How could I forget?

I realized somewhere along the way I forgot about going to the fair this year...I like to lay the blame on forgetting to take my camera and having four children (that's always my excuse!! Haahaa!!).  Anyway, it's something Keri & I have been doing since the big girls were old enough to walk...even when we had brand new babies or were big, big pregnant.  Just load up whoever isn't in school and head out there before noon for some yummy food and exhibit viewing!  Sometimes it's almost unbearably hot, this time it was raining on us...we also had another mommy join us and loved sharing the tradition with her & her sweet baby cheeks!  All total, there were 3 adults & 7 kids that were 5 and under and we never had to stop by the lost kids booth...I know you are impressed!

Hands down, my 3 favorite things at the fair are the photo exhibits, the petting zoo, and the corn dogs.  Just the best!

If you want to see some pictures from the petting zoo, hop on over to Keri's blog for a peek!

Jack's Fifth Birthday

Also known as a fifth of Jack...haha, just a little humor on the name play.  The boy turned five.  Officially, it was on the 18th but he argued with me (the one that BIRTHED him!) that it wasn't really his birthday because he didn't get any presents.  I wish I would have thought to ask him how old he was because I'm pretty sure he would have said 4 until it was his party.

It was a super hero party, complete with super hero capes as party favors.  There are a lot of pictures of the capes because they were cute, a big hit, and a lot of work!  Keri & my mom helped me make them...we worked into the wee hours of the night to make these fun little buggars.

The big girls that were invited to the party got a bag with their initial on them instead of super hero capes.

My sweet friend Julie made Jack's Superman cake...and even remembered candles (I had forgotten!). 

There were lots of little boys for this party!  All of them precious and super fun, ready to help Jack celebrate the milestone.  This was his first party to invite friends from school...

Jack is not a man of many emotions...I've looked back and analyzed the whole opening the gifts part & decided that he saw that as a mission, a job, something he had to complete.  He tore through one present after another without pause for comment or reflection, but after they were all open, he took in his goodies & was very, very pleased!

I love this picture, not because of Jack, but because of Mason in the helmet!  See, he was busy playing in the play room & I guess he decided to take a small break & check in on Jack, with his helmet on.  You never know when a lineman might sneak up on your blind side & tackle you!   It's just such a little boy "thing"!

Even Reece & Ava had super hero capes!!  He'll appreciate it in a couple of months...

Vacation Days

I called in some "vacation days" for my job and have the weekend "off"!  WOW!!!  Nana & Bop took the kids for the weekend and we get two days...at home...without kids...with NOTHING to do!  You would have thought we won a seven day cruise we were so excited.  

Things I've contemplated doing because we don't have munchkins:

*running a ton of errands because I don't have to buckle extra car seats or hear begging & whining at the store. 

*eating just ice cream for a meal because I'm a grown-up and no one worries about whether I eat a balanced diet.

*randomly taking a nap at ANY point in the day.

*going to the movie.

*reading my new Nicolas Sparks novel for 4 solid hours.

I don't know which of these we'll decide to do, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. 

I also know without a doubt Sunday evening we will be looking at each other with that little smile that says "I miss those little buggars!" and we'll be very happy to have them back home!

One Small Step

One small step, one little moment of bravery, has turned into walking and Ava is so proud of herself.  It's been fun to watch her, to see a glimpse of her personality in this business of learning to walk.  A month or so ago, she took her first official "steps", stringing together 3 steps in a row.  We (Macy & I) made a big deal of it & she promptly sat down & threw a fit & we didn't see her walk again!  Then, when it was her own idea (at 15+ months old), she decided to try again...and this weekend she really practiced.  It's now something she has to prove to herself & she works on it when she's not in a hurry or a pout.  

She hasn't learned to bend her knees well...it's rather haphazard when she takes off, somewhat like an old west cowboy caricature.  

And then there's the faces...the many faces of a toddler (wow, my baby is a toddler).  I love it when they learn to say "giggle, giggle, giggle"...she says it a lot.

If my baby is a toddler, it's probably about time to say good-bye to these.  Pacifiers, if you use them, are a love-hate relationship.  Oh, how they calm, they soothe, they help YOU sleep (or make it through church)...but then they get spit out, or when babies get older they get tossed and lost.

Jack & I went on a paci hunt today...moved the crib & dug out all the tossed paci's we could find.  There were a few.

And, totally unrelated, but the RANGERS are playing tonight and are so close to making it to the "big game"...we are not baseball fans, but we are Rangers fans and we are jazzed!  

Short Takes and Updates

This little spice of our life has finally decided to walk on the big girl side and try potty training seriously. We are on day 4 and she is doing really, really good.

 It's a different experience than the other two have been, but isn't that always how it goes?  Just because you have raised one baby into kidhood doesn't mean you have it all figured out for the rest, as personalities are different, raising each baby is different.  That's what makes it exciting!

This stealer of my heart got a hair cut this week.  The funny thing about him and haircuts is in order to get him to agree to one, I always have to tell him that our birds need fluff for their nests (something Nana told him once!).  He's always willing to go outside & let me buzz his coarse, brillo-pad head of hair to help our birds!

(And, I got a new lens that I love!)

My getting-bigger-every-day precious Macyroo is playing the piano.  She is learning quickly and it is SO good for her.  One reason we wanted her to take lessons is to help her focus and learn self-discipline...she started out getting frustrated quickly and wanting to give up to where now she's settling in a little more and seeing that she can actually make music.  All the others are learning as well-ha, ha!

I love hearing her practice, hearing the piano in the background of the bustle and noisy-ness of our house.  It's not some long masterpiece (YET!) but it's so soothing and so right.  Before the piano arrived, I was worried that all the banging and clanging on the keys would drive me on over the edge, but it doesn't...I truly love the sound of a piano (aaaand, there's an off button so that helps!).

I am almost 35.  I love being in my thirties...so many things are figured out and stable and yet I feel free to try things I was scared of before.  Minor point-on Monday, we went out to eat at the Outback (hubby's favorite).  I ordered crab topped tilapia and stole a shrimp off my sweetie's plate (not to mention several bites of salmon) & would have like more.  This is only significant if you know me and know how all my life I have HATED seafood.  This plate of food was probably one of the best things I've ever eaten.  I plan on returning often for this delicious new discovery.  That is, when we're not busy eating sushi.

And lastly, autumn is here to stay, I'm pretty sure...one thing that means-nice, hot bubbly bubble baths feel so good!

Tea Party

Something you look forward to when you have a little girl...

Princess tea parties have once again arrived at our house!  Lily won this set at the carnival last Saturday and she was SO elated!!  Right after church, we came home and had a tea party.  She was giddy and giggly and jabbery-she just couldn't contain her excitement, even though she wasn't sure what it was but it involved princesses and her new toy!

Even Jack was invited.  He was all over the sugar, it went on everything.

You have to hold your fingers right!

Rosary Night

We were inspired by Ava's Godparents to start a tradition in our family...Rosary Night.

We try for once a week and do it right before bedtime, good calming activity before night-nights.  The kids always have the option to join us or go read in their bed.  We pick a different night each week so that we make sure to catch all the mysteries and because it fits into our schedule & we're more likely to do it.

We also include other families once a month and that is such a blessing!  We gather for a meal and then everyone, including the babies, get their rosaries and pray together.  I'm always amazed at how good the little ones do-they know it's a special time...

I think we might try Vespers soon!

Monday mornings with Lily

The conversation went like this:
(I'm in the kitchen, I hear Ava crying & go around the corner to find her flat on her back, rubbing her head, & Lily looking like a new shade of guilty)
Me: "Lily, why is Ava crying?"
Lily: "I don't know..."
Me: "Lily did you push her down?"
Lily: "I don't wanna spankin'."
Me: "Lily, you need to be honest & tell me what happened...I think you pushed Ava down & she hurt her head."
Lily: "I don't wanna spankin'".
Me: "Lily, when you do something wrong, you have to admit it, say "I pushed Ava down.""
Lily: "Oh, YOU did???"

End of lesson on admitting mistakes.  Will reteach at a later point, when I'm not laughing hysterically.

We DID it!

We ran the race...fought the good fight...and didn't come in last!

Keri was there first & texted me, saying WHAT have we signed up for??? It's so official!!  We had numbers and cool sensors for our shoes and vehicles with lights to stop traffic!

Within the first block, I was thinking to myself why exactly do we as humans find this fun??  Somewhere around the quarter mile mark, I turned to Keri & said that the adrenaline had wore off and I was not finding a good pace...then we started the music.  And, I thought I could run for miles and miles...we had our groove!  The weather was perfect & crisp & beautiful...and I remember thinking how pretty the tree-lined street was.

Well, that groove lasted for awhile-we did "run" past a friend's house that were out on their porch to cheer us on (so encouraging to see them!) and "ran" past my precious family that had parked half way to cheer us (that was a big boost in the confidence!)...but then we both had a stitch in the side & decided to walk.

We finished & that was our goal...our time isn't impressive (37 min) but I proved to myself that I can run a 5K & live to tell about it.  Don't think I mentioned before, but our "training" for this consisted of taking a month and a half off of exercise in all forms & eating a lot of cookies the day before while helping set up for the carnival sweet shop.  I'll have a book out at the end of the year, if you want to follow our regimen.

In the end, I really enjoyed it...and actually might try & run some more 5ks.  Keri-I'm so glad you ran with me...wouldn't have wanted to do it with anybody else soul sista!  Love ya!

Mmmm...

We capped off the week with sushi...raw sushi.  Never thought I'd go there!

We even made this sushi ourselves...did I mention it's candy?

In all seriousness, the majority of our family loves sushi...me, the man of the house, Jack & Lily get a craving for it & have to have some every so often.  We tell ourselves it's good for us because it isn't fried.  Macy...is NOT a fan...she tries to like it.  I think every time we order it she tries some...but she just can't make herself like it!  She really wants to though!

Some of our most favorite friends got to come over & spend the evening with us tonight...and it seems that always when these kids are together, wild plans come about that involve everyone and lots of fun.  They have done full production plays, had a lemonade stand, and re-created living quarters out in the front yard before and that's just THREE things!  I love how everyone uses their imagination when they get together.

So, tonight our crazy thing was candy sushi...followed by sword fights & drama on the high seas out in the backyard.  

Actually, as I'm typing this, I'm not sure but what I'm under attack.  Might need to batten the hatches & duck for cover!!

Just plain busy

A week has passed...where did it go?

I spent it...

Taking pictures of this cutest little monkey.

Making these cute little monkeys...(& eating them I might add)

Little Reece is already a year old...and his party was last night.  We had a lot of fun-the kids loved spending time with their buddies (& I did too!!).

We are also getting ready for the carnival (tomorrow) and 5K fun run...wish me luck!  Keri & I are running together...and we aren't afraid to come in last!  HA!

Grandpa has been sick from complications due to surgery, & though it sounds weird to say, we had a very fun evening with him & Grandma up at the hospital!  We took the kids to see them & ate supper at the cafeteria.  The big kids really, really enjoyed eating with Grandpa & talking with him...and Macy needed to see with her own eyes that he really was going to be okay.  The babies had fun talking to Grandma and I'm pretty sure all the kids ate more candy than food that night (thanks to the buffet-style eating!) but it's always okay for special occasions.  We are happy to say that Grandpa is HOME & feeling better...answered prayers.  We love you Grandpa!

Halloween is coming!!

Lily is not going to be a witch-she's going to be Cinderella.  Jack is going to be "Dark" Vader (as he says) though he's never seen the movie & Macy is going to be a REAL Indian-don't mistakenly call her Pocahontas the Disney Princess.

But first, we have to have Jack's 5th birthday...that's up next!

You funny!

Lily says things that she's heard her older siblings say, thinking she's so big...some of my favorites are:

"You my best friend ever momma!"

"You funny Amy!"

"You so nice" & "You so welcome"

Getting a haircut from Nana

She also has an imaginary friend named Cinderella.  When Macy was her age, she too had an imaginary friend but I thought that was because Macy didn't have anyone to play with, being the oldest.  Macy's friend's name was Killy (said Kill-ee) and one day Macy informed us that she was gone-she had moved out to her own apartment.  And, we never heard from her again.  Macy's relationship with her friend was usually more of a mother-daughter kind, Killy was her daughter & she would take care of her.

Cinderella is Lily's friend...they play together out in the garage (we have a play kitchen out there) and Lily always remembers to ask me if it's okay if Cinderella comes over (love it!).  She talks on the phone to her and they have lots of fun playing together.  She's her constant companion.

Lily has also developed a concern about going down the bathtub drain-you have to get her out of the tub before letting the water out or she gets very nervous that she's going to wash down the drain.  We have to make sure all toys are secure as well.

Lily playing hide & seek...she was giggling & yelling "Come find ME!"