are in foreclosure... Ridiculous!! If anyone out there wants to give me a free home, I promise not to take out a mortgage- I promise to live rent & house note free!! The least they could have done is given that money to charity! Do you know how many houses could have been built with that money in Zambia, Colombia, (etc.)... You could even build some schools! Not only did that take out a $450,000 mortgage, but they were, also, given $250,000 in donations. Am I the only one who is appalled? Here the story:

More than 1,800 people showed up to help ABC's "Extreme Makeover" team demolish a family's decrepit home and replace it with a sparkling, four-bedroom mini-mansion in 2005.
Three years later, the reality TV show's most ambitious project at the time has become the latest victim of the foreclosure crisis.
After the Harper family used the two-story home as collateral for a $450,000 loan, it's set to go to auction on the steps of the Clayton County Courthouse Aug. 5. The couple did not return phone calls Monday, but told WSB-TV they received the loan for a construction business that failed.

The house was built in January 2005, after Atlanta-based Beazer Homes USA and ABC's "Extreme Makeover" demolished their old home and its faulty septic system. Within six days, construction crews and hoards of volunteers had completed work on the largest home that the television program had yet built.
The finished product was a four-bedroom house with decorative rock walls and a three-car garage that towered over ranch and split-level homes in their Clayton County neighborhood. The home's door opened into a lobby that featured four fireplaces, a solarium, a music room and a plush new office.
Materials and labor were donated for the home, which would have cost about $450,000 to build. Beazer Homes' employees and company partners also raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple's three children and a home maintenance fund.
ABC said in a statement that it advises each family to consult a financial planner after they get their new home. "Ultimately, financial matters are personal, and we work to respect the privacy of the families," the network said.
Some of the volunteers who helped build the home were less than thrilled about the family's financial decisions.
"It's aggravating. It just makes you mad. You do that much work, and they just squander it," Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt, who helped vault a massive beam into place in the Harper's living room, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

"Can I rescue her now?"

We caught up with Grandma Leslie at McDonald's today. Surprisingly, Morgan was able to get to the top of the play tubes (whatever they are called). She was having fun for awhile. She laughed and waved at us through the glass... Then, when she decided that she wanted to get down, and she couldn't figure out how, and Jaden was nowhere for her to see... She started to cry! Jaden turned to grandma and me, and said, "Can I rescue her now?" Then, she proceeded to bring Morgan down safe and sound.

Daddy puts on a "scarf & a jacket"

After being laid off last year from the mortgage industry, LeCount and I both had a hard time finding work in the same field that we had been working in (because the market was so bad). You may remember that we had both been looking for work for awhile before I started watching kids in my home, and LeCount started working at Blockbuster. He works for a temp agency inside Blockbuster, and it has been a horrible experience for him. Yes, we can thank God he has a job because I don't know how we would make ends meet if he didn't bring in any income... With that being said, he is ready to move on to a different job (one reason being no guarenteed income and no benefits). He went for an interview on Friday.

So, after he got dressed and was ready to head out the door, the girls were just staring at him. Later Jaden would tell me that "daddy had to put on his scarf (tie) and his jacket because it was raining outside". She cracks me up!

Paint your wagon!

Grandma Leslie brought the girls a fun file folder game on Thursday called "paint your wagon". It is a color matching game. Morgan is not sure how to match up the colors, but Jaden doesn't mind showing her how ;) Grandma said that she brought the game so that they could celebrate Pioneer Day which is on July 24th (for those of you who are not from Utah, or are not Mormons, here is the info on that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Day_(Utah) I know that there are some groups of people (The groups that I have heard about are young people) that follow the trail that the pioneers took- they pull handcarts and everything... for miles!!! I'm sure it makes you appreciate what you have, after you have been on a trek like that- But, I think I am appreciative without having to go out in that heat and pull a cart (no offense meant for anyone else who plans to do it).

Expectant parents every where can be heard to say...

I just want my baby to have 10 fingers and 10 toes (when asked if they want a boy or a girl). I don't know how this answer came about or why some many people went on to say it... I have heard it so many times.
On August 5, 2004, as I lay on the operating table waiting to see my new baby, I heard a lot of commotion from the nurses as they were cleaning baby Jaden up. I didn't know what was wrong, and I was getting scared. Several minutes passed (it seemed like days) before they brought her over to me to see. I asked what everyone was talking about, and they said, "Oh, it's not a big deal. She just has 12 fingers." Huh? Run that by me again? Ok, I had never heard of it... The commotion was because they were asking LeCount if either of us had that in our genes. He never thought of it I guess until that moment... His father and uncle were both born with 12 fingers. So, now my girls have it in their genes, too. Morgan had the regular 10 (and that time I was prepared to see 12).
Grandma Leslie came by today, and she never got to see the extra fingers, so I am posting these pictures for her. At about 2 or 3 days old, the doctor took a surgical string and tied off the skin close to the baby finger. After 2 weeks, the fingers were ready to come off, and just needed a little snip. They weren't functioning fingers, and could have led to problems later with the fingers getting caught in things, etc. Her grandpa Bonnie and Uncle Ray had theirs removed as babies, also. Now, it just looks like she has a wart on each of her pinky fingers.

"Anything can happen"

Jaden and Morgan this time LAST year. They seemed so big at the time. Now, they look so small compared to how they look today.
“Listen to the Musn't's child,

Listen to the Don't's.

Listen to the Shouldn't's, the Impossibles, the Won't's.

Listen to the Never Haves, then

Listen close to me.

ANYthing can happen, child,
ANYthing can Be.”
—Shel Silverstein (1930-1999), poet, songwriter, musician

Now that is ridiculous!!

For anyone who missed the Chinese fire drill post, you can look back at it here: http://ilovemykids08.blogspot.com/2008/07/early-morning-chinese-fire-drill.html Yesterday, we played Chinese fire drill again. Today, I was debating at whether to drop LeCount off at work so that I could have the car, or just be without a car for the day. Technically, I can only go some where in the car before 6:15 AM and after 5:30 PM because I can't fit all of these kids into the car. LeCount said that I could drop him off at work without having to worry about having to go right back and pick him up 30 minutes later. They told him that all of the people that got sent home yesterday would be able to stay and work on Tuesday. I dropped him off, and then, got back home. I put Morgan back to sleep, and Jaden had some crackers before laying down. Right when we were all going to sleep, LeCount called. Time to pick him back up!!! No work for two days in a row (and his work week is only 3 days anyway). I don't know what to say about this place that he works. Whatever I say, it won't be nice, so I will just keep my trap shut. He is going for an interview on Friday with another company, so hopefully, that will work out. I feel so drained!!

Always a big event for us!

I love these customer service driven stores! Has anyone been to Market Street? They have some pretty great items. One thing in particular that always gets me going back is the batteries for digital cameras- $3.99. I, also, love their chocolate cake (even LeCount eats it, and he doesn't go for sweets). We don't really shop there that often (once a month or less) because it is far from us. However, on Saturday, we needed to get out of the house. Nathan wasn't sleeping, as usual, so I was hopig the car ride would be the trick. They alway think we are going on a big adventure, even when we go shopping. I picked up the batteries that we needed, and then, we headed out. Market Street is like rookshire's in that they don't want you to take out your own groceries. They don't even have a place to put shopping carts outside. So, we get an escort to our car, which makes wrestling 3 kids a lot easier :0)

Morgan's Hair

This is the way Morgan's hair naturally looks (above)
This is Morgan's hair after it has been sprayed, conditioned and combed out


Well, these are Morgan's hair photos. After her hair dries, it pretty much goes back to looking the way it did on the first photo. The only way to get it to stay down is to pin it down ith clips or put in a pony tail. She has the most unique hair I have ever seen! I love it!!

Would you like a sandwich to go with that music?

Yuck! Morgan, Thanks for sharing your peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the sound system! I am sure it appreciates it much more than your mommy did!

Jaden's hair

I can't really talk about one of my girls without talking about the other, so I will have a post about Morgan's hair really soon...
I just love Jaden's hair like this! If you have a child with hair like Jaden's (medium-sized curls), this is how I get her hair like this: After I shampoo it, I put conditioner in it and let it sit for 2 minutes. I have her rinse that conditioner out, and then, I put in a nicer brand conditioner (like Ouidad, or for this day I used Bath and Body Works Mentha Conditioner). When the nicer conditioner is n, I let it sit for 10 minutes. Then, I have her rins it out just a little (to get it wetter), and add a dab more conditioner. I take a wide-toothed comb, and comb her hair through (hardly any tangles when it is done this way!!). After combing it through, she rinses her hair lightly, so that some of the conditioner stays in. When she gets out of the bath, I just pat her hair a little to get the excess water out... And viola!3
I know you can't wait to hear about how I do Morgan's "Einstein" hair!

So sleepy...

Nathan has not been himself the past couple of days. He has been going without naps, or he will take a 10 minute nap and wake up screaming. Today was the same. I had him sitting in the chair that I feed him in, and I was feeding him some peas. I heard Morgan wake up from her nap, so I went to get her out of her crib- When I came back to Nathan, this is how he was!! Don't let him fool you- he slept for a total of 30 minutes today- Including the 10 minute nap he got on the couch. When I picked him up from the couch and laid him down in his crib, he woke back up screaming... But, I couldn't leave him on the couch- Not with the other 3 kids running around that I have to take care of- So, what was I supposed to do?
Advise from parenting experts needed- He sleeps with his mom in her bed when he is at home, and so, he doesn't care to sleep in his crib when he is here. I have thought about letting him sleep where he is comfortable, but it can't be somewhere dangerous like the bed because he is definitely mobile... So, the floor? And then, when he wakes up, how will I know he is still safe and not getting into things? He REALLY needs some sleep, and I need a break, too.

I have to take a break REALLY soon!!

***Nathan's first photo shoot- he can sit up, crawl, and has two teeth***

I am so worn out!! I think I could sleep for a week straight and still not feel rested. It is hard when I watch the kids continuously, instead of having 2 days off. Last week, I worked from Monday through Saturday, but on Saturday, it didn't end until 6PM. My only day off was Sunday, and then, I had to get other stuff done that I couldn't get done while all of the kids were here. Plus, the mystery shopping, and Amazon & Ebay sales... Today was particularly bad because I thought grandma Leslie was coming (the last time she came to our house was over a month ago). She had at first said Wednesday and Thursday she would come out. Then, she said that she couldn't do Wednesday because she had to take someone to the doctor... Then, I got an e-mail saying that she would be here on Wednesday. Wednesday (this morning), I found out she would not be coming. She told Jaden that she would come on Thursday instead. So, I called her last night to make sure she was coming, and she's not. I say all of that because I think that is the only way that I was able to keep my sanity. I knew that she would come every now and then, and I would have ADULT contact. Plus, the kids love to hang out with her, which frees up my lap. It gets tiring when I am in the house changing 25 diapers, putting kids in time out, feeding them breakfast, lunch and dinner plus 3 snacks, and having them not all take a nap at the same time (so not even a 5 minute break for me- no lunch hour or rest period). I wish so much that I could just stay home with my two kids- Without having to watch other kids for so little money. Nathan is 7 months old, and today he took 2 naps for a combined total of less than 30 minutes!! I just want to sleep for a long time...

The food is always tastier on someone else's plate

We did an eating "shop" the other day (El Chico)- That means our entire meal is reimbursed by the mystery shopping company up to $40. When we go out to eat, we never get the girls their own food because they just don't eat that much. We just give them some of what we order. I shared my plate with Jaden, and LeCount shared his with Morgan. We both divided up our plates, and put the food onto smaller plates for the girls. However, it didn't matter that Morgan already had food on her plate, she kept sticking her spoon in LeCount's plate, and pouring the food onto her plate. She didn't do much eating, but she was fascinated with moving the food from one plate to the other.

Early morning Chinese Fire Drill

Since we now only have one car, we have had to make some adjustments. LeCount works Monday through Wednesday, and I watch kids Monday through Saturday. Well, we don't get out of the house much anymore because I can't fit all of the kids in the one car. On Mondays, I have either had just 1 child, plus my two- Or I may even just have my two. So, Mondays is the day to get out of the house and do something. Like last week, this morning we got up at 4:30 AM, and all pild into the car. We drove LeCount to work a few miles away, and then, came back home. We got home a little after 5:30AM, and I tried to get the girls to go back to sleep... 30 minutes later, they still weren't asleep. The phone rang at 6 AM... It was LeCount telling me that they are sending him home because there is not enough work (and he doesn't get paid for the day at all). So, back in the car we go- drive a few miles to pick up LeCount, and then, head back home. We were back home by 7AM, and I was EXHAUSTED!! That is not a fun Chinese fire drill!!!!
For those of you who don't know the phrase "Chinese fire drill", I have inserted the definition here:

Chinese fire drill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Chinese fire drill is a pejorative expression usually referring to a prank, or perhaps an expression of high spirits, that was popular in the United States during the 1960s.[1][2] It is performed when a car is stopped at a red traffic light, at which point all of the car's occupants get out, run around the car, and return to their own seats. Chinese fire drills are sometimes executed when one needs to get something from the trunk of a car. Occasionally, if one of the participants is late to get inside the car, the others might drive off without him/her. People have reported this phenomenon as early as the 1940s, so it is possible that the phrase was current at the time, but simply was not recorded.
Thus the expression "Chinese Fire Drill" is the act of a group of individuals accomplishing nothing.
The term is also used as a figure of speech to mean any large, ineffective, and chaotic exercise.

Movie Night with my girls

At 6PM, all of the kids had left except mine, of course- We had an extra 5 kids with us today. When they left, I knew that the girls and I needed to do something after being stuck in the house with so many kids all week. However, all of the things that we thought of to do were closed by that time. So, we did something we never do- The girls didn't even know what a video rental place was, but we walked into our local store and picked up Disney's Pocahontas. Then, I popped some popcorn, and we sat and watched a movie together. Tomorrow, we will get out of the house, for sure!

It's really not MY fault!

I don't know why he gravitates to girly things, but he just does. Even with Jaden telling him that dresses are for girls, he still wants to wear them. He wears headbands, necklaces, princess shoes, and bracelets, too. He is still wearing this dress. He has been wearing it for two hours now.