The Mek Tribe

I am so sad. Last week, I discovered "Living With The Mek Tribe" on the travel channel and watched 3/4 of the day's marathon. Yesterday, I finished watching it and the season finale. And now, I have nothing. It was the most interesting show. I would be dead in 2 days, or at least dropped like a hot potato and ditched quickly because I would never make it and would be such a detriment to anyone who had to deal with me. What a hard life. Watching the show made my mission trips to Haiti seem like a vacation, although, I don't quite "live" completely the way the Haitians do when I go. However, it is still roughing it! Tribal life was such an amazing thing to watch and it is funny, even though we have "advanced" over centuries, our relationships are just as messed up and/or wonderful as an indigenous tribe of people's in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I hope they do a "reunion" show. Just joking. What a great show.

Camden turns 5 this week. I.can.not.believe.it.

The Elliott team

Camden has begun T-ball. For those who have seen 4-6 year olds play T-Ball, you know that it is a complete joke. Well, at least for those parents who don't think that their child's career is at stake anyway. Cam has had a few games, and he absolutely LOVES it! That said, poor baby is not a natural. He has the batting thing, running the bases thing down, but playing out in the field? Uh. No. It doesn't matter where he is playing, he chases the ball while it is in motion. Or, if he is playing a base, and there happens to be a coach standing close to tell him to stay by the bag, he stands on it and puts his hand out like he is directing traffic to tell the runner to stop. His birthday is next week and we are seriously getting him a video game thingy(that is daddy territory) with a baseball game, so that he can see and learn the rules better. The boy is freaky about rules, so hopefully this will help. We try and explain at home, but there isn't enough people for him to get the gist of it all, so we just practice catching, fielding grounders, batting, and that type of thing. Now, I say that we aren't parents who think that our kids will live,eat, sleep the sport at 5 years old, but it is hard to watch your kid shooting imaginary spider webs and having imaginary conversations with his glove without yelling out his name to pay attention once in awhile. And can we pee while we are in the dugout waiting to bat or does it have to be out on the field, where EVERYONE gets to hear about it? Of course, he isn't the only one, but definitely one that you can count on for entertainment EVERY TIME. Just like I am sure his violin teacher refers to him as the kid who farts every lesson when she talks about her day. It is only 30 minutes for crying out loud, can you hold it please?! Does anyone know what age children begin to be embarrassed about everything, 'cause I'm waiting! I am learning, though. I don't cringe as much as I used to.

And a Brodan story? About a month ago we passed a lady coming out of the restroom at HEB(because we always have to go check out every bathroom) who smiled at the kids. Unfortunately, she was missing a couple of teeth. So Brodan, in his very loud bellowy voice, screams, while pointing, "hers don't have her teef, Mama!" and again, "hers don't have her teef!" She stopped smiling.

Piper hasn't done anything embarrassing yet, except pitch fits, and give go to hell looks to strangers who try to smile and talk to her. She can't help it, she's 2 and her face is either hot or cold, smiling or eat my shorts.

Ahh, kids. I am so glad that we are ripping the band-aid off, so to speak. It is a very challenging time right now with everyone home and these ages, but definitely entertaining. People who homeschool are saints.

Sleeping Angels and zoo animals

We went to the zoo in Waco yesterday because it was 91 DEGREES HERE!!!In the middle of February! What is up with that? And do you know that today, the high will be 66 degrees. You can't rotate winter and summer clothes here because every day, you have no idea. And since the boys share a closet, this can be an issue. I don't know what we'll do when they get bigger. Jeez.

Pretty in pink



Overtaking our bed



At the Zoo

BIG GIRL!

We are in big girl panties and in a big girl bed! The panties are still iffy(we aren't public-pantying just yet), but we are going #2 in the potty now and have an accident with #1 only here and there, so we have made great strides! We converted her crib last week and she has done wonderfully in it. All 3 made the switch very easily and I have to give myself some credit. I was kind of the sleep nazi. Once you were put into your bed, I don't come back, no matter what. Dr Weissbluth of Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child(might be the other way around) was my go-to guy. That book really works, but you gotta be tough. It takes about 3 days of crying it out(yes, it's that method), but after that, it was over. Now, Piper took about a week, but that is certainly understandable with all the upheaveal when she got here. And so, when they all transferred into the big bed, they didn't expect anything otherwise. And just so you know, they all still loved me the next morning after the 3 rough days. Sleep training really works!

Piper and I have made some HUGE strides. There is an occasional defiance, but she has seemed to finally figured out that I am Mom, and Mom makes the rules. We are working on her walking into a place on her own, right now. She wants to be carried into places that aren't familiar, and sometimes I can't do that, so she does the limp-noodle thing, which makes me see red, but it is a work in progress. I have figured out that we get through it eventually. It was pooping in the potty, it has been yelling "No!" at me when she doesn't get her way, it has been swatting with her hand, and so forth. And we have gotten pretty much past them all, with only occasional slips now and then. SO. That means I need to relax, and be persistent and consistent and know that this, too, shall pass. I still need to remind myself of that but I am getting there, and so is she.

The past 2 weeks have been really good and we seem to have gotten over the wall we had hit that had me doubting so many things and in so many ways that I couldn't even bring myself to post about them, because sometimes they weren't nice or could have discouraged those who are in the process. But let me tell you, thank God for my friend Becky who has been dealing with the same stuff. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have someone else to vent to or who could understand. My husband understood, but I needed to know that it wasn't just us, that we were out of whack. While a lot of us, once we get our children home, may drift off and out of blogland, doing it before and during can be very vital. You can make some really great friends. Some of which may be vital to your mental health :) ! So if you have your older kids home and struggle, keep the faith, keep praying, and stay consistent and persistent...they get it eventually!


GOOD MORNING HAIR