My new year's resolution: ME!

This year I resolve to put myself first more.  Not in a selfish way, of course.  As a mom, the needs of my children will ALWAYS come before my own.  However, like most moms (I assume), I often put my children's wants ahead of my needs- and that's just not good for anyone.  This year I also give myself permission to occasionally indulge in my wants, without feeling guilty about it. And that's that.

Happy New Year!!!!!!

A riddle? A joke? Just plain madness?

I can't even begin to imagine how boring my life would be if I didn't have Miss Isabell around.  She said something tonight, yet again, that left Jeremy and I completely perplexed:

How do monsters play soccer? They stick pinecones on their butts, and run around screaming!

The word you are searching for right now is, "what?"  Honestly, I just don't know.

That's what 25 years of marriage will do to ya!

A couple days ago I was talking to my mom, and asked her if she had any Christmas ideas for my dad.  She sighed, and lamented that he always asks for the same things: Levi's, thermals, and socks.  Uninspired by her list, I decided to go straight to the source and ask my dad directly if he had any ideas for Christmas.  He chipperly replied "Levi's, thermals, and socks would be great!" Hahahahaha!  I guess she nailed it!  Of course I can't tell yet what we got for him, but I'm sure he'll love it!

true to name

Last night Jeremy and I had a mini date night, and our first stop of the evening was here: Painless Steel Tattoo.  After having achieved an important goal recently, I decided to reward myself with something fun; I had my nose pierced!  Amazingly, the piercing really doesn't hurt.  It's a quick pinch and takes no longer than a standard immunization from your doctor.  While I doubt there are too many people reading this that are in the market for a body modification shop, if you are looking, I highly recommend this place!  They were extremely friendly, and most importantly, they were extremely clean!  I don't have a pic to show of my piercing yet because I need to buy a new connection cord for my camera, but hopefully I'll have one up sooner than later.

uh, I blame his dad

Tonight Isaac spilled some juice, and I instructed him to please grab a towel and wipe it up.  By the third time I asked him to clean it up, he tried to tell me that first he needed more juice.  Nope, sorry, you need to clean that up first.  Then he tried to convince me to get him more juice, and I told him I would be more than happy to, but first he needed to wipe up his spill.  He then said to me "please get me more juice first...... I'll give you a necklace for Christmas!"  What!?!?!?!!!  You are trying to BRIBE me? Yeah, fat chance buddy!



*the juice was cleaned up immediately after as I was not amused at his stall tactics and told him he had exactly 20 seconds to get a towel and clean it up.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Today we finally got some snow!!  Not a lot (2 inches), but enough that the kids are having fun.  I LOVE snow leading up to Christmas time.  Nothing puts me in a holiday mood more than snow outside and the Christmas tunes turned up!  It's also awesome that I almost never have to worry about venturing out on the roads; I'm sure that's part of why I'd love to have a good 6 inches of snow right now.  However, here is what I don't like. 

Tonight, I am here:

(that would be my home)

And Jeremy is here:

(that would be work)

Jeremy works at Bin on the Lake, which is owned by the Woodmark Hotel.  The roads are so bad tonight that the managers have decided all employees will not be allowed to leave, and must stay at the hotel. (for free, of course)  I am extremely thankful he works at a place that is so concerned for employee safety that they would put them up for the night, but it is a bummer he can't make it home.  Oh well, I'm going to keep enjoying my snow.  Hopefully he'll make it home sometime in the next couple days!

oh brother!

We have determined, without a doubt, that Nahshon is what sitcom brothers are modeled after. Truly, he's incredible.

The other day, he and Isaac were talking to Jeremy in the kitchen and Jeremy told Nahshon to go blow his nose.  Can you guess what Nahsh did?  He leaned into Isaac's back, and blew his nose into Isaac's shirt. Seriously.  And THIS is what Cai and Noah have to look up to as a role model; I can't wait.

Jim and his staples

I know right now you are wondering, who is Jim and what is so important about his staples? Well, let me tell ya!  "Jim" is Nahshon.  And those staples?  They are in the side of his head. Yeah.  At the start of this week little, sweet, never gets in trouble Nahshon, was jumping around at the dinner table and apparently jumped himself right off his chair and into the bookshelf behind him.  Needless to say, there was blood.  Jeremy rushed home from work and we took the little tyke down to Children's Hospital where they stapled his head shut.  You might think such an even would be very traumatic for a young child, and it seems, the drug companies would agree with that.  Before they took the office equipment to his head, they shot some stuff up his nose and said pretty soon he'd look and act like he'd just downed a couple pints at the local pub.  At one point Jeremy asked Nahshon his name, and in between little snorts and fits of giggles he replied "JIM!"  At that time we informed his nurse that he was thoroughly trashed and ready to go.  Here's the really amazing part though: the drugs they gave him cause him to actually FORGET the whole ordeal!  Crazy, right? 

At first I thought it was fantastic that he wouldn't remember it, but within minutes of getting home I began to see the serious downside of it all- he didn't remember he hurt his head!  His head was still puffy, the staples still shiny, and he was attempting to stand on the arm of a chair!  This entire week, we've had this conversation about 10 times per day:

(me) NAHSHON! Do you still have staples in your head?

(him) yes

(me) Then stop that right now, you're going to get hurt!

(him- in an angry shout and then stomping away with his arms folded) OK MOM!


I would love to think this will be the first and last time we have to deal with something like this, but we all know that probably isn't true.  Wonder if they sell those staple kits for home use.............

YES YES YES!!!

Today was THE day.  The day Jeremy and I have practically pulling out our hair trying to reach for the past two years.  Today, Elijah read a book.  Anyone on the outside would probably be thinking, didn't he just celebrate his 8th birthday?  Shouldn't he be reading already?  If it was any of my other kids, I would agree, but not with Elijah.  If you know my family, then you know we've struggled with him from day 1.  Ever since we pulled Elijah from school, I've wrestled with my decision  There is so much risk that he'll just get overlook and lost in the "system" at public school, but then there's that constant nagging feeling that I might not know how to teach a child like him.  This year though, I tossed out "traditional" schooling for him.  Last year was so hard, and I wasn't going to put any of us through it again.  In place of stacks of books, we gave him a Leapster system.  On day one I could see we made a good choice because he was getting excited again about learning. (that is the foundation to a successful education, in my opinion)  The only workbook I ordered for him this year was a language arts book, which we do in a group lesson with Bella. Today their lesson included a long list of words, and they had to find the match.  After the assignment was complete, I asked Bella to please read me the list of words.  Elijah quickly joined in, and I asked Bell to stop so we could hear Elijah.  To the surprise and amazement of us all, he read the entire page correctly.  Not long after I handed him a small book for beginning readers, and he read the entire thing without help!  This is exactly what we needed to kick start our school year in the right direction.  How fantastically awesome!



On another happy reading note...... Yesterday Genna started a new book.  The title escapes me, but I know it was a Halloween mystery book.  (that girl loves a good mystery)  I asked her to read a chapter before bed, and told her she could go read in my room so it would be quiet.  A while later I went to check on her, and she had already read three chapters and begged me to let her read one more.  I said OK, but that she had to go to bed right after.  She obeyed and went to bed, but about 45 minutes later came out of her room saying she couldn't sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about her book and could she pleeeaaassseeee read a tiny bit more.  I figured she didn't have anywhere to be in the morning, so why not?  I wasn't all that surprised when a bit over an hour later she came and said she finished the entire book!  It actually made me laugh a bit because I remember when I was her age and would read an entire book in a day when I had to spend time at my parent's store. (or would use a flashlight to read in bed)  I love that she loves to read, and I hope she never loses that passion.

Need a nickname?

Just ask Elijah for one!

This is baby Logan:

Isn't he a cutie?  He's the newest cousin in the family.  Elijah calls him Cosmo.  Don't know why, but he just does.

This is Micaiah



He's sweet and cuddly in all the right places.  Elijah calls him Little Meatball.

(To be honest, this one I kind of get because he is rather round and squishy.)

Perhaps a future as a personal trainer?

Genna and I have been doing Dance Dance Revolution together every night as I try to shake off this baby weight. (from the last TWO babies, no less)  Genna suggested we try one of the new songs we unlocked in the game.  I responded by laughing hysterically and telling her she was crazy.  When she asked why I thought she was crazy, I told her I had no intention of killing myself that night by trying one of those songs.  (seriously, some of the songs on there are so fast it's stupid)  She looked me right in the eye and very sweetly (but fully sincere) said, "Mom you're not going to kill yourself........ you're going to kill calories!"  I thanked her for her kind words, and then immediately switched the song to a nice easy one ;)

Ice Man the Nice Man

  

For Genna's birthday, at her request, my parents took her to ride a horse.  Needless to say, she had a fantastic time!!!  She decided to ride a large pony (she felt a standard horse was a bit too big for her), and the one she got was named Ice Man the Nice Man! 

They ended up going on a 1 hour trail ride.  Seeing the pictures of her outing brings back fond memories from when I used to ride horses when I was a kid.  (I was very lucky as my parents had a friend that ran a horse stable and we could ride pretty much anytime we asked)  What a wonderful way to celebrate 9 wonderful years with a wonderful little girl.

Happy Birthday Genna!

Yes, my kids Google

This was Isaac's search today: isaacbellamom.

I love when I sit down to a computer and see what my kids are up to when left on their own!

uh.......... I don't even know what to say

Like Bella, Nahshon was a late talker.  However, once he did start talking, his vocabulary exploded overnight and sometimes the stuff that he says just leaves me there, blinking, not knowing what to think or say back.

Example 1: the other night I had a can of biscuits in the fridge, and decided to turn them into donuts as a little treat for the kids.  I have virtually no experience working with pans of hot oil, so I ordered the kids to stay out of the kitchen for everyone's safety.  When I gave this direction to Nahshon though, he crossed his arms, kicked his toes into the floor, pouted out his lip, and declared "You don't love me mommy!"  Say huh?  I don't know what brought your little brain to that conclusion, but it sure is a good thing you're not over dramatic or anything.

Example 2:  Last night Nahshon was being defiant, so I started tickling him to pull him out of his mood.  Then I pulled him down off the dining table and told him he was a stinky Pete.  His response? "I'm not a stinky Pete! You're a stinky Pete! I'm an ADULT!"   Psh!  I don't know where he heard that phrase, because it's not one that Jeremy and I use with the kids.

Is it possible that a child who is only 2 years old can already have a complex about being small?

She just can't win

When I was pregnant with baby #5, Bella hoped for a sister.  She got Nahshon.

When I was pregnant with baby #6, Bella hoped for a sister.  She got Micaiah.

When I was pregnant with baby #7, Bella hoped for a sister.  She got Noah.

Today I took Bella to Toys-for-Us (that's what she calls it), because she had saved up her allowance money.  She wanted to get a baby brother for her Cabbage Patch baby dolls. (these are her all time FAVORITE baby dolls)  We sifted through 8 or 10 different boxes of newborn Cabbage Patch babies, all of them "surprise" babies.  She found one that didn't have a bump on the top, indicating a tuft of hair which is certain to mean girl baby.  We got to the car and she eagerly pulled off the cabbage leaf to reveal a bald head! Hooray!  Then pulled it off all the way to reveal a pink diaper. Uh-oh?  She then opened the little present box to find out for sure, and pulled out a purple romper that said "It's a Girl!"  She ended up with a bald baby girl.  She said she was still happy, but next time, she was going to look for a boy baby doll from a different company that doesn't do "surprise" babies.  This poor girl just can't win!

Yikes!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've put something up here!  These days on top of all the regular day to day chaos I try to keep under control, Jeremy is starting his own company.  Links will be posted soon to his online store, Facebook, and such- I'm just waiting for him to finish up the details.  I've kind of been in and out as far as my involvement in all of it goes, but there is no doubt it has sent everyone in this house on a roller coaster ride, and we haven't even reached the first peak yet........

Impressive!!

So fun, and rather amazing too!

Click to see something awesome

still here.......

Just been very busy with family visits, Genna's birthday, the girls are now in gymnastics, trying to get ready to start schooling again, etc...... oh, and that whole taking care of 7 kids thing!

That was a bit unexpected

Tonight the kids and I were learning how to play Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii.  I wasn't sure if it would be too hard for the kids, but they actually took to it very quickly.  What was surprising though is that Elijah did better than all of us, and had his hands in his pockets the entire time!  He looked so casual, like he'd done it a hundred times before.  What a funny guy.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.....

Do you have that holiday jingle stuck in your head now?  Sorry.  I'm actually not talking about Christmas, I'm talking about the start package season!  Packages stuffed with school supplies, packages full of birthday gifts, packages filled with Christmas wishes!  This week we had two boxes of birthday gifts for Genna arrive, and a box with some new Nancy Drew reading books and a new game for our homeschool- AppleLetters.  It's always so fun to rip into those big brown boxes and find out what's inside- I think it's more fun than shopping for stuff at the store!  With all the school materials still needed to be ordered, a handful of birthdays between now and January, and Christmas for over a half dozen kids, we'll be having a steady stream of packages trickling in for a while. What fun!

what life is really all about

Micaiah (1), Elijah (7), Isaac (4), Gennavieve (8), Sahara (3), Logan (10 days), Great-Grandma Lynn, Noah (1 month), Isabella (6), Cali (13), Nahshon (2)

WOW!

This guy is awesome

Craig Gross and Ron Jeremy; a story of friendship

A long while back I was lucky enough to see Craig Gross speak at our church.  Even if you don't recognize the name, you may have heard of his ministry, XXXChurch.  It isn't the fact that he's tackling the adult entertainment industry I find so wonderful, it's his methods.  He's a believer that is actually practicing what he preaches on a daily basis.  He shows love and compassion to those that so many are very quick to dismiss.  Sometimes I wonder how many people will never even touch a Bible, let alone step one foot near a church, simply because a "Christian" showed disgust and contempt for the life choices the other has made rather than love the person the way we are supposed to.  I find the work that Craig Gross does to be both inspirational and eye opening.  The link above is a very short piece written by Gross about his friendship with Ron Jeremy; I encourage you to take a couple minutes and read it.

What have I done?!?

Today while I was shopping at Walmart, Jeremy called me and asked me to pick up a small reward for Genna for all of her hard work around the house/with Noah and doing so well with her math lately. (as you may know, math is not an area of strength for her and she's on a hot streak of 100%'s right now!)  I was looking around for small sets of princess Polly Pockets that Genna has mentioned before, but couldn't find them.  I did however find a small display of Squinkies.  If you have not yet heard of Squinkies, I'm sure you will soon.  They are one of the "HOT" new toys, and I'm guessing they are going to be one of the things that everyone is searching for come Christmas time.  Normally I avoid the "IT" toys like the plague simply because I don't want the stress of driving all over town and scouring the internet in search of their most desired Christmas wish; and since we don't have TV, my kids tend to go through life oblivious to the latest trends.  For whatever reason, I grabbed a small pack of Squinkies in lieu of the Polly Pockets.  I wasn't sure if she'd be into them or not, but Noah was with me and starting to fuss, so that is what I brought home.  Much to my delight, she LOVED it!  I mean, really really LOVED it.  My happiness of choosing a hit toy was quickly overcome with concern when she announced she was going to ask Santa to put some Squinkies in her stocking. Crap. Walmart was already extremely picked over for these toys, most stores online are sold out or selling the items for almost double the price. I'm sending Jeremy back to the store after work tonight, and maybe if I get lucky, I won't have to turn into one of those crazy parents that stalks stock boys.  Note to self: in the future, always wait until January to try out the predicted popular items.

There's a new super-hero in town

bad guys beware

Meet Guy Smiley

Not because he resembles the Sesame Street character; Noah has been non-stop smiles since he came home.  I know some people claim that smiles at this young age is just gas, but if you've ever seen a baby with gas than you know they do not smile!  I think newborn smiles are just one of the ways they show they are content.  Either way, it's adorable.

It's hard to catch pics with their eyes open when the camera flashes, and sometimes you end up with a crazy shot like this:

Jeremy thinks he looks like a rabid vampire bat in this one, I think it's just funny!

Is it kos.... huh?

Tonight I told Bella to wash her face, and before dipping her wash rag into the hot water she flipped around, held out the cloth and asked, "is this Kosher?"  Where does she get this stuff???

Noah: the arrival

Do you know just how big of a difference there is between 20 minutes and 18 hours?  When it comes to having a baby, it's a BIG difference!  Micaiah's arrival into this world was dramatic, hectic, painful and fast; 20 minutes fast.  Noah's arrival was pretty much the complete opposite.  It was very slow, pain free, easy, and long; 18 hours long.  True to form though, Noah arrived on a nice rainy day.  In fact, labor didn't really pick up until the rain did.  (For those that didn't already know this, it rained EVERY SINGLE TIME I had an appointment of some type for this pregnancy.  The night we found out it was a boy and decided his name would be Noah, was the night we had the first good rainfall of the winter- it dumped buckets that night!)

Labor started around 4am.  Nothing big, just a few contractions, but the doctor was very insistent to come in any time I thought it could be labor.  We called my mom over around 5am and headed to the hospital.  To make a very long story short, labor started and stalled. All. Day. Long.  At one point they put me on pitocin to get a regular pattern going, and just as I was drifting off into a nap, a team of nurses and doctors ran into the room because Noah had a heart rate drop.  They stopped the pitocin and instead gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop labor.  After they determined the drop was nothing more than his head moving down, they started up the pitocin again.  The contractions never got regular, and by the time I started feeling a little twinge of pain, it was time to push.  Three quick and easy pushes, and he was out!
Even though it was a long, long day, I was so thankful to have a calm and controlled delivery experience this time.  Aside from being tired, this has been the easiest recovery I've ever had by far.  Noah has been a wonderful little baby so far.  Rarely does he fuss, and smiles constantly.
What a blessing it is to have him in our family now.

Jeremy, just being Jeremy, tried to convince the nurses that we were going with a more creative way of spelling Noah. Oh, and that's a picture of an ark with a rainbow in the background that Jeremy drew.

Little bug just minutes old

all wrapped up

such a sweet little face

look at that hair!

already a cuddle boy

so peaceful

healthy and perfect

Gone Fishin'

Isaac has been talking for a while about going fishing at grandma's pond, so for his birthday my parents gave him a fishing pole.  They recently stocked their pond with fish, but since those fish aren't ready for catching yet, they took Isaac up to a fishing pond where everyone is guaranteed to catch a fish.  He had a great time, and ended up catching an 18in. trout on his 2 1/2 ft. fishing pole!!!  I think it's pretty safe to say he had a fantastic time.

heart don't fail me now

I came to the realization that when Noah is Genna's age, Genna will be 18!  Oh how it hurts to think about that.

Well, I never!

*this picture does not go with this story, but I didn't want to post something about Noah without at least adding a new picture too*

Each baby is different, this I know well.  Having taken care of six babies already though, I have seen a lot.  Tonight however, Noah did something I have never, ever seen a baby do at such a young age.  He laughed.  It was a true, all out, undeniable giggle.  I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

Tonight I went to take a shower after all the other kids had gone to bed, and decided to bring Noah in his moses basket into the bathroom.  As I was getting dressed I noticed he was smiling in his sleep and I stopped to admire him and his beautiful face.  All of a sudden his ear to ear grin erupted into laughter.  I've heard his squawks and squeaks, and I know that this was not that.  I was so stunned I called the girls in from their room to see if he would do it again.  Of course he didn't, but I'm so glad I was the one to witness that awesome moment.  It's so neat that even at baby #7 I can still be amazed by these wonderful gifts from God. 

Abundantly Blessed

Noah Johnson

August 7, 2010

10:14 pm

7lbs, 4oz

18 inches long

brown hair, standard baby blue eyes

sweet as can be and already loved by everyone

I'll post more pictures and his birth story soon

Way to be awesome Elijah!

Elijah was in need of a flashlight, but couldn't find one anywhere in the house.  Frustrated, he came up with a fantastic alternative: make one!  He used his Snap Circuits set and instantly built a flashlight.  Sometimes he just blows me away with his resourcefulness and creativity. Way to go kiddo!

It's just hair! Or is it?

My whole life people have fussed about my hair; the unusual color, the thickness, and the natural curls and waves.  I always thought those people were crazy. The unusual color- it means I actually have to think about my hair clashing with the color of my clothes.  The thickness- means it takes forever to dry and gets very, very heavy when long.  The natural waves and curls- it means my hair leans towards frizz when the weather is damp; something I never have to worry about here in the Pacific Northwest. (insert big eye roll)  Hair has just never been that big of a deal to me.  However, and this is a big however, I've always had more than plenty of it and no matter how many times or how short I cut it, it always grows back.  That is not the story for everyone though, as is the case with my friend who's 11 year old daughter has been diagnosed with Alopecia.  Unfortunately it recently became clear that this brave young lady was going to need a hair piece, but human hair wigs are very costly.  The family is asking for hair donations that can be made into a nice, vacuum sealed wig for this young lady, which is what I did today.  I keep my hair long mainly just because Jeremy likes it that way, but when I heard their request, how could I possibly not donate?  After all, for me, it is just hair.  I had two 10 inch ponytails cut off today (that darn thick hair, they couldn't even cut it off in 1 ponytail), and after trimming up what was left, I lost a total of about 12 inches.  I have to say, it feels awesome to have a whole new hair style, even if my hair guy had to take a few deep breaths and talk himself into cutting off all my hair!  I didn't take any before/after pics, but I'm sure I can find a recent photo and take one of my new 'do' soon.  It's a strange feeling to give up something that has little importance to me at this stage in my life, but knowing fully that I would feel very very different if the roles were reversed.  I suppose that feeling can best be summed up as grateful. 

If you think you have a minimum of 10 inches of hair that you would like to donate to this young lady (regardless of color or texture), let me know and I will get you in touch with the family. 

what is love?

It is grumbling at 2:30 in the morning about how uncomfortable your hips are, and seeing your husband head out the door 10 minutes later saying he's going to grab some cereal for the kid's breakfast................ only to return 20 minutes later with a new yoga ball to help relieve all that hip pressure. (for those that may be thinking I was keeping him up with my complaining, he was actually already awake and watching a show on the computer.  Also, that man wouldn't even wake up if a train was going through our living room; he can sleep through anything!)  Sometimes I give him grief for always being a jokester, but in the moments that truly count, he's incredibly thoughtful and loving. ♥

pregnancy update

I suppose since we're almost at the end I should update on how things are going.  My official due date is August 16th, but we're really at a point where this baby could arrive in 4 hours or 4 weeks.  I've been having a lot of early labor symptoms since just before 35 weeks, and my body is labor ready; at my last appointment I was 2cm, 70%, and head was SUPER low. I, however, am not yet baby ready- still too much to do!  Finally sorted baby clothes last night, cleaned up the bassinet, and Jeremy picked up some newborn diapers today.  After taking inventory last night, I've realized I need to do a good bit of shopping this week!  Most of my gear was used to death by the last 3 boys, not many clothes have survived going through 4 boys, and a couple things I've had since Genna was born and without a doubt have seen better days.  I've been cooking and baking a few things to keep in the freezer for after baby arrives.  I've also been sewing up some swaddling blankets and burp rags for my little guy.  Overall I've just been trying to rest a lot.  We're hoping to keep him in place until the end of next weekend so we can get everything done, but I also just realized last night that after next weekend is Isaac's birthday! Like I said, too much to do.  On the flip side though I'm so uncomfortable and worn out from all the early labor, I'm really looking forward to being done. (I think Jeremy and the kids feel the same way)  I'm hoping this labor and delivery doesn't go quite as fast as the last one, but the Dr.'s and nurses I've seen over the last couple weeks are all predicting just as fast or possibly even faster. Yikes! That's pretty much the news for the moment, now I'm going to try to squeeze in a little nap.

the times I wish for hidden cameras

There are moments when I think how beneficial it would be to live in a house set up for a reality TV program.  That way, when I wanted to know who did something and everyone was pointing the finger at Notme, I could just check the tape. (poor Notme, he gets blamed a lot!)  Or, in last night's case, I could share a story that truly needs facial expressions to be re-told.  Let's go back two nights for this one.  I was putting away some stuff in the boy's bedroom and noticed something strange going on with the fish tank.  Upon further inspection of the evidence, surveying the scene of the crime, and interviewing potential suspects, I came to the conclusion that Isaac decided to fix up Elijah's fish tank with a HAMMER.  I don't think I need to elaborate on that situation any further as you can imagine what a headache that was.  The next day, after Jeremy spent a very long time fixing this unnecessary problem Isaac created, I opened up our food cupboard to see Isaac had put away an open box of rice milk on it's side, and it poured out all over two huge bags of flour. Two words come to mind: not happy.  (Isaac is at that age where he isn't always able to see the consequences of his actions, but understands when bad consequences occur and is very apologetic.) There was a third bag of flour which looked to be fine, so I set it out on the counter to be put away high in a cupboard.  Fast forward to late last night, I asked Jeremy to please go to the kitchen and put away that third bag of flour.  When Jeremy lifted it up, the entire bottom of the bag ripped off. Flour went everywhere.  Isaac was standing in the kitchen, eyes wide, mouth hanging open, looking completely bewildered.  Finally he managed to say; "I didn't do that..... I think God did that because I didn't do that!"  I can only imagine what was racing through his mind as he saw that flour bag explode; he'd already been in so much trouble over the last 24 hours!  Even if it had been his fault, I don't think anyone could get mad because his expressions are just so darn funny sometimes.  He's lucky like that  ;)

I would apologize for the poor picture quality and the dirty floor...........

....but clearly I have more important things to worry about....





*If you are wondering, Nahshon is wearing a dog cone around his neck.  It was from Estella's spay surgery*

He's a sneaky little stinker!

The other night my mom came over to watch the little ones so I could rest, and they were all hanging out outside.  Suddenly Genna comes running in reporting that Micaiah crawled under my mom's car and got stuck.   I wasn't concerned since if it was a real problem I know my mom would have been the one running inside to tell me, nor was I surprised.  I guess she's just not used to how much trouble little boys can get into so quickly!!!

*notice how one side of his tummy wrinkles up and the other side is smooth?  That long wrinkle extending out from his belly button is the result of his little battle scar*

a quick report

• WHO- Genna
• WHAT- marshmallow halves
• WHEN- a few days back, early in the morning
• WHERE- on the door to the boy's bedroom
• WHY- ??????

Oh geeze

Elijah's current obsession is orca whales; he talks about them CONSTANTLY.  Last night I dug out an old photo album of my trip to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Sand Diego Zoo when I was a kid.  I thought he might like to look at the photos of the orcas, and maybe if I was lucky, he'd stop asking me questions for 5 minutes.  While flipping through the photos, he saw one of King Kong at Universal.  He brought me the album and questioned me about the terrifying monster.  I tried to explain to him that it was only a robot, not real.  He kept asking me if it was a real robot, and I repeatedly told him it was pretend, it was a robot, it was not real.  Finally I realized that Elijah thought robots were autonomous creations and quickly explained to him that robots were not real things with their own thoughts and actions.  He replied "oh...... I thought robots were real....... like aliens............"  Oh geeze, say what now?  What followed was a 10 minute conversation that finally ended with me agreeing "yup, God got rid of all the aliens, even the ones on Mars...."  Sometimes I just don't even know with that boy.

oh my goodness, it's funny

While wandering through blog land, I clicked on a link to this woman's story:

Say Cheese!

Note: there is one swear word in the entry, so be careful that prying eyes are not reading over your shoulder.

He just won't listen

I keep telling him to lay off the Guinness...........

it's hot

That is the news of the day.  That was the news yesterday.  That will be the news tomorrow.  It's so stinking hot.

cool treats, good sleeps

Nope, not talking about Dairy Queen.  A couple weeks ago when the girls had gone camping for the weekend, Nahshon was being a bit of a pill. (imagine that, a 2 year old not cooperating!)  He ended up taking a nice long nap on the floor of the girls' bedroom, which for a time I thought was fantastic.  That all changed when he woke up though because I realized he had gone to sleep with an unwrapped ice cream sandwich under his face. (who gave that to him anyway?)  It was a sticky, icky mess!  Yesterday I was very tired and very in need of a rest.  I told the kids to grab a popsicle and let me rest for 15 minutes, and then we would all head outside.  I knew during that time Nahshon had climbed up on my bed next to me, but didn't think much of it.  When the other kids came in to let me know my time was up, I looked over and Nahshon and saw he had fallen asleep........... with a strawberry popsicle......... under his face.  Tell me please, someone, how does one sleep with frozen treats pressed against their cheek?  I've seen Isaac fall asleep with a bowl of ice cream on his lap; that I can understand.  Cold and sticky smashed on your face?  That I do not get at all.

Exhibit A

Just in case any of you need an example of how I could ever look at my children and think they are anything less than the smartest, most perfect people that ever walked the Earth, here you go-  Isaac came to me clearly upset and crying.  The problem was quickly ascertained; it seems he jammed his fat little fingers into wiffle balls and got them stuck...... on both hands!!  I carefully pulled him free and suggested he not do it again.  He agreed.  Through the whole ordeal, Nahshon was standing near, watching with frightened amazement.  Ten minutes later, Nahshon came to me, crying.  It only took one glance to realize what was wrong- Nahshon jammed HIS fat little fingers into the same wiffle balls I had just pried off Isaac's hands!  Even though Nahshon is considerably smaller than Isaac, he still managed to get them stuck. On both hands of course.  I suppose I should have suggested to ALL the children that they not jam their fingers into wiffle balls. Live and learn I guess. 

Why?

While perusing through the news of the day, I came across an article headline; Elin Nordegren gets $750 million.  It seems disgraced golfer Tiger and his wife have reached an agreement for a divorce. Whatever.  I realize this settlement is not 100% cash based, but she would be set for a hundred lifetimes or more.  While I really don't care about the personal business of these people, I know there are a lot of other people in the world with this level of wealth also.  So my question is, why are there still people who don't have clean water in this world?  I don't begrudge those who do well in life, but it's astounding to me that there are individuals with so much excess while far too many go without the basics in life. To me, there is just no good reason for this to happen. None.

Does YOUR dog have chocolate shoes?

Last night while little Estella was sleeping, Isaac was carefully observing the features of our little furry friend.  When his inspection was finished he proclaimed Estella does not have doggy paws, she has little chocolate shoes!  Good to know, Isaac.  In other dog news, Isaac is still insisting he needs his own dog.  However, he doesn't want a little "girly" dog; he needs a boy dog!  When I asked him what kind of boy dog he thought he wanted he gave me a very detailed description: big and blue. Mmmmk then.

Go shopping!

Why buy handmade?  For starters, the quality is often better than what you buy at a big box retailer for nearly the same price.  You are supporting a local business.  You can sometimes request a certain color or theme, which saves you time not having to hunt it down yourself. You never have to worry that some poor 6 year old Chinese child had to slave over a machine to make your item.  I could go on, but let's just get to the point:

Couture Bug

This is a new online store created by a local mom.  She is currently specializing in custom crib sheets, but may be offering other baby goodies from time to time.  Here is a sample of her work:

She made the crib sheet, burp rags, and bib in this picture

This is not an official store photo of hers (I stole it off Facebook), but I thought it showed off her work nicely AND thought you should know the picture of these items is all the way from Spain!

If you click on the link above, you will be taken to her blog.  From there, you will also find a direct link to her Etsy store.

Happy shopping!!!!!

*Just to clarify, this is not my store, I just wanted to advertise her new venture*

apples and pears, with a few polka dots thrown in too

I know that pretty much every sewing Sally and her aunt Milly has made something from the apples and pears fabric, but I tend to be slow to pick up on trends.  Regardless, I love this fabric!  To me it is the ultimate "little girls in summer" fabric.  I love this skirt for Bella.  It's just sort of whimsical and fits her personality. (plus, it was super easy and fast to put together!)  It's so fun to have little girls to sew for!