Happenings, Cuteness, and Emily VS. The Orange Cleaner

Right now I'm really not in the mood to start a new week, especially since tomorrow morning I need to decorate the lunch room door for teacher appreciation week. I was trying to think of ideas the other day, and so far I came up with these ideas:
great plate

hooray tray

Thanks a latte (saw this online and really wonder what would happen if I did it)

So, yes, I should stay up and that will make it so I don't ever have to actually do the door.

Bluuurrrr . . . that's this week. Last Sunday seems like a long time ago, because Gary is a totally different person now. I mean, in the health realm. He was a sick cookie on Monday when I took him for his packing removal appointment. I'd bring up topics and he couldn't even talk about them. He gradually felt better, and on Thursday returned to work. On Friday at his follow-up appointment the doctor found that some of the scar tissue was healing together, so he's not done yet. Poor guy. However, he has a great attitude as ever, and today told his brother in law that it's an "easy recovery." Compared to worse things, I guess.

After we got out of the doctor's office on Monday we passed by Pirate O's - a specialty store we discovered right after the session. Gary has a bunch of sodas he's been wanting to try, and since Gary was a sad surgery boy, mommy said yes. I'd like to see what Sarah would buy in that store, tons of German imports. I knew I was pushing things, but I had to get some stuff at Sam's Club . . .by the time we left, I was the only one awake in the car, and I was struggling myself. I was driving, though, so boo. Who knew the surgery would wipe us all out? We were blessed with a surprise dinner, so ya-hoo, we got through.

I just told Andrew he was cute, and he said, "I am not cute, because I am not a baby. Shut your eyes off." Yeah, somebody's sensitive about the baby thing. The other day Andrew told me I was never a baby, so he called my mom to ask. She said I was, so maybe he's wrong?

Two things I said this week I never imagined I would need to:

"Everybody put away the smacker-bdackers right now!"

"Where is that bag of poop? I put it down right there, and now it's missing!"

I was worn-out enough this week to do something I never do -read a book! Mom left Vienna Prelude behind (one of her two copies), and since it's been so long it was almost like a new book. A really good one, too. When it was over I had to read the next one, so I broke down and got a Tooele City Library card (I had to pay), and took my kids to story time. How sad is that, my kids finally get to story time because mom has a book she wants . . . well, the story time there used to not be any good, but this time it was, so we'll go more often. You should have seen the delighted look on Andrew's face the entire time. 

Went on a field trip to the pet store on Thursday, and darn-it, I forgot my camera! It was a super cool trip, because the guy in charge took all of the animals out of their cages and let the kids touch them. Noah and Andrew were right in the front the whole time, their eyes locked on the animals, following their every move. Their favorite was the tortoise, it was big and let them stroke its head. Lissy was into it, too, and squealed a lot, but preferred her own tour that included rearranging bottles of stuff.

Noah got his cavities filled and Josh got sealants on Thursday. Noah was amazing, and only a little goofy from the laughing gas. It amused me and I wish I could have prompted more funny things to come from him, but there was stuff in his mouth . . . the saddest/oddest thing was when Josh and Noah were done, Andrew got up to take his turn. Which he didn't need to do. When I told him so, he started bawling. They say that doesn't happen every day at the dentist. He got a great-brother prize anyway.

On Friday morning I woke up to some clanking down stairs. Josh was the only one awake, and after I hugged him, we started going downstairs. He said, "I already got something ready for breakfast." He had his kids' cook book out, open to a blueberry pancake recipe, and all of the ingredients were lined up on the counter next to it. Except the blueberries, he didn't want those to melt.

Josh had a baseball game this week that was actually warm, so that was fun, and Noah really got into the groove at soccer - 4 or 5 goals. Andrew was relieved when I let him put on regular clothes and play at the playground instead. That kid plays and plays at the playground like no kid I've ever seen. He goes for hours with no break. Lissy wanted to play on the soccer field again, but was finally contented with holding up the camera in the air and saying, "Cheese, cheese!"

There are a ton of things going on with Gary's family now. Jessica got her associates degree on Friday (yes, she's also graduating from high school this year), and we all went to Dallin and Martha's to celebrate with yummy desserts. So good to see everybody. Deanne brought her family history Charlene did, and it's awesome! Brent is serving his mini-mission in Grantsville right now, so we were elected to bring him rice pudding from his mother. Martha was so adorable. Completely giddy to hear any and all news from her missionary. 

Today was Penelope's (Allison's baby) blessing, so we went to their church for that. The blessing was lovely, the food was great, the rice was divine, the company was fun, and then we cleaned up. We had the luncheon in the church, so when I wanted to mop, I headed to the custodial closet. I filled up the mop bucket with warm water, and then decided to put a squirt of orange cleaner in for good measure. There was a gallon of concentrated orange cleaner in some type of dispenser, so I went up to it and pushed the button in the middle to dispense . . . and the entire gallon ejected, splashing orange cleaner all over me and the room. I was covered - arms, neck, clothes, legs, hair . . . absolutely soaked. I felt like the world's biggest idiot, but commenced trying to mop anyway. I couldn't see well, though, because my glasses were covered in orange concentrate, so I thought I'd wash them off. That's when I saw my skin - everywhere the cleaner was, my skin had turned white, and you could see a perfect splash pattern. Also, it was pretty itchy. So, I had to be the fool that ran off to the bathroom while others cleaned up behind me. I'd thought to bring Andrew extra clothes, which he didn't need, but none for me. I thought of wearing a garbage bag out (the stuff was stinging my skin, so I had to take off my sweater and skirt), and also of trying to locate a baptism jumpsuit, since I was washing up next to the font. That was the most awesome option, but I ended up wearing a long skirt of Sara's pulled up to my armpits, and a checked blanket of hers around my shoulders like a shawl. Gary called the look "Ellis Island." Besides feeling like a goon for the spill, and pretty well-dressed when a senior missionary man walked by me, it was good for plenty of laughs. Then we got home and ate soup and Noah invented something he calls "chimole," and now it's time for bed.

Gary brought home his computer, so here are some pictures from this last week, hoo-rah!

Lissy likes to get the boys' underwear out of the (clean) laundry and put one on each leg. It makes her a big girl.

Noah invented this lovely method for swinging, so Josh took a picture.

Andrew gave it a shot, too.

This is one of Josh's arcade games I mentioned last week. It's a soccer game - you shoot that foil ball  into the box in back, trying to avoid the guards. On the bottom the slots are labeled "coins" and "tickets."

It's some soccer action from Noah!

Lissy wanted to do this the entire game, and finally got her shot when it was over. ("This" as in walk on the field with a ball.)

Lissy likes to put on hats - here she is in Josh's baseball hat.

My apparel after the post-blessing incident (see Gary's commentary on the outfit in last paragraph above).  As I went to go get the mop, I saw Gary holding Penelope and Lissy looking on. It was adorable, and I wanted a picure, but I thought I'd grab the mop first. Yeah, never got the picture, and instead got this one. Poor trade. My air is also soaked in the orange stuff, so fashionable.

On Sunday night the kids were playing fire fighter outside, and Andrew was the worker who fixed things. The best was when Josh said, "Andrew, come fix this house, it has all of the toys for my children!" Andrew wanted to pose in this way for the photo.

It cracks me up that Andrew wanted to pose this way every time. He is tooo cute.

The moral is, Lissy looks cute in hats.

The kids also put on a puppet show Sunday night. What a great day! Josh was the narrator and the other kids did the noises. It actually had a plot this time, so it was not only adorable but watchable.