We Interrupt This Silence...

To talk about the fascinating subject of...

(Drumroll, please...)

Dentistry!  Well, maybe not the whole field of dentistry, but just the parts of it that set off me off in an hysterical crying jag when I was on the phone with my sister yesterday morning.

It all stemmed from the kids having their 6-month cleaning yesterday morning.  I was being a Good Mommy, so I asked for the first appointment in the morning, so the kids wouldn't have to miss any more school than was strictly necessary.  (Promptly negated by the fact we let Cheyenne go with Daddy this week to hang out with Grandma and see the house Daddy's building, so she missed school AND her dentist appointment.)  This early appointment necessitated leaving the house with all three kids in tow at a ridiculously early hour.  (We are NOT mentioning the hour, because I don't need farmers and construction workers hooting at my definition of "early hour").  Marilla was still sleeping up until the last minute, so I gave her a bag of dry Cheerios and a sippy cup of milk in the van for her breakfast, apologizing to the hygienist when we got there for the residual Cheerio crumbs.  Anyway, the kids were exemplary while getting their teeth clean, and I was keeping Lincoln quiet, so it was all a win.  Until the hygienist told me there were suspicious spots on Rilla's teeth.  When the dentist came in, he said they were cavities that were going to have to be filled.  My heart sunk.  Then, to really make me feel terrible about the state of my daughter's teeth, he asked how old Rilla was... then whistled at her diminutive size.  Okay, no mother of a four year old has ever had a cavity before.  Then the hygienist started an earnest little lecture about how these are the MOST IMPORTANT YEARS for a kid's teeth, and kids that get cavities young will have way more problems with cavities when they're older.  Then she told me part of the problem was letting Rilla eat Cheerios in the car, it is "much more healthy for them to eat while sitting at a table."  For the record, my kids eat at the table 99.99% of the time, it was only due to the Ridiculously Early Hour that Rilla ate breakfast on the run!  Then, the leading question... "Does she still use a sippy cup?"  Yup, guilty as charged.  I'm the weird mother who hates mopping up milk 3 times in the same meal.  Okay, that was contributing to the acid erosion on her front teeth, because apparently milk is something you only drink at meal times, never in between.  (And crackers are NEVER something you snack on.  Goodbye, preferred morning snack).  THEN, she mentioned Rilla's "black line staining" (something all my kids have had).  Thankfully, this sin could not be laid at my door, because the hygienist had just read that black line stains on the teeth may be connected to high iron levels.  However, the lack of parental flossing was certainly directly attributable to me.  Maybe I should buy her an electric toothbrush?  I already had.  Well, in that case, it was dangerous for kids to use them unsupervised, as they require a different kind of brushing action, and it can hurt kids' gums if used improperly.  Oh, great, there's even a learning curve for the incredibly boring task of brushing 4 children's teeth twice a day!  Soooo, an appointment was set up to bring Rilla in and scar her for life by sticking a needle in her gum when she was 4 years old.

This was all fairly depressing as a parent (Elliott getting to put his name up on the No Cavity Wall of Fame was small balm), but for some reason when I called to tell Bethaney the litany of my sins, I started blubbering like I was informing her of my terminal cancer diagnosis.  This led me to realize that A. I was wildly overtired, B. I really, really, really am having a hard time being a single mom as the third month of having Evan gone most of the time draws to a close, and C. I guess I am was more traumatized than I realized over my dental woes throughout the years.

So, I had to sign Elliott into school with rather red eyes.  (Sobbing: "I'm sorry, there's been a d-d-d-de-e-e-ntist in the family!")

Then to add to the Mother Shame, I took my kids to Wal-Mart.  This is one of the worst things about being a single parent-- having to shop with children.  There is something in the air at our local Wal-Mart that turns my children into fire-breathing demons.  I can do everything possible to assure they will behave (take them in the morning, well-fed [those noxious Cheerios in the car!]), but no matter what, they either run wildly up and down aisles, or fight, or attempt to stand up in the cart, or try to turn upside while hanging off the side of the cart... And every. single. adult. I encounter in the store seems to be looking at me with censure, or actually does come over and earnestly tell me the story of how their cousin's sister-in-law's hairdresser's kid died because they fell out of the cart.  I don't know why this is an arena that people feel perfectly free to give advice to others, but it is.  I should start wearing a sign that says, "I understand the risks inherent in children misusing shopping carts.  If it makes you worried, I will cheerfully let you mind my children while I whiz around the aisles, child-free for a brief period."

Anyway, after a lunch of teeth-foe food, I took a nap with Lincoln.  And that helped life considerably.  There was still the evening drama of supper not having defrosted enough, and of kids too silly for words.  After reading them two interminable books (Horton Hatches the Egg and The Diggingest Dog), I cut the boys' hair, bathed them all, clipped their fingernails... and then brushed and flossed the living life out of their teeth.  Apparently, this is the path to my Redemption.

Better'n Nothin'

 This post consists of several blurry iPod Touch pictures, guilt-induced writing, and not much else.  See title.

Actually, it's sort of silly to say "guilt-induced writing", because I love writing on here, when I actually make that happen.  I just feel guilty for people who want to see more pictures of my kids that I don't update very often.  So, here's a little bit of stuff before I head to bed.

 Lincoln's curls had gotten luscious and loooong.

So I gave him a haircut.  But now I'm sad because Evan predicts they'll never grow back.  Sniff, sniff.

Elliott posing for HIS après haircut picture.  I didn't really mean to cut this much off him, either.  But it will grow back!

 The first decent snowfall!  My two girlies watching before they head to bed.

Since Evan will be gone most of the winter building a house, he hired someone to plow the driveway.  I woke up to find they'd come and gone without me even hearing them!

 I'd forgotten how utterly gorgeous snow can be.

 A side view of my shorn wooly baa-lamb.

 My little hipster girl.  I love that shirt/cardigan combo.

Lincoln and I stayed home from meeting this morning.  I have a sore throat/earache/cough, and he kept saying "it hurts" and laying down again.  While I laid on our bed and read my Bible, he dragged in a box of crayons, a coloring book, 2 Care Bears, his blankie, and a stack of books.  I like little boys who know what's important when you're not feeling good.  He was attempting to color while laying down, because he didn't have the energy to lift his head. 

By this afternoon, though, he was much more chipper.  Maybe that was because of his new bed!  Evan set up the bunk bed he had made, so the boys have a bunk bed in their room now.  No more cribs or toddler beds in the house-- crazy!  Lincoln picked out his own sheets.  I decided to let any attempt at interior decorating go out the window, and the kids all got to choose their own sheets.  We had one twin bed last winter, and now we have five, so we needed flannel sheets!

 I helped Evan pack up his trailer this afternoon.  This is what our garage looked like when we were done!

 And this is what it looked like five minutes later.  Being able to park in the garage makes me happy.

Evan and I both love the comics, and we often mark the ones that seem appropriate, so the other can appreciate it fully.  Since Evan hasn't been home lately, I've been taking pictures of the best ones to send to him.  The super-hero in this strip (NOT the Amazing Spiderman on the bottom) makes me swoon.  If only!

I usually resort to cold cereal in this case, but I know the feeling, guilt and all. (For some reason, this comic is right side up in my folder, but it won't load on to here correctly.  If you really care, click on it to make it larger, then tilt your head funny so everyone around you wonders what you're doing while you read it.)

I took this one for my mother-in-law's benefit.  Except that I usually let the mending pile sit there until my mother-in-law visits!

It's been pretty stressful, with Evan away so much.  Here's a list of things I tried to remember this week, when I wanted to bury my head in my arms and howl.

• Pretty snow.
• The fact Marilla has to track me down about 50 times a day to tell me she loves me and hug me.  (She's still getting over the trauma of pre-kindergarten, maybe?  We un-enrolled her, since she was so adamant that she did not want to go anymore.)
• Lincoln and Rilla were pretending to be Elsie and Gilbert this week.  Lincoln portrayed his Gilbert-ness by pretending his hands were a book and flipping it through saying, "read, read, read!"  I'm glad I have a cute reading nephew, and I'm glad my son notices this.
• The fact I have so many lovely books to read stacked up on my nightstand.  We'll gloss over the fact that I'm racking up some serious fines by letting some of them go overdue because I don't have time to read them.
• The elaborate castles Elliott draws.
• The "dream house" plans Cheyenne is drawing lately.  And because they are "dream" houses, they are drawn in a puffy dream bubble.  Her library is enormous, and she keeps an entire wardrobe of fat lady clothes in her guest room so I don't even have to pack when I go to visit her.  (I called them fat lady clothes, she didn't).
• How grown up Lincoln's grammar is getting.  It helps, in the midst of toddler meltdowns, to hear his precise pronunciation and correct grammar.  So while I was trying to hold him still Wednesday night, he was clearly whispering, "You're hurting me!  You're hurting me!"  (I wasn't.)  For some reason, that made me smile.
• How eager Rilla and Lincoln were to help me as I cleaned house frantically this week, getting ready for company.  If I called one to carry something or do something, the other would arrive, shouting, "I'll do it!  I'll do it!"

And, best of all, the fact that I just got a text from Evan that he arrived safely, despite his hugely overloaded truck and trailer!!  Now off to bed, perchance to dream... hopefully not to wake up with a worse earache at 3:00 a.m.

Last of the Orphaned July Pictures

Remember those few pictures from July that I was too tired to post one night?  But I was going to post right away?  Yeah, you probably don't, because it was eleven days ago.  And you have better things to do than think about my blog.  Here they are, though, for your viewing pleasure.

The exciting night that Evan really and truly finished the siding!  Rilla posing on the ladder...

Dana and Evan flew through this little section.

Big kids, walking around on the roof with Daddy.  I kept my neuroses to my self and let them enjoy the experience.

Little helper silhouette.

Carrying extra siding scraps into the shed.

 Even Lincoln had to help.

Cottens came down for a few days, and Orianna and Cheyenne combed their American Girl Dolls until they were practically bald.

Lots of chaos, and fun.

Cheyenne, again not too sure about holding the crying baby.

This is pretty blissful, though-- a book and a quiet baby!

 Sweet little Elsie, sleeping.

 A Lily smile is a beautiful thing.

In a fit of feeling invincible, I decided Lily and Orianna could come along to the kids' dentist appointment.  Barring Lincoln, who was a crazy child, they were all quite well-behaved!

Bethaney had to run some errands one afternoon (Gymboree may or may not have been involved), so Gilbert was hanging out on the bed while I folded wash.  He asked me to read him a book, and about halfway through my reading, he passed out.  I have to say I had to lay there for a few minutes, savoring the loveliness of Gilbert snuggles, before I got up and checked on the other kids.

One of Elliott's hobbies this summer-- shinnying up the flagpole.

He really gets up there!

This is from the second-story window, looking out over the porch roof.

Cody and Tori stopped in before they commenced the Epic Road Trip.

One weekend, we went out to Leigh Ann's graduation party!

Chatting on the front steps.

Elliott felt he had to get involved in the picture of Leigh Ann with her cake.

A proud grandma!

Me holding a filthy Lincoln, after a long day spent at work day, then the party.

Hanging out, eating cake!

One random afternoon.  Elliott and Marilla were immersed in an elaborate game that involved Little People, dolls from the dollhouse, trains, Megablocks, and Polly Pocket houses.  I love the way they play, if I don't always love cleaning up after it.  Or making them pick it up, which is the right (and much harder) way to do it.

This was another popular activity this summer (it still is this fall): coloring.

Cheyenne thought I should take a picture of these bright green "Golden Yellow" bananas.

Someone illicitly hanging out in their sister's sacred top bunk.

Saw this at a Wal-Mart on the way to my folk's house.  Apparently, they felt things too strongly to be constrained to bumper stickers.  I doubt they have a lot of giggling in their life.

The kids planted some sunflower seeds from Auntie, so watering the pot was a favorite activity every day.

Of course, the deck and cute toes got watered as well.

I participated in the adult summer reading program at our library, and won a picnic basket from a drawing made of book reviews!

So the kids got a picnic on our front porch.  I never took a picture of the cute picnic basket, but I love it!  I also had lots of fun with the $25 Wegman's gift card!

Lincoln likes self-portraits on the iPod Touch.

Yup, not a bit self-conscious!

Cheyenne, preparing gourmet mac 'n' cheese for lunch one day.  She'll be making supper soon!

Lincoln and Cheyenne's cleaning contributions at one Freedom work day.

The swing set got a lot of use.  Especially when Rilla figured out how to propel her and Lincoln on the red two-seater.

Grandpa Lee, checking out Elliott's doughnut consumption.  We were on our way to the airport to pick up Tori.  The road trip finished when Cody had to fly to Alaska to work, so Cody popped Tori on a plane in Denver, and we collected her in Syracuse!

Elliott is really going for that doughnut with gusto!

A blurry iPod Touch picture of Evan laying in Lincoln's toddler bed, reading a book to Lincoln and Hanger-Ons.  A book about tractors, naturally.

Okay, only about three more months to catch up?