Don't mind me

Don't mind me.  This post is just for me to vent....again.  I seem to do that on here a lot but once I write down what is bothering me I feel so much better.  

Nate's school advisor wanted to meet with him today to get everything ready for him to graduate next semester (woohoo!!!).  He has 3 class this summer then 3 in the fall then bingo bango boom--we're finally done.  Turns out one of the classes he registered for this summer is considered a repeat of one he has already taken even though it's a different class.  That would have been super nice to know.  So she said withdraw from the class since it's not needed and just take a different one next semester.  Okay fine, 4 classes instead of 3 he can handle that...he's been doing it for 4 years already.  Then she quickly slipped in that it is too late for a refund.  What?!  Why?!  It's not like these online classes are cheap.  Several hundred dollars down the drain.  That may be pocket change for some but for us it is big bucks.  Oh well, it's just money.  Who needs it anyway?  

At least these two are making me smile today.

 

Here's to another new adventure

Time to begin another new adventure.  I am slightly overwhelmed.  Not for myself but for Nate.  Nope, i'm lying.  I'm overwhelmed for my sake as well.  I blame myself for opening my mouth and complaining again about Nate never being home.  I kept saying once he graduates in Dec. he will have plenty of time.  I'm thinking that's not going to be the case anymore.  He was just called to be the 2nd counselor in the bishopric.
I am super proud of him.  I am really not trying to make this sound like a downer post at all.  But like I said I am a bit overwhelmed.  I struggle with Sunday's as it is trying to get 4 kids ready for church, then wrestle a dozen or so more in nursery.  I have to say nursery is a very underappreciated calling.  I think a lot of people wonder how hard can it be to play with 2 year old's and toys for a couple of hours.  But when you are greatly outnumber those cute little faces can sure wear a person out.  I think one of the mom's, who has a little Houdini in our nursery that I had to full on chase through the halls last week, put it nicely when she said "nursery leaders should be allowed to wear sweats to church".  Amen sister!  Anyway, back to me being overwhelmed.  Now I will no longer have Nate's help during Sacrament meeting.  He spoke last week during Sacrament and I had to deal with all four boys by myself.  Let's just say it was an epic fail.  My kids were bigger stinkers than most weeks, I was on the verge of tears more than once, and I didn't hear a word of Nate's talk.
I know it will all be fine.  I am awesome, I can do this (I figure if I give myself a little pep talk it will help).  Things are bound to be crazy for awhile, especially while he is still in school.  But it will be a good way for me to work on my patience.  I am seriously lacking in that department.  I know it will be worth it.  People do stuff like this all the time so I know I need to stop complaining.  I figure I would rather sacrafice time with him now so he can do what the Lord is asking him to do, then we can make up for that time for eternity.  Lucky, lucky Nate.

I think I may have a problem

Hello, my name is Melanie and I like to hide and eat.  Being the mom to four little people means someone is always picking off my plate.  Or drinking my drink.  These little men of mine don't seem to hear me when I am asking them to do something.  But as soon as I pour myself a bowl of cereal, no matter how quietly I do it, they are by my side in 3 seconds flat.  Last night we were invited to a scout activity where the boys prepared food for their families.  As delicious as it was I went home hungry.  Okay, I was there alone with the 4 kiddos because Nate was still at work.  So there was no way I was going to have the chance to sit and eat no matter how hungry I was.  The scouts really did do a great job.  Anyway, after I got done there I discovered Nate was missing.  He was supposed to be home taking a quiz.  Instead he was having man time with the neighbors.  We ended up staying there doing absolutely nothing the rest of the night.  By the time we got home I was starving.  So was Nate.  The boys were fed and happy so I decided to go grab us a burger.  I am cheap and didn't want to pay for the boys to eat a second dinner so let me tell you what I did.  Told the boys to go start a movie at 9:30 at night.  That never happens.  Then I snuck off to get me and nate our grub.  When I returned I shut the door as quietly as possible and made a mad dash for the bedroom.  Nate and I locked the doors, hid in our room and ate our dinner with our kids none the wiser.  I felt slightly guilty.  But not guilty enough to share my fries.  The sad thing is I have caught myself doing little things like this a lot.  For instance, this week alone I have hid in the pantry to eat cheetos.  Cheetos and children do not mix.  Orange fingerprints all over my house, no thanks.  I also locked myself in the bathroom to eat a root beer float.  Then the next night hid a different root beer float behind the couch every time a boy walked into the room.  I think I may have a problem.

**just an fyi, there are no starving children in the wright house because their mom likes to hide and eat all the food.  They did get root beer floats as well.  I just got double what they did (okay triple).  Dangit, I deserve it sometimes.

May the fourth be with you

I have become such a slacker.  It was Grif's baptism today.  And his birthday.  Pretty cool to be baptized on your birthday but back to me being a slacker.  Normally I try to do a little something for the kids on their b-day.  Streamers, balloons, banner.  But today Grif got nothing of the sort.  I was in baptism mode and knew I would have a bunch of people coming to my house so I completely spaced it last night.  This morning he walked up into the kitchen and looked around then said "mom, you forgot to put the stuff up for me."  Rip my heart out of my chest.  I apologized like crazy and he just shrugged and said it's okay.  I'm not very good at being on top of everything.  I tend to over stress with stuff like this and end up having numerous amounts of one thing and completely space other things.  For example, we had a plethora of drinks but no streamers (which I swear, if one more person asked me today if we had enough drinks I was going to punch their lights out.  So we ended up having like 40 things of pop.  What's the problem?  At least everyone got to leave with a door prize of soda).

Minus the balloons and streamers I still think the birthday boy had a great day.  I mean, not everybody gets to celebrate their b-day on Star Wars Day.  Last year was the first year I actually realized what May the fourth be with you meant.  Plus grandpa bernie ended up getting him balloons so it all worked out well in the end.

Happy Birthday Gus.  You are by far the child that keeps me on my toes and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  However, it would be okay to dial it down a notch.  I love you forever.

 I have no clue what the heck dilon is doing in this picture.  I try to get a decent family photo and he looks like he is belching.  Or singing, I don't know which. 

 I wonder where dilon gets it from.  Notice how I am doing all I can to get distance from nate in the above pic.  He wouldn't stop grabbing my derriere.  Focus man.  All I am asking for is one decent photo.

The whole clan--minus amanda and jude.  Where did you disappear to?

 The Wright's make fun of me because they know as soon as they step out my front door I will start cleaning.  Today I told them I was going to put nate to work and take a nap.  While I have yet to take a nap, I did put nate to work.  Little helper and all.

  Happy Happy Birthday Gus!

What am I going to do with this boy?

 I'm tellin ya, I don't know what I am going to do with this kid.  He doesn't care that Nate is coming at him with a tiller.  He just plopped his keister right in the middle of all the action.  Why?  Because he's 1.  And a boy.  And always hungry (remember a recent post about a certain 1 year old who never stops eating?).  He was shoving fists full of dirt in his mouth. Don't worry I did actually stop him that time. 

Tonight I got home from the store to find that apparently I didn't feed him enough for dinner.  Shocking for the kid who never stops eating.  He resorted to the trash can and was going to town on the mostly empty bottle of Ragu (sorry to my half Italian sister-in-law, I know I just said a four letter word.  Remember that Christmas you gave us homemade sauce?  That was awesome).  Anyway, back to my Ragu eating monster.  Will you ever be full?  Will I ever know the satisfaction of you turning down food?  And most importantly, how many jobs will I have to be working when you are a teenager just to keep you fed?  Still, I look at these pictures and all I want to do is kiss those saucy little cheeks.