Lots of Good Fun That is Funny!

our first snow!

2010-12-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

my kids were very mad at me this morning. i didn't sleep good last night so when my alarm went off this morning i very groggily fummbled for it and decided to check my email really quick to see if there were any school delays. i saw that we had a 2 hour delay so i rolled over to go back to sleep. 15 minutes later my alarm started beeping at me again -i must have hit snooze darn-it!. so again i turned it off and with half of one eye i again double checked my email. this time it said school was closed-i thought. later when the kids came in i told them school was closed-yeah!! so we slowly rolled out of bed and wandered down stairs to enjoy our own snow day activities. i sat down at the computer and -again-checked my email. huh!! there was only a 2 hour delay notice! i didn't know how to break it to the kids! so i just told them! they were ticked! so after some yelling and crying they got dressed for school and then they decided to play in the snow for a while before heading off to school. what a horrible mom-telling my kids they have no school and then telling them they do! it's like giving someone those fake lottery tickets! i hate those, i think they are so mean!

happy halloween!

2010-11-02T09:35:00.001-04:00

trick-or-treat

woody and jessie

awesome authentic belt buckles

and boots

buddies

summer time fun with the dad

2010-11-01T10:17:00.000-04:00

more summer fun with a visit from cousins

2010-10-31T12:41:00.001-04:00

he slept while we played...

look what i found!

2010-10-30T12:37:00.000-04:00

i must have been at the bathroom with the little ones...

some more summer fun...

2010-10-28T20:21:00.001-04:00

blogger is a booger!!!

2010-10-28T18:08:00.004-04:00

lainakay is my most favoritest person in the whole world...

tee hee

summer fun at the fair

2010-10-25T10:30:00.002-04:00

it was carload night at the fair again!

cousins came up for the fun!

and we met up with good friends

the dad was wondering "is this supposed to be fun?"

oh yeah, it's fun all right!

she fell asleep, going 'round and 'round and 'round!

there were lots of good pics i didn't get because this year i actually got to go on rides!! Princess, surprised us all as she dared the upside down topsy turvy ride- i think it was the spider. a ride most of us said no way to. but she went with the dad and thing 2 and had a blast! thing 4 was all serious business. he was riding the rides and didn't want anything getting in his way. he was probably expecting me to stop him at some point since i never let him ride the things at the mall.

visit to the boise zoo-still playing summer catch-up

2010-09-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

while we were in boise, of course we visited the zoo. we took our traditional picture in the nest. notice the handsome boy standing next to thing 3. he's her cousin, it was love at first sight for her. she told me she loves him and is going to marry him. she thinks he is handsome and she likes his clothes (she likes clothes). she flirted with him too. i had never seen this side of her but she was looking for his attention!

she also fell in love with this badger.

badgers are usually very aggressive but this one loves people.

in fact, the zoo staff say that when they have put her in enclosures with other badgers, the other badgers have all turned up missing...

but she loves to go for walks and be with people.

funny little girl!

cute huh?!

first day of school

2010-09-22T13:51:00.001-04:00

Thing 1 was off to middle school

my handsome boy

all grown up, off to the bus stop alone this year, leaving me behind. it felt so strange to stand on the steps and watch him go, to not be going with him, to not watch him get on the bus. I kept hoping he made it, that he got on the bus okay. I kept feeling like i missed out this year, i feel like i missed a big step in my son's life. but i guess that step happened when he walked off the porch and headed up the street alone. He, of course loved it. he loved that he was going to the bus stop without me, not because he doesn't want me there, he's been a really good kid about that. he's not too embarassed of me yet,. but he liked it because it meant he's growing up. He liked it because he feels like he's taking care of himself and making his own decisions.

and then there's my girl, off to kindergarten.

as cute as ever and much more ready than I am. I can't believe she is that old but i'm happy for her. she'll love school. she'll make lots of friends and she'll get to draw and write, and learn to read. i'm very excited for her. every time i've gone to an open house for one of my kids when they were in kindergarten i cry. not because i'm sad but because i'm so happy for them. they have had great teachers and it's such a happy place. i'm so happy that my child gets to spend their day in a place like that.

And our little stud, ready for 4th grade, ready to be in the big kids wing of the school. he gets to do all those things he's seen his older brother do and has been dying to participate in himself. he gets to join band this year. he chose the alto sax and he can't wait to learn to play that thing. he gets to participate in before school intramurals-he can not wait!

he's going to miss her. she is his best friend.

after the last two of his three favorite people climbed on the bus and left him behind he kept crying, "me too, me too"

she climbed on that bus like she'd been doing it for years and then she waved from the window, that's the hard part for me, wathching them wave to me from the school bus window, that's when i lose it, any time of the year.

bye-bye my girl!

I didn't get a picture, but one of my favorite parts of that day and everyday since is when she gets off the bus. the first day she climbed off the bus and darted across the street (which she got beeped at for doingand then she ran crying to her room and wouldn't talk to anyone for 30 minutes because she felt so bad) yelling "mommy". she was so happy to be home and to show me what she had done and i was so excited to see her. she's done this everyday since-minus getting beeped at for crossing before the bus driver tells her it's okay.

2010-09-21T13:49:00.001-04:00

last night, as I was out running errands with the kids we saw that our favorite summer ice cream shop was having its last day!

We had to stop.

last night wasn't only their last day -for the season, but it was our last day- forever.

We won't be here next summer.

So we stopped and as we pulled in we saw friends pull in behind us and as we climbed out of our car we saw other friends run across the parking lot to greet us.

I guess we weren't the only ones who needed to say goodbye to the summer.

As we waited in line for our cones, thing 2's friend chatted with us while enjoying his cone. I looked at him and he had a big circle of icecream around his lips, I had to laugh, it was so cute. This boy is as big as my husband but he's 9. seeing him with icecream all over his face reminded me that he was a kid. That my son was still a kid. Sometimes I get so busy with school and chores and everything that needs to be done and I forget to enjoy my children's youth. I forget that they are little, and cute-even though they think they are 9 and all grown up. I love moments like this so I can slow down and enjoy them.

it twirls!

2010-08-18T22:03:00.000-04:00

grandma made thing 3 an adorable new skirt

and thing 4 had to show off his grandma outfit!

while we visited cousins

2010-08-14T09:11:00.001-04:00

we went boating

we visited cousins

2010-08-14T08:27:00.001-04:00

we swam, and swam, and swam!

they built a raft with the pool noodles

swimming with grandpa

noodle boy!

up, up and

away!

diving board catch!

the mermaids!

a little freestylin'!

swimming with grandma!

a little treat

a splash of fun

"dude, i split the arrow!"

"COOL"

cousin love

2010-08-13T20:25:00.000-04:00

i love you!

you wanna give me a kiss?

she won't give me a kiss!

i'll just give you a kiss then.

why won't she give me a kiss?

then....take that!

(poor O-won't somebody save her?)

we visited more good friends

2010-08-13T18:24:00.000-04:00

gum + hair =

2010-08-12T13:08:00.000-04:00

A HAIRCUT!

we visited good friends

2010-08-11T13:32:00.000-04:00

they have a fun mom!

thing 4

2010-08-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

baseball season!

2010-08-09T14:54:00.001-04:00

thing 4 though he should be catcher...hitter, first base man...

thing 2's last year of minor leagues

a visit from cousins

2010-08-08T10:00:00.003-04:00

2010-08-07T14:37:00.000-04:00

2010-08-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

this is why i don't blog-as soon as i sit down, someone NEEDS something!!!

feelin' like fall

2009-10-18T13:10:00.000-04:00

crunchy leaves to jump and play in

pretty mums for the front steps

sweet pumpkin fudge

crisp, sweet, fresh local apples

soft and fluffy cider donuts

school days

2009-10-17T12:47:00.001-04:00

i'm playing catch-up...

3rd and 5th grade...don't they look excited!?

this was thing 3's pre-school orientation day

this was her first full day of pre-shcool

before, after and some in between

2009-10-16T11:38:00.006-04:00

the frightening before...

disgusting! i only show you so you can truly appreciate the after with me...

up comes the floor...

down come the walls...

gutted!

a lot of plumbing and "behind the scenes work went on before these walls went up...

and the floor went down...

the tub and the toilet went in...

the shower tile went up...

notice, i have 6 corner shelves-i LOVE them!

the lights and mirror are up and the vanity is in...

and the walls are painted!

we still need to paint and reinstall the trim and install the closet door (which is on order)-a little each weekend...

i'm so thrilled to have my bathroom done.

Thanks to my mom and dad

for putting their lives on hold

so they could "help" (really do it all) us.

it's the thought that counts

2009-08-17T14:04:00.007-04:00

ever since she was 2 she's told me that she wants to

take the train to the city

and get some lunch.

so we decided that for her birthday we would take her down,

get some lunch and she could get a doll.

soooooo,

4 months later,

we made the trip.

we took the train.

her feet were tired-immediately

-it's gonna be a loooonnnggg day.

we made our way to Stand!
and got ourselves what we'd been dreaming of (and some lunch)-

the Toasted Marshmallow Shake!

every bit as good as we expected.

this is a shake worthy of a midnight run!

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!

to the doll store where she made her purchase.

then to the park to play...

ride the carousel...

climb the rocks -the boys will be jealous, this is their favorite thing to do in the park...

splash in the water...
and swing on the swings

what a day!
she said it was the best day,

she wants to do it every year!

then, she crashed
and while the sister was sleeping, he found his opportunity to get his hands on that beautiful little doll with lots of beautiful hair like he loves!

he-he-he!

happy belated birthday little girl!

toddler for sale!

2009-08-08T11:04:00.001-04:00

one adorable rotten little toddler for sale.

one sweet little chew everything in sight toddler for sale.

one funny little climb on and knock everything down toddler for sale.

one charming little break anything breakable toddler for sale.

one beautiful little don't blink or i'll be into something,toddler for sale!

NOW WHAT?

2009-08-07T10:40:00.005-04:00

for the last several months we have lived at the ball park. seriously.

early morning practices.

all day tournaments.

evening games.

i am so tired of packing food around,

but at the same time i'm so used to it that it's gotten "easy".

while it can be all consuming it can be fun.

and most important is the kids.

thing 2 loved it.

he made it onto the all star team this year.

they played hard and had a great season...

taking 1st place in the championship-undefeated!

see ya next year! i need some rest!

morning hikes

2009-07-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

we took a little hike the other morning.

we got eaten alive by mosquitoes

we hiked to the look-out tower. the views were beautiful-the height...a bit frightening(for me at least)

our nature/science boy found dozens of these orange lizards that somehow made their way home with us. (don't worry, they have been released back into the wild)
and our little beauty, of course, found pretty flowers-she's always looking for beautiful things.

yummy, yummy

2009-07-24T13:45:00.004-04:00

fresh blueberries!

4 years old!

2009-04-20T14:36:00.004-04:00

happy birthday sweet girl!!

2009-04-20T11:24:00.001-04:00

2009-04-16T14:20:00.001-04:00

dresses

2009-04-16T12:44:00.003-04:00

big

beautiful

" spinny "

dresses

no matter what the day!

sunny days

2009-03-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

chasing the clouds away...

we are back outside and loving it!!!

for thing 4, it's a whole new world-and he loves it!

when i brought him back inside

he stood at the door fussing and banging on the glass

he wasn't happy till i took him back outside!

please oh please say spring is here to stay!

he said it looked fun...

2009-03-18T11:44:00.003-04:00

so we let him have a turn.

why do we have a large dirt patch in our front yard?

because

our septic caved in back in november!

we came home from our thanksgiving visit to find this in our front yard!

then they tore up our front yard to replace it!

so now the dad has to start over on his lawn.

the lawn he had worked so hard on.

the lawn that he had weeded literally on his hands and knees!

that lawn is now a large patch of dirt!

my boys

2009-03-04T19:52:00.007-05:00

tonight my boys got to arguing with each other.

"that's my seat"

"that's my plate"

"that's my cup"

ya know, the important things.

i'd had it

"if you want to fight, go to your room and fight"

as my boys stomped up the stairs i heard the one say to the other

"that means i get to go upstairs and beat you up"

so now they took their verbal fight upstairs and made it physical.

great!

they don't really hurt each other-yet.

just some pushing and shoving and wrestling-a little bit of hitting, but no punching yet-thank goodness.

one day i said goodbye and sent them out to the bus stop. everything was pleasant-that morning.

i got busy with some things and then glanced out the window to find

my boys

in the road-the side of the road

one, on top of the other

fighting!

oh my goodness-who are these boys!

i don't encourage fighting

i don't "allow" fighting

but

2 boys

close in age

sharing

friends,

space

and

things-

i guess it happens.

sometimes it makes me think of my mother in law

she raised 4 boys

4 rough and tumble boys

i can picture her glancing out the window to find them rolling around on the ground beating each other up.

did she?

i don't know.

but it makes me feel better to think she did.

to imagine how she may have handled it.

plus, then i get to write it off as the dad's blood pumping through them -even though i know that thing 1 is mostly all me-but don't tell the dad-it's more fun to blame him.

my boys are friends now,

but one day

they will really be friends

they'll appreciate each other

they'll be roommates

they'll go on double dates

they'll get together with their families

their kids will be friends

their wives will be best friends

one day!

i'm hungry!

2009-03-03T12:28:00.003-05:00

i recently finished reading

COLD SASSY TREE

and my stomach is still rumbling!

i want

coconut cake

and

pound cake

and

pie

and fried chicken...

the book is set in the late 1800's early 1900's in the south.

i guess it's that southern hospitality.

everyone in the book seems to always have a cake or pie ready to share with a neighbor-

when they are trying to get close enough to catch the latest gossip,

or to serve when visitors drop by

or to comfort others when tragedy strikes.

i want a cake sitting on my counter to share (and to eat myself-of course).

a part of me wishes we still lived like this-

but

then i remember that i like

flushing toilets

and

quiet cars

and

shoes on my children's feet.

pony tails and piggy tails

2009-03-02T21:01:00.000-05:00

i'm probably the last to think of this but...i'm new to the girl stuff.

i think this will be a neat and simple way to store hair elastics.

binder rings

they come in all different sizes

and

the elastic is easily accessible -

you don't have to pull them all off to get to the one you want.

my niece has arrived

2009-03-02T08:47:00.005-05:00

a few days early, but her mom isn't complaining.

i've been working on this receiving blanket for her

the fabric has grown on me.

i liked it when i bought it but it wasn't what i had in mind,

so i left the store a bit disappointed.

i sent it off to be hem stitched and was pleasantly surprised when i saw it again-

i liked it.

now as i've crocheted around the edges i've really come to like the pattern and colors and am quite pleased with it.

i hope mom and baby like it too.

these two fabrics i found while shopping for the other.

i really liked these.

i thought it would fun with the bugs on one side and the stripes on the other.

i don't have any plans for it yet.

i'll save it for whoever is next.

where is that darn tooth fairy?

2009-02-28T11:03:00.000-05:00

we do not have a very responsible tooth fairy around here.

seriously, i don't know how she keeps her job.

teeth hang in the bag on the door for days before she shows up.

(she better get better though-her negligence is blowing her cover!)

if your looking for thing 3...

2009-02-27T10:17:00.008-05:00

...this is how you will find her...

(i thought i had the camera on but i had to include this trick!)

this is her watching TV

still watching TV

more TV watching

this is her, first thing in the morning

(this is thing 4 trying to copy thing 3)

she just finished breakfast(could have been any meal though)

"now, that was fun!"

do ya think gymnastics classes are needed?!

television

2009-02-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

i am feeling a bit irritated with a few of my favorite shows.

did i ever get it?-i don't think so,

but this season i really don't get it.

to the point of completely annoyed.

nothing is making sense.

they are traveling through time because ben turned some dial but if jack gets everyone together and they return to the island everything will be right!?

WHAT!!!!!????

besides it not making sense, they have started sooooo many tangents and then just dropped them-like they never happened!

it's driving me CRAZY!!! i get mad every time i watch the dumb show-but... i have to watch because what if i miss something...they have a plan right?

(truly, i don't think they do. i think they start over every week)

jack just needs to take a deep breath.

that's all.

i would just feel better if he would breath slow and deep and roll his shoulders a bit-

then he can get back to business!

i could watch the office every night!

it is about the only thing i watch that makes me laugh-

not chuckle, but truly laugh!

but

what happened with angela?

they seem to have just dropped it.

she was engaged to andy and messing with dwight.

she got caught.

they both dropped her

and now it's over.

like it never happened.

there are no uncomfortable interactions.

no comments.

it's just so un-office-like.

more money in my pocket

2009-02-10T08:49:00.004-05:00

i do love to save $. in both senses-to spend less and to put it away, but right now, i'm talking about spending less. i think lately we have all been cutting back and making some changes to our spending habits.

back when gas was over $4 a gallon we really felt the crunch. now with gas prices down we've been able to relax a bit but it has changed my thinking. i'm tired of $ flying out the door. i want to pay the utility company as little of my $ as possible.

so, these are some things i've changed here.

*canceled the data service on my cell. it was nice. i loved getting my emails and access to the internet but i don't need it and didn't use it very often. that saved me $600/year!!!

*changed our cable service. i changed to a simpler package. the dad lost his sports channels (he still has the internet ;)) and the kids lost some cartoon channels (not enough though!). we went from $600/year to $180-$240/year!- i did keep the dvr-we can't live w/out that!

*i drive less. i try to combine as many trips as possible rather than running out every day. this also keeps me out of the stores and ya know what happens when your wandering around target, somehow you wind up spending $80+ dollars and have no idea what happened.

*the other day oprah did a show about saving $. one of the ladies on the show talked about unplugging electronics. so we are trying that this month. it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference. and, we are leaving lights off.

*we are trying not to eat out! i enjoy eating out, but i hate when the bill comes. the food was never as good once you see how much you are paying for it(okay, sometimes it was still good!). with our little family we can spend as much on one meal out as we do on one weeks worth of groceries.-my boys like steak-it's in their blood.

*we use the library. i go online and reserve movies and the dad picks them up on his way home. it's free! and when we watch the movie we pop our own popcorn in the air popper. we started doing that way back when we found out about all those chemicals in microwave popcorn. we like it better anyway! and it is so much cheaper.

so these are the things we are trying and doing but i would really love to hear what you have done. i would love to know what works for you -maybe it would work for me too. so please share. i'll post any ideas you give me so the masses can benefit too (all 5 of you).

surprise?

2009-02-09T09:10:00.003-05:00

the dad can not keep a secret...ever!

so, valentines day came early for me.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

oh so yummy!

2009-02-06T16:01:00.004-05:00

we had this for dinner last night.

creamy mushroom and chicken soup!

it was sooooo good!

you have to like mushrooms because it tastes like mushrooms.

the boys picked out the mushrooms but still ate the soup.

which was fine with me-i just added their unwanted mushrooms to my bowl.

YUM-MY!

i was treated...

2009-02-02T11:14:00.003-05:00

to a yummy breakfast in bed.

(created by thing 1 all by himself)

and then joined by some delightful company!

derby days

2009-01-30T07:38:00.002-05:00

it's that time of year again!

the boys have been looking forward to it for weeks.

the dad has been looking forward to it... well, probably all year.

they cut

they shaped

they sanded

they painted

they raced!

and the winner is....

thing 1 took 1st

thing 2 took 2nd!

woooohooooo!

way to go boys!

hallelujah

2009-01-29T07:26:00.002-05:00

hallelujah
halle-lujah!

he is finally sleeping through the night!!!

we went sledding!

2009-01-25T14:30:00.005-05:00

our first run, we hiked to the top of the BIG hill!

thing 3 said "no way"!
she walked back down!

after one run we decided the BIG hill was too big.

so we found the not so big hill!

and had a blast!

*we left thing 4 with some friends!

happy holiday baking!

2008-12-02T11:49:00.002-05:00

approved for distribution!

the rec

2008-11-20T15:39:00.003-05:00

YIPPEE!

our indoor playgroup is open!

now you know where to find us!

i'm there

2008-11-19T10:00:00.004-05:00

yesterday our house was buzzing

as usual.

no sooner than the boys walked in the door the phone started ringing

and didn't seem to stop.

friends were calling.

some wanted to come play and some wanted to come do homework together

-and then play.

before i knew what was happening my house was full.

thing 1 had his group of friends in his room playing their DS'.

thing 2 was in the playroom completing homework assignments and then playing Wii with his friend.

our dearly loved neighbor girl, who we have been missing,

came to play with thing 3 and thing 4.

usually this crowd is in the yard playing pretty much anything they can that may involve a ball. they tried but were quickly back inside seeking warmth.

i don't blame them-i ran to the mailbox and back yesterday. it was just crisp!

so, as my house was filling up with neighborhood kids i caught myself thinking

"this is what it's going to be like as they get older."

but then i quickly realized,

this is what it is like.

they are older.

my house is full.

i do love it. i want them to have their friends here. i want their friends to enjoy being here.

i just have to keep my eyes up and ignore the messes that can happen.

and, i'm going to have to start preparing larger dinners, as they all want to stay. and i'm going to have to keep my cupboards full of snacks, as boys can eat a lot!

so, i'm there.

wope soppopeakop op

2008-11-18T12:05:00.004-05:00

do you?

i learned to speak "op" way back in 4th grade i think! it was our "secret" code-my friends and i had. i never thought that i would be using it at 30 something!

now that my boys can spell though, it comes in very handy-and drives them very crazy!

i did give them a clue though, they need to know how to spell!

trick-or-treat

2008-11-07T10:18:00.001-05:00

my little yoda

beautiful snow white

the boys pictures are in my friends camera.(my camera is broken)
thing 1 was anakin skywalker and thing 2 was a clone trooper.

the weather was beautiful

the streets were swarming with little ghosts and goblins

and the bags were full

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

*i do love my boys, they are just so busy it's hard to get pictures of them.

**these pictures are courtesy of another friend. Thank You!

sleep, i need sleep!

2008-11-01T10:00:00.004-04:00

my beautifully, huggably, pudgy baby weighed in at 18 pounds 10 ounces last week at his doctor visit. he's healthy and strong. in fact so healthy and strong the dr. says he should be sleeping through the night by now. so i asked how long i could expect out of him.

ten hours he said.

the wheels in my brain came screeching to a halt!

10 hours!

he's waking every 2-3!

after i absorbed this i turned to my sweet little chunk and as he squealed with delight i told him his life was about to change!!

i'm sure he is not a fan of the doctor anymore! he is responsible for those horrible shots and for his comfy little life of pleasures being turned upside down!

that very night was night 1! a very long and emotionally painful night. but with the hope of soon having a full nights sleep i stuck to my guns and survived it!

night 2. not as bad as the first. we had some crying but more sleeping than crying.

night 3. like night 2.

night 4. good. he woke once and fussed a little then went back to sleep. i fed him when he woke after it had been about 9-10 hours!

night 5. bad. he was stubborn and determined-i gave in and fed him. i felt like a failure. it was all lost now!

night 6. very good night again. he woke once for about 30 seconds, then put himself back to sleep. the second time he woke the dad soothed him and he quickly fell back asleep.

night 7. bad night-maybe this isn't going to work.

night 8. very good night. not a peep from 8pm till 4:30 am! maybe it will work.

night 9. okay night. slept till 2:30. he woke and did some screaming. the dad was able to put him back to sleep. it took about 10 minutes but he did it.

and so it goes. we are not going all night yet but we are getting there.

now somebody needs to teach me to sleep through the night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-10-31T01:57:00.005-04:00

yesterday was thing 1's birthday!

my baby is 9!

he's a good kid.

a happy kid.

he came out smiling.

he came out loving everyone.

as a baby he was always hugging and kissing everyone. mom and dad and all of his friends-especially the girls! he still loves everyone and has a really big heart. he is kind to people and really enjoys being with people.

he is responsible. i can trust him to watch the other kids. he keeps track of his things. as a baby he really loved animals and had a gazillion toy animals, he still does. every week or so he chose 2 that he carried around everywhere and played with all week. he only ever lost 1. it fell out of the cart in walmart and we never found it again!

thing 1 has a special talent for the scriptures. he reads and understands and remembers. when we read as a family he seems like he's not listening but when we stop and ask what we've read he can always tell us. he'll summarize the chapter for us. i have a hard time paying attention and following the story when someone else is reading them.

this is a blessing that i hope he treasures and uses well.

he is my first born. he's watched 3 others join our family and be loved and treasured.

i hope that he knows that he is loved and treasured. that he was adored just as much as the rest.

i hope he knows that we admire him and love him.

i hope he knows that we like him.

rockin'

2008-10-28T16:12:00.005-04:00

yesterday, thing 2 had his friends over. this is how they spent their time.

did you notice the little head watching from just outside the door? this is as close as thing 3 was allowed to get.

i think i'm a bit twisted because i kind of enjoy hearing my kids interact in the "typical" brother,sister/sibling way.

for example...

big brother comes home with friends and quickly closes himself in his room.

little sister follows soon after clip clopping in her beautiful plastic high heels, up the stairs and down the hall. stopping outside of the brothers room she sweetly knocks.

brother answers the door, sees who it is and quickly, bluntly, asks "what do you want?"

she wants to come in she says so sweetly.

brother says NO

sister says YES

he yells GO AWAY

she yells LET ME COME IN in a whiny sort of way

he says firmly GO AWAY and shuts the door

little sister comes moping downstairs where she waits until the door opens and then she stands innocently outside, just watching, wanting to be a part of the fun.

sad, i know, but the exchange is so classic it just makes me laugh.

the boys are usually very good to her. she follows them around, runs through their kick ball games, bats her pretty little eyes at their friends and steals their scooters. all of which they put up with very sweetly.

free, free, free!

2008-10-21T12:26:00.004-04:00

i've been a little busy,and a little distracted lately!

busy with kids & family etc. etc. etc. of course.

my distraction is possibly a bit embarrassing.

i joined that yahoo group called freecycle. you have probably heard of it.

i am usually a bit behind in things.

so, the few free seconds i have, i find myself checking my freecycle inbox!

it's amazing and interesting the things people are giving away or looking for.

and, i can check it with one hand-baby in the other arm squirming and wiggling-trying to get down and go somewhere-where i don't know!

so anyway, i had heard a lot about it from one of my new morning walking buddies.

i decided to sign up because thing 1 is learning the trumpet and wanted a music stand to use for practicing. i thought a music stand could be something someone might have and wasn't using anymore. so i posted my need and received one that same day. it's great! exactly what i would have purchased!

i also received an offer from someone whose father had made her one out of wood and she said she would be willing to part with it!! i could never have taken that but i was amazed at the generosity!

so far that is all i have had a need for but i can't help checking it. people are getting rid of some interesting stuff.

the philosophy behind the group is to reduce waste and consumerism!

i love that!

i love the idea of passing on and sharing what we are done with.

go sign up for the group in your area and start sharing! it's fun!!!

(do i sound like an advertisement?!-i'm not getting paid-it's all free!)

as for my time to post today? thing 3 and thing 4 fell asleep, at the same time this morning! first i took a bath. a nice hot bath! i always crave one when the chilly weather hits! and now thing 4 is screaming at me so my time is over! i'll be back!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-09-26T11:06:00.003-04:00

yesterday was thing 2's birthday. 7 years old.

he was so excited. he's been counting down for a long time now. it used to be months then last month he began the daily countdown. last weeks daily sign- ins from school reflected that, starting 10 days out-"there are 10 days till my birthday." "there are 9 days till my birthday." you get the idea.

we celebrated as a family with a yummy ice cream cake and the dad drove in with a new bike strapped to the roof sending thing 2 whooping and hollering around the yard. just
what he wanted.

he is my little sweetheart who loves and adores his baby brother. he will come in from playing just to see him and spend 5 minutes with him. he'll take the baby from me and when he gets fussy he'll rock him to sleep for me.

he's a boy with a special enthusiasm for life. he wants to try everything and has no fear as he does just that.

he's my sneaky little boy who hides his vegetables in the bathroom garbage or flushes them down the toilet!! and who, when he was just 2 years old, was caught telling his brother "just don't tell mom" after thing 1 had told him they weren't allowed to do something.

he can be as stubborn as all get out when he wants to. when he's feeling stubborn i don't even know how to deal with him. he digs his heals in and won't budge.

he's a pretty cool kid!

did you notice thing one in the first picture with puckered lips like he's trying to blow out the candles?

oh, martha!

2008-09-25T02:26:00.006-04:00

my friend got tickets for her, me and lainakay to go to a taping of the martha stewart show!

yippee!

the show was to be about blogging!

yippee yahoo!

we got to spend the day in the city!

yippee yahooee!!!

we saw the show!

blaaaaahhhhh!

it wasn't so good! she didn't talk about life blogging at all! her guests were-dull! they all seemed to work for her and have a blog on the side! there were several bloggers in the audience whose blogs sounded really interesting-like wedding be-in fact when martha's wedding lady heard the wedding be lady was in the audience she ran up and had her picture taken with her! but the people she highlighted were people like this one lady with a blog about cute animals-she posts pictures of cute animals! interesting! i like cute animals buuuuuttttt!!!

so we left the show very diappointed and had ourselves a good time in the city!

my camera was on the fritz so i didn't get too many pictures.-i guess i really could have used that camera martha was raving about but only gave to 4 of her special employees in front of all of us.
we brought the dad to tend thing 4 while we were in the show! i must say, thing 4 was an angel! he must be a little city boy because he didn't fuss the entire day! he was just happy riding around in his stroller or the bjorn!!

i'm feeling maybe, possibly, a little bit, maybe... violated.

2008-09-11T13:09:00.004-04:00

our goodwill and salvation army stores don't take toys or stuffed animals. i heard that a little local thrift shop would. as i had a pile of toys and stuffed animals i wanted to get rid of i looked up the little local shop, loaded up my van and headed over. the shop, i knew, was not in the best part of town. it was in that part of town where you better know where you are going because you just don't belong! i don't worry much, so i went. i can be kind of like a teenager who think they are invincible.
i found the place quickly and pulled up to the donation door. as i lifted my hatch i felt the bees begin to swarm. one of those bees watched as i moved my lawn chairs-you know those nifty little chairs that fold up and slide neatly into a bag-out of the way. mine are trashed and on their way to the garbage as soon as this football season is over. they are in such bad condition i wouldn't even donate them. but that buzzing bee came in for the sting.

"are you getting rid of those? i'll take them!" -bee
"no, just moving them out of my way"-me

i went in with the first load and as i came back out another bee had approached in her vehicle. as she hung out the window eyeing my treasures, she asked "got any baby clothes?"-good question since i was driving a minivan and carting 2 kids with me. nope i had no baby clothes (i'm a hoard, i save all my baby clothes-the dad begs me to get rid of them but i can't.) but i had a carseat if she wanted it. no she didn't want the carseat her sister-who is the one having a baby-already had all that. so i continued on..."well, i have no clothes but are you sure you don't want the carseat?"-stupid me, i should have ended it the first time she said no but i had to ask again and now all of the sudden she wants the carseat...and the diaper bags. her sister is having a girl and low and behold one of the bags was pink!
so she wanted the seat and bags but i had to pull to a different part of the parking lot to give it to her!!! "are you sure? i can't just give it to you here!?" NO, we had to move. as i closed my hatch and climbed back into the drivers seat i kept thinking "don't let them take you to the 2nd location!"-oprah's safety guys #1 rule!
but, we were in a parking lot and she wanted my carseat-that's all! but, why did we have to move?!
as i climbed out to give her the carseat i thought "maybe she wants to rob me!"

i grabbed the carseat and brought it to her, trying to keep her as far away from my car as possible! i jumped back in and drove away quickly-back to my safe side of town!

last night, as i lay awake, the drama queen inside me went over and over the experience pointing out all of my mistakes and how stupid i was. the dad encouraged that drama queen by agreeing that i shouldn't have gone to a different part of the lot. the rational person in me knows that the lady would probably just get in trouble for taking the donations that were meant for the store so she just needed to take her business away from their donation door. but man! (drama queen speaking now!) i made some big mistakes and could have gotten myself into a lot of trouble!

i'm dreaming...

2008-09-09T10:15:00.000-04:00

of bathroom renovations.

the dad wants a jet tub

with sandstone color marble tile shower surround
a vanity like this maybe

a nice clean medicine cabinet like this

and antique bronze fixtures like these
and a toilet!

can you see it coming together!

even though...

2008-09-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

i sometimes send the boys outside and tell them not to come in unless it is an emergency

i have been known to tell the kids it is quiet time so i can have a minute to think

i often say... "don't wake the baby"

"don't poke at him, you'll wake him up"

"ahh, you woke the baby!"

there are times i need the kids in bed... now!

i don't want to do any more homework!

sometimes i breathe a sigh of relief as the school bus pulls away with my boys on board

some days i look forward to the day that thing 3 climbs on board that bus too

my treats taste soooooo much better when the kids are in bed

i usually don't want to fix dinner-again

sometimes i have to pass the baby off to the dad so my arms can rest

more often than not i don't want to be ashley

most days i have to rush through the shower before that special little boy is screaming at me

it is always much easier and quicker to just bake the cookies myself

i have heard myself sending the kids to watch a show

once in a while i would like my personal space back

i would probably like to be the only one tasting my ice cream cone

i do love being a mom.

i love being my kids mom.

i loved that on their emergency sheet i could write

home

as my place of employment.

welcome back

2008-09-04T09:24:00.006-04:00

the boys headed back to school yesterday. thing 1 was not admitting to any excitement. thing 2 was willing to admit that he was a little excited

-but just a little!

they weren't excited but they were wandering around the house with their backpacks on by 7:30 and out to the bus stop by 7:45-

the bus doesn't come till 8:20.

nope, no excitement there!

handsome boys!!

(now thing2 is home sick from school-fever!-who is home sick the 2nd day of school?! )

goodbye to summer

2008-08-30T16:20:00.007-04:00

these are the bikes that made their first trip to the other side of the neighborhood without an adult

this is the patch of dirt worn into the dad's well manicured lawn from daily wiffle ball games

this is the wagon that sped the neighborhood kids down the road and skidding into my driveway

these are the army guys who went to war in my driveway

this is the street that held many kickball games

this is the blanket that hosted daily picnic lunches

these are the swords that dueled from the front yard to the back

this is the swing where many important meetings were held

this is the cat who sought shade and safety where ever she could

these are the pokemon cards that battled daily in my yard

this is the skateboard that finally made it to a skate park-and loved it!

this is the tree that started changing color and dropping it's leaves far too soon, letting us know that fall was on it's way and our long carefree summer days were coming to an end.

we will be back next year!

2008-08-29T12:53:00.002-04:00

yesterday was jarfaces(my brother) birthday. he doesn't read my blog but happy birthday to him anyway!

i did it!

2008-08-28T12:32:00.003-04:00

i miss her long hair! i miss the cute little ringlets.

maybe i should have waited!

yesterday

2008-08-27T14:19:00.012-04:00

the birthday treats!

i woke to a 5:30 am wake up call, courtesy of thing 4. usually the dad takes that call but he had returned thing 3 to her bed just a couple hours before and fell asleep hanging off the edge of her bed. i had full intentions of passing the boy off to the dad so i could get just a little bit more sleep, but, when i saw him curled up under one of thing 3's half sized blankets i just couldn't wake him. so, i took the kid and conceded to the fact that

i was up.

we headed to the kitchen where thing 4 sat cooing in his swing while i baked some banana bread. -we had some over ripe bananas and the day before i had thought of one of our old neighbors and decided we needed to visit them. then later that same day thing 2 started asking about them and asked if we could go see them. so, i decided we needed to visit them. i was baking bread so i had some kind of offering.

while the bread baked, thing 4 and i snuggled on the couch and greeted the rest of the family as they slowly woke. soon everyone was curled up in the living room waiting for the bread to be ready. while we waited the dad organized everyone in a round of happy birthday.

it was my birthday!

once the bread was done we inhaled 1 of the loaves-quickly!

nothing like banana bread right out of the oven!

the dad headed off to work

i passed thing 4 off to the boys, told them they could watch a show,

i just needed to rest.

i headed upstairs, the dad had made our bed (very nice of him) so i crawled into thing 1's bed. (very comfy i must say!) just as i was dozing off into that feel good sleep, the phone rang! i'm not surprised. it always does. i let the answering machine get it. it was the dad. somehow he always calls just as i'm about to take a little nap. it's pretty much a never fail thing. he was calling to tell me that our blockbuster is shut down!-interesting. before i could get back to that feel good off to sleep state, thing 4 started howling. he was hungry. i fed him and unexpectedly, he fell asleep so, i carried him up and snuggled into thing 1's bed with him. we snoozed. i'm not sure how long. but soon we got up and got dressed and headed off with our loaf of bread to visit our old neighbor.

on our way there we were surprised by my friend passing us. we quickly pulled over to see why she was headed our direction.

she was coming with birthday treats!

i had forgotten it was my birthday.

we visited on the side of the road. her boy was howling, he wanted out. my kids were running across the road to see him.

it was a nice surprise.

we visited our old neighbor. i'm still not sure why we needed to visit them. i thought maybe the reason they were on our minds would be apparent when we got there, but it wasn't. life seemed to be normal there. it was a nice visit.

we then went grocery shopping.-yup, my fridge was empty!

when we got home i fed thing 4 and put him down for another nap. i laid down on the couch to read. i didn't get more than 2 pages read before my eyes were shut.

i talked to my friend on the phone.

when i got off with her i realized i needed to feed the boys. i fed the boys and hurried them out the door to practice.

(the neighbor was driving them)

as they walked out, the dad walked in. i told him and thing 3 to hurry and eat their dinner so we could sneak out and get an ice cream while the boys were gone.

we hurried out to one of our favorite spots-we LOVE ice cream so we have many favorites! as we were leaving the dad realized he couldn't find a set of his keys. this is something that drives him crazy and if he didn't figure out where they were he would be up at 3am and off to work to find them. so instead of going through that, we drove down to his office (after ice cream, of course) and found his keys. they were right there, on his desk. not dropped in the driveway getting run over as he had feared!

we got home just a couple minutes before the boys walked in.

before they could even get their cleats off the neighbor kids were at the door. they have been playing ghost just about every night.

so out they went.

i put thing 4 to bed while watching tru tv-our new favorite channel.

called the kids in at about 9:30 for bed and the dad and i followed soon after-

very soon after.

i am now 34!

"mom is a loser"-the confrontation

2008-08-22T08:32:00.000-04:00

so, when thing 2 came home from visiting his cousins(the boys spent last week at their cousins house and thing 3 spent last week at grandmas, thing 4 and i had a quiet week to ourselves) the dad asked him

"what do you think of your mom? is she like, the greatest or what?"

thing 2 looked at him like he was a bit crazy-why would you ask me that? kind of look.

"have you done any sweet writings about your mom lately?"

more confusion!

"or do you think your mom is a loser?"

a quick look of shock and then i think there was a glimmer or remembrance there that he wasn't going to admit to.

i just told him it hurt my feelings. it didn't really (i think it's kind of funny-shows personality-but don't tell him). i'm just impressed that he spelled it all correctly! the handwriting could use some work.

i remember doing things like that when i was little. i remember i drew a picture of my mom pregnant on my dresser. i think i blamed that on my older sister. then i remember writing my younger sisters name on the railing of the stairs and blaming it on her. i think everyone knew it was me because i seem to remember them saying it was my handwriting. oh well, i guess we know where he gets it from.

mean parents

2008-08-21T08:52:00.001-04:00

while the kids were away the dad and i went and picked up the rest of what thing 1 needed on his school supply list. he still needed ...
4 marble notebooks
4 folders
4 erasable pens
etc.
etc.
etc.
while at the store we came across all the i love troy notebooks and folders from HSM (that's high school musical, in case you're not with it!). i told the dad we should get these folders for thing 1, he-he-he. we both laughed at ourselves, at the reaction we both knew our son would have.
i couldn't resist. i picked up the cool folders and slid one extra folder, one with a big beautiful picture of troy on the front, into the cart. he-he-he, this would be fun!

when we picked him up i told him we had picked up his school supplies, he was excited. then i passed him back the folder and oh boy did his excitement change. he was upset. he threw it on the floor and proclaimed that he would not use it. the mean dad and i just laughed. we couldn't help it. the dad just kept teasing him saying, "i thought that was your favorite movie", and " it's troy, you love troy, he's cool!" finally i showed him the cool folders and told him "no, the folder was really for thing 2." thing 2 of course knew better but he couldn't understand why we would waste our money to play a trick. the next day he was still concerned, asking if i was going to take it back. i just told him we would find someone to give it to that liked troy. he was satisfied, we weren't completely wasteful.

i know we are mean, but that was fun.

use what you have

2008-08-20T09:37:00.004-04:00

i understand the excitement for new school supplies and the great prices on crayons! this year though, as i reviewed the school supply list, while the draw to buy new stuff was there i decided to see what i had. the teacher asked for

6, #2 pencils. we have a gazillion pencils! the kids seem to bring one home from everywhere they go. school parties, birthday parties, the principal, the dentist, i'm sure you are in the same boat. i store this abundance of pencils in a drawer with the rest of the "art" supplies. i found more than enough "like new" pencils.

1 rubber eraser-exciting! we have one of those. i've been throwing away erasers. that is another thing that comes home from everywhere! i was tripping on them!

2 large glue sticks-i have that too. i have one that had never been used and one that had been used once-that is new enough for me!

1 soft pencil case-thing 1 has one of those that he's not using!-now he's using it!

box of 8 colored pencils-we had a new box of 12.-i think that will work!

1 pair of scissors-we have an extra pair of those.

this year, i was excited to use what i had!

have you read these?

2008-08-18T10:48:00.004-04:00

i love this book.

i love the illustrations and the story is very cute-very clever.

i haven't read this one yet but i plan to look for it.

i expect it to be just as cute!

flashback

2008-08-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

speaking of the good old '80's and my dad sporting a magnum mustache. i remember i had gymnastics on thursday nights and magnum was on on thursday nights! well, my mom had to rush down to the school to pick me up during the commercials! i just remember having to be in a hurry so she could get back before she missed too much! oh the days before the DVR. that's how they lived without it.

"mom is a loser"

2008-08-14T12:27:00.004-04:00

those are the words my dear sweet thing 2 left for me. scribbled (in pencil-lucky boy or his behind would be mine!) across the top of his headboard! i'm sure it was scrawled there when he was sent to his room for "good" behavior! and we are excited for our kids to learn to read and write!? he-he!

2008-08-12T06:45:00.001-04:00

family came to visit this past weekend. grandma and grandpa and lainakay and her family. grandpa brought his canoe. he's been wanting to do this for a long time. we packed up some food and headed to a park along the river. it was a nice day. the temperature was perfect as we sat and watched the kids dig trenches in the sand and grandpa paddle everyone around in the canoe.

perspective

2008-08-11T18:11:00.003-04:00

do you ever wish you could put on someone else's eyes, that you could see how they see you? i often wonder how other people see me. in my tag post i quick snapped a picture of myself as i was writing the post and when i saw the picture it didn't look like me. often times i don't think pictures look like me. i see myself in the mirror everyday but i think in my head i see myself differently. and more than just physically, i wonder how people see my personality. do they talk about what a nice person i am when i'm not around or what a snob or mean person i am. it would be interesting to be a fly on a wall. in general we don't tell each other what we think of each other, rather we tell others what we think of someone. sometimes i think it would be helpful to know what people may be saying. i'm sure i come across different than i mean to in many ways. i'm realizing how things i say may be taken differently than i mean them. there usually isn't any hidden meaning in things i say but i sometimes could see how someone might think there is.

i'm also realizing that i'm turning 34 this summer. that is crazy to me. do you remember the show 30 something. well, that show was on when i was in high school i think. i never really watched it but i do know that those people were old. i am not that old-am i? i have 4 kids-my oldest is turning 9 this year! we are an "established" family. at least what i would have seen as that when i was younger. but i don't see myself that way. i still think of us as a new, young family. but i don't think we fit that category anymore. i know we aren't old but we are...well, 30 something!

just a thought

2008-08-08T13:24:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAINAKAY!

life unscripted

2008-08-05T16:15:00.008-04:00

i was tagged! so here is a peak into my life.

this is my kitchen sink-with dirty lunch dishes-there seems to always be a dish to do!

this is my fridge-pretty empty! grocery shopping doesn't happen as frequently as it used to now with the new baby and the kids home for the summer. it seems that we go when we need milk and oj. it looks like time! ugh!!!but, i do have the necessities!
this is my "laundry room" it's really just a corner of my basement where we do laundry! all utility-no glamour!

this is my toilet! pretty gross! we have one bathroom and it is in desperate need of a remodel-it's on the list!

this is my half of the closet. most of the clothing is still maternity! i'm not wearing it but i'm in no hurry to pull down my non-maternity. i'm a long way from fitting in anything pre-pregnancy!

favorite shoes!... well to everyones horror i am not a shoe person! my shoe collection is very boring and basic but i guess i would have to say maybe i like these. i'm desperately practical when it comes to shoes and these match (at least in my mind) most everything.
actually these ratty old things-actually they aren't as old as they look-i just wear them alot! would be my favorite!
i would have to say this is my favorite room! i love to sleep. i love to crawl into my bed at night and snuggle into the comforter. i live for cozy and comfy!

these are the kids. they just came in from play for dinner

this is the dad, he's not home at the moment and i want to get this post done so here is my most recent shot.

this is me-a self portrait of me.

so, there you have it. a bit of our life. i'd like these people to share a peak into their lives, laurel, lainakay, and alissa.

*now back to my book

my time

2008-08-01T10:35:00.002-04:00

one of my favorite things to do, when i get a moment to myself, is to spend a quiet afternoon lounging on the hammock in the shade. i love to just lay there watching the clouds drift by catching the gentle breeze and listening to the sounds of the neighborhood- the birds chirping, the distant hum of a lawnmower, the muffled play of children. there is a special quiet that covers the neighborhood in the middle of the day. it is such a peaceful, comforting quiet. the sounds change as the evening comes and people return to their homes. but tomorrow they'll pack up and head off to work again and i can bask in the peace once more.

ahhh, summer

2008-07-31T12:50:00.007-04:00

a warm summer evening at the fair

(actually, perfect weather for the fair-low humidity, few bugs)

long lines,

funnel cakes & cotton candy

bright lights

fireworks

dizzying rides

music

and

good friends!

*there are no pictures of the boys and dad because for most of the night they wandered off to ride the big rides!-i can't believe my boys have graduated from kiddyland! fun for dad though!

2008-07-30T08:38:00.001-04:00

i could never understand the baby bath tub. i tried it with thing 1 but hated it so since then this is how my babies bathe and they love it. they kick and kick and giggle and cry when i take them out!

did you see those chubby little thighs? i could just eat them up!!

my heart is broken

2008-07-29T08:50:00.005-04:00

i lost the fight! my boys have been begging for shaved heads for sooo long now. i've always told them no!! saturday night thing 2 asked one more time and i finally said, "if dad wants to do it!" yippee, and off to the bathroom he ran!

his beautiful hair is gone. those adorable little curls that flipped up around the ears are no more!

and

did you expect any differently! one look at thing 2's new doo and he had his head hanging over the sink and was hollaring at his dad to hurry up!

they love their new cuts-they can't keep their hands off. the next day during primary they just kept petting their heads.

as for me, i look forward to their hair growing back.

the next morning the dad asked thing 3 if she wanted her hair cut, she reached up, looked at dad like he was crazy, smoothed her long locks of hair and said...

"no, then my hair won't be beautiful"

with a definite tone of duh!

saturday morning trail walk

2008-07-28T08:20:00.006-04:00

looking up at the ceiling of the "summer house"

the dad maneuvering the trail with the stroller-i promise, i won't plan a trail walk until thing 4 can ride in the back pack!

tasty little burger

2008-07-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

i've come to really enjoy my burger! we are lucky and able to eat good beef on a regular basis. the dads father and brothers are in the kobe style beef business and we have benefited from their work. his parents always bring us a large supply of our favorite cuts when they come and his brother sent him a large shipment on his birthday. you haven't had a burger till you've had it kobe style! it truly is yummy!

recently i ate at a fudruckers, good burgers, but i decided that the best burger would be a kobe style burger on a fudrucker bun! have you ever had those yummy buns? fresh baked, soft and fluffy! that would be the burger!

i hope you're eating something yummy!

a child's eye

2008-07-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

on our flight out west this summer we were sure to give thing 3 the window seat. this was her first time flying since she was a baby and we wanted her to have the full experience. she loved it and was so excited to be flying up in the sky, through the clouds.

going from the east coast to the west coast is quite an experience. the scenery changes dramatically! we left our plush green landscape and landed in the dry desert(beautiful in it's own way). as we flew in, thing 3 was watching out the window and turned to her dad and asked

"why is it so dirty out here?"

we just had to chuckle and kind of nod saying, hmm, yeah it is kind of dirty our here.

nothing like a child's perspective!

we do love it out there and do find the mountains beautiful so no offense to those who call the west home.

music

2008-07-25T12:51:00.004-04:00

when my sister posted about this song, viva la vida, i had never heard it before but since then i've heard it a lot and love it. it is one of those songs i think i could listen to all day!

then the kid rock song, all summer long, is one we started hearing while on vacation and we all love it. not the best lyrics but...

maybe i'll add to the playlist but for now these are two songs i'm really enjoying lately.

blessing day

2008-07-19T19:51:00.010-04:00

while we were visiting family we had the opportunity to bless our beautiful new baby boy. it was the first time all of the dads immediate family was able to be at one of our babies blessings.

it was a beautiful day full of fun that we took a moment from to welcome our baby with loved ones surrounding us.

this is how he was during the blessing (screaming)

this is how he was before and after (happy as can be)

i love babies dressed in white! i think they look so beautiful!

2008-07-19T19:36:00.000-04:00

back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now.

2008-07-19T18:34:00.008-04:00

we are back from 2 full weeks of nothing but fun!! we packed up all 6 of us and flew cross country to visit grandparents and cousins!

the kids had a blast, playing with cousins, swimming, boating, motorcycle riding, playing with fire(only on the 4th of course), playing with cousins some more and swimming some more!
unfortunatly my camera was packed away during most of the fun.

the boys got back together with cousins they know and love.

thing 3 was too little last time to remember anyone so she started brand new friendships with cousins she now, absolutely adores.

while visiting we had a big family reunion with the dad's family on his mothers side. we got to catch up with his cousins and meet spouses we hadn't met and their children. it was tons of fun!

it's good to be home, but i could live on vacation!

my blessings

2008-06-26T21:26:00.019-04:00

i'm feeling a bit selfish and ungrateful right now. as i was wandering around the blog world i came across this blog which led me to this blog. both of these families have lost their beautiful babies recently.

my heart is broken for them. just the thought of losing my child is so painful, i can't imagine the hurt i would feel if i actually lost my beautiful baby. these women, and families must have the comfort and strength of the holy ghost. i can not imagine moving on after such a tragedy.

i am so very thankful for my 4 beautiful children. i am so thankful for their health and safety. i pray that i may be able to raise them and that they may live long, happy lives.

i have been a complainer lately as i've endured pregnancy and child birth and the long days and nights of a new baby but i wouldn't give it up for anything. i adore my beautiful new baby boy. my heart sings when he smiles. i miss him when he takes a long nap. i look forward to holding him in the middle of the night.

i need to slow down and cherish the moments with him. he will grow quickly and i can never get them back. i need to slow down and love my older children. i need to appreciate their lives and enjoy who they are more. i don't want to miss a thing.

i have been blessed greatly and i want that to show. i want my thankfulness to radiate from me. i want my children to know how much i love and adore them. i want them to know that they were wanted and that i am so much better of a person for having them in my life

why is it so easy to get caught up in the frustrations of life? the frustrations of a fussy baby or a 3 year old chatterbox? why is it so easy to get caught up in the frustrations of a messy room or dirty floors?

it's not worth it!

school's out!

2008-06-26T13:14:00.003-04:00

picture stolen from lainakay

yippee yahoo!

it's a HUTCH

2008-06-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

i have been packing this thing around for 11 years now. not really knowing why and not asking, for some reason either. it was just the dads bike from when he was a kid. it had no pedals and the wheels were flat. i'm actually very surprised that i didn't ask why we were storing something that seemed so useless to me.
but now i see.

the boys are just about big enough now so the dad bought pedals and tubes for the tires and got the thing going again. my boys and all the neighborhood boys are enjoying it but not as much as the big boys! it has brought smiles to the faces of many neighborhood dads. turns out the HUTCH was one of the bikes to have as a boy and oh the memories it has stirred. the talk of the tricks they could do on it or the races they raced it in! and it seems that that old bike is worth a few bucks too! who knew!

do you think the little boys know what a gem they are riding?

unfinished projects

2008-06-24T11:46:00.005-04:00

remember those chairs i found on the side of the road last summer? well they're done!

we had finished stripping them last summer and they were ready for paint but i couldn't find the color paint i wanted in a spray, so, frustrated we stacked them out of the way for the winter and ignored them. wanting them done this summer, and knowing that the dad was getting irritated at my growing stack of unfinished projects, i told the dad to just finish spraying them the red and put them together. i like the red but i was really hoping for a coral. i'm still surprised at how limited spray paint colors are.

now i need a new project for the dad to complete for me!! -don't worry i have one!

morning light

2008-06-19T14:45:00.005-04:00

thing 4 seems to like the early morning hours. he's usually up around 5 and no matter how hard i try he won't go back to sleep. so this morning he was up at 6, not hungry and not going back to sleep! every morning that i'm up with him i think i should just take him for a walk but i really want to be sleeping so stubborn me just keeps trying to get him back to sleep-just for 1 more hour, okay, maybe 2-please!!. but this morning i said forget it! i pulled on my sweats and bundled the boy up. as i passed the other boys- who were already zombied in front of the television-i instructed them to get dressed and i'd feed them breakfast when i got back! and out i went. as that fresh, crisp morning air hit me i wondered why i didn't do this every day! i love the feel of the morning air but i forget that as i'm snuggled in my bed. maybe this little guys sleep habits will be good for me!

2008-06-17T10:35:00.001-04:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There is
1
person with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

found this on traci's blog, thought it was fun! i have an unusual first name so i was very curious.

boys, boys, boys!

2008-06-17T09:48:00.003-04:00

what do two boys (at least my boys) do when they find themselves anywhere near each other?

Wrestle

Wrestle

Wrestle!

this was last night after family home evening. they were supposed to be watching a movie that thing 1 had picked as the activity-obviously they weren't all that interested in the movie! i just sat and watched them, the dad snoozed with thing 3 in his lap-she watched the movie!

BABY LOVE!!

2008-06-14T13:21:00.000-04:00

DADDY'S HOME!

2008-06-14T13:17:00.003-04:00