Lucky Seven

Snow Day(s)!!

2012-01-16T16:23:00.001-08:00

I challenged Luke to a polar dip on Sunday morning, but you all know that he is no fun. Especially on the Sabbath.

So we made missionary snowmen instead. (And joked with the neighbors that we should have built them on THEIR front lawn, then rang the doorbell and disappeared.)

(Cute little side note: One of our neighbors passed out hats, scarfs, coal, buttons, and carrots in a bucket that said "Just Add Snow" as her Christmas gift this year. It was soooo fun to walk the neighborhood yesterday and see all the matching snowmen, courtesy of her awesome, creative gift! If we ever move, I am totally going to copy her.)

Benjamin built his own snowman, and he was so proud. I must have a zillion pictures.

Reillee fought getting into her snowsuit (shocker!), but it was worth it to see her look like little Ralphie...or Ralphie's brother, what's his name...

Home church. The finished product. After this, we had a linger longer with friends in the neighborhood.

And with that, I'm ready for spring!

(Oh, and here is Reillee's reaction (reenacted) to seeing snow for the first time. Holy Cow!)

500th Post

2012-01-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

I am flirting with the idea of doing mostly video posts for 2012. Birthday interviews, live chaos reports, a live baby birth (hahahahahaha, NOT!) and of course, lots and lots of Reillee as she learns to talk.

So here is the first. Reillee LOVED Christmas and all things Santa. I tried to catch her saying, "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!!" (Which she usually follows with, "Santa say that!") She was uncooperative, but cute nonetheless.

I wish I had something more visionary ready for my 500th blog post. Sorry about that! I'll try to make 501 more exciting--like maybe a recap of Mitt's 8 vote victory in Iowa?! Politics anyone? Now that's exciting!

Happy 2012!

It's a......

2011-12-26T17:05:00.001-08:00

Tiny, nocturnal, thumb-sucking

Girl!!!

(Coming on or before, but absolutely not after, May 9th, 2012)

The Loot

2011-12-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Reillee's coloring book...which she is very serious about. She only colors the eyes of the person/animal on each page. And the boys' Old and New Testament Stories books.

Big Rapunzel Hair!! Told you I could follow a tutorial! I am so proud of this gift, and thrilled that it's been such a hit.

Bey Blades!! I'm not sure what the draw of these toys is, as they are basically just tops, but the boys have been battling their "Beys" since Christmas. And they gave each Bey Blade really cool, masculine names like Mr. Strawberry and Carmel Sauce.

"Remember, as far as anyone can tell, we are a nice, normal family!"

Benjamin, you will recall, takes his gift-giving very seriously. This is the gingerbread man puzzle he made for me. Love that kid!

EmJ gave Willie an FBI kit. He thought that was pretty stylin'!

The loot, before the kids came down.

The girls, with a pink balloon announcing a new baby sister!!

(I made a "Jill-in-the-Box" for Luke to open for the big reveal. Then the kids fought over the balloon all day, then we rewrapped it for each set of grandparents. One set caught on immediately, the other just smiled and looked at us sweetly. "I know you're poor, but...a balloon?" They were excited when we explained the concept, though.)

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!! Hopefully this blog post will suffice as a Christmas greeting for all those to whom I did not get a card sent...

2011 brought us a 10 year anniversary celebration and photo shoot...

10 years later, still going strong!!

2011 brought us another year of growth for each of the kiddos...aren't they too cute?!

Reillee Anita is 20 months, starting to talk and display her developing personality. She loves milk, Petshops, and cleaning up (really.)!

Joshua is 7 1/2 and is looking forward to getting baptized this year. His reading and writing abilities have soared this year (phew!) and his physical prowess continues to amaze us and all around him. He is going to kill me one day for writing this, but he is also our family's fashion police. :)

This little 3 1/2 year old continues to run the show around here. Often surprising us with her precocity (though by now we should be used to it)! She runs (literally) everywhere and is still ALWAYS, ALWAYS smiling. (Except for the camera, of course!) Samantha began swimming lessons this year and shocked us all by passing her levels while each of the other kids had to repeat.

Ah, Benjamin....Benjamin (5 1/2) started kindergarten in the fall and is thoroughly enjoying academia. Much to Luke's horror, he can't get enough of homework, reading, and extra homework. I love it!

Emmeline is 9 1/2 and has become my little helper this year. I love to have her assistance in the kitchen, changing diapers, and entertaining the kids....a privilege I will enjoy while it lasts. EmJ is doing well in school, as always, and has started playing basketball this year.

This little one will not be the littlest for long, as we look forward to welcoming baby #6 in early May!!

So that's it! We hope you all have a wonderful, amazing, merry Christmas and Happy 2012!!

Crafty

2011-12-23T15:40:00.001-08:00

We've been crafty this Christmas season....here are the beginnings of a sunburst mirror for the girls' room. That project was so easy!!

For a family member who is a photographer....some lens pets....photographed here on the end of my blow dryer. Roar!!

Three cheers for people I kind of sort of know whose blogs I stalk every once in a while for these great ideas! On the bed you can kind of see the frog and the fish. There was also a toucan and a devil. Three more cheers for glue guns (and why don't I have my own? Hmmm?)!

Here are the results of one particularly productive day....bread, Christmas cards, and a gingerbread house all assembled and ready to go!

While I worked, the kids "decorated" gingerbread men...with raisins...the next day we came down with the stomach flu and I'm thinking there is definitely a connection.

Merry Christmas!!

Crisis

2011-12-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

I sat down at the computer today for a few minutes of puke free (all the sickos are finally sleeping) minutes with the intention of getting all caught up on the blog with regards to our Christmas preparations and activities. BUT as it turns out, my memory card is not in my camera. This is a bit of a dilemna, a little crisis....I have 10 days (the kids won't let me forget) to find it before Christmas or I'll only be able to take 10 pictures with the internal memory. How does a memory card disappear out of your camera? With lovely gingerbread house pictures on it? Nevermind, I have five probable answers....

So here are the only photos that had been uploaded prior to my crisis. A few weeks ago, we decided to roast hot dogs over the fire. It was crazy fun, as you can tell by Reillee's disheveled hairbow. The only problem, however, is that when we started the NEXT fire, our entire house immediately started to smell like hot dogs. Lovely.

I love Christmas!! It is really, really hard for me to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put up decorations and turn on the Christmas carols. But I did wait. As soon as Thanksgiving was over we:

*Put up the decorations!!

*Turned on the carols!!

*Made a Christmas activity advent calendar (the days that had no real "activity" scheduled have become Christmas story or movie nights)

*Started the baking--70 cake balls, 8 loaves of banana bread, 4 loaves of cheese bread (okay, we actually ate all of those ourselves, but we'll make more soon), 2 batches of muddy buddies, and more to come

*Made gingerbread houses and gingerbread men (this was soooo important to Benjamin). Many thanks to my talented sister-in-law for actually doing all the hard work and letting me just decorate....although, if we gave her family the flu, then thanks may not be enough....

*Saw a couple sets of dancing Christmas lights

*Attended the ward, tae kwon do, and little league Christmas parties...ate too much at all of them (a highlight was the little league party in which Reillee parked herself on the owner's dog's bed, and every time the dog tried to walk away started screeching, "DOGGIE!!! C'MON!!! DOGGIE!!!" loud enough for the entire party to stop and stare. Yep, that's my kid!)

*Saw Santa

*Yelled our Christmas lists up the chimney!! (The videos are on the elusive memory card. But EmJ would like Uggs, Joshua--a DS and a hamster, Benjamin--a bag of gummy worms, Sam--big Rapunzel hair, and Luke--flapjacks and lots of dinero.)

*Attended some beautiful firesides and musical performances

*Watched a Christmas Carol (three versions so far) and other Christmas classics

*Started making Christmas cards, gift tags, and thank you cards....although they will never be done!

*Took the kids shopping for our first annual gift exchange (everybody gets a dollar at the dollar store and has just a few minutes to find the perfect gift). Joshua wanted a paddle ball so bad that he convinced himself that's what Sam wanted, too. We're really getting in to the spirit of giving, obviously.

*Put lights on the house!! This was really hard for Scrooge, himself, but with plenty of prodding from the kids he pulled out the ladder and got to work. For my part, I promised that I'd be a penny pincher, too, by waiting until the week before Christmas to turn them on. (For Christmas, I'm getting Luke a half of a candle. So he can read in the dark at night. But only until the candle runs out.)

And that's it!! We are ready for Christmas!! Can't hardly wait!!

*And just a funny that I have to record: Gus, yesterday, was railing on Sam about being to noisy and annoying. He was getting really worked up, nearly into a tantrum (it doesn't take much), when he suddenly got quiet and thoughtful and turned to me and said, "I don't have to live with Sam when I grow up, do I?" It was such a revelation to him! And gave him the patience to listen to her (singing, wildly singing) for a few more minutes.

Beiber, Pet Shops, Basketball, Turkey Bowl

2011-11-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! Here's a quick snippet of what we've been up to the past few weeks....

First, the annual Turkey Bowl. Luke's reenactment of the Turkey Bowl usually lasts longer than the game itself. He loved it, and he is still sore (because he's ooooolllldddd.)!

We also kept up the tradition (2 years running!) of having a gratitude wall this year. Everybody who came into our home was asked to write what they were thankful for and post it on our wall. Our personal, non-family, favorite--MONEY. Some favorites from the kids--beans and rice, bacon, ABCs, business, socks, Spotify, Justin Beiber, and "myself".

Carly came over a few weeks ago and prettied the entire family, including giving Willie the Bieber cut. Or at least the start of it, with instructions on how to style it and to let it continue to grow until he has the full Bieber. Willie has taken Carly's advice very seriously!
Reillee has developed the habit of "reading" the Wall Street Journal each morning while Luke fixes his breakfast. When his breakfast is ready, he steals the journal back and shares his breakfast with her. Quality bonding time....plus, it allows me to go on a (wet, soggy, freezing) run each morning.

She has also found that she loves "peshops". We frequently find her sitting by the "hot" painting herself into the corner by lining up the pet shops. She seriously sits there for hours talking to those little animals--"Go in'ere, puppy. Go nigh-night." Oh, and we amuse ourselves by crawling up near her little fort and trying to steal the pet shops. "NO! Mine pesshops! NO! Mine pesshops!" She's really good at saying no, mine, and go away. I think her evolutionary self-preservation skills are being refined.

EmJ started basketball this month. So from now until the end of the baseball season, we have at least three days/week of sports. I actually love this, except that basketball happens in a gymnasium with very little space for spectators, which makes it hard to bring the kids. (I am looking forward to baseball season, with it's rainy and cold, yet OUTDOOR practices. So much easier for subjecting the kids to their siblings' activities.) Practices are also during dinner time. Strike two. But EmJ is dang cute, so we'll stick with it!

The morning of her first game, we did a little photo shoot outside the house. She is loving this new adventure!!

Wish List

2011-11-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

My kids are wierd. Benjamin recently wrote his extremely non-specific Christmas "wish-list"....

"Ben Ten stuff and Batman stuff and Toys R Us stuff and Easter stuff and Christmas stuff and Pokemon cards and Valentine stuff."

Got it?

Sam, too, has been telling me what she wants for Christmas. At the top of her list? A flashlight. For real. She also wants 9 babies, a big balloon that can not pop, a big car like you drive at Toys R Us (powerwheels, I think), and big Rapunzel hair.

(She was kind of worried about the big Rapunzel hair because she didn't think Santa could do stuff like that, but I assured her that Santa is very good at following online tutorials.)

Emmeline, my saving grace, would like a bike. Whew! I have one normal kid....who brings plain mustard sandwiches to school....

Fall Back

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

When I stand before Congress to testify in favor of doing away with Daylight Savings, here is my argument....

1. Three year old wakes up at 5:18 to tell me she is hungry and can she have oatmeal for breakfast?

2. Everybody else wakes up at 6:18 and climbs into bed with me because they are cold. It takes an hour to defrost the baby's sockless feet. I blame daylight savings....or Luke.

3. It. Is. Dark. By. 5:30. So because our kids don't get enough sleep and we have to start school later so that they sleep longer yada, yada, yada, they have 90 minutes or less of daylight (read: outside play time) when they get home from school. This is a problem.

4. At 6 p.m. we chased a possum down the street. The kids thought it was cool....but rodents out before dinner? Gross.

5. Our porchlight begins it's seasonal dance. That is, I turn it ON everytime I walk by and then Scrooge turns it OFF every time he walks by. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. From 5:30 to 8:30 every single night! You should come watch the show. We may set it to music this year. (And you are welcome to knock on our door anytime, despite the probability that our home may appear dark and uninviting.)

6. At 6:18 p.m. the baby begins singing, "Heeem up! Heeeem up!" Meaning, it's time to clean up because she is ready for bed. Because it's been dark for far too long.

So, you see, Daylight Savings needs to be done away with. We hate it. And yes, Reillee wore footie jammies to bed last night. No frostbite this morning. Although they still woke up unusually early.

Required Halloween Post

2011-11-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here they are: A (male) black widow spider, Justin "Beaver", Margot, Edith, and Agnes (who was pretty mad about wearing too many layers of clothes and not understanding why we were dressing up, taking pictures, and having to carry an empty cauldron).
Don't they look just like Despicable Me? Okay, I know. Not really. But it was fun....Gru, Margot, Edith, and Agnes. Sam has been wearing her "Edith hat" for a couple of weeks. Truly, that role must have been based on her.

So, Joshua really wanted to be a ninja this year. We homemade his costume and when he put it on at school someone asked him if he was a terrorist. Hahahahahaha!!! So, he quickly changed back out of the costume, came home, and googled pictures of Justin "Beaver" for an hour. (Also, the googling helped him to learn the Beaver's real name.) He finally found a photo that he could recreate and his "real" Halloween costume was set. Justin Bieber.

My mom made this spider costume for me when I was 8 or so. Benjamin took his role as a spider very seriously.

Remember how Reillee was pretty miffed about the whole dressing up and carrying a cauldron thing? Well, about three houses in she realized that people kept putting "NAN-DEEEEE!!!!" in her cauldron. For the rest of the 47 houses, she had a vice-grip on that stupid cauldron and quickly learned how to say, "Trick or Treat" and "Happy Halloween". She also said, "Please," at each house. And "Heeeey! Mooooove!" when big kids got in her way. By the end of the night she was dragging her heavy bucket, but stuck with it until the bitter end. Within 2 minutes of being home she had three different kinds of candy in her hands and in her mouth.

Happy Halloween!!

(Glad that's over.)

When I Grow Up

2011-10-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Conversation with the Boss:

"Mom, how come you get ice cream and I don't?"

Because I am the mom. When you are the mom, you can eat all the ice cream you want.

"Well, when I am a princess I will SHARE the ice cream with my babies and sisters."

Crushed

2011-10-27T14:02:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Luke is incredibly idealistic? Well, he is.

He was terribly upset when he found out that the Titans weren't really worth remembering, and when he learned that Mandy Moore is nothing like her character in A Walk to Remember.

Then last night his whole world came crashing down when we had the following conversation...starting with him telling me a Zig Ziglar anecdote.

Kirs: I wonder what his real name is.

Luke: It's Zig Ziglar.

Kirs: No, it's not. That's a stage name.

Luke: No way!

Kirs: Yes, parents don't usually give their kids their last name--Tommy Thompson, Eric Ericson--It just doesn't usually happen.

Luke: Chris Christie.

Kirs: You are overgeneralizing. Look it up.

Luke: (fumbles around on the iPad for a minute) "Zig Ziglar was given his nickname, Zig, in elementary school. He was born Hilary Hinton Ziglar...." I. Can't. Believe it!

Wow, what a blow.

I fear for the day that he finds out that there is no Tiny Tim (so let's just keep that between us for now, okay?)!

To Be a Princess

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

The other day I asked Sam what she was going to be when she grows up.

A princess, of course.

So I asked her what she had to do to be a princess.

"Get lots of princess shoes and princess dresses and DO EVERYTHING THAT MY KING SAYS."

Hahahahahahahaha! Love that girl!

Joshua told me the other day that his hair is "long enough to be Justin Beaver hair."

Cue laughter again!

And speaking of hair, I was meant to be a red-head.

That's it!

Take her to the zoo, Rock!

2011-10-13T14:38:00.001-07:00

Guess what? I found my camera. Unfortunately, the pictures on it were pretty boring. BUT, we went to the zoo (thank you to the Boss and her amazing luck) and filled it up with more boring, yet memorable pictures.
How often do you get a sunny beautiful day in October with which to enjoy the zoo? We, of course, had to take a picture by the elephants (Wilson!). Not only is Gus entranced with elephants, but Reillee thinks they are awesome. For some reason, she has decided that an elephant doesn't make a noise, but stomps. When I say, what does an elephant say, she says, "Tom...tom...tom..." while patting her knees.

Found this on the camera. Methinks the kids had a photo shoot while waiting for me at the temple one night.

And I do remember taking this....EmJ's sequined shirt, now renamed the disco-blouse. Thanks, Grandma!!

Oh, and this one. A hearty "Welcome back to Seminary!" for Luke. Don't worry, they left cookies. And as you can see, our yard is not very toilet paper conducive....which is probably why they got the backyard, too.

Out of the mouths of babes...

2011-10-10T09:45:00.001-07:00

First of all, who posted the A-Rod comment?! Huh? I haven't been a fan of A-Rod ever since junior high when I read that he gets pedicures. My distaste was rekindled when I heard that he has a picture of himself as a centaur in his bedroom. (Okay, I could totally be spreading a rumor on that one....but I wouldn't put it past him.) Also, before the inning even started last week, I told Luke that A-Rod would strike out. I'm psychic. Or just without faith.

But here's why I'm really posting today. A great example of faith from one of my primary kids. Yesterday's lesson was about Peter and about being valiant in the testimony of Christ. My (awesome, wonderful, better than A-Rod) teacher had the kids read Matthew 19:16-19, where Jesus asks Peter, "Whom do ye say that I am?" Peter answers, "Thou art the Christ. The Son of the living God." Jesus then says, "Blessed art thou....for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but thy Father which is in Heaven."

Trying to get the kids to understand that it was through the Spirit that Peter had gained his testimony, the teacher asked, "So how did Peter KNOW that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God."

Silence. Then one boy calls out, in a voice that was clearly saying, duh...

"Well, He walked on water!"

I love it. He walked on water. Do you need any more evidence than that?! For a brief minute, I wished it were that simple. And then I realized, it is.

And, I love those kids.

Things that Concern Me....

2011-10-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

*Sam in the bathroom singing, "I have 8 sisters and 7 brooooooootthhhersssss..." I have no words.

*Benjamin in his room singing, "....chicka bow wow....chicka bow wow....chicka bow wow...." I blame public school.

*Joshua coming home from school and insisting that he, "got 100 percent on my spelling test. I only missed one letter--in the word naughty--but I still really, really got 100 percent." Man, someone really needs to do something about these public schools.

*Reillee's newfound love of dinosaurs. Really, dinosaurs? "Roarrrr, roarrrrr, eat, eat, eat..."

*Emmeline's ears that were pierced six months ago and still don't seem healed. She's perservering though.

*The dry soup mix from the cannery. We had to have second dinner tonight.

*Some of Luke's colored shirt/tie combinations. Don't tell him, he thinks he looks great....and the seminary kids don't know him well enough yet to make fun of him. I'll give them a few more weeks, then I'm going to have to stage an intervention.

*My missing camera. Thus preventing me from uploading pictures and videos from the last month and from taking video of all of Reillee's "tricks" now that she is 18 months. "Roarrrr, roarrrr, eat, eat, eat...."

Harvest

2011-09-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

Our garden this year was more pathetic than you can even imagine, however, this past week I've been canning the bounty of others' harvests.

40 jars of peaches, pears, and blackberry jam later...I am finally done. And I am proud of the fact that I canned peaches and pears all by myself for the first time. I only broke one jar, I hate peeling pears, and my back hurts. But I am looking forward to canning applesauce next month.

The real reason for this post, though, is to share an Emmeline quote. She's all old and big and doesn't usually say as many cute things as the Boss, so she doesn't get much face time on the blog, but here's one that is definitely publish worthy.

In response to how much fun she had at our back to school ice cream social,

"Grown-ups just don't know how to live!"

Facebook Statusii that Never Got Statitized

2011-09-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

*Thanks, Mom, for teaching Willie how to do voices when he reads books...now, by the time our reading sessions are done, I am thoroughly annoyed.

*Benjamin had his first Tiger Mom piano lesson and there were no tears!

*We signed EmJ up for basketball. I hope she doesn't stub her toe at the first practice and miss the entire season.

*Picking blackberries is dangerous business, but the pie was worth it!

*Very serious conversation between Sam and Gus today.

Sam: You know, I AM going to be a princess when I grow up.

Gus: Well, if you want to be a princess you have to not pick your nose and you have to let your hair grow long like EmJ's.

*I took Reillee to story time today. She looked around scowling at the other kids whenever they started to sing, dance, or do any fingerplays. "What is wrong with all of you? Can you see how ridiculous you look!"

*I killed a spider today, then shuddered and said, "I hate spiders!" The Boss shuddered and said, "I hate mean people!"

*A stranger gave me $40 in Kohl's cash and Sam won a drawing for a family zoo pass...we should enter more contests!

*Luke turned 35 the other day. Sam wrapped up a doll and gave it to him, saying, "Here's your present. You have to buy it." How much?, Luke asks. "20 butts." Sam was so matter of fact about the terms of her "gift", that she was mad that we were all laughing at her.

*I love Wild Waves. No really, I do.

*Reillee loves watching "oo-vies" because of the MGM lion. She watches only that part, over and over, yelling as he roars, "Puppy! Puppy! Puppy! Whoa!"

Back to school...back to school...

2011-09-01T06:57:00.001-07:00

The back to school traditions began with a fashion show. Among the oodles of pictures that Luke took, this one is my favorite. See the Boss? I love it!
Then we laid out our clothes, backpacks, and an apple for the teacher. The kids also made their lunches....again, even the Boss.

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, bananas, lemon juice, sugar, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream made for some yummy back to school crepes!

Then we went to the bus stop. (I called Willie my "monochromatic friend" all day yesterday. His outfit, including his new shoes AND backpack, was entirely black, white, and gray.) EmJ was nothing but excited, Gus hadn't actually realized that he has to wait until after lunch to go to school (but no meltdown!), and Willie was, frankly, nervous. It was pretty cute to see him a little bit stressed. He kept tucking, then untucking, then tucking, then untucking his shirt, and retying his shoes, and running his hands through his hair....but as soon as he got on the bus I watched through the window as the nervousness melted away. I'm pretty sure the bus was delayed by him having to say hi to each and every one of his friends and try to choose who to sit by. My little socialite! Too bad we're going to walk to school today!

And, Reillee, just figuring out what "Say Cheese!" meant. She's adorable.

See the Boss's "backpack?" That girl TALKED MY EAR OFF all day about how she is going to school and all of the things she is going to do and all of her friends and how old they are and what color hair they have and what she is going to eat for lunch and all the things she is going to learn....Get the picture? I wish I could send her to Kindergarten with Gus. She would love it.

And, of course, our new Kindergartener....I won't post any pictures on here because there are other kids in them, but he did GREAT on his first day of school. No nervousness or hesitation at all and he came home happy. As the kinders got off the bus, they were to find their name tag, put it on, and stand in a line against the wall of the school. Gus was last, and after he picked up his name tag he moved to stand in between his cousin and good friend...but of course, there wasn't a space left for him. I watched him try to decide what to do, then mutter, "Whatever!" and walk to the end of the line. You will be shocked to know, that instead of laughing, I actually got a little teary-eyed at the encounter. It was the teary-eyed feeling of relief and accomplishment that we've made it through toddler-hood intact, with a boy ready to face, if not the world, then at least Kindergarten!

Cause and Effect

2011-08-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to teach Willie about cause and effect...with little success...but this morning we had a great "real-world" example.

Cause: The Boss refused to eat dinner last night because there were too many "meaty pieces" in her stroganoff.

Effect: The Boss ate NINE pancakes for breakfast.

I feel like we are single-handedly keeping Bisquick in business.

But more importantly, Willie is starting to get the whole cause/effect thing.

Pancake Count 08/25/11:
Kirs--3
EmJ--4
Willie and Reillee--5 each
Gus--6 (he didn't approve of dinner either....or the fact that he didn't get dessert)
Sam--9

Yikes!

Lots o' Pictures

2011-08-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is Amelia. I love her sense of style. I also love that she and her brother and dad and mom (and my brother and his girlfriend (big Sam)) could come to visit us last week. We had a great time--here are the photos, out of order as usual, try to follow along.
Lindsey took most of the pictures. (Thank you for letting me snag them as far as my tech abilities allow....I'm still working on the rest!) She's due in about 6 weeks with my newest niece. Woohoo!!

We went to a Mariner's game (Brian's first ever)! It was a fun date night for Luke and I, Brian and Lindsey, and a fun "just friends" night for Alivia and Kyle.

Then we went to Jetty Island. Poor weather, Willie's injury, and other scheduling snafus have caused us to cancel EVERY Jetty Island reservation I made this summer. Except for last week. Hallelujah, we finally made it there and it was a blast!

More Mariner's game...Reillee giving Luke kisses.

An action shot of "red light, green light". It's a good thing Grandma is always up for a game, cause I think Lindsey and I were about D-O-N-E at that point. (Frankly, I think Grandma was ready for a break, too, but she was a good sport!)

This is the pre-kiss picture!

This beautiful girl just landed a role in a MOVIE! Alright, she's an extra. And it's an LDS film. But still, COOL, huh?!

Big Sam used her artistic talents to sculpt Gus and EmJ into a merman and mermaid. Gus was ripped!

EmJ buried in the sand. And just so we're clear--that is not my backside!

Reillee actually had a lot more fun than this picture would indicate!

The fam. All grown up!

An impromptu family picture....that cute girl on the end is the angel that befriended and cared for our children last weekend. EmJ thinks she is grown up because she got to sleep in her own hotel room with Alivia and big Sam, Joshua has a crush on big Sam, and the Boss gathered her groupies around at the park yesterday and instructed them on how to "all hold hands and make a train and I get to be in the front just like big Sam did in Cananada." (Yes, the Boss has an entourage. I often find her in the middle of a group of children (usually strangers) giving orders or asking questions like, "I have friends. How many friends do you have?")

Really, the whole reason for the family reunion/vacation/etc was to go to Canada-eh and attend Cameron and Tiffany's beautiful wedding and reception. Love it!

Family Vacation and Baseball

2011-08-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Cousins.
This trampoline has a net around it. So, naturally, the only child to magically fall OFF the trampoline?

Gus.

The accomodations.

The entertainment. When asked their favorite part of the campout, the kids replied, "Playing the Wii!" Sigh...

Sam didn't really think she needed to follow the rules of miniature golf. I think in this picture she is pushing her ball through a tunnel with her putter.

Reillee LOVED mini-golf as well!

How have I not blogged about this yet?! Oh, yeah, I've been playing outside...enjoying the all-too-fleeting summer with the kids.

Last week we went to a family reunion. It's hard calling it a reunion because we see everybody frequently....but reunion it is. It was Luke's family, all 40-some of us, including all 25 grandkids (age 13 and under). We went up to the family cabin (the "loveshack") for four beautiful days. Many of you who read this blog know my in-laws, so it goes without saying that on this trip there was never a dull moment!

Should be a separate post, but here are all two of the photos I took during summerball. Willie didn't get to play as much or as hard as he would have liked, stitches rendered his knee unbendable, but he enjoyed himself. Here he is batting...well, he's already hit the ball and is taking off for first base...and playing catcher.

Rest In Peace

2011-08-13T15:10:00.001-07:00

Haircut Day

2011-08-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

"Hey Mom, now we can go to that ear place and get earrings in my ears, too! Right?!"

Nope. But you are still cute!

Bath Time!!!

2011-07-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

Look who is in the bathtub!

Not crying.

Nor screaming.

Not fighting to get out with an animal strength that you, reader, can not even comprehend.

Yep, she is in the bathtub SMILING!!

And playing.

And splashing.

From the time of her birth, Reillee would start shaking and/or crying every time she heard water running. A few months ago, she followed the kids up the stairs willingly until she heard the word, "Bath", at which point she slid back down the stairs in a reckless panic ( I actually thought she was falling).

Then a few weeks ago, she stuck her feet in my mom's kitchen sink and let the water run over them. MOMENTOUS.

Last Monday, we went to the beach and she sat on the edge of the water and splashed. AMAZING.

I used to run the bathwater with Reillee in my arms (we got it down to just a whimper), then have her sit on my lap and watch in agony while the other kids washed up, then I'd say, "Now it's Reillee's turn," followed by comforting words that got lost amidst the screaming...then the writhing...then the struggling to get OUT OF THE BATH TUB!!!!

I'm not signing her up for the swim team yet, but I may bathe her more than once a month from now on.

In Stitches

2011-07-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived our first ER emergency. Willie had an incident at the beach involving his flip flops, a slippery creek bottom, and some rather large driftwood. When he stood up dripping wet, crying, and gushing blood I went into super-efficient-nurse mode. (I am actually proud of myself for not panicking....because we all know I don't do well in "emergency" type situations.) We packed up our beach stuff as quickly as we could and ran (and dragged a screaming Boss) to the car. We knocked on the door of the neighborhood witch doctor, but he wasn't home so I dumped the kids off (literally) with another neighbor and headed out to get Willie's knee fixed. (And I didn't end up having to go to the ho$pital....our new (and closer to home) pediatrician was able to get us in immediately!) Some quotables from Willie yesterday...

"Oh, I can't go poop for two weeks 'cause I can't bend my knee!"

"Hey dad, did you hear I kind of broke my knee today?"
"So, you guys are all kind of like my servants now."

Stitch count: 4

And some cute pictures of Reillee. I love that when they start walking they all of a sudden seem so big!!

And documentation of free slurpee day --7/11--what a fabulous holiday!

Day 14-18???

2011-07-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Yum! Are you jealous?! This is all from my garden!!!
The sugar to fruit ratio is truly astounding.

Okay, okay....so I've already lost track of the days and given up on posting daily adventures during this summer o' fun...so here's a video of Reillee walking (finally!!!), 4th of July ball game and fireworks, and strawberry jam. Mmmmm, we have been eating more than our fill of berries and I've already made 8 jars of jam with no end in sight. I love it!!

Days 5-13: Vacation!!

2011-07-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hanging out by the pool.
Jelly Belly Factory

Before we left on our road trip, I asked the kids to make a list of the things they wanted to do in California. The Jelly Belly Factory was at the top....though I'm not sure how they knew that the Jelly Belly Factory was there...Anyway, we headed out on that adventure the day after we arrived in CA and the kids loved it.

About to go on the tour.
Look, we got Grandma in a picture!! The kids love Turtle Grandma....and the fact that she lives by a Weinerschnitzel....and the fact that they get to say "Weinerschnitzel" over and over again....I'm sure she is happy to have some peace and quiet now that we're gone, and a floor free of soggy Cheerios, and a bathroom that hasn't been turned into a makeshift "Beauty Shop." She is wonderful!
Maybe this picture should have been first. The kids and I and Aunt Alivia road tripped down to California. Sam ate pretty much the entire container of cheese balls on the way down.
Benjamin slept like this, which I thought was pretty funny. They also played their leapsters to death and watched "Tangled" about 47 times. No, really.
One day of our trip we took a little detour to San Jose. I tortured the kids by driving around town and showing them the places we lived, parks and other places we frequented, and regaling them with memories. At each pit stop they would argue about whose turn it was to get OUT of the car for a picture. It was difficult to get them back IN! Here's Joshua at our first San Jose apartment.
Truly, I miss California so much it hurts. Though Luke and I keep reminding ourselves that it was a fabulous stage of life overall and that simply going back to CA would not bring that back. (It might help though, no?!)

(As an aside, though, I've talked about it before and I'll say it again. I am in love with our neighborhood. I wouldn't trade our community for the world, though I would relive the California experiment a thousand times....small apartment, one car, liberal whack-jobs, and all.)
One of the things on EmJ's list was to visit her old school. She could remember virtually nothing about her short time here, but was happy to visit nonetheless.
While in San Jose we visited with some good friends. It was wonderful!
Alivia came with us on the trip, where she did super helpful things like getting carsick and fetching toys from the bottom of the pool.
Another pool photo. I was pleasantly suprised at the kids' ease in the water. They definately can't swim, but they were comfortable. (Actually, I think Sam is the best swimmer of them all. She would stand on the stairs and tell me to "go back....more.....three more steps....that's it", and then she would yell "Chop, chop, tiiimmmmmbbbbeeerrrr!", jump off the stairs, and wiggle-swim to me. She's fearless.)
Visiting Jaime!! I love this girl and I would like to transport her and her family up here....or transport our neighborhood down to where they are. Seriously. It was so fun to visit and get caught up and it definately didn't feel like 5 years had gone by!

This is where our water-phobe parked it while we were at the pool. Or near a sprinkler. Or near a water feature anywhere. At one point Alivia stepped into the hot tub while holding Reillee....you would have thought someone was trying to kill her. No water. And don't, under any circumstances, say the word "bath".

And that's it!

Day 4: Talk Radio

2011-06-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

We all know that I love the Yankees and am going bald, but driving in the car today, I realized that I truly am turning into my grandpa...

I listen to talk radio. A lot. (Is that wierd?)

I make my kids sit on towels to protect the car's seats.

If I start placing my chewed up Trident in the ashtray for safe-keeping....well, then you know I've gone over the edge!

Day 3: Garage Sale

2011-06-24T14:16:00.001-07:00

Today is garage sale day.

It is also clean and pack for vacation day.

My living room floor, littered with stuff for the trip, looks suspiciously like the garage sale that EmJ and her friends have set up in our driveway.

And I can't find the suitcases.

I hope she got top dollar for them.

(Come by if you want...They have a puppy that you can pet for $.03 and a snail that you can look at for $.05).

Psyched for Summer: Day 1 and 2

2011-06-23T09:24:00.001-07:00

Day 1: Last day of school!!!

Day 2: Lazy day...today we are sitting around in jammies all day, watching movies, eating popcorn, dancing, playing chocolate factory, using Reillee as a sketchbook, making a mess, etc. Let the fun begin!

(Really, I already had to scrub the ball point pen off of Reillee's face, arms, legs, feet...)

Happy Summer!

Catching Up...

2011-06-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to Luke!!

I came downstairs the other day and found this...Sam and Reillee curled up on the couch with books. It was adorable. Reillee will do anything that Sam tells her, and of course, the Boss loves it.

EmJ took this picture for Luke while on a field trip last week. How have we been in Seattle for so long and not visited the grave of Bruce Lee?

And here I break from my usual rule of not posting pictures of anybody (other than my family) on my blog. To set the scene....I am chaperoning a field trip, EmJ's teacher calls the class and chaperones around her for instructions, I look around at all the kids surrounding the teacher and realize that I am the only parent there. Where are the others?!

Reverently surrounding the grave of Bruce Lee!!!

I laughed really, really hard. And had to take a picture. Thank you, Mrs. C for enabling all the parents to finally have this moment.

And finally, Joshua finished his little league season. He had a great experience this year, fielded well and hit exceptionally well, but is still learning to trust his teammates (he would RUN or ROLL the ball to first base because "that kid can't catch!"). I can't wait for him to play in farm next year and get his first live kid-pitching experience. (But first we have summerball!!!!)

Last but not least, the egg drop. No pictures (see rule violation above), but EmJ successfully participated in her school's egg drop. At what other elementary school are you welcomed (3 children in tow) by a male kindergarten teacher wearing a blonde wig and tiara high up in a crane chucking egg-drop contraptions to a tarp below as kids giggle and shout and cheer for each and every one. I LOVE IT! This particular teacher was both EmJ and Willie's kindergarten teacher, but is not teaching Gus's class next year. I want to cry over that one. However, I'm glad that he's such a presence in the school community as a whole.

And with that, we are on to our Summer of Fun the 2011 Version. Are you excited?!

Happy First Day of Summer!!!!

2011-06-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

Did I ever tell you that we made the web gems?! Well, we did. I finally got on ESPN...though not in the way I hoped. (You can see Luke and I at around the 7 second mark. I am in a Yankee jacket, Luke in M's gear. Both of us are staring wide-eyed at the amazing grab that happened right in front of our noses.)

Plain Bread

2011-06-16T20:52:00.001-07:00

I had a big, long, sentimental end of the school year post for today....but it will have to wait until later because the Boss has a story to tell:

I was standing in the kitchen cutting brownies (not for us) a minute ago, and Sam walked in, stood at my feet quietly for a minute, then timidly said,

"I been soooo nice today, so could I have a brownie?....or just some plain bread...."

I had to turn around so she couldn't see me laugh. It was like she was resigned to her pitiful fate. I can't wait until she's older and tells her kids, "We never got dessert. Just some plain bread!" (At which point I will remind her that she would have gotten plenty of dessert if she would have eaten her dinner occasionally.)

I'm going to go have MY dessert now....or just some plain bread...

Milestones...

2011-06-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

I just hit 10,000 pageviews. That only took 5 1/2 years...

Sadder, though, is that it also took 5 1/2 years to click that little tab that says "stats" and uncover all the little secrets hiding there.

I must be a democrat.

Just because

2011-06-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ignore the messy kitchen and just melt with the cuteness!

We finally had Reillee's one year check-up and she tipped the scales at a whopping 20 lbs as well as having grown to the remarkable height of 29 inches. I think she looks a little like an oompa-loompa...especially after our feather-weight, Sam (who at 3 years is finally gaining some weight--28 lbs, 37 inches). Reillee's vocabulary is growing every day, though she will only talk to me (so, I could totally be making this up). Today she favored us with two new words, "Thank you" and "go-ko"--which either means "blanket" or "color". This added to dada, uh-oh, cool, shhhhhhh, kitty, mama, and "guy" (referring to her siblings and copying Sam who calls all the neighborhood kids "the guys").

Speaking of, erm, cuteness...EmJ just informed me that "You are never, ever on my team. Every time I hit Joshua and he hits me back I get in trouble, not him! It's not fair."

Somehow the unfairness of my discipline practices evolved from a conundrum involving whether or not to bring cookies to the class party. Not quite following the logic there.

Nonetheless, I responded in the same way that my dad would have years ago. It did not go over well.

"Life stinks, then you die..."

Oh, Sam

2011-06-08T10:11:00.001-07:00

You all saw my post about Sam and her very generic comments...

"I want that thing that I like that's by the other thing that is not mine."

Okay?

So, last night as she was saying her prayers she gave us another quotable.

"Pray for all the things we do and that we can do lots of good things."

That about sums it up. I'm going to follow her example and streamline my prayers!

*Also, I have a confession to make. I wore socks with flip flops yesterday. It was only to get the mail. Please don't unfriend me.*

Kangaroo Power

2011-06-03T06:07:00.001-07:00

And we have another Little Roos graduate!! As soon as we got home from graduation, Benjamin said, "So, do I get to go to Kindergarten tomorrow?" It's going to be a long summer...
My sister was one of the teachers in preschool, which of course was fabulous for Benjamin.

And Miss Vicki. She is the amazing lady who has run the preschool all these years. I am so sad that the program is ending. She has touched countless lives over the years, both preschoolers and high school helpers alike, and we love her.

"Quotables"

2011-05-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

"It is past later, so can we have a treat now?" (The Boss)

"If I see a tiger, I'm going to run home and get a knife in the kitchen and slice off his head!" (The Boss)

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! Be nice to my baby!" (The Boss, yelling at a kid at the park who got to close to Reillee, but probably just wanted to use the slide.)

"Most kids' parents make their lunches, so I think you should, too." (EmJ...followed by the sound of Luke and I laughing hysterically.)

"Who wants to listen to my piano and see how good I am?" (Willie, to all the neighborhood kids that were gathered in our backyard.)

"Found some stale cheerios in the diaper bag, so now I won't have to eat my arm." (Text from me to Luke while waiting....and waiting...and waiting....with Gus at the doctor a few weeks ago.)

"I want that thing that I want!"

"Get me the orange thing that is in the bucket with Emmeline's thing!"

"I just need it because I need it!"

"I need that thing that I love. Please, please!"

"Can we go to that park that I like because I like it?"

"I want to eat something that I like!" (Get the picture? These are all, of course, from the Boss herself.)

"Pray that we won't hit girls at the park and have a time out on the bench so we can learn to be nice." (The. Boss.)

"Hey, we're versing the Dodgers on Saturday and we're totally going to win!" (Willie)

"I could go running, and dancing, 'cause I'm Rapunzel!" (The Boss, singing, while prancing through the house carrying a frying pan.)

Spring....Finally!

2011-05-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hey! Mom! I heared a snake outside....or maybe it was a rarilla (gorilla)....or frobably a bee with a broken leg so he could only go "zz...zz...zz...zz..."!
Yep, this is how we spend our (rare) sunny days. Outside, forgetting our chores and anything else that should be done inside. And, if you're Sam and Gus, utilizing your sleeping bag sacks for anything and everything you can imagine. Reillee has been loving the great outdoors as well. She likes to play catch (as long as she has the ball) and yell out, "Cool!" every time she sees a bird, bug, or four-legged creature.

And when it's time to come in, she dreams of going out again....

Garden (Before)

2011-05-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

The Garden: 2011 Edition
See all those white flowers? They will be strawberries very, very soon. Yum...I can't wait!

Judging by the pathetic imitation of spring that we've got around here, I should have just transplanted all the strawberry shoots last fall and enjoyed a HUGE strawberry crop. I'm not sure that the growing season will be long enough for anything else.

However, we are attempting pole and bush beans, tomatoes (started indoors and will be transplanted....eventually....) and of course, blueberries and pears.

Looking forward to the "after" pictures!!

C M E D B D Spiders!!

2011-05-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Look closely. Can you see 'em? Itty bitty spiders. Hundreds of them on an itty bitty web strong enough to curl up the edges of the mat and built incredibly fast. I'm guessing that an egg sac came in on a pair of shoes? Right as it was ready to hatch? (I had shaken this mat off the day before I found the itty bitties and washed it the week before.)

GROSS!

But kind of amazing.

Now they live in my vacuum.

Summer Plans

2011-05-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

I often wonder if other parents are like me when it comes to summer plans.

How much "homework" is too much? (Look forward this summer to highlights of EmJ and Willie's summer of creative writing!!)

Should a three year old be made to exercise? (Even though she won't be left out even if I wanted her to.)

Is it appropriate to seek out and participate in all the free entertainment you can handle...(or is it just plain greedy)?

Is it really a vacation if you have to spend the month before the vacation planning, plotting, and getting organized?

And is it pathetic that, in some cases, your massive planning wasn't done early enough? (Goodbye RAGNAR 2011....going to have to shoot for RAGNAR 2012.)

For you, is summer a free-for-all wherein kids get to lounge in jammies and have unlimited screen time (which would be impossible in our home, seeing as we have no cable or video games), or do you structure the kids' time with either "you will have fun at the free friends of the library puppet show!" or downright unreasonable "goals"?

Do you include yourself (and/or spouse) in the expectations, or is it "do as I say, not as I do"?....because I'm really good at the latter....but I'm willing to participate in both the cheesy puppet show and the creative writing series if needs be (and I'm running a 1/2 marathon on Saturday, so that should count for something). (Luke set some summer goals, too..."Find a Job so the kids don't have to be subjected to any more community 'freebies' with their attendant balloon animals and pocket flashlights that break in 3 minutes.")

Am I bordering on psychotic, or am I safely in the wierd-and-a-bit-anal category?

Let me know...all three of you...let me know.

*Disclaimer: As a taxpayer, I have no problem accepting community freebies and no problem complaining when they hoover. I also have no problem reminding the librarian that $132.21 of my property taxes went to the library, therefore my child can unshelve as many books as she pleases while she is waiting in line for the "free" puppet show. I make your job possible.*

Just Pictures

2011-05-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Reillee and Sam enjoying themselves at baseball practice.

Mother's Day Tea Party at Benjamin's preschool. He was adorable!!

This little lady is now 13 months. Here is one of her new tricks!

Any time she copies, whether successfully or not, something that the other kids can do, Reillee gets giddy with pride and accomplishment.

When the boys are away...

2011-05-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

The girls will play!

We had makeovers (nice eyes, Sam!), we made a s'more-like brownie concoction, and we watched movies all night long. (Oh, and do you like Sam's haircut? Courtesy of Benjamin the Barber...more photos to come.)

The boys were on a father-son campout. Although it was ill-fated, I hope it was the first of many.

Ill-fated, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

First, Luke decided to bring the Amway tent. (*True story: We recieved an Amway catalog (two of them actually) as a wedding gift. "Pick anything you want!!" We picked a 3-man tent (and a bathroom scale). It's a piece of junk (so was the scale). We've never actually camped with it outside. When Luke got to the campsite, rainy and muddy beyond belief, he quickly realized that the tent was not going be of much use...(He also forgot to bring a tarp, and I don't think the crappy tent even has a rain fly.)

So, they decided to sleep in the car. An adventure the boys could handle.

Then, it was time for dinner. But it was raining. And all Luke brought was hot dogs to cook over the fire. Thank goodness there were others who were actually prepared for a campout there to bail him out. They enjoyed their hot dogs, carrot sticks, and water while they watched everyone else eat cheetos and drink root beer.

After dinner there were s'mores, and fun, and a zipline, and lots of getting excited about "car camping."

Once the sleeping bags were situated in the car there was lots of talking (Joshua) and complaining about being scared (Benjamin) and lots of talking (Joshua). Luke, at this point, is feeling pretty good about the quality of this father/son bonding time.

THEN THE PUKING BEGAN.

Now, we've been debating all day whether the decision to sleep in the car was a good one or not. Puke smelling car or puke smelling tent? There are pros and cons either way.

By 3 am, the boys were home; by 3:30, the puking had ended and the boys were asleep; by 5 am, the car was detailed and the offensive sleeping bags had been hung to air out.

When my alarm went off at 6 I was not a happy camper. (Pun intended.)

When Joshua woke up at 9, he ran in to tell me that "Benjamin threw up a whole hot dog all over dad's car and grandma's sleeping bag and we went on a zipline and it was awesome!"

Next time the boys are away, the girls are going to go to bed extra early just in case....or maybe we'll send the boys farther away.

The end.

*P.S. When Luke woke up this morning, he couldn't find his wallet. He asked Sam, still wearing her "make-up" where it was and she replied with a shrug, "It's in my purse, go get it." Duh.*

Willie is 7!!!

2011-05-02T15:48:00.001-07:00

Willie's 7th birthday started with an afternoon of fun with two good friends. They played, and played, and played, and ate, and ate, and ate, and watched a movie. It was grand.
On Sunday morning, he opened presents.

Sooooo excited for his very own pocket knife!!

Later Sunday night we headed up to Anacortes for a couple of special celebrations. Willie was showered with sugar and gifts. (Interesting note....my dad turned 52, 5+2 is 7. Cool. Okay, I'm wierd!)

He loved turning 7 (finally!), loved being spoiled all weekend, and is loving that I'm almost done with this post so he can go spend his birthday money! (He's buying a BB gun...and joining the NRA.)

Happy Birthday, Willie!

Just Sayin'

2011-04-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

*Luke and I have had the "Mustache Song" stuck in our heads for far too long. "I've got a mustache as big as my car..." (If anyone out there knows what I'm talking about, leave a comment, and you can be our new best friend.)

*Speaking of the Mustache Song, I was going to write some mean things about some of the Mariners...but I'll resist and instead talk about politics...

*Does anyone else find Donald Trump's presidential bid absolutely hysterical? Seriously, watching him (and his ego) interview is probably better than whatever SNL can come up with. "Today I'm very proud of myself because I've accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish....I'm very honored to have played such a big role in this issue."

*Let's get back to baseball.

*Willie hit a triple in his ball game the other day. Not a little league triple (aka: a dribbler riddled with errors and overthrows), but a legitimate triple. Bases loaded, he lined a ball down the third base line, barely fair as it hopped the bag. By the time the kids chased it down and got it in (clean throw, amazing), Joshua was ignoring the stop sign at third (just kidding, I think the third base coach was standing there snacking on Doritos) and headed for home. The catcher caught the ball just as Willie arrived, causing Willie to stop dead in his tracks. Everyone started yelling at Willlie to slide and at the catcher to tag him, but both kids just stood there staring at each other. (Classic.) Willie then nonchalantly stuck his foot out and stepped on home plate, thus avoiding the tag and scoring the winning run! (Again, not really, they don't keep score when you are 6, but we'll pretend.) It. Was. Awesome.

*I find toothpaste schmeared in the most random places!

*Benjamin can read!

*An orange crayon went through the wash. Luke is no longer in charge of the laundry.

*Willie asked me today if I knew how to write in ancient Chinese. When I responded, "No," he said, "Well, do you at least know how to write in cursive?"

*Gus's prayers regularly include some variation of the following, "Pray that we can all have a wonderful day, except Joshua."

*The Boss's prayers are equally hysterical. Instead of "Thank thee...", she begins with, "Thank we..."

*Reillee has started folding her arms for prayers. Adorable.

*EmJ's notes to me keep my properly chagrined...and usually laughing... Most recently, I got a note telling me that, "Just because I am in trouble doesn't mean you have to treat me like your servant. You always treat me like your servant." And a few weeks ago, (did I already blog this?), she wrote LUKE a note that said, "What is the password for your iPad? Love, KIRS" Hahahahahaha! We put it in her permanent file.

*Speaking of permanent storage, Donald Trump mentioned that he has a special place where he keeps all the Bibles that people send him. And he goes to church all the time, well, he makes sure to go whenever he's in town, well, he absolutely goes on Easter and Christmas. (How conveeeeeeenient!) Do you think that if he wins the presidency he will plate the White House in gold and rename it "Trump House" and then give a speech about how amazing he is? I can't wait.

*That reminds me, the Boss, playing alone in her room the other day, shouted out, "I am soooo amazing!!" Perhaps she could be on Trump's campaign staff. Or would that be too much awesomeness for his minions to handle? (Plus, it would be the ultimate betrayal to Luke. She might as well declare herself a pagan, or a Yankee fan...God, Family, Country, Baseball, Romney)

*Can we get back to baseball?

*Batting cages tonight for Willie's baseball practice. Yipee!

*Now it's time to spend some quality time with the self-proclaimed most "amazing" person in this house. She would like to dig in the mud, catch ladybugs, paint her toenails, read books, watch a movie, and drink chocolate milk. All at once. What a wonderful morning!

Cutie Patooties

2011-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Awww, aren't we adorable? Can you believe that we celebrate 10 years in just a few short weeks? Neither can I. I hope that doesn't mean we are getting old!
We departed from the traditional ponytail on Easter Sunday, and came up with something a little more chic. Yes, once in a while I actually try to do feminine things. I even painted my first set of toddler toes last weekend.

Scrunchie on her wrist. Classic.

See why I painted the toddler toes? Pink sandals were a must to go with her "hat dress"....which dress has been hanging on the back of her door for a month and has been looked at and spoken of longingly to anyone who would listen. "Easter is in two more Sundays and I'm going to wear my hat dress and my teacher will like my hat dress and I will not get it dirty so can I wear it right now?!" At church on Sunday, at least three people saw Sam and said something like, "You finally got to wear your hat dress!"

Beautiful.

And here is everybody...a quick photo op as we shoveled Reillee's face full of lunch and ran out the door. You can't see it in the picture, but she still has sleep lines on her face!

Happy Easter!!

2011-04-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Dude, I soooo need some dinosaus boots.

We were happy to have a break in the rain for a few minutes while the kids hunted easter eggs.

He's so handsome.

Sam, of course, found all the eggs that were hidden beyond her reach.

And Reillee. Reillee discovered jelly beans and never

turned

back.

Last Sunday

2011-04-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday, we eat the "sacred Sunday meal", last Sunday EmJ proclaimed that she could make it herself. I walked into the kitchen to see the butter, milk, and even water measured out and labeled for her to begin preparing. I love that she is getting big enough to help out!

And this made me laugh. Early Sunday morning, Luke and I were up talking about the Sabbath, thinking about ways to make it different from other days of the week. We had some great ideas to implement. However, within 5 minutes of waking up, Luke and Willie were in the kitchen BOWLING!!!! Needless to say, the activity lasted all morning, and we have yet to implement our fabulous Sabbath day activities!!

The Law

2011-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Emmeline, for some reason, thinks she is above the law when it comes to making her bed. Likewise, each of the kids has their own vices, but for the most part they respect the law.

Enter the Boss.

Samantha IS the law. Case in point:

Joshua: Sam, where is my toy that you were playing with?

Sam: Frobably outside on the street, but actually NOT up on my dresser.

(You can guess where the mystery item is, right?)

*I didn't spell probably wrong, that's just how she says it!*

Opening Day!!

2011-04-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

We have had a couple of days of almost-sort-of-maybe-spring weather. Couple that with a visit from Rachel and the boys, and a trip to the park was in order! Sam and Reillee loved the swings. Jacob and Joshua played badminton.

Luke spun everyone on the merry-go-round.

Jacob and EmJ climbed and slid and everyone had a great time! We are so glad they came to visit!

And, to make it even better...it was opening day for the Mariners!! Final score 12-3 Cleveland. Lovely. But it was wonderful anyway...the sights, the smells, the Dave Niehaus tribute, and watching Willie and Gus get into the action. (Not really, they just fought and complained and asked how long we were going to be there...unless Ichiro was up, at which point they oohed and aahed for a moment before going back to complaining.) I thought I'd be a good baseball fan and teach the boys how to keep score. Fail. The boys just ignored me until something exciting happened and then fought over whose turn it was to write on the scorecard. Couple that with Gus's complete lack of writing ability and the score comes out something like "12 scribble angry pen slash scribble scribble happy face 3."

I am soooo happy that it is baseball season!!

Signs that Dad has been unemployed too long...

2011-04-09T13:11:00.001-07:00

I have already posted some of the kids' funnies regarding Luke over the past few months, but as they continue, I thought I'd get them all in one place...

Signs that Luke has been Unemployed for too Long

1. Emmeline announces to her school teacher that her Dad can come in and help the class because he's just at home looking for a job.

2. Sam reminds us that Dad is not busy, "he's just on the computer, texting."

3. Dad is excited for jury duty.

4. Mom is super-excited that Dad has jury duty.

5. Dad has been giving Mom pointers on how to be more effective around the house, including meal planning tutorials, daily laundry take-over, and best of all...lectures on not leaving the house without cleaning up breakfast just because the Pacific Science Center is having a free day!!

6. Joshua, frankly, is tired of playing catch with Dad and would like to be left alone to play catch with his friends.

7. Dad asks if Mom likes the outfits he picked out for Reillee and Sam, right down to the socks and hairbows.

8. Old guys who frequently attend the temple boldly invite Luke to join their widower club. He respectfully declines.

9. Dad bakes cookies.

10. Benjamin begins most conversations with the phrase, "Remember that time when MacGvyer..."

Growing Older

2011-04-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

Emmeline on her 9th birthday. Look at her ears!!! Eek! She had a great time celebrating this year. Her birthday began with dates with grandmas (curse you, Build-a-Bear Workshop), suprise ear piercing (which included Reillee's first lollipop and subsequent sugar freak-out (truly unbelievable--I've never seen one of my kids have such a drastic and quick reaction to sugar), a combined birthday dinner with Reillee, and of course, a little celebration at school. She loved it!

Today I turn 29 years old...the age I will be for the rest of my life! Opening a gift from Emmeline...the best one said, "Free coupon for any other coupon of your choice. No expiration." Oh, the things I could do with that...

April Fools' Day. I had no idea that toilet papering the inside of the house was so trendy among the elementary school crowd...I was not the only mother to wake up to this "suprise"...but I wonder how many of the other mothers now have a laundry basket of unrolled toilet paper in their kids' bathrooms. Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

For my birthday today, I asked for a weekend away. It has been my tradition to treat myself to an indulgent weekend when each of my kids' turned one (and that has generally been around my birthday), but this year I couldn't really go anywhere. So, today, Luke gave me a day off.

He grounded me and fled the house with the kids. He loaded me up with breakfast, junk food, and Field of Dreams before he left this morning. Then he returned briefly at lunchtime with pizza, more junk food, and Tangled. I managed to get him to stick around long enough to eat some pizza before leaving again. He and the kids should be home soon...but it's been a wonderful and relaxing birthday. (They just pulled in to the driveway, so I will succumb to both the children and the dishes that are calling my name.)

"Is this Heaven?"

"Nah, it's Iowa."

Reillee is One!!!!

2011-03-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Look who turned one today! (Or rather, turns one at 11:47 pm....I am never going to let her forget the fact that she nearly slept past her due date.) At this time last year I was making rice krispie treats for EmJ's school class. At 9:20 I called some dear friends to come sit with my kids (I know they don't miss those late night-ish calls, but I sure miss my friends...horribly), at 9:30 I probably scared one of said young friends away from ever wanting to have kids (because if your contractions are already that bad and you've only been in labor for 10 minutes....yikes...), at 9:40 I was headed to the hospital, at 10:30 I was yelling at Luke to yell at somebody, anybody to find us a room, at 11:00 I was staring slack-jawed at some moronic nurse who wanted to know what my "symptoms" were, and at 11:47 Reillee came into the world bright-eyed and hungry!

Today, by 9:20 I will be asleep. Also, there will be no nursing, or waking up, or nursing.

We celebrated today by having a pizza dinner with my parents (thank you). I made a chocolate bundt cake for Reillee. As we handed it to her with candle lighted, I thought to myself that it looked a lot more like a donut than a bundt cake. Turns out that when Luke and EmJ took the cake out of the pan they frosted it upside down. So, Reillee had upside down chocolate bundt cake...which is way better than regular cake, okay?! Also, today we had to take Benjamin to a cardiologist to see about the heart murmur that he was supposed to "grow out" of. (Hence, Luke taking on the party prep.) Everything is fine (whew!), and tonight Benjamin said in his prayer, "Thank thee that I don't have a hole in my heart." Love it. Stay tuned for the tale of EmJ's birthday festivities tomorrow!!

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

EmJ asked me a few weeks ago what a tomboy was. I replied that it's a girl who likes to do boy stuff, like play sports, get dirty, handle the creepy-crawlies, etc. And, of course, I said, "You, EmJ, are NOT a tomboy." She looked at me and said, "Well, I am a tomboy in one thing. I like bugs. I took apart a ladybug yesterday and put it in a bag. It was really hard to cut the eyes out."

Speechless.

I was speechless. Then I laughed and thought no more of it. Until spring cleaning began. Guess what we found in the garage?

A froot loop, some hardened playdough, 6 containers of used up watercolor paints, Luke's list of "Qualities I Want in my Future Wife", an old picture frame, last year's (moldy) slip 'n' slide, and yes, ONE DISECTED LADYBUG IN A BAGGIE.

(I tried to take a picture, but it didn't photograph well.)

Instead, I should have taken a picture of the garage, which is beautiful and clean. You can almost, almost fit a car in there...(DJ, come get your stuff!). We tore out the built in desk and shelf, which created the perfect space for a fridge and deep freezer (I can dream, right?). As is the tendency with big projects, this spring cleaning episode did not stay contained in the garage, and it looks like I'll be spending much of the next two weeks dealing with the fallout.

Speaking of fallout, I think we may be getting some from Japan. The Boss has eaten her dinner three nights in a row!!! Some mutations are acceptable.

And I know you are dying to hear about Luke's "Qualities I Want in my Future Wife" list. Trust me, I was dying to hear all about it, too. Instead of just reading it to me, Luke gathered the kids around to survey them.

Does mom have a testimony? yes
Does mom have a good sense of humor? yes
Is mom athletic? YES
Does mom like to camp? yes, except we've never actually been
Does mom love our families? yes
Does mom want to have a lot of kids? yes
Is mom spiritual? yes
Is mom charitable? yes (Willie says, "No idea WHAT that means.")
Is mom fun to be around? yes
Is mom short? yes
Is mom a good cook? EmJ yells, "YES! Oh wait, ugh, no, I meant to say no."
Is mom patient? resounding NOOOOOOO

Thanks guys. I found their responses almost as humorous as the fact that Luke had a specific height requirement.

And on the cooking thing....there is a good chance EmJ was remembering the rice pudding I tried to make this week. Epic failure. So epic that I'm breaking my rule about using the word epic.

Gus let me know that leopards broke into his school today and left a pot of gold coins.

Leprechauns, sweetheart, leprechauns. I know I'm the only mom in the world that completely ignored St. Patrick's Day, but let's at least make it look like we are on board with the whole holiday thing.

Finally, and speaking of holidays, our favorite is just around the corner....it feels like Christmas around here....gotta get the spring cleaning done quick...because it's almost Opening Day!!

We've been watching our favorite baseball movies, playing a lot of backyard baseball (okay, not really. We've been staring out at the rain and mud WISHING we were playing baseball), and preparations are underway for an Opening Day picnic of hot dogs, licorice ropes, and Crackerjack!

It's going to be epic.

Snifford, the Big Red Dog

2011-03-10T14:07:00.001-08:00

I had to laugh at this little interchange between two Sams today while driving carpool...

The Boss: We saw a house with hundred and million Christmas lights and there was a big, huge dog and I said, "Don't bite, dog!" "Don't bite, dog!" "Don't bite, dog!" And then that big dog said, "I was just a little dog last year!" Isn't that funny? Right, isn't that funny?

The Other Sam: That's not really funny if the dog died...(pause)...okay, it's kinda funny. Okay, it's funny!

Big dogs, little dogs. Red dogs, dead dogs. And a hundred and million Christmas lights.

Funny.

Sick eyes

2011-03-08T17:39:00.001-08:00

You know when you have a sinus infection or allergies and you get that perpetual "I'm gonna sneeze!" feeling? Or you feel like you are squinting in bright sunlight even when it's dark?

Well, Willie has a sinus infection and yesterday he said to me,

"Ugh! I keep trying to keep my eyes up because I can't keep them open and I look all mad and stuff!"

Hahahahahaha! Well said, my son.

Photos from the week...

2011-02-28T06:32:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, the Boss' birthday parties! We went to my parent's house...for a DORA party. It was especially wonderful to have Lindsey and the kids there to celebrate.

Sam (and Reillee) received a kitchen set for their birthdays. I put it together. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I can follow "constructions" like nobody's business. That's what happens when you buy all of your furniture at IKEA.

Lindsey made a tasty and very cute Dora cake!

And the party at Luke's parent's house. Notice the Dora coloring book...it's already nearly done! Oh, and of course the money. Can't forget that! Look how excited she is...I love it!

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Look!!

2011-02-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

Lindsey took an impromptu, freezing family picture for us yesterday!! I love it!

The Boss Turns THREE (or nine)

2011-02-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

When we asked Sam the other day how old she was going to be, she replied with a confident, "Nine!!", while holding up 8 fingers. Love it!

But really, she is THREE today! I know Mormon mom bloggers say this all the time, but I cannot imagine life without the Boss...should anything ever happen to Luke (I could really use the insurance money), I know that I'll have the Boss to keep me laughing. I can't wait to see who and what she becomes!

And she can't wait for her parties tonight!!

Olympic Game Farm

2011-02-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

Lindsey, Coleson, and Amelia are in town!!! Hooray!! Last weekend my parents took the whole gang (minus Brian (boo-hoo, he's in Europe) and Zack (boo-hoo, he's in L.U.V.)) to Sequim. We ate gut-rot, stayed at a schmancy hotel, swam, and went to the Olympic Game Farm. It was a hit for everyone. (Well, okay, I could do without the zoo...so I will admit that my favorite part was when Willie had to pee so bad that he risked his life by getting out of the car to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, I was glad that the howling timberwolves were caged as Willie went about marking his territory.)
I started singing the "Bear Neccessities" when I saw this.

We brought bread for the animals...and fed Reillee, too...

She was pretty mesmerized.

That guy BIT our car. Thanks, bro.

Genius

2011-02-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

Joshua came home from school all excited yesterday...

"Mom, I switched seats and I get to sit in the very front!"

Really? Who do you sit next to now?

"Nobody, I just sit in the very front all by myself! By my teacher!"

Erm....

And Benjamin wowed us all yesterday when he said, "Hey, look! I can walk backwards AND eat yogurt at the same time!"

Take THAT Tiger Mom!

We've been Served

2011-02-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

February 12, 2011

Dear Dad and Mom,

If you said it more nicely mabe we wouldn't complan and we would do things without being asked 2 times.
And Doun't yell. We don't apresheate it.
Please make that be a change for you and us.

Your Doter,

EmJ

Police

2011-02-11T20:37:00.001-08:00

As much as I hate the dragsters that speed up and down the road behind my house, I also hate the police who pull them over right behind my house and wake up my kids with their lights and sirens.

Tonight, it happened as the girls were settling in to bed, so naturally, the Boss had to climb up the dresser and part the curtains to watch the scene unfold. Her commentary...

"Wow! That police is going to catch that bad guy and "frobably" might take him to jail. And then he can't have nowhere to move around."

Uh-huh.

"But his mom will come and save him and say, "You can't take him to jail! Give me back my kid!"

Really.

"Yes. And that policeman "frobably" needs a Dora car cause he needs a new car. A Dora one."

Oh.

"And his car will be a flycopter when he be's a good guy like Spiderman."

She's so hilarious that I almost wasn't mad at the cop for disturbing their sleep tonight...but I am wondering how long it took him to notice that he stepped in mounds and mounds of raccoon poop that I've been shoveling out of my backyard and tossing over the fence.

Wall Wiper or Floor Flicker?

2011-02-06T21:05:00.001-08:00

The meeting began like any other.

Sam pretended to conduct the hymns and musical numbers...something she does with gusto.

Emmeline pouted because she had to sit by Joshua.

Gus lined up three chairs so that he could lay down. Then he tried laying on the floor. Then he tried laying in my lap.

Emmeline pouted because we made her put away the FULL ON ART PROJECT that she brought to work on. (I don't know why this still suprises me each Sunday. She has a magic Mary Poppins bag and as soon as we settle in, she starts pulling out unbelievable quantities of stuff...)

Willie acted like he would die of thirst.

Emmeline pouted because Joshua wouldn't let her look at his book...as if she didn't bring enough entertainment.

Reillee bit the tip off of a pencil, and Gus screamed, "NOOOOOOO...." as he dove over four of us to get to Reillee and save her from herself.

Emmeline pouted about some other perceived injustice.

And Sam wiped a booger on the lady sitting next to us.

I. Am. Not. Kidding!!!!

Just another memorable Sunday.

Gus's Birthday, cont'd

2011-02-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Benjamin had a little friend/cousin party on Tuesday. A little chicken nuggets and juice, a pinata minus the pinata (we threw candy on the ground, blindfolded the kids, and let 'em loose), some Twister, and a few rice krispie treats make a great party. I think the highlight for Gus was getting a whoopie cushion. It's been a noisy couple of days...

On Monday, Luke's parents came over for dinner and a movie and more birthday spoiling!

Benjamin was THRILLED with our gift to him...a gumball machine. The gumballs are already gone, but it was a big hit.

Reillee's new sleep skills have provided lots of "oh, look at her sleep" moments. Incidentally, she woke up screaming from this nap....methinks her foot fell asleep.
(Pssst. La. We let the kids have a sleepover in EmJ's room for a few days while Reillee cried it out.)

And...the Boss. This is midafternoon, when I caught the Boss outside, wearing rainboots, riding her bike. She was supposed to be napping.

(And mom, before you freak out, Yes, I heard her leave her room, put on the boots, get the bike from the garage, wrangle it outside, and start her joyride. Her escape skills need work.)

What strikes me funny about this is not that she didn't want to take a nap, nor that she went outside without permission (though none of my other kids would DARE), but that when I "found" her she was completely UNcontrite...if that's a word. "Hi mom, I am riding my bike. I am done sleeping and I need to play for this minutes" (holding up 5 fingers).

Mariner's Fanfest

2011-01-31T10:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday's date was a day at Fanfest!! Baseball season is almost here!!

We got to play catch in the outfield. I was positively melting with joy. There are only a few things that I simply MUST do before I die, and playing ball in a major league stadium is one of them. Now, I want to shag balls for batting practice, or play an actual baseball game....but playing catch with Luke in the outfield at the Safe was a close second! Do you love Luke's homerun rob?!

I got to sit in the bullpen...that bench has butt warmers. We also caught pop flies in the outfield (shot from a pitching machine) and ran the bases. So cool. Yes, I wore a Yankees jacket. No, I didn't get beat up (blue state, remember, we love everyone). I did, however, attract the attention of a photographer...I wish I could see the photos he snapped of us playing catch in the outfield (which clearly weren't cool enough to make the paper).

Yesterday, we heralded in the birthday season a couple of days early. First victim, Benjamin!! He will be 5 on Tuesday, but since it was my mom's birthday, too, we celebrated with dinner and cake last night...5, 52...love it! I have a sneaky suspicion his birthday celebrations will continue through the week.

"Mom! Reillee is playing with the choky things!!!"

Yep, Reillee is 10 months now, and her newfound crawling skills have enabled her to leave a path of destruction wherever she goes. She pulls everything out of every box or bin or drawer that she can reach...including the "choky things." She also started Cry It Out University three days ago (should have gone months ago, but at least she will conplete her education, right?). Last night, for the first time since she was 4 months old, she slept for 12 hours straight. Heaven. Hopefully, graduation is nigh.

Happy February everyone!!!

Tooth

2011-01-25T21:10:00.001-08:00

Wait for it...

There it is! Okay, I know you can't really see it because I can't even see it. But there is a teeny-weeny-ever-so-tiny tooth that just broke through today! Just shy of ten months, she may be my earliest teether...

Also, I thought it was time for another little note about the Boss. I could write a book about her, but I'll try to keep it short today. She has told me repeatedly over the last few days, in various forms, that she likes "oatmeal, eggs, cream of wheat, sammiches, and no yucky dinner." She has also resorted to leaving the dinner table, having not touched her food, saying, "Hmmm, I don't want any dessert." (Guess I'm going to have to find a new bribe...)
Tonight we had pizza. Pizza! The Boss took a few bites, willingly, and said, "Is this dinner?" Yep. "This is good." I was so proud, but about 5 minutes later...well...take a look at the picture...

"Hmmm, I don't want any dessert."

Our MLK Day...

2011-01-17T20:16:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, we got a new washing machine (Yay!), and a few days ago it broke (lame!), so today Luke switched out the new washing machine for the old one (which, thankfully, was still intact and in our garage). We did a load of laundry. I started a second load of laundry. A few minutes into the cycle, Benjamin comes into the kitchen and I hear a SPLASH...

"Uh, mom?"

I turned around to see that our new, old washing machine had FLOODED our laundry closet, dining area, and half of the kitchen.

It was fun to clean up.

And that is how we spent our holiday.

Fair Enough

2011-01-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

It should come as no great shock that Luke's parenting style is perfectly reasonable. If fact, children who visit our home almost NEVER get scared or have reason to think that their tongue will be cut out, nor do they cower in the corner with their eyes big as saucers.

So, on the way to grandma's house the other day, Luke was laying down some perfectly reasonable ground rules for our visit. It went something like this, "At grandma's house there will be no whining or sniveling, and you will eat the dinner that is served without complaining or lollygagging. If you complain, I will rip your arms off and stuff them in your ears and and you will not eat for 10 days."

Joshua, unfazed, looks thoughtful and replies, "Hmmm. That seems fair enough."

I Won!!!!

2011-01-10T07:03:00.001-08:00

Beautiful, no?!

I won the ottoman...lukcy me! I should definately enter more giveaways...

www.potential-treasures.blogspot.com

Picasso

2011-01-08T21:58:00.001-08:00

Emmeline is my budding artist. She loves to create, using any medium. Recently, she has developed a fascination with Pablo Picasso. So, for Christmas, Santa brought her tickets to the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum (valid on free museum day...that Santa, always thinkin'...)! If you can't find EmJ in this picture, she is the one with the chicken legs, pointing to the Picasson sign.
Now, my love for the SAM begins and ends with the Hammering Man. So, naturally, I had to make sure that we got a picture with him. I would have been content to show her the hammering man, eat dinner, and then hop a bus back home...but Picasso was calling her name.

After we made it through the exhibit, we headed down to the little art studio, where we drew portraits of each other.

Notice the chicken legs.

So, if I were to ask EmJ to tell us about this experience in her own words, she would give a long winded answer about how she loved learning about Picasso's blue period, how the nude pictures were "kinda gross", and how cool it was that he made a sculpture out of a bicycle seat and handlebars. (In fact, the best part for me was seeing EmJ gravitate to Picasso's sculptures made out of, for lack of a better word, JUNK. They are two peas in a pod. I can hear poor Pablo saying, "Mom, don't throw that used up firework away, I can make something out of it. And didn't I tell you to save the toilet paper rolls? Where did my bag of string go?")

Merry Christmas, EmJ!!!

Reillee at 9 Months

2011-01-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

Reillee turned 9 months on Dec 29th...her stats: 28 inches; 18 lbs...She' a gem and we adore her! Here are a couple of videos of her working on her New Year's Resolutions--crawling and talking. She also wants to learn to walk, sleep through the night, drink from a cup, and grow some teeth.

This year is also the beginning of a new era for us, and as we try to get back into the routine of school and work, some of our children's comments over the last few days are illustrative of this new time in our lives...

Benjamin: When we get home, can I watch Macgyver in your room if Dad's not working?

Sam: He's NOT working, he's just on the computer texting!

Emmeline: Hey dad, my teacher asked if anybody's parents grew up speaking Spanish. I told her you knew Spanish and she asked if you could come into our classroom in the morning to read us a Spanish story or if you'd be at work. I told her you were looking for a job, so you'd probably be available.

Luke: Hey, Willie, where should I get a job?

Willie: Um, at McDonald's.

Luke: Why?

Willie: So I can eat there. And then you can become a policeman.

So, there you have it. Luke's going to work the graveyard tonight at McDonald's, then head over to the school to fulfil his parental duties, then spend some time aimlessly texting everybody he knows...and I will be checking on the growth of that money tree.

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Look how we rang in the new year!!! (New Year's Day, actually.) Deep fried Twinkies...oh, my! These bad boys were soooo good. In fact, it's a good thing we were not at home. It forced me to be polite and eat only one...and a half...instead of the entire tray.

Luke is a masterful deep-fryer.

We spent New Year's Eve at our home with some good friends. It was a wild party. And as with all wild parties, it ended at 8:30. After our chums left, we cleaned until 8:59, then counted down until 9:00. Happy New Year!!! Notice Reillee's reaction to the cheering. Lovely. We were all asleep by about 9:45. Perfect!

We pulled out the johnny jump-up for Reillee this weekend. She loves it. The kids love it a little bit too much.

Happy New Year!!

{insert witty title here}

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

I had so many thoughts for this post, that no title seemed sufficient.

Happy New Year? Resolution Time? Out with the Old? Overwhelmed? Something's Gotta Give? The End of an Era?

It has taken me 9 months, but I've finally admitted to myself that I have a problem. Keeping up. With my life. To steal an oft-stolen phrase, I feel like I'm running after my life trying to pick up the pieces. Since Reillee's birth, I've felt stretched to the limit. I feel like I am falling behind on both the things that I have to do and the things that I want to do. And a new year is beginning whether or not I am ready.

Therefore, in the interest of time, sanity, and frugality:

I am not going to scrapbook this year.

Whew! That was tough to say.

I wonder if I'll keep that resolution....

Ahhhh, but that cluttered folding table in my dining room will spend an entire year hiding in the garage....I feel peaceful just knowing I won't have to look at it's mess of projects on a daily basis.

Instead of a scrapbook, I am going to be a diligent, yet boring blogger (sorry). I intend to record (and photograph) more of the day to day around here and print a blog book at the end of the year.

We'll see how it goes.

Shoot, I just realized this post will be front and center. I should add a picture or something.

Let the experiment begin!

Christmas Recap

2010-12-31T10:21:00.000-08:00

Reillee says, "Merry Christmas!!"

EmJ is the best! With the help of Grandma, she made Christmas gifts for the entire family. Yankee/Mariner pillowcases for Luke and I, pillows for the boys, and blankets for the girls. I had to fight really hard not to cry at how amazing she is...because then she would have let go the faucet as well.
Kids at the top of the stairs, waiting to come see what Santa brought!

A new lamp for our budding reader.

Gus, obsessed with Santa, got a Santa bag.

Reillee was excited all Christmas morning, though she didn't know why. We tuckered her out and she took a long and welcome mid-morning nap.

Sam, in her hand-me-down dress, new shoes from Santa, and bag made by Lindsey. She hasn't gone anywhere without her purse!

I love lounging on Christmas morning with a new book...or a hand-me-down Leapster.

I included this photo to show the labor of love that was EmJ's new vanity. I hope that she loves it as much as I grew to hate it....stripping, sanding, painting, barf!

Too excited to go to bed!

Our cute wise man...forgetting to deliver the myrrh.

The cast of the live Nativity.

One angel falling asleep...wondering why exactly she is dressed in a costume. We already did Halloween!

We had an amazing Christmas. I feel so incredibly blessed. We spent Christmas Eve with Luke's family...doing the annual Nativity reenactment. We spent Christmas morning first at our house (for the first time in years!). Then we headed to my parents' for breakfast and grandchild spoilage, and finally to Luke's parents' home again for yummy dinner and more quality spoiling time.

On Christmas Eve, Luke and I were reminiscing about last year (someone played Secret Santa (thanks again, whoever that was!), saving my kids from their L-A-M-E parents) and laughing about our pathetic little bargain Christmas, joking that we should not even take any pictures, imagining future years when we will tease the kids about the Christmas without a tree and how much they loved all their hand-me-downs.

But the more I think about it, the more I've realized that this has been my favorite Christmas. The kids and I have a tradition of doing a service project or two, and then "giving" the project (a report of it) to Luke for Christmas. The kids were so excited about that! Emmeline made gifts for our whole family, and they have already been much loved (or in Luke's case, drooled upon). They haven't yet been spoiled by the commercialization of Christmas, and though I want to give my kids the world, I hope that I remember this Christmas and the joy given without spending a lot of money. It truly was wonderful!

Finally, I have to report on the BEST GIFT EVER!!! A few weeks before Christmas, I asked Luke if he thought our policeman friend would be willing to give the boys a ride in his police car for Christmas. He contacted our friend, who happened to be scheduled to work Christmas, and got approval to give the boys a VIP tour of the police station.

I have officially won the cool mom award. And I didn't spend a dime. And I will be forever grateful to our friend providing the boys with a memory that they will cherish. The gift turned in to more than we ever expected....proving once again that the best gifts don't come from the store.

In their own words, here is Willie and Gus's report of their Christmas day trip to the police station.

What was your favorite Christmas gift?

Gus: Going to the police station and getting those little teeny cars.
Willie: Going to the police station and getting a lamp.

What did you do at the police station?

Gus: I went in a police car and pretend to drive in the car and I pressed the button in the truck when they go to their missions and it made a loud noise. We saw the guns...army guns and police guns and a cool gun where you put the thing in the truck and it shoots out.

Willie: I looked at guns. We played video games where they practice to shoot at targets on them and then we had cupcakes and cookies. We got presents there. We saw two workout rooms. We got to sit in a police car and a bear cat. Benjamin pressed some buttons in it and we got to hear the sirens.

Did you see anything else cool?

Gus: Something that they sneak in and use a robot to sneak in and try to find people. So when they duck down in the bushes they drive it and they have something to see like its a camera to see where it's going. And that's all of it.

Willie: I got to play in the workout rooms...I like did cartwheels. The policeman puts a gun right here on his waist and on his leg. We got to play with the robot. You remote control it, and you can throw it somewhere and it can't get broken and when it's dark the police throw it up into the window and the police remote control it and there's a little screen and they can see the bad guys in it because it's so bright and that's all.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Willie: A policeman

Gus: A dad.

Willie: You can be a dad and a policeman.
Gus: Do policemans get presents?

Willie: Yeah.

Gus: Oh, okay, I will be a dad and a policeman.

New Toys

2010-12-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

Sooooo, I have this amazing friend who creates amazing things.

Most recently, she built an ottoman. It's gorgeous, and it wants to grace my living room with its presence.

But first I have to tell YOU to check out her work at

www.potential-treasures.blogspot.com

And if you win the ottoman, you can kindly thank me! (or just give it to me...)

We had a wonderful Christmas! Now I need to finish all those goals I set last January...only two days left...

It's Christmas Eve!!!

2010-12-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2010...Uncut

2010-12-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

A quotable from Willie: "It only took us 7 tries!"

From our home to yours, may you, our beloved family and friends, have a very, merry Christmas!

Love,

Kirs, Luke, EmJ, Willie, Gus, The Boss, and Reillee

V-P Day!!

2010-11-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

I am declaring today, November 30th, 2010, V-P Day. Victory over Potty Training! That's right folks, the Boss has conquered the potty. We listen every morning for her pronouncement echoing from the bathroom..."Ta-Da! Pooh!"

This should increase her value on craigslist.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-25T09:13:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have enjoyed a snowy Thanksgiving week, complete with school cancellations and the addition of "Uncle Rico" to our family. Sorry the picture is so dark, it took us a long time to build Uncle Rico...actually, it took Luke a long time to build Uncle Rico while Sam sat inside, Gus stood around pouting, EmJ watched and talked Luke's ear off, Willie refused to help in favor of playing with friends, and Reillee spent a greater part of the day getting bundled, unbundled, diaper changed, rebundled, unbundled, fed, etc...It was a joyous day of loving family togetherness...mostly.

We had to laugh as reports kept coming in of cities without power. 52,000 without power in Tacoma, 47,000 without power in Olympia, 398 without power in Seattle. 398? 398? Seriously, that warranted a report? 397 of those people haven't paid their electric bill in 6 months, and the 398th unplugged her TV and said, "Bummer, the power is out, guess we can't watch any more Dora!" *whistles innocently*

Anyway, it has been a wonderful week and we are thankful for the opportunity to reflect on the past year, the good and the bad, and express gratitude for all of our blessings. We put up a gratitude wall this year, with the goal being that we would each write something we are thankful for every day. In addition, every person that came into our home this month had to put something on the gratitude wall. Some of my favorites....

Ho-Hos

Modern medicine

A visiting teaching companion

Luke

Snow

The manna-mobile

Capitalism

Spongebob

God's patience

Health insurance

A warm house

Playing with Grandma and Grandpa

Karate Kid

Best buddies

(Willie wrote "best buddies" on day one, and has spent a majority of the month placing each of his friends' names on the gratitude wall. Love that kid.)

Indeed, we have much to be thankful for.

I will leave you with a bit of George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (which is worth reading in it's entirety):

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and whereas both houses of Congress have...requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God....to be devoted...to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection..."

And now, we eat!

Primary Program

2010-11-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's time for the Primary Program! (The kids at church do a presentation every year. They talk about what they have learned, sing songs, and bear their testomonies.) Our primary writes their own parts, fill in the blank style. So, Emmeline had, "When I was baptized..." Joshua had, "Jesus taught us..." Benjamin had, "My love for Jesus grows when..."

Sam doesn't have a part, as she is not yet in Primary, but don't try to tell her that...

My kids are darn cute, but my very favorite child-written primary part for tomorrow is the kid who wrote, "I know Heavenly Father and Jesus love me because they are superheroes!"

I am also thoroughly looking forward to the music (a little self-promotion there). Every time these kids start singing, I get all choked up. It's bad enough that they have to listen to me sing every week, but it's even worse when I'm crying as we sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Seriously, though, I LOVE these incredible kids and hope they are willing to keep singing while their fearless leader is frantically searching for tissues!

Enjoy their parts!

Rolling Over

2010-11-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

EmJ informed me the other day that we need to "give Reillee more tummy time...because there are lots of things she needs to learn before she can crawl and walk."

Er?

I asked her where she picked up the phrase "tummy time" and she replied that she read in a book.

So my 8 year old has read more parenting books than myself.

Nonetheless, I decided to give Reillee some tummy time, and tonight, at the ripe old age of 7 1/2 months, she finally rolled over. Back to tummy, tummy to back. 23 reps, followed by grinning and panting. I may have five kids, but watching new tricks never, ever, ever gets old.

So, on the gratitude wall tonight I will write, "I am thankful for tummy time."

Projects...

2010-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Before

After

We scored a new dresser from the fairies who leave stuff on the side of the road...and now Gus has drawers to call his very own. Sort of. When the Boss isn't sitting on them.

Captain VonTrapp called...

2010-11-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

He wants his drapes back.

Sunny Days

2010-11-08T13:35:00.003-08:00

We had a couple of nice days last week...and while I took pictures of the kids playing (for the scrapbook), Reillee entertained herself and made a mess with graham crackers. Hooray for sunny days!

The Boss has been potty training. Oy! The other day I put on her Dora underwear and told her not to pee on Dora, for it would make Dora sad. The Boss looked at me with an expression of, "my poor, naive mother", and said, "That is just a picture. Dora is in the TV!"

And, yesterday, I got home from choir practice to find that the kitchen had been "cleaned". As I tried to salvage the perfectly good leftovers from the sink, a little Willie jumped out from behind the counter and said, "See the heart? Don't throw it away! You have to guess who did it!" I positively melted. He had "anonymously" cleaned the kitchen and left a little heart for me. What a sweet kid!

Determined

2010-11-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Required Halloween Post

2010-11-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel right now...Reillee has been sick, or teething, or something, and I haven't had much sleep. Nonetheless, I should probably post some Halloween pictures like a good journaler, right?
Aaaaand, they are out of order. Again. Oh, well, here are Santa and a "Frincess" and Reillee all dressed up for Halloween. I think this was the first dress-up occassion...storytime at the library.

Santa. (I am so glad Halloween is over and am hoping this Santa thing has run it's course. Although, he has been saying that when he grows up, he wants to BE Santa...)

He made his costume all by himself!

Here are the girls dressed up on Saturday. Trunk-or-treat time! The kids had a blast, the weather was cooperative, it was very low-key. Just my cup of tea.

Reillee was a bumble bee, Sam a puppy, Gus Santa Claus, Willie a baseball player, EmJ a twig.

And today starts November!!! The Giants won the penant...which is the second-best World Series outcome, so not too shabby. I was able to put away the Halloween decor in favor of the gratitude wall. And we are only 55 days away from Christmas!!! I love the fall.

Lindsey sent me a bunch of simple bows. They are lovely...and Reillee pulls them off her head as soon as I put them on. I had to capture this photo, though, as I have one of EmJ at the same age in the same outfit. Adorable!

And, finally, this picture cracks me up. First of all, that's my little sister, not me. I feel like I am looking into a mirror sometimes when I look at her. She came over to our house to borrow my clothes, as she was going to a costume party as "a mom." I made her take a picture holding a fresh baked apple pie to really get into character.

The best part of the night, though, was that as I made that apple pie I was listening to the Yankee game on the radio.

Baseball and apple pie.

I am a true American!

[sic]

2010-10-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading, "Things that Make us [Sic]." It's a book about grammar.

Seriously.

So, the other night I was laying on my bed, reading said book. I put it down and said to Luke, "I feel like going out tonight. Let's go do something."

Barely looking up from his homework, he says, "The kids are asleep. Call up one of your girlfriends."

I laughed and said, "What friends? Who should I call? You are my only friend."

This caused Luke to look up from his studies, point at my grammar book, and say, "Reading that is definitely NOT helping your situation."

After a good chortle I crawled back into my hole, so I could read my textbook. For fun.

Dora's Backpack

2010-10-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Watching an episode of "Dora, the Explorer" today, Gus says,

"Mom, why does she have a pencil and a notebook in her backpack?"

I don't know. Why does she have a tennis racket in her backpack?

"Well, probably to play tennis!"

So, it's perfectly logical to have a tennis racket, a lifejacket, some sticky tape, a yellow ball, or a baby bottle in your backpack, but not a pencil and paper? Volcanoes erupt in bouncy balls, jaguars are good traveling companions, and gorillas travel in singing groups. Got it.

I guess I'm too old to understand Dora...but I do want one of her miracle backpacks.

Next time I ride a ferris wheel, I will make sure it hasn't been built using Dora's sticky tape.

Goooooo Yankees!!!!

2010-10-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! See you all after the World Series!!!

The Zoo

2010-10-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

It should come as no suprise that our house is a figurative zoo. Animals everywhere, resembling barking seals, roaming free. However, after visiting the literal zoo yesterday, I am rethinking the whole cage idea...you can't really hear the animals, they are fed and receive health care, they can't get out to pose a threat to themselves or others, and people PAY you to see them...I am not really seeing the down side here.
Wilson!! The elephants were Gus's first and only objective.

EmJ paid admission just to get her picture taken on every single statue. She could have cared less about the animals. I can't wait to see her scrapbook of the "zoo."

Don't worry, we got a picture of everybody in front of Wilson...for Wilson...In this picture, Gus has just recovered from a tantrum in which he was disappointed that he forgot to bring Wilson to the zoo so he (Wilson) could see the real Wilsons. I was quick to point out that while smelly, real elephants are definitely not pink.

The animals. Sam periodically jumped out of the stroller and round everyone up for a picture. We've got quite a few of these. Willie is too cool to open his eyes, and Gus is showing us his "fire fingers!"

Reillee is the reason I went to the zoo in the first place. She has developed, like all babies, a love for anything small and furry. She was positively jumping out of my arms trying to touch animals--anything she could see up close. She especially liked the river otters. Here she is with the orangutan.

In other news, Reillee's 6 month stats are as follows:

16 lbs. 5 oz.

26 inches

She is wearing the clothes that Sam was wearing at a year.

She loves to eat anything...as long as it looks the same as what the rest of the family is eating.

She has developed severe baby rage. This is a term we coined for Willie when he was 4 months old. (He wanted to crawl but couldn't figure out how, so he would do push ups, then collapse onto his stomach screaming bloody murder.) Reillee's baby rage, however, happens when she picks up a bit of food off her tray and then wonders why it isn't magically in her mouth. She hasn't figured out that interim "hand-to-mouth" step and it is causing her some major problems. She can often be found screaming in her chair with an empty tray and two fist-fulls of Cheerios.

Otherwise, she is a happy, healthy, well-sleeping little joy!

First Day of Preschool

2010-10-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

It was a happy day on Monday, when Benjamin had his first day of "real" preschool. Last year we did a sort of co-op type preschool, and he was seriously miffed. All year. So, he was excited to start preschool for real. No mothers!

Of course, now I have to deal with Sam asking multiple times a day, "When I am three can I go to preschool with Gus?" Oh well.

Benjamin's reports from the first 3 days have been nothing but positive. There are 6 kids from church in his class, including his cousin, and my sister is one of the teachers. All fun, all the time. I am sure I will have carpool stories throughout the year...four boys and Sam in my car is going to be loads of laughs.

And the first day of preschool brougt us this. Rainbows are so cool!

She's a Half

2010-09-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 6 months, Reillee Anita!!!

We've started her on solid food, but she's not taking too well to it...hmmm...

It's also EmJ's half birthday. I'm not sure why that is important, except that it means she gets to choose dinner tonight. Here is important, though, EmJ came in 15th at her cross country meet yesterday. She's getting faster, and is so proud of herself!

I've been reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Last night I was dreaming in southern prose, and this morning I was seriously craving my grandma's grits and biscuits. This is a problem. Am I the only one that gets so involved in her books that they encroach on her life? I love to read, but I can't keep sacrificing sleep, even if it IS for the sake of dream eating fried chicken.

Things...

2010-09-27T06:38:00.001-07:00

The Boss wants you to know that the "pushy thing" will burn you, so don't touch it. The "hidey thing" is a good, portable place to hide, but only for her because she's little because she's not three yet, and the "choky things" will make her choke and die and the then the police will come and take her to jail. Just so you know.

Gus has his first day of preschool today!!! He wants to bring for show and tell....wait for it....the tupperware sandwich holder thing!

EmJ has been participating in cross country. She's awesome. Especially when she gets distracted from the fact that she's supposed to be running and starts galloping like she's riding a horse or sticks her arms out to fly...she earned her team 29 points last week. Least points wins.

And finally, while Luke was vacuuming out the car some time ago, he found Willie's cupholder full of dirt. Buried in the dirt were a bunch of pennies. Only one of my children would actually try to plant a money tree!

The Boss...

2010-09-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Changing Sam's diaper in the handicapped stall in a public restroom when Sam yells out, loud and clear...

"Whoa! What did I EAT?!"

Summer by the Numbers

2010-09-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

This summer, I decided to keep track of how much our garden produced. The log then magically became a running tally of some of the things we did this summer...enjoy!

Strawberries: 1313 (and then we stopped counting...it seemed like a good number!)

Carrots: 117 (They were each the size of a green bean. The kids took them ALL to school today in their lunches. I am worried that bringing carrots--teeny tiny homegrown ones--in your lunch may have as much nerd power as bringing a liverwurst sandwich. (Thanks, mom. I have never fully recovered my social standing.))

Radishes: 3

Movies seen: 4 (I LOVE the Regal free family movies!)

Miles run by Kirs: at least a million

Miles run by the kids: probably a million and one
(I am one of those mean moms who makes my kids exercise. Every day. Poor, poor kids!)
(EmJ and Willie both improved their mile times by two minutes--EmJ 10:16, Willie 9:18, and Gus got to where he can run 3/4 mile without stopping.)
(Sam just wanted to play in the long jump pit.)

Dollars spent at Costco: 1232

Loads of laundry: I lost track, but that would have been a fun stat, no?

Books read: 9

Trips taken: 2

Diapers ignored for far too long: 36 (Okay, we started the summer fine, but then Reillee went into every-day-blow-out mode. Awesome. Oh, and Sam thought this statistic was for sport. I'm pretty sure that she does EVERYTHING with a purpose.)

Baseball games attended: 4

Softball games played: 9 (I got myself on a co-ed team this summer. So fun!)

Sugar snap peas: 30

Little eyes shielded from old naked ladies in the pool locker room: 2 (and then I decided to make Willie use the gender appropriate locker room)

Onions: 5 bunches

Green beans: 155

Tomatoes: 100 (More to come, but they are getting pretty groty.)

Arugula and spinach: 5 fat plants full

Buffalo steaks eaten: 1 (Can you believe I did that?)

Dogs with an underbite seen: 1 (I'm not sure why this was so funny, but a truck pulled up next to us one day. The passenger mutt stuck his face out the window and our whole family went, "That is the ugliest dog I've ever seen!" Then we tried to replicate his face...Luke said my impression of the underbite dog was dead on. I'm not sure if I should be proud or concerned...)

Blueberries: lost count, we got some, but not as many as I would have liked

Cauliflower: 2 pathetic, rotten heads

Trips to the Supermall for school shopping: 1

Trips to Famous Footwear and various other shoe stores to exchange Willie's shoes because he kept changing his mind: 4 (and then I put my foot down and said the Van's with the flames are good enough! I wish I had put my foot down on a more conservative shoe-choice day...)

Outings to Jetty Island: 2

Hikes: 0 (someday, someday)

Sunflowers: 4 (sunflowers are my new favorite, and the kids loved watching how fast and tall they grew)

Authors discovered: 1 (Luke frequently will read to me things he finds interesting, either from the scriptures, the news, his textbooks, or Mitt Romney's latest op-ed. Well, this summer, he got a taste of his own medicine as I read him nearly all of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. Those books are serious fun.)

Weddings: 2

Ears of corn: 3 so far...

Most slugs seen on a morning jog: 23 (to clarify, the slugs were not jogging)

Quarts of peaches canned: 22

Quarts of applesauce canned: 18 (I added all of our pears to the applesauce, so technically it's apple-pear-sauce.)

Quarts of strawberries jammed: 6 (all from our garden)

Gallons of blueberries picked and preserved: 2 (the kids weren't in a picking mood, and the berries did not do well this year...oh well...blackberry picking was worse, we got only enough to make muffins before the kids quit!) (And, in the interest of full disclosure, I was sitting in the nice warm car while the kids picked in the rain. "You cannot get in the car until that bucket is full!")

Birthdays celebrated: 1 (Happy 34th, Luke!!)

Our garden was pretty pathetic, but we used everything it produced. Our summer was great, but I am looking forward to autumn, jackets, and the World Series.

Sunday Happenings...

2010-09-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've had a good EmJ story on here, but she provided us with a good laugh yesterday...

A neighbor, who is Willie's friend, but is in EmJ's class at school, knocked on our door to see if Willie could play.

EmJ: We told you last week that we can't play on Sundays.

Friend: Oh! (Slaps forehead) I forgot!

EmJ: Maybe, you should write it down on a piece of paper and tape it to your wall so you don't forget!