If You Give A Mom A Project

Let's write a post that is not on Friday, shall we? It's been a while.

Today and yesterday instead of cleaning all the normal things (like dishes and floors and laundry and children etc. -- you know, the things that make your house LOOK clean) I have had Maternal Attention Deficit Disorder. MADD. :) I start a project, cleaning or otherwise, and get completely distracted while right in the middle. Yesterday it was causing me considerable anxiety. Today, I'm just going to embrace it.

I was doing the dishes, then the phone rang. I got it out of my purse and noticed some stray bobby pins in the pocket. Took the pins to put away in the bathroom and noticed that the cupboard is really messy. Start pulling things out of the cupboard. Open the vanity to put some of the clutter in there, but it's even worse. Pull everything out of the vanity. Find a small, old travel case filled with baby supplies that I don't want. Realize it will make an excellent first aid kit for my purse. Spend the next hour picking through all the junk on the bathroom floor and spilling out into the hallway to make a well stocked first aid kit that barely fits in the pocket of my purse. Decide all the first aid supplies should be in the bathroom cupboard. Organize them. Take random medicines to the hall closet. WOW. the hall closet is bad too! Empty the hall closet, adding to the 823 things strewn across the two areas that my children are not allowed to touch. Put Elsie down for a nap and remember that I needed to email a couple of people before 3 o'clock. Zip to the computer to email . . . AND check blogs . . . AND need to post, it's been a while . . .

. . . 45 minutes later.

I am hearing a noise, just now. Looking out the window, noticing my garbage cans trying to blow down the street. And remembering why I was at the computer to begin with ---- I need to set somethings out on the lawn for someone to pick up --- now! RUN! Hurry Rachel! You're neighbor just ran over your garbage can lid!

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Hmm. After picking up the garbage cans, straightening the lids, and dragging things to the lawn --- Just proofread through my post . . . before going to think about what to make for dinner tonight ---- which will then require me to finish the dishes . . .

I just realized that my life sounds just about like the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie."

Fab Fri

1 - My favorite thing about Friday? That tomorrow is Saturday. Can I just say that I know a lot of moms that love their kids going to school and being out of the house for the day or even a few hours, but I am not one of those moms. (Other then when I run errands.) I do NOT like getting Hazel out the door to school in the mornings. I don't like having to take her and then pick her up. I like her being home. I like my kids being with me. - So I'm glad there is no school and no work tomorrow!

2 - I cleaned all day and finished several cleaning projects that I've been putting off. I love clean windows. I love windows that don't have water spots on them, or frosting, or milk, or snot, or nose prints. -- Okay, so the nose prints are kind of cute. :)

3 - The weather has been beautiful this week. So thankful for one last beautiful week. - Who knows what the coming weeks will bring, but I'm just thankful that we had this glimpse of Fall.

4 - The girls were "arguing" in the van tonight as we were driving around - arguing about where we were going. They finally got to a point where Hazel just said, "Well, you'll see." Lilie: "Well, YOU'LL see!" Then Elsie piped in: "No! I'm E-sie! I'm wight he-ya!" (I'm right here.) Ah, I love my funny kids! They make me happy. Elsie says "dant tyou" (thank you) a lot and she's been telling me all day, "I'm E-sie Mooie Chit." She's the cutest little Elsie Marie Chick.

5 - I love my husband. He loves me. It's happy.

A Fabulous Friday

1 - Nels took part of the day off of work today and we were able to go with some friends of ours for a beautiful Fall drive. We drove up to Mesa Falls, Island Park, and West Yellowstone. (One of these days we are actually going to make it INSIDE Yellowstone. It seems each time we venture up that direction, we get a little closer. :) We had such a wonderful time, building friendships and seeing the beautiful colors and the CRISP Fall air. I'll have to post pictures in the next couple of days --- we actually got some of all of us together!

2 - We just got home 10 minutes ago and the kids are already in bed sleeping. (((sigh))) Oh happy day.

3 - I am finally starting to feel like I am really getting over this nastiness that I have had for a week. Still a little tired and gunky, but definitely on the down slope. I do wish that the nurse had informed me that the flu shot I got yesterday was going to make my arm all but incapacitated for the next 36 hours. And I think that it made me feel more tired today than I would have otherwise, but I'm still happy to feel like I'm almost back up to full capacity.

4 - Yesterday I had to run to my doctor's office to get blood drawn for . . . for the numerous tests that they deem necessary. Since I was just going to be in and out, the girls all came with me. I know it's a weird thing to put on my list of fabulous things from the past week, but it cracked me up to have them there with me. As the nurse was getting things all ready, Hazel and Lilie were standing behind her, against the wall. Then as the nurse "sticks" me and starts collecting blood, I see Lilie slowly inch around her back, watching with open fascination -- and an open mouth. By the end of filling all four vials (good grief, do they really need that much?), both girls are standing right next to the nurse, agape at the amount of blood and asking all sorts of questions (like if they were going to take ALL my blood and what they were going to do with it). I love to see their inquisitive little minds. I (usually) love their funny questions and the way they seem to NEED to know things. I love watching their brains at work.

5 - I love how wonderful my husband is. I love that he loves me and loves being with me. We have so much fun together. He brings peace to my soul and fills me like no one else. He is so good and kind and happy. I'm so glad that I got to spend the day with him.

Halfway

I am halfway through my pregnancy today.

Wow.

I don't know whether that's exciting or scary. :) I think exciting. I love new babies. Especially mine. :) I'm excited to hold another sweet little angel in my arms. My cousin called yesterday to find out if we'd had our ultrasound. When I gave her the news that we are four for four and having another girl (which is still making me smile at the thought) she was so excited and said, "Good, I was hoping you would. Now you will have all your Little Women." I love you so much, Amber. You are so right.

Earlier this year I read the book Little Women. My mother has been gently "encouraging" me to read this book since I was, oh, about TEN. I'd started it probably two or three times, but never got much past the first 5 pages. Apparently I hadn't grown up enough to enjoy it yet. :) Happily, this year I must have reached some kind of maturity milestone because I picked it up and devoured it. It is now certainly among my favorite books. The lessons taught through its timeless story have changed who I am and the way that I view the world. It will forever be a book that I should reread on - at least - a yearly basis. I recommended it immediately to my cousin and she loved it too. (She has three little ladies as well.)

I am excited to be halfway through this pregnancy. It's been a fairly pleasant four and a half months and I'm looking forward to the next four and half. I like feeling my babies moving and I even like (for the most part) looking pregnant. I like getting things ready. I even like the seemingly habitual feeling that we should MOVE whenever I'm pregnant. (which we will not be doing, even though I've been casually browsing around real estate websites. LOL!)

But more than anything, I'm looking forward to being surrounded by my four little women when this second half is finished. I love my babies. I love being a mom.

A Whole Clutch

"Did you know that here, chick is another word for girl??"

Nels was asked this on a regular basis while serving an LDS mission in Ireland. Ha ha.

Well what could be more fitting for a family with the last name of Chick to have a whole nest full of girls? :) I know that at the very least, my high school buddy, Todd, will send kudos up to the Lord for how very clever he thinks He is. :)

We are so excited to be able to welcome another little lady into our family in about 4 1/2 months! Can you believe it?! FOUR GIRLS!!!??? LOL! That is a lot of ladies!

I could say that I'm not excited for another head of hair to do each morning, but you know, I think that would be preferable to a bald child, don't you? ---- Right? I think so . . . . :)

We're all so excited to get to welcome another little personality into our family! I love being a mom!