Bits of Reality

My boys disappeared into the bowels of the basement before dinner. After a long stretch of unusual stillness, I went down to inspect and find the cause. All three were sitting inches from the TV screen staring in earnest. What could be this mesmerizing? Street Basketball Vol. 2 of course. I discovered they had been playing for hours trying to win the coveted trophy for each stage. What a waste of time I thought. I told them to come upstairs, change out of their swim suits and do something worthwhile until we ate. When Rich got home the boys swarmed him, gushing with details of their game victories. They were so proud.

As I began to cook dinner, Rich's brother Taylor called to set up the date for their NFL Fantasy Draft. Rich gave instructions and ideas about how their league should be set up. He recommended certain point values for yards rushing and Touchdowns made. He explained pluses and minuses of items he had in years past. They set up team names, draft specifics, the amount of teams needed, and the numbers of times each team would play each other. It was a long phone call. As I sat listening to Rich discuss football, the boys once again started talking about how many more wins they needed to get the trophies. It was like around 16. I once again thought how much time would be wasted in the pursuit of a fake award. I wondered why my boys cared.

Then it dawned on me that Rich was essentially doing the same thing. A bunch of grown men were planning on spending hours researching and managing this fake team. And he loved it. He has won his league the past three years. He has trophies on his team site. I had never thought that it was a waste of time. It was Rich's release, something to do on his downtime and something he really enjoys. I think the whole fantasy thing is fun. There are actual men with real paying jobs on ESPN that are Fantasy Football analysts. Can you say crazy? Men get paid good money to talk about a pretend game. ESPN writer Bill Simmons wife aka Sports Gal loves to call Bill's fantasy group The League of Dorks. He loves it, she thinks he and his friends are dorks. I laughed at the title, but is it true?

I can say with authority that the answer is no. These things are not silly. Don't we all have to have something we can escape to, that allows us to forget about the worries and cares of life even for a moment? What would life be without little bits of fun? Who wants to work and never play? Don't we all need something to think about or discuss. Don’t TV shows, movies and books do the same thing? Isn't this why fiction is written, to draw us in?

I have lots of things I retreat to. I have read 5 books in three weeks, I started a blog, I read People.com. Through these outlets, I am allowed to forget about the sink of dishes, the two loads of laundry on my floor and the dinner that is yet to be cooked. We all need little somethings that makes us smile.

So good luck boys in your quest for trophies, all four of you. You deserve to win!
And I will get back to my book!

Wild Animals or Wild Boys?

The boys were out back running through the sprinklers tonight when the air was pierced by a high pitched scream. Trey rushed inside, arms wrapped around his body grasping his back. Through the tears he exclaimed, "Josh attacked me like a wild bear!" There were serious red raised lines on random parts of his neck and back. Yes, it could have been a vicious animal attack instead of his little brother.

A few months ago Matt was the attacker and Josh cried out "he scratched me like a wolverine!" It seems that the Discovery Channel has taught them about dangerous creatures.

We have had many animals comparisons over the years, making me wonder if I'm raising boys or a pack of wolves. They try to leave the basement looking like a "pigsty", the pass gas that reminds me of skunk spray, wrestle with the ferocity of angry gorillas, splash and dive in the tub like seals, climb on the furniture like monkeys and sneak around the house like mice after they've been tucking in for the night. They laugh like hyenas, they stalk the girls like lions and Matt certainly qualifies as a pack rat. But through it all they are best friends. I hope years from now they will laugh about the crazy years of growing up together in the wild jungles of Kentucky!

Hooray!

As we pulled in the driveway returning from our pool outing this afternoon, I glanced toward the little robin nest next to our front door and discovered it was empty. I stopped the van and got out to make sure there were not any injured little birds hobbling on the ground. When I found it was all clear, I sighed in relief. All three managed to safely fly away. I checked on them before I went to bed last night and they were all tucked in tight, so they must have left to find a new home sometime this morning.

Happy travels little robins! Wonder what I'll find to worry about next?

Good TV

Anyone who knows me is well aware the I enjoy a good bit of celebrity gossip. My friend Kristi will call me up with good dish hoping she can be the first one to tell me. She has given me some great information over the years. Even last week she called me and broke the news of Lindsay Lohan's second DUI arrest. I was impressed.

Well, since I do not watch TV there are times I miss shows I would have found fascinating. My friends Jonni, Tiffany and I were at the pool together with the kiddos when Jonni started telling us about a show that aired on NBC a week ago about Victoria Beckham and her move to LA. We were dying of laughter as she recounted different situations that were seen on the program. I was sad I hadn't watched. It would have been great stuff to watch while I rode the exercise bike. Then she told me the good news. You could watch segments of it on NBC.com.

So last night while Rich was on call for the third night in a row, I pulled it up online. It was laugh out loud funny. Anyone who takes along their hairdresser and make up artist with them to the DMV to get primped before they take their license photo, strikes a catwalk like pose for the picture, then asks for a retake because her hair looked a bit flat, is totally out of touch with reality, but makes for some great viewing.

Pull it up, sit back and have a seriously good time.

The honest truth...

Truth be told, I can't sit here and type all this time and pretend like things don't at times suffer from my new found addiction.

Yes, I am a person that has to have a project, something to keep me busy. At times it's been sewing, or writing letters, or crocheting, or reading, or organizing photo albums. I like to have things to fill my time, but since the girls arrived I hadn't done too many extra things. I don't watch TV, I didn't rent a movie for months, the photos were in piles instead of in binders, e-mails were rarely sent and for ten months after they were born I even hung my my tennis shoes and let the exercise bike get dusty.

Then things seemed to get a bit more routine and the girls were a bit safer on their own. I pulled out the running shoes, found the Blockbuster card, sent probably too many e-mails and things felt a bit more normal.

Then I decided to start a blog. It is a great way for me to keep a family history and I love doing it. It's fun to capture moments with photos, but it is made even better when there is a caption to go along with it.

I try to only type when the girls are sleeping or when Rich is at the hospital, but there have been times when the only light on in the house is a strange blueish glow coming from the computer and reflecting off my face. There have been nights when dinner begins at 9 PM or when I could have played a game earlier with the boys, but then time ran out. There are times when I loose my focus of getting the kids rounded up to bed at a decent hour because I had to finish a post.
Last night was one of those nights. Rich was on call and I just wanted to catch up on my typing. As you can see from the picture, the girls had a party playing around the computer, the boys had healthily late night snack consisting of an entire bag of Cheetos and Josh fell asleep on my bed which still needed its clean sheets to be put on.

So I have to say thanks to my sweet family for putting up with me. Hopefully I'll run out of things to say, have to less to type about or I'll just simply have to become a faster blogger. Hopefully years from now they can look back and enjoy what I've written. Thanks guys!

Goodbye little Betta

While cleaning up dinner tonight I noticed our little Betta fish had passed on. We had her for nearly a year and over the past few months had gotten a very, very large belly, but seemed fine in spite of it. I thought she might lay eggs at some point, but there must have been more serious issues that lead to her death.

She was the first female Betta we have had. We have had two other male Betta's over the past seven years. She never really got a proper name, just Fish. I think I was the only person that noticed her each day, the only one to clean her bowl and the only one to feed her, but that was probably a good thing! I liked seeing her each morning and loved how she stalked and then gobbled up her food. She was even a bottom grazer, something our males never did.

I don't think I'll need to do any bereavement counseling for the boys. When I told Matt the fish had died he ran upstairs to tell Trey and Josh. He said, "Hey guys, the fish is dead." Josh replied, "What fish?" I don't think any tears will be shed.

We will have to get a new one during our next trip to Wal-mart. It is the only pet I can commit too and it's nice to have something for the boys to talk about when they ask about pets at school.
Hope our little friend is in a better place, swimming happily along.

Ready, Set, GO!

You would think after the mess we made yesterday and somehow managed to clean up, we would be done with elaborate set ups, but this morning Josh had yet again another brilliant idea. We had a little mini-summer Olympic obstacle course that ran through the entire main floor. They had to run, jump, climb under and over objects, swing light sabers, dodge baseball mitts and running babies. It was quite the race.

I had the all important job of time keeper. Of course each boy would run in a different path making it up as they went, so there were no arguments about who had the fastest time. Brynn played right along, while Kaitlyn sat back and watched. Josh had some serious skater moves and we managed to capture a perfect "10" one arm kick out. By the end the boys had shed their shirts and Josh had beads of sweat on his face. The kids had a great time and thankfully didn't take as long to clean up as the labyrinth of fun we had yesterday.

About last night

Just when the fan on the computer went silent and the screen went black I started to hear little Brynn upstairs crying in her crib. Things like this always seem to happen right when I decide to finally go to bed. She was not going to settle down, so I picked her up and brought her into my room. There I found Josh asleep on the bed while Trey and Matt were asleep on the trundle mattress. Star Wars Action figures were on the floor and in the tent. I woke Josh first and with Brynn in my arms, tucked him in bed. Next was Matt and he moved quickly. Trey was last and with little difficulty I got him into the top bunk.

I returned to my room with Brynn when moments later Matt returned. He had blank expression and moved slowly into the bathroom. I had enough sense to follow. He lifted the lid to the toilet still glassy eyed. He was standing there in perfect position, but forgot one crucial step. After just a second I told him he had to pull down his pants! Too late. I took of his wet clothes and put them and the wet rug in the laundry room. Matt got a quick wash down and we got him back to his room. I tossed him some new underwear and he pulled them on his head like a shirt. Was this kid drugged? Soon he was clean, dry and dressed and little Brynn was still in my arms. An hour later Kaitlyn decided to join in the fun, so Brynn went back into her crib while Kaitlyn stayed with me. What a restful night of sleep!

This wasn't our first run in with sleep walking peeing kids. Around Christmas I saw a shadow enter the girls room late one night. I wasn't sure which boy was in there or what they were doing. I rushed in to find Josh half asleep peeing on the girls rocking chair. Thank heavens it is wood. When the girls were brand new Matt managed to walk across his room and down the hall with his pajama bottoms by his ankles leaving a trail while he went. When we first moved to Lexington Trey walked into the bathroom, opened the cupboard under the sink and let loose. We had to throw away most of the items that got soaked after that one. I even found a wastebasket full of pee and never discovered the culprit.

They even struggle when they are awake. Over the years they've peed on walls, doors, rugs, wood floors, carpet, in the tub, in the shower, in the backyard, on each other, a few times in their beds and if we're lucky even inside the toilet bowl. What is it with boys? Maybe I'll have better luck with my girls.

This probably just proves that everyone in this house is in desperate need of some serious shut eye!

A peek into Rich's world

Tonight we were all missing Rich and needed a break from the chaos of the house, so we decided it would be fun to pick up some pizza and go and visit Rich at the hospital. While I usually pack Rich dinner (that is if I actually cooked the night before and there are leftovers) and on occasion have driven to the hospital with the kids to drop off food to him and say a quick hello in the patient drop off zone, this was the first time I parked the car and went in to see where Rich has been hiding away for hundreds and hundreds of hours over the past year. That is sad to admit, but I am happy that now I can envision where he is working everyday and know where the little dark room he lives in when he is on call is found.

While we were walking in, some people look and count, some smile and some can't help themselves from saying, "you've got your hands full." Tonight it was actually true. There were no other people entering the hospital through the handicap entrance with three boys walking beside, a baby in their arms, another in the stroller while the second opening for a child is filled with 2 X-large pizzas from Papa John's and two 44 oz drinks from Speedway teetering on the tray. I am sure many wondered who we could possibly be coming to visit, though it was obvious they would be eating well!

As crazy as we may have looked, Rich was thrilled to see us, though I don't know if the dictation typist will be amused with the crying baby in the background on the tape. We ate pizza, Rich read a few films and then showed us around the place. We saw the lecture room, the on call room, the reading room, the resident room and the interventional area Rich is currently working in. The boys even got to feel a real skeleton.

It was a real treat to see him on a call night. Kaitlyn wouldn't let him go, all the boys wanted to stay the night and sleep on the bed in the call room and Brynn wanted to run down the halls and push all the doors open.

Thanks Rich for showing us around! I hope the bed gets used tonight for at least a few minutes, but somehow doubt it will. Maybe the rain will keep people home and safe.

Lazy Days of Summer

What to do when we have nothing scheduled, it is raining outside and Rich is working all day and on call all night? Well the boys had some ideas of their own. The basement was a big crazy mix between camping and a McDonald's playland. The girls loved crawling and exploring through the tents and tunnels,while the boys managed to put a playhut next to the TV so they could still play the PS2 while they sat inside.

We could barely see the floor. You could almost get lost in all this chaos!

Peek-A-BooNow this would be a good hide and seek hiding spot.

Besides the time the boys used this little tent at Thunder Over Louisville (2005) when there was rain and sleet, this is as close to camping as we get. Yup, roughing it in the basement with a bathroom conveniently located three steps away!

The boys asked me if they could sleep in the basement this afternoon. I said sure, but knew they would be lucky to last ten minutes down their alone with the lights off. Tonight Josh asked if he could move the tent upstairs. I am doubtful that anyone will sleep in a tent or on the floor. Instead I will be bumped and kicked all night long when my three little "campers" try to sneak their way into my bed. Try as they might, it will not happen.

At the end of a long day, the girls can just relax in the baby carriers they have outgrown. They love sitting and playing in these things. I had one out in the garage and was going to drop it off on my next Goodwill run, but Kaitlyn spied it and drug it out and tried to bring it up the steps into the house. We had to pull the second one from the storage room because major fights were breaking out over who got to sit in it. Now they can rest in their own little baby La-Z-Boy chairs. What a life!

Enemy Pie

The boys found this book downstairs today and begged me to read it to them. It's one of their all time favorite picture books. It's called Enemy Pie. It probably is more of a boy book, but I think any child would like it. It has a great message, only takes five minutes to read and I enjoy the story too.

McConnell Springs

This morning we went to McConnell Springs with a group from our ward. Back in 1775 a man named William McConnell explored the region with his brother Francis, Mary Todd Lincoln's grandfather and others. The group settled near the springs and set up camp. They soon hear of the first battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in Lexington, Massachusetts. In honor of that battle McConnell decides to name his camp Lexington and the name forever stayed.

It is now a state historic site, has an education center and has hiking trails.

We had a guide that discussed animals that live in Lexington with the kids. The boys didn't move a muscle while he showed them skunk fur, a deer skull, a turtle shell, snake skin and a skeleton of a bat.

We took a walking tour through the grounds. The boys saw a 300 year old tree and looked for evidence of animals. They saw raccoon paw prints, a rabbit and lots of goose poop.

I on the other had got first hand evidence of the bugs inhabiting the woods. I got bitten by mosquitoes on my legs, arms and forehead and had to borrow bug repellent from another woman. Since when did these blood hungry pests start attacking people at 11 in the morning!

The girls examine a turtle inside a tank at the education center.

That was a much better way to spend the morning instead of watching 2 hours of Fairly Odd Parents or fighting over the PS2. We had a great time.

In need of a new trick!

I heard some serious screams from the kitchen tonight. This is what I found.

Brynn: "This is not as fun as it once was. HELP!!!"

(And just so no one calls social services on me for leaving her under there for a photo, the camera was on the table and she was removed seconds later!)

Exciting Things

Here's a small list of things I am so excited about at the moment. This list may solidfy that either I get a thrill about really silly things or that I am a complete moron, but I'll post it anyway.

Here is a photo of the first tomato I have ever grown! I picked it last night and Rich and I split it. It was quite yummy. I only planted three small Roma tomato plants and lucky for me the Kentucky ground took over and I have many, many little green tomatos on the vines.

We have a second batch of baby robins this year in the nest above the front door. I realized last night that there are THREE babies. This round I had been trying to get not as attached (yes, in the past I have often prayed for the baby animals I know are living in the yard), but with three little ones instead of two, my heart starts to pound when I think of them have problems leaving the nest. I'll be relived and happy when they fly away.

For all you Harry Potter Fans, there will be a special Dateline progam on Sunday July 29th 7 PM/6 C on NBC entitled Harry Potter the Final Chapter. J. K. Rowling will be discussing the last book. She also was on the Today Show this morning at 7:30 AM (you can read about it online if you missed it) and the second half the interview will be tomorrow morning on the Today Show probably around 7:30 AM again. Can't wait. She gave some seriously good dish!

I just started reading Twilight today. It's fun to get into some new material. Seems like a good read so far! Thanks Traci for lending me your copy.

For good or bad, you are now updated on the insights of Cheryl.

Seems Like Old Times

I had been trying to plan a trip to Louisville once baseball and swim team were over, so when Kristi called last week and said Todd was going to a conference in Indianapolis and that we could come up and have a sleep over on July 17th, we said YES in an instant! It had been a few months since we went for Spring Break and the kids wanted to visit all of our old stomping grounds. We had to visit the science center and zoo and even made a quick Wal-mart run just for old times.

We gave Rich and hug and kiss when he headed off for the hospital and began to pack. Since I have had to pack for most the gang when we head to Utah, an over night trip sounded like a breeze. That was before I found out that the boys had packed themselves. Yikes! When I asked where their items were, they simple said they were in the van. What a surprise I got when I checked it out. My who knew we needed ten stuffed animals, Matt's entire Star Wars action figure collection and a bat bag for a 24 hour trip!

I love driving down Main Street and seeing the Louisville Slugger Bat. It's the perfect landmark for the city!

At the Louisville Science Center the boys try to break the inside glass with a bowling ball. Where else can you try this stuff with your Mom watching?

Just hanging out.

The boys love to build up on the second floor.

Discovering Puzzles.

Having fun in the water table. Who knew you could play like you were in the tub and miraculously stay dry!

What a crew! Anna Hamilton and the Jackson 5.

This is a small corner park one block east of the science center. I love it. It marks where Fort Nelson was built in 1782.

The original all boy club: Boston Underwood, Trey, Trevor Underwood, Matt, Gage Underwood and Josh. Hard to believe that after all this blue we have three little bundles of pink in the strollers now.

The boys loved the new Glacier Run Splash Park that opened this spring. They wish it had been around during out 6 years living in Louisville!

Some of the old gang: Traci, Mallory and Gage Underwood, Cynthia, Caleb and Ellie Madsen and Kristi, Anna and Kate Hamilton. It always feels like I'm home with all of you! So many years of amazing memories and many more in the future!

Josh enjoying the slide. (I just couldn't talk Josh and Trey out of wearing their swim team "jammers" to the zoo.)

Trey's BFF Trevor Underwood. He is what Trey misses most about Louisville.

Matt found a way to cool off from the 96 degree temperatures and intense humidity. By the end of the day, my hair was so wet from my sweat that I looked like I had run through these fountains myself!

This was Kaitlyn and Brynn's only time out of the stroller during our 4 1/2 hour stay. They loved climbing through the tunnel and going down the slides. What good babies!

The zoo's newest addition, a baby boy elephant born on March 18 , 2007.

We seem to take a group shot here during each visit. It's fun to see how our family has grown and how much bigger the boys are.
Posing at the zoo. Looks like they may have had a bit of practice!

A possible highlight of the trip for the boys, playing with the Underwood's Wii.

Gage was so sweet to share his beloved car with Kaitlyn. She loved it!

I forgot how much I liked this type of toy when I was smaller.

What an adventure! The girls passed out the minute we got in the van. What memories! Thanks Kristi and Traci. We love you guys!

School Daze....

When did getting ready for school to begin become a month long, uphill trek? Thinking back to my youth there were exciting shopping trips to the mall and a stack of new clothes. Of course, I had to put in some serious thought about my first day of school outfit (7th grade: LA Gear high tops, acid washed jeans with ankle zippers, fluorescent pink Quiksilver shirt with matching socks and absurdly large backward C-shaped earrings- I was quite a style queen!), but I don't remember a two page list sent home from the teacher requesting everything from hand sanitizer to Expo dry erase marker- black, low odor to the two hole pencil sharpener with shaving holder. (That really was on the list!)

I thought I had so much time; all summer to get ready. But the days stream by like falling water, and I am unable to slow the flow down to a measly drip. How did we get to the end of July so quickly?

The matter wasn't help by the fact that we are going to Utah on August 3rd and will return late on Sunday August 12. The first day of school is bright and early (maybe that would be dark and early) with a start time at 7:30 AM. That would be 5:30 AM Utah time, so I really hope we don't get adjusted to mountain time during our week visit. This trip also means I have to have it all ready to go on August 3. I was running out of time! Not only did I need to get school items the boys needed eye exams and a physical. The eye exam was this afternoon and our doctor's appointment is next Thursday. Finally I was getting somewhere.

As for the supply list, I stopped by the school yesterday and got the list so I could tackle it while my boys were playing at a friends house (thank you Jonni!). I spent the next hour at Wal-mart, then headed to Sam's Club, then went to a second Wal-mart today to buy the impossible to find Dixon Ticoderoga #2 Sharpened Pencils 12 ct x 10. Last year I had to break down and purchase them from the Parent-Teacher store which is ridiculously expensive, but since I started my search early, I got lucky. I found a 24 count for $3.88, but they are black and unsharpened. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. It'll just have to be a class project for the kids to get them nice and pointy!

We now have ten boxes Kleenex tissue, three containers of Clorox wipes, three bottles of hand sanitizer, 12 large glue sticks, 10 boxes of crayons, 5 bottles of Elmer's glue, 13 2-pocket folders, six rolls of Bounty, six boxes of markers (thick and thin), three boxes of colored pencils, 5 boxes of 24 count pencils, 4 boxes of Ziploc bags (various sizes), 9 Mead composition books, 4 watercolor paint sets with brush, 2 packages of large pink erasers, 2 ultra fine black Sharpie markers, 3 clip boards, zipper pouch, wooden ruler, pencil sharpener, package of Papermate red pens, 3 packages of wide rule filler paper 200 ct., 3 pairs of Fiskars 5" blunt scissors, and 2 dry erase markers. Wonder why it took hours and three stores to find all the items?

I now get to enjoy the three weeks with the entire counter in my laundry room housing EIGHT Wal-mart bags of stuff. I don't think it's humanly possible for my boys to haul all this loot to their classroom on the first day. Throw in a backpack and lunch box and we might be hearing the phrase "I've fallen and can't get up" coming from one of my six-year-olds. We may need to borrow a wheel barrow to get it there. I'm not trying to complain. I know the items are necessary and will be used by my own children, it just took some serious effort to acquire it all and I am relived it's nearly done!

Now I am left to ponder what I am going to do everyday with only the girls left home with me? Of course I have a few ideas (think along the lines of a stroller and Gymboree) but I don't think my conscience nor bank account will allow it!

Tooth Fairy Time!

Last night we got an exciting visit from the Tooth Fairy. Matt lost his second tooth. It was very wiggly for a week and finally was loose enough and probably bothersome enough that Matt allowed me to tie a knot around it with dental floss and one quick tug later it fell right out.

Matt was so excited to get out the special pillow my Grandma Nance made for us. It's just like the one she made for my family and I used as a child. We always call her when a tooth is lost and let her know that the pillow will be slept with that night. It's fun to have her be a part of this exciting event.

The Tooth Fairy left Matt one dollar, though we did have to search for it when he woke up because the bill had fallen behind the headboard. There was a moment of panic on Matt's part, but soon the frown was replaced with a big smile when he found the cash. Matt is already planning a trip to the dollar store to spend his hard earned money.

Matt already has a permanent tooth growing in where he lost his first tooth back in May. So even though there are two teeth missing on the bottom, there isn't a very big space. Gap or no gap, we think he's a cutie. Way to go Matt!

Now Josh is counting down the days until he gets a wiggly tooth and his first visit from the Tooth Fairy!