"Ping, ping, ping...ping."  ("What in the world?!")  As I sat upstairs on the phone trying to talk with a pre-op nurse regarding our son's upcoming surgery, I heard the kids giggling downstairs in between the strange "pinging" sounds.
    I don't know if all kids have some unwritten rule that when you're on the phone, they're supposed to go crazy...but it seems that the more important the call, the wilder they become.  
    On this particular call, the "pings" raised my interest and I knew enough not to ignore them.  I cautiously went to the top of the stairs to look down and saw a gumball flying through the air...then another...and another.  "Ping" one hit a wall, "Ping" another hit the door.  All the while - the kids were laughing their heads off.  As I covered the phone with my hand to go try to yell at them through clenched teeth, I realized that they were running and ducking throughout the house in between throws.  It was as though they were having a paintball war with gumballs.  Ethan would beam one at Preston as Preston dove behind the couch.  Preston would throw one at Lauren and she would scream and run behind a wall.  The floor was covered.  White, blue, orange, yellow gumballs were everywhere...our downstairs looked like a board game of Candy Land.
    I quickly realized that they had found the "Motherload".  Last Christmas we found a great big gumball machine that was completely full.  We thought it would look so pretty and magical under the tree as we had visions of the kids finding it Christmas morning.      
    When the day finally arrived and it sat beautifully by the tree, we were happy to see that it was one of the first things the kids screamed over.  "AWESOME!!!"  They all ran straight to it and turned the knob.  Out rolled the first gumball...and then we realized that we never really thought about actually trying one of them before giving them to our kids.  They were as hard as your head...little, pretty colored rocks to be exact.      
    We strategically hid the machine and planned on emptying it out to fill it with new gumballs that wouldn't break their teeth.  Again...that was last Christmas.  We obviously hadn't gotten around to finding the new gumballs - but the kids were taking care of the emptying it out part just fine.  
    I got off the phone and screamed..."WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"  Everyone stopped as I stood in a sea of hard candy.  "Do you guys seriously think this is okay?!"  I could barely move - knowing that I would end up just like a cartoon character, slipping on marbles and flying through the air, feet first. 
    The kids spent the rest of the afternoon picking up who knows how many gumballs from all over the house and throwing them in the trash.
    Needless to say, we won't be buying replacement gumballs anytime soon.  I'm still finding the old hard ones in places you couldn't imagine.  I don't know what we're going to do with the great big gumball machine but I'll give it away to the first caller.  At least you'll know that when we're on the phone, the one thing you WON'T hear in the background will be a lot of "pings"...I can't say the same about the giggles though. 

    "Which one of us do you love the most?" were the words I heard from our son as I coughed on a bite of food at the dinner table.  "What?!"  I choked out as he looked back and forth between my husband and myself, waiting for our answer.  Our three other kids stopped eating to look at us with a new peak of interest as well.  They all wanted to hear our response.  Adam and I almost broke into a game of "rock, paper, scissors" to decide who would be the lucky one to answer.  How do you explain to a three, five, seven and nine year old that they are each loved more than anything else on earth, yet equally just the same? 
    We're used to the easy questions at the dinner table like, "Can we go outside and play after we eat?" or, "Do we HAVE to eat our carrots?"  This one pretty much threw us off guard.  
    Racking my brain as to what to say, I suddenly remembered something that my grandmother used to tell me.  "Your children are like the fingers on your hand.  Each finger belongs to you and is similar, but at the same time, they're different and separate from each other.  You couldn't choose which one you love or want the most and you wouldn't want to be without any one of them.  They are a part of you and you love them all equally."
    I told the kids what their great-grandmother used to say and asked if it made sense to them.  "Which finger on your little hands do you love the most?"  They looked at their hands and said, "All the same...we can't pick one."
    "Exactly...and neither can we...now eat your carrots.

     A couple of days ago, it was "Talk Like a Pirate Day".  What IS "Talk Like a Pirate Day?"  I had never heard of it, but it sounded pretty self-explanatory.  Did it also sound like fun?  Aaaaaaarrrrgh YES!  The BEST part about "Talk Like a Pirate Day" was when I found out that if you went to a Krispy Kreme doughnut store and talked like a Pirate, you would get a free doughnut.  If you DRESSED like a Pirate, you would get a DOZEN free doughnuts.  How cool is that?  Well...wait a minute.  
    I told the kids about it and watched as they struggled to decide which was better...grabbing their swords and eye patches to swashbuckle their way around town, or getting a box of one of God's finest creations all warm and sugary.
     As the four of them got ready, we waited, and waited, and waited for Adam to get home.  He had no idea what he was about to come home to after a long day of work, but when he opened the door and a crew full of little scurvy Pirates screamed and swung their swords at him, all he could do was look at me with bewilderment.  I smiled and yelled over the kids, "We need to jump in the car because Krispy Kreme is giving free doughnuts for dressing like a Pirate today!"  Still dodging stabwounds, he yelled back, "REALLY?  Because they NEED doughnuts right now?!"   
    Good point.  Regardless, we managed to get them into the car and head over to the store.  Pulling into the parking lot, there was a line that was formed all the way OUT of the building.  nice.  Adam looked at me and asked, "Do we have to do this?"  We both had visions of waiting in line for well over a half an hour while trying to contain Jack Sparrow and his Mateys.  "Let's give it a try and see how fast the line moves.  It might not be too bad."  I weakly replied. 
     Getting out of the car, we shuffled towards the line and began to wait.  Adam gave me that "look".  I agreed with him that this was getting to the crazy point.  Were a dozen free doughnuts worth all of this?  Ummmm, yes.
      Out of nowhere, I could see the faces of kids from the front of the line inside the store, turn towards their parents, each starting to pitch a fit.  Some were crying, some stomping.  The meltdowns were headed our way at warp speed until right in front of our crew, I overheard a mom tell her kids, "They're saying that they ran out of doughnuts."  WHAT?!  There's no way.  Wondering if our kids heard her too, I quickly inched my way through the crowd and opened the store door, asking a woman who worked there if the news was true.  In her kindest North Carolina accent, she said, "Yes, it's true.  We ran out of doughnuts.  Sorry!"  Shiver me timbers.
    Going back outside, I had to break the news to four little Pirates as their single unpatched eyes looked up at me, swords fallen.  I thought that Adam was going to go nuts.  He did a good job with damage control instead, telling the kids that they could dress up another day and try again. 
    All six of us got back in the car and went home -treasureless.  
    We haven't gone back to get doughnuts yet.  Maybe one day soon we'll give it a go.  I guess the best (or worst) thing that came out of it all though, is that our five year old has now decided to grow up and become a Pirate.  He has worn his gear non-stop since that doughnutless night.  
     So...if you happen to be at Krispy Kreme anytime soon and you see a five year old Pirate still running around in search of his golden round treasure, you'll know exactly who it is.  Aaaaaarrrrrgh.

"Will I have to get a shot?" 
"I don't know, Buddy.  We'll have to wait and see what the doctor says."
"But do you think I'm going to have to get a shot?"
"Baby, I don't know.  When the doctor comes in - he'll tell you."
    I could see that our seven year old son Ethan was visibly worried.  We were in the doctor's office and he was fidgeting with his hands and was unable to sit still.  We were there for Ethan and his older brother Christian to have their annual check-ups. 
     The boys waited for the dreaded knock on the door, while our younger son and daughter covered pretty much the entire floor of the doctor's office - jumping and rolling around...constantly laughing.  They were doing nothing to help ease Ethan's nerves and he turned to me again,
"Mom.  I really don't want to get a shot, okay?"
"Okay, Buddy, I know.  I can't tell you what's going to happen, but no matter what, it will be fine, alright?"
"Yeah...alright."
     Just then, there was "the knock" and a nice nurse came in.
"Hi, am I going to get a shot?"  Ethan asked before she could introduce herself.  She looked through his records and smiled saying, "Not today!  Nope, no shots for either one of you."  I could see him smile and physically relax.
    Both boys did well during their appointments once the "shot factor" was out of the way.  Lord willing, we won't have to go back to see the doctor again until next year. 
     I remember how scary it was as a kid to think about getting a shot or having to get blood drawn.  As necessary as it is, it can be a pretty big deal when you're young. 
    After all of the excitement from the visit and the worry of vaccinations, I'm glad that their annual check-ups are done.  I'll have to say though, I'm even more glad that our seven year old little boy made it through the whole thing without a tear or a Band-Aid, but instead with a smile and a sticker.  
     Those are always the best check-ups of all.  

      Adam's parents flew in from Texas last week.  It was such a great visit but they had to go back today.  
      I loved being able to watch the kids play and spend time with their grandparents.  It was wonderful to see them all together.  One of my favorite times from their stay was probably the most simple.  We broke out the game of Uno the other night and sat around the kitchen table.  All eight of us carried on and laughed as the game got more and more heated.  Even the two little ones got in on the action.  
       The past week has been full of popsicles on the porch with Grandpapa and playing outside with Grandmama.  The kids are lucky to have them as Grandparents and I'm so glad they were able to visit.   
       There's nothing more important than the gift of family and friends.  It was nice to be able to slow the world down for a few days and spend more time together - having fun while they were here.  
        We don't know when we'll get to see them again but hopefully it will be soon.  They were brave to travel all that way to come and stay in this crazy and wild home but we're sure glad that they did.  
        We Miss and Love You and want to Thank You again for the visit!  Come back soon because you have four (six) kids who are sad that you're gone...and one more game of Uno with your names written all over it!  XOXO

    Okay, so we're almost done.  We've been trying to build a mac daddy clubhouse/fort for the kids downstairs in the basement.  We started working on it a couple of months ago and it's this close to being ready.  
    When I grew up in Ohio, my older brother had the coolest clubhouse outside in a tree.  Many hours were spent playing, dreaming and doing not much of anything at all up in that special place.  
    We don't have many options where we are now to build outside, so we tried the next best thing.  My dad can construct pretty much just about anything from anything so he figured out how to convert the area under the staircase leading down to the basement - into a fort.  We all pitched in and tried to help...even the kids got in on the action.  
    It ended up having a "boy's side" which is officially done, and a "girl's side" which is what we still have to finish up.  (hopefully this week)   
    It's a work in progress - but the amount of fun and time that's already been put into it has been well worth it.  The kids have spent hours playing and giggling away in their new space.  
    Childhood goes by so quickly but I'm glad they'll have a fun place to grow and play.  Even though it may not be outside up in a tree, I hope that their memories and happiness will last a lifetime. 

      It's early in the morning and I still can't sleep.  I was up reading a blog last night about a little boy who had cancer.  It shook me to my core and I sat in bed weeping. 
    When I decided to keep a blog, I wanted to keep it light, happy and rarely serious or deep.  I wanted to create something fun for our kids to have.  Something they could read and laugh about when they're older.  That's just it.  As parents, we assume our kids will grow up to be strong and healthy...and be older.  We go through each day, some good, some bad...but often taking for granted that they're healthy (and wild) little ones.  
    The mom who wrote her blog about her little boy has gone through hell.  She writes of the struggles and nightmares that they went through and how she has to try to get through each day without him now.  Her little one lost his battle to cancer.  
    My heart aches for her and for anyone who has gone through this.  I don't even know how to think about it...there are no words.   I will hug our kids much tighter today and thank God for them.  I'll be praying for her as well and think of her...and her little guy.    

    What does the inside of your car look like?  Is it clean, tidy...well kept?  That's what our car looked like on the day we bought it.  Throw one, two, three, then four kids into it...and forget about it.  
    My Mom was with me yesterday and she got into our car.  I thought she was going to fall over.  There were things in there that were pretty much unidentifiable.  Take for instance, if the kids found something at the park, it was in there.  If they had a snack in the car on the way to practice...it was in there, too.  When they were done with practice, they would inevitably leave their soccer socks/shoes/shin guards somewhere in the car  (they all smell great by the way).  If you look UP in our car, there's even something on the ceiling.  What is it you might ask?  We don't know...maybe chocolate milk that got splattered up there?  I don't even think NASA could figure it out. 
    Needless to say, Mom had me take our car through a car wash...the fun kind where you get out and the guys take it from there.  I embarrassingly handed the keys over to some nice young kid.  When he looked inside, he was visibly surprised.  I literally said, "May the Force be with you" to which he nervously took the keys and laughed.  
    For about fifteen minutes, the kids watched as our car went through the spinners and swishers and guys washed and wiped it down from the inside out.  They vacuumed everything until it finally came back to us nice, shiny and yummy smelling...nothing short of a miracle. 
    Getting back in the car, the kids shouted, "That was the COOLEST thing EVER!" and I had to agree.  It was pretty cool.  Yes, my Mom was right.  It makes you feel better to be in a clean car.  
    It was nice to drive around today and feel happy in our "new" car.  I'll have to call my Mom and thank her for having me do it.  
    I guess I probably shouldn't tell her about the squished banana our three year old put in the seat pocket this afternoon, though.