Oh where, oh where, oh where?

We spent two hours looking for my keys yesterday. We pretty much turned it upside down, looking.

The problem is, after exhausting all places that I would have put them, I have to put myself in the place of a one year old. And a three year old. And a four year old. And then we about have all the options covered.

This is why I moved the stove. Found a Melissa and Doug piece that had been missing and bugging me for months. Found a headband in Blaine’s lunch box. You know, in case Daddy needs to pull his hair back at work. Found a weather chart that one dear child failed to tell me was missing for her math. Found my missing chapstick.

All I knew about my keys was that I’d given them to Ruby and told her to put them in my purse. Big mistake.

After two hours, having searched the house, the garage, the basement, the shop, and the van multiple times, I found them. Ruby had climbed onto the step stool and put them into my old purse. The one I don’t use when I have babies in diapers because it’s too small to be helpful. (That’s been a year and a half now. So why is that purse even still on the coatrack???) Then, for added safety, someone hung a coat over said purse.

When I found them, she started giggling and remembered what she had done. Now if only she could remember without the visual reminder when I’m pulling them out of their hiding place.

Worth it?

I worked and cooked for several hours to produce one awesome pan of lasagna tonight. It's a lot of work, but fun to spend some extra energy to make a nice meal once in a while. Everything I make is from scratch, but we eat a lot of stir fry or meat and potatoes. Quick, easy, cheap.

Turns out, quick, easy, and cheap is preferred by my dear middle children who have extremely sophisticated taste buds.

How you can eat peanut butter sandwiches, tortillas with only miracle whip, and hot dogs with relish but turn your nose up at 5-cheese lasagna is beyond me. When Sterling, trained to be polite, told me the meal was good with his nose scrunched up, I told him you cannot say a meal is good while frowning. It's either good or it isn't. He, in all seriousness, replied, "It isn't."

So glad I worked so hard. I threw out there that those finishing their food would get ice cream. Suddenly, Sterling's food looked a whole lot better.

Ruby opted for no ice cream. I cannot win them all.

Brothers.

*Sterling picked out a new sun hat yesterday. Momma cringed and went with it. I do love hats… but I’m not so certain I love that hat. Pierce’s sun hat is leftover from years past… when I got to pick out the one that I liked – but Pierce rather likes his pj’s.

Dear Daddy,

We’re cold. It’s 63 degrees in the house, Momma refuses to put a fire in the stove and says to put more clothes on. Ruby’s version of more clothes:

A t-shirt, a fleece, a tank top over the fleece, sweat pants, and pajama pants over the sweat pants. Oh yea, and flip flops.

Problem solved.

Come home soon.

Love,

the kids

One classy girl.

I love hats. I wish I looked better in them, but I love them just the same. Eden’s in the same boat. I’m not certain if it’s just to please me – she swears it isn’t – or if she truly loves them as much as I do, but she wears them often.

Yesterday, we found this one. While I had been looking for a hat for me, (Without success. $32 for a sun hat?!) I found a hat that screamed ‘Eden’. Judging from the comments she got in the stores after we got it, it’s as classy as I thought.

Too fun. Now if I just had a smaller head. Little girl’s hats are significantly more reasonably priced than those in the ladies section!

Brought to you by Eden Rayne.

Eden saw something with a “Since 1942.” label on it.

“Momma, were you alive in 1942?”

“Nope.”

“Wow, that really was a long time ago!”

Blaine is out of town for work tonight and Eden asked why he wasn’t coming home. I explained the whole working thing and got an incredulous,

“So he’s staying in a motel in town?”

“Yes. No. Motel, yes. Our town, no. Farther away.”

Eden’s on a roll today. But she did pick out a super cute hat today. I’ll get a photo tomorrow. She was so excited about it she wanted to sleep in it.

Dearest Pierce,

We all know you’re a crank. Since day one, you have let the world know of your displeasure, loud and often. We all ignore it to some extent, cater to it to some extent, and look forward to the day that you decide we didn’t do you such the disservice as you seem to think we did.

But when your three year old sister asks what your problem is, you know it’s bad. She’s heard your cries for the last five months with barely a notice. Today, though, she asked why you are so cranky.

Today was worse. I didn’t even know that was possible.

You’d better be getting teeth. Or maybe it’s growing pains. No diaper pins are sticking you, your belly is full and your diaper is dry. You’ve napped and are headed that way again because I’m out of ideas. In the meantime, it’s a good thing we love you, screams and all. Feel free to cheer up though. My nerves are wearing thin.

Love,

Momma