The Randall Family

Dinner Conversation...

2012-01-22T20:09:00.002-05:00

By the way, love the classic novels Target is currently selling in the $1 section! They are just right for very young readers who are getting the gist of all the classics... OK in all honesty, it's the first time I've ever read these books myself. But I'm trying to step it up as a parent.

Follow Through...

2012-01-19T20:04:00.003-05:00

So being the totally committed, and consistent parent I am... OK whatever! Quinn was melting down tonight. Honestly, I can't even remember why, but I sent him to bed early (like 10 whole minutes earlier than all the other kids) but to him it might as well have been HOURS! Anyway, he kept getting out of bed and trying to sneak down to catch the last 10 of the cartoon everyone else was watching and I kept stopping him and putting him back in bed. Well, the last time he was trying to sneak past - I mean on tip toes, with his hands up like little paws - I put my hand out to stop him, but without looking at him, and I could just feel the decision making in the air... you know him trying to decide if he could get on past me or if he should give up and go back to bed. To my surprise the spontaneous decision was made to throw his blanket over my head and run like hell! I'm sorry but that evasive maneuver stopped me in my parenting tracks. I was taken down by laughter.

Santa's mean streak

2012-01-05T22:09:00.003-05:00

Well as I posted in an earlier entry, Santa told Anna he would just bring her boys underwear if she didn't tell him what she wanted. Guess what Anna got! BOYS UNDERWEAR! At the time she was trying to play it down. Now she can totally laugh about it! I mean she is 9 - it's not too young for Santa to start having a little fun with the Christmas deliveries. And by the way, santa left her plenty of great gifts behind the tree.

'I'm not a very good parent!'

2012-01-05T21:54:00.003-05:00

This adorable little boy pulls me aside as we were walking down the street and says, 'mom, your not a very good parent.' Of course I laugh (as any awesome parent would do), but I also inquire as to why this not so subtle put down... he says, 'well, you told us to go (we were crossing a busy downtown street) when the sign clearly said (and he adamantly puts his arm out in the stop position) stop.'

For Craig

2012-01-02T10:20:00.003-05:00

Despite my best efforts to get Craig on Skype before I let the kids in... we were having connection problems and he missed the initial excitement, so this is for Craig.

The BIG Day...

2012-01-02T00:40:00.005-05:00

Since we had church at 8:30 am we decided we wouldn't let the kids come down stairs until after we went to church. You would have thought this was major torture, and in a way it was, but all the kids slept until 7:45 and then I told them the last one to the car was going to be the last one to open presents - so it worked out fabulously well! Went to church and enjoyed a beautiful Christmas program before returning home.

Since I was in a torturing mood, why on earth didn't I make them all sit nicely for a picture in their pretty church clothes?

This may be my favorite Christmas photo! When we got home I wouldn't let anybody back in the house until I was able to connect on skype with Craig. This truly was a sad and pathetic scene. Craig was able to see all the excitement on his web cam, which I know doesn't compare to being there in person... but we are grateful for skype!

Saturday...

2012-01-02T00:35:00.002-05:00

We tracked the path Santa took across the globe on our big map and left him a 'delicious yet healthy snack' of water, cocoa, and of course the yummy gingerbread cookies.

And of course we made magic reindeer food and walked outside comfortably in our bare feet and no coats to sprinkle it on the grass. (I'm loving the San Antonio winter!)

Friday

2012-01-02T00:31:00.003-05:00

Gingerbread men - lets just say the process was much better than the outcome! We had fun!

Thursday

2012-01-01T21:11:00.003-05:00

Bowling...

Just because...

2011-12-26T21:49:00.001-05:00

I forgot but thought it fascinating... this is how we spent the day after Thanksgiving... you know the day we were going to go cut down our tree and start the holly jolly celebrating... Amazingly, it only hit these two - and it was NOT food poisoning (My cooking has improved vastly since I married Craig.)

The lights

2011-12-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

Of course the entire reason I'm going Christmas crazy this year is because one of Craig's parting concerns was that I would be the Scrooge that I usually am and the kids would suffer terribly. In fact he made me promise I would at least get some sort of tree this year. So now I'm out to prove him wrong! Lol. Next attempt at holiday jolly was the lights. I got really ambitious one afternoon and decided nothing was gonna stop me! Craig always does a wonderful job putting up lights and decorating our house each year and while I knew it wouldn't be as good, I was out to be a little competitive! So after opening 2 huge boxes of lights, timers, clips and other paraphernalia and 3 hours I was not only laughing so hard at my feeble attempt but also somewhat proud... Of course my neighbors did this...

So I came up with...

remember this was an entire 3 hours worth of concentrated effort with no kids for distraction!

Then Anna wanted in on the action and we got this...

I was really impressed with how much Anna did and how good it looked!

When Anna wasn't satisfied she offered to pay our neighbor (the same one who rescued our tree) to put lights on the roof. '5 bucks'. When he said he would only do it for free or $50. She looked him square in the eye and said, 'nope. You'll do it for $5'. I know she tried to pay up... But I'm not sure who won!

In the end we settled with...

Wednesday

2011-12-23T17:25:00.004-05:00

Bass Pro! Who doesn't enjoy all that Bass Pro offers at Christmas time... except the long wait to see Santa.

When Santa asked each of the kids what they wanted for Christmas, here were the replies:

Anna - Shrug... Santa, 'If you don't tell me what you want I'll have to bring you boys underwear.' Anna - simply avoid eye contact and pretend he doesn't exist. (Tho she did tell me later she really wanted a pink red Ryder BB gun)

Kaid - Shrug... Santa, 'well I have some Barbie dolls left over from last year I could bring.' A little giggle and Kaid quickly replied with, 'that video game.'

Quinn - with a sigh and the attitude of I've already written this down and told you 17 times before, 'a metal detector.'

Lexsie - 'a big girl bike with a horn that goes honk.'

The schedule - Tuesday

2011-12-23T09:24:00.000-05:00

A yearly Christmas tradition - Gingerbread houses with Gramma Barb

(and deep cleaning the living room and dining room - again my favorite part!)

Anna's artistically appealing to the eye tree... she has a natural way with presentation.

Kaid with the very straight and symmetrical house.... interesting (is he a closet perfectionist- possibley like his dad...)

Quinn's house threw up candy... and he's the smart one...

Lex with her interesting lighting rods....

Monday

2011-12-22T00:39:00.002-05:00

We got very adventurous and set up a tent in our living room and had a sleep over. The movie picks for the night were Mr. Poppers Penguins, followed by a strategic drive to look at Christmas lights - where the two little ones fell asleep, and then 17 miracles. Interestingly, Kaids favorite movie was 17 miracles. And this is the one day I forgot to get my picture. :(

OCD vs. Free Spirit

2011-12-22T00:33:00.002-05:00

Because my OCD tendancies are out weighing my free spirit tendencies this year I made a very structured calendar of events for this holiday vacation time. While everyone may laugh, I love having a schedule of work, fun and meals, and getting to cross off each item completed is a little a thrill. And my sister is great at following my schedule and making sure everything gets done... in fact several of the neighbors have offered her various nanny jobs (she can't be bought so easily tho...) Stay tuned for the follow up posts of my lovely, wonderful, completed list!

The tree

2011-12-21T08:53:00.003-05:00

The sequence of our tree...

Freshly cut! (craig has always made cutting a tree down look SO easy). Not so much - Bekah and I finally just started pushing it back and forth until we broke it off.

Then we brought it home and put it up- which didn't work so well... It became the leaning tree of pissa. I couldn't figure out why so I just decided we were having a crooked tree this year. So late one night my neighbor and his wife snuck over when we were gone to fix it. But I foiled their plans! Every door to the house was locked (which in and of itself is hilarious because I am notorious for not locking or even shutting my doors). But because my crooked tree was indeed driving my sweet friend crazy.... I let her husband in and he found that the trunk was so soft it was just slicing through the little screws... But he fixed it and we had a beautiful tree! Until... I forgot to water it and it died. Another thing craig takes care of so effortlessly. So we are just taking the approach of not touching it until we are ready to move it out for the garbage men. It was a beautiful tree!

Each child had a very important job...

Quinn held on to the tree so it wouldn't fall off the trailer.

Bekah used her muscles to help cut the tree down.

Kaid led the way, a perfect boy scout and never let us get lost.

Lexsie yelled, 'timber!'

And, Anna made sure we all followed all the rules!

Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-16T07:21:00.003-05:00

Quinn's class was able to see Santa at school yesterday. So I was asking him about it. I asked him what Santa said. Quinn replied with a 'duh mom' tone', he speaks English. He came from Ohio and they speak English there. And he made a beard form Lambs. And he drove in a car cause he speaks in English and english people drive cars. AND Santa got me a bell.' Straight from a 4 year old.

Shopping...

2011-12-11T23:14:00.003-05:00

So I ended up at Kohl's with 3 of the kids looking for a pair of pants to buy and the kids started picking things to show me... so I gave them some guidance - I didn't want grandma pants (which started the trip out right cause they laughed entire time) so after deciding if each pair looked like pants a grandma would wear or not we ended up with 2 pair to take to the dressing room... through lots of giggles and lots of suggestions for tops... I mean we had $80 shirts (no I need stuff on sale), shirts in the XS (we all know that's not my size) and the XXXXL (which I'm thankfully not either) we finally got to the pair I was favoring.... I put them on and there was dead silence (I thought they looked pretty good) then Anna pipes up, "well, those pants make your toes look small." Well.. of course if they make my toes look small they must be good!

Bekah's Sense of Humor

2011-12-04T21:29:00.001-05:00

I opened my fridge door to this... yes, those are cans of Mt. Dew.

Anna's Birthday

2011-12-02T13:57:00.005-05:00

Another year, another party, and Anna's is another year older... 9. Oh my. But the party was a smashing success!

10 seconds

2011-11-19T15:41:00.001-05:00

I took pity on the cul-d-sac and served up juice boxes, 2 bags of popcorn, a bag of animal crackers, and a bag of teddy grahams. It took 10 seconds to consume the entire lot! Lol.

For Craig

2011-11-15T11:51:00.003-05:00

The kids started singing this on the way home from school, I have never heard the song but the little ones have the same music teacher and so they learned the same one at school.

WE ROCK!

2011-11-12T19:04:00.002-05:00

So one of the things we are doing with this deployment is we made a chain... 179 days long (well in theory it will be 179 days - in reality we got 70 chains on) and on each chain Craig wrote a message to us. Of course the first day was an awesome assignment... play rock band! And boy did we rock it! LOL Watch out Jackson 5 - Here come the Randall 5!

Acclimation

2011-11-10T13:36:00.001-05:00

Well I guess you could say we've acclimated to Texas... We busted out the big coats and the thermometer read 56 degrees. How is it where it's actually cold? Still wearing shorts?

Pathetic or hilarious

2011-11-08T15:24:00.001-05:00

I very carefully vacuumed all around this cup so I wouldn't have to bend over and pick it up.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T10:44:00.003-04:00

2011-10-28T21:29:00.005-04:00

Emotions are running high, we are saying our final goodbyes to each other, trying to help the kids understand that Craig will be gone for 6 months and exactly how long that is... Quinn gets all teary eyed and gives Criag a big hug, then leans back and says in total astonishment, 'I won't be able to play on your phone for six months!' Totally broke the tension!

2011-10-23T21:22:00.004-04:00

Craig was taking Lexsie on her special date the other day... which was to my all time favorite place (can you hear the sarcasm) Chuck-E-Cheese. Anyway, it was their date so what do I care, except for the fact that after they got in the car Lexsie started chanting, 'Daddy says, yes. Mommy says, no. Daddy says yes. Mommy says, no.' And from what I hear she didn't stop for the entire ride! Oh to have that piece of wisdom already under her belt...

2011-10-09T20:50:00.001-04:00

One of the cute things Lexsie does is look at the clouds and claim, 'the clouds are holding hands!' I love the sweet innocence!

Catch of the Day!

2011-10-09T20:35:00.001-04:00

Today we went fishing and by fishing I mean I sat in a chair reading my book and observing as Craig ran from child to child re-hooking worms... But the biggest catch of the day was by Anna who caught this big one! The best thing is that she had given up on catching anything and was using her fishing pole to draw pictures in the water, when a fish jumped onto her hook. Of course Quinn kept shoving his pole at Craig and demanding, 'teach me how to catch a fish!' he was wanting to be taught the magic secret. Kaid was by far the most patient- but still no success. Lex did her part and made sure her pole landed in the water so we had grandpa perform a water rescue. Bekah was the most entertaining and taught the little ones how to play red light green light. Good day!

2011-10-05T22:01:00.007-04:00

Quinn. Just a little note about the boy. I was looking at his pictures and wondering why he looks a little MR in them (you know Mentally retarded)... then at school a few days ago he was standing in the middle of the sidewalk as class got out sticking his hand out to all the big kids saying, 'give me 5 - man.' but in a way that he came across as MR. Personally, I was laughing my butt off but only because it's Quinn. He can get away with this stuff that other kids would never dream of doing and the fact that he may possibly border on genius adds to the humor. Proof is in the outfit. He insisted on buttoning his church shirt this way AND wearing the shorts backward. Quinn, I wish I could capture your little personality and put it in a bottle. You are a force!

2011-08-31T22:05:00.001-04:00

My mother of the year moment... made a fancy smanchy breakfast with name tags! (the only time this year anything like this will happen)

Anna - 3rd grader

Kaid - 1st grader

Quinn Pre - K

not a good picture but you get the attitude.

Lex Preschooler

Lexsie girl was so tired after the first day she went straight up to her room and put herself to bed. She was too tired to even unfold her blankies and cover herself up.

First Week of School

2011-08-31T21:45:00.001-04:00

So the first week of school has come and gone. Boy did I have big expectations! I was considering finding a part time job, cause with all 5 in school I was gonna have soooo much time on my hands! Jokes on me! Friday rolled around, my house was a disaster, my kids where tired and cranky, my shoulders were killing me and my feet and legs - how they hurt, and though I had decided my season of life had come to start exercising... I didn't make it once! But why oh why... I did the math. 5 Kids in school equals 4 daily trips to drop off and/or pick up children. One mile round trip, walking because we are that close and it would be silly to drive (besides it's a nightmare). I had joyfully gotten rid of all strollers before the move, after all the baby is 3, and I'm a flip flop girl right? So 4 miles a day (for a total couch potato) in flip flops carrying the 3 year old, and pushing the 4 year old up the hills on his bike (hence the sore shoulders)... and we start way too early - 5:45! yikes! Oh and temps were averaging 107 degrees. So I'm digging out my tennies, looking to purchase another stroller (whatever) and hoping that I'm building muscles for week 2!

Like mother like daughter

2011-08-26T20:24:00.003-04:00

Tonight Lex and I made a quick trip to Lowe's for a part Craig needed. So we slipped in the back door to make a quick get away... only then we had to have a potty break on the far side of the store so we decided there was no hurry and started checking out the kitchen area... after Lex opened and shut each and every refrigerator door and washer and dryer door, she found this little cubby set up and exclaimed and got excited as she showed me which drawer the shoes, the socks and the clothes would go in, how she would hang the coats ( a girl after my own heart) but just for kicks I turned to the other side and asked her which color cupboard she would choose. They had 10 different options.... white, oak, cherry... She went straight to the cherry. Just like her mama!

The Past 10 Years

2011-07-31T01:13:00.002-04:00

Well, just a quick story as we are still getting settled in our new home. We took the kids swimming the other day and there was a little water slide so Craig took the 3 big kids up and while there asks the life guard, 'Is there an age limit for this slide?' Thinking of the 2 little kids of course. And she says, 'oh yeah! We have old people go down this slide all the time!' Ha Ha Ha.Somewhere in the last 10 years... we got married, had 5 kids, bought and sold our first house, moved 6 times, bought or sold 7 vehicles and apparently got old. Well at least Craig did!

Freaky People

2011-07-04T08:10:00.003-04:00

No one faces her fears like Anna - parasailing on the Outer Banks

So Anna, my little one who would never dream of making eye contact with a stranger, let alone speak to one, the one who thinks she's invisible because she doesn't want to stand out, the child who has to know every detail of every event just so she can prepare herself, the one who worries about all those details for weeks in advance - decided she wanted to go on a special trip with her Aunt Stacy, but to do so would require that she fly unaccompanied part of the way to meet up with Aunt Stacy. So she prepared, debated and finally decided this is what she wanted to do, we booked the flight, we discussed every detail, the schedule, how things would work, and of course rediscussed everything - because that's Anna. Took her to the plane this morning, and I watched as freaky people got on, you know one that had a hang over so bad she couldn't walk straight, one who was yelling at her baby the entire time, and one who was clearly anxious about flying. it was on Anna's flight (and I have put kids on planes dozens of times... with no incidence) that boarded, taxied to the run way and then had to turn around and come back to the gate, because some lady was having a panic attack causing a scene and had to get off the plane. I hope to heck the rest of her trip is less eventful, cause I can guarantee I didn't cover enough possible scenarios about crazy people before she left.

To Move or not to move...

2011-07-03T18:15:00.002-04:00

Will it all fall into place?

Let's see in one week we have gone from having a house, putting a deposit on it and then got into military housing, we have gone from having movers last week, to doing it ourselves, to having different movers this week..

'What are you most excited about moving?'

2011-06-30T17:58:00.003-04:00

Quinn: Scriptrions? Huh? Scriptioins? Huh? Scorpions!

Lexsie: to play

Kaid: I'm not gonna tell you, it's a secret.

Bekah: The wonderful influence.... of Mexicans selling.... cheap... drugs on the side of the road.

We're all Growd up

2011-06-26T23:45:00.008-04:00

10 Years ago Craig and I were married, and somewhere in that first month of marriage I teased him about what our life would be like in 10 years. I talked about a nice anniversary trip, and an addition to my wedding ring, and maybe another kid, our life would be so settled and established, we would eat dinner together every night, and of course have weekly date nights...Then he started medical school and we thought, 4 years really isn't that long... well 10 years later we now know medical school was the easy part. Having 5 kids and completing a residency was the hard part. But here we are. DONE. and it feels good! The kids keep asking if dad is a real doctor now, and they are waiting for something magical to happen... Nothing magical has happened, it took hours and hours of study, work, dedication, and sacrifice, it took Craig many nights of 4 hours of sleep, followed by hour long commutes and 12 hour shifts, It took what felt like a 100 years - but it was hard earned and we are sooooo proud of Craig! Good job babe!

Craig with the director of the program and his wife - they became like family. I know Craig will miss them! and I think they will miss Craig.

With the other residents (who we all know are really thinking, 'sweet, with Craig gone, I'm that much closer to being done!')

The family who were able to come and support Craig at this great milestone.

Some really cute dates Craig found to bring along (over who ever was in charges dead body - no children allowed.)

It was so important to Anna to be here and see and celebrate this event with Craig!

Bekah - who remembers day one of medical school.

Two girls pretty proud of their papa.

Funny side note: the waitress took Bob's plate out from under him - mid bite.

Full Speed Ahead!

2011-06-20T23:18:00.007-04:00

Great vacation spent on the beach with good friends!

Rescued a enormous sting ray on the beach...

Drove through 8 miles of sand to get to our house...

The traffic was unlike anything we like...

College Roommates...

I couldn't believe how Quinn just picked up snorkeling gear and started doing it... Amazing!

Bathing Beauty...

He looks like a laid back, mellow teenager...

Never wanted to miss a chance to swim... beach or pool!

Foosball...

Sand Time...

I even got flashed... Lucky me!

Crafts to keep the girl occupied...

A very crowded car ride...

Every mother knows...

2011-06-07T09:57:00.004-04:00

that when it gets really quiet and you haven't seen your child in a while, trouble is brewing. So I went looking for Lexsie, terrified of what I might find! I found her sitting next to the laundry basket (full of wet bedding - she had an accident last night) rubbing her thumb on her blankie, her fingers in her mouth and getting a lovie fix. I guess it was that kind of morning.

My Greatest Wish

2011-06-02T15:31:00.003-04:00

My greatest wishes for this move are:

1) A totally, very best friend next door for Anna who will go to the same school

2) A pack of boys that Kaid can run around the neighborhood with

3) That Bekah will want to return to live with us

4) A perfectly outdoorsy, easy going, not 'too churchy' friend for Craig

5) A 3rd car garage...

Do I ask too much? We will see. I have no doubt that we will end up with exactly what we need.

Officially Redneck's

2011-06-02T11:18:00.004-04:00

Huh?

2011-06-02T11:13:00.002-04:00

I'm standing there minding my own business... and Quinn comes up, pulls my shirt up and says, 'You got any stretch marks?'

WHAT? I was not prepared for this question!

He repeats, "You got any stretch marks?'

I say, 'nope... what are stretch marks?' I'm testing him to see if he really knows what he's talking about.

'You get them from going to the beach.'

I"m laughing of course and ask where he learned that from.

'The TV.'

Quinn's Last Day of School

2011-06-02T11:08:00.002-04:00

All of a sudden Quinn started school, and just as suddenly he is done. He is a sneaky one! I know I'm gonna look around someday and say, 'where's Quinn.' and someone will tell me, 'oh he grew up and became president of the united states.' Seriously, this kid is growing so fast and everyday changes by leaps and bounds!

Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle

2011-06-02T11:06:00.001-04:00

I dont know why she does it, but Lex stops shakes her little bum and says wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... all the time. Had to be documented!

It finally got warm!

2011-06-02T11:02:00.002-04:00

I love you, I love you, I love you...

2011-06-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

These are the words Kaid sneaks over and whispers in Anna's ear... and it drives her NUTS! She screams, she hollers, she stamps her foot, she pleads for me to do something, but honestly how can I reprimand Kaid for that? He knows she doesn't like it, he knows he's bugging her and pushing her buttons, he knows... and if he was saying just about anything else I might do something beside laugh at Anna's antics. Sorry Anna, just can't do it.

Another Shinner

2011-05-24T14:02:00.006-04:00

Ah Lexsie girl... you think you are a 4 year old boy and try to do all things the big boys do, but you usually get stuck with the black eye. I don't think any of the other 4 kids have ever had a black eye, but you, I'm starting to loose track of how many you have had in your short 2 year life... no doubt you will be tough! The picture really doesn't do justice to the injury!

I'm Flunking

2011-05-24T13:52:00.003-04:00

Here in rainy Ohio lawn mowing takes place 2-3 times a week... but I'm flunking, oh I get out there and do my part to keep the grass from seeding out, but I'm just not doing it right. Notice how our lawn ends up with grass clipppings out in the street and its a huge mess, while all the neighbors manage to have neat and tidy yards with no debris left in the street. I think I have officially flunked lawn mowing 101. (which craig seconds) I don't know if there will be another course offered, or if a courseis offerd I will partake... I think what I'm really doing is making a declaration that I will no longer try to mow!

799

2011-05-09T14:37:00.003-04:00

Just taking a moment to brag on Craig's accomplishments. We finally made it through boards. The biggest most important test of any physicians career! Yikes - I honestly wasn't sure either one of us was going to make it until March 16. But we did, he took the test, felt relieved, then met with some friends and started going over the questions... decided he flunked the boards because none of his answers matched up with his co-workers, and started stressing again! OH MY! I was at my wits end (needless to say I wasn't demonstrating a loving patient wife - no I was eye rolling and telling him so what? if you flunk you take it again! SHUT UP! lol.) Well, we finally got the test results. 799. Passed. 799 out of 800! Passed NUMBER 1 in the nation! Way to GO!

Quinn's Faces

2011-05-08T19:35:00.006-04:00

Quinn is famous for the faces he pulls... I've just got a few here.

The last few included the commentary of him saying, 'I'm cool. Yeah, I'm so cooooool.'

Tag Your It

2011-04-27T12:44:00.002-04:00

We were eating the other night in a restaurant, minding our own business. As a new customer walked in he asked the waitress (who happened to be standing near our table) if 'she was it.' Meaning the only one working. She said, 'yep, I'm it.' So Quinn, without a moments hesitation reaches out, tags her, and says, 'tag your it!' Of course she offered to take him home with her!

Announcments

2011-04-24T15:41:00.004-04:00

Well... I suppose I should tell the world where we are going. 2 weeks ago it was unofficially San Antonio, TX. (Which I was happy about). Then we got official orders and it was Las Vegas, NV. (Which brought me to tears I was sosooooooo excited!) Yesterday, I got new official orders and it's back to Texas. (which I'm still happy about?) Sooooo. Texas it is. Don't ask me when, or how, cause I got nothing for that. Craig and I talked about making a trip to find a house... then we looked at the schedule. Craig's next day off is May 27th, which is memorial day weekend and we have some special plans with the kids we aren't willing to back out of. So after that it is June 30... And Craig has to report mid-July... So I'm thinking we may have to take my grandfathers advice (who is 94 and grew up in a different era) to just head down there and live in your car, then you can start knocking on doors till someone knows of someone who has a place you can stay.

Perspective

2011-04-24T15:11:00.002-04:00

As I was having a week (last week) where I was literally falling apart. I mean I was eating worms, nobody liked me, everybody hated me, (Craig was scared to come home to me!) lol... I would peruse the blogs of fellow mothers and think, 'wow! I am such a looser, I just need to get my act together! This person is redoing her entire bathroom, this person always has perfect hair in her pictures, that person never looses her temper with her kids and always does such fun things with them, another person always has a positive spin on her circumstances, I'm sure none of them ever have financial stress....' and on and on went my comparing of myself to the Internet women. Then my visiting teacher called and made a totally random comment about how she 'needed to get it together, that everyone was more pulled together than she.' And it snapped me out of it! WE all got problems, we all have things we struggle with. We all need a boost now and again, and despite appearances we all need to 'pull it together!' And, by the way, this sweet lady is a wonderful mother and always cheerful when I see her, and has made a HUGE impression on Anna as she teachers her at church.

What Fun!

2011-04-22T21:31:00.002-04:00

Over spring break we had finally collected enough Book-It's to hit pizza hut and every kid would get a free personal pan pizza. When we arrived we found out it was kids night and all kids got to eat free a pizza they had made themselves!

Edward...

2011-04-22T21:14:00.002-04:00

Every night I sing a song to the kids at bedtime. Tonight Kaid requested, 'that Edward song.' My mind was racing to Edward Scissor hands, Edward the Vampire, Grandpa Ed, but nowhere, nohow could I think of a song that I might know of that had the word 'edward' in it. So I asked him to sing a little of it for me. I got, 'Edward, ever edward...' The song would be Called to Serve and the words are 'Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name...'

Catchup on Pictures if Nothing Else!

2011-03-20T20:41:00.005-04:00

Warm enough to go outside...

He looked long enough to say 'cheese!'

First warm day....

Good old bunk-bed jumpin'

You say the word 'swimming' and this is how Lexsie appeared after a few moments...

The tree in our back yard doing a 'backbend' during the ice storm. It never broke, and resumed an upright position the next day. What you can't see is the branch behind it backbending over the power line to our house... it didn't break either...

Quinn's 4th Birthday Party

Father Daughter Dance 2011

Cause Men don't Have Babies

2011-03-10T20:02:00.004-05:00

We are (I should say I am) the parent that all the other parents dread. When my kids ask the birds and bees questions, I usually try for some watered down version of a mommy and daddy love each other and make a baby. However, when the questions are serious, and specific, we bust out daddy's text books and look at pictures and explain the situation. Tonight was one of those nights. So we looked, we discussed, and I told the boys, that yes is does hurt to have a baby... as I laid the boys down to bed Kaid and Quinn where still have a lengthy discussion about the topic and I hear Kaid say, "cause MEN just don't have babies." Well, at least he got some of it! And Lex wasn't about to miss out on the conversation. In fact, she felt the need to sleep on it.

Making our HOME a house...

2011-02-26T00:31:00.002-05:00

It's a lot of work to make our home back into just a house again. Besides the painting, carpet cleaning, wall cleaning, everyday cleaning, snow shoveling, snow days, studying for boards, working shifts, going to classes, puking children, laundry, field trips, homework, gymnastics, karate, church, and wed night activities, it's starting middle school, it's starting kindergarten twice, it's the home of the dangerous duo (yes, Quinn and Lex), it's the fact that our pictures are off the walls, closets are cleaned out, baby stuff given away, toddler stuff given away, moving on... It's saying good bye to our first home that we bought and remembering how excited we were to find it, it's remembering that Lexsie was due to be born any day as we unpacked and moved in, and seeing this big girl walking around the place wondering, 'where did the time go?' It's friends and neighbors slowly pulling away anticipating us leaving, it's the pre-preperations for moving on. Moving where? you might wonder - we still don't have a clue. But we know we must go. Already saying good bye to our home and still living in our house.

He Stikes Again

2011-01-20T11:04:00.004-05:00

This boy of mine... he IS supervised! But, he decided to help me get the house on the market with his own fresh coat of paint. So after quickly assessing the situation I decided my most prominent need were the cherry hardwood floors. They would be the hardest and most expensive to replace, then all the wood work up and down the hall and bedroom, and lastly the floors - we were going to replace the carpet (probably) anyway. Now it is a definite. Why oh why can't he be like other normal little boys and write on the wall with crayon?

2011-01-16T13:08:00.003-05:00

As I have been working with the Young Women (12-18 year old girls at our church) lately, I have come to the knowledge that eye rolling is a teenagers socially acceptable way of telling their parents that they love them too. I have just realized that my entire purpose of serving in the young women's was to prepare me for my own children who will soon be telling me they love me with an eye-roll. Now, all you nervous nellies out there worried about how to handle your teenager... I have just shared with you my profound insight! Go and roll your eyes...

Picking Sides

2011-01-14T19:41:00.003-05:00

The other day my neighbor called and was chit chatting with me. I didn't think too much of the conversation until I was relating it to Craig later that night. The conversation went about like this:

Neighbor: How are things going? We haven't seen Craig's truck around much.

Me: No, he's been out of town, he had to go to Chicago...

Neighbor: Oh, well, how long will he be gone for, when will he get to come home?

Me: Oh, he's home now.

Neighbor: Oh, I guess we just haven't seen his truck around.

Me: Oh, well yeah he was gone for a week, oh yeah and the night before he left he had to buy a new truck.

As I related the conversation I realized what she was really getting at... "who is the strange man coming over - he comes in late at night and leaves early in the morning..." So if the neighbors had to pick sides, I have no doubt they would choose Craig. He is pretty awesome. But rest assured I am only picking Craig - and we had a really good chuckle.

And by the way, we had to say good bye to the 'king of the jungl'e - it got us through med school, deployment, 4 moves, most of a residency, and 160,000 miles of commuting! But, we both have to say, 'ooo lala!' This new truck is a beauty

Taco Bell

2010-12-22T10:02:00.003-05:00

this story is just too cute not to document! Quinn, Lexsie and I were out running many Christmas errands and we decided not to just get taco bell for lunch, but to actually go in (ahh the freedoms I'm starting to enjoy!) so we go in and I place the order. We sit down and I pull out Quinn's soft taco. He looks at me with that pouty face and sad eyes only Quinn can pull off, shrugs his shoulders and says, 'mom, I wanted a crunchy taco.' To which I reply, 'sorry buddy I messed up you'll just have to eat that one.' He eats his nachos and then holds out his hand and says somewhat disgruntled, 'give me some money. I 'll go get my crunchy taco.' Of course this is all done very sweetly, not in the least bit ornery. So I give him a dollar and remind him to talk loud enough for the cashier to hear. He marches up and gets in line between two 6 foot tall men, like he is also 6 feet tall, tells me to sit down, that he can do it himself, and then starts giving me the wink - you know the head nod with a blink that only a 3 year old can pull off. He gets to the counter puts his money on the table and shouts, 'HARD TACO WITH NO LETTUCE - PLEASE!' Of course I'm having the hardest time not totally laughing my head off, so is the cashier, the man behind him, and the district manager who happens to be there. Quinn waits for his taco, says thank you and strolls back to the table. This boy, if I could have pulled out my video camera... there is nothing he can't or won't do. As he grows this boy is going to become a man who won't easily take no for an answer - and he'll do it all in such a sweet way, you won't know he got what he wanted despite what you wanted till it's all over.

Where we are...

2010-12-22T09:47:00.002-05:00

Well Craig has been on nights for a bit now (10 days), and after the initial shock of making the transition from days to nights (let's just say grouchy for 4-5 days!) we are finally settling in to this new routine (this was his last night...) Yeah, that's where we are. Get used to one thing to have it change - lets just say my floors are a mess! I just really feel bad vacuuming when anyone is sleeping so right now the only time someone is not sleeping is at crunch time (you know the time the big kids get home from school are doing homework, making dinner, getting to/from activities, little ones are melting because they are ready for sleep - not a good time to clean floors either) ANYWAY, this morning Craig got home a bit early and crawled into bed (while I was still there) and I started laughing because it felt so weird, so we were there chit chatting for a bit (he couldn't sleep because he has now made the change from days to nights) and well I am used to getting woke up 14 billion times a night so whatever, anyway we were taking this time to talk and just be together, when my alarm went off and I had to get up. We had a good 15 minutes of uninterrupted, quality, bonding time. Yes, we are two ships passing in the night. In the mean time he is sleeping and I am not vacuuming and I'll have to wake him in a few hours so he can sleep tonight and make the transition back to days (and be grouchy.) We'll do that for a few days, and then guess what - yep. He's on nights in Jan so we will transition back. This residency stuff is not for the faint of heart, or those who obsess over clean floors.

The World's Best

2010-12-03T15:37:00.005-05:00

SNUGGELER!

Yes, there is no better snuggler. He crawls into bed early in the morning, but not too early, molds him self 'just right' against you and lays really still, then he will place his cute little hand on your cheek and say, 'I lub you, mom.' Totally makes up for all the 'incidents' he seems to be caught in the middle of.

2010-11-22T21:10:00.005-05:00

At school Anna's teacher had each child write a letter to Anna for her birthday telling why she is special. Some of these are not only surprising, but some are repeated in a variety of ways, and then there are the ones that make me very proud!

It's like we're celebrating a big party for you because we are celebrating Thanksgiving too!

You're very good at school subjects.

Anna is nice to everybody. (repeated in some form over and over)

Anna is a great colorer.

Anna is a good spelling person.

Anna is a good dog drawer.

Anna is special at coloring her hair .(not sure what this one means)

She brings a lot of stuff to class. (hmmmm what's getting to school that I don't know about?)

Anna tells the truth. (a proud moment!)

Anna is a special person because she is funny. (I didn't think anyone else got to see this side of her)

She is good in school.

Can you go to my house on vacation? (who is this? LOL)

You are always nice.

You are very quiet.

You always tell the truth.

Your only loud at recess. (It is a rule.)

You always have fun.

You have a lot of friends.

All your friends are girls. (My personal favorite - this guy nailed it on the head. Is he jealous?)

Anna helps other people.

She lets people borrow her stuff.

She draws good all the time.

Anna is smart.

Anna is funny.

She is so sweet.

She helps everyone.

She can make you smile. (true, so true!)

Happy 8th Birthday - Little One.

Yes, I am depressed...

2010-11-14T22:50:00.004-05:00

WHY?
Because when I leave the room to do something like put in a load of laundry I come back to this!
Yes, that is pumpkin bread scattered all over the floor.
Yes, those are magazines shredded into teeny, tiny, little pieces.
Yes, 2 water bottles where emptied all over the floor gleefully.
Yes, clothes where removed.
Yes, puzzles where dismantled and pieces hidden for later discovery.
Yes, the TV is on.
Yes, Halloween Candy wrappers where discovered.
AND Yes, I was only gone downstairs for a moment.
Yes, kids where hiding when I entered the room and gasped.
My gasp was followed by Lexsie pointing to Quinn and saying, 'win did it!'
at the same time Quinn points to Lexsie saying, 'Lexsie did it - I saw her.'
followed by Kaid saying, 'I don't know who did it, I was watching TV.'

And Yes, that is the vacuum in the corner which I had just used and hadn't put away yet so yes, there is proof that I didn't leave the room looking this way - and NO the picture doesn't do the room justice! And Yes, I have no doubt it was my cute, sweet, little mischief duo -

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T13:49:00.010-04:00

At what point does it become cooler for a boy to dress up like a girl, and a girl to dress like a prostitute? Just philisophical questions (as the middle school kids from the neighborhood come trick or treating...)

Personally, I haven't dressed up since 6th grade, but since I was in charge (ok - took charge) of the trunk or treat at church I felt like I needed to dress up. And Craig was post call... just kidding - a mad scientist! You should have seen the trunk he decorated... he won the prize for creepiest!

Quinn the Fire Breathing Dragon!

Lexsie the cha-cha girl. (Who never stood still!)

Batman - and those boots absolutley did not come from the girl section (of our too small, waiting for the next child to grown into them box). They totally came from the batman section of the store!

The 'I want a crown that looks like real diamonds not those fake, cheap things,' Queen Anna ~ of course, could she be anything less? Notice she also managed to find some bling for the neck -` nothing to cheap looking!

Socks and Shoes

2010-10-25T12:58:00.002-04:00

How is it that the simple act of getting 4 sets of socks and shoe's on your kids can bring an experienced, hardened mother to tears! Is it the wiggly toes? the readjusting the socks when they are on? the tackling to get them to sit down in the first place? or maybe the melt down over the wrong color? or possibly, just possibly the thing that throws the hardened, experienced mother over the edge... the fact that when they get to school after a 5 minute drive, they are all off again!

The woman you will be...

2010-09-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while in between times of being nearly 12, and social activities, in between times of being totally annoyed with your siblings and worried about you hair you have a moment. This was one on those sweet glimpsed into your future.

From this to that (see next post) and back again

2010-09-23T20:56:00.003-04:00

We were walking through the store and Quinn spotted this white shirt and tie and told me he wanted it. 'Why?' I asked. 'Because dad has one,' he answered. I tried to talk him out of it because I thought there was no way this 3 year old boy would keep a tie on the entire 3 hour block of church, I tried to talk him into spider man, bat man - one of those sure thing purchases... nope this was the shirt and tie (except for the small fact that the 4T didn't begin to fit around his football playeresk neck! and I had to exchange it for a size 5 and roll up the sleeves.) What a young man!

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

2010-09-23T20:49:00.002-04:00

School Starts

2010-09-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

As much as I didn't want my kids to start school last year - I wanted them to start this year! I don't know what it was... but I was ready to let them move on. Anna started on Monday. And came home very happy and confident (a first for her). Kaid started Tuesday and came home very happy and confident (a relief). And Quinn started Wednesday and came home begrudingly (because I wouldn't let him drive.)

Bekah Back to school

2010-09-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

I just realized that most of you would be unaware of where Bekah is. She chose to live with her dad for this school year. A tough decision for me. But Bekah has been wanting to do this for a couple of years and I felt very strongly that this was the time to let her spread her wings. I don't really like to talk about it, but it is what it is. Of course I miss her, and of course I hope that she will want to be back here with us, but she felt strongly that she needed to try this and I felt strongly that I should let her. She actually started school two weeks ago and is doing well. I did talk her into letting me buy her one new school outfit before she left, and no those are not plastic pants, though that is what they appear to be in the picture!

Low Blow

2010-09-19T23:33:00.002-04:00

It must have been a day. It seems I have plenty of them lately, but Kaid looks at me all innocent and in his sweet little voice says, 'hey mom how come you sound like the yelling teacher at recess?' Nothing like a sweet observation to stop you in your tracks!

Birthday Parties

2010-09-11T23:27:00.000-04:00

I have to admit I managed to throw some mean birthday parties this year. While I am typically a planner July and August snuck up on me and so did Lexsie's, Kaid's, and Craig's birthday's ! BUT I managed to pull off some totally awesome parties. For Lexsie's I called up my mother in law and asked if we could do a family thing at her house... I know, I am good. It was fabulous. We had Dora the Explorer accessories thanks to Grandma Sandy and Craig and I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart for presents (that we could take home on a plane). And Lexsie was thrilled! Just watch the video below for proof!

Kaid had a huge end of school year party, and between a trip to Missouri and Craigs work schedule his birthday kind of got swept under the rug. So the plan was to go to the science center with Craigs parents for the day and then have Cake that night. I texted his best friend the night before to see if they were up for a party starting about 8 pm the next night. Luckily Heber's mom is very forgiving of my mad birthday party planning skills and let Heber come. Despite my lack of planning the party turned out pretty fun. We ended up with about 10 kids, all their parents, and enough presents to fill a small toy store. I even found some party favors I had stashed away. Notice the awesome wrapping paper! (Painters tape and white paper) I know mad party planning skills!

And last of all was Craigs birthday. This man always says he doesn't want a fuss, but deep down inside he wants big presents and a lot of fuss! So I thought I'd keep it casual and let the kids plans something simple. CHUCK - E - CHEESE! That's what it started as. Then we decided a new set of golf clubs (because his were so old that people were embarrassed to golf with him) which led to a treasure hunt to find all the golf clubs, which led to clues written on each child's stomach in permanent marker which led to each child hiding at a different friends house, which led to hitting a bucket of balls at a driving range which led me to texting his work friends and inviting them to CHUCK - E - CHEESE which I think ended in a lap dance? At least that is what the pictures look like! And so all of Craigs friends and all the kids friends ended up celebrating at Chuck's which was surprisingly fun because as it turns out all of Craigs work friends wanted to go to Chucks but never had a reason that wouldn't make them look like creepy people.

So now the parties are over and I am truly impressed with what I managed to pull off the night before the big days, and so glad I don't have to do it again for another year!

2010-09-06T17:06:00.003-04:00

There has been a spree of vandalism at our house.

The preferred tool of choice: chalk

The culprit I discovered lurking around our house...

2010-09-02T21:31:00.002-04:00

Quinn kept trying to ditch Lexsie this afternoon and she was not happy being left behind, so I finally asked him what was going on? Couldn't she just sit by him? To which he pointed to his shirt and said, 'hey no gils!'

Joy Ride

2010-08-31T15:23:00.005-04:00

The Guilty Party

You wonder about those parents... now, I am one. I had started getting the little kids outside to go run errands, but lexsie needed to go potty so I stopped to take her. About the time I was getting ready to head out the door I hear the neighbor yell, 'call 911.' My first thought was that it was one of the construction workers across the street using the saw I could hear. Then I saw a green suburban in the neighbors yard. It took a few seconds to realize that was MY suburban. My next thought was 'Quinn.' I yelled to Craig (who was sleeping) still not sure what the problem was but thinking at this point Quinn had been run over. I see my neighbor jumping into the front of my car, I grab lexsie and take off after Craig. After all of our hearts stopped racing... we concluded that Quinn had gotten my car keys, put them in the ignition, turn it on, managed to push the break and pull down the gear shift to put it into neutral. Then he rolled backwards down our driveway, jumped our curb (which is about 6 inches tall - and has stopped me more than once) backed into the next door neighbors house which left only a small scratch, started going forward, went up a small embankment over the road, missed a huge boulder, made it between the two houses and stopped just before hitting a utility pole. The more I think about it the more amazed I am. Quinn is fine. The car is fine. The house is fine. The construction workers are fine. Quinn told me I was taking too long and that he wanted to go. Even though it has been several hours... I am still shaking! Thank goodness for everything being OK. Thank goodness for our neighbors, thank goodness Craig was home (not sure I could have handled this one alone) and thank goodness for Heavenly Father watching out for this little guy! And now that a day or two has passed - wish me luck with this boy as a teenager!

Does he look guilty?

What a week!

2010-08-31T15:15:00.005-04:00

3 first days of school. Including a very nervous kindergartner, meetings with every teacher for some reason or another, church meetings, saying goodbye to my sister, med wars, birthday parties, long weekends with out Craig, escaping guinea pigs, oh and Quinn took the suburban for a joy ride.

Needless to say it was so wild that even Craig told me to go drink a mt. dew and take a nap! (which is kind of ironic - because caffeine and naps don't really mix for most people!)

The pictures say it all

2010-08-25T22:55:00.003-04:00

Q: of course I'll wait. You're screeching loud enough to get my attention.

L: I'm coming big brother, you're the best!

L: SUCKER!

L: Kicking his rear!

L: Watch this trick

L: Ha ha still kicking your rear!

L: Seriously, this time I'm waiting.

Commitment

2010-08-25T22:52:00.002-04:00

We have lived here for 2 years. And 2 years ago I bought this towel rack and hung it on the bathroom door. I was trying it out, to see if I would really use it, if I really liked it. I think it is time to commit and take the tags off. Do you think I am rushing into things?

Bekah Logic

2010-08-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

Bekah: 'do you want to know why I picked out this book?'

Me: 'the story line? the author? it's a mystery?'

Bekah: ' no, because it smells good, like a brand new book in a kindergarten classroom.'

2010-08-12T22:54:00.007-04:00

This summer we took a quick trip to Missouri to see Craigs parents. We fit a lot of things into a short trip, and then left the kids behind and came home with out them! Hmmmm, it was a good time, and the kids had a blast!

Grandma Sandy taught the girls (and neighbor girls) how to make fondant flowers for their cupcakes. They had so much fun and the flowers looked professional, and of course they each had their own unique style! By the way, this is a skill that they never would have been introduced to if not for Grandma. (Thank You!)

We went to a wild animal park - one of those small, family type of deals, and the workers asked for help. Boy did Bekah jump in. He could of had her working all day feeding animals (for free labor!)

Lexsie really got a kick out of feeding the animals out of her hand. She was by far the most brave... or in others words really had no idea they could bite her tiny little fingers off.

We did a drive through and had the opportunity to get up and close with the camel. Let's just say these guys are a little aggressive!

Quinn was like the little shepard boy walking up and down the fence, and the whole heard followed him up and down the fence. There was one tiny little kid (ya know baby goat) that could get out through the fence so Quinn and the kid started having rock climbing competitons. Quinn was giggleing and the kid played along!

Next on our list was Fantastic Caverns, the only 'drive through cave' in the country. This place had a lot of history. It was discovered by a dog, explored by a group of women, served as a distillery for a little moon shine business, functioned as a KKK meeting place, then a 'speak easy', theater, and finally it is what it is today. A money making tourist attraction!

Grandpa took the kids on morning walks to and around the garden. Their garden was in much better shape than our garden! So the kids had fun picking the vegtables as opposed to pulling weeds which is all that is available in our garden.

Friends

2010-08-12T09:37:00.008-04:00

I was reflecting on each of my children yesterday and came to some conclusions.

Bekah = everybody wants to be her friend she is so fun and spunky

Anna = really couldn't care less how many friends she has - one good friend is all she needs

Kaid = makes friends easily, anywhere

Quinn = there is no person out there who isn't already his friend

Lexsie = brothers and sisters make the best of friends.

2010-07-30T00:53:00.003-04:00

One of the things I love about you is that I can demand a big hug and a big kiss and wave obnoxiously, I can make a huge production as I tell you good bye and then you do the same back! - but when I'm gone you turn around and walk away and start playing without a fuss! Not just any kid is that self assured. thanks.

2010-07-29T23:43:00.013-04:00

Kaid my little man - 6 is big. You may not want it to be, you may not 'still want to go to school.' But, the fact of the matter is you are getting big. You have grown and matured so much in the last few months I hardly recognize you. You continue to be sweet and kind, the kind of kid everyone wants to hang with, but there is a maturity to you in the way you take care of your little brother and sister, in the way you talk to me and reason with me, in the way you spent a whole week away from me with Grandma and Grandpa, in your willingness to do what I ask you to without complaining. Yesterday you were 5, but today you are 6. No longer my little man - turning into my big man! I love you (my little) big man!

The Plan

2010-07-29T23:05:00.002-04:00

To Totally Get Dad!

Backfired!

Anna, Help!

Somehow Grandpa ended up in the middle of the plan.

The Plan... on the loosing end!

The terrible 2's in full force!

2010-07-29T22:24:00.001-04:00

Zoo Trip

2010-07-25T17:04:00.005-04:00

So yes, we went to the zoo and the conversation in the parking lot on the way in went something like, 'should we take the double or single stroller? Maybe we shouldn't bother at all. We are just about past that phase. But we want something to carry all our stuff so definitely a stroller.' My pick - the single. Craig's pick - the double. My comment, 'well if we take the double the only person who will ride in it is Anna.' Now the proof.Notice the two smallest children walking! Ahh Anna everytime...

2010-07-16T21:37:00.004-04:00

Lexsie - in no time at all you are two! Where oh where did the time go? I knew I wanted you to be my baby as long as possible but you bulldozed into sleeping all night, doing the stairs, bulldozed your way out of a crib, out of diapers and into a big kid! Since you were willing to do all these things without my prodding I guess I had to let them happen, but sigh... you are now two, a beautiful, independent, sassy, smart, turn-it-on, turn-it-off-fit-throwin', Lego-building, baby-doll toting two year old whom we all love and adore! Happy Birthday Monkey! And just for the record these pictures make you look all sweet and girly - but the truth of the matter is - you are a fire cracker!

blast from the past

2010-07-13T00:02:00.002-04:00

Kaid with his newly earned yellow belt! Good Work Buddy!
Lex had had enough of church so she just plopped down against the wall - I was cracking up!

Dig In

2010-07-12T23:56:00.002-04:00

OK, so this time the kid saw the watermelon on the counter and told Craig he wanted some, Craig said, 'not right now.' So Quinn climbs on the counter gets a knife and wants to cut it himself, of course Craig stops him and tells him, 'not right now.' So Craig is sitting on the other side of the room watching as the wheels in Quinn's head begin to turn, (and anyone who has observed Quinn knows you can practically see the thoughts coming out of his head - his face is so expressive you always know what he is thinking!) but before Craig could stop him, Quinn pushed the watermelon on the floor to break it open. Ingenious or naughty?

Finally - after 2 years we are taking full advantage!

2010-07-12T23:12:00.001-04:00

No not of the tube... the boat! We got it out of storage and now we can hardly stand to miss a sunny, non-18 hour work day! The lake is like bath water and the (very intense) swim lessons are paying off! As of this week we have 4 kids who can swim, and one who isn't afraid of the water and 3 that will knee board! Yippee! Anna was knee boarding and had been on so long we were telling her to let go of the rope (so she would fall in) so she let go, and just kept on riding, she had such good balance that she shrugged her shoulders and finally took hold of the rope again. Eventually, we had to just stop the boat...
Quinn is jumping off the boat and into the lake - every time we're not looking.

Lexsie has learned the fine art of using the bathroom on a boat. It took a lot of convincing as we have been telling her for weeks not to go in her pants (and she hasn't) then all of a sudden we are telling her to put her bum in the water and go in her pants. Hmmmmm.

Kaid has blossomed this summer. From not even wanting to put his head in the water to swimming with no life jacket and getting out on the knee board in the middle of a big lake by himself. Way to go dude!

Bekah has turned into a bathing beauty. I'm not sure, but it seems over night she is carrying herself differently, and acting very much the teenager - I'm really not sure I'm ready for this kind of thing! Besides, I really don't think I qualify in years to have a child who acts this way!

I won't bore you with all the knee boarding video, but I am so proud that all the big kids gave it a good ole' try.

Does the Rider look like his ride?

2010-07-12T23:07:00.002-04:00

2010-07-01T20:36:00.002-04:00

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

OK, click on the link and watch for the family half way through, with kids crawling on the table. Been there, done that. Too much! This time I wasn't crying out of frustration however, they were tears of sympathy and joy - a joy that if they put it on the church website, it must not be just me and it must not be as bad as I thought!

2010-06-26T15:13:00.002-04:00

Today during prayers, Quinn blessed 'kaid, lexsie, anna, mom, dad, bekah, kaid, anna, mom, dad, bekah, quinn, spiderman, and dummy-head.' So I guess some of the good stuff is sticking.

A Sad State of Affairs

2010-06-23T09:43:00.005-04:00

Today Craig has off, the entire day - no classes, no residency, no moonlighting, no obligations. So we are standing there this morning and craig says (with a certain amount of doubt - like this can't be right), 'are you sure I'm not supposed to work anywhere? I don't have to be anywhere?' Ahhhhh, to have a day off... Will he adjust to life after residency?

Boys are made of dirt, and snails and puppy dog tails!

2010-06-19T22:37:00.006-04:00

I can dress her up in cute little dresses, put pink little bows in her pig tales, but under it all she is convinced she is a 4 year old boy!

Helmets and swords with grass stains to boot.

Pirate Parties and slip-n-slides that most 1 year old's would run from crying.

Peeing standing up (not pictured - but it has taken a lot of convincing that she must sit down!)