Which Butt?

Monday ~ The Best Day Of The Week

2012-01-30T13:46:00.004-06:00

I love Monday, because is means the weekend is over. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to every weekend, but.......I'm one of those people that needs a schedule. Monday means we get to start our weekly schedules again.

I'm quite happy to say goodbye to my hubby. Then I spend a quiet hour before the fire with my bible and coffee cup in hand.

I breathe a sigh of relief when the big kids board the bus & Kaia and I can fly off to the community center in town. She gets to play with other kids and I get to workout with their mommies. I love my Bodyflow class. I love to stretch out my kinks, to move with the music, to feel strong, to catch up with all the regulars.

After that, I enjoy the time I have with Kaia before she heads to my friend's house for the afternoon. Yep, I get a break on Monday's from the mom I trade babysitting with! Kaia and I might head to the library or just putter around home together. Whatever we do we're both happy to know that she will be leaving soon.

After she leaves I get to shower with no one barging in and asking question after question. Then I get to choose something to wear other than my typical mom uniform. After that I get to make myself a nice lunch and to eat it in a quiet home. The little things bring such bliss.

Next, I go to Ayla's classroom. She always greets me with a cry of, "Mamaaaaa" with arms thrown wide open, just waiting for a hug. Some of her friends greet me this way too. It's nice to feel wanted and needed. I'm sure the days of that kind of reception are numbered.

When I'm done there I come home for another quiet hour to do paperwork (uninterrupted) or update my blog (uninterrupted) or to make a long overdue phone call to a friend (uninterrupted). See the pattern here? It doesn't matter what I do as long as I can do it without being interrupted.

Next, I go to Micah's classroom. He doesn't greet me with a hug anymore, but he always looks happy to see me. I love this time to interact with him and the kids we've gotten to know over the past 5 years. After that I walk back to Ayla's room. Each time I am surprised that she is so excited to ride home with me. Her brother? He chooses to ride the bus. Even when I'm there to bring him home.

We go pick up the babysitters daughter at one of the other schools in town. She is just as excited as Ayla to skip her bus ride home. I love the way her face lights up when she spots our truck in the pick-up line. Then, I surprise the girls with a snack and smile at their silly talk and giggles all the way to her home.

Next, I get my baby girl who I've actually begun to miss. Her constant stream of chatter is welcomed after having the afternoon off!

Then home to prepare supper. It's my time to flit from the kitchen to the dining room where the kids are doing homework and always need help.

After supper we have some time to veg out in front of the fire with the kids, to read to them, to let them read to us. Finally, we put them to bed and spend some time alone. Often, we enjoy the stars from the hot tub. Nothing is better on these cold nights.......Yes, Monday is my favorite day. What's yours?

Skating

2012-01-23T16:29:00.003-06:00

In the beginning.

At the end of the night!

Goodbye

2012-01-23T16:23:00.002-06:00

We miss you already!

Baby Shower

2012-01-23T16:06:00.003-06:00

Isn't she the cutest thing?

We played this really fun game where we got to make babies out of play dough. Can you guess which one is mine? I have to admit that I thought I was pretty funny. I even won a prize, but I can't tell you the category. That sorta gives it away.

Winter Break

2011-12-31T13:23:00.005-06:00

We have had a very quiet break so far. No big storms. No snow at all in fact. Yet. Maybe tonight they say. Lots of cancelled plans due to the flu. We haven't gotten it. Yet. I really hope we don't ~ had enough of that last year!

We managed to play at Chuck E. Cheese with Grandpa Mike and Uncle Seth. We also had some nice quiet days with Grandma Tina at her house.

While in Iowa we snuck in a quick visit with Auntie Shari & Grandma Mary!

So, we haven't been terribly busy, but as I watch the kids swimming & laughing together in the hot tub I feel like that's just fine.

Extremely Random And Oh So Funny

2011-12-13T16:56:00.004-06:00

I'm referring to Ayla's letter to Santa. I found it in her backpack and totally cracked up. Click the photo to make it bigger & you should be able to read it all. Enjoy!

Another Girls Weekend

2011-12-13T15:14:00.002-06:00

Here is a photo of my drool worthy breakfast from Snooze. What you see are seasoned hash browns, honey smoked salmon on bacon-jalapeno spoonbread, topped with a poached egg, cream cheese hollandaise and chives. Mmmmmm, my stomach is growling just thinking of it. Not shown, but also consumed are the best pancakes I've ever eaten. I can't describe them. Look at the website & if you're ever in Colorado look for Snooze!

We were lucky enough to have a couple of other ladies join us for part of the time, but up above is the core group of 37's. We didn't even realize it until we got together, but we were all born in 1974. If we get together between 3 certain months we are all the same age at the same time!

I didn't take many photos, because we walked everywhere & my camera is large & bulky. The other photos I have I won't share. They are of us lounging in bed & relaxing in the rooftop hot tub. Our time was spent walking, window shopping, eating really good food, taking a night-time sleigh ride, half a day at the spa, talking, drinking coffee & did i mention the FOOD? It was awesome. All of it. Looking forward to 40!!

Thankful Times Three

2011-11-25T08:24:00.003-06:00

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

I love this photo.

I love these three.

And I am so thankful that I'm their mother.

Here Comes The Snow

2011-11-19T12:58:00.004-06:00

Our first light dusting of snow. Yee haw!

Here's some proof that my son is a 4th grader. He's too cool to dress warm.

Kaia on the other hand couldn't wait to put her snow pants on. I caught her stripped down to her underwear putting on her outerwear!

Little Helpers

2011-11-13T13:04:00.003-06:00

I love this photo. Two of our three brown eyed helpers.

The other brown eyed girl was banished to her bedroom. For what you might ask? Being sassy, what else? 7 1/2 is the sassy age. 9 1/2 is the distracted age. 3 is the adorable, annoying, hilarious, naughty & sweet age.

We are trying to teach them to help. We're starting to make progress. I've noticed they immediately clear the table after supper now. They all like to help outside. Stacking wood is fun somehow. We're still working on the morning routine, but making progress. It's all good.

This And That In October

2011-11-04T16:46:00.004-05:00

Why oh why must we stand here and smile? We need to get candy!!

OK, fine. Here's a smile. Kind of. Can we go now?

While the kids carved pumpkins I decided to bake some of my pie pumpkins. I cut this one open and found a ready made jack-o-lantern!

On one of my babysitting days the baby woke up while I was making supper and started fussing. When I had time I went to relieve Micah and found him doing his homework AND holding the baby. Maybe we should have had a 4th child!

Baby Mania

2011-10-14T10:49:00.004-05:00

Poor Mama Mel

Six girls lined up and ready to hold her baby. Mel will be glad when Ina's baby is born as it will take a bit of attention off of her. Kaia is already saying, "Pretty soon I will hold the baby in Ina's belly." Pretty soon as in about 4 months! Assuming the new parents will even be comfortable with Kaia holding their precious bundle!

Mama's Little Helper

2011-10-14T09:56:00.002-05:00

We get so much work done around here.

Don't you wish you had one of these to "help" you pack! Daddy just can't understand why the house looks so bad when we stay home all day working! Any ideas to help me enlighten him? Feel free to share.

Mismatch And Crazy Hair Day

2011-10-14T06:43:00.003-05:00

She outdid herself again this year!

I had fun making her hair crazy. It's hard to convey just how crazy it was with a photo. She was actually a little nervous about getting on the bus this year. Her brother? Two different colored socks just isn't photo worthy!

Soccer 2011

2011-10-11T13:37:00.004-05:00

I think this was Ayla's favorite part of soccer, sitting on the sidelines. I'm not entirely sure she'll want to do it again next year.

Kaia with the best seat, on grandpa's shoulders.

Next year will be his last year with community ed. soccer. After that is the travelling team which means more practices and travelling. It really bugs me how early kids are hyper-focusing on a sport these days. Parents complain about how busy they are, but they seem to forget that they do have a choice in the matter. So far we've made the very unpopular decision to keep our kids mostly unscheduled ~ just not sure how long we'll keep that up........Anyway, didn't mean to turn this into a rant, but while we're on topic how do you feel about kids and sports?

Special Visitors

2011-09-20T14:23:00.003-05:00

Your visitors are indeed special when you are sad to see them leave after a week and a half in your home!

Pat, pat, pat. Don't ya love the bump?

Todd's new ride.

Our Baby Is Three!

2011-09-20T13:16:00.005-05:00

Snapshots of her day of all days. It's so fun the first time a child is aware of and excited about their birthday.

Trying to hold up 3 fingers.

Auntie Julie said she couldn't come & then showed up to all the kids' delight.

Holding "her" baby, with Mama Mel keeping close watch.

Getting help blowing out the candles.

Present time was very exciting for all the girls.

She loved the clothes as much as the toys. Yep, she's a girl all right!

A Fourth Grader, Second Grader And The One Stuck At Home

2011-09-20T11:21:00.002-05:00

Micah: 9 1/2, starting 4th grade

Ayla: 7 1/2, starting 2nd grade

A new year begins.

Kaia: almost 3 and not thrilled to be left behind

The Kitty Who Was Loved Too Much

2011-09-20T09:53:00.003-05:00

You are looking at a match made in heaven.

This kitty is quite needy. Kaia is quite fierce in her need to show love. The other kitty? Not quite so needy. If ever Kaia confuses the two (they are both gray) she soon has scratches to show for her mistake.

Final Sumer Post

2011-09-19T13:17:00.004-05:00

We made it to the zoo!

Micah started reading cookbooks to pass the time. Now I rarely need to make dessert or pancakes. Here he is before his Saturday morning soccer game preparing breakfast for the whole family!

Next up on this blog;

Some photos and posts from my new camera and new photo program posted on my new computer!! It's a gorgeous day, but I am sitting inside determined to make some progress on learning how to use my new stuff. I just might be able to make this blog interesting again.

Part Three

2011-08-26T17:17:00.002-05:00

Eating watermelon with a bowl for spittin' seeds into close by.

Wearing a swim suit all day.

Grilling most every night. This night my mom manned the grill and I got a massage. Doesn't get much better than that.

The kids lived under or near the willow tree these past few months. One of their favorite past-times was making whips out of the branches & then pretending to sell them!

Summing Up Our Summer Part Two

2011-08-26T15:49:00.003-05:00

Free concerts at the Heritage Center.

Laying a beloved pet to rest.

Reading, reading and more reading.

Swimming with Lexie. I'm amazed at how much use we got out of this little pool. I think it's time to start budgeting for a bigger one!

Saying Goodbye To Gramps

2011-08-26T12:32:00.004-05:00

Grandpa Pat was cremated and wished to have his ashes scattered at the golf course he had been a member of. That day was fun and sad. Very surreal. However, we all felt like it turned out exactly the way Gramps wished.

The grand kids sang the Star Spangled Banner to start off his memorial service. Also very fitting. The last time we saw him alive was on the fourth of July. That afternoon the kids sang America The Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner. Gramps sang right along with them. I'm so glad our last memories with him were special ones. So glad that he had a good day that day. (This was the kids' practice version before the service started. So you'll have to listen to me & Auntie Jo chatting a bit)!

Here we are at Fort Snelling with Gramps' one remaining brother and his nieces and nephews.

Summing Up Our Summer Part One

2011-08-26T12:23:00.002-05:00

Popsicles and.......

Parades

Summer Blogging Break

2011-08-19T06:41:00.002-05:00

After gramps died in July I just didn't feel up to blogging. I really didn't mean to pause for this long, but here we are. One day soon (really) I plan to do a bit of updating. My future goal is to blog at least twice a week. Yesterday my dear hubby surprised me with a new camera and I'm thinking that was the kick in the butt I needed to get my hobby back on track. Now, I just need to find the time to learn how to use the thing!

Staycation

2011-06-28T17:43:00.003-05:00

I've been hearing that term everywhere lately. It seems staycations are all the rage these days. People must be looking at the economy & their pocketbooks & deciding that there are plenty of fun things to do a bit closer to home.

Last year we were exploring North Carolina at this time. This year we decided to explore our own backyard.

We spent a couple of days working on our honey-do lists and a couple of days camping. We already live in the country and like to hike and barbecue and have campfires. And yet, this camping trip was so wonderful & relaxing even though we didn't do anything out of the ordinary. It's just nice to be able to relax & have fun without noticing the weeds that need to be pulled & the lawn that must be mowed. It was well worth the $100 we spent on camping.

Shhh, don't you know we're trying to relax here?!

Missing Tooth

2011-06-27T16:56:00.003-05:00

Missing in more ways than one. Apparently it got thrown in to the school garbage at lunch time. I guess it was on her lunch tray. I really don't understand this as she pulled it out while waiting for the bus that morning. I gather that it was quite traumatic as both the school principal and the custodian offered to look through the garbage for her at the end of the day. Hmmm.....maybe her not exactly quiet crying had something to do with that promise. It's been over 2 weeks and the tooth fairy seems to have been forgotten this time....

5K

2011-06-27T16:09:00.004-05:00

We made a quick trip up to Duluth during the Grandma's Marathon weekend. I took videos of all our runners, but no photos. Here are a couple of our group at the 5k the night before the big race.

Micah ran his first 5k in 30 minutes! He said he could have easily run twice that distance. I suggested he do another 5k & try to beat his time. He said one more 5k & then he's moving on and up.

Family Days

2011-06-26T18:59:00.006-05:00

Craig's dad has been having a lot of bad days with his diabetes. We've been seeing family a lot the past while when visiting him.

The Connelly men on one of gramps' good days.

Auntie Jenny flew in and spent many days with her dad. The day after school was out we hopped in the car & drove & she hopped into her car & drove. About two hours later we met up & spent the day together.

Early Start

2011-06-26T18:17:00.002-05:00

The poor kids had school until June 9th this year! We rebelled and pulled them out a couple of days their last week. First we went to Milwaukee and then we spent two nights in a condo on Lake Michigan.

My childhood buddy Jackie let us barge into her beautiful apartment for the weekend. She fixed us nice meals & even had toys for the kids to play with. Micah chastised me for waiting until he was 9 to go visit Jackie!

Our resort had a water park. I bet the kids liked that the best, but I loved the fact that we were right on the beach. It was 102 degrees back home at that time, but sunny & refreshingly cool on the beach.

Ahhh, vacation. What's not to love?

First And Last

2011-06-26T17:35:00.004-05:00

Chad Rich Patrick: 16
Kaia Rose: 2

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

2011-06-26T17:10:00.003-05:00

All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back

Ah, this brought back some memories.

In this fast moving world it's nice to know that not everything has changed. It was reassuring to see my daughter enjoying the same simple rhyme that I used to enjoy on my bus rides home. Thirty years ago, but lets not talk about that.

How lucky she is to have so many girl cousins. It's even better that they are now only a 4 hour drive away.

This photo makes my heart sing.

How To Catch A Chicken

2011-05-21T11:01:00.003-05:00

~ Approach in a stealthy manner.

~ Make a sudden lunge.

~ Blindly grab.

This method works, but only if the chicken wants to be caught.

Friends

2011-05-13T16:25:00.000-05:00

Cousins

2011-05-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

Pointless

2011-05-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

Caged

2011-05-13T16:18:00.000-05:00

Fashionista

2011-05-13T16:12:00.000-05:00

Away From Home

2011-04-14T14:16:00.004-05:00

Someone wanted proof that I escaped to St. Louis for the weekend. I must admit that my camera was very intimidated by the big shots surrounding it. So much so that little Sony Cyber-shot could scarcely be coaxed out of his bag.

Can you see why? Look at the sophisticates that surrounded him.

Shannon. Love this expression. I'm thinking someone must have said something silly. Imagine that.

The arch shot cropped for easier identification.

Beautiful. Incredible. Amazing. The arch. The weather. The trip. My friends.

Remember When.......

2011-03-29T12:21:00.003-05:00

.........I said that it's OK if I don't let Kaia swim with the big kids? Well apparently I didn't really release my guilt over that one. This morning she saw me getting the swim bags ready. Then she very firmly stated, "I'm going swimming, because I'm not scared of the water. I'm NOT Mom!" While her tone of voice was self-assured her expression was heart-breakingly hopeful.

Cardio schmardio. Tonight I'll be swimming with my two year old and that's OK.

Micah's Birthday; Waaaay Past Bedtime

2011-03-24T20:49:00.002-05:00

I'm not really sure why I was lying on the bed photographing the kids at 9:45 last evening.

Maybe it's because you only turn 9 once.

Even though we were all tired this morning I'm glad I stayed up to get this photo. It somehow just captures our life right now.

Perfectionism = Guilt

2011-03-21T14:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we had some lovely company, but I have no photos to prove it. (guilt, guilt, guilt) We have a guest book, but I didn't get it out & require a signature. (guilt, guilt, guilt) However there is one particular conversation we had that has been circling around in my mind. It was the one about perfectionism and how it stops us. One way it stops me is here on my blog. I've had a blog idea in mind for quite a while. Since I haven't gotten around to making it more than an idea I've neglected my poor little blog. I've also neglected any readers I may still have. (guilt, guilt, guilt) I'm going to go out on a limb and do a different post. I'll attempt to let go of some perfectionism and banish some guilt!

- It's OK if most of the food I cook doesn't come from this cookbook. I do cook every night after all. That has to count for something.

- It's OK if I am occasionally impatient with my kids. I just need to stop making a habit of it.

- It's OK if I text and email certain friends and family more than I call them. I just want to pick up the phone once in a while. Preferably not while driving.

- It's OK if I spend more time cooking and cleaning than playing with Kaia. After all I'm teaching her how to keep a home and how to be independent. As if she needs help with the latter part!

- It's OK if I play a game with the kids instead of finishing laundry or making the kitchen spotless. After all the work will be waiting for me in the morning.

- It's OK that I'm still eating too much dairy and sugar. I've wanted to do a fast and cleanse for a long time. However I have a certain girls weekend away planned. I'm pretty sure we'll be eating dairy. And sugar. Probably. After that I will do it. Promise. Hold me to it.

- It's OK that I stick Kaia in kid care during the big kids' swim lessons. Sure she'd love to swim with me, but she also loves playing in kid care.

- It's OK that most of our garments are donated to Goodwill after a button falls off. Chances are I can find a replacement at the same place on $1.50 day. With all buttons intact!

- It's OK that I have a chocolate addiction. After all we only have dark chocolate in our pantry. It's health food isn't it? Just don't think I'll tell you how much I consume on an average day.

- It's OK that my kids only bathe once or twice a week in the winter. How dirty can they get inside all day long?

- It's OK that Ayla and I are still reading this book. If it's been renewed too many times all I have to do is return it & check it out again. I just can't say if I've done that more than once.

- It's OK that our Fall clean-up never got done outside. It's more fun to clean in the Spring anyway.

What makes YOU feel guilty? Tell me and I'll tell you why you don't need to feel bad about it.

The Drama Of First Grade (If You're A Girl)

2011-03-04T08:25:00.002-06:00

Last night I managed to get my girls in to the bathtub and nicely washed, dried, brushed and clipped. During that time Ayla's mouth turned on and told me all sorts of interesting facts about life in first grade.

B***** has been really mean lately. She told E*** a secret and guess what it was?

What?

She told E*** that she's sick of me, but that's OK because E*** isn't sick of me. Guess what?

What?

B****** and M** are boyfriend and girlfriend now and that's really weird. He came up to her at lunchtime and asked if she would be his boyfriend. She said yes. It's so weird.....

Why is it weird?

Because she used to not like him, but now I guess she does like him. Love him I mean. Oh, and guess what else?

What?

At recess D**** tried to kill M*****.

At this point the story stopped, because Micah and I started laughing so hard. More than likely this is a location joke. You know, you had to be there. It's just the way she said it with such drama. It was mean to laugh. I might have been able to hold it in if I hadn't caught Micah's incredulous eye.

Ayla, what do you mean he tried to kill her? What on earth did he DO?

He was hurting her and I could tell he was trying to kill her.

As much as this tickled me last night (and still does to a certain extent). It gave me pause today. I started thinking about this particular boy and the picture I've been able to paint of him and his probable home life. The sad fact is that you never know when to take kids seriously anymore when it comes to certain talk and play. When Micah was in kindergarten a boy in his class got sent home from school for bringing used shotgun shells to school. Sigh. I don't really know the purpose of this post. I guess I just want to say that I'm glad today is the last day before Spring break. I am looking forward to us having our kids to our selves for nine days in a row.

And Now She's Seven

2011-02-27T17:02:00.003-06:00

I let Ayla invite five school friends to her birthday party this year. Apparently you have to invite at least ten to get five to show up? Only one girl's parent paid attention to the RSVP portion of the invitation. Luckily she called to say she was coming AND she actually came. We never heard from anyone else.

We called Kaia and Micah into action and were able to play some of the party games we had planned. Kaia wasn't much help actually, but she upped the cuteness factor.

Ayla and Lizzy, the girl who saved the day!

Showing Grandma Mary the boots that Grandma Tina bought.

We tried cupcakes baked in ice-cream cones. They were easy, cute & actually kind of yummy. My kind of baking!

And the gift of the day was the 99 cent jump rope I bought on the spur of the moment. I'm glad my kids are still fairly easy to please!

Up North

2011-02-27T16:43:00.004-06:00

We visited Uncle Walter and Auntie Julie at the beginning of February. The kids were so excited to go ice-fishing for the first time.

She had no idea what was happening, but it had to be fun right?

This is about as exciting as it got. Sit. Eat. Sit some more. Get up & check another hole. Sit. Eat. Move to a different spot. Eat. Loudly whine about how boring ice-fishing is.

We didn't get a single bite, but it was fun to be outside on the middle of a lake in the middle of winter.

It certainly didn't bother this one. As long as she can talk she's happy!

A Broken Vow

2011-02-27T16:27:00.003-06:00

I vowed to be the kind of blogger that blogs a little bit all the time. Instead I've become the kind that does a bunch of updates all at once, but once in a great while. I'm sorry about that. I hope to get back on track soon. Without further ado here is some of what's been going on. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. I have been living, but mostly without my camera in hand!

Here are some of our favorite people in the world. This was a Sunday in January. The day that their oldest daughter began a journey across the world. Skye was fortunate enough to go to China with her grandparents for 3 months! We can't wait to hear more about her travels when she returns.

Love this father/daughter shot.

Cold!!!!

2011-01-20T17:01:00.001-06:00

We Had Too Much Fun!

2011-01-03T13:45:00.007-06:00

Yesterday afternoon found us at the tail-end of vacation and the tail-end of some one's limit. I was seriously cracking up watching her dominating the back seat. With her little fur coat on she was like a miniature matriarch. The little tyrant sat back there & ruled over her two (much older) siblings.

We had busy, full, wonderful, tiring days. I was so busy living that I took very few photos. Unfortunately. The ten nights of vacation found us in other people's beds half of the time. Three of the five nights we were home we had company.

Little bug slept until 9:30 this morning. She was quite dismayed to wake up to an almost empty house. She shuffled through all the rooms looking for fun people to play with only to discover she is stuck with me. Hope you all had a happy new year!

BLARGHHHH!

2010-12-18T16:11:00.003-06:00

Blogger won't let me post my videos of my kids' adorable school programs. The blog post I had in my mind isn't going to work & I don't have the energy to re-think it. Half of our supper company for tonight canceled on us. After I had two roasts cooking & dessert already made. Speaking of dessert we made cookies last night & my kids won't stop asking me for one. Even though I've said no multiple times in multiple ways. They've even resorted to making the poor innocent baby come & ask me. Right now they are upstairs putting everything they find on the floor into a garbage bag. I'm that sick of their mess. I might even go put it in the garbage can when they are done. It wouldn't take much to push me over that edge.

Videos

2010-12-18T10:01:00.002-06:00

Anyone else having trouble uploading videos? The last few times I've tried I've gotten an error message. I'm not doing it any different than I used to. This is very frustrating......

Signs Of The Season

2010-12-10T15:53:00.003-06:00

The gingerbread (high fructose corn syrup) house we made at school today.

Listening to the Christmas carol station.

The Girls Part Two

2010-12-07T11:27:00.002-06:00

The one in the foreground is a holy terror today. I think her goal is to see how many time-outs she can achieve during a days work.

The one in the background really is sick now. When she went to the school nurse yesterday neither myself or the nurse believed her. She proved us wrong after she got off the bus yesterday.

Sigh......

The Girls

2010-12-03T17:34:00.003-06:00

I don't think she's really truly sick. We'll call today a mental health day.

Excuse the crusty nose. I just had to show you her beautiful eyes. I'm in love!

Starting To Fear Food

2010-11-30T20:36:00.005-06:00

A quick overview of the past couple of weeks.

Had some blogging buddies over a few days after my bout with the flu.

Enjoyed a normal Thanksgiving with some good friends.
Then drove down to Iowa to help our relatives work on their new house.
Kaia decided she must get sick in the van 10 minutes from our destination.
We bought a new car seat for her if that tells you anything.

Daddy felt so sorry for his sick baby that he decided he should be sick too.
Here they are camped out on the relatives living room floor on Sunday morning.

The more the merrier right?
He actually ate a little supper, but I think he'll be home again tomorrow.
Four down, one to go.

Goodbye

2010-11-05T16:13:00.003-05:00

The end of October passed in a blur as we had to say goodbye to Craig's grandma. She went to bed on a Saturday night and was never conscious again. Her nine living children were called home. We thought she would go as soon as the last one got there on Monday. She didn't. On Tuesday they brought her home to care for her during her final days. On Saturday afternoon she finally faded away.

It was sad and special & emotionally exhausting. And we were only there a fraction of most days. Not pulling any all night shifts. It was amazing to witness the love her children poured forth during that time. We will miss the special spunkiness of 93 year old great grandma. I hope everyone has someone like her in their lives at one point or another.

The Connelly side of the Schoeller family tree sang a hymn at the graveside service.

Kaia was sleeping during the burial, but she did get in on the practice session at the church. I'm so glad I snapped that photo. It perfectly captured the moment.

Time for a family photo.

We took lots, but somehow I just loved this one in the tree. It's the tree in great grandma's yard. One that many children have played in. It was just fitting that once everyone made it back to the house that the kids were climbing all over it in their funeral best.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T15:56:00.004-05:00

I got to go to Micah's class party. I thought I should bring this cute frog with me.

I imagine that this photo might horrify some people. But, my kids only trick or treated for 30 minutes. They didn't get that much candy. I love to have it out of the house as soon as possible. If that means letting my two year old eat it for breakfast, than so be it.

FYI: Micah was a bow hunter & Ayla was a gypsy. I did take photos of them, but somehow they disappeared off my camera. I think the toddler hopped up on sugar had something to do with that.

Dress Up

2010-11-05T15:22:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen a harmonica playing fairy deer tiger?

Even Kids Like Yoga

2010-11-05T15:13:00.004-05:00

Practicing yoga at home while Ayla is at her yoga class.

Ahhhh........Thursday

2010-10-21T09:46:00.002-05:00

Thursday has become my favorite day of the week. Why? No extra kids. No vision therapy. No errands to run. No workout class that I enjoy (and therefore feel I can't miss). No story time. No kids yoga. No classroom to be in. Nowhere I have to be but right here. In front of my computer awaiting my virtual tea time chat with a bunch of lovely ladies! (We do have swimming lessons tonight, but that is ages away & therefore seems irrelevant at the moment). I can't imagine being busier than I am right now. I'm glad I can see when I'm at my limit! I'll maybe post some photos later today. If I feel like it.

Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2010

2010-10-08T09:50:00.003-05:00

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gail Photography.

We had our first conferences last night. They went as expected. But still.......I just can't shake this feeling I have. A feeling I can't even really name. Disappointment, maybe? I'm not really worried about Ayla and her struggles. When I work with her she can do everything she needs to do. It just takes a bit more time and some extra patience on my part. Her teacher doesn't have the extra time. Her teacher last year didn't have the extra time either. At least I don't think she did. She never noticed Ayla's struggles until I pointed them out to her. Why? Because Ayla knows how to behave herself. She is quiet, obedient & she works hard. Therefore she falls through the cracks. Even now that we know she has problems with vision she falls through the cracks. After all there are several overly energetic kids in her class this year. It's true. I went on a field trip with her class. Mrs. H must be exhausted at the end of every day. She came right out & told us that she doesn't have the extra time that Ayla needs. Could we work with Ayla every night? Can we explain the worksheets she doesn't understand and correct them with her? Yes, of course we can, but.........

I'm glad I have time to focus on my daughter. But I still feel like there is something wrong with this picture. Ayla spends 45 minutes with the reading teacher every single day. Along with 7 other kids from her class. So that teacher has 45 minutes a day with 8 struggling children. Does Ayla fall through the cracks there too. You bet she does. Mrs. S admitted as much to me.

So now what? Ayla loves school. She doesn't share any of the reservations that I have about her teachers. Of course I don't share them with her. Do I just accept things for the way they are? Keep helping her as much as I can here at home? Start helping her teachers by volunteering every week? Like I said I don't mind doing any of this. In fact I am so thankful that I can. That we've decided it's important for me to stay home. That we've chosen to do without some things so that I can. On the other hand I do feel like there is something that is just off when it comes to our school systems & society in general. There isn't an easy solution. So, I will continue to focus on my home and my family. I think it all starts there.

Mis-Match

2010-09-30T13:09:00.003-05:00

It's Homecoming tomorrow night. That means the kids get to have fun with their clothing every day this week. Every day except Monday that is. We were gone Thursday & Friday. That's when the teachers sent home the dress code schedule. So, my kids missed pajama day. There was a bit of weeping & wailing when they got home. I reminded them that I am always a phone call away! Anyways.

This is Micah's idea of being mis-matched. I know. I don't get it either. I think his shoes were on the wrong feet. He assured me he was going to be spectacular this year. Guess he got cold feet at the last minute.

This one has no qualms when it comes to outrageousness. Last year she got voted as the most mis-matched girl in her class. She got to have her picture in the paper. That must be her goal again this year!

Do you like her hair? The funny thing is it looks just like the hairdo's I used to make on my drawings of punk rockers. That was how I entertained myself at about age 11. I never thought I'd be fixing my own daughter's hair that way one day.

Just Because

2010-09-30T11:19:00.005-05:00

It would be a crime not to share these photos. I almost didn't, because I didn't have them. My Aunt took them on her camera & I forgot to download them. Thank goodness the next time she visited she still had them on her camera.

What? Don't you eat your carrots with the garden dirt still on them? Can't get any fresher!

I'm Dreaming

2010-09-17T10:15:00.003-05:00

I'm dreaming about the past when my baby really was a baby!

I'm dreaming of the future. When my baby is done with diapers. I guess I'm a bit bi-polar that way. Maybe that's the way you always feel when you know it's your last baby......

Happy 2nd birthday, sweet "baby" Kaia!

School

2010-09-07T10:29:00.003-05:00

Waiting for the bus.

She finally gets to start.
Hope she doesn't have too many arm flapping moments today.

Summer Is Officially Over

2010-09-01T10:20:00.006-05:00

The big yellow bus returned today. At 8:20 vs. 7:00 a.m. Awesome!

Here's Micah on his first day of third grade. This morning he said, "I must be excited after all. From 2:02 on I kept checking the clock!" He's at the age where he picks out his own clothes. He looks nice & fine, but I'm glad I have two kids left that don't mind my input too terribly much.

This one is currently missing her first day of first grade. She got the chicken pox. I do believe she is past the point of being contagious, but I kept her home anyway. The marks on her face don't seem to be getting better. I don't understand why they are so much worse than the ones on her back. Hopefully I can send her by Friday.

Where Was I?

2010-08-27T13:45:00.005-05:00

For some reason I keep getting an error message when trying to load my video of wacky, wonderful Michelle. I'll keep trying, but in the meantime here's a few more photos from August.

We got kittens! Craig is allergic, but even he was taken in by these two rascals. Plus living out of town means we need some mousers around. I'm glad I took this photo, because a couple of days later the black & white one disappeared without a trace. A few days after that we came home to find the gray one with a mangled paw. Poor kitties ~ maybe we aren't meant to have them!

I love it that she's not afraid to try roller-skating!

Oh & the baby likes to hold other babies.

And rock out with some headphones. Too bad she didn't have these on when she was roller skating. It would have been so 80's.

She can take a bath in the new sink when mommy is too exhausted to climb the stairs & bend over the tub.

Surprise! Kaia isn't in the photo. Like my leaning tower of waffles?

Soggy-bottomed girl. Love this photo.

Summing Up August

2010-08-25T18:53:00.002-05:00

I'm totally lame. I've been in a blogging funk. Enjoying summer, but not blogging about it. Enjoying summer, but in a chaotic sort of way. In one week the kids will be back in school & I am ready. Ready for alarm clocks, supper at 5:30 and kids in bed by 8:00. Maybe I'll even be able to blog a couple of times a week.

Kaia & I were lucky enough to fly to Reno for a short visit with my high school bestie, Michelle. I have a video I'll post later that sums up the wonderful, zany, fun Michelle. Here's a photo of little bug and I at Lake Tahoe. An absolutely beautiful lake unlike any that I have ever seen before. If you ever get a chance to go do it!

While we were in Reno Craig's uncle died. So even though the occasion was sad it was nice to see some family when we got back.

Auntie Julie loves all her kids. Even when they are wiggling & jiggling all over her lap. She always has room for one more!

She thinks she's a little lady. On our trip she entered into the, "I do it" phase. Can you tell she's almost two? Miss Independent right on schedule.

Hanging out with Gramps.

I have more to post, but it's someones bedtime ~ be back soon. (I hope!)

Here Comes The Sun

2010-08-03T17:04:00.005-05:00

Perhaps some of you know that earlier this year we discovered Ayla needs bifocals. After further testing we now know that was just the tip of the iceberg. Starting next Tuesday she will begin a lengthy & expensive form of therapy. Vision therapy. It was a bit of a shock to get her test results & yet it all fit. Her quirkiness makes a bit more sense. We're guessing it may be a somewhat difficult journey but, we are excited at the thought of making a difference for her.

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Kids

2010-07-26T07:53:00.003-05:00

She lost her first tooth
Decided she wanted "short hair"
Hence the bangs
Pictured below: The other two with their 10 cent smartie pops

The Requisite Beach Trip

2010-07-12T21:42:00.004-05:00

Micah did not like salt water in his eyes, but he got braver as the day went on.

Kaia was scared of the crashing waves, but she sure enjoyed the sand and shells.

Ayla was happy with everything until she started to overheat & then she was done. Auntie Jo tells me the beach is a lot more fun if you're staying at a hotel right on the beach. Maybe we can try that next time.

She's a mermaid, can't you tell?

Creating a sand castle.

Life Is Good

2010-07-12T19:17:00.003-05:00

We were in North Carolina for twelve days and I think at least nine of them were 90 degrees or more. Thank goodness for central air & swimming pools. The rellies have an awesome pool in their backyard. Guess where we spent a portion of every day?

Micah, Julissa & Jessia's feets.

Climbing Mountains And Stuff Like That

2010-07-12T14:51:00.003-05:00

The reason why I haven't been blogging for the past two weeks. I have so many photos and stories to share though. I wish I would have blogged a little every day.

Anyway the kids & I flew down to North Carolina and Craig joined us several days later. We just got home early, early Sunday morning.

Uncle Mike had July 5th off so we took a day trip to the mountains. We went to a state park called Hanging Rock. First we had lunch & then went on a hike to see some waterfalls. Next up we went on an easy trail that was supposed to be wheelchair accessible (for Gramps) we had to park him about halfway through however. Next we went to the swimming beach to cool off. Finally we thought we'd go on the one mile hike to see Hanging Rock. Only a mile. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. Thank goodness Craig stayed back with the baby & Gramps. I just about died, but we made it. All of our kids did remarkably well, with hardly any complaining! After that we stopped at a diner & pigged out on some real Southern cooking. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Here's the kids on top of Hanging Rock. Do you think Micah is close enough to the edge? I was having a heart attack, but managed to get this photo anyway.

Mom, I'm Hungry

2010-06-23T14:34:00.005-05:00

Sound familiar? It's the refrain of summer.

Cousins

2010-06-21T14:35:00.005-05:00

They flew in on Tuesday morning. Some of them flew home this morning. The rest fly home next Tuesday. We fly with them. Yay!

We drove up to Uncle Walter & Auntie Julie's house on Thursday. All of our kids (except for the baby) ran races on Friday. Two ran a one hundred yard dash. Two ran a quarter mile. Three ran a 5K.

Saturday Uncle Mike & Auntie Julie ran a half marathon. Great fun was had by all. To be continued.........

Micah

2010-06-10T18:25:00.003-05:00

Summer vacation + Public library card = Blowing through 8 chapter books per week.

Kaia

2010-06-07T14:21:00.003-05:00

She's learning that there is a point to gardening after all.

Mmmmm, sun-warmed strawberries.

Big League Chew

2010-05-30T13:20:00.004-05:00

Sickness.
Canceled plans.
Big League Chew bought during a fit of nostalgia.

It's helping to beat the doldrums. Too bad it can't cure a sore throat.

Laid Back Days

2010-05-18T17:53:00.005-05:00

At least that's what I would call them. Not sure what Todd & Ina would say about these days. All I know is that they are passing much too quickly.

Three dorky guys wearing shorts & white socks. The quality of this photo wasn't affected by shooting into the sun. It was affected by a tiny person's grubby paw prints on my lens. Somehow I like it.

Food And Stuff

2010-05-11T19:13:00.008-05:00

Is it me or does it seem like the cost of food skyrocketed overnight? Granted, I had a little less to spend this past week, but still. $100 later & our fridge looks pretty empty. Anyway, it's actually kind of fun to figure out how to feed everyone with a bit less. At least food doesn't go to waste this way. Tonight I started with about 3 cups of leftover roast & I must say supper was delicious. Here's the recipe I used;

Beef Pot Pie

1/2 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups beef broth
3 cups cubed leftover beef
1 1/2 cups frozen veggies (I used carrots & beans as it's what I had on hand)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
your favorite biscuit recipe

In a medium saucepan, cook onion in butter until onion is tender. Stir in flour and salt until smooth and bubbly. Stir in beef broth. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Add leftover beef, veggies, and parsley; heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding whatever your little heart desires. Pour beef mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Prepare biscuit dough & dollop on top of hot beef mixture. Don't you just love to use the word dollop whenever you get a chance? No? Okay, moving on. Bake beef pot pie at 450° for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with salad & you have a lovely meal using *gasp* leftovers. I'm too frugal to waste food, but I do try to make each incarnation enjoyable & different. It looked yummy too, but I didn't think of taking a photo until it was half devoured. What do you like to do with your leftovers? Any to die for recipes to share?

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The stuff in our life right now is our seemingly never ending bathroom project. The floor is done! I think it's beautiful. Tonight we primed some walls. Now, we just need to decide on the exact shade of paint to use. Maybe, just maybe we can install the toilet & sink this weekend?

We have a wall color in mind, but just for curiosities sake, what color would you choose?

Our Baby

2010-05-04T09:29:00.004-05:00

Is naughty, funny, sassy. In other words absolutely delightful. Most of the time.

Her favorite words are; No, Mine, Stop, SHHHHHH & Bye-bye. Almost always shouted in a sassy manner. Often accompanied by a raised hand. You know, like she is threatening to hit us. She has only uttered one sentence & she says it just about every day. "Pee-yuw, I tinkaaay!" She always says it in context. Potty training should begin perhaps?

It seems we've reached the terrible twos at 19 months. Maybe it's the influence of her older siblings.

Jamie Oliver

2010-04-20T10:03:00.003-05:00

I haven't had time to blog even though I've been wanting to. We were so happy to have our good friends Todd & Ina here for several days. We were so busy relaxing, cooking, eating & catching up that I didn't take one single photo. Luckily they will be back & I can change my slacker ways!

I really enjoyed this blog post about chef Jamie Oliver. He's busy trying to change the way our schools feed our children. I could go on about this subject, but I won't. I'll leave you with this little bit of advice. Eat real food. Cook in your own kitchen. It's really not so hard & actually very enjoyable!

Ready For Anything

2010-04-13T10:31:00.003-05:00

In case you can't figure it out the note says, "I like having my eyeglasses."

As long as her day doesn't include more than mud, rain & wiggly, squiggly letters, she's all set.

Last Weekend

2010-04-10T14:16:00.004-05:00

I wasn't going to post more family photos, but then someone requested some. Then I thought, "Well, it is my blog after all." Then I started remembering that I plan to print out a photo book for every year I keep this blog. It doesn't matter that I'm two years behind. I'll get to it eventually & I'll be glad these photos are ready. Then I decided to Picnik the photos & that was really fun. So in no particular order, I present more family photos.

Running in the dark.

On a treasure hunt.

Flying.

Random silliness.

Playing knock-out.

Walking in the great outdoors.

Catching up on a years worth of lovin.

Driving lessons.

Some aunties, a grandma and a bunch of kids.

Random silliness shot #2.

The whole gang.

8 Is Enough

2010-04-05T15:54:00.003-05:00

Perhaps spending Spring break with the cousins can become an annual tradition. Although seeing each other once a year just isn't enough. Hopefully we can do better in 2010.

I have a lot more photos, but they probably aren't too interesting to those outside the family. I just had to post my favorite from the weekend though. Isn't it precious? We drove to the middle of Michigan for a quick family reunion. We were all together for 2 days. If I'm figuring correctly it's been 5 years since that's happened. Although the time was very short, (and the drive kind of long) I think we can all say that it was more than worth it.

The Things They Say, The Things They Do

2010-03-28T20:58:00.003-05:00

The following is an excerpt from a conversation we overheard this afternoon.

Ayla: (Spoken in a super snotty tone) Micah, you're not the boss. Jesus is.

Micah: No, God is the boss. Jesus is more like back-up. An assistant.

Ayla: God is the biggest person there ever was.

Micah: How would you know that? We can't even see God. He's probably really small. I bet he's smaller than a germ.

Hmmmm, maybe us parents have some explaining to do.

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And here's what the baby has been up to.

If we lose something & it's not in the garbage or the fridge, we may want to check the dishwasher.

How To Have A Birthday Party For An 8 Year Old Boy

2010-03-24T13:05:00.004-05:00

1. Don't invite more than 2 or 3 boys. Unless of course you have nerves of steel.

2. Make sure it's a nice day so you can send them outside to expend energy.

3. If the boys you've invited are in the same class & you also decide to let them ride the same bus home? Realize that they've had all day together to work themselves into an insane frenzy.

4. That said, be ready to relax your standards on what is considered appropriate talk. Be prepared to hear words like; pee, poop, fart & puke. A lot.

5. But don't hesitate to request no burping in public. (Other people were starting to stare.)

6. Give them all gum. That way they can blow bubbles & pop them in each others faces repeatedly. What? It kept them fairly quiet & contained until the pizza came.

7. Take lots of photos. I was too unnerved by all the loud, crazy testosterone to do that & I'm kicking myself now.

Micah & Jacob.

Micah & Jens.

Oh & Amy? Wow. You have four boys. Like every day. I see the need for at least one Mom's weekend per year for you. At least by the time you hit the teenage years. In five years. Is it a date?

This And That

2010-03-11T21:46:00.005-06:00

I don't seem to have time for creative blogging these days. But there are things happening that I want to keep track of. Here's a recent sampling.

Sara, Justin & kiddos paid us a visit last weekend. Here's Ayla forcing Sara to read to her. She likes to do that to anyone who visits. Don't say I never warned you.

Do you know what book I've been reading to the kids? Could you tell at an immediate glance? Oh, this book brings back many happy memories. My mom read it to me. It was the first chapter book I ever read to Micah. Ayla is our long suffering middle child. I don't read to her enough. Hence the reason she forces company to read to her. I've decided to start reading my favorites to the kids again. Micah reads very well on his own now, but I like reading out loud. Plus, some of the stuff he brings home from the school library is a bit dumbed down. I want to continue to influence his reading. There's a lot of junk out there & it's in their classrooms. I guess educators just want kids to read & that's good, but why not read something worthwhile?

Call me weird, but I love this photo that Kaia took. I love her chunky little foot in her cute yellow shoe. I love that you can see the bottom of my shoe as I'm sitting in front of the computer. And I love the fact that much later in the day I found my camera in the office garbage. You never know what you'll find in there these days!

This is what the bedroom/bathroom looked like on Saturday when Justin was helping Craig.

Here's what it looks like right now. That's Aaron N. helping out tonight. For the record, he called & asked if he could come help. I don't know how we're getting so lucky, but we're not going to complain!

We're Making Progress

2010-03-01T21:03:00.003-06:00

The view from our bedroom at the very start of the bathroom mold cleanup/re-modeling project.

The view one week later. I wish I would have taken more photos. I should have done a before photo to show how tiny & very outdated our bathroom was. Some close-ups of the rotten, mold filled boards & sheet rock might have been good also. I guess I was a bit too grossed out.

Here's what Kaia looks like when she's doing her "chap stick laugh". It's this evil/excited little laugh she always does when she manages to get into Ayla's chap stick. I guess it's just as exciting to play on Ayla's laptop when she's at school.

This is my favorite photo from Ayla's birthday. What you see is three unbearably excited girls. The first sleep-over is a pretty big deal for all kids involved!

Bullet Point Birthday

2010-02-26T11:05:00.004-06:00

I'll post more photos later. Hopefully this weekend sometime.

- Ayla got herself up at 6:30 this morning to help me finish decorating her cupcakes for school. For the record, I only let her decorate the extras. I didn't think anyone at school would want to eat frosting applied by a knife that was repeatedly licked clean. Not that they would know, but still. I do have some standards.

- Does anyone else not buy their kids a birthday present? I figure the made to order (almost) cakes, sleepover & general fuss make up for it. Not to mention the fact that they get plenty of gifts from family.

This year we had to have strawberry cupcakes, pink frosting, sprinkles (found some hiding in the way back part of the cupboard) and rings on top. Since there were no rings lurking in the back of the cupboard I drew the line there.

- By the way, those cupcakes? To die for. It's a good thing most of them went to school. I'm thinking they will be even more wonderful come strawberry season.

- It's a good thing birthdays only come once a year. I think that's all the extreme excitement I can handle. I just hope that today lives up to her expectations!

- Here's one more photo from last week's early celebration.

A photo speaks a thousand words, no? I love their expressions.

- In other news, we are now missing the wall between our bedroom and bathroom. It's the result of an extreme mold problem & a suddenly ambitious (read obsessed) husband.

Baby Brains

2010-02-21T14:20:00.003-06:00

Someone has got to figure out a budget around here.

First Birthday Celebration Of 2010

2010-02-21T13:54:00.006-06:00

We know how to make birthdays last. We start celebrating one week before the big day.

500 HUNDRED envelopes! Thanks Uncle Seth. This makes mommy & Ayla happy. No more raiding of mom's supply.

In the dining room AKA: pancake/DS/craft central station.

And for the grand finale a session of "I Bet You Can't Do This"

Only one person got hurt.

A Whole New House

2010-02-12T09:43:00.006-06:00

Inspired by one new chair.

Some dear friends of ours are planning to move & they were nice enough to give us a comfy chair for our living room. I just took this photo & yes that's Craig & yes he's supposed to be at work right now. Unfortunately every February his neck & shoulders seize up to the point that he can hardly move. Poor Craig. Poor me. I had a date night all planned for tonight. Right down to food in the crock pot to deliver to the babysitter! Ahhhh. Anyway, trying to get him into the doctor today. Why does it happen every February? A virus that stays dormant until late winter & then settles in his neck? Hopefully we'll get some answers.

The best part of our "new" house (according to the kids), is the reading nook behind the couch. Even Kaia gets in on the action once the kids are in school. I'm not sure why Ayla had her coat on. Our house was warm, but that night she insisted on wearing her coat to bed. When I realized she was near a meltdown I gave in to the odd request. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to fight them. Wearing her coat to bed didn't hurt anything after all.

Anyway, back to the rearranging frenzy I've been on. The coffee table is now in the kids' playroom. It's the perfect height for them to sit on their knees & spread their board games out on it. The side table is now a bedside table for me. I also moved curtains, plants, books, candles, made another reading nook for the kids at the top of the stairs & got some new photos in frames. So thanks for the chair, Jerry & Darla! It's been an inspiration just like you have been to us all.

Showing My Age Big Time

2010-02-02T11:51:00.002-06:00

This past weekend Ayla's class sang the Star-Spangled Banner at the high school basketball game. (It was as cute as it sounds.) Anyway, wow. Did the guys really look like that when I was in high school? You know, like little boys? We didn't have a clue where we were going once we got to the school. So, I just faithfully followed my husband who found us a seat right between the pep band & all the students. Yep we were the only old folks in our section. It was actually a very entertaining place to sit. I didn't watch the game, because I was too busy teenager watching. At one point I leaned over to Craig & told him I would never, ever live through those years again. Not for a million dollars. It's not like I had a horrible school experience. I didn't. I'm just so thankful those years are behind me. Watching all those boys & girls trying to fit in & figure out who they are was a bit painful to watch. It made me glad my kids are still fairly young. I kind of dread those years for them. I am starting to see the appeal of home schooling more & more. I can only hope I'll eventually have some kind of clue about how to guide them as the days and years go by........

This And That Post

2010-01-21T12:26:00.004-06:00

This is the absolute worst time of year in the Mid-West. You look outside and it seems as if nothing will ever grow & bloom again. Everything feels dirty. Too make things worse our hot tub still isn't fixed! How dependent we've become!

Another thing annoying about this time of year? The people hogging up floor space at my workout class. Yeah, I'm talking to you sweating, annoying lady who walks right across my yoga mats.

I've decided to start eating out of our freezer more & guess what? It's saving us $25-$50 per week! The bad news is that our beef & garden veggies aren't going to last as long as usual. That means we must plant more this spring & 1/4 of a cow just isn't enough for us anymore. It doesn't help that we have no venison in the freezer. Proof that it's not a good idea to let the small ones pass while waiting for a wall trophy. Wall trophies don't feed the family!

This one? She's growing way too fast. I don't mind the messes, honest. I just want to put time in slow motion right now. I love this age. She's starting to talk so much. She has her little sense of humor. What a fun time we're having with our little bug!

The other ones? They are doing well. My big school kids that are gone all day. Hard to believe it but they will soon be six & eight! I realize that the beginning of this post is a bit sarcastic& negative, but really I have so much to be thankful for. I only hope and pray that we will be guided from above as we raise our little family. I'm beginning to realize that it doesn't get easier as time goes on. I'm thankful for friends who have been there, done that. I'm sure I'll be picking your brain as time goes on!

Sisters

2010-01-13T10:59:00.003-06:00

Last night I was thinking about the girls and something really dawned on me. I finally got it in a way I never had before. My girls both have something I always wanted and never got. A sister. I'm quite sure they will learn to push each others buttons. I only hope they will also be the best of friends. I hope that as time goes on they will truly appreciate the gift they have. Each other.

Scenes From (Busy) Days

2010-01-08T09:40:00.003-06:00

Here's a hodgepodge of unorganized photos from Christmas break until now.

We were pleased to have several relaxing and fun days with Auntie Shari. I have a much better photo than this one, but I was forbidden to use it. Oh well, the baby wasn't in that one.

Before Auntie Shari came we enjoyed a weekend with the Anderson's. I think Avrie's shirt sums up this photo very nicely!

This was before our hot tub froze up. Apparently 20 below zero temps aren't good for the pump. They aren't good for our electric bill either!

Thawing out after being out in the frigid night air.

Ayla asked for Skittles several times for a Christmas present. In fact one of her school projects was to draw a photo of what she most wanted for Christmas. Guess what she drew? Yep, a packet of Skittles. Uncle Seth was happy to oblige her of course.

The baby has discovered candy as well. (Thanks, Grandma Tina.) She also knows what the camera is & hams it up like this almost every time!

The hot tub was a great boredom buster. Moments before we suggested taking a family dip they were lying around and moaning about, "Nothing to doooooooo!" Must get it fixed. Hopefully the
weather will cooperate soon!

All About The Baby

2009-12-29T14:28:00.007-06:00

Who happens to be 15 1/2 months old already! Miss Kaia Rose has been walking for a few weeks now, but I find I can hardly remember her before she was walking. That made me incredibly sad. They change so fast & unless it's documented all the cuteness becomes a distant memory (if I'm lucky.)

So I'm going to make you suffer through a post where I document some things. Like the smoochy smoochy milestone. She makes this incredibly cute smooching noise & then juts her chin out towards the person she wants to kiss. However if you try to instigate the kiss you will more than likely be pushed away & then laughed at. An example follows. This video cracks me up for some reason.

What else? Although I'd rather only nurse her once or twice a day when she walks up to me signing milk with this huge, adorable smile I usually give in. I'm kind of a pushover that way.

Oh, and she can find me anywhere I might happen to be in the house. Even if I'm in the bathroom with the door closed it's not long before she's pounding on the door. Even if she didn't see me go in there. Speaking of pounding on the door, her baby talk & door pounding was my alarm clock today. It was the sweetest thing. What's that Kaia? You want some milk? Sure come on in, your wish is my command.

We haven't had many fits of naughtiness yet. I kinda hope that starts soon or I fear she may end up a bit spoiled!

Busy Winter Days

2009-12-16T14:01:00.004-06:00

As my post title indicates, we've been busy. Here are some of the things we've been doing the past 14 days.

Helping my mom move. You can't really tell how teeny her old house was in this photo, but you can see how packed full boxes it was. Yep, our big fat family of five added to the chaos & confusion by staying there the night before the big move. Actually it went pretty well, considering.

Ayla and some of her friends after their holiday concert. I have a couple of videos also. I'll get to them later.

My hair after soaking in the hot tub during a snow storm!

I tried to do a photo shoot with the baby one Sunday. I wasn't too happy with the results, but thought this one was cute in a kind of goofy way. Not cute enough to send out to people though. Sigh..... I'm starting to think she'll be 2 before I ever get that accomplished!

Just Because She's Cute

2009-12-02T11:05:00.002-06:00

I'm in love with this photo taken by Auntie Julie. I hope it made you smile!

Family Portrait Attempt Number 500 Or So

2009-11-28T11:25:00.003-06:00

This one is OK, but we obviously weren't dressed for a family photo & you can tell how extremely tired I was on Thanksgiving day. We had spent Wednesday night at a friend's house and Miss Kaia decided to stage a sleep strike about 2 hours after we went to bed (quite late of course).

This is OK, but we were all laughing at the silliness of Uncle Walter & some of our smiles (OK, just mine) are a bit too big. Plus I don't really like Kaia's hand in her mouth.

Here is a sample of what all the rest were like. Basically the only good thing you can say is that we were all in the same place at the same time.

Moving on. We went to Duluth last weekend and spent a beautiful Saturday at the zoo. Here Ayla is about to totally freak out, because there is a llama right behind her. It's putting it mildly when I say she's not an animal lover.

Kaia however is completely unafraid of any animal. So there you go, a minor update. Please share your opinions about the quality of our family photos.