The Hellen Family

Bella

2011-08-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

This summer we have had the kindergarten's pet gerbil, Bella. Originally there were suppose to be 2 but on the last day of school when we were to be bringing them home the other one, Shadow, died. Bella is a good gerbil, I am not sure how one could be bad, she (I call her a she, but in truth am not sure if it is a boy or a girl) will bury her food and enjoys being put in the ball where she runs all over the place. It is pretty amazing the way she is able to control the ball and is pretty good about not running into anything. Her lid to the ball comes off regularly so we have to be careful and watch that Sally does not get a hold of her. Sally does enjoy "playing" with her when she is in the ball. Sally hides behind one of the columns and will pounce out at the ball, funny to watch. A friend of ours told us they use to put toilet paper rolls, empty, in the cage for their gerbils to chew on and run through. the kids thought this was great idea and the next day in went one. Bella had a great time shredding it with her teeth and just adding to her bedding. I expect that the toilet paper will last longer once Bella is returned to Mrs. Ross. It has been fun and now a pet gerbil has been added to list of possible pets...

Notice in the picture the lid came off and Bella is trapped under the ball. (no I did not stage this!)

Funny!!

2011-08-17T08:59:00.000-05:00

The other day when it was 90 something in the house Maddie was playing with Reagan. I am not sure why but Maddie s the only one that can make Reagan REALLY laugh!

HOT

2011-08-15T11:14:00.001-05:00

Saturday night our air conditioner went out. Yep that is right, day 2 with no air!! It is a cool 87 degrees downstairs and 89 up. I am praying that when the A/C man gets here he will be able to fix what ever is wrong and we will have air tonight!! Reagan has been sleeping in our room the past two nights since there is no fan in her room. We have had Nathan come to our room in the middle of the night and Emily the first night and Maddie last night. The fans are on all over the house and we have a box fan that travels from room to room with the kids. I am tired and starting to get a headache from the heat. We are drinking lots of water and trying to stay cool. We have had multiple offers to come to others homes to sleep, but there is just something about being in your own house. Plus, Paul and I are not one to impose on anyone, we have trouble asking for help and accepting it when it is offered. The kids are handling the heat VERY well!! They play upstairs and complain hardly at all. I have to say that it is hot in here, but it is not as bad as you may think. Once you get past the constant sweating it is not too bad. If you sit under the fan you get a cool breeze that helps to keep you comfortable as well. we are surviving and will survive, just have to wait and hear what the repair man says!!

My Little Helper!!

2011-08-12T19:21:00.003-05:00

There are no words for this post, just pictures...

So Stinkin' CUTE!!!

2011-08-10T19:06:00.003-05:00

Here are some random pictures of a sweet angel (well not always and angel, especially when it is time to eat baby food!)...

She fell asleep while holding a carrot in her hand and

Best Toy EVER!!!

2011-08-08T15:59:00.004-05:00

This is what I found when I got out of the shower this morning...

Fortunately there was not too much toilet paper left on the role!

Reagan's Sleep

2011-08-06T13:28:00.001-05:00

So Reagan is sleeping though the night!! Yeah!! She goes down between 7:30 and 8:00 and is ready to start her day at 6:00. At least that is when Nathan brings her down to me. Now if I could just get her to take a nap that lasts longer than 30 minutes. The problem with nap time is that there are 4 other children sometimes 5 ( if the boy next door is here!) and is the house is not very conducive for sleeping. Maybe when school starts back up, only 12 more days.

Swim Lessons

2011-08-04T13:27:00.005-05:00

For the past two weeks we have had swim lessons Monday through Thursday at 8:45 in the morning. Nathan and Kayla were the only two as the Pre-K class was full so Emily will have to wait until next year. Nathan and Kayla, although neither wanted to go to swim lessons the first Monday, they really enjoyed them and had a good time. They learned the frog stroke and Kayla has been doing this one a lot. The lessons are at the YMCA and at their indoor pool. The pool area is a sauna!! It is miserable to sit there and watch. Reagan was fussy, I was fussy, Emily and Maddie were whiney, I am glad the lessons are over, we would take a break after 15 minutes and go inside the YMCA to cool off. Until next year!! These pictures were taken the first day. One of the life guards was the camera nazi she would walk around and tell anyone taking pictures, and she saw everyone that tried to snap a photo, that the YMCA has a no picture policy since you could be taking pictures of other people's children.

Shiner

2011-07-30T12:52:00.003-05:00

Today while walking through the kitchen Emily turned her head and smacked her eye on the corner of the granite counter tops, OUCH!!!

3 years ago...

2011-07-22T20:46:00.006-05:00

It was three years ago that we moved back from a 4+ years out of the country. We had been in our house for 3 months and the boxes were put away (mostly) and we were settling into our new home. It was three years ago that Madeline Grace was born. Maddie what to say to you, you are a funny one you try so hard to do things that will make you accepted by your sisters and brother. You follow Emily with a watchful eye always wanting to do whatever she is doing. You are a big helper for me. While you increase my blood pressure and frustrate me to no end, you are also the sweetest little girl around. You have a silly personnality. You are good with your manners and quick to help out. I enjoy watching you grow and look forward to watching you for a long time. My only hope is that in the coming year we can work on your tidying up skills!!

Sleep Over

2011-07-21T12:41:00.003-05:00

Last night Nathan had his first sleep over. He was very excited ALL day and I think he had a good time. It was just two doors down so it was not too scary but he was so excited!! I think I ruined it this morning when I picked him up. I called to see if I could run a few errands and then get Nathan but I was unable to speak to the boys mom because she was in her room and not to be disturbed. So I decide to just bring him with me. This was the wrong choice as proved by Nathan's actions. He had an absolute fit and was the worst child EVER!! It took all I had to not physically punish him. There were times that I did just laugh because lets face it sometimes that is all you can do.

Vacation

2011-07-19T12:32:00.001-05:00

Last week the kids were in Oklahoma City for a vacation without the parents. The 4 older ones went to spend some time their grandparents and Mommy went on vacation. because when you go from 5 kids to just a 7 month old it IS a vacation!! I sewed 2 quilts, went to Old Town Spring with a friend, did some shopping and cleaning and just enjoyed some time without fighting and the constant cry of "mom". The kids had a great time and I am sure will be ready to do it again next year!! While the kids were in Oklahoma they saw there cousins on the Hellen side, they had not seen them in a year and half. Christmas 2009. They also saw all but 2 of the Cook cousins. Nathan always looks forward to seeing my brother's family. They have older boys that Nathan looks up to and a boy a year younger that he plays a LOT with!! They have two girls that my girls really enjoy playing with as well, Claire is Emily's age and they are twins separated. It is fun to watch the kids playing with their cousins! While the kids were away I twisted my Left ankle pretty bad. Let me just say thank goodness for child birth classes. I used my breathing and made it through the pain!!! I could barely walk on it Thursday night and by Friday MUCH better, but I went to the doctor anyway where I had an x-ray and received the results on Tuesday. It was normal. Even now, one week later it is still a little tender and I favor it when I go down the stairs. Some pictures with their cousins...

Timber

2011-07-11T13:29:00.001-05:00

Today we had 6 of our pine trees cut down, 3 that were dead and 3 that were on their way to death. The yard looks different on one side but there are still enough pine trees to make it not too noticeable. I have to say there is a lot less shade on the South side of the house. Time to plant 2 more trees, just need a good 10 day slow drizzly rain to soften up our rock hard clay. I have to say it was fun to watch them climb up the trees and swing from one to the other as they cut them down. Made for good morning entertainment.

Possum

2011-07-07T13:27:00.004-05:00

This post is a little late, but here it is none the less. The day was April 12, 2011, a Tuesday. The kids had been home from school for a few hours and I was sitting at the computer to respond to emails, check blogs, who knows what. Emily comes in from the back yard yelling at me and very excited/nervous "Mom you have to come see this big thing" (now imagine her eyes wide and talking with her hands). I get up thinking OK what is it another bug, frog, unknown insect? We walk to the back yard and get half way to the play fort when she stops and points at the fort saying, "It's over there." So I cautiously walk to the fort and look around the corner at the bottom (the bottom is closed off and you can only see under it when you turn the corner) and there it is, the "big thing". There lying on the ground looking rather sickly a bigger than average possum. I get a little nervous because, well have you ever seen a possum? I send the kids in the house and call the neighbor and ask what do I do she comes over and is as clueless as me. I wait until Paul comes home and he disposes of it. All I will say is there was a pitch fork involved and little to no mess. The possum never had a chance poor little creature. Ever since this Emily has been scared of almost everything. Now she thinks there are things under the beds at bedtime, she was afraid to go into rooms without someone with her (she is getting over this one) just much more scared of the unknown. Life in the wild suburbs...

Reagan sleep

2011-07-05T08:08:00.005-05:00

Last night was the first night of turning off the baby monitor and letting Reagan cry herself back to sleep. It was pretty good except that we did hear her and we woke up twice. Once she woke Nathan and he wanted us to go get her. Hopefully 2 more nights and she will be sleeping all night. She was just not settling even when I would nurse her she wanted me to walk her and rock her back to sleep, while this is not a bad thing, by 7 months mommy needs to get back to getting decent sleep. Plus waking up every two hours does not make for a happy mom in the morning!!

Visitor

2011-07-05T07:48:00.003-05:00

This morning Nathan was upstairs and started shouting for us to, "Come look out the window. Hurry come upstairs!! There's a deer in the back field!!" So the girls ran upstairs and I went out back with my camera in hand. When I opened the door all the dove, that were eating their breakfast of sunflower seeds, flew off. That drew the attention of the deer. When I looked through the opening between the gate and the fence, there it was. It was a BIG one and I think it was a male it looked like there may be the beginnings of antlers. Good morning!

Another one done

2011-07-01T08:01:00.005-05:00

I finished another quilt this one was going to bed for Reagan's crib, however it was too big and then I did not like it, but now it is my favorite (everyone I do becomes my new favorite). There is no real purpose for this quilt, I think we are just going to let the girls use it to play with, with their dolls, pretend tea parties, etc... I have been using it to lay Reagan on when I am outside working. The bonus was that it was REALLY easy!

...And She's OFF!!

2011-06-22T21:39:00.005-05:00

So I posted that on June 16 Reagan pulled herself up for the first time, well on June 21 she decided it was time to crawl her way up the stairs!! This girl is going to be trouble! (and she is pretty good too!)

for you...

2011-06-21T07:59:00.002-05:00

Mr Steve Spence, I have finally posted some new posts, I have "stopped quilting and more blogging" I hope that this is enough to get you through the next week or two. I will be posting more as time allows, but now I must get to more quilting!! ;)

It's Official....

2011-06-20T18:21:00.000-05:00

I am not a dog person. We have been watching a neighbors dog, in our house, since Saturday and I am ready for Thursday! She is a good dog and well behaved, we have had to break some of her habits, jumping on the furniture. I am under the impression that she is treated more like a child than a dog and I am not that kind of person. She will follow me everywhere, and I am a solitary kind of person, not much for having a dog at my heals. That is why I like cats!! She is a Havanese, a little dog, kind of prissy. The past two night she has barked when we put her in her crate, thankfully she has a crate. Last night she started barking at 4 AM, then I had to get up with Reagan, so I was pretty much up at 4 this morning. Anyway just needed to vent, hello all!!

Reagan's new trick...

2011-06-16T18:49:00.002-05:00

Reagan is 6 months old and will sit, but is still wobbly. We can not just sit her down and walk away. Well, She has been pulling up on my hands for months and today she finally crawled her way over to the step stool and pulled her self up. I am not ok with this as she is too wobbbly and not developed enough for this to be a very wise move on her part. Plus I want her to stay a baby forever! I know just trying to keep up... I do see her as one that will skip crawling and go straight for walking. She hates to sit and play she wants to be moving ALL of the time. Her cuddling days are OVER!

Distractions

2011-04-09T07:25:00.008-05:00

This is what I have found to fill my time while I was away from blogging...

4 Months Old

2011-04-08T19:00:00.007-05:00

Today Reagan is 4 months old!!!! At her Doctor appointment she weighed in at 14 pounds and 10 ounces (78%) and she is 25 inches tall (75%). At the doctor she received two shots and Emily cried more than Reagan. Emily started crying when the nurse came in to give Reagan the shots and did not stop until it was time to leave. Reagan is a VERY happy little girl, full of smiles and little giggles. She loves to chew on her hands and fingers. No thumb sucking and I am hopeful that she will skip that and just be a fist chewer. She rolls all over the place I lay her on her back and she automatically flips to her belly and then to her back, then her belly... She is starting to pull her head up and likes to sit in the tripod position with help. Reagan is a wiggly girl and I think may be an early walker. When she is on the floor on her belly she will pull her legs in and tuck her head almost on all fours. For not crawling or walking she gets around pretty good. Reagan will take a short nap in the morning (30-45 minutes), than a long nap in the afternoon (2 hours), than one more short nap in the evening (30-45 minutes), than bedtime around 9PM. She will fall asleep and the only way to keep her asleep in her crib is on her belly, If you lay her down on her back her eyes pop wide open!! She is a curious little one and like to be in on the action always wants to see what is going on. Reagan was over her stuffiness finally, until we went camping. Friday night I noticed she was getting stuffy and when we woke on Saturday her eyes were puffy and she was congested, here we go again. I am ready for her to be over it, when she is stuffy she does not sleep very well, which means I do not sleep very well. Happy Birthday to Reagan!

M.I.A.

2011-03-12T20:56:00.002-06:00

So I know I have been away or a while, but life gets a little busy with 5 kids. There is also the fact that since I have found quilting, my priority changed. Since my bank account is feeling the impact of quilting, I am taking a break. time to refocus. I am going to try to get you caught up with our lives over the next few weeks, but for now I will leave you with a parting pictures.

Birthday to Remember...

2011-02-18T18:28:00.004-06:00

February 14, 2011~ This was my 34th birthday, on Sunday the 13th Paul had a great day planned to celebrate, when I came home from Church ( I went alone since ALL the kids were sick and Paul and Nathan had gone Saturday night.) there was breakfast waiting!! Let me add that when I woke up this morning I was not feeling very well, just an achy feeling all over and NO energy. After a very nice breakfast I laid down Paul took the kids to the park and they played for a couple of hours. Then stopped by the bakery to pick up my yummy carrot cake! When Paul got back from the park I noticed Reagan who has been sick for about five days was really wheezing! After waiting too long because when your baby is wheezing you should not wait, I took her to the ER. She was then diagnosed with RSV and given lots of breathing treatments. She then started to eat (she barely ate on Saturday) and was sleeping. As an ICU nurse you see the worst case scenario all the time, so that is what I was expecting. After a few hours we were told we were going to be admitted, then told that the hospital we were at did not have a children's area and we would have to transfer hospitals. We rode in an ambulance, which was a first and spent the night in the hospital. We were released the next day and came home where we had to continue the breathing treatments.

Compare.....

2011-01-13T12:43:00.004-06:00

Guess the baby....

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-24T21:02:00.000-06:00

We wish all of you a very merry Christmas from the Hellen Family!!!! Love, Paul, Karen , Nathan, Kayla, Emily, Madeline and Reagan

caught up....

2010-11-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

So as you can see I have finally caught this blog up to date, I understand most have given up on me, I would have as well!! I was busy with Maddie's quilt, which I love and then life has been going on around me. I hope you enjoy reading the blog, I am going to try to do a better job, but no promises time to get started on the Christmas shopping and birthday shopping, then I will focus on Thanksgiving!! Fingers crossed the baby comes a wee bit early so I am not a complete tired and grumpy mess over Christmas!! Anyway, enjoy the blog and feel free to leave comments!!!

Happy 34th!!

2010-11-03T16:43:00.005-05:00

Today is Paul's birthday and he is a whopping 34 years old. For dinner he requested chili or lasagna and since it was not enough time for me to make lasagna I am making chili. Today is a cool gray and rainy day. Very much an English kind of day. The type of cake he wanted was a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Where this idea for a cake came from I am not sure, but that was his request so I set off to find a recipe. I found a recipe for both on the internet and when I was putting the frosting on the cake yesterday Kayla wanted to know, "Why is daddy's cake pink??" I then explained that daddy wanted a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting and that is why it is pink, from the strawberry's in the frosting. It should be interesting as it is a cream cheese frosting with pureed strawberries mixed in. I think it should be good!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T21:21:00.013-05:00

This Halloween, Paul told the kids they had to come up with their costumes no buying anything at the store. I think this was harder for me than for the kids!! Nathan was a soccer player, Kayla was a black cat, Emily was a bunny, and Maddie wore a costume that was in the closet. Apparently while I was taking a nap, Nathan informed Paul that since Jake's dad dresses up for Halloween, Paul should as well. They went through Paul's closet in the hopes of finding a costume and came up with an old boy scout uniform. Well everything but the shorts as Nathan even agreed they were too short. The shirt was Paul's brother's, I am not sure how we ended up with it, but it completed the outfit. This year like last the dad's stayed home and set up a table with all of the candy buckets on it and they sat and talked around the campfire, while the mom's took the kids out for a walk to trick or treat! We started out at dusk and walk around until basket/buckets were filled then it was time to come home. The girls were dropping candy out of their baskets and I had to dump part of it in the stroller. I knew then it was a bad sign. Maddie enjoyed going up and getting her candy, her favorite candy are the lollipops. After returning home the kids were allowed to stay up for a while and play then it was time for bed. It was a good night, just wish it had been on a Saturday night instead of a Sunday. Another year!!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-30T21:23:00.004-05:00

Another year another pumpkin carving/Oktoberfest at the Hellen's. We invited our neighbors and Maddie's godparents over to carve pumpkins and eat brats and sauerkraut or hot dogs for those that preferred. We had fun carving pumpkins picking the seeds out and just talking with the neighbors. For some reason everyone left by 8PM and the party was over. I was kind of glad about it as I was tired and ready for bed at 8:30... Paul on the other hand was hoping the party would last all night. It was good and everyone had a good time.

All the pumpkins that were carved...

Emily, Nathan, and Kayla's pumpkins

Nathan's Last Soccer Game

2010-10-30T13:22:00.003-05:00

Today was Nathan's last soccer game until next February. They played really well and Nathan was great!! He is a good player and really likes the game. The season coach was trying to teach them the positions and learn more of the rules, however he teaches ALL the kids (14) all of the positions. It was interesting to watch, but I think by the end the majority were starting to get it. Nathan seems to do well in the forward position however has trouble sticking to that position when he is suppose to be playing midfield. He gets going with the ball and there is no one to pass to so he would take the ball to the goal, unless stopped along the way. He does not like goalie or defense as they are "too boring". It was a good season and they played some tough teams, but they stayed positive and learned a lot this season. After the game they were given trophies and medals then there was cupcakes and pizza. Another season over...

Maddie's Quilt and Sham

2010-10-27T17:22:00.007-05:00

I have finally finished Maddie's quilt and sham. Fortunately for me she LOVED the sham. When it was finished she carried it all over the house. She would not share, it made all the work I put into it worth it!!! Now I need to make something for Emily. However that is going to have to wait until after the baby is born. I am currently on a break from sewing. My machine has been stowed in the closet and will not be out again until January!! It is not that I am out of ideas of fabric, Oh NO!! I have plenty of ideas running around in my head, just not the energy or mobility!

Watermelon???

2010-10-26T17:24:00.003-05:00

My patience has worn out on the watermelon, It has been "growing" for 40-50 days and should be done. However, when I say it has been growing I mean it is still on the vine, but not getting any bigger. I gave up and took it from the vine brought it in and cut it up. As you can see from the pictures it is trying to turn red, but it was just NOT happening, that or I did not wait long enough. There is one more that may make it, but the other 10 that started to grow have all rotted out on the bottom. The kids all wanted to try the watermelon and it smelled pretty good, but it was hard to eat not very juicy or soft. Nathan LOVED it and wanted to eat more and more. Wish me luck on the last one!!

30 weeks

2010-10-06T15:46:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was my 30 week doctor appointment. She does an ultrasound at 30 weeks, which was a first for me, I have never had one past the 20 week scan. It was pretty neat to see how big the baby really is in there. Fun to see the baby at this stage, the baby is too big to fit into one picture so I just got to see parts, the face, then the leg, then the foot... it sure is cramped in there!! It was sucking on its hand and had the other hand resting on its forehead. I love ultrasounds, I feel like I am spying on the baby.

Maddie was with me and she was very interested in everything the doctor was doing. She was very focused. However she was more interested in when it would be over so she could pick out a sticker from the basket.

Last night we went to tour the hospital and there was a new baby in the nursery that the girls were interested in. The nurse took us around where we would be for the delivery and the postpartum. I think it will be good for the kids to have been there once and kind of know what they are getting into when they come to visit in the hospital. Plus now they know where mom will be when the doctor gets the baby out of my belly.

What a weekend!!!

2010-10-04T09:49:00.004-05:00

This weekend was amazing!! The weather was perfect and the days were full of fun. Saturday Nathan had a soccer game and they won, 3-0. Nathan scored 2 of the goals. He had about 4 attempts on goal that missed, but in the last quarter he scored 2 goals, one that bounced off his shin guard and in the goal and one he kicked in. Coach is trying to teach them positions, but it is a learning curve!! Nathan was suppose to be playing midfield, but ended up in the forward position most of the 4th quarter. The majority of the time he would get the ball away from the pack and there was just no one to pass up to so he ran with it!! It was a fun game to watch, I just wish the other team could have scored as well. makes it more fun for all involved. After the game we went to Dave and Busters where Exxon Mobil was having there safety extravaganza. Basically they rent out Dave and Busters and the employees and their family's get to play games for free, eat for free (they have it catered and their is an area with BBQ, kids bits, a pasta bar, then the dessert bar of fruit and cookies.), face painting, massages and some vendors with free things. Nathan enjoyed the hunting games and winning as many of the tickets as possible!! the girls just had fun getting coins out of the coin machine, I think they would do damage on a slot machine!! It was a good day out and we all had playing and eating!! Sunday was such a beautiful day we had the air conditioner off all day and the windows open. It was started off with some excitement. Paul was making toast for kids before we went to church and Nathan's was left in the toaster a little too long and caught on fire. Fortunately that is all that caught on fire, however the kitchen still has a bit of a "fire" smell to it. in Paul's defense the toaster we have really should be put in the trash, it is old and metal so when it cooks things the entire toaster gets hot so if you touch it will burn you. Plus the temperature control does not work. I guess I will be buying a new toaster this week.... After church we spent the day playing outside, relaxing, and baking. I made 2 loaves of banana bread and some brownies. The brownies are almost gone and there is just one loaf of banana bread left. For supper it was hamburgers and french fries. A great weekend!!

Visit to Tulsa

2010-09-27T13:48:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we took a little drive up to Tulsa for my nephew Owen's baptism. It was a good weekend and as always it is never exciting to think about the lack of sleep you will get or all of the time in the car, but once you are there and once it is over I am ALWAYS glad to make the trip!!! It was fun to see family and meet baby Owen he is a sweet little boy a little bit of reflux, and a noisy baby he grunts all of the time. I would not be able to sleep with him in the same room!!! ..but so sweet. The kids all loved him especially Maddie she laid down on the floor next to his bouncy seat so she could "watch" him. She is going to be a BIG help when this baby is born. My brother has a park right behind their house and the kids had a great time playing out there, Nathan went hunting, the bouncy castle was set up and was played on a lot!! Everyone enjoyed there time with family and it was good to see the cousins playing so well together. It was a great weekend, Thank You Katie and Dave!!!

Nathan's first hunt!!

2010-09-25T22:11:00.002-05:00

Today Nathan was up and ready to go hunting with his daddy and Uncle Dave!! My brother found a place that they could go for Dove hunting (Paul is excited). Since they are going for just the morning, Paul thought it would be good for him to test the water and let Nathan have his first try. He was not shooting anything, but just to go along for the experience. Nathan was super excited and had a good time, Paul said he was getting a little bored by the end, but was full of questions. They (Paul) shot 3 dove and saw more but, only brought home the three. They ate them at dinner. I think Nathan is ready for the next hunt!!!

Watermelon

2010-09-23T13:50:00.005-05:00

We finally have some watermelon growing in the garden, now hopefully they will not rot, or get some bug or fungus that will wipe them out!! There are about 6 and looks to be more that could come from the vines. The vines look great they have taken over and are thriving, cross your fingers they produce!!!

Gift for the Tooth Fairy

2010-09-21T13:50:00.002-05:00

After school today Nathan got in the car and started saying the tongue twister , "My sister Susie sells seashells..." I started saying it with him as his face got closer and closer to mine and as I was beginning to get annoyed I noticed it, he had lost his other front tooth. When we got home he built a little house for the tooth fairy with a table a chair and his little treasure chest that he got from his teacher to put his tooth in. At bed time he had gotten rid of the house part but left the table treasure chest and chair. He even put a piece of candy corn for the tooth fairy to have a snack while she was there (I mean why should Santa get milk and cookies and the tooth fairy get nothing). At bedtime, Paul was not going to give him his money because "the tooth fairy only looks under your pillow and if it is not there, she will leave." CRUEL!! I thought Nathan's creativity alone should be worth something, I mean he came up with all of this for the tooth fairy and all on his own. Such a sweet boy. The tooth fairy did come for his tooth and left him some money. She even ate the candy corn. Which apparently was a BIG deal since she is so small and the candy corn was a BIG piece of candy for something so small.

Been Busy

2010-09-14T13:51:00.005-05:00

I have been busy with my new hobby, sewing. I have made a dress for Kayla, a skirt for Kayla, a quilt for my new nephew Owen, and a few blankets for friends. I am enjoying sewing and look forward to starting my next project, just need to get the fabric. LOTS of ideas running around in my little head, just need more time and money. What I really need to do is get up to date on the kids baby books and their pictures then focus on Christmas shopping, then I can have fun... I shoud probably clean the house somewhere in there also!! Too much work to be done.

New pet....

2010-08-28T13:49:00.004-05:00

The other day Paul was walking in the back yard and he came across this little turtle. Nathan and Paul decided that they should keep it and put it in Nathan's habitat. The next morning I was checking on it and I noticed that where Nathan had put half an inch of water this poor turtle was trying to swim under the water, it was too big!! Well after a little research about a red-eared slider turtle I discovered they are aquatic and need a lot more water than what it was given. I was on a hunt and I found a plastic storage container that was missing a lid put 3 inches of water in it and rocks for it to climb onto, as they need a dry place to go to, an put in the turtle. It immediately swam to the bottom and hid under the rocks. The kids gave it some sand and we noticed that it was acting as if it was trying to bury itself in the dirt. We have been feeding it tomatoes and lettuce, but may see it f they eat other things. I am not sure how long this turtle which is still nameless, will be our pet, but time will tell. For now it is fun watching the kids as they "play" with it and ant to feed it every day. The turtle will stay in the water most of the time unless it knows that there is no one around then it will get out and sun itself on the rocks.

Horses and Fish

2010-08-21T21:38:00.006-05:00

What a day today was. We went to some friend's house (Mark and Melanie, that we know through Church) to fish for catfish and ride a horse. When we got there the kids were a bit timid of the GIANT Quarterhorse, Cimarron (The brown horse in the pictures. The grey horse is their tempramental Thoroughbred that only lets Mel ride him.). Well, I was holding Emily and I was able to get her to sit on the horse then as Mel walked the horse Emily sat and rode as I walked beside her. Then I dropped off and let Emily ride alone!! She loved it! Second it was Kayla on the horse, she rode and even let the horse jog while she bounced up and down. Nathan rode one time and claims he almost fell off, but I saw him doing great. He did not enjoy it as much as Kayla and Emily, but I am glad he tried it. Kayla and Emily rode him twice and Nathan just once. Maddie did not want anything to do with Cimarron. I would try to get her to just sit on him, but she would latch onto me tighter than a vice grip. She would not cry, but she did say , "No, No, No" in a sweet little voice with her brow furrowed. It was kind of cute. Then they fed the horses carrots, and played on the trampoline. We also went inside and saw her pet frog, and two box turtles. Nathan is hopeful that he will get one of the turtles, Pedro. They are still small, maybe a year old. The frog was weird it is in an aquarium and jut swims, she fed it a meal worm and it used it's front legs like hands to push the worm into its mouth. It was kind of strange. Finally it was time for fishing, this what Nathan was awaiting for. They have a little pond for the horses and in it there are catfish and perch. We did catch about 5 catfish ranging from 6 to 18 inches. We also caught about 8 perch. There are not many pictures of the fish as we were busy baiting lines and unhooking fish. It was HOT so the fishing came to an end and the kids played on the trampoline for a while before we left to go home. It was a long day outside and a good one. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed riding on Cimarron.

SHE Lost Her First Tooth!!

2010-08-21T11:29:00.004-05:00

Kayla lost her first tooth today!! Her two front bottom teeth have been wiggly for a week and she has not wanted anyone to touch her teeth! Last night it was bleeding a little and was READY to be pulled, but she was not having any of it. There was no way anyone was putting their fingers in her mouth to pull that tooth out (trust me Nathan and I tried!!). This morning while brushing her teeth she felt what she thought was a clump of toothpaste in her mouth and she spit it in the sink. Well, it was her tooth!!! Luckily she had put the drain stopper in and it prevented her tooth from going down the drain. She was so excited and came running downstairs to announce to everyone that she lost her tooth. It was too cute to hear the excitement in her voice telling how it all happened. Now to wait and see if she gets a bit more adventurous with the pulling of her teeth or if she just lets them all fall out naturally.

First Day of School

2010-08-19T19:20:00.005-05:00

Today was the first day back to school for Nathan and Kayla and the first day of school for Emily!! I walked in with Kayla and Nathan, and Nathan walked on to his class, never looking back just slowly walking to his classroom; complete opposite from last year!! He did tell me at dinner the night before that he was excited about school, but that he was only excited about the first day and would not like it the rest of the year. I guess he did not want me to get my hopes up!! After Nathan walked on to his class I (by I, I mean me, Emily and Maddie!!) walked Kayla into her class where she gripped onto my leg and would not turn loose. We walked to her hook where she hung up her backpack, and put her water and lunch on the shelf. Then the tears began, she cried and cried, we walked over to her table sat down in her chair, she kept crying and I explained how mommy could not stay and I would be back to pick her up later in the day. She cried and cried. I asked her to be a brave girl and I explained that I needed her to be brave. She was still crying, but wanted me to take pictures of her, I told her I would so we picked out a crayon (pink of course) and she pretended to color. She said in a sobby sad voice "I don't know what to color..." I said, Color a baby." To which she sobbed back to me, "I don't know how to color a baby." So I took a few pictures of her, but they are kind of sad. Maybe next Tuesday when I go in with Emily I will get a picture of her happy!! I asked her to be brave and I needed to take Emily to her classroom, she said OK and a hug and kiss later we left. She sat in her seat with friends around and tears in her eyes. Off to Emily's classroom, where she walked right in we found her cubby, hung up her bag, put her lunch away, and walked over to the table to color. She was amazing...it was an experience I never knew a child of mine could do. Emily was nervous but there were no tears and she acted like it was all OK. I wanted to stay all morning and just savor the moment, but I knew if I did the moment would pass and she would eventually cry. So after a few pictures, Maddie and I left. We walked back to main building where Nathan and Kayla were and checked in on Kayla (by "checked in" we stood in the hall and looked in the room not to be seen). She was not crying anymore and was following the morning routine of prayers, pledge of allegiance and birthdays. We walked down the hall and looked in on Nathan, he was sitting in his desk and was paying attention. He looked a little nervous, but was very brave. At the end of the day they all had a good time, and survived. When I picked up Emily she was crying. Apparently they had music class last in the day and Ms. Jones was too much for little Emily!!!

Missing

2010-08-12T17:28:00.005-05:00

Can you tell what is missing from this picture???

It is Nathan's front tooth. Yes I know I write about his teeth falling out a lot, but he is at that stage. He came to me this morning and asked me to feel how wiggly his tooth was it was pretty loose. He came to me a few minutes later with a string in his hand and asked if I could tie it to his tooth so he could pull it out, I told him "No, you will hurt yourself!!" He left and went up stairs. Approximately 30 minutes later he came back to me and showed me a hole in his mouth and his tooth in his hand!! This would have been all fine and cute, but I was planning on trying to get a good picture of all of the kids for Paul for his office, another day!!

Sprinklers

2010-08-08T17:24:00.004-05:00

With the neighbors back in town and the pool not at our beck and call, we played in the sprinklers to cool off. The kids had a lot of fun and Nathan even played this time. I think he was out there because Paul said he would spray him with the hose after they played in the sprinkler for a while. They danced and were so silly. It has been a good summer and I am glad to say that we all survived.

Playing in the Rain!!!

2010-08-07T17:22:00.003-05:00

Yes, that is right rain!! We got rain, it was great and cooled things off into the 80's. The kids had a ball playing in the rain and Kayla used this as a good time to use her rain coat and her umbrella!

She wasn't crazy!!

2010-08-07T17:21:00.005-05:00

The dove that has been sitting on her nest for 3 months finally hatched her eggs. We have two baby dove that have take up residence on the front porch. They are cute and naturally do not like humans. The kids enjoy looking out the window and watching them as they sleep in the dirtor on the chairs. It is pretty interesting to watch when their mom comes to feed them and they violently try to get the food out of her mouth. I have enjoyed them, but am ready for them to take flight and leave, they have turned my front porch into a bird poop sanctuary, not very pleasant.

If you look out the window you can see the dove sitting on the arm of the chair...

Caterpillars

2010-08-06T17:20:00.003-05:00

The past few days I have noticed LOTS of these little caterpillars. Today while we were playing in the yard I had the kids "catching "them" and we would see who caught the most! The caterpillars were easy to catch as they were climbing the fence and on the porch. They caught a lot 100+ and I am letting them die. Yes, I know love your animals all God's creatures, but I am trying to grow a garden and have trees that are in need of help, so I have opted to save the plants and sacrifice the 100's of caterpillars. The kids especially the girls had a good time catching them.

Out of Town

2010-08-05T17:25:00.006-05:00

Our neighbors are out of town and we are "pool sitting" for them. I know it is a tough job,but someone has to do it!! There was one day that I cleaned out the traps and it was a lot stinky as the caterpillars had been in search of water fallen in the pool and drowned. Lots of dead caterpillars in the pool vacuum!! We have been over there almost every day for a few hours playing and just cooling off. Plus this helps them to be tired at bed time!! The kids have played nicely together making up games and just playing while I sit and play with Maddie or I just sit and watch as Nathan, Kayla, and Emily play together and Maddie plays with her cups and fills them up with water dumps them out, fills them up again, dumps them out... It has been nice to have family time, for Nathan to not be worried about running off to play with Jake and just having fun with his sisters. However he ends up playing their games more than they play his. That does not make him too happy, but he is a good sport about it all.

Build-A-Bear

2010-08-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

Today Nathan had a birthday party at Build A Bear!! The kids had a great time,my wallet took a hit, and we now have 4 more stuffed animals that will get played with on an occasion, but will eventually find their way to the stuffed animal box where they will sit until I box them up to save or get rid of!! it was a neat place to go, I can doing it once, and now that we have I can say I am done! The kids picked out their animal that wanted to get stuffed. Nathan picked out an owl, Kayla a purple bear (that came with a necklace), Emily a rabbit, and Maddie a brown teddy bear. Then they get to pick out an outfit and shoes for their animal. They help to stuff them, put a heart in their animal and then they get them dressed. They all had fun and want to go back!!

Have you ever....

2010-08-01T15:02:00.003-05:00

The other day I came downstairs to see this large bird sitting on my fence. I called for Nathan to come look at this bird and guess what, a duck!!! I believe it to be a whistling duck. This was the highlight of Nathan's day. Too funny!!

Grrrrub Worms

2010-07-27T17:50:00.004-05:00

Ya know how I had mentioned how good our garden was growing, it appears that our garden has been being invaded by grub worms, which have burrowed into the zucchini, cucumber, squash, well all of our vine plants and killed quite a few of them. I was able to save a few that were only damaged slightly and I am hoping they will continue to produce. Once the rain lets up for 24 hours I am going to put some stuff down that should kill the worms, cross your fingers!! However I did notice that while i was out there today cleaning the garden I only found 2 actual worms, maybe that is a good sign!!

Speaking of Hair...

2010-07-27T12:31:00.009-05:00

I did it, after weeks, and months of saying I was going to do it, I took the kids for proper haircuts!! I took everyone to get their hair cut, well, not everyone to get their hair cut just Kayla and Emily and I was hopeful I would be able to get Nathan in the chair. Kayla went first and picked out Dora to watch while her hair was cut. She had 2-3 inches cut off and her hair looks so much healthier. Then Emily stepped up, she sat in the the chair, where she held my hand the entire time for fear of what would happen. She had about 2 inches cut off and her hair looks so much nicer. After Emily I asked Nathan if he was sure he did not want to try, he said NO way, then the lady asked if he wanted to play a video game while she cut his hair, he looked at me with that sparkle that only a video game could inspire and he was sold!! Nathan played Mario Cart while his hair was buzzed off. At one point I thought he was going to loose his ear the way he was moving with the game as she tried to trim his hair. I must say it looks really nice and I am glad he did it! All the kids have new hair cuts and are looking ready for school. Next week will be time for buying school supplies!

BEFORE~ AFTER~

BEFORE~

AFTER~

BEFORE~

AFTER~

Baby...

2010-07-26T18:13:00.005-05:00

Today we had the 20 week ultrasound where all the body parts were looked at and measured, they are all there and look to be in good shape. Baby was moving, stretching and opened it' s mouth to say "hi". Baby weighs in around 12 ounces, and about 10 inches long. I wanted the doctor to just hold the ultrasound in one spot so I could just watch it wiggle around. My doctor is great and explained everything she was looking at and why, she took lots of pictures and worked to get a good profile picture of the baby!! We did not find out if it is a boy or girl, but I keep calling it a boy, which means it will be a girl!!

First Haircut

2010-07-26T18:06:00.005-05:00

Today was busy day for Maddie, it started with a trip to the doctor, where there was suppose to be NO shots, but according to so new guidelines, she ended up with a shot!! She was cute when the nurse jabbed her she sweetly said, "owe", then as the medicine was injected she screamed!! So the jab, not too bad, the medicine burned!

Then after naps it was time for her First Haircut!! Her hair was getting long and stringy, still all baby fine hair. It was breaking off and every morning it was a tangled up rat nest. plus she never kept it in a pony tail longer than 2 minutes, so it was always on her neck and in Houston that means hot and sweaty. She looks cute, but I am going to miss her curls!!

Get ready!!

That's what my hair looks like... So soft, and tickles my nose!!

My new doo!!

Swimming

2010-07-24T09:24:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we went to a friends house for lunch and to swim. The kids had a blast and I enjoyed chatting with friends. They have a Dachshund and he, Pierre, was a funny little dog! He would jump in the pool and swim after their son all over the pool. When he gets hot he goes in the shallow end where he walks around on his tip toes keeping his head above water and gets cooled off. It was a nice end to the week. After 4 and half hours of swimming jumping on the trampoline, basketball, playing flag football, and eating lunch (watermelon included). We came home!! On the ride home Nathan cried about how he wants to play at Snapper's house MORE and the girls fell asleep. It was a LONG day!!

Happy Birthday Maddie!!!

2010-07-22T16:33:00.009-05:00

Today Maddie turns 2!! WOW!! Today was a day spent playing!! We started the morning opening presents and then we played!! Some friends came over and the girls enjoyed playing with her two girls then after they left it was lunch and nap time. Maddie was blessed with wonderful presents from family and friends. Thank you all for your kindness!! This year for Maddie's birthday we got her a play table that we can fill with sand and water! Now, I know this sounds like a lot of fun, but let me tell you I am going to have to put either sand OR water, but not both in the table at the same time!! The kids had fun digging in the sand and then "rinsing" their hands off in the water, let's just say it was a mess, Maddie went through 3 outfits and was a mess most of the day! They do like to play with it, so I am happy for that, I as well have enjoyed building sand castles and "cakes" with it. Now to talk my husband into a bigger one!! Enjoy the pictures...

Mmmm, cupcakes!!

Eating a Rice Krispie treat while playing with cupcakes

That evening it rained and the kids had a ball playing in the rain, outfit #4 here I come!!

Maddie found a seashell that she filled with water from the drain and then watered the flowers for me!! She is so thoughtful...

This was Nathan's friend he found on the sidewalk...

How does your garden grow??

2010-07-19T14:51:00.005-05:00

Finally!!! Our garden is producing vegetables. We have nine zucchini's growing, LOTS of radishes, flowers on the tomato and pepper plants, I am hopeful that we will be growing watermelons soon. The carrots are growing, not very big, but they are growing! Keep your fingers crossed the growth continues!! Nathan enjoys checking on the garden daily to monitor it's progress, it is kind of a fun thing for the kids to help out with!!

Spain

2010-07-15T14:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday when I was baking bread, the smells made me think back to Spain. When I would open my kitchen window in the morning the smells of fresh baked bread would have traveled up the hill from the town below and the smell, oh the smell, there is nothing like fresh baked bread!! It made me so hungry for fresh bread, I am going to try to make fresh bread more often, it is so good.... Nathan had asked to look at our sea glass from Spain, so we pulled out our box that had our misc bits from the back porch in Spain and found the sea shells and sea glass, it was so nice. I want to go back and visit for a while, maybe Paul could get an assignment in Australia!!

Daddy's Home!!

2010-07-14T12:06:00.006-05:00

Paul has been in Australia for 5 days and came home today. The kids were so excited to see him they made him welcome home cards and while I was helping Kayla spell her words Maddie helped herself to the stamps and markers (see photo below). We made fresh bread for him and we blew up balloons to welcome him home. It was a big party. I was ready to go to bed by the time he showed up. I am always amazed at how tired I am by the time he gets home from trips, I think I have to be ready ALL the time and I can't depend on him to help with them in the evening so I never get a break and when he does get home, I turn my brain off and am able to relax a bit and it is then that I realize how tired I truly am! (Emily you are going to need to go into hibernation when Dan gets back!) Welcome Home Daddy!!

this is why we only buy WASHABLE markers!!

Summer Fun

2010-07-10T12:06:00.007-05:00

What to say the summer is almost over and what have we done?? Well we have played in the pool, played in the sprinkler, made fresh lemonade, homemade ice cream, had water balloon fights, and water gun fights. There have been trips to the library and a trip to the east coast to visit with family. We took a trip to Oklahoma for the fourth of July, Nathan, Kayla and Emily spent a week with the grandparents and had a very good time, as did I being reminded what it was like with only one child. If I only knew how easy it was with just one, when it was just Nathan!! Nathan has enjoyed hours of playing with the boys next door, Kayla and Emily have played all kinds of games together, Maddie has tried to play along and has been tolerated pretty well and I have enjoyed sleeping in past 6:30am. I must say it has been a good, and relaxing summer. 5 more weeks to go!!

Enjoying a small snack after playing in the water

"How does this work?"

"Oh well, I will just drink the water" "I bet hers has better water , trade ya!"

Get him!

Dove...

2010-07-08T12:05:00.005-05:00

Before we left for our trip to the east coast we had noticed an egg on the ground by our tree in the front yard, a few days later there was just half of the same type of egg at the bottom of the same tree. When we found the first egg I did not think too much of it just an egg that fell from somewhere or was dropped by a bird that stole it out of a nest.... When we found the half egg I wondered if there was a nest in the tree so Nathan and I looked for a nest and wallah, there it was, with the dove sitting in it. I kept waiting for the baby bird to show itself, but never saw it or heard it. So we left on our trip. When we got back I thought surely there would be just an empty nest, I was wrong the momma bird was still sitting on the nest. Still no sign of baby dove, the weeks went on and still no babies, but EVERY time we looked at the nest there was the momma bird sitting on the nest. We left to go to Oklahoma City and when we came back there was no bird on the nest and Paul had seen 2 baby dove in the shrubs in the front yard. HOORAY, finally here was proof of real eggs that hatched , and this bird was not just crazy!! The babies hung around for a couple of days, then they were gone. This would make you think the nest would be empty and Nathan could knock it out of the tree to inspect, right? NO!! That mother bird was back on the nest. I do not know if it is the same dove pair or a new pair, I have NO clue, but I do know they take turns, when one is sitting on the nest the other is out then the dad will fly in and change places with the mother, this I have noticed while trying to see if she EVER left the nest because there is always a bird sitting on the eggs! Let me just say that a baby dove is no small baby, they are at least half or bigger than half the size of the full grown dove. I will continue to wait and see if there are more doves or if this bird is just nuts!

"baby dove"

4th of July

2010-07-06T12:04:00.007-05:00

Over the Fourth we drove up to Oklahoma City to pick up the kids from the grandparents and spend the weekend with family. We arrived Friday night and went to bed, then on Saturday we loaded up to go to Paul's parents and spend the day, since it was raining most of the day and I was sleeping most of the day I do not remember too much of what happened. We played Uno, ate and just hung out. Sunday was church then to pizza with the Hellen's. After pizza where it was far too cold inside we headed back to my folks house and played. My brother Dave his wife Katie and their little girl Emma were there, then my sister and her husband showed up followed by Blake's mom. It was a little rainy that day as well, but we played "Things" which is fun board game and not too complicated, you were just required to be clever in your thoughts! Then it was time to eat. Once everyone had gorged themselves we headed outside to enjoy the cooler weather and play some games. My dad had made some corn hole games and we played a bit of that. After a while it was time for the boys to get the fire ready to light some explosives in the back yard. I do believe that 4th of July is just an excuse for men/boys to blow things up. Nathan had fun lighting things and watching them burn, I think his favorites are the smoke bombs, which he put in the bird bath and watched them change the color of the water and make bubbles. He jumped through the smoke they made and believe me there was a lot of smoke! When Pop started to light up the black cats the girls (Kayla, Emily and Maddie) went inside to enjoy the show from a safe distance. They are not fans of the noise. It was a nice evening with family.

Monday we spent the day outside and playing games. There was swimming more corn hole, a little bit of horse shoes, coloring and just hanging out. It was good weekend. Tuesday morning we loaded up and drove back to Texas. The kids were all VERY good I think they are getting use to being in the car for LONG periods of time.

Big Girl Now!!

2010-07-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

The other night Paul and I put together Maddie's "Big Girl" bed. She was so happy to be sleeping in a big girl bed. Now Maddie wants mommy to lay down with her at nap time and bed time. The good part of that is I get to rest for a bit and it helps her to fall asleep guaranteeing that she will take a nap and sleep in her own bed, at least part of the night anyway! It brought back memories of Nathan and Kayla when they were little. This bed is the bed we bought in England for Nathan, his first "Big Boy" bed, and the sheets were the sheets that we bought for Kayla when she converted from the crib to a bed. Why do they have to grow up?

Yesterday evening, right before dinner, Maddie had enough. I don't know if it was from lack of sleep, all of the fun she has been having, not having to share her mom (I vote for this one), or just pure boredom but she brought her pillow and blanket to the play area and laid on the floor to go to sleep. I just wish it would have been 2 hours later and I could have put her in PJ's and put her to bed for the night.

CAT!!!!!

2010-06-30T08:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday when I woke up I noticed that Sally was not in the house. Paul was working in the garage last night and the garage door was open. So I was under the assumption that she slipped out while he wasn't looking. I was right. We left the garage cracked all day so that if she made made her way home she could get in the house. I sent a noticed out to the neighborhood asking for people to contact me if they saw her. I waited all day and thoughts (not always good) kept going through my head as to where she could be. When Paul came home we drove around the neighborhood looking for her to no avail. The night went on Maddie went to bed and Paul and I went to bed, I was a in bit of a bad mood, sorry Paul!!! At about 4AM I was awoken by the sounds of a cat crying outside our bedroom windows, I shot from my bed to see what was the matter, went to the back door and turned on the backyard lights, went outside and called her, nothing!! So, to the front porch thinking that maybe when I turned the lights on it spooked her, I called her and she meowed back, after a while she finally came into the house and cried over and over. She has no limps, no scratches, nothing, wherever she was she took care of herself. Now to keep her from running away again!!

Madeline...

2010-06-29T08:33:00.002-05:00

Nathan, Kayla, and Emily have gone to Oklahoma to spend the week with the grandparents. They left on Saturday which means Maddie has gone from having 3 siblings to being an only child. She has done pretty well with it all, but misses them especially in the morning and at bedtime. In the morning when we get up she will cry about everything and gets upset when I have to take my 5 minute shower. Normally in the morning they all get up together and will play or watch cartoons, but with Nathan, Kayla and Emily not here she is alone. At bedtime she just does NOT want to go to bed!! Last night Paul was working in the garage I was ironing shirts upstairs and Maddie kept coming out of her bed. I finally gave up and let her be, she got out her baby dolls, blankets, play food and cash register. She has been playing VERY nicely by herself and is good about cleaning her mess, sometimes with help and sometimes by herself. Well, I tried putting her to bed again when I finished the ironing at about 9:45. She came right back out,so I sat up there with her, still awake. Finally at 10:30 I brought her downstairs where she slept in our bed!! I am ready for the kids to be back!

Week 2 of Summer

2010-06-18T14:29:00.005-05:00

This was the kids first week with nothing planned, It was OK. They were bored a lot, but I currently have a cold so I am not in best shape to entertain. Between, sneezing, feeling sick and just wanting to fall asleep I feel useless. Nathan has been playing next door A LOT, maybe even too much. The girls however are playing well together, I am going to miss Emily when she goes to pre-school in August, so is Maddie, I will need someone to keep Maddie entertained. I keep meaning to go to the library and get books for Nathan, but I am lacking the energy to load up all the kids and go out. Next week will be better, as long as this cold gets better! If anyone has some ideas for activities with kids let me know!

South Carolina

2010-06-12T09:09:00.007-05:00

Aiken, South Carolina~ We arrived to Paul's brother's house on Thursday night where we had a great dinner and enjoyed hanging out. Friday we went fishing, picked wild blackberries, and played with the Wii. Friday morning their cat showed showed up, the kids were super excited to meet Jake and LOVED petting him.

Bird Watching! Look at that Whopper!!! Worms anyone?? Mmmm, wild blackberries!!!

Saturday after a great breakfast we headed out to a plantation where the magnolia trees were at least a hundred years old and the blossoms on the trees as big as your head. There were also ants, Fire ants all over, so we had to be careful where we stepped, but that was not the real problem as the ants were in the trees. When the kids tried to climb and play on the trees they were bit by the ants, Maddie got a good bite between her toes, don't ask!! It was a good morning then we headed into downtown Aiken. Where we walked around and then ate lunch at a local microbrewery. I was told the beer was good, but since I am pregnant, I just had to watch. After lunch it was too hot for anything outside so we went back to the house and played some more Wii.

Sunday after church we had another great breakfast, I must say we had 3 full breakfasts every day we were there. It was rather nice. Mark you are more then welcome to here and cook breakfast every day! After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed off to TX. It was a great visit and I am glad we took the extra time to visit family.

Washington DC

2010-06-11T09:09:00.007-05:00

We left Lancaster around noon on Tuesday and headed for DC it should have been 1.5 to 2 hours however 3-4 hours later (traffic) we arrived at our destination. I am a little fuzzy on the times because I was sleeping most of the drive! It was good to get to the hotel and unpack. The only thing was after we unpacked, it was time to head out to see the sights. The museums were all close for the day, but we were able to walk by the White House, Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument. Then we were off to find some food, we ended up at a restaurant close to the hotel where we ate overpriced hamburgers. It was good and I ate too much, but we made it back to hotel and back to bed!

chasing a squirrel

taking a break before the long walk home!

Day 2 began at the Natural History Museum. Hooray for air conditioning!! It was fun to watch the kids in all of the exhibits while the ocean exhibit and the insect area were the hits, it was all fun to see. The ocean exhibit had a lot of fish preserved in jars, which help to make it seem real. It is good to see the dinosaurs and other model animals, but there is something about a real animal. Once finished at the Natural History Museum we continued our walk around the mall and saw the Capitol, Library of Congress, Parliament, and then headed off to the Air and Space Museum. On the way we passed a farmer's market, which was full of people. It was about 2PM at this point, a little late for a farmer's market I thought, but none the less, there they were. I would have liked to have stopped, but it was on the other side of a BUSY street, so we walked on by! After the Air and Space museum it was time to go back to the hotel, the kids were exhausted and it was hot. Once back at the hotel we laid around while the kids played in the room, dinner was sandwiches from bread and meat we brought with us. It was a good trip, but you could have spent a week there and MAYBE have seen it all. I know there were places that Paul wanted to tour and walk through, but with the kids getting grumpier by the minute and me not feeling very well, it was sacrificed.

Lancaster, PA

2010-06-10T10:47:00.014-05:00

When we woke up on Friday morning, after 5 hours of sleep, it was time to start the day with a trip to Central Market. Central Market is a step back in time where there are people selling fresh baked goods, meat counters where your steak is cut from the slab of cow to the thickness you want it, vegetables that look and smell as though they were just picked from the farm, and fish that has NO fishy smell (must be fresh, right!?). Needless to say I wanted to buy a lot of stuff, but as we had no where to store it it was just not going to happen. After market we went to my Aunt Teresa's house were we spent the day hanging out and socializing with family. It was a good and relaxing day. Nathan had a good time with cousin Miles and the girls enjoyed playing in the sand box. we all enjoyed swing on the courting swing ( I think that is what is called).

Day 2 was a party for my grandma's, 90th birthday. Everyone gathered at Aunt Teresa's house and we had a great time catching up with family and just enjoying beautiful day with each other. Paul and I offered to pick up the cake and little did we know where we would end up! After driving through the countryside we were traveling down a country road at 45 mph and looking for the bakery, as we passed a white farm house, Paul says, " I think we just passed it." We turn around and arrive at the farm house with a purple pony sign in the front yard, not very big I may add, and drive to the garage behind the house. The garage has been divided in to 2 parts, the first half is a storage area, and the back room is where the baking takes place. There is just one woman there who does all of the cooking. In talking I told them we were from TX, they then informed me that they ship whoopee pies all over and he gave me two samples. It was a pleasant surprise. They were good, but not as good as my mom's!

Before going to Aunt Teresa's for the party, we took a trip to Long's park, a park close to where my Gram use to live and full of fun memories! There was a fun wooden play area and LOTS of baby ducks and geese. The kids had a good time with the animals and playing.

Day 3 was my cousin Kirstin's wedding day, she was a beautiful bride and it was great to finally meet her husband, Liam is a good man and I know he and Kirstin will be happy. Congratulations to you both!

Day 4 most of the family had left, so we met out at my aunt Teresa's where it was a rainy day and I had to laundry! We sat around ate and talked some more, then after naps and lunch we headed out to Strasburg where we took a ride on the steam train. It was fun and enjoyed seeing the countryside and watching the Amish plow the fields and bail the hay. Another good day.

Day 5, our last day in Lancaster, we met mom and dad for breakfast then headed into town to get some pretzels, which are gone. The pretzels are made in the back of a house. Like most things in Lancaster it is a small town feel with a throw back to a time long forgotten. We looked through the windows to watch the workers, whom are all elderly, as they twisted the dough to make the pretzels. Then it was back to Aunt Teresa's house to say good bye to everyone and continue our journey to Washington DC.

The trip...

2010-06-08T16:44:00.003-05:00

Well, we left on Wed. after the kids got out of school, to go to Biloxi, MS and stay the night with my sister-in-law and the cousins. On the way I went to put on a movie for them to watch and uh-oh i forgot all but 2 of the movies!! They watched them both, but did not like the mouse detective too much. We did not arrive there until around 11PM, then it was to bed and in the morning they were excited to see their cousins!! The kids played for a while ate breakfast and got back in the car for what was suppose to be a 12 hour day of driving. Well, we drove, and drove, and drove and at 7:30 we stopped for dinner, Wendy's!! At this point we had 5 hours left to reach our destination, it was too early to stop driving and you can't drive 2 hours and then stop with just 3 hours left to go, so we drove (by "we" I mean Paul) into the night arriving into Lancaster, PA at 3:00AM local time. Thanks to our GPS we were able to watch a train go by, pay an unnecessary toll, and see some country side, as well as one could see the countryside at 2 in the morning. We checked into our room and fell to sleep. The kids were great on the trip, there were a few moments we all wanted to scream, but with some Leapster, and movies on the portable DVD player all was well. (Thanks for the loaners Emily and Dad!)

Home Again, Again

2010-06-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

We made it home last night/this morning at 2:30. After unloading the car putting a few things away letting the kids run around for an hour it was time for ALL of us to go to bed. By 4AM we were all tucked into our beds and ready for sleep. By 6:30Am Emily was awake and ready for play. Paul and I manage to stay in bed until around 7:30, but then it was time to get up and get things done. Nathan and Kayla went to Vacation Bible School, Paul took Maddie and Emily with him grocery shopping, while I got things done around the house. Then when Paul came home he tackled he yard and did that while Maddie took a nap, Emily and I went to pick up Nathan and Kayla, then home again. Once home we finished laundry, cleaned the car, it was nasty!, and took care of day to day business. Time for dinner then bed! Good Night!

My Son...

2010-05-22T13:46:00.004-05:00

Nathan has spent most of the day wiggling his tooth and trying desperately to get it out. Well, he was successful!! At school they have a chart and if you loose your tooth during the school year you get to put a tooth on the tooth chart for the month. He lost 2 teeth last summer and none during the school year. With the year being over in 1 week he was getting desperate to put a tooth on the chart. Well, the tooth was not 100% ready to come out, but he was ready to pull it out, so out it came.

A New Addition!!

2010-05-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

We are happy to announce that in December we will be having an addition to our family. I am pregnant with baby #5. While not a complete surprise, it was not as planned out as the others were. We are excited and looking forward to a new baby in the house. Kayla is VERY excited and I am wondering if I should have waited 5 more months before telling her. She did ask me, "Mommy how do change the babies diaper when it is in your belly?" That was cute, so with fun questions and lots of "gifts for mommy and baby, we are preparing for baby#5. I am hopeful that in a few weeks I will be feeling better and will be able to entertain you all with fun posts that do not relate to birds, so until then.

Finch Nest

2010-05-11T08:19:00.000-05:00

So this weekend I was sitting on the porch and Nathan said, "Mom, there is a bird in your flower basket". I said, No way!! So I shook it and nothing happened then I started to swing it back and forth and a little momma finch flew out!! Upon closer inspection I noticed that there was a nest with three little eggs in there. I guess they do have a nest around here! It has been fun to hear her chirping while I am working on the computer. The only thing is that when I have to water the flowers, she is not too happy about that either, but she flies off then back and forth trying to get me to leave, I have not been attacked yet, but we will see. I just have to be careful to avoid the nest.

dad i see you!! she was a little mad after I watered the flowers

Birds

2010-05-05T08:04:00.004-05:00

We have a variety of birds in our yard as of lately. there have been a few humming birds flying around and a new family of blue birds has moved into one of the bird houses. We have seen our friends the dove, the red winged black bird, a pair of finches has been around, I think they may have a nest around somewhere. Funny enough they have been eating the hummingbird food as well. Starlings have made a nest in out roof, and Paul has been trying to get them out, but where they are they are just not reachable.

finches

Mr and Mrs Blue Bird

Mrs Blue Bird

Starling

Sally waiting to get there and attack the birds!!!

Flown the Coup

2010-04-22T11:44:00.003-05:00

I have not noticed the blue birds around lately, so while playing in the yard yesterday I knocked on their house ant no birds flew out or made any noise, so I am assuming that they have taken flight. Later in the evening the kids and I looked in the house and it was empty, just a nest, which we removed so that another family could come along and build a home. I am a little sad that we missed seeing the babies take flight, it must have been over the weekend while we were camping.

The Infirmary

2010-04-21T21:02:00.003-05:00

Tuesday morning Maddie began to run a temperature, 102.6, and has kept it going throughout today. The school called me on Tuesday to ask that I come pick up Kayla because she has a temperature of 100.5, then on Tuesday evening, I noticed Emily started running a temperature, right around 100. I am just glad that they are all getting it at the same time over and done with, hopefully it will not drag out for days or weeks! Emily seems to be much better today and Kayla as well, no temperatures. Since Kayla was home I thought I would try to get her to do gymnastics with Emily's class. Thankfully Coach Sarah let her join in and Kayla had a blast. It was good and cut down on my driving around. Tomorrow Kayla will go back to school and life will hopefully return back to normal,depending on Maddie!!

Gone Camping...

2010-04-19T08:56:00.006-05:00

This weekend we went camping with the scouts. It was a good time and the kids had a lot of fun. We arrived at Stephen F Austin park Friday night and set up camp. That night we ate hot dogs and just enjoyed friends. While we were sleeping it began to rain and rained off and on throughout the night. Saturday was a beautiful day spent hiking, playing kickball and just playing. Then on Sunday morning we woke to the beginning of a thunderstorm and were able to pack up in between the rain. Made it home in time to catch the thunderstorms here. It was fun and we are all worn out! The good news is, is that our tent really is water proof!!!

check out my beltloops

A deer we saw on the hike...

getting ready to go hiking flag ceremony

Blue Birds

2010-04-13T20:14:00.000-05:00

We have baby blue birds in the back yard. The blue birds have built a nest in the bird house and the mom and dad bird have been flying back and forth with food. When mom or dad sticks their head in the hole with food, there are a lot of chirps then the mom or dad flies away and silence. This continues on and off throughout the day.

Daddy bird keeping an eye out

Momma bird feeding the babies

Interested spectator

and like a boomerang, she returns...

2010-04-12T11:10:00.004-05:00

So this morning when I woke up Sally was nowhere to be found. Not in the house, not on the back porch, not in the front, nowhere. Kayla's response to this was "can we get a new cat?" My response was, "NO". Well, I had left the garage door cracked so she could crawl in. I was playing in the back yard with the girls and when we came in we were talking about "where could Sally be?" Emily said, "There she is!!" Sally had found her way home and was sitting on the living room floor. She is a little dirty and the perfectionist in me wants to give her a bath, but the rational side is telling me to wait a few days and she will get herself clean. On another note she chased a squirrel up the tree last Friday. While playing the back yard we left the back door open and Sally spied a squirrel eating the bird food off the ground and she was off like a shot. She chased it up the pine tree about 6-8 feet. When the momentum stopped and she realized where she was and the fact that she does not have front claws hit her, she could not hang on and down she went. I was surprised to see her up the tree in the first place.

flowering??

2010-04-10T15:32:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know it is Spring, but my CHRISTMAS cactus is blooming, I don't think it got the memo...

Quilt

2010-04-09T08:17:00.004-05:00

I started making this on Tuesday night and finished it by Thursday night. There is a bit more purple in it than I planed, but I still like it. I still have enough squares and fabric to make one more, anyone having a baby girl??

I finished the second one....Maddie really likes the soft fleece on the back!!

Pinewood Derby and Pottery

2010-03-27T18:30:00.002-05:00

Today was along day for Nathan. It started out with a soccer game at 10am. Nathan was able to play the first two quarters since he had to leave the soccer game at half time so he could make it back to Tomball to do the pinewood derby, which he came in second place for the tigers. He was so excited to get atrophy and now keeps his car in a shoebox next to the ribbon and trophy on his desk. After he made it home from the pinewood derby he had about 45 minutes before we had to get ready to go to a birthday party. At the birthday party he made a plate out of clay and painted it. Nathan had to leave the plate their so they could fire it, but he should get the plate in a few weeks. It was a very good day and we had a good time. Nathan went to bed and slept very well.

CRASH!!!

2010-03-26T11:02:00.004-05:00

So, last night as I was getting things ready for bedtime while Maddie and Emily were in the tub, splashing and getting water all over!! I heard a crash and the Maddie screaming. I casually walked in to find Maddie with a red spot above her right eye, no blood, but she has a bruise and it s a bit swollen. She cried for a while, well a minute then wanted to know where the "kitty" was?? I am pretty sure she was standing in the tub and pouring water on Emily's head when she lost her footing and fell and banged her eye on the faucet. Life lesson's...

Just for fun

2010-03-20T16:26:00.004-05:00

...this weekend I was having fun with the girls and took a bazillion pictures of them, her are some of my favorites.

No words...

2010-03-17T16:24:00.004-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa

2010-03-15T16:19:00.004-05:00

This past weekend Paul's parents were here for a visit and we had a great time. We had great weather which means we were outside the entire time!! We played Candyland, baseball, soccer, and kickball, swings were swang in and we lost an hour of sleep, that part was not so good!! We had a good time and look forward to their next visit.

...and in other news Nathan and Kayla had their first Dentist appointment today, which went great. The assistant was wonderful and Kayla LOVED her!! she showed them the proper way to brush and they got to pick out 3 "prizes" from the prize box. There were no cavities and they both were great!!

Little house on the Prairie...

2010-03-14T16:13:00.000-05:00

The girls were wearing these dresses and decided to wear their cowgirl boots with them, it was just too cute!!

how does your garden grow??

2010-03-10T21:36:00.004-06:00

The garden is growing!! We have radishes, corn, beans, and lettuce popping through!! I am hopeful that more will pop through, but I am happy with anything!!

Lettuce...

Corn... Beans...

Radishes...

I am also going to try to grow blackberries and strawberries!!

HELP!!

2010-03-08T21:27:00.001-06:00

So, tonight Maddie's normal PJ's were dirty so I had to put her in some pajama's with feet. She was NOT a fan!!

If I pull they WILL come off....

Here mom, you try!!

Fine, I will do it myself!!!

Maybe if I start here with these button things... You are NO help, maybe dad will get this off of me!!!

I did change her and she wore her sweat pants and a long sleeve onesie to bed, She just did not like to have feet, I guess I will need to buy some new PJ's for her.

arts and crafts

2010-03-05T21:36:00.004-06:00

Kayla was given a wooden framed mirror, wooden hearts, paintbrushes, paint, stamps and some glue for her birthday from Nanny Yost (my cousin, her godmother). As soon as she opened her present it was time to start painting. She was so excited! We painted and glued hearts and then put it all together, it's amazing how much you can get done when a 5 year old is constantly asking you to do something!!

She has also been spending her days working on her shrinky dinks!! She enjoyed watching them curl up and shrink in the oven and then once cooled off she put the on her bracelet and has enjoyed wearing them. Both were a lot of fun and she had a good time making them.

little gynast's

2010-03-03T21:37:00.002-06:00

Today at gymnastic' s the parents were allowed on the floor to take pictures of the kids while they showed off their abilities!! Nathan and Maddie had a good time playing as well.

Paper? What Paper???

2010-02-28T16:37:00.002-06:00

Maddie has developed quite the habit of coloring on herself, the walls and just about anything that will hold still for her to color it. Well, here is a picture of her face!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLA!!!

2010-02-23T21:20:00.000-06:00

5 years old!! For Kayla's cake she asked for another princess cake, so it is the same cake as last year, just different colors. She asked for a Barbie and a Barbie house for her present and she was given Barbie things. Kayla was given 2 Barbie’s, a Kelly doll, Barbie clothes, Barbie shrinky-dinks, a pink jewelry box, a watch, and I made her a quilt. It was my first quilt ever. Kayla opened it and laid her head down on it and just said it is so soft. At bedtime she just wanted to use it for a pillow instead of a blanket. For dinner Kayla requested that I make fried rice and have root beer to drink, all of which was enjoyed by everyone!! Kayla took cupcakes to school to share with her class. And to top it all off, it snowed today, not very much, and did not even stick to the ground, but it did snow!!

Re-evaluating...

2010-02-20T11:41:00.002-06:00

Today while checking out Facebook and reading everyone’s posts, I noticed a friend had joined the group “Praying for Layla Grace”, out of curiosity I checked out the site. It is a group that was formed to pray for a 2 year old that has a brain tumor and is not doing very well. When I went to their blog page I read the post from yesterday and it made me realize how much I truly take for granted, the health of my children. Here is a part of the post, the part that made me take a step back and re-evaluate my life. “Towards the end of a pregnancy, a mother will wake up to go to the bathroom every few hours. I think this is the body’s way of preparing you for a newborn and the sleepless nights that come along with it. Layla now spends most of her days sleeping. 30-45 minutes after she wakes up, she is ready to lay down and sleep again. Is this God’s way of preparing me for all the quiet time that is coming soon? The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I WANT interruptions. I WANT Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I WANT to hear her playing with her toys. I WANT to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words “I just can’t get anything done with these kids under my feet all day” I am eternally regretful. The days that I looked forward to naptime so I could get a grocery list made, or finally fold all the piles of laundry…I regret those days too. If I could do it all again, I’d enjoy EVERY SINGLE WAKING MOMENT I had with her. I would never wish for her to sit still or take a nap or go to bed early. I would never look forward to the days when she could sit through an entire episode of Dora silently. I would treasure every second with her. So I’ve spent the last few days in a quiet house, able to do whatever my heart desires. But all I want to do is wake her up and hold her. She doesn’t really want to be held much anymore. She prefers to be rocked in her dark bedroom for a little while, then laid down in her bed. She gets easily over stimulated by the noise of the other children downstairs. She wants dark, silence, peace and sleep. So we give those things to her. As much as it breaks my heart to not be able to hold her all day, I know her little body needs peace and sleep." After reading this I have decided that I should be a better mom, I am not a terrible mom, but I could be better. I love my children, but do I always show it? Yes I may be tired or grumpy, but it is not their fault that someone else has upset me. So I end this with a prayer for families with sick children and for the children that are struggling with whatever illness that has affected them and their families...

identified

2010-02-19T15:22:00.004-06:00

Our woodpecker is a yellow bellied sapsucker (thanks Mark), and appearantly it is "drilling" holes in the trees and sucking out the sap. Well, we have put a plastic owl in the tree in the backyard since that was the most damaged and I am going to keep an eye on the trees in the front.

Spring?!?

2010-02-17T15:29:00.002-06:00

The trees are thinking it is Spring and they should start budding, but the temperatures outside are not showing signs of Spring, 34 degrees this morning!!