la vida loca

 I live in a house of crazy.   

It's quite possible we are too far gone to be saved from ourselves.

There are children swinging from the rafters and

rappelling from the ceiling.

If only they were filled with candy.

(Aili modeling her new "love" shirt.)

Thanks Shubin Clan.

Where are the adults you ask?

One is behind the camera worrying that either the house or the children will come to ruin.

The other is encouraging the chaos.

"Teaching them about different knots and pullies."

I suppose I should be glad that they will soon be proficient at doing dangerous stunts involving high cliffs and ropes.  

If only it stopped ,just once, before it irrupted into sheer lunacy.

Seriously,  there is just so much wrong with this picture. 

Which is why I am choosing to tune it all out and hide on my computer.

(Miss Cece wonders what she's gotten herself into.)

I reassure myself that God has a purpose for unusual people.

Maybe even somewhere warmer...where my children can burn off their creative energy outdoors. 

In the mean time, I will  enjoy the luxuries of home that now happens to include a head sitting on my piano.  

My very thoughtful and generous son saw this at a second had store and brought it home as a gift.  

"Mom, I bought this for you so you could remember me when I'm gone"

How comforting.

There is a disturbing resemblance wouldn't you say?

It will be treasured right along side all my other gifts...like the bejeweled goose eggs I received for my birthday.

Miss Cece has not hesitated in joining in on the chaos. 

She fits in quite well actually.

p.s  They have now taken me hostage.

They have strange and unusual methods of torture that include being forced to listen to shrill screaming, constant talking  and incessant whining.

They seek to break me down with sleep deprivation.

Not only have my captors  forgotten to feed me, but they demand to be fed constantly.

 *help!*

doctor doctor

Aili came home from helping sort donated supplies at the clinic with a bag full of interesting things to play with.

Isn't that a catheture tube?? I wasn't about to tell them what that was!

All kinds of dramatic procedures being done in the Burlando clinic.

Job well done Dr. Roman, Dr. Aili and Dr. Silas.

Roman proudly wore his mask around the mission for most of a day. I guess you can never be too careful.

Because kids live here.

Last week one of my blog chums Lynnette had a really funny post about the irritating things kids do and how we react to them. It was hilarious and it sounded just like my house! She challenged us to post our own pictures of things that prove that kids live here.

That very afternoon I snapped three photographs.
A common sight in my washing machine. Rocks and even a Swiss army knife. Maybe I should start checking his pockets....although that sounds a little scary.

That same little boy, about the same time I was doing laundry was busy "digging a trench" . Some good physical work outside is wonderful for an energetic little boy. However, the location was less than ideal. Every lawn needs a trench filled with water don't you think? He had the pleasure of using his dump trucks to fill the holes back in afterwards.

Any guesses?
I have no idea what the story is behind this. I found this on a blanket that had been on the couch for quite some time without me knowing it was there. Possibly days or weeks. After further investigation I discovered it was not chocolate.
Whoop whoop for potty training!....*insert eye roll here*
I think Silas had used the potty without telling me and then went and sat himself back down to watch tv.
A little love gift...its even on a heart. :)

Just a glimpse in one afternoon of the irritating, innocent things kids do that make us crazy.
The sticky finger prints or whole face prints on windows.
The bits and pieces of paper cut up on bedroom floors
The toilet paper roll, unrolled
amateur plumbers trying to figure out if toy cars sink or float
water left on
toilets unflushed
juice spilled
play-doh stuck in carpet
marker on the table.
pee on the carpet
sandy shoes dumped out in the entry way
pickle juice spilled in fridge
Lego's neatly arranged in my pantry

.......ok I'll stop there although I could go on and on.

So many things each day that I have to consciously choose to respond to rather than react to.
In fact I am taking deep breaths just writing that list :)

So many things they do are done in innocence and they just need to be reminded or have explained to them why "we don't carve messages for invading aliens in our door posts".

Some of the things make me laugh. I am consciously trying to see the beauty of childhood in the little inconveniences. (well maybe not the poo)

Occasionally something is done not so much out of innocent childishness as in disobedience and it is dealt with accordingly.

We are in the de-barbarianizing stage with Silas right now.
Its a lot of work but I know that eventually he'll figure out what is expected of him as a "big boy" in civilized society.
It seems multiple times a day he is being disciplined for poor choices or inappropriate reactions.
I remember that stage with the older two...it seemed like it would never end...but it did.
After that its more maintenance, refining....and reminding.

Someday I may even miss rocks in my washing machine, holes to China dug in my lawn, and kleenex box faerie houses strewn about my home....can't say I'll ever miss finding poop on a blanket though.

What did you find today that prove kids live in your house?