And the winner is.............

Silas Jennings!!

He stole the show. He didn't miss a word. Speaking of words, here are the words to the song, sang to the tune of Camp Grenada:

Hello Mudda. Hello Faddu.
Here I am at - kindergarten
think I’ll stay here
Since you live near
You can come and visit now and then thru the year

We have gerbils, guinea pigs
And I think I - have an ear wig
But at least it - isn’t head lice
You will like my haircut it looks really nice

We have zest quest. Art and PE
And on T days, we eat ice cream
I hate rest time
I love recess
And I think my teachers are the very best

Don’t you worry
Bout what I eat
Cause the Caf food, can’t be beat.
Hot Dogs burgers, quesadillas
and of course on every Friday we eat Pizza

Tigerville you are so awesome
Tigerville you watch us blossom
Everyday we play and learn good stuff
WE just can’t get enough
x2

Wait a second, I hear Miss Duncan
She is calling all the munchkins
Guess I’ll see you in the car line
We can just come back tomorrow it will be fine.



I am trying to figure out how to get the video on the computer. If and when I do, I'll post it.

Better

I think I'm almost totally better from the dreaded Strep Throat disease. My friend Stacy and her son Gage have had in Bismarck this week. I guess we gave it to them via the internet! It has been ROUGH. I hope we are done with this sickness.

Tonight Silas is singing in his school's talent show. I am VERY excited. He's going to do so good. Sadly I am the only one who will be there for him. Jody has a prior commitment with the college students that he couldn't get out of. My parents are going to be in Virginia. I got a sitter for the other kids. Oh well. I'm going to video it. Then I'll attempt to post it.

Strep Throat #2

Multiple Choice:
Who has strep throat in the Jennings family now?

a)Jody
b)Emily
c)Silas
d) Hattie
e)Luke
f) Millie

(Wow, that's a lot of choices!!)

If you guessed Emily you are correct. I guess I caught it from Silas who had it a couple weeks ago. Millie can't get it, thankfully. I am really praying I'm the only one. If Jody gets it...well, I think we've posted about sick men before. Hopefully Hattie and Luke can avoid it too?!

All I know is I forgot how utterly painful Strep Throat is!!!

Venting

Here is my latest drama...

With 4 kids I really hate taking them to the doctor. Its hard enough with just one kid in the office, you know? But for well checks I'd like to knock them out at least 2 at a time. The pediatrician we've been seeing said they do "doubles" at 8am and 2pm. Neither of those choices are my preferred times of the day. Its just hard to get out the door no matter what time it is, but getting somewhere by 8am is too early. And 2 pm is naptime! Well I chose 8am.

Its 20miles to this doctor, so that would be leaving no later than 7:30. Its friday so Hattie and Silas have school. Jody said he'd take them. We got in the car at like 7:27. I chose the hospital on my GPS and headed out. At first I thought the GPS was taking me a new secret way to doctors. Then I panicked. I called my mom and she said I must be headed to the other hospital by the same name. WHO knew?? Not me!

I redirected myself and was going to be just a few minutes late. Then (I know I am prone to exaggeration, but this is the TRUTH) I hit EVERY single red light.

We walked in the door at 815 and the receptionist said they would only see one. Luke or Millie. I held in my tears and tried to be brave. I chose Luke.

I asked the receptionist if I could have anyother appointment that morning. No.

Luke did GREAT. Amazing. No problems. 2 shots, one finger prick. He wore his Super Lukey cape and cowboy hat. He was so good, so sweet. I have issues with well checks anyway. When I know my kids are fine and healthy, what is the point of paying for the doctor to tell me that? Do I have any questions? No thank you. He's my third kid, I think I know whats going on now.

I asked the nurse if Millie could just get her shots. No.

We checked out and I asked again if there were any appointments open today. No.

I felt like all these people were being so rude. I know I was late. I used to be very punctual before I had kids. I know we have to respect appointment times. But where is the grace and sympathy at all??

I really do like the doctor I see there, but I feel like the practice is so impersonal and uncaring. Again, I really understand that I was late. I know that I chose to have 4 kids. I don't expect special treatment EVERYTIME. But why couldn't I find some today??

I decided that I need a doctor that is closer. Maybe a smaller practice. I've asked a few people today and I have a couple options. Millie will be trying out option #1 next week.

Silas and birds Part 2

This is not a part of the topic of this post. But we had crazy hair night at AWANA on Sunday. My kids were very proud of their purple and silver sparkled hair. I'm glad the pic cut off at the right part!

Click HERE to read about Silas and the birds part one.

I don't know what it is with him, but he LOVE animals, dead or alive. I think he just loves being close to them and looking at them.

Today some girls for the college came over and there was a bird stuck in the grill of the car they drove over. They were calling this guy to come get it out and I told them that Silas would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get it out. Sure enough, it made his day. He didn't care that it was dead. He was studying this little bird. He put it in a jar to show daddy when he got home. Hattie Ruth wanted to know what he was going to name it. Luke did not want to touch it.

Pretty funny. (I by the way LOATH birds. I felt sick to my stomach during the whole thing)

One of thos weeks

The kids have been sick and we've been in the house pretty much all week so I am using that as my excuse as to what happened yesterday.

I left in plenty of time, with Millie, to pick up Luke and Hattie from school and go to Target before that. My friend had told me they were marking down excess toys. They also marked down tons of clothes. So, I'm shopping with Millie. Filling my cart with birthday presents for Silas, Hattie, and random birthday party presents. Then I hit the clothes. It was WONDERFUL. 75% off of stuff...sweatshirts for 94 cents...

I looked at my phone to see what time it was and thought, I'd better get in line. Then my phone rang. It was the preschool director asking if I was coming to pick up my kids. I asked what time it was...2:10. I felt SICK, at that second I remembered that I was supposed get them at 2:00!!!! The Target lady told me they won't hold clearance items. So I parked the cart in the midst of ladies socks and ran to my car. I got there at like 2:23, apologized profusely (without explaining I had been shopping).

I felt so bad!! I forgot my kids AND wasn't going to get my cart full of stuff! I called Jody, all frazzled...I was going to be late to get Silas. Jody said to get Hattie and Luke and go back to Target and he'd get Silas for me at 2:30.

Great plan.

I got back to Target and found my cart untouched. Yay!! I kept shopping. Then at 3:30 Silas's school called asking if anyone was coming to pick him up. What?! I called Jody and he had let the time slip away.

I couldn't believe it!! What in the world happened to us?

It really messed up the rest of my day. Guilt just plagued me. I know it was a mistake, but I felt like such a bad mom.

The only redeeming factor was that we ate supper at the college and they had my FAVORITE icecream - Hersheys Chocolate Peanutbutter cup! I felt a little better after that.

SO I kept shopping.

What does this say?

Does this say Hattie or hottie??

How funny is that? My mother-in-law gave this to Hattie for Christmas. My brother-in-law was the first to realize, its not a custom name plate, it says HOTTIE! We cracked up!!!

Since it was with others that said sexy, cutie, etc, I know it says Hottie, but since our daughter's name is Hattie, I'm going with Hattie!

Growing Girl

Isn't is just crazy how fast babies grow? Millie is 2 months old now! Still so cute and so sweet. She LOVES her siblings...which is a great thing because they still can't leave her alone.

Strep Throat

When Silas said he wasn't feeling good Sunday night before church, being the sympathetic person that I am, I told him he was fine, it was just allergies.

Then at like 2am he woke up with a high fever. Monday he was pretty pitiful. Sore throat, headache and an "itchy armpit". Today the armpit redness (which I thought was from itching it all day) had turned into a full body rash. I took him to the doctor and he has Strep Throat.

My mom graciously took the other 3 for me while I took Silas to the doctor. She bought some Popsicles per my request. As they were waiting for me and Silas she gave one to Luke and one to Hattie.

By the time we got home, Luke was red from the popsicle. His hands, his thighs, his carseat! Oh well.

I have decided that one of my talents is sleeping and getting my kids to sleep. HA! Silly I know, but I'd say its one of my core values...Jody likes talking about core values. Today I had ALL 4 asleep at the same time. Silas isn't usually here during nap time and if he is he doesn't sleep. But since he's sick, he did. It was NICE!

Then when they all got up, Hattie had a fever. I hope she doesn't have Strep, although I know its possible. Then Luke will have it. However, the doctor said the baby won't get it. Usually strep starts in children 18months and older. That's a relief.

Tomorrow Silas will still stay home, so I won't go to my Bible study. I hope he feels better though. And I really hope no one else gets worse. He will go to school Thursday if he's feeling better. That will give him a one day school week because Friday is a teacher work day.

Its going around...hope you all are fairing better at your house!

Moving on Up

We live in a little town. All that in the town is the university, elementary school, post office and a hole in the wall restaurant. Well this week that all changed! A small branch of a bank and Einstein Bros Bagels opened up. Whew...we are BIG TIME now. I am very excited!! Come visit and I'll buy you a bagel.

A Spoon Full of Sugar

You know that song? Its from Mary Poppins. Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down...in the most delightful way...

Well, my mother-in-law bought this cool broom for me. I have to say, at least right now, it makes sweeping a little more enjoyable.

Potty Training Again

Silas was potty trained very early. (Granted he still wets the bed EVERY SINGLE night. The doctor told me that because he's such a sound sleeper his body doesn't produce whatever hormone it is that slows down urine production in other people. ) We lived in Uganda and he ran around like everyother Ugandan toddler...naked. I guess that's why he potty trained so easily. I think he was done with daytime diapers by 19months or so.

Hattie was easy too. I think she just loved to dress herself and she wanted to wear panties. And she loved to sit on her little potty while Silas sat on the other one. She was about 20 months.

Luke is a different story. He was 2 August 31st. He at first was terrified of the potty. More recently he will sit on the potty but not do anything. Then the last few weeks he will say, "I'm peeing a little bit right now, Mom." or "Don't come over here, I'm pooping in my diaper." Oh, and when I take his diaper off he wants another one on immediately. So, I think its time to work on this.

Today I decided he was not going to wear a diaper while we were home. He did pretty good. Until at one point I told him to go sit on the potty and he just started peeing on the carpet...while I was stuck on the couch nursing Millie.

Can you picture it? Can you hear me? SCREAMING - Stop, stop, stop. Then poor Millie starts crying because I scared her. Then Luke starts crying because he thinks he's in trouble. Ok, now its kind of funny.

I got him new Lightening McQueen undies...who cares? I bought some Diego Pullups...no big deal. He is just different from Hattie and Silas. And that is fine. I love that he's different. He's so funny. So, I can be patient as he is figuring out this potty training thing.

Oh well. We'll keep trying.

Ears Pierced

Alright, I KNOW that some of you think this is horrible. That's fine. I LOVE IT! I love a baby girl with pierced ears!

When we were expecting Silas, we were expecting a girl. My only disappointment was that I wouldn't get to pierce "her" ears. When Hattie Ruth was born, I wasted NO time...Jody and I took her when she was 8 days old to get her ears pierced. We were in Nairobi at the time and I found an Indian woman who owned a salon who pierced them.

Now here is Millie Grace and I could find NO ONE to pierce her little ears. The dr's office would do it at 6 months (although he told me it was fine to have them pierced at any time). JC Penny's salon and several others we called said they'd do it at 3 months. I got a little closer at Piercing Pagoda...2 months. I said she's almost 7 weeks....please??? NO.

Then as we were leaving this mall today (we were on our way home from visiting Jody's family in GA) I saw a jewelry shop with a sign that said they pierced ears. I poked my head in and saw an Indian woman. What luck! She said of course she would pierce the baby's ears!! YEAH!

Millie was totally a champ, of course! She cried just as the earring went in. But when I comforted her she stopped and hasn't cried since. And I just love the way her little earring look.