Yes, my children live in boxes

Today we built bear dens from boxes and then lived in them, at least during snack time. Makes me wonder why we buy toys at Christmas time when the kids are still amused with diaper boxes and blankets. We have been learning about wintertime in our little preschool and Lauren got to build a bear den with her little friends and hibernate. Now the children are hibernating by our Christmas tree. I remember all the fun my siblings and I used to have with cardboard boxes, especially the huge ones the refrigerators and dishwashers come in. Fun times.

Spencer and Lauren were so cute together playing. Lauren started building her den first and asked me to tape the boxes together for her. Spencer wanted to try to climb in so I got the Christmas tree box for him to use. They were both happy as bear cubs and played so nicely together. Some days are like that and my kids get along perfectly and I think to myself, “I could have 7 kids like my mom.” Then there are the other days like yesterday at breakfast. . .

I bought a kiabasa, polish sausage, at the grocery store to try out in some spaghetti sauce just to have something different. It was ok, but there was some left over so yesterday I sliced it up and cooked it for breakfast. The kids snarffed it down like candy. I mistakenly put the serving plate too close to Spencer’s breakfast plate and he assumed all the sausages left were his. Naturally he ate them. When Lauren realized that Spencer had consumed the rest of the sausage she was not happy and wanted retribution. I told her I had cooked the last of it and we’d have to get some more another time. That did not satisfy her sense of fairness nor her hunger. Spencer had the last piece of kiabasa between his teeth and before I could blink Lauren had ripped off the half that was sticking out of his mouth and ate it. Next time I will keep the serving plate on the counter.

Deliverance Day!

Deliverance from what? Well, for some it was freedom from an itchy, rough, constricting cast. For me it was freedom from a girl in an itchy, rough, constricting cast. If nothing else this whole experience has taught me that Lauren does not deal with pain well and she takes advantage of situations. On the way home from the ER with Ben the night she broke her elbow she said, through a sleepy/codeine haze, "Daddy, will you get me lots of presents for Christmas since I broke my arm?"

A little back ground first. Lauren was standing on a small three-wheeler that rolled out from under her a week before Thanksgiving. She landed open palmed on her right arm, forcing the elbow to bend too far back. The break was just a hairline fracture across the humerus, the upper arm bone. She had two casts for a total of 4 weeks. The first week was spent elevating the arm and watching cartoons while eating popcorn. Lauren said of this experience, "This is the funnest day of my life!"

The doctor who examined her x-rays today said her bone alignment was perfect and all she needed to do was take things easy for a month and work on getting her range of motion back. Lauren's arm is quite stiff but even doing simple things like reaching with her right arm have diminished the pain and stiffness considerably in just a few hours. To the joy of all, the doctor said she could even go sledding at Christmas time provided someone rides with her. I'm sure Spencer would volunteer wholeheartedly, but I know how much help brothers are on a sled so I think we'll ask Aunt Emma or Eliza to help instead.

I was anticipating a shriveled little arm covered in dead skin, however Lauren's arm looks as healthy and plump as it did when she broke it. My cast must have been on longer than four weeks. She did have a peculiar odor from the cast that was quickly removed by a long soak in a hot bubble bath. If there is a next time, perish the thought; we will definitely try to keep the cast cleaner around the finger area.

One Armed Mary Stars in Nativity Scene!

It's unanimous! The critics agree the one-armed Mary added a degree of realism to the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem that is rarely seen nowadays. One notable exception was the rendition where Mary gave birth during the Nativity commenting, "This part really hurts!"

Lauren played the part of Mary very well even though she only had one arm to hold the baby Jesus in. Lexi is the angel who boldly sang a beautiful solo to the frightened Shepherds.

It was such a lovely enactment of the Christmas Story, complete with wise men bearing gifts of Frankenstein. (Other Primary children were narrating the story) It's seeing little children share with us the meaning of Christmas that helps make the season so special to me. The wonder and joy is so clear in their eyes.

Look Ma! No Poo!

Time to potty train!! I gave Spencer a bath tonight and then left him to play in the tub for a few minutes while Lauren and I worked on a project. He was splashing and playing, but then things became quiet and I began to hear noises of consternation emanating from the bathroom. I went to investigate, as the sounds did not register peace in my mind. Spencer was indeed in trouble. He had done his business in the tub and was in the act of cleaning it up. He really looked quite sad and pathetic kneeling there in the tub with a wad of poo in his hands as he tried to scoop more out of the water, I helped him finish cleaning up and then we cleaned the tub and him again. When he had been dried and clothed in his jammies he looked at the garbage bag where the poo had been dumped and said, "Ma, ewwww, yucky!" I take comfort in thinking that perhaps the yuckiness of this experience will encourage potty training. Here is the clean little Spencer man. Such a cute little boy when clean.

The Gingerbread House Raising

Preparations for housing the delightfully odoriferous gingerbread people were under way. Supplies had been purchased from the baking aisle of the finest purveyor of flours, spices, candies, and molasses. Designs had been extensively debated between the 4-year-old project manager and the 27-year-old financier/contractor/manual laborer. The plans and timetable had been satisfactorily established. Monday, December 3, 2007, would be the day of ingredient mixing, wall decorating and erecting, and left over candy consuming. All but the matriarch, and quite possibly the candy, eagerly awaited the impending sugar high.

The day of joyous industry and succulent smells approached when what should rear it’s bitter green head, but the Grinch of Christmas, the voracious employer. The father of the house would be needed until late on December 3 for pressing work, and since the extra candies would most assuredly be long digested when he returned home it was proclaimed a necessity of most urgent import that construction begin right after church on December 2, 2007, much to the joy and satisfaction of the project manager.

Everything began as planned and soon the smells of gingerbread wafted through the apartment. Noses were lifted to indulge the memories of Christmas past and fabled gingerbread houses of old, while tummies rumbled and tongues drooled at the thought of sugary goodness soon to come.

The work was evenly split, or so it seemed until the project manager discovered she had only decorated one wall and the front of the house while her younger accomplice had plowed through a wall, two roof pieces, a gingerbread man, a snowman, and a Christmas tree, plus any stray construction materials he could get his hands on. An interesting discovery was made while watching the decorating decisions of the little man in question. He ate every white m&m in his bowl and only decorated with the red and green ones. Whether he ate them all because white is his favorite color or he finds the color repugnant and disposed of them rather than use them is still unanswered.

The four walls were raised without incident and left to solidify while the crew attended the rebroadcast of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. It was much enjoyed by all. The walls were coming along nicely upon their return and were left for the night. Early the next morning the roof was added. Excitement was high and the roof supports were removed prematurely so as to admire the finished product. Within moments the roof began to sag under the weight of excessive ornamentation and quick repairs were made. The house was saved, though its final appearance is neither as grand nor as square. But if you don’t mind a sagging roof on one side then it is a fine little structure. We don’t hear the gingerbread people complaining. Perhaps they are just grateful not to have gone the way of the remnant candy. . .yet.

Rainy day in California

It finally rained in Southern California. The kids were so excited to go splash in the puddles. Lauren has her arm inside her poncho to keep the cast dry. In about a week her elbow will be healed and her cast will come off. Spencer had so much fun outside he didn't want to leave even though I could hear the water sloshing in his boots.

Here is a cute story about Spencer. On Thursday we went to get our flu shots. While waiting in the registration line Spencer began making friends with the gentleman behind us ala Groucho/Harpo Marx. Spencer slowly started stomping his feet and the man mirrored him. By the time we were ready to go up and get our shots Spencer was making that man do all sorts of fancy footwork steps. Pretty cute. Spencer is definitely a people person.

Lauren also has a cute story from the flu shot visit. She really didn't want to get the shot and when the nurse and I told her it would protect her so she wouldn't get sick she started yelling, "I want to get sick! I want to get sick!" She is not a shot person.

Getting Started

So I have finally taken the plunge into blogging. Initially I am creating this site to talk about my children and share pictures of them. Perhaps, later, I will use this as a place to share my writings. But for now the Stanleys have become bloggers and hopefully we may share many fun and heartwarming memories with our family and friends.

Incidently, if you are wondering about the name for the site. . .well it was pretty late when I made it. It comes from the Simpsons, a show my husband and I enjoy quoting to each other. I guess it's more of a personal joke between us since in almost every situation we have been in there has been an applicable quote from the Golden Age of Simpsons, seasons 3-8.