A Year Ago...

It's hard to believe, but it's been a year since we moved to the sticks! And, from day one, it has felt like home to us. We've done a lot of work to our "retro mansion" (as I like to call it) since our move. We even invited the previous owners over to see all of the changes. I think it was hard for them to come back and see their home of 20 years with different furniture and new paint. It's a funny to think that they had moved in exactly 20 years prior to us...they were the same age as us, and their kids, also girl and boy, were the same age as ours! Just another coincidence that made our move feel more right. They were a wonderful family to buy from, and they were very happy to see their home go to us as well. If we ever have any questions about the house, all we have to do is call or drive down the road to visit =)

It snowed, rained, hailed, etc. on moving day, and it took the moving truck 45 minutes to just make it halfway up the driveway. My dad, Adam, Henry, and his friend Matt helped empty our storage unit and move it into our new house the night before.

We were so fortunate to have Adam's work pay for moving...it made moving a breeze. They were very careful not to dent any of the valuable 1970's awesomeness.

Chris helped me paint Synnove's cedar bedroom before the kids moved in. I think I had to take one or two trips into town (15 miles) to get more primer with his little brother Dylan.

This was our first full breakfast in our new house a few days after the move.

It was very exciting to finally be moving, as we had been living with my parents for 5 months. But, it was also sad to say goodbye to our first house. We loved our home in Cornelius and couldn't have asked for better neighbors. We knew that we wouldn't be in that house forever, but we certainly didn't think it would only last 3 years. We did a lot of work to that house as well, and it was hard to spend thousands of dollars on windows, siding, and a new roof...only to move out a few months later. We weren't able to be involved with the sale, so we don't know anything about the new owners...but we've driven by a few times =)

*Sigh* We'll miss you Dogwood Street...but we love Hillcrest Loop SO much more!

Play Dough and My 1st Compressed Video!

I have this book called The Preschooler's Busy Book that I've had since I taught preschool 6 years ago and I don't think I've gotten it out since. It has several different dough recipes, and I tried one yesterday. I didn't have all the ingredients of any of the others, so it was my only option. It turned out to be quite stiff, but the kids still enjoyed it. I got out the big bag of cookie cutters I scored at the Goodwill Outlet back when Synnove was still a baby and they made a bunch of fun shapes.

What I found after I got out of the shower...

That afternoon I went to the store to pick up some ingredients to make a couple of the other recipes. The kids BEGGED to play with dough this morning, so I cooked up a batch and the kids had a blast!

Here's the recipe I used:

1/2 cup of salt

2 cups water

use tempera, kool aid, or food coloring (if desired)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons alum

4 cups sifted flour

Directions: Heat water and salt on the stove till salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Mix/knead till it's ready to play with. It's supposed to last up to 2 months in a sealed container.

I've finally learned how to compress video files! I just downloaded Microsoft Media Encoder and shrunk it to VHS quality. The entire process of uploading to Blogger still took a while (around 12 minutes)...even though I shrunk it down to around 5 megs. So, here's a snippet of our morning!

My Little Helper

Synnove may be a stubborn little stinker sometimes, but she has a knack for brightening my day. Last week, while I was downstairs cleaning, Synnove came down to tell me that she had cleaned her sink and that I needed to come see. I told her she had to wait a bit cause I was right in the middle of something. A bit later I come upstairs and she reminds me about the sink, so I go in to look. She had cleaned up all the crusty toothpaste, had somewhat organized the clutter, and had nicely draped the towel over the stools. I said "Wow, nice job, what did you use to clean it with?" She was hesitant at first, but then quietly said "My toothbrush..."

Waiting for "Normal"

The kids are sick...again. I really was hopeful that we were done for the season of sickness this year. BUT, my kids ended up catching the nasty flu that my dad, sis, and bro have been battling for the last few weeks. Normally, I don't take the kids to the doctor for cold/flu symptoms, but since both my dad and sis ended up with bronchitis, I thought I'd better be proactive. Soren was first and I ended up taking him into urgent care with a severe sore throat and moderate fever. I was glad that I did. It was Friday, and he would have had a full-blown ear infection by Saturday if not for the prescribed antibiotics.

Saturday was a productive, and beautiful day. We spent the day digging out/sawing down a massive stump, and chopping/stacking wood. We were in by 5:00 to make dinner. The kids were great...for the most part. An hour later, Synnove complained of a bad headache and that her legs hurt. I passed it off as hunger with too much sun. I gave her Tylenol and after a while she stopped complaining and we went on with the night like normal. At 10:30 she awoke with a severe headache and a temp nearing 103. We spent the rest of the night calming her down and trying to get her fever down. Synnove is not a very cooperative sick person...in fact, she's quite unreasonable. So, getting her fever down was a delicate task. Thankfully, Adam is patient...but even he was getting frustrated. He slept on the floor that night while Synnove slept on the couch. We all got very little sleep that night...even Soren.

The next morning, Synnove still had a fever, but seemed better. Soren had some new complaints and was a bit whiny. I was battling a slight sore throat myself. We all spent the day in front of the TV. Today, Synnove STILL has a fever, but I'm hopeful for tomorrow. My sore throat continues...with the occasional achiness. I'm trying my hardest not to get sick...and I think it's working.

When I was at the urgent care with Soren, I was chatting with the doctor about sickness. He was telling me that spring usually brings in the stomach bugs. Great. That day happened to be the first day of spring. It's tempting to put my entire family on lockdown till June.

There's a Bee in My Bed!

Two nights ago Soren awoke at around 11:30 crying and scared. I went downstairs to find him shaking and telling me that there was a bee in his bed. He was convinced there was one under the covers and we searched to find nothing. Obviously, he was having a bad dream and I assured him that there were no bees in his room. I laid him back in bed and used a different blanket because he was scared of the other. He didn't say anything...and I could tell he was mentally trying not to be afraid. I gave him his water and made sure he had his "Tigger-Pooh"....I didn't think anything else would come of it and went back up to bed. I listened to the monitor as I lay in bed...heard nothing...and quickly fell asleep. At 5AM I sort of woke up to the sound of one of my kids. It was strange because the sound didn't seem to come through the monitor. I got up to see if one of the kids was in the living room on the couch or something, but found nobody. I convinced myself I was just dreaming and went back to bed. 2 minutes later I hear a cough...not through the monitor. This time I was sure there was a child not in his/her room, so I got up for a more thorough investigation. I looked down the staircase from upstairs and found Soren laying on the bottom two steps with his taggie. He was asleep and quite cold. I ran down and gently picked him up. He disorientedly told me about the bee and I took him to bed with me. He was back to sleep in an instant and I spent the next hour trying to warm his icy feet on my leg. He slept till 9:30. When he woke I told him to put his taggie back in his bed. He returned from his room and, again, told me about the bee. We did another quick search in his room...found nothing. I had an appointment, and we had to get going. I dropped the kids off with my dad and went to get my hair cut. When I came back, I told my dad the Bee story. Dad told me that one of the first things Soren said to him that morning was..."there's a bee in my bed and it bit me!" He really was convinced there was a bee...and maybe there was?? I took the kids home and put them down for nap. I knew it would be interesting trying to get Soren to sleep...but I was determined. I had a headache and was tired myself...I wanted to take a nap too! I opened his blinds and lay with him a while. He was still very scared. He wouldn't even put a blanket on. He was trying SO hard not to be scared and spoke in a quiet voice and was all scrunched up in a ball at the very top of his bed. We talked and I assured him that Jesus would take care of him and that there was NO bee. I told him I was gonna go upstairs to take a nap...and in the quietest little "guckie"-filled voice he said, "don't leave me..." So, I took a nap on his bed with him...I slept...he didn't...but he didn't make a sound. Last night when it was time for bed, he seemed prepared to sleep. We read a couple of books, and had a talk about the bee. He was still apprehensive, but our discussion seemed to calm him down. I even asked him if I could turn his little lamp off and, after some convincing on my part, he said it was OK. Before the prayer, I had told him that I was gonna go upstairs and sleep in my own bed and that he was going to be just fine. We prayed, and right afterwards he said "now leave..." I left and he slept all the way through the night without a sound. Now, maybe this story doesn't properly portray the bravery of such a little soul for the typical reader....and that's OK. But this mommy is quite proud of her boy.

The Best Way to Say Goodbye

It is truly wonderful how great loss or tragedy can bring people together. It was a blessing to me to see how our family has coped with the loss. And, at the risk of seeming morbid, I wanted to share a few photos from the week. Grandpa Henry will be missed by many...the funeral was a packed house...standing room only. People came from near and far to say goodbye to their dear friend, and it spoke volumes about the great man that he was. Thanks to all for your kind words and prayers.

We all spent our days and evenings at Grandma's house. The great-grandkids enjoyed reading books and playing games with Grandma. They were a great diversion. The rest of us just hung out and ate LOTS of food! Lots of people brought food by the house and she had many many beautiful bouquet deliveries. On Thursday, all of us girls took Grandma shopping for a new outfit for the funeral. She has recently lost some weight and didn't have anything to wear. Needless to say, she wasn't keen on going at first, but thanked us for a great time in the end.

The funeral was Saturday. Like I said, the church was packed and people started arriving 40 minutes early. There were some technical difficulties and the sideshow that Henry and a friend made had to be watched on a small TV screen. Fortunately, Henry was able to bring his TV from home and show it at the reception so that the people sitting in the back could get a chance to see it as well. Grandma was happy that Ann (Tierney) could finagle her work schedule so that she could come and sing. She sang Amazing Grace beautifully...as usual. The casket was perfect and the bouquet on top was adorned with gill netting "accessories"....one of Grandpa's favorite things to do.

The weather was pretty bad, but a flood of cars still followed the casket to the cemetery for the internment. The wind was blowing the rain sideways and umbrellas were turning inside out. Thank goodness we're Oregonians...we can handle it =)

After that, we all met at the Warrenton Community Center for food and fellowship. It really was a nice time.

We all hung out and watched movies again that night and planned to meet up again on Sunday. It was Adam's birthday, so Grandma made an effort to make him his favorite...pecan pie. She got it started, but had to run to the hospital to take care of her mother who had an infection (nothing earth-shattering...but Great-Grandma Backe is 98 years old!). As if Grandma didn't have enough to deal with already! Anyway, the pie somehow got finished, we ate a great dinner, and ended the week on a happy note.

Henry August Balensifer Jr.

June 2nd, 1930 - March 11th, 2009

Farewell Grandpa Henry

It was only an hour ago that I found out that my Grandpa Henry died. He has been ill for quite some time now, and his passing is not a shock. But still, saying goodbye to someone that you love is always painful. I actually didn't know Grandpa all that well...in fact, he was always a bit scary to me. He was often gruff and liked his beer. I remember as a kid, when I would call to talk to grandma, he would answer in a low, impatient, yet slow "hello." I would say, "hi, is grandma there?" and he'd recognize my voice. He'd perk up and say "well, hello Miss Nicole, how are you?" I always loved that he called me "Miss Nicole"...he always made me feel like a lady.

Mr. And Mrs. Henry and Barbara Balensifer

I have few memories of spending time with my Grandpa, but the ones I do have always involve a good time. He never went camping with us, but he always hauled the trailer down to Spruce Run and back so we could camp with Grandma. I remember packing meat in his shop and helping with the labels...I was probably 5 or 6. I only went fishing a few times, but we took trips on the boat even if we weren't fishing. My dad was always with us. Dad spent a lot of time with Grandpa...hunting and fishing. The best was when they would go crabbing. I have quite a few memories of eating warm crab right out of the cooker at Grandpa's house. One of my favorite things to do was hang out while all the guys worked on the fishing nets. I loved laying on the big net piles and sorting cork floats and weights.

I have many memories of Christmas...like the first Christmas I spent with him. I was 5 and he had given all 3 grandkids (at the time) our own wooden rocking chairs. I've since forgotten the story, but I'm pretty sure he made them and he also painted our names on them. Of course, I still have mine. He was very artistic and good with his hands. When he was on fishing trips in Alaska, he would send me postcards written in perfect print...so perfect, he could have his own font in Microsoft Word! He was always very thoughtful when it came to giving gifts and liked to play jokes or wrap things with boards and duct tape. One year, when he gave Grandma a big fat heirloom diamond ring, he cleverly wrapped it in several layers...almost like a puzzle. I think the ring eventually came out of a notch carved out of a piece of wood.

In the last handful of years, his health has been slowly deteriorating. With that, he also acquired a bit of dementia. He was often confused, and repeated things...but he was also a lot more mellow and polite. Grandma always worried about him, especially when he was out on a drive. Grandpa drove a LOT. He would slowly cruise around Warrenton, checking up on family and friends several times a day by driving by their house. He's a retired Game Cop...so it's all in the routine. Without his daily drives, his wife, and his Jack Russel Terrier "Jackie," he would have had little else to do.

I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to paint the inside of his house last October. If it had been a few years ago...Wendy and I wouldn't have even been allowed to paint because Grandpa would likely have had a fit. But, he did little complaining and a whole lot of joking around. He was so pleasant to be around and I had fun kidding around with him for those 4 days.

Not long after that, I found out that Grandpa had been attending church with Grandma. What a shocker THAT was! AND, he wanted to get baptized! Praise the Lord! All of us, especially Grandma, had been praying for many years for the day that he would turn his life around. So, without much delay...as we knew the end could be soon...he was baptized in a small ceremony with just family and a few friends from church. It was amazing! What's even more amazing is that his baptism only occurred 1 month ago. And now he's singing with the angels in heaven.

Grandpa's Baptism 2-8-09

Farewell Grandpa Henry, I'll see you in a few years (hopefully 50-60!).

Growing Up

Soren has been adjusting well to his new bed. He is so compliant and reasonable! In fact, he doesn't even get out of bed in the morning, or after nap, he just stays there and waits for me (or somebody) to come and get him. He doesn't cry/whine/beg...he just lays there and talks to himself. The only issue we've had so far happened on the second night. He fell out of his bed onto a bunch of toys...ouch! This is fairly hard to do, seeing as he has 2 bed-rails (one on each side). He managed to actually fall off the end of the bed. Poor guy. Both of my kids are very active sleepers and like to move around a lot...Synnove especially. They will probably both have bed-rails till they are in their teens =)

Soren's newest interest has been shaving. Sometimes Adam shaves in the evening so he doesn't have to do it in the morning, and Soren is fascinated by it. So, there have been a couple of nights that Adam has allowed him to shave too. Hopefully, he'll never get the urge to do it himself with Adam's real razor! I'm so thankful he's still 2 and not 15...when real shaving happens.



Synnove has been doing some growing up as well. Recently, she has re-mastered the art of not wetting the bed at night! It has been almost 1 full year! She started wetting the bed in the week before we moved here...that was 1 year ago this month. I never expected her adjustment to last this long...see story on bed-wetting from November. Unfortunately, that stint of dryness only lasted a few days, but it was an encouraging start. Since then, her bouts of dryness continued to get longer and more frequent. I thought that she was "cured" until she got the croup and started up again. That lasted for the 3 days she had the croup and hasn't been back since! Hooray!!

ANYway, For the last 6+ months, she has been begging for me to put together a toy that's been sitting in a box since Christmas 2 years ago. At the time she got it, she was too young for it, so I didn't bother to take it out...and fortunately, she never asked about it. It lived in the garage at the old house. I didn't want to forget that we had it when we moved, so instead of putting it in a storage room, I put the box in her room. She's been old enough for it for a little while now, but I told her last summer that she had to be a big girl and wake up dry for many nights before she could have it. She was quite OK with that arrangement...and even though she still asked about it, she knew what she had to do to get it. So, when we finally rid of the pull-ups/diapers she asked about it again, and I told her that she had to stay dry in her underwear for one whole week. She succeeded and we put it together on Friday.



The toy is a Spark Art Easel made by Fisher-Price. When I saw all the pieces, I was almost frightened to put it together. There were no crayons involved...only markers. Markers make messes! And these markers don't seem to be washable. They are the ONLY markers that can be used with the easel...not even regular dry-erase markers are allowed. It's disappointing that Fisher-Price would make such a toy...but they did. So far, we haven't had any big problems. She did get marker on my new slipcover (didn't come out very well), and Soren managed to get some on my new ottoman upstairs...but I think I got it all out. Currently, the easel lives in Synnove's room. Her carpet needs replacing anyway, and if she gets it on the walls I can just paint over it. From what I read online, I can't even have the markers in the kitchen cause the stuff just doesn't come off of ANY surface!!! On a brighter note, this easel is pretty amazing and fun. I'm glad I waited till she was 4, because in order to get the full use of the toy, your child needs to know what they are doing (how to use it). Hopefully, the markers have a short life so I don't have to worry about Soren destroying the house =)

My "Sweet Guy"

It's hard not to love my little Soren-Boy. He's sweet, thoughtful, articulate, cuddly, and cute. I always wanted a brood of boys because I knew that boys always had a soft spot for their mothers. And what they say is true. 

So far, raising Soren has been a bit of a breeze. He has a very calm demeanor and his thought process is very intricate. From the time he spoke his first word, he has made a point to build his vocabulary with perfect pronunciation. I must say, he is well versed in the English language and speaks in full, grammatically correct sentences. For instance, when he burps and you tell him, "say excuse me" he'll say, "excuse you" like he's excusing me. And when Synnove burps and you say to her, "say excuse me" she'll say "excuse me" and then Soren pipes up all mad and says to Synnove, "NO, say excuse mommy!!" LOL! He has the ability to build on, and refer to prior knowledge; and make connections that some 5-year-olds have trouble with. I know I'm a bit biased, but I truly think that Soren is an exceptional little boy.

I remember being a first-time mother, trying to figure out what my child needed by verbal cues or my unfounded telepathic powers. This would drive me crazy, as I am a personality that likes to be in control of my environment by using practical knowledge and skill. Well, sometimes, being a mom is more "magical" than practical, and I'm no magician! Anyway, when Soren came along, I found that caring for him was so straightforward. Maybe it was because I had already done it once before, but I believe it's because boys are just so different. He began talking quite well at around 1, and the rest is history. I suppose, with Synnove, there's so much more drama. Because he's a no-drama kinda guy, Soren's verbal cues are much easier to read.

Recently, Soren has concluded that he hates a wet diaper. In the last few weeks, he makes it a point to announce..."I peed!"...or even "I pee!" and then whines until his diaper is changed. Obviously, this is a sign that Soren is nearing the potty training stage.

A big part of becoming potty trained is having the ability to make it to the toilet when needed. Therefore, I'm a big fan of the big-kid bed. That way it's their responsibility to make it to the toilet in the morning...not mine. So, a couple of weeks ago I finally broke down and bought him a mattress. And, because Adam was making a big order to Cabela's and got a free shipping deal, he went ahead and purchased his bedding. I had already had his bedding picked out a few months ago and was just waiting for some money to magically fall from the sky so I could buy it. It didn't fall from the sky, but came from deep, deep, DEEP down in my pocket. The bedding finally arrived on Monday, so I spent yesterday morning putting his new big-boy bed together. I could tell that Soren was very excited, but I left his crib up...just in case. He said..."I love my new bed mommy" and my heart turned to mush. When nap time came around, he happily hopped into his new bed without a fuss and fell asleep within 10 minutes. Synnove, for varying legitimate reasons, had very difficult time adjusting to her bed. So, when Soren went down for his nap without a hitch, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. However, I honestly didn't expect any different from my sweet little man.

When Adam came home, I had him deconstruct part of Soren's built-in desk to make room for a different furniture arrangement. In that time, I also wanted to take down the crib. Part of me knew that I should leave it up for a few nights...but I just wanted it out of the way. I asked Soren several times, and in several ways where he wanted to sleep that night...in his bed or in his crib. I wanted to make sure that he understood that when he said he wanted to sleep in his big bed that I was going to put his crib away. He agreed and even helped with the disassembly.

When bedtime came around, he got in his bed...but not so excited this time. We discussed how big he was and how it was so great, blah, blah, blah. He agreed and gave me lots of smiles. It wasn't until after saying our prayers that he quietly and sadly said..."I want to sweep in my crib." At that moment, I honestly considered putting that crib back together to turn his puppy-dog face into happiness. But instead, I assured him that it was going to be OK and that he had all his animals, a sippy cup of water, and that I would leave his door wide open. I left and came back 3 minutes later to find him slowly crawling out of bed. This was not him being defiant. Rather, he was afraid and trying not to be. I put him back to bed, reassured him, and stood quietly by his door away from view to make sure he stayed. He did, so I went upstairs, only to glue the baby monitor to my ear for the next 20 minutes. He mumbled a few whines and played with his animals until I eventually heard deep breathing. He slept all the way through, and, for the first time in his life, I didn't have to come get him out of bed in the morning. He did it! And we snuggled and dosed in my bed, just like we do every morning. He hugs my arm like a teddy bear, kisses my hand, and cuddles right next to my body. When he gets restless and begins climbing all over me, playing with my hair and tickling my lips I'll tell him kindly to stop, he says..."but I like you mommy!" Awe...he's so my little "Sweet Guy"...as I so fondly call him.

A pic from Synnove's 3rd picture spree. She's getting better, but I need to hide my camera from now on!

1st night in his big-boy bed.

Giving Charlie kisses.

Month 2 Was a Complete Loss...Oh Well...

The diet and exercise have been put on the back burner for a while. This ALWAYS happens to me. I get off to a great start and then I get sick. I'm now working on my second cold in the last month. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that my family has been sick for a month. I'm praying that I'm the last to get the latest cold. I had been fighting it quite well with Zicam for several days and I thought I had escaped it completely. Zicam really works. I started trying it out about 7 years ago when I was working as a preschool teacher, and I've prevented many colds! This time I tapered off too soon and the cold finally caught me. It isn't as bad as the last one...but still a bother.

It's a disappointment, as I was actually feeling quite motivated to start up full speed ahead this week. I was feeling pretty down because I knew that I HAD to have gained a small chunk of the weight back since I've been slacking for the last 3 weeks. I bit my lip and got on the scale on Sunday to see the damage. My mouth dropped as I looked at the number....NO damage!!! I guess that's the benefit of healthy weight loss =)

SYNNOVE ELISE!!!

Before I begin, I'd like to preface that Synnove has been working on learning how to think before she acts. I have said to her many many times..."Synnove, when you are doing something, or you want to do something, you need to think in your head, 'would mommy or daddy think that it's ok for me to do this?' and if the answer is 'no' then you need to tell yourself to stop. If the answer is 'I don't know,' then you need to come ask mommy or daddy if it's ok first before you do it." It's hard raising this head-strong 4-year-old, so this is the book I'm reading...


With that said...

It all started on Thursday, the morning we woke with snow. Synnove wanted to go outside in the morning, but Soren wasn't feeling well and I had some business to deal with on the phone/computer. I told her we would go out, but that she needed to wait a bit. A bit later, I'm downstairs and I hear the doorbell ring several times (it's like 9AM). I knew it was one of the kids and was NOT happy that they had decided to venture outside on their own without telling me. I open the door to see Synnove in her footie jammies and her snow pants/boots. Frantic, I ask where Soren is, and she tells me..."out here somewhere..." My heart skips a beat, but am soon relieved to see that Soren was still inside. I give Synnove a good "talking to" and dress Soren up for the cold. I had been interrupted and was still in the middle of doing something, so I told the kids that I would be out in a few minutes. Letting them outside on their own is something I've done for quite some time, as they have proven themselves to stay within the invisible boundaries.

Ten or so minutes later, I venture outside. It's a beautiful day, there's snow on the ground, and there's not a sound in the air. No sound at all...none...nill...nada. I'm not panicking yet, but am yelling around the property for Synnove. No response. I look towards the field and see two sleds and two abandoned snow coats. My heart begins to pound. By now, I'm running around and screaming Synnove's name. Silence. I begin to think the worst, but convince myself that no bear or mountain lion would be roaming in such broad daylight...or would they?? Finally, I hear a faint voice and realize that at least one of the kids is down by the little stream. This stream is down a very long and fairly steep bank off the side of our property. Synnove has NEVER gone down there alone, and knows she isn't allowed. By now, I'm shaking and almost in tears, but greatly relieved. Without hesitation, I begin to make my way down. I can't see the kids yet, but at least I can hear them. Synnove isn't phased as I grab her arms and begin to frantically explain how terrified I was and how terribly WRONG she was do go down there...etc. Soren was near tears and telling me how cold he was. He was actually across the small creek and it was interesting trying to get him over the awkward path. I had already ordered Synnove to make her way to the house while I gathered up Soren. We went inside and didn't play outdoors for the rest of the day.

Earlier that morning, I had told the kids that Soren's room was off limits for the day. I had the humidifier set up next to his bed from the night before, didn't want to move it, and didn't want the kids tempted to touch it. The humidifier has been in either Synnove's or Soren's room for the last month as they have been trading sickness back and forth and have not had a problem touching it in the past...however, I didn't want to take the chance since the set-up in Soren's room was more accessible and elaborate. Anyway, I did catch them in there standing on TOP of Soren's built-in desk sometime later. I ordered them down, reminded them they weren't to be in there, and shut the door as best I could (his door doesn't shut).

The day went on, the kids freaked the poo out of me (creek story), I cleaned the house, Adam came home, blah, blah, blah. Bedtime came around and I walked into Soren's room to find that the entire contents of the humidifier (proly 3/4 gallon of water) had been dumped on the carpet. We found out that Synnove knew all about it and practically laughed in our faces. UNbelievable!! Adam "dealt" with her while I soaked two full bath towels with the water from the carpet and gave Soren a lecture on how he needed to make sure to tell Synnove "no" if she ever tried to get him to do something that he knew was wrong and to come tell mommy. That would have been the second time he'd heard that lecture that day.

As if the events of Thursday weren't enough...wait till you hear about Saturday...

On Saturday, we were set to leave in the morning to help Adam's mom move some things from her place to ours...as she is moving to Seattle to care for her parents and needs a place to store some excess. It was about 15 minutes before we were to leave. I was finishing getting dressed, Adam was gathering tie-downs and tarps outside, and the kids were ready and playing downstairs till we were to leave. Each of the kids has a separate baby monitor in their rooms so I can usually hear whatever is going on downstairs. It sounded like they were in Synnove's room playing some sort of game. Synnove kept saying "let's do purple" or "let's do orange" and saying "HIDE!!" whenever Adam opened the front door. I was trying to hurry and get ready, so I didn't check on them right away...but then my suspicions got the better of me. I make my way down to her room to find her door shut. I open it in complete HORROR!! At first I didn't know what I was even looking at. There was some sort of purple goo all over the carpet, sheets, their clothes, hair, etc. Soren's head was the worst...it was completely covered in it! Two seconds later I realize that they had gotten into my craft drawers in the utility room and grabbed craft glue (orange cap), and purple fabric paint. Again, this is something they have NEVER done before (getting into my craft drawers)! And, of course, Synnove was the instigator, as Soren doesn't even know how to open a door and couldn't even get into the utility room if he wanted to.

I was beyond words. No amount of me yelling, lecturing, etc. was ever going to make a dent in this disciplinary act of parenting after the lack of Synnove's remorse from Thursday's incidents, AND the fact that, despite the look on my face...Synnove, again, was laughing without the fear of the inevitable pain that was going to be on her backside.

Without hesitation, I went out the front door to yell at Adam to come and take care of Synnove (and Soren too). I had informed him that he had better be ticked off and ready to be firm...as he has a tendency to be a softie. Synnove knows that when daddy is the one dishing out the discipline, then she must be in some pretty serious business! Anyway, Adam and I both made it clear to them that what they did was...well, not good. I really wanted to take a picture of the kids before their bath, but didn't want to condone their bad behavior by making a humorous spectacle of them. Instead, I took pictures of their spoils everywhere else (see below).

We made it out the door relatively on time despite the delay. The kids behaved well during the long day of packing and driving. We didn't expect anything less from them, especially since their morning was so...so...something...I can't think of a good word for it. The truck was jam-packed in back, as well as in the cab. By about 3:30 we were on our way home. Grandma Patty had given them some things to take home, as well as some sidewalk chalk that they played with while we loaded the truck. Synnove had several things to keep her occupied, and it wasn't until we got home and I took her out of her seat that I realized what she had done. She had taken pink sidewalk chalk to her face, the window, side panel, and a brand new white lampshade (one of the things were were taking home from the move). SYNNOVE ELISE!!!! Let's just leave it at that.

Their clothes just after the fabric paint incident (of course they were wearing non-play-clothes)

This isn't a very good portrayal of the carpet, but her carpet is stuck this way until it gets replaced someday. Fortunately, the carpet in her room is already trashed. They also ruined Synnove's bed skirt and filled the play shopping cart (right) full of purple as well.

You can see the two tools of destruction on the right.

This is what I found in the utility room. I don't know HOW they found the craft glue as it would have been buried in my large scrapbooking cart. The fabric paint is something I forgot I even had. It was stashed in a drawer, in a white bag. They would have had to do some digging to find it.

Below is what was left AFTER I washed everything. They not only ruined their clothes and Synnove's sheets, but they also ruined MY favorite baby blanket...made by my Aunt Cindi 28 years ago. Needless to say, Saturday was a sad day in the Brown House.