My morning

Elsie was sick on Saturday morning, and so even though we had great plans to head out and enjoy the wonderful weather, we played it safe and stayed at home. Well wouldn't you know Elsie was fine the rest of the day? Isn't that the way it goes? So of course the next morning we brought her to church. We didn't even think about it. And she was just fine. And then last night happened. Let's just say I elected to use disposable diapers after the first major yucky diaper change. And I felt HORRIBLE for bringing in the church nursery!

So this morning we were left with that big question: Does she go to Ms. Shari's, or do we keep her home? She never ran a fever, and she hadn't had yucky diapers in hours and hours. So we decided to bring her.

Once we got to Shari's house Elsie just didn't seem right. She was too mellow and almost lethargic. Our pediatrician always tells us temperament over temperature, so I decided to call school and tell them I'd need a substitute. I wasn't about to leave my baby feeling so yucky.

So that's what I did. I drove to school so that I could throw together some lesson plans, with Elsie in tow. I still wasn't sure what's wrong with her, but something just wasn't right. Once I got to school, I walked her in on my hip, and when I got about half-way up the walkway to the building, the guy who teaches next to me caught up and asked what was going on. I was just in the middle of explaining Elsie's weird symptoms when Elsie projectile vomited all over me and the pillar I was standing next to.

Horror movies don't have anything on a puking baby for a young guy with no kids of his own. I felt so bad, both for Elsie but also for my friend. It was pretty gross! Needless to say, I never got to my classroom.

I decided to go back to Ms. Shari's to pick up Eli, who surely was exposed to her germs. I didn't want him to pass those germs on to the other littles.

I get him home, and he puked in the driveway.

Nice. So far one of them has been asleep while the other pukes. It has worked out well this way. Because if both of them were up "getting sick" at the same time, I don't know what I'd do.

Its been quite a morning. Luckily in between the piles of yuck on the floor, the dirty diapers, and the crying there have been many moments of cuddling, snuggling and cartoon watching. I love those parts. I'm sure my sweet baby girl and boy will feel better soon. Hopefully its REAL SOON! :) But I'm enjoying my day with these sweeties all the same.

Drapes (finally) and other things

We've lived in this house for almost six years. Hard to believe, eh? During all this time we've almost painted every room in the house. One of the last ones to be done is our bedroom. It has sort of been the last on our priority list. Our bedroom is referred to as the "soccer bedroom" because of its ridiculous size. So painting it has always seemed like it would be a big task.


The previous owner put up some great drapery rods from the four windows in the bedroom. I've always loved the rods, but have never purchased drapes for them. Finally they have drapes! I used some Christmas money and got some great chocolate brown drapes that go great with the color now, but will also be great if we ever get around to painting the room a color we like better.

And this is a picture taken from our bedroom window. We're still snowed in. Its really quite beautiful even though much of the snow has melted away. However there is still a lot of ice on the trees, which means ice on the road. Scary stuff. I doubt we'll go to school on time tomorrow, if we even have school at all.

Snow!

The weatherman called for snow, which is a rarity in South Carolina. They canceled school today, and announced early last night. So we made sure the kitchen was stalked with milk and bread, and then went to bed last night anxious to see what we would wake up to! It didn't stop snowing until past noon, and we ended up with over seven inches! Wow! What tremendous joy!





I'm sure I've mentioned before about how fabulous our neighborhood is, but let me explain why! First of all, I love that when the weatherman calls for snow, the moms in the neighborhood begin getting out snow pants and passing them around the 'hood to whoever has a child that could benefit from them. Its fabulous! But also I just love that the neighborhood pool area turns in to the coolest sledding hill! Everybody begins to gather and kids go down on sleds, toboggans, or anything plastic they can find.




Here is Emily going down with some friends, and the girls helping each other back up the snowy hill. Emily and I also went down together a couple times. It was a blast!





Eli wasn't such a fan of the snow. He refused to keep gloves on (and they were really only wool mittens) and when he fell in the snow this one time, he freaked out and declared himself "done." I didn't blame him. Elsie was not far behind, as she also didn't care for the cold, but she did manage to have some fun in the wagon with her friend Reagan from down the street. What cute babies!

I'm back with random updates!

I guess I haven't blogged so much for obvious reasons. Going back to work has made me really analyze how I spend my time so that any extra time can be spent with the kids. However, as I finish up the fourth week of school and things fall better in to place, I realize that I want to get back to my old blogging hobby.

There wasn't really a great way to get back in to things, except for one of my random posts, so here goes!

Malisa's random thoughts... posted in no particular order, but rather as they flow in and out of my head:

1. Scott is up early this morning. He's at the Lake Murray Dam run. It starts in five minutes, and I pray for him to do his best. This is a 10K run. Yep, that's right. 10k = 6.2 miles. Scott has turned out to be quite the runner. I'm so proud of him! Not only is he skinnier than he's been since before we got married, but he has researched and learned so much about being a runner. Its been fun to watch him on this journey. He's inspiring!

2. I'm up to a 3 mile run, tops. I have horrible shin splints that cause me to limp after my third run of the week. So far, this had kept me from expanding the number of runs I do a week, or adding more miles. But the way I figure it, my cast hasn't been off for quite two months yet, so I think I'm doing okay for now.

3. One of my besties is getting married today. My friend Amber and I met years ago when I first moved to South Carolina. She's been my "single" friend for the past five years, the one who drops in for dinner whenever and is thrilled to share a home cooked meal with us, no matter how simple it may be. I love her dearly, and so does my entire family. She's been a chosen family member, so to speak. And the wonderful man she's marrying fits right in. My Emily loves them both, as do the rest of us. I'll be sure to post some pictures of Em in her flower girl dress, and me in my bridesmaid dress. Its sure to be a fun day! And the festivities start in just a few hours with hair appointments!

4. Mrs. Shari, the fabulous lady who keeps the twins, was put in our lives by God. He obviously knew the state my heart was in when I had kids and worked, and therefore He put Shari in our lives to ease the situation. She was wonderful with Emily, and just to be expected, she's wonderful with our twins. Its easy to see how they love her too. One quick story to signify her fabulousness: I dropped the twins off and noticed that Eli was stinky. I laid Shari's changing pad on the floor to change him, just like she does. Eli ran over, laid done, and was perfectly still. Once I started changing his diaper, he threw his hands over his head. Now, at home, this child is like trying to diaper a tiger. He rolls all over. His hands go straight to the "yuck." And the entire thing is quite disasterous. However, Shari apparently explained how they do diaper changes, and this is how they do them. Expectation raised, and the twins raised with it. Fabulous!

5. Yesterday was the bridal luncheon at noon, and so I took a personal day off work. Since I had nowhere to be in the morning, I went Emily's school and spent the day with her in Kindergarten. Her wonderful teacher (I could write an entire blog post devoted to her teacher's fabulousness) even arranged for this day to be "Leaf Day" when I mentioned this rare chance to come in to class. So I got to run a station as the children investigated all about leaves. Then I got to go to the library with the class, and to see the cafeteria where Em eats lunch. Of course I also saw Scott and his class. The entire morning was just what I needed. Emily is in a wonderful setting with wonderful people. I'm so pleased that she gets to go there to learn every day. I could never ask for more for her Kindergarten year.

6. I love my job. Turns out I this teaching thing is a fiber in my inner-being. It is who I am. It is what I love. I marvel at the brilliant things my kids say, and the hysterical things they say. When I look at where we were when we walked in the first day of school, and how our community has begun to build since then, I am so amazed at what they can accomplish.

7. With the extra job, comes extra income. And I share this not because its important, but because I think so many of us have experienced this. Scott and I got our first paychecks of the year. And since we were making it work on his salary, we were thrilled to finally have a cushion with my income. And then, the very next day, our garage door broke. Like, it won't open at all, the spring snapped in half and the rollers are rusty broken. Isn't that the way it always happens? And my first instinct is to be incredibly disappointed, but I had to force myself to change my attitude and be grateful that this garage door didn't break until after we could afford to fix it. What a blessing! Because it turns out, replacing garage doors is expensive!

8. Eli and Elsie have colds. Probably just the first bug of the season, but now they are congested in their chest, especially Eli. Neither of them are running a fever, or even have a change in their temperament. But I know its coming. I pray that they will be fine, and the chest congestion clears up on its own, however, I'm anticipating a trip to the pediatrician this week. And its only September!

Speech

I read this speech from a link posted on facebook. Basically its a speech written by a high school valedictorian. She turned in a "fake" speech to her administration before delivering this one at the actual ceremony. Its absolutely amazing. As I continue to think about school, my classroom, and future students, this speech continues to rock my thoughts.

Random thoughts for today

My posting hasn't been as regular lately. My cast came off last Tuesday, and while I'm supposed to where my boot, I haven't worn it since the day after I got it. Scott grumbles about a waste of a $40 boot, and I grumble about being asked to where the dumb thing in the first place. I was told to "wean" myself off my crutches until my strength came back enough to support my leg. Little did my doctor know that I had been walking on my casted leg for a little over two weeks prior to the "coming off" date. Obviously he didn't notice the hole in the heal of the cast. I was grateful when he viewed the x-ray and declared my leg had healed "perfectly." Scott rolled his eyes as the doctor said "perfectly" because once again I got away with not following the rules.

Anyhow, all that said, I have been enjoying every moment with it off. The very next day I cleaned out the garage. I've cleaned out linen closets, bathroom cabinets, and Emily's bedroom which once again could have used a backhoe. We've been to the beach, the pool, and to town more times than I can think. I've been moving in to my classroom, and cherishing time with the kids during these last few days.

I officially start back to work next Thursday. Depending on the moment, my response to returning to work is either complete excitement, or breaking down in to tears. I have no control over which way the pendulum of emotions will swing at any given time. All I can say is that my heart breaks at the thought of leaving my babes, but my heart also longs to return to the job I love. Ih never thought it possible to want two things.

Finally, my last random thought for today is about our last minute trip to the Zesto in Chapin for ice cream cones. I often reflect on the things I remember most about my childhood, and I wonder what Emily will remember and cherish about her childhood. I would like to think that our impromptu trips to Zesto for a chocolate dipped cone will be among those remembered things. I love to see the look on her face when, after the dinner dishes are done, Scott or I will say, "I think we need an ice cream from Zestos." Definitely a sweet spot in my day today.

Video insight

Now that the twins are mobile they seem to play more together. This is very cute, and we love to watch them seek the other out. They both seek Emily out, however Eli is the one who constantly follows Emily around and copies her every move. I love this first video because it not only shows Emily playing her favorite thing (she calls it "dance party" and it basically involves turning the music up and dancing around the living room as she sings in to a pretend microphone) but it also shows how sometimes having a twin can be troublesome.



Eli is definitely mobile. He is walking around everywhere. The biggest motivator to walk is that he can get to where he wants to go with the ball in his hand. He would get upset when he'd have to put his ball down to crawl. Now he is often found walking around with his ball. What a typical boy!

Kids live here

Today's been a lovely lazy day at our house. While our family is a family of "do-ers and go-ers" we also very much enjoy to just be home with each other. I love our home, and was thinking today about how a house reflects the interests of the occupiers. Several times today I caught myself admiring the evidence of our interests, and all I could think was, "Kids live here."

I noted some of my noticings below. Some are funny, others are odd, and some resulted in a mental cleaning list.

- I always wanted the T.V. to be in an armoire so it could be closed in and out of sight, so when we bought new livingroom furniture five years ago, we bought a big armoire to hold the T.V. with big doors that enclose it. Well, those doors now stay open, and are pulled all the way back on the hinge. This is for two reasons: 1.) When Emily is dancing around to music in the livingroom, she likes to see her reflection in the screen and 2.) Eli likes to wait for Elsie to stand in front of the T.V. and then close the doors on her head.

- Our eat-in kitchen is a toy/sitting room. Scott and I have two chairs in the corners, and toys line the walls in big toy furniture bins. This screams "kids live here."

- Smudges. There are smudges all over, and no matter how often I clean, they always return. Some smudges to note are the twins' mouth and nose smudges on both the storm door in the front, and the french doors to the backyard. Other smudges are the snot smudges that are smeared on the "time-out" wall. It took me forever to figure out where the glossy marks on the wall were coming from until one day when Emily was in time out. She was sitting cross-legged and rocking on her legs from side to side, wiping her snotty nose from one end to another. Gross? Yes. And certainly an indication that kids do in fact live here.

- The tub in the upstairs bathroom is full of toys. Never mind the giant giraffe painted on the wall.

- There is whole milk in the refrigerator. I don't know who else drinks this stuff. Nasty gross, but somehow my babies love it.

- In our backyard we have a swing set/structure with a slide, a trampoline, and baby ladder and slide, a water table, a sprinkler mat for the babies, a sandbox, and two plastic picnic tables. It looks like a Little Tykes Factory threw up back there, but our kids love it!

- There's a mini-van parked out in front.

- We have very little art hanging on the walls. Instead we have lots of pictures of our kids. We like it this way.

- Every cabinet requires a certain skill to open. Sometimes the potential opener has to press down on a hidden tab, and other times a magnet is required to retrieve the contents of the cabinet.

- And finally, you can tell kids live here because of the sounds. Sometimes its not good sounds, like crying, fussiness, or a parent at the end of a fuse. But most of the time its baby babble, giggling, or the days events being told by Emily. I think our house has good sounds. As I type right now I hear Scott through the baby monitor. Eli is talking babble to him, while Elsie fusses away. He is going back and forth between making silly sounds to Eli, and making comforting sounds to Elsie. Our house definitely indicates that kids live here.

Sleepy Babies

We had a play date with friends last week. By the time our little friends left, the twins were too tired for lunch. Luckily, I had my iPod handy and caught Elsie before she drifted off to sleep!

My Funny Kid

So this morning Emily was really in rare form. The make-believe play was fabulous, and I was cracking up all morning. Not only was pretending to be "She-Ra, the secret agent from Romania," but then she was pretending to be "Caroline, the poor mother of sixteen children without any food."

When she was "Caroline" she walked in wearing one of Scott's old ratty t-shirts over her clothes, and a dish towel wrapped around her head. She told me she was "gleaning" the fields. I wondered if perhaps she'd been taught the story of Ruth in Sunday school the other day, because that's really what she looked like, except "Caroline" had sixteen children, who were all hungry.

My little Old Testament character and I had a wonderful little conversation that made me giggle. I thought I would share.

Emily, uh, I mean Caroline came in to the room and said:

Caroline: Oh poor me. I am just so hungry, and I don't know what to do about feeding my sixteen children.

Me: Oh, you poor old lady. Do you need some help?

Caroline: Well, its just that we have such a long journey ahead of us, and not a camel is to spare. And my kids are so hungry.

Me: I don't have a camel to give you, but I can give you some fresh spinach and carrots to help feed your children.

Caroline: None of my children like carrots or spinach. Do you have any cheeseburgers?

Me: Nope. I only have fresh veggies.

Caroline: My kids don't like most fresh veggies. They only like fresh asparagus sauteed with mustard. Do you have any of that?

Me: Sounds like your children are picky eaters who must not be too hungry! Sorry, I have no asparagus or mustard.

Caroline: (deep sigh) Well, I guess we'll be on our way. We have to get on a boat for 62 days and we will have no food. (deep sigh)

Scott's Beingnets

This morning when I woke up to a fabulous smell. When I walked downstairs I saw Scott standing in the kitchen over a plate of these warm wonderful beignets. The twins woke early this morning and since Scott was already up, he decided to make them from scratch.

I came and took a seat in my chair, and Scott quickly brought me a plate with a hot cup of coffee. He was anxious to see what I thought, and I was anxious to take a bite. They were wonderful!

Carolina/Clemson Rivalry

College sports in our town are huge. We live in the South Carolina where every citizen cheers for one of two teams: the USC Gamecocks, or the Clemson Tigers. During football season cars go down the interstate with decals, stickers, magnets and flags shouting their allegiance to their team. Our PTO meetings at school are planned around home games. And restaurants advertise their "tale-gating specials" as the entire city seems to tale gate beginning hours before a game. The rivalry between the two teams is huge. One of my friends is engaged to a man who went to Clemson. She is a Carolina (USC) grad. Before every rivalry game, the two bet against each other's team. The loser has to sport a sticker from the opposing team on their car for three weeks. This is just an example of the fun rivalry in our state.

Scott and I are not big football fans, but I enjoy watching a good football or baseball game. We claim to be Gamecock fans, just because we pay Scott's doctoral tuition to the school, and we might as well enjoy the fun that comes with following a college team. Of course this last week the Gamecocks won the college world series. This was a huge feat, and a major celebration in our town. Not only did over 14,000 fans welcome the team as they returned to town, but our governor ordered the Gamecock flag to be flown above the statehouse. And of course a parade is being scheduled.

But one picture I saw really made me giggle as I considered the rivalry between the two schools. Carolina beat Clemson earlier in the series. I thought this was fun to share!

Blueberry Picking

Fruit picking has quickly become one our family traditions... Strawberries in the spring, blueberries in the summer, and apples in the fall. This morning we headed out to Lexington to pick blueberries. Grammy got to go pick apples with us a couple years ago, and this was the first time she was in town to pick blueberries with us.


We had a great time, broken leg and all. We learned from yesterday's shopping experience and brought a beach chair with us. Grammy pulled the wagon with the twins, and Scott carried all our gear. Once we found a great picking spot, he put my chair down and I was in charge of picking the low blueberries. The system worked out great, and we ended up with nearly 8lbs!



Eli and Elsie quickly figured out that the green blueberries don't taste as fabulous as the deep blue ones. We put bibs on them and let them eat them straight from the bushes. They thought this was fabulous!
They were much more interested in what was going on than last year! What change a year can bring!

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I'm sure we will have several blueberry recipes to come, however I know my family looks forward to our favorite blueberry buckle recipe!
What a fun day!

P.S. Daddy was with us too, however Scott was very much interested in picking as many blueberries as possible. I guess he realized that with a five year old, twins, and a mommy with a broken leg our blueberry picking potential was minimal.

Today's adventures with Grammy

Today we decided to go out and do a few things. You may be surprised to know everything we did, and when I tell you, you may wonder how in the world we did it all with my broken leg. Let me just say this: I'm glad we all had a sense of humor about it all. But I will get to that in a minute.

First of all we decided to go and get Eli's hair cut for the first time. We took him to this awesome place in Forrest Acres called Hair Doodles. I have to say I was a little nervous that he would throw a huge fit. However, the lady that cut his hair did an awesome job. First of all, she had a special seat for him. She got him all strapped in and then she gave him a small cup of animal cookies. She also gave him a toy with buttons. Eli loves buttons. How could he not have a great time? Cookies and a toy and he was ready to go! I have to say that Jenny from Hair Doodles did a magnificent job. And Eli did a magnificent job at staying still... or as still as a fourteen month old little boy can manage. Looks pretty good, don't you think?



Next we went to Chipotle. This is the only Chipotle anywhere near us, so whenever we trek out to Forrest Acres, Chipotle is always the lunch spot of choice. The babies and Emily ate quesadillas, and the rest of us had burritos. It was fabulous as always.

After that we drove back to our side of town to do some shopping. We went in to Kohl's to look for some baby things for Miss Elsie Faith. We thought she would stay in her twelve month clothes a little longer, but her rolly polly legs didn't allow for it. She is officially in 18 month clothes. We also wanted to get Emily some new "First Day of Kindergarten" outfits.

Well, here is where we run in to the problem. I have no problem going in to Chipotle, and other places and soon finding a seat. Getting from point A to point B doesn't bother me. But when I'm standing around on my crutches for a long time, my one leg gets tired.

We first walked in to Kohl's and I automatically began thinking, "Wow. This store is much bigger than I remember." I guess everything seems bigger and farther away when you have to rely on crutches. After just a little while standing around and shopping for baby clothes, my leg began to hurt because it was so tired. I kept trying to mentally chant to myself, "You are a flamingo. Think like a flamingo." But it just didn't work. Finally I told my mom that I would just wait in the car. I didn't want to ruin everybody else's fun and make them leave, so I thought waiting in the car was a good solution.

But Grammy didn't agree one little bit.

She told me no, that waiting in the car would not work, and she immediately got that "I'm thinking of a plan" look on her face. I started to object, but she put up her finger to remind me once again that she would not take no for an answer. The next thing I know she tells me to "wait right here" and she took off in the opposite direction.

We already went by customer service and found they had no accommodations to help a one-legged mommy shop, so I couldn't figure out what in the world Grammy was up to. The next thing I know she returns holding one of these:


That's right. Grammy went to the outdoor furniture section and found a chair for me to sit in. After we finished in one section of the store, Scott would wheel the babies in the stroller over to the new section, I would crutch myself behind, and Grammy was followed, dragging the outdoor lounge chair behind her.

Yep. That's our Grammy. She doesn't take "no" for an answer.

The best part about this story was telling my dad. I told him the entire story and as he cracked up in the phone, he said, "Yep. We're from Taft!" Hysterical. Absolutely hysterical!

The final part of our day was when we stopped for ice cream. Marble Slab is one of my favorites. Its like Cold Stone, but local, and much better. Scott stayed in the car with the twins while we went in and ordered our ice cream. When we returned to the car Scott mentioned that the twins were getting pretty fussy. Once again Grammy had the situation under control. Don't you like how she handled it?

She is Grammy. Hear her roar!

After this entire broken leg drama, my mom and I just couldn't handle that, 1. My leg was broken and 2. We lived so far away, and my mom wasn't here to help.

So my dad stepped in. Thank you God. And thank you Dave Driskill. We love you so much! He sent my mom to take care of us for the week, and we couldn't be more grateful.

Last night my mom caught a red-eye and arrived in Charlotte this morning by 9 a.m. Now for some of you, a red-eye sounds atrociously dismal. But I must say... My mom rocks the red-eye. Grammy has this routine down! She drives up in the evening with my dad after he gets home from work. They eat dinner at a snazzy restaurant in Manhattan Beach. Then he drops her off at the airport. She gets there in time to make her flight, and he makes it home before bed time.

Mom has mastered packing her bag in just one suitcase. This shocks and amazes everyone. If you know my mom, you know she has a certain relationship with all things with a sole. But I must say, I didn't believe it at first, but this time she actually traveled with only her carry-on and one suitcase. Nothing checked this time. Mindy is still asking, "But what did she do with the shoes?"

She takes a Tylenol P.M. and sleeps the entire trip. And even though she'll kill me for mentioning, I must add that one time on her red-eye trips she was so "out" after the Tylenol PM that she didn't even notice the horrible turbulence felt by every other passenger on the plane. It wasn't until the plane was taxiing in to the gate that the gentleman beside her said, "Gosh. You were really out. That turbulence didn't even jostle you out of sleep at all!"

But the moment that plane lands, Grammy is ready to go! She always has a fresh change of clothes which she changes in to with a fresh coat of lipstick, and she's off! No jet-lag for this grammy. No way. She's ready to embrace the grandbabies!

So far today she's changed countless numbers of diapers, washed many, many dishes, and cleaned the toys off the floor several times. No breaking her leg! We've had lunch at one of our favorite places, and take-out here at home this evening. She's bathed, read stories, snuggled, and fed all of the kids. She has re-stocked the pantry and refrigerator with every necessity. She was only in the house for an hour before she sent Scott upstairs where he took a much deserved three hour nap.

She is here. She is in charge. She is Grammy. Thank goodness!

The big 3-0!

For my big 3-0, I decided to post the first 30 memories from my life so far as they popped in to my head. So in no particular order of importance or chronological order, here you go:

1. My sister and I acting out horribly non-PC skits with the church puppets one weekend when Mom brought them home to practice a skit for church. I don't think I've heard my parents laugh that hard since.

2. Watching in horror/laughter as Emily pulled the skirt of her dress up over her head for the ENTIRE dance recital routine in front of a crowd of hundreds.

3. The day I called Becky to tell her I was going to marry Scott, even though it was only after the second date. Her response? "But he's balding?" I will never, ever forget that! :)

4. When I was roommates with Jenny, all the times I woke up literally talking a mile a minute as she closed her eyes, put out a hand, and asked me to please wait until she'd at least started to brew the coffee. (I learned to love coffee from her, but I think she soon realized a caffeinated Malisa was even worse!)

5. Standing in the produce aisle in the Save-Mart on the corner of Fruit and McKinley, and talking to Scott on the phone telling me he'd been offered a job/PhD program at the University of South Carolina. I was seven months pregnant. And in my hand that wasn't holding the cell phone, I was holding one roma tomato.

6. When I won a trophy in Kindergarten for the Flower Show (only RBG, huh?) and racing in to my grandparents house to show my Popo. (grandpa)

7. Being at a duel swim meet in high school, touching the wall and pulling my head up to see I beat "that other girl."

8. Sitting in the parking lot at the pool to my (now) neighborhood with my mom, looking at the house Scott and I bought, and then meeting my friend Wyche, my very first friend in South Carolina. She was strolling her new born baby Joe, who was only weeks younger than Emily.

9. In high school, my dad waking me up in the middle of the night after we'd had an argument, and walking through the almond orchards for hours until we'd resolved them. And then going to Zingos truck stop for an early breakfast since it was near 4 a.m.

10. The night Scott proposed.

11. Sitting on the table with the ultra-sound tech and seeing more than one heartbeat.

12. Training at the olympic training center with my college swim team.

13. Running through my grandparents house with my cousins, stealing Grandpas fried chicken as we passed through the kitchen, and healing him cackle as he pretending not to notice.

14. When Jay introduced me to Becky the first time at that weird dance club in Fresno. 804? Or some name like that. We were instant friends.

15. My sister rescuing a kitten from a cardboard box in the parking lot of the salon where she worked at in high school, and convincing me to keep her. I still have that cat. Her name is Ethel. I love her.

16. Sitting in the living room with my dad when the phone rang to hear my mom was in an accident... rear ended by a drunk driver.

17. Walking in to the classroom of my first teaching job ever, and being simultaneously scared out of my mind, and thrilled to no end!

18. Watching T.V. at home on a fog delay morning, I think I was in Kindergarten, and seeing the Challenger explode.

19. The first time I held Emily after the first day of her being in the NICU.

20. The back patio on a Flordora house, and all the conversations Scott and I had with our friends. I still don't remember what Adam and I discussed, but I know it must have been deep.

21. Opening the door as a little kid, and Santa being on the front porch.

22. Driving up to Yerington Nevada as a kid to visit my great-grandparents, and sitting outside to eat Great-Grandma Audrey's chicken and dumplings.

23. The time my mom was trying to teach me how to drive stick, and I couldn't reverse out of a parking spot. I stalled and a car honked. My mom shot out of the car and told the lady to cut me some slack, and have some patience! And then she got back in the car and I saw she was wearing her shirt that said, "Today I will commit to one random act of kindness. Will you?" Ha ha!

24. Singing a solo in the "Angels Aware" choir performance at church with Peggy Biller.

25. Working all those summers at the R.B.G. pool with Ed Edgmon. I wouldn't trade those summers for anything!

26. Driving home after picking up the cake for my big 13th birthday party when a car had pulled out in front of my mom, and she had to slam on the breaks. It landed face down, and was completely wrecked. My mom and I cried and cried, and then laughed hysterically.

27. Bringing the twins home from the hospital.

28. Collecting some random toys with Mindy, and burying them in the backyard with plans to dig up the "treasure" later. I still remember at least two of the toys, and I think they should still be there in my parents backyard.

29. The afternoon after Scott decided to confront his boss, and when I came home I found him in the bath tub with a six pack of beer and Mac Addict magazine.

30. Heading out for a walk with the twins when Scott yelled at me to "come here quick!" And Emily had broken her arm!

Cleaning Emily's Room

Right now Emily and Scott are upstairs cleaning Emily's room.

This is a big deal. This could take a lot of time. This could take a lot of energy. This could take a backhoe.

Now I haven't been in Emily's room for a couple of weeks for many reasons. Its at the top of the stairs and down the hallway and with the giant mess that is surely living in there, I'm sure its not handicapped accessible.

And since I haven't frequently the place where she sleeps I really don't know what it looked like before Scott and Emily got started. But from I've gathered, it must be horrible. In the past week I've seen Emily bring down and "put away" about fifteen different stuffed animals and dolls. And then there was the entire tinker-toy Barbie princess palace that surely never got put away. Then there was the time she took al the jewelry out of her jewelry box and put it all on at the same time. And then she "put that away" her "penny collection." A couple days ago she put on five different dresses before choosing one, and since she has never hung up clothes before, I'm certain those things are all on her closet floor. And yesterday she was playing dress up with her multiple Halloween costumes/dance recital outfits. Those, also, are guaranteed to be on the floor. In case you haven't gathered, Emily doesn't "put away" very well.

Of course this is not counting the numerous toys she's gotten out and played with that I don't know about. Or the art supplies at her little plastic desk. Or the "decorations" she told me all about rearranging.

All i can say is that I love my husband dearly. And I appreciate his efforts to return her room to the state it was pre-broken leg. Good Luck Scott. And if I don't hear from you in a couple of days, I'll call the fire department to go in after you!

UPDATE:
Scott made it out alive, and is happy to report the room is now clean. He is my HERO! He brought downstairs 5 cups, 6 library books and 1 very large bag of trash. It reminded me of the time I was brave enough to assist Becky in cleaning out the trunk of her car!

Random Monday Post

- I went to the grocery store today with Scott and Emily. Mary stayed home with the twins, so we weren't quite the spectacle. Getting out of the house was good. Even if it was just to the grocery store.

- I'm thinking of cutting off my hair on Thursday. It may be fun to honor my 30th by getting an actual style to my hair. And I think I've let my hair grow long enough to donate to Locks of Love... something I've always wanted to do.

- The babies are getting better at taking one nap per day. We've weened off that morning nap by watching a baby DVD and having a snack. That little quiet time helps them get through the morning without going to sleep. Now their afternoon nap lasts just about two hours. That's a fabulous thing!

- I go back on Thursday for my cast to be put on. I think as soon as we reach that milestone, I won't have to worry about propping for the swelling, and I can find new and inventive ways to help out around the house. Right now I mainly sit with it elevated.

- My ladies group is starting a new Bible study tomorrow on prayer. I'm looking forward to it!

- Scott and I are trying to figure out how to begin moving things in to my classroom. The organizational process of moving in to a new room always thrills me. This was one part of teaching at a year-round school in Fresno that I didn't mind. Yes, I know that makes me a little weird.

-Elsie has learned to blow kisses . This may be one of the cutest things ever!

Happy Monday to everybody!

I will forever set-off airport security

A day after surgery, and here are some of my post-of thoughts:
(WARNING: I'm pretty heavily drugged on pain meds so I'll try my best to make sense!)

- As if our family wasn't already super slow going through airport security, I will now make us even slower. Hello Mr. TSA and his wand.

- Nobody should ever show a post-op patient the x-ray picture of an ankle with seven screws and a plate. Seriously? Wait until the patient is no longer requiring heavy dosages of demoral and then show the picture as a claim to her amazing recovery and general "toughness."

- The wonderful picture of my metal ankle is now hanging on the fridge to remind everybody in the house how super tough Mommy is, and it may also serve as a reminder to pick up the toys!

- The surgery was done at a surgical center. I've never been in a surgical center before, but my first thoughts were that it must cut down on cost. No peeing in a fancy screw top urine specimen cup. They just use a Dixy cup. Scott said it was like surgery with a coupon. I liked this very much.

- I'm amazed at how they numbed my leg. The anesthesiologist isolated my sciatic nerve, and then blocked it. How cool is that? I couldn't even feel anything at all until the block wore off last night around six. That was probably the worst pain I've ever been in. And its over now. So see there? Only good things to come!

- Demerol + Fenergan = Malisa on drugs. There were times today when I couldn't even carry on a conversation, much less remember a conversation had taken place. I hate being out of control like that, but unlike my cesareans, ibuprofen just wasn't going to do the trick this time.

- My husband is awesome. Have I mentioned that lately? He's awesome.

-Scott's dad and step-mom (Paul and Mary) have helped so much with the kids. Its nice to have them here to help in situations like this one.

- While I was in surgery on Friday, Emily had her little performance for VBS. I asked Amber (or Ammer) to go and be Emily's "person." Not only did she record the performance for me to see, but she took Emily to Grouchos for lunch, and then Barnes and Noble. Finally, the went to David's Bridal to try on flower girl dresses. I am so grateful that my Emily had such a great day with one of her favorite people.

- I turn thirty next week, and for my special present, I will get the post-op wrap and splints taken off and will get a new cast to sport. Happy Birthday to me!

-South Carolina still has a drive-in movie theatre. I think I have Scott talked in to taking us there. It should be fun, and its something I can do with my bum leg.

- I got breakfast and coffee brought to me in bed. And this evening I got de-caf coffee and a slice of cake. Yum!

Eli's favorite

Eli isn't feeling very well today. I think its his teeth that are trying to poke through on top. But whatever the reason, his not feeling well has resulted in him being very snuggly today. I've been in my chair (where I have been all week!) and he has crawled over to me multiple times to be picked up and snuggled.

This book seems to be his favorite. I've read it cover to cover, twice already today. This has been by far the longest my little boy has ever sat in the same place. I've enjoyed every minute!