A Mommy's Worst Fear

As a mommy, I think I can speak on behalf of all of us that our worst fear is something happening to one of our children. And by that, I mean them being lost or taken. Sadly, there are families out there having to deal with these sort of things on a daily, hourly and minute by minute basis. My heart breaks for them!

The girls had received a package from Grandma S this weekend containing clothes for each of them. A couple of items needed to be exchanged for different sizes. Yesterday afternoon, we made a family shopping trip and hit several stores which included JC Penney and Children's Place where the items needed to be exchanged. Since the item at CP was a pair of pants for Bransyn, Jeff dropped her and I off at the door so it would be less chaotic (so we thought) and I was to call him when we were done.

Bransyn and I enter CP, I found where the pants were, found the size I was looking for, tried them on her and yep, they were the size that were needed. SCORE! We go to the register so I can exchange them and two employees were busy with something so I was patiently waiting. Bransyn was standing right beside me. I turned around to look at a package of panties for a FEW SECONDS, turned back around and Bransyn wasn't standing there any longer. No big deal...I do a 360 turn, but still don't see her. Now, Bransyn is our child that doesn't like to be left behind so she pretty much sticks right to me. She even gets upset if I get too far ahead of her in the aisle at Walmart so I wasn't overly concerned. I look around the clothing near me and finally one of the morons working at CP tells me, "she went that way" pointing through the (doorless)doorway. REALLY?!?!?! So I go through thinking she will be right there, but she isn't. At this point I am still not freaking out, but I am quickly making my way through the store looking in and around all the clothing calling her name...first and middle! With each call of her name it is getting louder and louder as the panic starts to set in and I AM NOW FREAKING OUT!!!! My heart was POUNDING, I was shaking so bad and started sweating like crazy! Gross!! There were three other women there shopping with their children and not one of them stopped to help me look for her. Now I realize that it is my responsibility to keep an eye or both eyes on my children, but one would think that as a mother and you see someone searching frantically for their child that one would stop holding up articles of clothing and maybe help look. I personally have done that in the past, but not these moms, they couldn't have cared less!! I was so irritated and furious that I would have loved to strangle them with the clothing or beat them over their heads with the hangers! Maybe both!!!

I finally go back to the CP moron, I mean employee, where both morons, man! I mean employees are still working on whatever it was they were working on about 5 minutes earlier. NO ONE was concerned that I am screaming Bransyn's name running around the store in tears like a crazy person. When I finally asked for assistance, they helped look for her. Just as I get Jeff on the phone and tell him (in tears) that I can't find Bransyn and that it had been about 5 minutes, another employee hollers that she had her. Apparantly, she was tucked between something watching three boys whose mother was letting them run around and play in the window display and I kept missing her. Not to judge...but *nice*!! I scooped her up in my arms and asked her what she was doing and why she didn't answer me. She said, "I was right there!" :) and said she didn't hear me calling her. hmmmmm!! She was not even the least bit concerned or aware of the panic I had been in. I exchanged the pants with her still in my arms and carried her out to the car and didn't let go of her until I put her in her car seat.

Not something to be proud of, but I have now managed to "lose" all three of my girls somewhere. Kendal was almost 5 at an outdoor Easter event, Payton was the 2 to 3 range at JC Penney and now Bransyn, almost 4 at Children's Place. Sheesh!!

Thankfully for us in all those situations, it worked out OK in the end...we left with all our kids in tow. Last night though, I could not sleep. I kept thinking about the "CP incident" as well as thinking about all the parents that "that few seconds" has had a completely different ending for them and has forever changed them and their families. I laid in bed and cried for them and prayed for them!! I am so thankful for what God has blessed me with!!!

Until next time...

Ready for school

We are officially into August and in 19 days, I will be taking not one, but two kids for their first day of school. Kendal will be starting 3rd grade and Payton will start her school "career". :)

Last night I took the girls (all three of them) to buy school supplies. I keep saying that I am going to buy the school packs through the PTA, but I am a helpless cheapskate (I get it from my mom) and I just can't bring myself to do that when I can save money by going to Walmart and getting everything myself. This year was actually a more pleasant experience because I didn't wait until almost the start of school to get everything. Last year I had to go to three different stores...what a pain that was!!! Probably didn't actually save any money when you factor in the gas that was used, but I digress.... :)

With TWO grades of school supply lists in hand, the four of us hit Walmart. I let each of them have their own cart to put their supplies in which was very cute, but was actually done to save in the arguing that I knew would ensue if we just had one and also to save me from having to re-sort everything before school starts. We were able to get EVERYTHING on both of their lists at ONE store. That was great! We only had one minor hiccup and that was the YELLOW PLASTIC FOLDER WITH POCKETS AND BRADS. I couldn't find one! Kendal, bless her heart, kept pulling out yellow folders and saying, "here's one!", but it would be one with pockets and no brads or brads with no pockets or not plastic at all. After several frustrating minutes, I finally resigned myself to the fact that we would have to locate one somewhere else. About that time, a very sweet and helpful Walmart employee (who you usually can't find to save your life) appeared and asked if I needed help finding anything. Thank you, Lord!! I told her that I was in search of the elusive yellow plastic folder with pockest and brads. She disappeared for a few minutes and when she re-appeared, was holding one in her hand and informed me that that was their last one. WHEW!!! God works in mysterious ways! :)

Kendal still has her messenger style book bag that my sis-in-law made her for last year that I absolutely love, but she informed me that she wanted a regular back pack for this year. I tried encouraging (pressuring) her to use that again, but she REALLY WANTS A BACKPACK! :) I decided that in the whole "pick your battle" scenario that this wasn't a battle that I needed to fight. The backpacks were only 10 bucks and I figure the messenger bag can be used whenever she wants to. If only I had realized the backpack she would really want, I may have fought that battle! She picked out an iCarly backpack with the iCarly girl, Miranda Cosgrove (Ithink that's her name) on it! BLEH!!! Not *bleh* Miranda Cosgrove...she's a cute girl, but *bleh* the backpack itself. I have NEVER bought any apparal anything with people or characters, whatever on them and I really didn't want to start with an iCarly backpack. I know, "what's the big deal, there are worse things", but this is just one of my crazy quirks! :) We stood in the aisle "discussing" this for about 15 min. before I finally told her that we would go ahead and get it, but that I reserve the right to continue to think about it and possibly return it. She was OK with that and threw the backpack in her cart. We will continue to look around and see if I can encourage (pressure) her to pick something else. :) Payton had already thrown her cute backpack in her cart, but when she saw that Kendal was getting the iCarly one, went running to the Princess one hanging on the wall...I just couldn't go there so she got a Princess water bottle to take to school instead. She was happy with that!

Payton, as I have mentioned in previous posts, has not been excited about the start of school because of the shot situation. She doesn't want to get shots, so she doesn't want to go to school!! I was at a birthday party last week talking to a friend that works in the school district and she was saying that if she didn't have her shots that they wouldn't even let her start until she gets them. I wasn't sure how to work that since her birthday is on Sat. the 22nd and school starts Mon. the 24th. You can't get shots prior to the birthday so what was I going to do...take her first thing Mon. morning before school to get her shots and then drop her off for her first day of Kindergarten. That just seems way mean, but the only other option was to miss the first day of school, which was also not acceptable to me. I decided I needed to look into the matter.

I went to the office where they get their shots to inquire about this dilema. The nurse pulled her records and low and behold if she doesn't need shots after all! HALLELUJAH AND PRAISE THE LORD!!!! She also pulled the other two and come to find out, Kendal has to get a second chicken pox vaccine. Made me laugh...ruined Kendal's day! :) I can wait and take her in the same time I take Bransyn in for her shots after her 4th birthday next month. I don't know where I got the idea that Payton had to get 5 year shots, but FYI...if the school nurse doesn't inform you that shots need to be given before starting school when you register them, then you're good to go. DUH!!! ;-D

Summer is winding down....I am watching my friends girls three days this week and next, we will have a few more trips to the pool (AAHHHH!!) hang out with friends and before we know it, school will begin. Two kids with homework, not really looking forward to that! With the "shot crisis of '09" averted, school supplies purchased and plenty of school clothes (thanks to my mom-in-law), we will be ready when the day comes. There will just be a few tears shed and all from this mommy!

Until next time...

Long to Short(er) Hair

Almost two weeks ago, I had finally had enough of all the hair. Washing it, combing it, picking it off the furniture...I had had enough and decided to get it chopped off! Well, some of it anyway. Kendal is insistent on growing her bangs back out, so her hairdo needed a little help, Payton had been asking to get hers cut like her one of her friends (which is similar to mine) and Bransyn just about had to look up to see out from under her bangs. Daddy's only input was that it couldn't be cut above their shoulders...there went Payton's request. :)

FRONT SHOT BEFORE

FRONT SHOT AFTER

BACK SHOT BEFORE

BACK SHOT AFTER

Payton wanted me to take her pic pretending to be sad because she got her hair cut

Bransyn, not to be outdone, had to have one with her pretending to be mad

Silly girls!! ;-)

Until next time...

"Jesus To The Rescue"

July 6-9, the girls had Vacation Bible School at our church. Always a fun time learning about Jesus, fun songs, Bible verses and being with friends. Plus...Mama got to at least get rid of two them for a few hours each day for a week. ;) Here are some pics of their week...

performing their songs

SWEET FRIENDS!!

Until next time...

Wacky Hair

Two weeks ago, Kendal and Payton attended Vacation Bible School at a local church and each day had a different "theme" such as camo day, sports day and...WACKY HAIR DAY. I asked the girls if they wanted to wear their hair "wacky" or normal. Kendal wasn't sure and Payton wanted it wacky so while Kendal made up her mind, I went to work on Payton's hair. While doing her hair, Kendal decided she wanted her hair wacky just like Payton's. Here's how they turned out....

The "do" started hurting Kendal's head so one of her leaders ended up undoing hers for her. Poor lady! Payton left hers in until bathtime that night. They even went home with a friend afterwards and Kay had to stop at Walmart on her way home and walked around Walmart with her looking like that. I'm sure people were giving them some funny looks! :)

Until next time...

Kendal's 8th Birthday

Kendal's birthday was June 7th and fell on a Sunday this year, so this particular Sunday was a little crazier than usual. Last July at VBS at our church Kendal got saved and soon after started talking about wanting to be baptized. We would talk to her about what that means and ask her questions and while she seemed to "get it", we didn't push the issue, we just told her that when she was really ready she would have to go forward at church. About the end of April, she said out of the blue one day that she wanted to go forward for baptism. Jeff wanted to be there, obviously, so we had to wait for his next off weekend which just so happened to be on Mother's Day. She went forward during the invitation and after the serivce our Pastor talked with her for a little bit and felt that she understood the meaning of baptism and told her to "pick a day". Well since her birthday was on a Sunday and Grandma and Papa S would be visiting then, she wanted to be baptised on her birthday. So that's how her birthday started, quite appropriate, I think!

She looks a little nervous

Getting the nose plugged :0)

I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Mark 1:8

Rushed home to snap a few pics while we still looked nice, scarf down some lunch, finish getting things together and heading to her party which was at the pool again this year. Perfect place to have a summer birthday party!

Kendal with her friend Maggie

friends, friends and more friends

The whole gang ready for cake and singing Happy Birthday

It ended up being a little windy and we couldn't get the candle to light so she had to pretend to blow out the candle. Hope she still gets her wish! ;-)

Chocolate cake...YUMMY, YUMMY!!!!

Too cute Bsyn

Payton, Kimberly and Bransyn

Back home...dressed and ready to open presents

Happy with all of her gifts!!

Payton being goofy with the goggles and she wanted me to take a picture

Even goofier! Boy, she sure can get that mouth into quite the frown!!

Bransyn had to be part of the action with her goggles that are totally upside down. Weirdo!! :)

I made flip-flop cookies out of Nutter Butters and these were what were left. They looked super cute, although in this pic...not so much! The frosting looks like cement instead of the purple color they actually were. Oh, well! :)

Until next time...

Last Day of School

Yes, the last day of school was a month and 3 days ago. I just haven't taken the time to update, but a certain friend (ALLYSON!) will occassionally give me grief about my un-updated blog so I am finally taking the time for the much needed update even though it means staying up late! :)

The girls and I went to the school for the end of year class party which is fun, but also a little sad. It's means another year has gone by and our girls our getting older *sniff,sniff*, it means homework will be a little harder next year, it means that friends won't be seen on a regular basis, it means that all three of them will be home and will get on each other's (and mine) nerves, it means finding things to do that don't require too much money or having to be out in the heat and this time it even means that on the first day of school, I will be leaving two of my girls there all day.

Picnic lunch outside, which was a little too warm for my taste, but the kids loved it and that's what matters......I guess! :)

First round of sunflower seed spitting contest. It was supposed to be watermelon seeds, but a SEEDLESS watermelon was accidentally bought instead (HA!) so some improvisation was required. One little girl cracked me up because she chose not to participate because she said that ladies don't spit. HAHAHA-HA!!! My "lady" didn't care she was out there spittin' as best as she could.

She made it to the final four and ended up in fourth. But we are talking about a SPITTING contest so fourth is good!

The girls with Kendal's teacher, Mrs. Potter

When we got home, Payton and Bransyn decided to lay random items all over the living room floor. Each piece had it's own place and they worked very hard to get it just right. They are very proud of their "work", can't you tell!?!

They didn't have as much fun filling these buckets back up as they did emtying them.

Until next time...