The One that Needed Cleaned

Gabe was home from school sick again today. He slept the morning away while I worked and then was feeling better in the afternoon. He played some Wii, some DS, and with Chicco for a bit. I was working out of my bedroom and he would occasionally come in to chat or use my bathroom.

When Gabe is serious about something, he uses his hands when he is talking. He puts both hands out, palms flat and facing each other. Today, he came in and went into the bathroom. I heard the seat go up and then down. He then came out and using his hands said, “Mom. You know that thing in there where we poop?” I said, “The toilet?” He said, “Yes. Well, you really need to clean it. Like under there – where you sit. It is gross. You need to clean that.” I said, “Ok. Thank you, Gabe. I’ll get right on that.” I then asked, “Did you wash your hands?” He replied with an “Oh” and went back in to wash them. He then came out and again with the hands said, “Mom, you really need to hang that towel up.” I giggled a bit and didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had been the last one to use the towel. I just agreed, “Yes, the towel should be hung back up.”

And yes… tomorrow the bathrooms, along with the rest of the house, will get cleaned. : )

Love this kid!

The One with the Password

Friday night Grace had a sleep over to celebrate her upcoming 8th birthday. Two girls from her school spent the night and the next day. On Saturday, I was downstairs in the kitchen when I overheard a conversation.

The girls had developed a password system to keep unwanted boys (in this case Gabe) from entering Grace’s room. Two girls, Grace being one of them, were in the room and the third wanted in. She was asked to divulge the password before being granted permission to enter. The only problem was that she didn’t know the password. So, they gave her a hint. It starts with “P”. “Pink? Purple? Puppy?...” And then I heard Grace say, “It’s something gross that boys have.”

WHAT? My head snapped toward the ceiling faster than a redneck’s nose can smell road kill. How was I going to explain this to the other mothers? They send their brotherless daughters to my house for a sleep over and I return them schooled in the male anatomy.

With great relief I then heard Grace give in and reveal the password, “The password is Pickle.” OH THANK GOD. Yes, we were still referring to the same part of the male anatomy but only in the world of Grace and Gabe where girls have Virginias and boys have Pickles.

Thankfully, when both sets of parents heard the story, they laughed. Hopefully, everyone is allowed to return to the Schrecengost’s house. It sure was a fun event for everyone.

Remember everyone. Count your blessings and not your problems. It makes for much better math.

The One with Grace's Theory

Grace was looking for a pencil box to take to school and Steven reminder her that she has one with a calculator built into the lid. She said, “Maybe I will some time turn bad and then I will use it to cheat on a future math test. I better not take it.” We laughed and she then said, “What, it’s just a theory.”

The One with the Funny Man

Gabe truly cracks me up all the time. He's just a funny kid. The other day he said to me, "Mom, I love you but I'm in love with Grace. She's a hottie." I wonder what he will say when he is 16 and sees that I have documented this cuteness.

This morning was another LOL moment. I was helping him get dressed and comb his hair for school. I said, "Gabe, why don't you let me make your hair spiky today for school?" He replied with a firm, "No way." I asked, "Why don't you let momma have any fun?" And, then, he proved he is his father's son... "You could rub my back and feet. That would be fun." I cracked up. I love this kid.

The One with the Stick

I was encouraged by some good friends to share this story on my blog… so, here goes.

Anyone trying to get pregnant knows the ultimate excitement and anticipation each time it is time to pee on the magic stick. In 2001 we started to try and get pregnant shortly after 9/11. The tragedy of Grant’s (Steven’s dad) death in April of that year and the unimaginable of 9/11 left us knowing it was time to move forward with life.

It was with grand excitement that we became pregnant right away and with even greater sadness that that pregnancy ended shortly after it began. We were told to wait 3 months before trying to conceive again. A long three months later we started trying again. For the next 8 months as soon as it was possible for a pregnancy test to show positive results, I would start taking tests. On this particular morning in October, I got up at 4:00 in the morning and took the first test. Unbelievably it was positive. Around 6:00 a.m., I took the second followed by the third and the fourth. They were all joyously positive.

Even though it was very early, we couldn’t contain our excitement. We were heading to my parents and I packed two of the test sticks with me. I placed each test in a paper bag. Told my mom and dad to close their eyes and gave them each a bag. I then told them to guess what was in the bag. Each took out a stick and started exploring it with their hands. My mom figured it out very quickly and started dancing with excitement. Dad, on the other hand, intent on his task, continued to explore the stick with his hands. We finally left him off the hook and explained what it was and then encouraged him to wash his hands. : )

God’s gift was Miss Grace. She is one of the most sensitive, loving, intelligent, inspiring people I know. She is beautiful and funny and makes me want to be a better person so that I can live up to what she needs in her mom. She will do remarkable things and I’m so very proud of her. Thank you God for my gift.

P.S. Please forgive my typos and such in this story. Tears are flowing as I remember the ups and downs of this time in our lives.

Smell This

In my house there are three cats, a dog, assorted fish, a guinea pig, two kids, and a husband. There are always smells to be identified and defeated. Unfortunately, many of those smells come from Gabe. You see, he claims he is a super hero, Fart Boy to be exact. Of course there are the powers that come from his bottom but also, his enhanced powers that his daddy helps him develop by giving him garlic bologna. His bad breath power keeps the girls away which in Gabe’s eyes is the best power ever. So, as you can imagine, the story I am about to tell you could have gone several different ways.

This morning Fart Boy was in my bathroom and I was in my bedroom putting on my makeup. He opened the door and came running out to me. He said, “Momma, I just pooped in there. Smell my hands.” He then shoved his hands toward my face. I recoiled with the instincts of a cat and asked, “Did you wash your hands?” He looked at his hands and said, “Oh” and ran back into the bathroom.

Thankfully, when I mentioned the hand washing he realized that after he had washed his hands, he hadn’t dried them. He ran to the bathroom to do that and then return and said, “I washed them. Smell them. I did it all by myself.” He was so proud of himself and I was so thankful! His little hands smelled like yummy raspberry soap. All was good in the Schrec house.

First Day of School... and More

My baby Gabe started kindergarten today. Momma wasn't quite as prepared as I would have hoped to have been. It is hard to see the little ones take that big step but I was so proud of him and Grace who started 2nd grade. She was mother goose helping get him ready and encouraging him with lots of words of wisdom.

Not to go a day without a bit of laughter, Gabe started the day off right. As we were waiting for the bus stop I was fussing over his jacket and hat and he asked his grandma, "Munga, do you think the girls will think I'm too hot?" I can't imagine what it will be like when he is a little older if he is already thinking he's going to have to push back on all the ladies. : )

As the day went on I became more and more impatient for the end of the day. I was excited to hear how their day went. I met them at the bus stop in hopes of getting a picture of them stepping off the bus. There was a delay after the bus stopped at our driveway. I saw Grace standing at his front seat but wasn’t sure what was happening. It was then that the bus driver told me what was going on. Gabe had fallen asleep and Grace was waking him. Once he got up and was standing at the top of the steps, I had to take his backpack. He declared he was just too tired to carry it. He then sat on his butt and slid down the bus steps. My boy was wore out. : )

Grace was very excited and quickly shared the details of her day. She was pleased to see old friends and happy to meet new. Later in the evening, as I was helping her get a bath, I said that we would need to figure out a new goal for her to work toward as a reward for continuing to patch her eye. She recently received a guinea pig as a reward for clocking many hours this summer. Not one to miss a beat, she quickly said, "I'm thinking of a horse." As I cracked up she then asked, "What? It can't be more work than a guinea pig? : )

Today was a great day. Hopefully more smiles to come tomorrow.