I'm Sick!

photo credit: MeeMom

MeeMom: While on the phone on Sunday evening, Staccato held up this note for me to read because, unlike some multi-tasking women, I am incapable of talking on the phone and effectively communicating with my children using out of control hand gestures at the same time.

Staccato: I felt very sick and I wanted MeeMom to know because DooDad had been sick all day and didn't go to Church because he was feeling that bad.

Treble: And I stayed home from school on Friday because I felt so gross.  Actually, I felt gross on Thursday but went to school because I had a test.  What a great student I am, don't you think?

MeeMom: Ahem.  So once I read the note and took a look at Staccato I noticed that he was ghostly white.

Bass: That got MeeMom off the phone right away.  I'll have to remember to use that tactic next time. :)

MeeMom: So I tucked sick Staccato into my bed with a heating pad and a cozy blankie.

DooDad: Staccato is a little tease.  And I really thought he was pulling my leg when he said he felt like he wanted to throw up.  Until a little while later when Staccato was out of bed, fumbling and mumbling for the "Throw-up Bowl."

Middle C: We have an official "Throw-up Bowl" so we won't use it when we make a salad or something.

DooDad: And lo and behold, my bedroom floor was covered with his dinner.  Poor little guy.  And it just got worse from there.

Staccato: I tried to sleep feeling so sick.  I kept asking MeeMom if it was morning.  It seemed like forever just laying there and feeling so icky.

Fermata: And that was about the time that I found THIS on our dining room wall and well, it helped
Staccato forget his ickies for a few minutes.

MeeMom: Thank goodness Allegro and B Sharp were in bed - asleep! - or we would have had chaos times ten.  Let's hope no one else gets sick (or eaten by a spider)!

We Are Family

photo credit: MeeMom

MeeMom: This month of September we join with families across the globe in celebrating OUR FAMILY! Okay, not our family specifically, but our families in general.

Bass: I am a twin. Being a twin is very fun and cool. It gets very annoying when everyone says, "You look just like your brother?" or "Does anyone ever call you Treble?" Of course I smile and answer "Yah" to both questions. Other than that, it is cool to have a twin to play with and fight with.

Fermata: The other day when we were at Costco I saw many people start counting with their fingers how many kids we had in our family - - - and we were short THREE, and I could tell that they were still surprised. It happens all the time when we go places.

Mezzo: I am the oldest in the family of nine kids. I sometimes love to be the eldest. Sometimes I get annoyed. Once time my aunt and uncle and my five cousins came to watch all of us so my parents could go out on a date. We decided to walk to a park that wasn't too far away. As people drove past they started to count, thinking my aunt and uncle had 14 kids! I told them that's how people look at us all the time.

B Sharp: I Love my FAMILY. mY dad and MOM Are The BEST.

Allegro: I'm a good girl because i love my family and my mom and dad and my grandparents. Signed, Allegro.

Staccato: All I know is I couldn't get away doing what I do if I were in another family. My ability to tease was one of the talents given me in heaven. MEEMOM! Why are you writing things like that? Now my teachers from school will read it.

Coda: Ahh, all I can say is that being the youngest in this family means I am the c.e.n.t.e.r. of attention. And I love it!

Middle C: My family is the BEST like when we go to awesome places. But sometimes, because I am in the CENTER, I get picked on. Mezzo won't let me into his room and Staccato will just do things to me that make me so angry. But, I always LOVE my family. About what Fermata said, almost every time we go somewhere someone will ask MeeMom or DooDad "Are those all your kids?" MeeMom says one day she's going to make us wear our Scout uniforms for no reason just to pretend we are a Scout troop instead of a bunch of brothers.

Treble: Our family is special. We love to go places together like swimming, to the park, to Costco, and to the grocery store (to see if we can put stuff in the cart that MeeMom won't know about until the checkout). Sometimes my siblings get really annoying and don't stop, but I forgive them. Our family is the best!

MeeMom: While I may be wrong, as I am on many occasions (but shhh, don't tell the kiddos), I have come to believe that somewhere in a Great Meeting in Heaven, we were given the opportunity to choose our family. I know that might be a stretch to even consider, but I believe that if we have full agency here, we probably had full agency up there. Which means I don't think the Lord sent us to our families kickin' and a screamin' (although I've had a few delivered like that). It's been enough to make me think that our relationship before we came to earth was important enough that we decided we would take on earth-life together, as a family!

DooDad: Family, Ah....a six letter word...like....wowzer or insane or sleepy. These are just a few words that describe our family. You know, they really are the cream of the crop. With all the chaos that exists within the walls of this home (and outside as well), I would not trade my wild tribe for anything. I would have to say, MeeMom and I did pretty darn well.

First Day of School 2011 - Chaos in a Can

MeeMom:  I did it. I mean, we did it. Got seven kids off to the First Day of School - all in uniforms mind you - by 7:35 this morning (SEVEN.THIRTY.FIVE.A.M.) all after family scripture study, showers and a wholesome, USDA approved breakfast of chocolate muffins.  Of course we started at 6:00, which has not been a part of our schedule - let alone our thinking - since we got out of school in early June.

Middle C: Today was my first day at a new school and it is the best school ever!!!  I was so tired when I had to wake up at 6.00 am to start getting ready for school, and it is such a long drive to school.  At school I was so tired! At school I played "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" on the smart board, for those who don't know . Those chocolate muffins that MeeMom mentioned were so good. When I was waiting for the carpool to come (aka our 15-passenger van), it felt weird because at my old school I usually went right out of the door and walked home.

Treble Clef: So, waking up at 6:00 in the morning got my day starting out tired. When I got to school, I went to my locker ( Man, I feel so proud that I have my very own locker. YES!). It was my first day in 7th grade and I had to go to eight classes to meet eight teachers to know what is happening. My first period class was English, and I was told by Big Brother, Mezzo, that the English teacher was REALLY REALLY MEAN! Right when I got to class, two classmates darted in like a bullet (that fast!) and sure enough, the teacher yelled at them like they were her kids! So the rest of the day I read my silly-buses, because the teachers told us to. And that is how my First Day Of School went. Pretty Awkward!

Mezzo: Today I started EIGHTH grade. It was a great time seeing my friends again. The teachers were really nice and they were very helpful. My friends were great and my favorite classes are Geometery and Honors Science.

Staccato: Well, my 2nd grade teacher was nice and I got Elephant Bucks. And, hey Middle C, I just saw a horse fly fly by.

Allegro: I tapped my teacher before school let out and told her that I didn't know the name of my carpool.  I was really nervous about it but then they called just our last name and I wasn't nervous anymore.

B Sharp: It was so much fun staying home ALL day without my brothers and sister to bug me.  I worked on my math skills and colored while MeeMom tried to figure out this blog and sew pants into shorts for the boys. I'm so excited go to kindergarten in SEVEN more days!

Bass Clef: The first day was okay I guess. I can tell 7th grade is going to be a very long year! Hope school goes by very, very fast but filled with fun stuff.

Fermata: The first day was fun, but very slow. My teacher is very nice and awesome. We were lucky to be able to get lockers in sixth grade because last year, hee hee, Bass and Treble didn't get lockers AT ALL, hee hee.

MeeMom: So tonight we gathered around the table to figure out what our family carpool name should be for this year.  Who wants to go by just their last name?  Especially if their last name is common like Jones or Smith or Marinoniolla?  Last year our 15-passenger van went by the name "Hey guys, we're going home."  So we tossed around some names like "1 Sister and 7 Misters" and "Uncle Rico's here to get you."  Like usual, it caused a hot debate.

DooDad: And because of the hot debate that was brewing, I finally had to put in my two cents worth because three boys were trying to climb over my chair and two others were having a very loud discussion about naming or not naming this year's carpool "Snow White and the Seven Dorks," all while I was feeding  Baby Coda and the dog was barking out of control because he hadn't been walked since this morning.  So I threw out the name "Chaos in a Can" and there was a heavenly moment of silence before everyone broke out in hysterics.  The dog even stopped barking.  I think that's going to be our family carpool name this year.  Watch out!  Because it is true! We are Chaos in a Can.