Travel Not Advised......

So what did the Handsakers do during the "epic storm of 2009"? We traveled. It started with Daddy driving the last leg of his Kansas trip this morning. He was home from Bethany, MO by 9am. Then, we decided to drive to town for lunch. I mean really, how bad can 15 inches of snow, 40 mph winds and 5 degree temps really make the road?

The highlight of the day for the kids was getting in the tractor with Dave to clear the driveway. And, Layla enjoyed her first bowl of ice cream snow. Two very happy kids!

Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, the whole idea of a snow day has lost it's thrill!!!! I'm ready to get out and do something tomorrow!

Kellen Cousin Sleep Over

What fun we had this weekend having all 5 Kellen cousins at our house! Sam(6), Henry(5), Layla(4), Oscar(2) and Cooper (1). Here's the honest truth, these kids are easy......except for one....my youngest! The four oldest cousins play together so well. Cooper, well, he was mister destructo. He took their toys, wrestled them if they were on the ground, pushed his way in if he wanted to play and, well, ended up doing a lot of crying out of frustration! He'll get it one of these days.

I laughed listening to Sam, Henry and Layla talk, play and imagine. The biggest difference between Layla and her older, boy cousins. She talks constantly about what they are playing and the boys, they just play! I'm waiting for the day that Sam or Henry tells her it's time for a little less talk and a lot more action.

The funniest conversation........
"Layla, we have a papa whose a dairy farmer" (Henry)
"Yeah, we get to ride in his tractor." (Sam)
"And his skid loader, we get to scoop the cow poop." (Henry)
"You like scooping poop?" (Layla, with nose crinkled up)
"It's stinky." (Henry)
"No it's not, it's the smell of money." (Sam)

A Little Scuffle at School

I picked Layla up from school today, same routine as everyday. I drive up, teacher walks her to the car, she jumps in full of smiles and stories. As I was looking back at Mrs. Hall helping Layla into the back seat, there was a knock on my window. It was Mrs. McGrath. She wanted to let me know that while practicing their songs for their Christmas concert, a little boy hit Layla in the face.......on purpose. I will call this little boy "Johnny". Layla has stories about Johnny and how he "does not listen and is in trouble a lot."

Layla was happy and smiling when she got in th car, so I was curious about this incident. As we pulled away I asked her what happened. She said, "Mom, I was singing my song and 'Johnny' turned around and just hit me. I was like, did he just hit me? And Mrs. McGrath was mad, that's when I knew that yes, he really had hit me." And Layla chuckles. Layla is strong and tends to be a bit bossy at times, but she is very tender hearted. So, I was curious if she cried when she was hit. Her response...

"Well no mom, he didn't whack me, it was just a little hit. It didn't hurt."

I told her that I was proud of her for being so brave. What a great teaching opportunity this has been...for both of us. Inside, I felt like I had been whacked!

Layla reminded me of this great book we have, "How I Pray for My Friends." In the book, one of the ways Erik prays for his friends is when he prays for Todd. Todd can be mean and doesn't always do the right thing at school so Erik prays that Todd obeys and treats others better. So we are now praying for "Johnny". The truth is, when I'm not acting right, I hope others pray for me!

"Mom....Mom....Mom...."

Cooper's latest thing is to call my name when he's about to do something to show-off or something new and dangerous. And he will not stop calling my name until I have both looked at him and verbally acknowledged what he's doing. It goes something like this....

"Mom..Mom"
I look and say, "What buddy?"
He does his trick
I respond, "Cool bud." or "Be careful buddy."

Today, he called me for another reason. A sweet surprise. The first time he called me he was cuddling with sister on the couch, watching Sid the Science Kid. The second time, he was sitting on her lap, at their little table, coloring together. Layla will tell you that Cooper is her best friend, but she will also tell you that he is rough and tough, ruins her things and pulls her hair. They have their moments....both good and bad!

Gratitude

I once heard a pastor say that gratitude is the healthiest human emotion. Simple thought...profound meaning. What if my primary emotion was gratitude? How would that change my day....my life...my family? I wrote that in my Bible the day I heard it. I see it often. I wish I was better at having the attitude of gratitude. But I'm trying. I'm a work in progress. I'm also trying to show and talk about how grateful I am for all of my trials and blessings so that my kids see it. So, to celebrate Thanksgiving, we started a Wall of Thanksgiving in the laundry room. We looked for things to be thankful for all week, wrote them down and taped them up. Here's a picture of some of our thanks.

Blame it on the Droid

There has been a lack of blogging in this house and I'm going to blame it on the Droid. Yes, Dave and I got new phones and figuring out how to use them to their fullest has taken over our lives. So far, I know that my phone can be a level, a metal detector, it know my every move, finds me coupons based on my shopping location, keeps track of my to-do lists for my different gps points, it price shops for me, it reads bar codes, I can talk my text messages instead of typing them, it has google maps/gps with voice directions.....and the list goes on.

So, sweet children of mine, I am taking a break from logging your cute, sweet moments and milestones so I can play on my phone. I know, I know.........

Mentally Challenging Conversations

They sound like this.....

"Mom, when was I two?"
"2 Years ago."
"Was I Cooper's age?"
"No, Cooper is 1."
"So I was 1 when I was Cooper's age?"
"Yes."
"No. What I want to talk to you about is when I was 2. Was that when I was older or younger than Cooper's age."
"You were older."
"Was I always older?"
"Yes, always were and always will be."
"Even when Cooper's Sam's age (6)."
"Yes"
"No, Sam's older than me."
"Darling Child, what do you really want to know here? What's your real question?"
"When I was 2, could I talk?"
"Yes."
"Thanks mom." And Layla goes back to her room to play and, for some reason, I can't remember where I left off on my bank statement I was trying to balance.