When You Reach Me...

I just finished this book, it was a quick read because it is a juvenile fiction. Without getting into the story too much, there were a few parts that I could take from the book and thought they were rather profound.

"Mom says each of us has a veil between ourselves and the rest of the world, like bride wears on her wedding day, except this kind of veil is invisible. We walk around happily with these invisible veils hanging down over our faces. The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way.

But sometimes our veils are pushed away for a few moments, like there's a wind blowing it from our faces. And when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again. We see all the beauty, and cruelty, and sadness, and love. Bust mostly we are happy not to."

Wow. I sometimes think that these books don't get the credit they deserve. They may be geared toward a younger audience, but there is definitely something for the adult to take away. I think about this and how true it is. We do walk around, not really knowing anyone else, or showing ourselves to really anyone. Who really knows us? Who do we show ourselves to? What do we really want to know about what is going on around us? Isn't it easier not to know about other people's problems?

Here is another meaningful section:

"Sometimes you never feel meaner than the moment you stop being mean. It's like how turning on a light makes you realize how dark the room has gotten. And the way you usually act, the things you would have normally done, are like these ghosts that everyone can see but pretends not to."

Once again. I read this over and over again. It just makes sense.It makes me think about what people do know about us, and what people expect you to be or do. Do certain people ever do anything that surprises you? Or is is just, oh yea, that's just how so and so is, or I would have expected that from him/her? Are we that easy to read? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It just goes to show how important it is to be an example to others and to live what you believe...so, at least if someone expects you to be someway, it is a positive and not a negative.

Definitely a book worth reading, a little predicable, but there were a few nice surprises.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Have you seen me?

My name is Apple Shiny Sparkles and I am a Yorkshire puppy. I answer to Apple Shiny, Sparkles, puppy, and pretty much whatever name my owner decides to call me for the day. Hmm, that might make it hard to know if it is really me or not.

I ran away, or was possibly puppy-napped from my home. I was last seen sporting this trendy faux fur collar trimmed in the popular color of the season, lime green. I was last seen conspiring with between four and eight of my canine companions also residing at the same address. We either ran away (or were secretly puppy-napped) together.

My owner, although loud, is quite sweet. She loves us, maybe a little too much. Others think we might have ran away sighting undue stress of being dragged around by our collars, being dressed up, and/or put into cute doggy carry bags like we ourselves are accessories to be interchanged based on our owner's (she is quite sweet) mood. Granted, she can bark louder and whine more annoyingly than we do/can.

Rumor has it she misses us, but has given up hope. I heard she has moved on to cats (ewww)! Her owner mother is holding out hope we are out here (there?) somewhere and will come home soon. She spends nights (not our owner, the owner's mother) wondering where we could have gone. She has even gone so far as to look in the same place twice as if we will magically appear in the very spot she last looked.

If you, or anyone you know, has seen or heard from me, or my renegade friends, please call and let my owner...OK, my owner's mom, know that I am OK?

If you find me and I beg you not to send me back to that forsaken place...please pass on the word that I moved to California to be a star!

Signed,

Apple Shiny AKA Sparkles

My Monster

I just got back from Kaysen's 4 month check up. He tips the scales at just over 17 lbs and is 27 1/2 inches long. Definitely a big chubby boy!

Interestingly enough I pulled out the baby books for my other little ones.

Jaxen, at 4 months, was a little over 17 lbs as well but was only 25 1/2 inches long. Pretty impressive considering he started out 2 lbs lighter than Kaysen did at birth.

Ember, at 4 months, was 15 1/2 lbs and 25 inches long.

Owen, at 4 months, was 9 lbs 10 oz and 20.7 inches long. He didn't reach the 17 lb.mark till around 9 months.

The Slow Agonizing Road to Insanity

I am walking that road...and it's a long slow annoying one.

Do you ever have the feeling that something is crawling on you? You start swatting like crazy and come to find out it is your own hair? Well, I have been doing that a lot lately...and I can still feel them (the hair, not bugs) all over my body as I type.

One of the perks of post-pregnancy-hormones-still-working-themselves-out phase is the hair loss. I dread each morning waking up to a bed full of hair. I dread brushing it, which leads to a brush full of it. I dread washing it,which has the same results...only wetter.

I have hair clinging to random parts of my body at any given time of the day. I have my hair clinging to random parts of my children's (and husband's) body (blonde is not a good color on him).

Hair in diapers, in chairs, and under necks (recent discovery...poor Kaysen). Hair here, there, everywhere! Hair on the tile, hair on the floor, soon I won't have hair anymore. This could lead to a Dr. Suess style book on hair loss.

I wish I could just pull out all the hair that is taking it's sweet time falling out so I can stop the madness of the invisible hand/bug running over by body.

So, if you see me with a wild look in my eyes...feel free to pluck off any loose hair you see.

Just for Fun

Defying sleep...or at least trying to. Jeez, you could at least fold those before you crashed.

This is what Kaysen looks like when I "try" to fix his hair. At least for the next few minutes until it dries. Then it looks "normal". At least my version of normal. Normal for my kids. Are my kids normal? Okay, where was I?

I guess I could have gone with an Oz theme for Halloween. He's got the basket and the shoes and....the hair. Might as well mention the elephant in the room! No we aren't cutting it, so don't ask.

Happy Halloween!

This would be the year the kids want to decorate the house. This would also be the year that had a few days or really strong winds. After initially being disappointed that our decorations were ruined, Jaxen decided that now our house really did look scary.

This would be the year that we carve the pumpkins for Family Home Evening (Monday night) and they didn't get lit until Halloween day (Saturday night). It was just way too windy for most of the week. At least it was cold enough at night to keep them from composting before Halloween.

This would be the year where the kids have a hard time choosing between two costumes. Darth Vader or Harry Potter? (I personally think he wanted to be Harry Potter so he could get out of cutting his hair. He told me Harry Potter has longish hair.) Unicorn or Dog House? Ummm, don't ask.

This would be the year that the only costumes you can find are different versions of witches. In addition to your traditional Wicked Witch, you have every other witch you can think of, white, black, elegant (no kidding!), rainbow. It was a witch's paradise at Wal-Mart. They (witches) could wear a different outfit each day of the week.

After checking out Cosco...which surprisingly only carries costumes up to 36 months...and incidentally are the only costumes my daughter really wanted (think unicorn and puppy)...we were left without many options. Off to Wal-Mart where I couldn't convince Ember to be a cowgirl, one out of ten of the witch sisters, or the red queen. So, with little time and options, we were stuck with the create a costume.

You know...the one with the tail, bow tie, and ears.

You know...the ones the young women like to pair with a leotard and call a costume.

At this point I am asking myself where are the animal costumes are! So, once we get our "costume" we head off to the clothing section to find some clothes to go with it. Because, of course, we don't have black pants or a black shirt at home. So, at least part of her costume is reusable. Actually, all of it is. She now can be a cat for dress up. Gives a little variation on the animal theme at our house. Although I am sure her meowing is just as loud as her barking.

Owen was a cute giraffe. It has a stuffed tummy and bottom. It was size 2-3 but it fit him a little tight. Of course Jaxen helped me out by ripping of the tag before I could think about taking it back.

Jaxen was Darth Vader. He absolutely loves the costume. We only had to hit up three stores to find one his size.

Poor Kaysen. He went the way of the pumpkin. Sadly unoriginal, but really cute.

Shaunton and I dressed up as hippies. It was a little last minute, but fun.

The trunk or treat theme was Harry Potter again. The kids loved the wands they got, and we had to have a little chat on appropriate wand etiquette. (Owen is still trying hard time with the no hitting policy.)

Overall we had a fun night and enjoyed spending time as a family.