Balloon Melt Down!

This is the picture we had for about an hour and a half the other night. We went up to Heritage Days on the square this past weekend. The kids got balloons. I never thought that balloons would be that emotionally frustrating for the kids. We tied them to their wrists or clothes. They didn't understand that they wouldn't float away if they were attached to them. So, they cried continually in fear of losing their balloons. Seriously, this is all they did until bed time. They were convinced that the balloons would float away if they let them go. Even when we showed them that they wouldn't go away if they let go, they still freaked out. So, Peyton and Ethan had to have their balloons tied to the outside of their beds so they could see them until they fell asleep. Thank the Lord, the next morning the helium was gone and they were all on the ground. Funny, the things we understand that we just assume they understand.

We have been taking Jenna to a feeding clinic in Evansville for a few weeks now. A Psychologist and feeding specialist sits with us and they feed her. They do mouth exercises and are teaching her to eat. I am amazed at the progress we have made. I really haven't done much with her in between visits. Her eating hasn't gotten any better, until today. We went to our appointment yesterday. Today for lunch we had salisbury steak, garden corn, cheesy hash brown casserole, carrots, applesauce, and rolls. The meal started a little rough. She is really bad about spitting out what she doesn't want. But, after a few minutes of being taken away from the table, she decided she would eat. That little girl ate every bite off her plate.

This may seem silly and small to most people, but this is something Jenna hasn't ever done. She ate an entire plate of food that she didn't really want. By that I mean, it wasn't sweets, candy or junk food. I was so proud of her! She was excited too. It takes her about 40 minutes of constant attention and me feeding her, but she did it! The feeding clinic is doing something that is making a difference. It is a lot of work, and I hope I have the stamina and patience to keep doing it. For now, keep praying for our little Jenna.

Hero of the Day!

This morning I let Gray (our gray kitten) in the house. KeeKee (our little tort) wasn't around. That was a little odd, but I didn't think much of it until about 9:30 when she still hadn't shown up. I was sticking my head out of the house and calling for her when I thought I heard her crying. Here is where I found her.

I called the Fire Dept. and they came to take a look. Unfortunately, since she was up in a power line they couldn't help. But they did turn on their lights and talk to the kids a little. The kids love firetrucks. So, thanks to the firemen who came to try to help. So, I put some food at the bottom of the pole in hopes that she could successfully climb down. I could have left her up there longer, but I saw no reason if Duke Energy was willing to come and get her down. So, I called them up and within an hour our hero for the day showed up to get her down. Thank you so much for saving KeeKee!

When Mommy's Kiss Just Isn't Enough...

Elmo bandages do the trick. We are constantly scraping our knees and stubbing our toes. Landon practically cut the tip of his off the other day. It is so funny. They come up to me and say, "Boo Boo, Mommy fix it (whimper, whimper) band aid (sniff, sniff)."

All better mommy!

They always amaze me. Today I got out a banana, which they rarely eat when offered (except for Peytie). Instead of cutting it up I just peeled it and offered them to bite it. The boys took the biggest bites. It was like they were trying to see who could get the biggest bite. I can't believe how big they are getting. Yes, that is a bugar on Landon's nose (Yuck)!

What do you do when you are trying to get five kids teeth brushed and teach them how to drink from an open cup and spit all in one educational moment? You improvise! We use the bathtub to spit in and then we dump our cups out on the floor! Actually, we are working on that last part. At least the bathroom is a water friendly place. The sink is just too small a target with five spitters. "Look momma, I have a tongue!"
"Do these glasses make my face look big?"

Ethan Lane,

To my big loving teddy bear. Just thinking about you makes me laugh. You are our first born. I was so proud of you throughout the entire pregnancy. You were the one who gave me hope every week. You always grew, always moved, and led the pack in every way. Just as we suspected, you were almost an entire pound bigger than everyone else. I should have known that was a sign of things to come. You didn’t share the nourishment before you were born and you don’t share anything now. At 2lbs 9oz, you were almost twice the size of the others. Daddy and I felt most comfortable with you because you weren’t as fragile as the others. You were the first one we got to hold. I remember it was around midnight and we came down from our room to see you. The night shift nurse offered to let us secretly hold you. You were four days old and we finally held your tiny body.

You grew like crazy and hit all your goals in the NICU. When it came to eating your bottle you went crazy for it. You LOVED to eat! You still do too. The problem was, you got too excited and forgot to breathe while you were drinking your bottle. That would cause your stats to drop and you would turn gray and go limp. We would have to rub you and wiggle you around to bring you back. You were on target to come home first. Everyone knew you would lead the way. Except, you just couldn’t figure out how to eat and breath at the same time. Silly boy, Peytie passed you up and beat you by a week coming home.

Once you were home you were a complete joy. You were the best behaved and easiest to feed. You were a much needed break for the stressful feedings. You have been the first to walk, and talk and pretty much mastered everything physical. Now you are about 7 lbs bigger than everyone else and live for your next meal.

I remember when you were little and pretty good at crawling. You would crawl up to us and we would put our head down to you. You would laugh and then crawl backwards as fast as you could go. You would back up until you ran into something. It was so cute to see you do it. You also noticed how daddy laid on the floor. We have pictures of you lying on your side with your arm down in the exact position as daddy. How sweet was that!

You love to be held and snuggled and have latched onto a yellow fleece blanket. Thankfully we have two of them so you don’t notice when one is getting washed. You are the only one who sucks his thumb too. Yeah, you picked that habit up pretty early. You only do it when you have your blanket with you.

You have been considered the “easy” baby of the bunch. You haven’t struggled with anything so far. I pray that you keep your sweet demeanor about you. There isn’t a mean bone in your body; maybe an instigating part, but not a mean one. I love you more than life and hope you never feel unsafe. I know you don’t like crowds or strangers, but we will never let anything happen to you. I can’t wait to see what your dreams will be. You are so funny and easy going. You are definitely a follower and I pray you always love your siblings. Stick up for them and always come to us for anything. Peyton, Landon, Jenna, and Syd look up to you. They feel safe with you and know you will be there for them. I love the way you make me feel loved everyday. You say, “Okay mommy.” when I ask you to do something (usually). I can’t put into words how very special you are. There will never be another Ethan. I love you so much!

Friday Night Football!!

I took Peyton, Syd, and Jenna to the Princeton Tigers football game on Friday. I wasn't sure how they would do, but they had a blast! It was hilarious. They would yell as loud as they could, "Go Tigers!" They met lots of new people and had so much fun.

Momma. what do you think about that last play?

Peytie and Pastor Gary.

We found something Jenna excels at. She will chew a piece of gum all night. I shouldn't be surprised. The girl never eats. She is the queen of chewing and not swallowing. So, this was right up her alley. She was so proud that she got to have gum. Peyton and Syd swallowed theirs pretty quickly. They just didn't get it.

Never Ending

That is how I describe my list of things to do. Today the van had to go to the shop to get the brakes worked on. So, before I dropped the van off and got stranded at home I went by the store and bought some ammonia. Now, whoever came up with the label "Lemon Fresh" must be on something because I wore a surgical mask to keep from permanently damaging my nasal cavity. I'm sure everyone knows how awful that stuff smells. But it works! I'm so glad my mom told me not to mix bleach with it because I probably would have tried that. Wouldn't that be a great headline "Quint Mom Found Dead On Kitchen Floor From Mixing Lethal Cleaning Chemicals!"

No, the picture above is not poop. Shocking isn't it! Seems like everything these days involves poop of some kind. Anyway, I only got the open area of the kitchen done. I used almost the entire bottle. That stuff in the trash can is the stuff that came up from the floor. Now I am sweaty and annoyed. I hate feeling like I didn't get anything accomplished. I know I did, but the truth is, not a single person will notice the slave labor I put in today. So, why did I do it? I guess because I refuse to walk on the floors without shoes on. I know they are disgusting and can't stand it. Maybe because the kids had to walk on them everyday without shoes on and it was embarrassing when their feet would be black from walking on them. Yeah, I know I got a big task partially done, but I also know that now I have to find time to finish it now. It is hard because I can't do it with the kids home. I don't want them to smell that awful stuff. So, I guess my entire free day next week will be devoted to finishing the job. Lucky Me!

Urgent Request!

I know all the supporters of my family pray for us constantly. I have a special request. Please pray for my brother and sister-in-law. They have teenage kids and you all know that brings challenges. There are some very serious things going on with their family and they need urgent and continuous prayer. I love Mel and Shawn to death. The devil is trying to rip their family apart. They are going through a lot and I would really appreciate it if you all would join me in praying for them tonight. Before you lay your head down to go to sleep just ask the Lord to keep his hand on them.

Lord, you know the situations right now, and you are in control. I know they are seeking your guidance and strength in this difficult time. Please give Mel and Shawn a peace about their situation. Let them know that you will be with them throughout this tough time. Lord, they love you and want their kids to know you. They have done their best to raise their kids up to know you, but at some point a kid has to make their own decisions and reap the consequences. Just be a pillar of strength for them right now Lord. Give Mel and Shawn some relief so they can lay their heads down tonight and rest knowing your hand is in this. Your word says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Pr22:6) We are putting all of this in your hands Lord. In Jesus Name,

Amen

Busy, Busy, Busy

That pretty much sums up our lives lately. We have been feeling our time with family and friends. Lots of learning and growing. Their talking has changed immensely. The kids are talking in full sentences and learning their colors and numbers. It is so fun to watch them play together and watch their minds work. One day we got home and got every one's shoes off. We were picking them all up to put them in the closet. We couldn't find Syd's. When we put everyone else's away we found hers. She took them off and carried them to the closed and opened the door and put them in. She does that every time now. She is so smart and figures things like that out all the time. She is mommy's little helper. She has kind of figured out how to fold washcloths. She also loves to carry her babies around and feed them their bottles and give them baths.

We've been cracking down on the kids about telling us "No." We decided to get rid of warnings. If the kids tell us "No" we immediately put them in time-out. It is amazing the change we have seen in them. They have done much better at listening to us. The boys are the kids who are bad about it. Especially Ethan and Landon. Peyton is bad too, but he picked up on the punishment faster than the others.

Rob is back in school. Another semester of 2nd shift and classes. I hate 2nd shift and the stress that comes with going to school at the same time. He is doing it for us though and I support him completely. I am so ready for him to be done. Until then, we are getting by.