lucky with a clover

My grandma always told me growing up that I was a lucky person.  I guess she got the idea because the dice always seemed to roll my way when I played board game with her at her house.  Or, maybe it was from the millions of gifts I won at baby showers.  I was usually the youngest one there going home with spatulas and candles and dishtowels and magnets, stuff I wouldn't use all because I won it.

I do remember in 4th grade winning a She-Ra post and activity stuff from inside the wrapper of the Strawberry Bubblicious I bought at the corner store by our house.  That was the coolest thing, I was a She-Ra fanatic.

And, I was also with my Mom in Pamida when she won a turkey around Thanksgiving time because I made her fill out the give-away slip.  We laughed about that for a long time.

I haven't ever raked in a big mama-jama Publishers Clearing House or Mega-ball winning.  Not even a four leaf clover, until Mother's Day, that is!

Glad to know I still have it!  HA!  But seriously, I know my life is full because I'm extremely blessed, mostly hard working and a little lucky.  I have all these Fraker people I love dearly and to whom I'm a mother to the little ones, I live in this free nation, I have a home and means to take care of my family.    

I am pressing my clover in my big book of dreams, a jumbo vintage Webster Dictionary.  I will keep it as my wing man for the future.  Maybe if I start rubbing it and saying something magically rhythmic my beautiful hardwood floors will be laid in the house.....?  Just thinking. 

 

i made my way home...

It's been a long, hard road since my parents divorced, but I now feel my family is in the best place it's been in 5 years....and last night I made my way home.  On the way, I drove through my old town, staring at my old people, smelling my old smells, driving my old roads with the same curves and bumps and dips and hills, seeing my old pond, and spying on my old neighbors.  It's still mine.  My heart just blew right up inside of me screaming "it's still yours.  This Waterloo is still yours."

...and I was so happy.

I went back to the place I grew up to sort the attic with my mom and sister, milling through boxes and boxes of memories.  Collecting mine and making piles for my Laura sister and two younger brothers.  The attic felt the same.  It was hot and slightly stuffy like it should be this time of year.  The floor boards squeaked where they were supposed to squeak and the ceiling sloped as it always did.

(Emily and I wearing her old prom dresses, the Mill Pond Dam)

When I left last night, I was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude for the place I grew up, the people I grew up with and the family that raised me.  I would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat if I could.

My sister posted these pictures on her facebook and a fellow Waterlooer commented:

"Spent lots of summers looking at that same view. Miss living there. The world will never know people, place, or time like the Waterloo we grew up in."

My wish for my children is that their childhoods provide that something that I had growing up in Waterloo, the place that will never be taken out of me.

i'm 33

I've started doing this funny thing on Urban's birthday.  I tell myself that I am a year older than I really am so that when my birthday comes around I'm not in so much shock about how old I'm getting.  Call me crazy, but it works.  In my mind, I've been 33 for quite some time now!

My day started out awesome with a morning phone call from my dad who thought I was turning 30.  I laughed so hard!  When I was laughing he said to me, "Well, you were born in 1979!  Oh, (and all at once he realized) I did the math wrong."

The best birthday gift was this family picture:

It brought me to tears.  How did this happen from a camera propped on a pillow?!!

I made Chicken Parmigiana from the Pioneer Woman.  It is incredible!  I've had it in my rotation for about three months now and it never gets old.  It's amazing on top of sauteed zucchini.  The other Frakers Four made me a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

I am so blessed to feel so much love from my family and friends.  I just feel so grateful for each of the 33 years of my life.  It seems like each one could be titled with what was milling in my life during the time....Battle Creek, Troy Sutton, Orange Walk, Summit St., Emerson, Ida, Urban, the final move, Oklahoma.  Josh and I stayed up into the early hours of the morning talking about all these memories and how rich they are.....

Thank you.  Each year I understand the secrets of life a little more fully.

33 is a big deal

We celebrated the second birthday of this year in our family.  Josh turned thirty three, which is a huge deal.  And when I think of all the things he has accomplished in thirty three years of living I feel very proud of him.

As always, I made him a cherry pie because it's his favorite.  It's usually his standard birthday dessert.  If it isn't pie, it's been something with cherries for his last 15 birthdays, well, minus two for the years we were in different countries. 

He chose grilled steak and vegetables for his birthday meal.

And we celebrated how much we love him.

The "Where's Waldos" I found in the pictures:

.....A1 steak sauce on Urban's upper lip, he would drink the whole bottle if we let him

.....two children with missing teeth

.....1 toddler holding a hat, as always

.....2 princess stickers on 1 Tigers shirt

.....1 pair of shiny glasses

.....1 toddler blowing out the candles

Mr. Downtown

 

This is a story about that cutest thing I ever did see.

Our little Mr. Downtown is enamored with his daddy.  Just the way he says "Da-deeeeeeeeee" is adorable, but there's so much more he does that's cute too.  He pants at the door leading to the garage when he hears Josh get home from work.  He carries around one of Josh's hats (see pictures) all day and nearly everyday because when Josh leaves for work and is home he is usually wearing a hat.  He begs Josh to carry him every minute he is home and pats him happily on the shoulder as if to tell him "good job 'upping' me, dad."  Really, I've never seen a 17 month old pat someone so consistently.  It is his own daddy language.  Josh brags to the moon and back about the patting.  He has reason to.  It must make him feel awesome.  And, come on, they look so much alike it's insane!

Josh got to mowing the lawn on Friday trying to finish the acres before the rain rolled in. 
Urban usually rides his toy tractor but that day he wanted to ride with his daddy on the real "crack-tor."  I grabbed the ear mufflers and I was pretty much good for nothing after that.  He blew me a few kisses from daddy's lap and was done with me.  He road with Josh for 1 hour (absolutely serious about that.  I timed him.) before I went out and brought him in for lunch.  Josh said he nodded off a few times because he was so relaxed.

It's looking like Josh pretty much has a mini-me.  All he needs is a camouflaged hat!

it's called keflex

(At Walgreens)

Emerson tested positive for Strep this morning. 

He came home from school yesterday and went with Ida to jump on the neighbor's trampoline.  When he came home for supper and homework complaining of a sore throat, I had a feeling.  I have gotten really awesome at identifying the symptoms.  For the record, I did previously diagnose Ida and Josh correctly, and now Emerson.

Anyway, I must mention that the walk-in clinic in our town is awesome (imagine I said that in a high ,angelic voice).  I really love it for the most part.  So far they are 3 for 4 in waiting time, while being 4 for 4 in patient happiness and mom agreeing with the diagnosis.  Yes, that is a category.  I am picky about how comfortable I feel with what the doctors are telling me they think is wrong.  We walked in and were out in 35 minutes.  Then to the pharmacy in town which took around 20 minutes.  The whole trip, including the drive, was about an hour!   

I mentioned to the doctor that the other two vowels are allergic to penicillin and I thought it was best to keep Emerson away from it seeing as this was his first experience with antibiotics.  She agreed and stocked us with Keflex.

Things should start looking up over the weekend!!

Also, I mentioned before that Picnik was closing and now they have.  Boooo.  But, on a positive note, I think I found a replacement site: Pixl Express.  So far I like it, and can I get a WOOT for free online editing?!  

we talked about gratitude

I spent last week getting the basement organized and prepped for painting.  I am extremely excited, yet underwhelmed about this project seeing as Josh changed the game plan mid-prep.  We had decided to completely ignore the popcorn ceiling issue and just smack the paint right on top, yes, we had decided that.  "We" now have decided to scrape the popcorn right off before painting. 

"It won't be that bad," he says.

"Okay," I say.  "I will paint after you scrape.  Deal?"

And so it will go like that.

All of the light fixtures and vents were removed during the plans.  Would you believe that we found the mouse graveyard in one of the monster vents?  The boys thought it was entirely the coolest archaeological finding, much cooler than the note in our bathroom wall or date etching in our basement floor.  I was thinking about being resentful that our country house attracts mice like any other country house, but I'm not going to.  Thank goodness we are now mice free and have active plans to keep them out.   I love my house and I am so grateful for it, mice or not.

A few days ago we talked with the kids about having an attitude of gratitude.  The pictures show all the living and non-living things I am feeling very grateful for, I mean, if I were to put it in first grade terms.  

a day of EAF

(A 7 year old birthday morning picture)

I was talking to my dad about the day Emerson was born.  It was really sunny, clear skies with temperatures in the low 60s.  It was gorgeous.  I remember the sun shining in through the window of the delivery room almost willing me to cheer up as I pushed and pushed for an hour and a half trying to get his 8lb 12oz baby body out.  My dad was in the hallway with my brother-in-law, Chris, talking about anything to keep them busy.  I imagine my dad ran his hand through his hair a billion times.  That is what he does when he is nervous.  I was tired and hurting and wanted to be done.  My mom grabbed my leg and said, "Come on, Mellissa!"  and then I said "screw the pain, I am going to end this," and then I did.  My sister, Em, was in the room jumping up and down, slapping my leg and shouting "he weighs 12 pounds, it's a boy and he weighs 12 pounds!"  She was wrong, but she was so funny.

Then, all at once, I was holding my Cabbage Patch baby feeling SO happy to be done with birthing him while thinking to myself, "what in the world do we do now?"  And now it has been seven years since that very day and I know exactly everything about him and I have a pretty good idea of what he needs before he even asks. 

Our seven year old EAF is such a good kid.  He is a super runner, reader, and listener.  He loves being on time, Ben 10, pizza, playing outside, wrestling, and watching movies.  He has become an impressive problem solver, thinks using huge pencils for homework is the way to go, loves getting to walk to the back of the bus after all the big kids have gotten off, and believes socks are completely overrated.

In tribute of Emerson's Ben 10 obsession I made an Echo-Echo cake.

The party-ers.

fit for myrtle beach: lots of pictures

I have a fear of driving for long distances with children in the car.  I mean, if I were to think of only Josh and I driving to Texas right now while full well knowing that I'm not I would work myself into heartburn or something really uncomfortable like that.  Mostly because I know the Josh Fraker way is always driving straight through.  Oh the discomfort of 24 hour car confinement along with fast food horror.  Yikes, I need to relax, it's not happening.

Would you believe that Josh convinced me that driving 12 hours to Myrtle Beach with our children for Spring Break 2012 was a good idea?  I don't know how he did it because I know all his tricks....hmmm.

Jumping right to it, the trip and the traveling children were AWESOME, amazing, spiffilicious, kapow-wow-wow.... 

Spring Break 2012:  Fraker Family in Myrtle Beach

Honda may need to borrow (or pay for) this endorsement:  the Frakers Five rode 12 happy hours in the Fit.  This car is no joke.  We took the cadillac Britax stroller, the pack-and-play and a bag each while NOTHING was packed under our feet with room to spare.  This car is boss. 

On the way down we detoured to visit our friends who once lived a few blocks down from us when we lived in town and they now live in South Carolina.  Thank you, Alecia, for breakfast and a perfect visit!

The weather was perfectly 80 degrees the entire time.  WE LOVED IT!

Urban went ballistic in the sand but hated the water.  Emerson and Ida devoured the ocean and beach.

We walked the boardwalk and hopped on the SkyWheel.  Notice the kids' faces.

Ripley's Aquarium was completely worth a morning away from the beach and a large dent in the wallet.  It was fascinating.  And, oh doggies, I touched a stingray.  It was really mossy.

The horseshoe crabs were so cute. 

The Lazy River at the hotel was where we spent a fair share of evening time. 

We left our mark on Myrtle Beach, as well as, it on us.   

No one wanted to come home.....leaving was very sad.  All three decided to stage a protest.   

TOOTSIE POPS! and Angry Birds made our departure more manageable for them.

And now we know....the wee Frakers three traveled so well through the night on the way there and amazingly well the whole day on the way home leaving me completely shocked.  They did awesome, though I do believe 12-14 hours is our limit.  I'm already looking for our next destination.