Just for the Fun of it

Something wierd is going on . . . I've only taken about 10 digital pix in the last 2 weeks! But, just for your viewing enjoyment, are a few snapshots of life around the Wright household.

Karis has discovered the ultimate trump card. Whenever she wants to get down from the table without finishing a meal; whenever she wants to get out of anything, for that matter, she's found that the words "I have to go potty" work wonders. Because the thing is, about 70% of the time, she really has to go! We've tried calling her bluff, with disastrous results. So for now . . . score one for the toddler. Just wait till you're my age, Kari Bou, and I'm much older; then I'll be able to play the same trump card!


Karis has decided to go Goth. I couldn't be prouder.


I just realized her mouth is open in almost every picture I have. Come to think of it, her mouth is always open, period. I wonder where she gets it??


Playing with pumpkins while waiting for the school bus


Zekers wanted me to take a pic of him at the park, when he successfully climbed the "rock mountain." It was an epic moment for him.

On Having a Watermelon for a Stomach

In spite of hopes to the contrary, it looks like baby #4 is going to be forced out of hiding, like both of his sisters before him. I really didn't want to be induced this time, but when I found out that the only OB in our town will be on vacation for several weeks, and that they have no idea who will be filing in for her - well, that was the last straw. I'm going to deliver at a hospital about an hour from here, with my own doctor. It's actually a huge relief to know he'll be there, and that the end is in sight (only 10 more nights "sleeping" on the couch!). His big debut is scheduled for October 3 - one week before his due date. If he decides to make an entrance before then, I'm really not sure what we'll do! I guess we'll be stashing a tarp in the van just in case . . .

The truth is, I'm ready. Being obnoxiously huge in front has definitely made life interesting - for all of us. In the past few weeks, I've become a little tired of . . .

. . . smacking into the kids with my ballooning belly and sending them flying across the room.

. . . forgetting about the extra 35 lbs. hanging off the front, and nearly slamming my stomach in the van door.

. . . regularly getting stuck between the van and the freezer in our garage.

. . . having to roll off the sofa in the morning and thrash around like a fish out of water, just to be able to achieve an upright position.

. . . feeling like I'm playing a steel guitar instead of an acoustic.

. . . lumbering to the bathroom about every hour during the night.

. . . having strangers take one look at me and say, "Twins, is it?"

. . . trying to clean the bathtub and almost falling in.

. . . having the general appearance of a large tent.

. . . forcing the kids to balance on my knees whenever they ask to sit in my lap.

. . . finding clothes that actually fit, only to outgrow them a week later.

. . . catching sight of a wierd, disproportionate caricature in the store window, and realizing it's me.

. . . having my own daughter look at me in awe and say, "Wow, Mom, you're the biggest person I know!"


OK, my venting session is over (for the moment!) It's just that I've never been much good at being pregnant, and would much rather be holding my sweet baby in my arms than carrying him around in my belly. I can't wait to meet the little guy, and I thank God almost every day for keeping him healthy and safe (and huge) so far! It is awfully sweet, though, when the kiddos say "Good morning, Baby!" into my stomach every day, and give him hugs and kisses.

On that note, my mom sent me an email the other day, linking to a website that offered the following:

Studies show that drinking caffeinated beverages can affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant . . . in one study, 3 cups of coffee per day reduced women’s chances of getting pregnant by 26%!

So all I have to do is drink 12 cups of coffee per day, and I'm set!

Partners in Crime

Zekers and Kari Bou have been living it up since Rachel started Kindergarten. I thought maybe they'd be sad she's gone for part of the day, but although they're always thrilled to see her coming off the bus at 4, in the meantime they've found plenty to occupy themselves with.

The other day they discovered a place in our driveway where the blacktop has disintegrated into something like charcoal, and spent some time covering their bodies with the powder. And their clothes. Kari Bou even managed to get it all over her lips.

On another day, I came down to the basement to tell them how proud I was of them for playing so well together. I was greeted by the overwhelming scent of a bottle of aerosal cologne that's been sitting on the bookshelf for over a year. The air was so thick with it, I could barely see the 2 clowns gleefully spraying each other with the last of the bottle's contents. And they hadn't just gotten each other. It was all over the computer keyboard and motior, the floor, several chairs and the bed. Just being down there for a few minutes gave me a headache for the rest of the day! (But it sure smells good down here now)

Yesterday, I let Zekers nap in Rachel's bed, and Karis went down in her own Dora bed (same room). I checked on them several times, threatened them with spankings when they had trouble settling down; but after a while, it got quiet and I assumed they were peacefully sleeping. HA! An hour later I heard their distinct voices coming from the room, so I went in to see what was going on. They were happily playing up in Rach's bed, where they had torn every one of her Tinkerbell decals off the 2 walls by the bed. The decals were crinkled up and lying on the floor next to the bottom bunk. Also, Karis had destroyed nearly all of her Dora decals. I got them back up eventually, but believe me, it isn't easy, with my current physique, to squeeze between the bed and the wall, collect decals, and crawl up into the top bunk to put them up!

As I write this, they are busy tearing into a package of wet wipes they found in the beach bag from this summer. Since the wipes are mostly dried out by now anyway, I figured I'd let them have their fun and buy myself a few minutes of peace and quiet. They've also taken all 6 cushions off the living room sofas and lined them with towels from the kitchen and bathroom, so that pretty much the entire living room floor is covered. And we have Life Group here tonight!

Oh well, at least they're having the time of their lives . . . .

Powerful and Effective

I didn't sleep much last night. I guess some of it could be pregnancy-related, but it was mostly because of a friend that's been on my heart lately - a friend who's fighting for her life against colon cancer. She's completed four weeks of daily chemo and radiation, and when I saw her yesterday, she looked - and felt - well. . . . like someone who's been undergoing treatments for 4 weeks. She's actually going off the chemo one week early, because her body has simply had enough. She's only five years older than me.

It would be difficult enough to go through all of this, but she's also raising 2 school-age girls; the youngest is in Rachel's kindergarten class and they're good friends. She's having surgery to remove the tumor in November and will be out of commission for quite a while.

Stacy is such a strong and beautiful person - so active and capable. It's hard to see her like this, and I can't imagine what it must be like for her husband and her parents. My heart has been so heavy for all of them, and for her precious girls.

Also, this morning, we found out a girl whose family has attended our church since we've lived here died in a car accident last night. She used to play drums in our youth worship band and is now in her second year of college. I cannot even fathom what it must be like to lose your own child - what her mother must be going through right now.

Isn't it just so much our nature, to want to be able to DO something to make it all better? But in each of these cases, and many others, there's nothing I can do - except pray. And that is what God convicted me about last night. Prayer is the most powerful tool at my disposal, and I treat it like it's some kind of second-class way to help. I've resolved to spend a lot more time crying out to God for people I love and for help for those going through the valley of the shadow of death. I believe God will reveal ways that I can provide help and encouragement; and there have been tangible ways I've been able lend support; but what could be more effective than first calling upon the One who "gives all men life and breath and everything else"?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Would you take a minute to pray for Stacy and her family, and also for Lindsay's family? James 5 says that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective . . ."

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

My little Kari Bou . . . isn't so little anymore!

I took this first photo of her when she was about 5 months old. I remember so well her little pink cardigan, and the toothless grin she used to flash me, with drool covering the bottom half of her face.

Today we went to the doctor for her 2-year checkup. I don't have a picture from the occasion, as I ended up taking all three kiddos and it was barely-controlled chaos for most of the visit.

It turns out, she's in the 35th percentile for weight, and the 95th for height. I have no idea where she gets the height - certainly not from me! It's also funny how younger children seem to hit milestones much sooner, probably because they want more than anything to be just like their older siblings and never seem to grasp the idea that they're actually much younger. I think Karis really believes she is at least as old as Zekers!

The only sad thing was the doctor discovered she has strep. I had no idea this was possible, but it's not in her throat - it's way down south. Who knew?? She's been irritated there lately, but I never would have thought it could be related to strep. I didn't know it was possible to get it anywhere other than in your throat! So . . . I left feeling both stupid AND guilty. Aaagggghhh!

The good news is, she's healthy otherwise, and getting to be more fun every day. In fact, I find myself not wanting her to grow any older, because she's just so sweet and snuggly and vivacious all at the same time. Some of the things I love best about her are . . .

. . . her mischievous grin and sense of humor
. . . the way her hair flips out on both sides of her head
. . . the way she climbs up in my lap and says "Hold me, Mommy" and buries her head in my chest
. . . that she loves to pull my shirt up so she can kiss the baby (she also says, "I love you, Ma-chai")
. . . the "Bapple" song (she repeats the word "Bapple" in a sing-song way about 20 times)
. . . She loves to sit on Danny's chest and yell "Bellywasher!" at the top of her lungs. She's got Rach & Zekers doing it, too.
. . . her bouncy, stumbly little run
. . . her inquisitive nature (or: the way she gets into EVERYTHING)
. . . her bear hugs and her sweet kisses
. . . her "intense" face that always makes the other 2 laugh
. . . the way she speaks her mind and asserts herself - even at 2!
. . . the way she sleeps at night - just like I do - on her stomach, with her head in the crook of her arm

I love you, Bou Bear!

Back for More

We had so much fun at our July family reunion, we decided we just had to go to another one! So Saturday morning we packed up the kids and about 47 other things and drove 2 hours spend the day with my mom's side of the family.

We ate, hung out and caught up on the past year or 2, then in the evening all the cousins (many of us are married and some have kids) headed to a little place called Butch's Italian Cafe for dinner, while our wonderful parents and aunts and uncles watched our darling little angels back at the house, and wondered how in the world they got volunteered for the job! The whole day was actually pretty crazy - there were about 10 kids, all under 6, running around and I think by mid-afternoon the great-grandparents were ready to run for their lives.

All I can say is, I am beyond thankful that we remembered to bring the portable potty. Karis had to "go" not once, but 2 times - both on the way there and on the way back - and we weren't near any kind of restroom. So portable potties are currently at the top of my "thankful" list!

We drove through a torrential downpour on the way home, but made it back by 10. I discovered I'm also VERY thankful for a van with a DVD player.



I also realized just how much I love our church! Today was the kick-off for all of our fall children's programs, and Danny used the Sunday School hour to lay out the plan for everyone. He's actually written the curriculum for our Children's Church classes, and provided material for families to reinforce what their kids have learned in church, throughout the week, so we can help to disciple our own kids instead of relying on other people to do it all. It's just really cool, first of all, to see all the new families that have been coming, and secondly, to see the excitement on so many faces and hear it in their voices. There's an energy and an expectancy unlike any I've encountered before, and it's contagious! It's such a privilege to hear teaching straight out of the Bible, and to be able to worship joyfully together, and to celebrate what God's doing among us and around the world.

Anyway, it's been a full weekend, but a really, really good one. I don't feel tired - I feel energized and ready to take on the coming week (I'd almost forgotten what that feels like!). This is either a result of the weekend's events, or of the cup of high-test coffee I drank today. In any case, I'll take it!

A Week of Firsts

Wow - what a whirlwind of a week (how's that for alliteration?)

The last 2 days have been fun and different and exciting, and have seemed to last about a week! Tuesday was our first women's Bible study at the church. We're doing a Beth Moore study on Daniel, and it looks like it should be pretty good. Frankly, I need the accountability to be in the Word each day; and I can't wait to start digging deep.

We came home from the study in time to snarf down some lunch and see Rachel off on her first day of school. She could hardly contain her excitement, and I did OK until the bus took off and I caught sight of her mop of curly brown hair in the window. She just seemed so . . . little. It seems like such a big step - and I kept thinking "She's going to be in school from now on until she leaves home", and of course this thought brought even more tears. But then Zekers and Kari Bou actually went down for a nap together, and having a couple of hours to myself was quite soothing!

We've had some bus issues and the 2 munchkins and I have waited at her bus stop for over 45 minutes each of the first 2 days of school, and Rach has come in on the wrong bus both days. Yesterday, no one had any idea where she was until the superintendent showed up at our stop to try to locate her - thank goodness. I think I'm going to print a large "21" on her forehead with a Sharpie marker today! But she has loved the first 2 days of school and I think once all the bus craziness is ironed out it will be a good year.

Wednesday morning was the first meeting of our church moms' group - something a friend and I have been planning toward all summer, for moms of kids 0-5. It was a long morning, but I thought it went really well. We had an interactive craft for moms & their kids to take part in for the first half hour, followed by a testimony and small group time. We're meeting in four small groups of 4-5; each is led by a more seasoned mom who has raised kids or is raising older kids. We ended with a potluck lunch, which I had to leave early to get Rach to school. We had 17 moms sign up, and 10-11 were there yesterday, which was a really good size group to start with.It's going to be fun getting to know more young moms as the year goes on.

Wednesday night was the start of AWANA. Rach is now a Sparkie and Zekers got to go to Cubbies for the first time. He pretty much knows the songs and some of the verses, just from being around Rach the last couple of years, and was SO excited to go. I asked him how he liked it afterward, and he said, "I was a good boy, Mommy!" I guess I did kind of hammer it into him that he needed to listen to his teachers - you just never know how Mr. Beef is going to react sometimes.

Wow - I was completely unprepared for all the paperwork - both for school and for AWANA. Rach brings home a notebook every day with papers, schedules and instructions for me to read. I've spent at least 15 minutes each day going over papers and signing things and writing checks.

But this morning, the kids and I are just taking it easy. I told them they could do an activity of their choice, so Rachel is painting, and Zekers is playing with play doh, and Kari Bou is eating play doh and spilling the contents of every drawer in the house. I suppose I will miss the mess someday . ..

Bits O' News

Our box of FruitaBu arrived last week, and it exceeded all our expectations. Almost as exciting as the actual product we received, were the packing peanuts, which of course ended up all over our living room floor. We're still finding them under some of the furniture. Our favorites are the twirls - little rolled-up strips of smooshed fruit, and the individually wrapped fruit leather. I think we now have enough to last us through the end of the year!

At 34.5 weeks, I am now down to about 5 shirts that actually fit. It's not that I'm that huge, really, but the baby dropped even more several weeks ago, so although it's much easier to breathe now, my stomach hangs down below the bottom of nearly every shirt I was able to wear up to the very end with the other three. I guess it's time to bust out the tent-like clothing for the next 5 weeks!

It's actually been kind of fun lately, being able to identify body parts as they push on my stomach. Danny was playing with the little guy a couple of nights ago: when we felt a foot, he'd push on it, and the baby would push back. Then Danny put his mouth up to my abdomen and started talking to the baby, and he got kicked in the mouth! It was such a sudden reaction, it scared us half to death. We couldn't decide whether the baby was going crazy from excitement at hearing his father's voice, or he's already sick of being preached at!

I finally feel ready for the baby to come. We've almost finished his room, all the baby clothes are washed and waiting, and yesterday I completed the gigantic task of reorganizing the kids' closets and drawers, putting away their too-small clothes and getting out their fall/winter stuff. I realized I may have hit a few too many garage sales this summer - Zekers may never wear the same pair of pants / jeans twice all winter!

And the countdown continues . . .

Never a Dull Moment

Rach, Zekers and Kari Bou are at this moment walking around in hats, backpacks and maternity shirts from my closet. Rachel has decided she and Zekers are the mom and dad - Charlie and Hannah Jones, and Kari Bou is the baby, named Pebble Jones. They are currently not answering to any other names.

A couple of days ago, I left the kiddos upstairs to play while I ran down and threw in some laundry and cleaned up the basement a little. I was gone about a total of 8.5 minutes, when I heard what sounded like sort of a sploshing noise coming from the dining room. I ran up the stairs, only to find that the three munchkins had opened the cooler we used for their party, saw that most of the ice had melted, and decided to stuff every dish cloth and towel we own into said cooler. Somehow, in the process, they had managed to get most of the water onto the dining room floor, which now looked something like a pond.

I threw up my hands in exasperation and asked, "Can't I leave you guys alone for even a few minutes without disaster ensuing?" To which Rachel rolled her eyes and replied matter-of-factly: "Well, duh!"