The Queen Comes Out of Hiding

Yes, that's me. I'm back. I really do miss blogging, but it took a lot of time away from other things in my life. Mainly housekeeping, child rearing, exercise, spending face to face time with important people in my life, etc. I guess I need to find a happy medium. I am not the best time manager. We'll see how it all goes.

You may wonder what's been going on around here. I'll try to sum it up for you.

The King of my castle is busy, busy, busy. Always on the road, it seems. When he's home, he's on the phone with work...I guess I shouldn't complain. He has a large family to provide for, and it takes a lot of provision to keep us going. He doesn't get a lot of free time, but his new hobby is trying to create the perfect pie. You'd think I would like it, but I don't. You should see the scale when I step on it. He's sabotaging me.

I can't remember what I called this kid. Squire? He's 14. He is busy with school and activities. Track is happening now, and only 35 days left of school. He has big plans to take Driver's Ed this summer. (Lord, help me!) That way he'll be ready to drive when he turns 15 in September. He would like us to move to South Dakota so he could be driving now.

I'm pretty sure I called this one Scribe. He's 13 and up to the same stuff as his closest brother. It's frightening to me, but his voice is changing. I hear men in my house all the time now. He's a comedian and makes me roll my eyes and shake my head many times a day.

Jester. Not so much anymore. The laughter he brought to our home is no longer here. He decided to disown the family. This is one of the last times I saw him, which was on his 19th birthday in October. It's sad. It's hard. I'm trying to deal with the rejection, but not doing so well. Some days I cry. Other days I am just plain angry. Angry with him. Angry with my husband, because I so badly want to blame someone. Angry with me, because I didn't see it coming. I feel betrayed. I miss him.

Prince Charming. What can I say about him? He makes me smile every day. I look at him in awe and wonder. As a mother I can brag about his brilliance. He's four and is starting to read. Seriously. I haven't even taught him how. The other day he said to me, "Freak is like free. Free is F-R-E-E. I can spell freak. F-R-E-E-C." I was very impressed. Of course, I didn't correct him. He'll be home another year so he should have the correct spelling down before he starts Kindergarten in 2012.

My Jouster. Not so much a fighter with me anymore. (Whew!) Though we do compete from time to time. Here we are doing a push up contest (he beat me because he's only 20 and the sun was in my eyes, but I gave him a run for his money). He is making great strides at turning his life around. He still lives at home and is my right hand man when The King is away. He's working at Hardee's while he waits to start construction work the end of May. He's looking forward to making some real money so he can get a place of his own. I'm not so sure I want him to go, It is really nice having another adult around all the time. He has a girlfriend who has a one year old son. I adore that little guy. I love it when they come to visit so I can get my baby fix.

Maiden and Duchess. Two years apart and toothless together. Isn't that fun? I love my girls. One looks just like me, one acts just like me. So, I guess I have two Mini-Me's. I don't know if that's good or bad. I guess it depends on who you ask. They are doing well in school, and sadly for The King, love to spend time at the mall (which I have no problem with).

Well, that's it for today. I'll have to let you know in the next few days what I've been doing for myself. I am heading down a new path...

My Children

Here is the most recent photo I have of all of my children. It was taken on Jouster's 19th birthday in July. I can't believe I have a 19 year old son. It makes it harder for people to believe I am only 29 years old when they see him by my side. There may come a day I will have to admit my real age.

Let me update you on what is going on with each of them.

Jouster: He is now 19 and swore he'd never step foot into a college. However, he is now a college student. He has worked out his schedule so he can be a full time student and still work his job at the hog farm 3 days per week. He still struggles from time to time with demons from his past but is really doing well. I am proud of the wonderful young man he has become.

Jester: We struggled with him over the summer. He left home two weeks ago and we haven't heard from him. He has stayed in contact with Jouster so we know he is safe. We will keep our distance and allow him the space he feels he needs from us. He is a senior in high school this year and will turn 18 in a few weeks. I am sad that our relationship has come to this point, but all I can do now is pray for him. The little kids miss him. Maiden said last night, "I hope he comes home so he can sit in his spot again." (Meaning at the dinner table.) It broke my heart.

Squire: Is in 7th grade this year and is taking his homeschool studies very seriously. He started playing piano again which makes me extremely happy! He is in cross country and is begging to join the Civil Air Patrol.

Scribe: Not so serious about school. He's in 6th grade and hides from me a lot. We are working on him staying on task with getting his work done. He's also in piano again...much to his chagrin and is running cross country. He's a pretty good little runner.

Duchess: She has taken over the role of first born. She likes to "mother" the younger two around and keep them in line. She is a second grader this year and is still working on learning to read. She is now in charge of egg collecting and loves her new chore!

Maiden: My little Kindergartner. Her goal for this school year, "To finish Kindergarten." She only thinks she's doing school if she's working in workbooks. Me reading aloud to her is not considered school to her. She gets frustrated when I won't let her work ahead in her books. I need some of her enthusiasm to wear off on Scribe!

Prince Charming: My little boy is three--and--IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! He is my little snuggler and is never far from my side. The most common words out of his mouth are, "I want my mama," or "I need you mama." I love it. Hopefully his need for me follows him all the way through his teen years.

Back Yard Ice Rink

Today it is a sunny 18° and Great White is not stuck in the snow.  Quite a change from last week when it was -34° and Great White couldn't move.  Not being able to go anywhere for four days wasn't so bad.  It brought out the innovative side of Squire.  

One morning when he was out doing chores, he decided he needed to make a skating rink for Duchess since we weren't able to go to town and use the ice arena.  How would she ever keep up on her skating skills if she didn't have adequate practice time?  

 

He was a big ice cube when he came in the house.

He was grinning from ear to ear when he told Duchess what he had done for her.  She was so excited and couldn't wait to try out her very own ice skating rink.

He even helped her lace up her skates.  As he sent her out the door he told her,  "Be careful, it might be a little lumpy...the water kept freezing before I could smooth it out."

But she didn't seem to mind...the lumpy ice or the -34° wind chill.  She skated until she couldn't feel her nose or cheeks. 

 Then she came in to warm up just long enough to go out and skate some more.  To say she was thrilled with his gift to her would be an understatement.  She couldn't thank him enough.  Way to go Squire!  You are the big brother of every little girl's dreams.

Skiing

Squire and Scribe went skiing for the first time yesterday. They had a blast. A local ski hill offered a special for home schoolers. The $20.00 fee included equipment rental, lift pass, beginner lesson, and six hours on the slope. What a deal! A fresh snowfall and mild temperatures made it the perfect day for skiing. I now have two boys who think they have found "their sport". The best part is that the special will be offered again next month.

A Minor Distraction

As if we didn't have enough going on. Last week in the midst of getting paperwork ready to admit Jouster, The King and I took a little break to join The King's Twin and Sister in Love for her 40th birthday celebration. It was a very nice evening, until...

Three miles from home we get a frantic phone call from Scribe, "MOM!!!! SQUIRE IS BLEEDING ALL OVER!!!! IT'S REALLY BAD!!!!!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Jester was babysitting. Squire had been in the kitchen washing dad's new knives. (Don't ask me why, we never found out.) One slipped from his hand and in trying to grab it, sliced his finger open. It was deep. (If you ask Squire how deep, he'd tell you that he was able to see his muscle and bone....)

I am so proud of Jester and his calm nature. When we got home, he was putting Squire's boots and coat on him, while applying pressure to the injury. Jester said, "He needs to go to the emergency room." Jester looked as though he were the one who had been sliced open. His hands were covered in his brother's blood.

The King took Squire straight to town. It was 11:00 p.m. I started to look around. Blood splatters were everywhere. It looked like a crime scene. That boy must have been screaming and swinging his arm around. Blood on the cabinets, refrigerator, windows, floor, into the dining room and living room. Jester cleaned up the entire mess. The sight of that blood got me feeling a little queasy. I couldn't do it.

They returned an hour later, all stiched up. Here is Squire a few days after the trauma. The stitches are on his index finger.
A close up shot of seven stitches. He would like everyone to know he also had to get six shots in that finger.
The ER doctor told my husband when and how to remove the stitches.

So, that's what we did last night. Not too shabby for untrained medical personnel, huh?

They Ain't Heavy

They ain't heavy, they're our sisters.

Happy Birthday

We celebrated Squire's 11th birthday today. We are so blessed to have him as our son. He is a gentle spirit, creative, and a peacemaker. We love you Squire! Happy Birthday!
Jester did not have time to make him a cake so we had to buy one. It was definitely not as beautiful as one Jester would have made.
See that face? Squire's dream come true, an electric guitar with an amp (and headphones for mom). He has wanted an electric guitar for over a year, and has been saving and saving and saving his money to buy one. Did I mention he's been saving his money to buy one? Every time we are in town he tries to talk us into going to the music store 'just to look'. Needless to say, he was shocked at the unveiling of his gift.

Thursday's Rain

I posted Thursday about the rain that left as quickly as it came. It returned later! I am so glad I captured this on film. Squire and Duchess (who is smart enought to change into her swimsuit) playing in the rain. We only got 1/4" from the shower, but during that time I was reminded of
A few more reasons to be thankful for a drought:
~No rushing around to close windows to keep the rain out.
~No trying to find where the children have stashed the umbrellas.
~No water in the basement.
~No worries about your freshly curled hair going flat while running to your best friend's van when she is picking you up for a shopping trip to the cities.
~Not having to go shopping and out to dinner with flat, ugly hair while with your best friend in the cities.

Charades

Can you tell who Squire and Scribe are acting out? Here's a clue:
They had a blast at the Crazy Horse Monument. (No pun intended.)