This weeks edition of "YOU MIGHT JUST"

Well, here you have it, folks. Due to popular demand, another edition of "you might just....."

*After getting the kids to bed, tidying the house, folding some laundry and then sitting down to snuggle up and watch a movie on the couch, YOU MIGHT JUST be disgusted when you realize your dog has barfed right next to the couch, on the ONLY rug in your house!

*YOU MIGHT JUST be REALLY ticked off, when she does it AGAIN, at the other end of the same rug a few minutes later!

*When driving down the freeway and hearing child #3 yell, "Mommy! Look at my private!" YOU MIGHT JUST spit out the water you were drinking all over your steering wheel and say, "I'm sorry, WHAT did you say, Sweetie?"

*When she repeats herself as children #1 and #2 don't know whether to laugh or be mortified, YOU MIGHT JUST look in the rearview mirror to see child #3 with a wrapper she turned into a PIRATE mask. YOU MIGHT JUST realize that she doesn't actually mean "private," she means "pirate." YOU MIGHT JUST breathe a sigh of relief that for once, your precious children did not discredit your motherly capabilities by shouting these embarrassing comments in public!

*When taking your kids to a place filled with bouncy houses, slides, and tubes to crawl through, YOU MIGHT JUST want to give your prone-to-motion-sickness child some drammamine BEFORE you go. Oh! AND, you might not want to give that kid a double cheeseburger and fries in the parking lot before heading inside.

*If you don't, YOU MIGHT JUST find that other parents and kids will quarantine you upon their discovery that your child is in fact throwing up that cheeseburger and fries all over himself.

*When your witty 8-year-old begs you to play April Fools jokes on him this year, YOU MIGHT JUST do a little internet research to come up with some *creative* and *hilarious* pranks to play on him. And when he wakes up on the morning of April 1st, YOU MIGHT JUST chuckle to yourself at the tricks up your sleeve. However, when sitting at the dinner table that night, YOU MIGHT JUST feel terrible as your 8-year-old sits there sobbing as a result of a joke you played on him. He MIGHT JUST be incredibly disappointed after Mommy told him, "Now sprinkle some salt on top of this plate of pudding and then put your hand over it.....the heat from your hand will turn the pudding into rainbow colors!" And when he looked at Mommy, in awe, and excitedly put his palm over that plate... WHACK! Mommy squished that little hand right into the pudding!

*After patting yourself on the back for the creative April Fool's jokes you played on your kids, YOU MIGHT JUST discover in the weeks following that your children think it's HILARIOUS to play April Fools jokes on you. Can you say "reaaranged dresser drawers and chocolate pudding smeared on the toilet seat?"

*Finally, after cleaning up after the previously mentioned dog that barfed on the carpet, YOU MIGHT JUST think you are still smelling "dog smell" for the rest of the night. You might finish that movie you were watching, fall asleep on the couch, and then wake up a couple hours later to drag yourself to bed. And as your head hits that nice feather pillow, YOU MIGHT JUST somewhat coherently say, "Honey? Call me crazy, but I swear that I still smell dog pee or something!" Your husband MIGHT JUST say he doesn't smell anything, until he puts his head down on his pillow and realizes that THAT STUPID DOG had jumped up on our bed and PEED on BOTH OF OUR PILLOWS! Seriously?! What kind of potty trained dog jumps up on your bed, pees on your pillows, and then acts like everything is normal?

Stay tuned for next week's edition. I'm sure I will have several *wonderful* moments to reflect upon. :)

"You might just......."

The month of March has been quite entertaining. Here's a little peek into some of our daily "happenings."

*When going to the pet store to buy your 8-year-old a new fish, YOU MIGHT JUST want to buy the cheap ones instead of spending 6.99 for one that dies 1 day after the expiration of the 'fish death' return policy. OH! And if you DO decide to buy an expensive one, YOU MIGHT JUST want to buy one, instead of 3 at once.....

*When having a friend's 2-year-old over, YOU MIGHT JUST want to make sure that that sweet lil' one isn't upstairs trying to feed those expensive fish---by dumping out the entire Costco-sized fish food all over the fishtank and floor....

*When your sweet husband can't find his cell phone and blames you for losing it, YOU MIGHT JUST chuckle to yourself the next day when that same sweet husband finds it in your water-filled crockpot in the sink...and realizes that when he set his phone to vibrate mode, it vibrated off of the windowsill he left it on and right into your crockpot!

*When you realize that your husband now has to pay to replace that darn cellphone, YOU MIGHT JUST stop laughing.

*When out to dinner at Red Robin and your delightful 3-year-old turns around and says "THAT LADY LOOKS MAD" in the ear of "mad lady" in the booth behind you, YOU MIGHT JUST ask for your food "to go." We didn't.

*When taking all of your children to the Dr. and the aforementioned 3-year-old looks at the Dr. and says, "you look weird! You don't have any hair!" YOU MIGHT JUST be thankful that you've known this kind, Grandpa of a Dr. for years. However, YOU MIGHT JUST want to crawl into a hole and hide anyways.

*When your kids are in a church musical, YOU MIGHT JUST think they are the most adorable, talented, children EVER.....even if they played the part of "rocks."

*When trying to interpret the growing language of your 3-year-old, YOU MIGHT JUST want to discover sooner-than-later that "itty booty" in fact, means, icky boogie...on her finger....and then YOU MIGHT JUST want to search your house from top to bottom with lysol wipes in hand to locate all the places she has decided to leave those "itty booties."

*When getting a new foster baby, YOU MIGHT JUST be reminded once again that children are a precious gift from God, and each day you have with ANY of your children, biological or not, is a gift. YOU MIGHT JUST find yourself amazed at the sanctity of life and the miracle that each child is. :)

*When your children ask to eat breakfast on the floor, in bowls, like the dogs, YOU MIGHT JUST let them-- thinking the novelty will wear off really quick. However, YOU MIGHT JUST learn that they think eating like that is REALLY COOL and then have to retrain them to eat at the table. YOU MIGHT JUST find yourself feeling really embarrassed that your kids, in fact, LIKE to eat like dogs, for some odd reason.....

*OH! And finally, when your daughter gets strep throat for the second time in 6 weeks, YOU MIGHT JUST want to throw her toothbrush away so she stops reinfecting herself!! Then YOU MIGHT JUST feel incredible stupid when your nurse says, "We told you that!"

"N" week

Caitlyn with her "nurse" outfit and cast.

Last week was "N" week at Caitlyn's school. They had a wonderful time....making noodles (with butter and cheese), making noodle necklaces, looking at nests, talking about Noah's ark, numbers, and then Friday was "Nurse Day!" Caitlyn's teacher and I filled the role as nurses as we taught the kids how to use a stethescope, take out stitches, put on casts, and they even got to give oranges real injections! Caitlyn thinks these theme days are SO cool.....during "O" week they had "octopus day" and they examined a real octopus as well as making their own octopus (shaped) pretzels.....during "F" week one day they fixed french toast and fresh fruit....and next week for "P" week they get to make pancakes and their own pillowcases! Anyways, it's lots of fun. So Caitlyn's quick little mind is always coming up with fun ideas for theme days at school. SO, last week, on our way to "nurse day," she excitedly said, "I know! Wouldn't it be weird if we had NAKED day at school?! That would be SO WEIRD! I mean, I wouldn't want to see people naked at school for "N" week!" Um, okay sweetie, I'll be sure NOT to suggest that one to your teacher...

In case you didn't know....

....Superman lives at our house!

Out of the mouths of babes

Caitlyn's little Kindergarten class at the Christian School is having a "teddy bear picnic" on Friday. This is "B" week at school, so the kids were instructed to bring their favorite BEAR from home for the picnic. BUT, first they were given a name tag to bring home, color, fill out, attach to their bear, and return tomorrow. I was working in Caitlyn's class today as the instructions were relayed. Caitlyn was SO excited to finish dinner this evening so that she could get straight to work on her bear's name tag! Micah was doing the dishes (I LOVE my husband, by the way), I was sitting on the couch with a blanket over my head (no really, I was) trying to ignore the fact that our house is a total disaster right now, and the kids got to work on their name tags. (When I work in her class, I bring the other kids with me, and Caitlyn's teacher is GREAT and sent home name tags for our other kids' bears too!) Anyways, I heard Caitlyn shout, "I'M FINISHED!" as she ran into the kitchen to show Daddy her completed tag. I heard Micah laughing hysterically as Caitlyn quickly ran in to show me her completed masterpiece. THIS, my friends, is what I saw:

Yes, you are reading that correctly. It

does, in fact, say "BIG BEER."

I imagine myself escorting Caitlyn into her class tomorrow at the CHRISTIAN SCHOOL and saying, "No really, Mrs. Johnson. I have no idea why Caitlyn would name her adorable, 70's looking tie-dye 'peace bear' BIG BEER. I'm sure what she meant to say was BIG BEAR, she just spelled it BIG BEER."

Letting Go

The first couple of weeks in February were rough here in the Rose household. Micah got sick, then a week later Ellie and I got sick, then a week later Caitlyn got sick, and Ellie got sick again. We all were unfortunate victims of a persistent tummy virus. Fortunately, most of us made a quick recovery and were back to our chipper selves. Caitlyn, however, was not so lucky. Tuesday night, February 8th, we had a normal dinner and then put the kids to bed. Around 9 or 10:00 I heard a loud noise that I couldn't decipher. "Micah--what is THAT?!" Well, it was Caitlyn throwing up. She was not incredibly concerned with making it to the bathroom and made *quite* the mess. Sorry for those of you who are visual learners. ;) Our poor baby continued to be sick all night long, and by Wednesday morning, she literally could not stop dry heaving and we made the trek into Northwest Peds. Caitlyn spent most of the day Wednesday hooked up to IVs to replenish her fluids, and they sent us home, assuming she would wake up fine the next day. Unfortunately she did not wake up fine. We returned to NW Peds and spent 11+ hours there again, with Caitlyn hooked up to IV's for fluids and antibiotics. Unfortunately, when we got there, her tiny veins were incredibly flat and 4 different Doctors and nurses tried repeatedly to get IV's in her. After 2 1/2 hours of trying, a wonderful nurse named Brenda came in and got it on the FIRST TRY. Dr. Polley was literally standing outside our door interceding that Brenda would get it in on her first try. How many people can say THAT of their Pediatrician?! :) Anywhoo, they unhooked her IV around 8:30 Thursday night, sent me home with instructions to flush her IV site overnight, and to give her round-the-clock anti-nausea meds to prevent her from vomiting anymore. We had an appointment for 9:00 Friday morning when we were praying Caitlyn would be well and all they would have to do would be remove her IV. Again, unfortunately, Caitlyn was not well. In fact, her health was deteriorating quickly. Her blood sugar dropped into the low 40s, she was completely lethargic and just plain "out of it." Her electrolytes were completely off and the fluids were just not pumping into her fast enough. Late Friday morning, the nurse practitioner came in and informed us that they needed to admit Caitlyn to St. Peters in Olympia where they had a special pediatric unit. Caitlyn had only peed twice in 48 hours, despite all the fluids going into her, and her illness was now outside their abilities to help her in the office. We put Caitlyn in the car and beelined for Olympia. Caitlyn was so, so listless and groggy. I had to hold her head up against her carseat in the back, and several times I patted her cheeks to make sure she was breathing. I was scared. Like REALLY scared.

Just a few days before this incident I had finished reading a book by Mary Beth Chapman called "Choosing to See." For those of you unfamiliar with who she is, Mary Beth is married to the Christian artist Stephen Curtis Chapman. 2 1/2 years ago, their 18-year-old son ran over their 4 year old daughter in their driveway by accident and killed her. Mary Beth's book was about her journey, her struggle, and ultimately, her surrender to God regarding the lives of her children.

So this Friday morning as we were driving to Olympia, a wave of fear overcame me as I started wondering if "God knew I needed to read that book." I was SCREAMING in my mind at God, BEGGING Him out loud to save our daughter, and WHISPERING in Caitlyn's ear that I loved her so much, and that Mommy and Daddy needed her to be strong and to fight.

I then turned my prayers back to God as I pleaded with him to please, please, not have let me read that book in preparation for losing our baby girl. I couldn't go there.

They were waiting for us when we got to the hospital in Olympia and they got her IV started right away. They also took a bunch of blood to run for testing to make sure there wasn't something else occurring in her body that had gone undiagnosed. The good news was, there wasn't anything else going on other than a serious case of dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance. That bad news was, the Doctor came in and told us that this was the worst case of dehydration she had seen and that Caitlyn was actually a lot sicker than they thought when we first brought her in. Um, thanks a lot Doc....that is JUST the right thing to say to a mom who is already clearly shaken up. We called and texted everyone we knew of to pray. We plastered it on Facebook. We called the church and had her put on the prayer chain. Friends and relatives all over the country were praying. Hard. And we felt it. Right around dinner time Friday night Caitlyn faintly whispered, "I'm hungry. I want a piece of toast." So toast, it was. She ate it slowly, but managed to keep it down and the fluids/anti nausea meds/antibiotics were beginning to do their job. It was amazing to LITERALLY FEEL prayers. To know that so many of you were interceding on our behalf, and joining with our pleas. Thank you. Your prayers were answered. Our prayers were answered. Caitlyn made quick progress and by Saturday afternoon, she was well enough to come home. I couldn't believe it! 24 hours before I was scared to death for her life, and here we were taking our baby girl home! And she was talking! And smiling! What an amazing God we serve!

I want to take just a minute to relay what I am continuing to learn. If I could have predicted my response to a situation like this, I would have thought my knee-jerk reaction would have been to hold on to my kids tighter and to swoon with guilt over all of my shortcomings. But ironically, the very opposite happened. You do not realize how little control you have over your life until it's fragileness is STARING YOU IN THE FACE. You do not realize how desperate and dependent on God you need to be until your circumstances leave you with no other option. God IS sovereign. He IS in control, whether we "give" Him that control or not. He calls the shots. He knows what's best for us. He's got our back.

I am realizing more and more, that the tighter I hold onto my kids, my husband, and my life, the more opportunities God is giving me to let go of those very things I cling to. :) Remember, He is faithful to complete the work He started and if you ask Him to stretch you, He will! I apparently need much more growth as I have had numerous opportunities to surrender to His will in this last year especially and I still have fear every time! You would think that any one of the situations we have faced would leave me in a place of total surrender, but I am clearly a work in progress and have continued to face opportunities requiring faith. My prayer has been one of declaring my trust in God over the lives of my children, and to let go. To really let go. It is easy to say "my kids are the Lord's" but the reality of that is a difficult act of obedience. I HAVE to remember that God gave them to us in the first place! Children are a blessing from the Lord, and each day we have with them is a privilege, not a right.

Finally, here are some photos from our time at NW Peds and at the hospital. Sorry for the poor photo quality, as some of them were taken from my Ipod. :)

at the hospital, not so chipper. :(

Day #3 at NW Peds

Day #2 at NW Peds

First food in 4 days!

Finally going home! Smiling! :)

Ode to my kids

I try. No really, I do. I try to teach my children manners. I try to teach them to put others first, to say "may I be excused," to be polite, and to be honest. Unfortunately, the children have learned the "being honest"part more than they have learned the "being polite" part.....and this makes for frequent embarrassing situations.

Several months ago I was in Michaels craft store with Caitlyn. A heavier set woman rounded the corner into our aisle and could not squeeze by my cart to get to the other end of the aisle. She turned around and Caitlyn said, "Mommy? Why do some peoples bunses (think buns, plural) shake real bad when they walk?" I think my cheeks are STILL a nice shade of pink from that incident.

When we got home that night, I took some time to make that situation what we like to call a "teaching moment." I would like to say that "teaching moments" are something that are effective in our household. However, as I'm sure you will discover by the end of this blog post, my authority on the issue is obviously sub-par. ;)

As part of the "teaching moment" with Caitlyn, we talked about how it isn't polite to talk about people's "bunses" and that if that lady had heard her, her feelings might have been really hurt. We went on to discuss how it is wonderful to encourage people and I gave the kids the opportunity to encourage each other with things that are "true" and "nice." I thought it was a done deal.

Well, the next day I was in Safeway with the previously mentioned child, and when we got to the checkout lane she took one look at the checker and said, "big.......teeth....." The checker smiled and said, "What was that, Sweetie?" Caitlyn replied, "I said I like your nice big teeth!"

Had I not had THREE other children with me at the time, I probably would have zipped up my hood over my face, grabbed her, and bolted for the door. I had nothing to say.

Then there's Caleb. Smart, witty, naive, Caleb. The kid loves humor: Sunday comics, joke books, riddles, and knock-knock jokes. Along with having a school-aged boy apparently comes a fascination with what we call "potty talk." No, Caleb, not every joke has to be about "tooting" or "pooping" or silly noises you make with your hand in your armpit (thank you Daddy for teaching him that one). Anywhoo, we have made it a point to say that "potty talk belongs in the bathroom," and that's where it needs to stay. ("Potty talk" previously resulted in Caleb experiencing the memorable taste of Irish Spring.) ;)

So this morning, Caleb was taking a bath and he was reciting all sorts of *hilarious* jokes to me from memory as I was putting on my makeup. After a few minutes of my courtesy laughing he said to me, "Mommy? Why don't you ever get joke books from the library?" I replied, "Well, Caleb -you tell so many funny jokes that I don't really need to read them for myself. And besides, most joke books they make for Mommies and Daddies are unfortunately not very appropriate. They have a lot of "potty talk" in them. His eyes got really big and I could see his wheels turning. He paused and then said, "Oh! Like what did one wiener say to the other wiener?"

I'll just stop now. And yes, I have a book where I write these things down.