The Week of Funny

There were some funny things that happened since my last post. I needed the reminder that my life really is enjoyable. Even though it's stressful, there are plenty of things to laugh about and get joy from. I'm trying to learn to be happy and satisfied and I think my family is what will help me get there.

Rophone celebrated his birthday a few days after Halloween and a couple of the kids woke up with longer feet that very morning. So, as seems typical, we went and spent Rophone's birthday money on something that was needed. We knew the boys were close to the end of their shoes when we checked a few weeks before, so it wasn't much of a surprise. We don't want anyone to have pinched toes, so Rophone was happy to do it.

It was really nice to get out as a family anyway. While we were at the mall, Ginger found a Christmas ornament she decided was worth spending some of her own money on. It's a super cute owl. With the boys getting new shoes and Ginger getting the ornament Edith was feeling left out, so I found a pair of underwear on sale. Lame consolation purchase, you're thinking?  She fell in love with them immediately, snatching them out of my hand and insisting that we needed to purchase them. For her!

I had to laugh on the way home in the car when Edith hugged and kissed the underwear (of course she had to hold them while we drove!) and then had the banjo playing bear on her undies start up a conversation with Ginger's owl ornament. Ginger was such a good sister to play along. A little funny, see, but totally normal around here.

Since we were gallivanting about on Rophone's birthday, we made sure to have his special birthday dinner the next day. It's been too long since we've had salmon, I think. It was delicious. So delicious that I ate off of a salad plate so I wouldn't fill up a big plate and make myself sick. Thanks for choosing salmon, Rophone!

I finally got emoticons on my phone. I was looking for an excuse to try them out, so I texted Rophone about my bad Scrabble letters. I like Rophone's emoticon better than mine. 

It gave me such a good laugh that I really needed. I'm so glad Rophone's mine.

I love how much Edith enjoys coloring. She's a girl after my own heart. She can color for hours and is getting really good as a result. Good coloring, Edith!

This next thing made me laugh and laugh. Big and I were out working in the yard together while Edith rode her tricycle up and down the driveway hill (our garage is under the house). Big looked over at the driveway and exclaimed, "Hey! Edith is doing mountain climbers!" Her form stinks but, oddly enough, he was right.

I guess Edith didn't think that cycling up and down the driveway was a good enough workout. She had parked her tricycle in the garage, ran to the top of the driveway where she was doing a few mountain climbers, and then ran back down to the bottom again. Over and over. Big watched her for a minute and said, "That looks like fun!" and then joined her.

Are they insane?? Don't they know that what they were doing is actually considered workout torture? My trainer would be so proud. I just stood there for a moment, laughing, and then got back to work, with their heavy breathing as background music and a smile on my face.

Poor Edith ended up getting sick with croup. I'm so darn glad our pediatrician is part of a group that has an after hours clinic. When Edith woke up at 9:30 barking like a seal I booked it down there to get her medicated. It helped make the night much better than it otherwise would have been. She's been pretty darn miserable and has made sure that I know it. I was so grateful for the few happy moments brought by some of the apples I dried. It was worth all of the work just for those few minutes of happiness.

Since Edith felt so crummy, Saturday kind of became a hang-out-in-our-pajamas-being-creative kind of day. 

I helped Bud make this awesome Plump and Perky Thanksgiving Turkey in the morning (the 3rd graders were given the assignment to help decorate the school library):

And then the afternoon was spent coloring (Ginger, Big, and Edith), creating a "fake newspaper" (Bud), and writing a novel (Pen). I have to say, it made me extremely happy. I love to see my kids being creative.

Something funny (or fun!) happens every day around here. I just need to focus more on those things and less on the things that make me want to scream and pull my hair out. The good news is that if my family drives me crazy I'm taking them along with me, and we'll have fun along the way. Wish me luck!