Random Thoughts

As I wandered through our house tonight, I noted the junk everywhere after my attempts to clean up. I chose to surrender the fight and catch up on blogging. 
Our younger two are enamored with the vents - I either find them standing waist-up in them, hiding in them, or stuffing things down them. I just passed glittering objects in the one near our room, and it would give me chills to open it up and get the toys, so I just ignored it.:) For some reason, reaching down them gives me the same sensation as wondering if a monster is under the bed when my feet hit the floor in the middle of the night. Don't tell the kids.:)
Today Joel clocked Jonathan with a hard plastic helicopter (this is a pattern). I made him sit on the bathroom floor alone after being disciplined. Nothing seems to work with him - he is very sweet and loving but can be hard as nails. He laughs when disciplined, does not listen, and is carefree about hurting his brothers. The comfort I take in this is that Jonathan was this way for some time and no longer is. At the time, I thought it was related to his delay, that he didn't understand how his actions affected others, etc. because Jackson had never made the same choices. Jono snatched hair bows, glasses, pulled hair, hit, etc. and we called him the Down Syndrome Bully. So, I remind myself that Jonathan was once this way and maybe Joel will snap out of it. Until then, I think we have discovered that isolating him works wonders. 
Tonight, we did just that. After injuring his brother, I put Joel in the bathroom. He was content for some time, so I just waited until he wasn't. Then, when he reached his limit, he got the bathroom rug and stuffed it in the toilet (which did not have clean water in it). He called for us. Jamie answered. Jamie asked him if he did it so he could get out to which he answered, "yes." Upon my arrival, he put his arms around both our legs and said, "I wuv you guys." Unbelievable. Jamie and I usually look at each other and say,"Were you like this? I wasn't!" Jamie and I both had our moments but both of us were rather compliant and people-pleasers so this kind of behavior baffles us.
This is the first week that our children have not been sick since the first week in January. Monday Joel went to Mothers' Morning Out and it was the first time I had been alone on a weekday in almost six weeks. It was nice. I felt human. 
Jonathan was weepy when I picked him up today. He is fighting congestion again. When he gets congested, he tires easily and can't breathe well. I assume this is because he has asthma. I know I feel the same way when I am congested. I will think he is getting a bug until I pump him with his inhaler and mucinex and then he starts feeling better. Poor guy. I hope this improves with time.
A few weeks ago, Jonathan wrenched the toilet handle off one of the toilets. I have no clue how to repair it. I bought the replacement handle yesterday, attempted to fix it, and just could not follow the pictures. I did get it down to where all the old hardware was off and there is a hole in the tank where the handle was. Last night, as I lifted the tank to manually flush it, I found Jonathan's toothbrush in there. Disgusting. Jamie was in bed, falling asleep. I ducked my head in and said, "Hey! Jono's toothbrush was in the tank. Gross!" Jamie said, "I know. I saw it." WHAT?!!! "Sorry I didn't get it out." Needless to say, that toothbrush went in the trash and he has a new one now (I keep new ones in the closet for such a time as this).
Joel has been coughing for weeks. He seems completely fine - no fever, good appetite, etc. but coughs mostly when lying down. I facebooked for suggestions. One was Zarbees - an herbal, natural treatment that has been great. Another was putting Vick's on his feet and wearing socks at night. For the most part, he can sleep cough-free at night now but the cough is not clearing up. Wondering if we should go to the doctor but so tired of going there...:)
Jackson requested that Joel and I come to lunch today. I ran out of time to stop by home so I grabbed McDonald's and headed to the school. I thought it was possible I wasn't supposed to bring McDonald's in the school but wasn't sure. Joel and I ate it. The boy across from me didn't have lunch so I shared with him. Then, all the boys wanted some, and I felt badly not sharing with them, so I did. When I got up to leave, the teacher politely intercepted me and told me I wasn't supposed to share fast food with the kids. I was so embarrassed. I am such a rule-follower and felt like a child whose hand had been slapped. As I tried to maintain eye contact with her as she mapped out the policy, I felt her discomfort in having to explain this to an almost forty-year-old mom. Ugh. I also realized that Joel had disappeared out the door and I was trying to remain cool. After she was finished, I ran out the door and Joel was no where to be found. I tried not to panic and eventually found him in the lobby, "hiding" from me. We came home and I put him down for his nap. I fell asleep next to him and didn't hear my alarm go off. We awoke at 2:45 (I usually leave the house at 2:35 to walk and get there by 2:50). We raced there in the car and were on time, thankfully. I didn't need another strike against me at school - I was feeling emotionally fragile already.:)
Our house is coming along and we are now in the stage of picking out colors, appliances, etc. I hope this part is fun and not a trial.
I ran in a half-marathon on Sunday with no training other than Crossfit. I work out, typically five days a week. Crossfit says that you should be able to hop in a half-marathon or marathon and be just fine. I decided to find out. I think Jamie was as nervous as me. I was terrified of maiming myself. I went with our babysitter, Becca, and we got there as the gun went off. We ran past the Balloon Lady who seemed to be astonished we arrived. I spent the next two hours and six minutes running and feeling great. I was trying to run in this manner they call Posed Running. Since I had never done it for 13 miles, my calves cramped around mile 11 or 12. I tried not to push it, took a bathroom break, and hydrated at almost every water station. It was 21 degrees and I was nervous about that as well, but dressed appropriately, so I felt fine. My calves hurt for three days, but other than general soreness (and nausea after I ran, which is typical for me), I recovered just fine. I am not trying to brag - it isn't bragging because my time was not impressive. However, my point is that Crossfit works. I was skeptical but am not anymore!
Jackson starts soccer next week. He hasn't played since he was four. It was at age four that he decided organized sports were not his thing. He has done swimming lessons and baseball since then but has difficulty engaging. He wants to be the best without practicing and gets frustrated if his skill level does not improve without trying. Again, Jamie and I look at each other, wondering where he got these kind of ideas, but continue to encourage him to try sports. This time, I think he is realizing he has no one to play with after school because everyone else is busy with activities and that if he wants to see people, he is going to have to do an activity. He does seem excited and we just want him to have fun. We shall see. I don't know how I am going to get him to practice and handle the other two but it will work out.
This post was certainly random and disconnected so thanks for staying with me! I will post pix next time.

Current news and catching up on pictures

Last Friday, the first week into school, I picked up the boys from school. Jackson had an offer to go home with a friend to which he gave a gave a negative response. I knew something was wrong. He said his stomach had been hurting since after lunch but he was afraid to go home because he had missed so much school already (he has had to miss some school to test why his bones measure as if he were an eleven and a half year old - he is eight and a half). 

We went home, he ate, ran around, and then felt nauseated. For the next six days, he didn't feel nausea so much as had horrible cramping. He would seem fine, as if he were improving, and eat and then have terrible cramps. He would scream, "I am dying!!!" while writhing on the couch or floor with tears streaming down his face. He is dramatic so Jamie and I didn't know if he was taking it to an extreme or if he was truly feeling this much pain. Jamie took him to the ER Sunday night. We thought maybe Jackson's appendix was going to rupture. The ER doctor said it was just gastroenteritis (sp?). Jackson's pediatrician prescribed some pain meds the next day that didn't even touch the pain. Two days later we went to the hospital to have tests run to determine if there was an obstruction. His ultrasound and x-ray were clear. 

The conclusion that we have come to is that this was a nasty bug that depleted the good bacteria in his stomach. We think his pain was real but it would escalate as soon as he sensed it coming - he would be fearful of how painful it would be and make it worse by panicking. At night he said he could calm down if we rubbed his feet (Jamie did this for him on and off all night when he took a turn sleeping next to Jackson - I was not as kind:)) or if we simply were in the same room. I think he was afraid of facing it alone. Thankfully, he was able to go to school the next Friday.

I am working on potty training with Joel. He can go on command but doesn't seem to want to go on his own. He was the baby that did not like having a wet or dirty diaper (I did not believe this was a real phenomena until I had a child that did it) so I figured he would be easy to train. As of late, he has developed a passion for diapers and does not want to part with them. I am closing in on the last diaper and have heard people approach their children with "We have no more diapers so you are going to have to use the potty" and am not sure how that will fly. I hope he will be diaper-free and pull up-free soon. He did take the initiative to poop in the potty today alongside Jono. Both decided to dip their fingers in the product they made and smeared it on their Thomas Legos. Nice.

We are currently renting a home down the street from where we are renovating our new house. The interior and exterior have been stripped clean. As soon as our plans are finalized, construction will begin. This has been such a tough process. At church we have heard such emphasis on living on as little as possible so you can give away as much as possible for the sake of furthering the Gospel. This is completely biblical but I am legalistic, always looking for rules so it is hard for me to enjoy a project like our house, wondering if it is okay for us to have something new. We are trying to be conservative in our planning and to be willing to move one day, if we feel called elsewhere.

Here are some pix I found...

Joel got into my closet and was tromping around 

in my heels that rarely see the light of day.

Christmas at Grammie and Grandpa's at Thanksgiving. Not one of Joel's

 finer moments. He threw a gift across the room when he was overwhelmed.

Jackson and Grammie on "Christmas Day."

Grandpa watching the antics of his grandsons.

The marble Jono swallowed the day after Thanksgiving.

Joel loves this mask and thinks he is scary. 

He does seem to scare Jonathan.:)

Found this cat behind the couch with chocolate chunks. 

What are we going to do with this kid? Sneaky and determined...

Christmas Day with beloved Lion, who imparts much comfort.

Opening presents on Christmas Day.

Still opening...

Jackson got a guitar and Joel seems to like it, too. 

Daddy plays pretty well himself.

Cousin Eric likes the guitar (and so does Flat Stanley).:)

Eric got an awesome drum set and was incredible 

with letting everyone give it a try. He is great at sharing!

Jackson and Eric at Nana and Pops' house with Flat Stanley.

Aunt Betsy with her new little boy, Hart.

Sweet baby boy! Our new nephew.

We think he looks like Uncle Bryan. 

Daddy had another birthday on January first!

Decorations courtesy of Jackson.

Merry Chaos!

Merry Christmas from the Warrens! This is the Christmas card we send out every year. The underlined sentence is the one-liner we put in the card but here, underneath, I have included an explanation of each one. Needless to say, this is rather long. You may need to take breaks....

                                                                 Lessons Learned 2011

Crossing of the eyes indicates continued need for wear of undesired glasses. 

Jonathan's left eye wanders and he has to wear glasses to strengthen those muscles. He does not like to wear them.

If your child is missing, don’t fret - look in the washer.

One morning Jamie could not find Jonathan. Joel led him to the dryer and showed him Jono's hiding place. Very soon after, Jono climbed into the washer and hid there instead.

Ice cream sandwich wrappers left secretively behind the couch indicate an addiction.

We had problems with Joel getting hungry and helping himself to the fridge or freezer items. His food of choice became ice cream sandwiches. Locking the doors was hard. Why I didn't figure out to move the ice cream sandwiches to the top of the freezer until later, I don't know!

A 5AM fridge raid goes sour when attempts to retrieve food awaken sleeping parents.

Joel wakes most mornings between 5:00 and 5:30am. He often tries to feed himself. One morning I woke up at 5am to the scraping of a chair across the kitchen floor. When I walked in, he was poised in front of the open fridge on the said chair, ready to get his ice cream sandwich.

Maiming the neighborhood’s future Olympic gymnast in a bike wreck is no laughing matter.

Jackson and a neighbor's daughter both were at fault. They were riding close to each other and couldn't turn away in time. She had to go to the ER to get her arm checked out. Had Jackson not been wearing his helmet, he would probably have had a concussion. I was concerned for Jackson, but scared the aspiring gymnast had been benched!

Moving boxes are not clever hiding places for TV remotes or ready-to-expire gift cards.

Joel and Jonathan tucked our remotes in moving boxes we didn't unpack. We won't unpack them until we move a few months from now when our house is finished. We cannot operate our TV without these remotes. Irritating. Jamie bought a bunch of gift cards at a silent auction last spring. When we moved they got stuck somewhere in a box and never were unpacked. We couldn't find them and worried they would expire before we moved again! One weekend, he was bound and determined and found them.

Never leave luggage unattended when liquid meds are involved... red stain, white bedspread.

When I was packing for Thanksgiving, I left Robitussin out on the bed in a Ziploc (I think). Joel walked in our room and opened the child-proof top and began to pour a dose for himself all over our white bedspread. I prayed over the bedspread, stain treated it, and washed it immediately.:) No stain remained!

Potty training - the student becomes the teacher.

Jonathan is showing Joel how it is done!

Evening playtime requires Daddy to suit up with athletic protective gear to avoid injury.

At night the boys get really excited when Jamie gets home - so much so that Jamie should wear rec specs, a helmet, and a cup as a result of the playful blows he is dealt.

Never go to Disney in June - watch the double stroller boxing match unfold for free at home.

We decided to try a trip to Disney this summer while my sister and her husband were there. It was incredibly hot. Joel and Jono were in a double stroller and fought the whole time. Jono did not care for Disney and Joel was ticked most of the time. It was not pleasant.

A pinworm diagnosis explains repeated scratching in embarrassing areas... for months.

Jono had been scratching in a certain area for months and we thought he was enamoured with that area and kept telling him to stop. On our way home from Disney, we discovered he actually had been itching for a reason - pinworms - and had probably had them for months since it started in May. One of many reasons why it is frustrating when your kid loves to put things in his mouth he shouldn't and unable to communicate clearly.

Poison Control remains a close friend and confidante.

I still call them often and wonder if they are reporting me on the sly. I had to call them from South Carolina at Thanksgiving to report that Jono had possibly swallowed a magnet.

Waking to a glass microwave plate shattering sets the tone for the day.

One morning Jonathan opened the microwave and dropped the rotating glass plate on the floor. That was the first sound I heard that day - a terrible way to wake up.

Discipline takes an interesting turn when YOU are threatened with the spanking stick.

Joel is not phased by discipline in the least. When requested to do something he says, "NO!!" He also finds our spanking stick and will ask me if I want a spanking.

Honey and syrup apparently double as both sweeteners and morning drinks.

I have found Joel in our pantry with both the honey and the syrup upturned, resting in his mouth. He usually says, "Oh, hi Mom. Want some?"

Muscle fatigue from exercise ironically results in the inability to lift or chase your child.

I get up every weekday morning at 5am to work out. I find it ironic that while I am getting stronger through Crossfit, I can't chase my kids while my muscles repair daily.

Camp near a laundromat. You never know when you might need one... at 2AM.

Jamie, Jamie's dad, and Jackson went camping in Pensacola with the Cub Scouts. Jackson had a slight fever but seemed okay. They flew there and on the descent Jack threw up. He was not himself and woke up screaming that night. His clothes and sleeping bag were wet so Jamie had to find a laundromat and dry them at 2am. Jackson screamed home. Upon their return, they visited the ER and it turned out that he had an infected eardrum which may have ruptured. And we thought he was just being dramatic.

A homemade mummy costume for Halloween seemed like a good idea... for about five minutes.

Jackson wanted to be a mummy for Halloween. I made him one out of toilet paper. It was unsatisfactory. Jamie redid it as we were headed out the door. It flew off in pieces as Jackson raced from door to door so he came home and changed into a Star Wars outfit instead.

Edward Scissorhands lives here, wielding knives and scissors before sunrise.

One morning Jamie came out to the den and found Joel walking around with knives and our scissors from our knife block.

You don’t need a daughter to have a Drama Queen.

People ask us if we will try for a fourth child to get a girl. I feel like I already have three.

Lego extractions can be performed in-house now as well as at the hospital.

Joel stuffed a Lego gem very high up his nose. Jamie put on a hat and tucked a flashlight in it up over his ear. I held Joel down. Jamie took tweezers and got it out, saving us a trip to the ER.

Fake injuries seem to be easily subdued by toilet paper bandages.

When Jackson gets "hurt," his pain is suprisingly eased by a fake bandage.

A lunch box can go to timeout at school for being used as a bat to the face.

Jono hit a friend in the face at school with his lunchbox and would not quit. His teacher put his lunchbox in time out and Jono did not know what to do. I have since used the tactic at home.

A diaper fashionista lives here - apparently, if it’s not Elmo, it’s not happening.

Joel can use the toilet but refuses to because he loves his diapers. We went through a period where he refused to wear any diaper but one with Elmo imprinted on it. His wishes were not always granted and those were not happy days.

Heard EVERYDAY: “We don’t eat boogers. We don’t eat poop. Yucky.”

Joel is our first booger-picker. We repeat this mantra often to remind him to keep his fingers clean.

Mysterious, in-house honey bee infestations make sense after noticing the neighbor raises bees.

In our previous home, we had honey bees flying around in the ceiling tiles and sometimes in the downstairs living area. I would dust the blinds and find many dead. We could not figure out where they were coming from. Later, once they were gone, we drove past our backyard neighbors' house and saw they had a wooden box up on concrete blocks swirling with bees. It all made sense after that. These were cranky, hyper-vigilant neighbors of ours who complained about things that were nothing in comparison to if one of us had been allergic to bees!

Toothpaste is not just for cleaning teeth - use it on your hardwoods.

One day I walked out of the kitchen to find Joel had smeared toothpaste all over the floor. So much fun to clean up.

Girls aren’t the only ones who like tea parties, make up, and pink high heels. 

For some reason, all of our boys have liked to dress up in dresses, jewelry, and heels. Jono still has tea parties and I found Joel with my concealer all over his eyes one day, barely able to see, looking like a beige racoon.

We run this place like a jail - three meals daily, locks on all the doors, and a prison yard out back. 

Not kidding. We have locks on the fridge, freezer, dryer, and pantry. I have constructed loops around the fence posts to keep the gates closed. As crazy as it sounds, I feel safer here than our last house because we have a fence now.

No Warren child has ever been kicked out of Preschool Sunday School. Until this year. 

I was subbing for Jono's buddy one day at church. We were out on the playground. One of our administrators came to find me to tell me that Joel had been in time out repeatedly for pushing. He was at her desk because he had been kicked out of the room. I was shocked. Never did I expect that! I picked him up and we headed home shortly thereafter.

A friend of our kindergartener remarked that our son “doesn’t take school seriously.”

In the first week of school, one of Jono's classmates noticed how he chewed on everything in sight, including erasers. The little boy came home and told his mom that Jonathan was not taking school seriously.:) This little boy has turned out to be so helpful and a translator for Jono in class.

While seated on the toilet, why not save time and “wash” your feet?

Sometimes after using the bathroom, Jono comes out all wet. While sitting down, he has decided to stand in the toilet or kick his feet around in the contents. Nice.

The definition of allowance seems to be “pay me for doing nothing.” 

Jackson often wants an allowance even though he has completed no chores and is shocked to find we won't pay him. Our child will not suffer from entitlement.

Fistfuls of chocolate ease the process of haircuts - for parent, child, and barber.

When we go to see the boys' barber, I dread it. He is absolutely wonderful but Jono does not like for his head to be touched. So, with each cut, Jono gets chocolate as a reward. It is getting better, but is still difficult.

No suitable housing + surrendered, peaceful prayer = escape from Death Trap rental house.

When we sold our house this summer, the buyers wanted us out immediately. We could find no rentals at all in our area - we needed to stay within certain zones so our kids could continue to go to their elementary school. The only house Jamie could find was down the street from our old house. The top floor looked down into the den and the realtor selling the home called it "The Homewood Chalet." The stairs were not up to code and I could just see the kids taking nosedives off the stairs into the den. There was no yard in the front or the back. The front yard was still on a busy street and the backyard had a deck - one side opened onto tree stumps and the other onto huge rocks. I could also envision our boys jumping off the deck onto those. I felt incredibly uncomfortable but Jamie said we had prayed and this is what God had provided. We needed to trust Him. It was Wednesday. We were supposed to close Friday and move Saturday. Wednesday night I prayed and thanked God for His provision but asked if He would please provide something else. The next day, an hour before we signed the lease to the Death Trap, a friend of a friend called to offer to rent us their house - down the street from where we would eventually buy and renovate. God is good!

It’s not a holiday worth celebrating unless you make a trip to the ER.

We go to the ER so often, we go to Krispy Kreme afterwards to celebrate that treatment is over. Jonathan swallowed a marble on the day after Thanksgiving. It was part of a magnetic set. I KNEW he had not swallowed a magnet but Poison Control told me if I was not 100% sure, to take him to the ER. I was so mad! I was thankful for good medical care, but so tired of the constant ingestions of inedible items!

And that, my friends, is the way our year went!

Merry Chaos,

Jamie, Julie, Jackson, Jonathan, and Joel

www.thefourjs.blogspot.com

Flat Stanley's Visit

Our niece, Emma, sent us a little character named Flat Stanley. We were instructed to color Flat Stanley according to our climate (which we neglected to do - Jackson had him wear shorts, which was accurate some days) and cut him out. Then, Flat Stanley was to accompany us on our adventures, we were to write about them, and mail him back to Emma's teacher. 


Here are the events that transpired while he stayed with us...

Flat Stanley hid in one of our stockings.

He helped to prepare Uncle Jamie's coffee one morning.

Aunt Julie had lots of ironing to do and Flat Stanley gladly helped her.

He played trains.

Flat Stanley taught us about how Christmas is about Jesus and not all the stuff you get. 

He explained this to us using our Nativity Set the boys had out in the playroom.

He took a nap on Joel's bed.

 He watched Jackson play on the computer.

 He hung out with Joel and Jonathan as they watched TV. 

Jonathan was not quite sure he was comfortable with Flat Stanley.:)

Flat Stanley tried to help take out the trash but got caught in the can.

He enjoyed adding some last touches to our Christmas tree.

He got the mail for us one day.

He watched Jackson open a gift from a neighbor.

He helped Aunt Julie unload the dishwasher.

He took a trip with Aunt Julie to see their newest cousin, Hart.

He had to ride in one of the bins in the security area.

He rode the escalator in Atlanta.

He met Hart Bender, Aunt Julie's sisters's first child.

He had his own seat on the plane.

Flat Stanley, thank you for having such wonderful manners and for being so helpful. We enjoyed your visit!