Lex was the only one up for 2 hours. I gave him his bath, put some Bugs Bunny onto the AppleTV and made pancakes and sausages. I love it when things work out so that the kids wake to a breakfast that’s already made. It makes me feel on top of the day.

And check out that morning sky!

Welcome to Saturday in Pacific Beach! I hope the day continues to go the way it’s started. But even if it all falls apart, I’ll be able to hold onto the awesome morning. You’ve gotta grab these moments when they come along and tuck them away to draw from!

Doing the Dance of the Children on a beautiful and peaceful Saturday morn. I wish you all the same.

This week, Gabi is Star Student in her preschool class. This means that I need to send in pictures of her doing the things she likes and pictures of here with her family and friends. So last night, I sat down to get this little project done. Whoa! This is child #8 in the Lang house and there are literally thousands of pictures of her! She’s only been around for 4 years! But since I no longer have to worry about developing a roll of film that’s full of bad pictures, I can snap away at will. This means that the younger kids have been photographed WAY more than even my oldest was. So, when I sat down to go through Gabi’s pictures and find the ones I’d want to put on her board, I was up against a daunting task. But not with a Mac!

Because of iPhoto’s “faces” program, I was able to easily look through JUST the pictures of Gabi (it still took me forever) and choose the ones I wanted. Yea!

Congratulations to Gabi for a special week at school and thanks to Mac for always making the life of this M.O.M. a little easier!

Have a great day~

Each time I leave, I ask myself why it feels so good to go in there and to deal with the staff.  I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s passion.  There’s something intoxicating about dealing with people who are passionate about what they’re doing.  It’s contagious and makes everyone who’s around feel great!  I see this when people talk about anything they truly love and believe in, whether it be their children, their business, food, travel or even…..working at the Apple Store!

Let’s each strive to find a little passion in this day! Not only will it make each of us want to get the most out of the day, but it will rub off on those around us and there will be a whole lot of people stepping a little lighter and smiling a little broader.

Have a great day~

Day 1-hooked to many things still.  Pain meds please!  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 2-out of the hopital.  Staying with amazing friends who are treating me like a princess!  Gave me their room!  Pain meds please! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 3-tried to sit up for ANY length of time today.  BAD idea!  Pain meds please! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 4-had company.  Sat up for more than 1/2 an hour.  Pain meds please! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So, you get the idea!  I came home after a few days of being treated like royalty and it was JUST what I needed.  Many many many thanks go out for those couple of days!  BUT, I got home and the pampering didn’t stop! I was walked to my room where a new (to me) flat screen tv was perched atop my curio and all hooked up to the wonderfullness that is Apple TV!  Uh huh!  This means that all 14,ooo + pictures that are on my lovely iMac can now roll across my wonderful, new TV playing to all my favorite songs from my iTunes library.  Oh yeah!  And it didn’t end there.  On Valentine’s Day, 6, yes 6 of my favorite truffles from Mr. DeGroot showed up wrapped all pretty and tempting me to indulge in sweet, richness from my sickbed.  I’m gonna have to be careful not to gain tons of weight while I lie here and not only because of wonderful chocolate.  Each night a yummy meal is being delivered to our door by the many fabulous people in our lives!  I tell you, people….watch out!  A monster is surely being created!  I am literally being locked in this room with the TV, my phone, plenty of books and a laptop!  Clay has done a marvelous job of keeping the little ones away from the door and I text him when I’m ready for food, coffee, more water or any odd request I may have.  It’s FABULOUS!  I may NEVER get better!

~sigh~ alright, I know that my reality and Dancing days are only a couple of weeks away, but until then, I’m gonna enjoy this pamered life!  This Mommy of Many has never experienced anything like it.  Whoo Hoo!

Have a great day~

Saturday morning I packed up my little ones and JJ and went to our church to help get boys who had come into town for a retreat, to their destination. Even though my van is a pain to park sometimes, it sure comes in handy when you want to haul a bunch of people somewhere. So, we got it loaded with boys and gear and drove up and out of San Diego. It was about an hour and 1/2 drive into the countryish, mountainish terrain. Luke-Xavier and Gabi chattered and made noise the whole way. Luke-Xavier has been going through this phase where he says, “poop” after everything. Example; “More pasta. Poop”. We’re long past the stage of telling him to stop or that it’s not nice and now I’m just trying to ignore it. So, we’re on our way to this retreat and I thought it would be a good idea to offer a prayer for a safe journey. So, we quiet the noise in the van down and take a minute to ask for a safe trip and a fun time for the boys. Everyone said, “Amen” and then we hear, “Poop”. Imagine the burst of laughter from a van full of boys at a 2 year old ending his prayer with “poop”! Luke-Xavier was very proud of himself and you could just see on his face that he felt like one of the boys. I think that little charmer is going to give me a run for my money when he’s a little older.

So, we made it up to the camp and I was really thankful for having offered to drive because it was so beautiful. I haven’t really taken any drives in the last couple years. I’m constantly in the car and never really going anywhere!

I drove back up on Tuesday to do the pick-up and get boys back to the church where they would make their way to their planes. When I got to the camp, I was told that JJ had been in pain for the last couple of days and that I should take him to the Dr. to make sure it wasn’t his appendix. You could see by how he was walking that he was in pain. So, we got the boys to the church and I dropped my family off at home (I had loaded up a few more of the kids for the return trip because I wanted them to see how beautiful and peaceful it was) and headed to the ER. 5 hours later…….finally a bed! 2 Drs. came and examined him and felt that it was his appendix and put an order in for a CT scan. Another 5 hours……finally the CT scan. It ended up being inconclusive and still we waited while several more people came by to poke at JJ’s stomach. May I just take a moment to offer a thank you to cell phone makers and Apple for creating the iPod? Seriously, I would have gone mad if not for being able to text people what was going on and being able to listen to some music. I listened to ER Drs. argue with the surgeons about what to do with him. It was an interesting exchange. Finally, after the change of shift, it was agreed that he should be admitted for observation. Sometime around 11:30 we made our way up to pediatrics to a room. All I could do was hope that there was somewhere to lie down. Whew! I was beat! So, JJ endured many more stomach poking episodes. I left him around 1pm to come home to shower and check in. My sister had been with the kids and miraculously, didn’t have to work until 7pm. How the puzzle of my life fits together is always a wonder to behold!

After a shower, I decided to bring the kids over to see JJ. We got there to find out that they were going to feed him and then watch how he dealt with the food and possibly send him home. So, I shuttled the kiddos back to the house and made a quick dinner. In the time I was home, I had 3 friends and neighbors come by to see if there was anything they could do. I swear that I can never leave San Diego! The community of fabulous people that have been put into my life would be impossible to replace. Thank you to everyone who checked on us and offered up assistance!

I went back and agreed to bring JJ home and watch him here. He tolerated the food and has slept well. So, now we just keep our eyes open for any signs of fever, increased pain or nausea.

That’s the adventure of the last couple of days. Whew!

Again, thank you to everyone for your words of encouragement and love. Really, you are all truly appreciated!

Have a great day~

Tomorrow I get to go to the Apple Store, one of my favorite places, to work with one of my favorite people. Seriously, I love the people there! I passed along the number to the particular shop I go to, to an acquaintance and was so happy to hear that her experience (after going to a different location and being given the runaround) was just as pleasant as mine have been. No joke, if you use a Mac and you are in the vicinity of the UTC store….GO THERE!

Yesterday I was able to talk to Clay while he was in port. It was so nice to have a good chunk of time to reconnect! JJ was also able to catch up with him. It was really good for all of us. Clay and all with him are doing well and are very focused on the task-at-hand.

Alright, here are a few pics of what’s been going on around here;

Tristan and JJ serving at Liturgy (first time of serving together)

13 kiddos heading to the beach. THIS is why I drive a 15-passenger van!

JJ, Gabi and Luke-Xavier enjoying an afternoon in Old Town

Kateri and Zach checking out the pictures they had taken

Kateri and Gabi sharing a sisterly moment

Luke-Xavier looking angelic (notice, though, that he’s taken off his clothes, yet AGAIN!)

As you can see, it’s been good, just a bit much for one person to juggle. I’ve kept the balls in the air….mostly

Good night~

Now, I have to take a minute to say, once again, how awesome it is to work with the guys at the Apple store. They’ve been patient at every turn and have explained each step. I really appreciate how well they have worked with me and all the time they’ve put in.

So, I’m on a journey and I’m learning as I go.

Don’t forget to stop back by for the weekly show.

Please take a minute to visit our sponsor.

Have a great day~

But, I will continue to check in here. I appreciate you checking in on me! In the next day or two I’ll have to tell you about my Mommy of Many-Mushy Brain Moment! I need vitamins and brain enhancement capabilities!

Don’t forget to check back for the show. I just finished a great interview that will be up soon.

Thanks again for stopping by and don’t forget to visit our sponsor.

Have a great day~

Secondly, I wanted to let you all know that I am being forced to take a 48 hour break. I’ll probably be rocking in the corner from withdrawal by the time it’s over, but I have no choice. It was time for my computer to go in for it’s annual tune-up. This means that my computer is now 1 year old. I am absolutely AMAZED at what has happened in the last year, since buying that FABULOUS MAC!!! Prior to owning it, I hadn’t ever blogged, let alone THOUGHT about doing a podcast. After Clay brought it home I resisted using it for 3 whole months because I was so angry that he was making me change. Now….I can’t thank him enough. Truly, it changed my life!

Thanks to each of you for being on this journey with me! I’m having a great time sharing with everyone! I’ll be back Thursday. Hey, leave me a comment or two to come back to. And, if you’re new to the site, it’s a great time to catch-up! You can scroll through, or you can click on “Mommy of Many Podcast” (to the right) and listen to each of the shows.

And….don’t forget to visit our sponsor!

Good night~

Yesterday morning, Gabi woke-up just as I was going out the door for my class at the Apple store. I kissed her good-bye and told her I’d be back soon.

When I pulled into the driveway, she came running out, flung open the side door of the van, looked around and said, “where are the apples?”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright listeners and readers, I hope you’ve been keeping those clicking fingers in good shape because you’re going to need them starting tomorrow! That’s right-all the “hurry up and wait” has been changed again. I’m super excited for this opportunity, so help me by making sure you visit our sponsor. You still have a whole day to get your finger in shape if you’ve been slacking over the last couple of weeks. So, this week’s show will release tomorrow and I thank you in advance for your support!

Have a great day~

Over the last few days I was able to get phone calls from Clay while they were in port in Singapore. It was so nice to hear his voice and to make that connection. The kids each got to talk to him a couple of times. Even Kateri received a phone call. The kids and I have all been doing very well through this 1st month of the deployment (we are one month down!) and have worked out a routine and are rolling with life. But, when Clay is able to call and especially being able to hear from him for a few days in a row, made me realize just what a hole there is in our lives right now. We are able to cover it over and walk around it, so as not to fall in, but when we hear his voice we can look around and see the pit in the corner. No matter how well I do with the kids on my own, there’s no denying the fact that it all works best when we’re both here, working at it together.

While the Det was in port they did some volunteer work. They did a beach clean-up where Clay unearthed a snake. Thank goodness we don’t have snakes to unearth on San Diego beaches!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, it’s Saturday morning and I’m heading to the Apple store for the first time in a couple of months. I have a few things I want to learn and I need to have my computer looked at. I’ve missed going in on Saturdays! I love the people I’ve worked with there. They all have a great sense of humor and they’re very knowledgeable. I love my MAC, so it’s always great to go in and learn something new! I’ve said it before and I still mean it..MACs Rock!

I hope you each have a great day~

I work on a MAC and we bought Kateri an iBook for her graduation present. So, we have the luxury of being able to use iChat to see and talk to each other whenever we can. The little kids LOVE to see her on the screen and be able to do their latest trick or show off their newest song. Tonight, she sent an iChat invitation just after we finished dinner. So, Clay and I came over to the computer and answered the request and pulled up chairs to be able to chat. After a couple of minutes she asked for the babies to come to the computer so that she could hear them sing, etc. Then Arianna and Maddi wanted to tell her their latest, exciting happenings. Pretty soon, Tristan and Max were in front of the computer showing off their latest TinkerToy creations. Well, soon the whole family was around the computer chatting and listening (some of them, Clay included, met her boyfriend for the first time.) and it reminded me of pictures I’ve seen of families gathered around the radio or TV after dinner, in years gone by. I had to chuckle because even though we were using a great piece of newer technology, it was drawing the family together unlike anything else we do, these days.

So, iChat, I recommend it!

Good night~