Sundays with Ralph

Hudson has acquired a new nickname this week, Wreck-It-Ralph.  It is a very fitting one, trust me.  So, now Hudson Cash Kent will be answering to Hud, Huddle, Hudbud, Hudster, HuddleCakes, Mr. Huddlesworth, Dennis, and Ralph (and El Destructo, forgot that one).  We have always nicknamed our kids and I love that.  I think nicknames are so sweet and funny.  For Jillian, it was Jilli, Jilli-bean, Jilli-bean-oh, and it was just Bean for a year or so....she would even say her name was 'Bean' if you asked.  Josie is usually Jos, but sometimes it's Josie-Jos, Josephine, Josie-pooh.  I even have my own set of nicknames and I like that.  Chris and cousin Ferne call me Jolene, Ferne calls me Jolenie Bolenie, sometimes just Bolenie.  My mother-in-law calls me JJ sometimes.  Hannah always called me JoJo and the twins call me that sometimes, too.  Just remembering that Chris calls me Joe-Loe.  Shortly after we were married, some telemarketer called and asked for Joe-Loe Phillips, which we thought was hilarious, so the Joeloe stuck.   I think nicknames are endearing, even Wreck-It-Ralph....I mean, you've seen the movie.  He was a sweet guy.  Just big.  And destructive. 

Well, that was a nickname tangent but the story here is SUNDAY.  Like, today Sunday.  I have always loved Sundays, however, since becoming a mother, I have realized that Sundays can be extremely stressful for a mommy, especially if you have a Ralph, as do I. Trying to get myself and three kids ready for church (one of them being Ralph) is no easy task.  Chris usually cannot go with us because of his work schedule so it is just me getting us all ready and this morning was no different. 

I just thought I would share my SUNDAY MORNING with you......there were several EVENTS and they shall be numbered:

1.  BREAKFAST:  I fixed breakfast and usually it's a different meal for everyone.  We can never agree on food.  This morning, Jilli and Josie wanted waffles and milk.  Hudson wanted a pop-tart (organic, do I get bonus points for that?) and I had toast and coffee.  After eating, the girls went in to watch a little tv and I was trying to clean up the breakfast mess, which included syrup.  I had to have a quick bathroom break and when I returned, I discovered Ralph had poured out all of the leftover milk from the girls' cups.  It was all over the bar, the stools, and the floor...but as a bonus, he had also poured the leftover syrup into the milk.  It was everywhere...and he was LAUGHING so hard.  He has this weird laugh now.  He has discovered he can laugh and he will just laugh and laugh and not stop.   It is usually cute and funny, but not-so-much-this morning.  Anyways,  about the mess, I can say I was not surprised because this is just Hudson.  He is very mischevious and makes lots of messes so I spanked his bottom and gave him a good talking-to.  I tried to wipe him off a little and then put him in his room to play so I could get things halfway put together.  The syrup mess was so bad and I knew I couldn't leave it or I would come home from church to find hundreds of roaches and mice and other breeds just-a-swarmin' so I'm thinking, ok, no biggie...this will only take a minute and we can get back on 'operation church attendance'.  No problem.  It didn't take a minute, it took about ten.  

2.  BATHTIME:  Well, after the syrup incident, the bath was non-negotiable.  I cannot deal with sticky.  Sticky skin or nasty fingernails, can't handle.  Well, Hudson is always very excited to get in the bath so he ran to the bathroom and had promptly removed his dirty diaper (of which I was unaware) and got in the full tub of lavendar bathwater (trying to calm him down....with my oils...cause I'm all organic and stuff, not really, just the poptarts).  Of course, he got to the bathroom before I did, so upon entering the room, I realize that there was NUMBER TWO everywhere.  It was on the side of the tub, in the tub, and all over Hudson.  I wanted to cry but I held it together.  The girls were gagging and trying to puke.  The only help they could provide was to sling a food city bag into the room to contain the mess.  I got him out of the tub, cleaned him up with wipes, trashed the mess, drained the tub, cloroxed the tub, re-ran the bath, added extra lavendar and started over.  I knew right then that I would have to cry at some point before church.  But we were STILL GOING!  I was going to get my children ready and we were going to the Lord's House TODAY!!!

3.  OUT OF BATH:  Clean baby- check.  Clean tub- check.  Sane mother- semi-check.  After I got Hud out of the bath I ran to get his clothes (only gone thirty seconds or less)....MEANWHILE, he sprayed out half a can of fabreeze into the bathroom and hall.  I smelled the fumes and came running.  There was literally a cloud of fabreeze and he was holding that trigger like a semi-automatic weapon.  He could have cared less about the fumes.  It was that spray action that had him mesmerized.  I have said before that having this son of mine certainly explains so many things about the male population.  (You know, how most of what they do doesn't make sense..)  I knew I had to get the floors wiped up and quick because they were wet with fabreeze and I knew one of us would 'be killed' (as my mom says)...Before I could get a towel to get up the mess, naked Ralph goes running.  Through the tears, I started laughing.  I had to take some pictures of him.  I couldn't even give him a spanking.  I was crying and laughing and taking pictures of this naked baby.  Acting like a crazy person.

I had to step out to the screen porch for about ten minutes of fresh, unscented air and calm.  The girls agreed to watch Ralph so I could gather myself.  After breathing some good breaths, crying a good cry, and praying some good prayers, I felt better.  I knew that God knows my heart and He loves me and helps me through all of this hard stuff.  I may not be making casseroles, teaching Sunday School, or being an A plus church member right now, but I am being the best mommy I can be and I know that God is walking with me and He is gracious and merciful.  Church attendance is important but sometimes, it just ain't happenin' and that is OK. 


                                  Beauty Shop Ralph:

 

DJ RALPH:

 

 

 

Plumb Tuckered Ralph:

 

 

                                               Can't stay mad at this guy......  :)  Bless it.