I think I'm back!

You know that Johnny Cash song, I've Been Everywhere?? I wish I could (or would???) make up my own Jennings' version to tell you about our summer! But we are HOME.

We've driven with the kids to Delaware (Rhehoabeth Beach)and back, Wilmington, NC and back, Roanoke/Salem, VA and back, Buchanan, MI and back and Charlotte and back (in one afternoon for Elijah's bday). We need to go to visit the family in Georgia (I KNOW!)...but I can't put the kids back in the car just yet, or myself for that matter. Although they are amazing travelers and we had a great time! Even with more frequent stops than we are used to because Luke is actually potty training!

Some of our highlights include:

• The Creation Museum - near Cincinatti
• Hanging out with extended family, great friends
  
• Fun at Family Camp
• The Beach (Hattie especially!)
• Camping in the pop-up

I think that is over 70 hours in the car! Who knows how many hours of Adventures in Odesseys, Movies, Travel Bingo, and sleeping...only God know how many times I said, "its time to BE QUIET NOW!!!"

I have TONS of good pictures to share, but the camera battery is dead right now. I have been unpacking today and yesterday, on top of trying to clean up and get other stuff put away and semi-organized.

I cannot believe:

• that school starts for Silas so soon
• Jody will be 32 on Monday.
  
• Millie Grace is pulling up to stand. (She looks TOO little to be able to do this)

More to come, I promise!

Mommy Needs

I was thinking about stuff I just can't live without these days. Here are some, please add to the list if you want to!

1. Coffee - it just helps me open my eyes better in the morning and be ready for the next wave in the afternoons. My favs right now are Montana Cherry mixed with plain old wonderful Dunkin Donuts in the morning and Cafe Bustelo in the afternoon...but I'm not really picky. I can't wait for the college kids to return so I can have some coffee company!
   
2. Shower - even though I HATE getting up early, I set my alarm and try to get up before the kids each morning so that I can take a shower and shave my legs and get dressed and put some makeup on. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and saying YEAH RIGHT. But it REALLY HELPS. If I don't do this, Jody leaves for work and I am lucky to get a bra on before the wild rumpus begins. Plus this way if I happen to pass a mirror or someone pops in, I don't scare myself or the visitor.
3. Adult Conversation - My 3 oldest could talk the paint off the walls. Ugh. It NEVER stops. They get it honest, I know. I love to talk. (So does Daddy!) But if I get towards the end of the day and I am just on edge, most of the time I can trace it to not having had a decent conversation with an adult.
4. Nap Time/Bed Time - If naptime doesn't go well, I am a goner. I will lose my mind. I cannot describe it, but if my kids are not well rested, its as if I see the brain cells evaporating out of their little heads as well as my own! I need some quiet to either read, click around on the computer or nap myself. If we are out and I know its past bedtime, call me uptight (because I am) but I cannot enjoy myself! Pitiful, I know.
5. Hugs and Kisses - My kids are really good kids. They travel well. They play nicely (most of the time) together. They make me laugh. But there are times when they drive me NUTS. They are messy. They talk too much and ask too many questions. They beg and demand. So, I've realized that in order to remind myself of how fortunate I am to be the mommy to these 4 little guys, I need to have regular hugs and kisses from each one of them. That's when they say the sweetest things too! Like:

Silas: You are the best mommy ever

Hattie: I love your earrings today, can I have them when I grow up.

Luke: I love how your neck is so long, mom.

Millie: slobber slobber smile.

Laundry

Really laundry is the bane of my existence.

If you do a load or two every day you ALWAYS have some to fold and put away. If you wait to do it all once a week, by the time you get to it, people in the family are out of clean underwear!

I actually don't mind separating, washing, switching it over...its the folding and putting away that kill me. I can't fold when the kids are awake. They are too much "help". And I can't fold them fast enough to get them out of the way. So I wait till they go to bed to fold and I'm tired...Jody helps...but its a lot! We bring it all upstairs, spread it all out putting them in little piles all over the floor and furniture and watch a movie or something. Then we put them in the laundry baskets. The girls in one, the boys in one, and Jody and I in one or sometimes different ones and the linens.

I HATE to admit this, but I loath putting the laundry back into the appropriate drawers so much there are many times that the baskets of clean, folded laundry sits in the rooms for days.

Jody and I folded clothes (that had been sitting in the baskets, clean for a while!!) last night. Today I decided I was going to put them away! (Well, the kids' at least, not mine. And I don't put Jody's away...I let him do that. ) Hattie decided she was going to help me. Millie Grace sat in the middle of the room and we went to work. Hattie was so helpful, really. This is not sarcastic. She even helped me with the boys clothes! When we were finished, Hattie said, "Mommy, I LOVE laundry!"

What?? How wonderful! I was thrilled!

Now, I have a few questions for you.

What is your laundry system?

Also what is your favorite choice of detergent? Do you care? Is it whatever is on sale or what you have a coupon for? Or are you brand loyal? I like All Free and CLear...I like clear for some reason. But I recently had a coupon for Tide and it was on sale and EVERYONE loves the smell and feel of the clothes. I thought that was funny.

Comic Relief

We had a great day. The kids have been getting along great and entertaining themselves well. But by the end of the day, you know, around supper time...its just HARD. I was craving some adult conversation. Or at least the cessation of little ones saying "mama, watch this" over and over. SO on the way to VBS we stuck in an audio book. Junie B Jones and the Little Monkey Business.

Let me say, she does say stupid and dumb excessively, in my opinion. We had a big talk about it. I told the kids that as soon as I hear those words come out of and little Jennings mouths, we would no longer listen to or read these books.

But man, I was laughing out loud. Its funny stuff! The kids were laughing, I was laughing...endorphins were released and we all felt better by the time we got to church.