words of wisdom from classic cinema

I like old black and white movie.  There's no shock value, no sex appeal, no computer generated images.  They had to rely on good actors, a good script, and wit; imagine that!  The other night I decided to watch Harvey with James Stewart, and there was a line that I loved:

Years ago, my mother used to say to me, she'd say "In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me. ~ Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart's character)

Words to live by.  Perhaps we could all use a little Harvey in our lives.

sorry about that, I thought the world was ending

otherwise I would have updated the blog sooner! 

Ok, obviously I didn't actually expect the world to end on Saturday, but there are a lot of people who did.  Harold Camping claims there were secret passages in the Bible that were revealed to him, and God gave him the codes he needed to decipher these encrypted scriptures. Let's all say it together now: ooooooook.  Sounds a little out there, right?  I certainly think so.  Unfortunately there were people who believed this man.  It's easy to mock and make jokes, but right now our focus needs to be on the victims of this scam. (it is a scam because Harold Camping's "ministry" is reported to be worth somewhere in the ballpark of $100 million)  Yes, there actually are victims in this mess, and they are completely innocent and deserving of our concern: the children.  The children whose parents believed Harold Camping.  The children who had no choice as their parents sold off their house, their cars, and all their possessions.  They had no say in the fact that their parents quit their jobs, maxed out their credit cards, and used every last cent to their name.  They endured the heartbreak as their parents gave away beloved family pets, or even worse, had them euthanized.  One way or another, these children were told they were going to die.  Either they would be lifted up to Heaven in the rapture, or would be left behind on Earth to suffer through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fire, disease...... a literal hell on Earth without any guarantee someone would be there to look after them.  These are the people we should all be focused on right now, ESPECIALLY because Harold Camping still claims October 21st is when the Earth will cease to exist.  There has already been one report of a woman attempting to commit suicide, and to take her daughter with her.  Please pray that these people will seek the counsel they need, and pray these children will heal and move on from these monumental mistakes their parents have made.  They did nothing wrong, but will suffer the most.

suprise!

we're having a baby!

not sure what I should have expected really

For mother's day, Bella said she was going to make my bed.  When I went to lay down, I discovered she had actually made me a fort. That girl is awesome. ♥

I miss her little days

With Genna inching ever closer to double digits, it becomes increasingly rare for her to say those silly little kid things we all love so much.  Last night though, I got a great one from her.  We were watching the new singing competition, The Voice, and she was singing along to all the country songs.  I asked her if she liked country music, and she gave me an shy smile and admitted she kind of did.  I told her there was no reason to act embarrassed- everyone likes different music.  With a bit more confidence she said, "I actually do think I like country music better than city music!" Hahahaha! City music!?!  I couldn't help but pull her in for a big hug while I cracked up.  It's wonderful to get a little glimpse back in time like that.


By the way, what exactly is city music?

Hmmm, maybe I will have a favorite after all..........

Tonight Isaac told me, "someday I'm going to marry a wonderful girl just like mommy."  Oh how I love that little boy!

a little bit of luck?

There's a horseshoe above our front door.  We didn't put it up, but I love that it's there.  I usually forget about it completely until I'm sitting out in the right spot in the yard and happen to look up and notice it.  Every time I see it, it makes me smile because it reminds me of my grandpa.  He was a cowboy.  Not a silly city guy that just wore the boots and hat, but a true born and bred cowboy.  People called him Tex. (Or Rip.  He came from a place where everyone had nicknames.)  When I was young he bought a ranch in Idaho and built a log cabin, and hang a horseshoe above his front door.  He said it was for good luck, and as long as it hung upright his life would be filled with riches.  (if the horseshoe falls over, all of your luck will spill out)  I often wonder about who hung it up there, and wonder if maybe they knew him since he used to live right in this area.  Sometimes I think about if I'll take it with me or not when we move someday, but then I think perhaps I'll leave it there to give the next family a bit of luck.

Who IS this child?

Today I was thinking about what we would do to celebrate Micaiah's birthday next month, and suggested heading to Country Village to ride the train, see the chickens, and have ice cream cones.  Genna has never been to Country Village, and asked what type of things they have there.  I was showing her pictures on their web site and telling her the different stores; bead shops, gift shops, fabric shop, stamping store, toy store, paper shop, antique store....... when she loudly exclaimed "ANTIQUE STORE?!?" Uh, yeah. (insert confused look here)  She then started going on and on about how much she loves antique stores because my mom took both girls to one up north near her property, and they both loved it.  This was surprising news because as a child, my parents had their own antique store and I spent countless hours being dragged to antique stores and malls from here to Montana.  To me, antique stores = smelly and boring.  I could be quite happy to live the rest of my life and never again step foot into an antique store.  Thankfully since it will be Micaiah's birthday I think I'll be able to avoid taking her through the antique shops, but it wouldn't surprise me at all after our visit if she asks to come back for her own birthday to visit the tea room and go antique shopping.  Where did this strange little child come from?

A city girl with a farmers heart?

Much to my parents dismay I believe, I have always been much more of a city girl than a country girl.  Camping? Uh, no thank you, please point me to the nearest hotel with room service.  However, in the last couple years I have found myself having a bit more of a desire for homesteading.  Today a friend was telling me that her family is thinking about raising hens, and it reminded me of my own desire to have a little urban farm.  I would love to have a little hen house and have fresh eggs on hand all the time.  I also would love to have a little goat friend to help make light work of our little wilderness patch on the side of the house.  I mentioned the hens to Jeremy today; let's just say the look he gave me led me to decide this wasn't the best time to bring up the goat. I can't imagine why though, it's not as if we're busy these days or anything............ Oh well, perhaps someday we'll realize our dream of having a patch of land with bountiful vegetable gardens, and I'll be able to have my chicks and goats.

It finally happened to me

This morning I woke up and saw a sleeping child next to me.  That in itself is not strange or unusual.  What was odd, is the fact that I had to pull the covers down and look at the PJ's to know if it was Micaiah or Isaac!  There have been many occasions when Jeremy has come home at night and asked which child was asleep on our bed or the couch, but up until today I've never not been able to tell.  In my defense, both boys do have blond hair cut into mohawks, round faces, and very long eyelashes so they actually look quite similar when asleep. (especially now that Micaiah is getting so big)  It's a peculiar feeling though, as a mother, to look at one of your kids and not know which one you are looking at!

mommy quote of the night

You wouldn't have to say uh-oh if you didn't do that!

Wait a minute......

Are my teeth too small, or do I just got a cheap tooth fairy?


This is what Bella asked me upon hearing the news that kids at the school where her grandma works often get $10 a tooth.  I guess I'm going to just have to go with cheap tooth fairy, sorry kid.

The mind of a 3 year old

Tonight the girls were asking about how daddy and I met, and how he proposed, etc....  Genna thought it was neat, but Bella thought it was too mushy for her taste.  As she walked away, Isaac said "Hey guys, wanna talk about married, and kissing, and dancing stuff?!?"  To which Nahshon responded, "NOT ME, I'M A CHRISTIAN!"

What can I say, the kid's got values.

kidney stones

Painful. Inconvenient. Painful. Time Consuming. Oh, and painful. How can something so small be so agonizing?  And, since they won't come out on their own, I have to go in to have them broken up on Monday morning. (the same day I start college again)  This sucks.  There is no nicer way to describe it. It sucks. (oh yeah, and hurts)

She's a firecracker

Recently at dinner, Isaac announced that when he grows up he plans to have 6 daughters and 6 sons.  Here's the conversation the following day:

Isaac- Actually, I'm going to have 12 daughters and 12 sons!  How many kids is that?  (yes, the entire conversation started with the word "actually", as if we were still in the middle of last night's dinner talk)

Mom- That's 24 kids.

Bella- (popping her head in from the next room) Ha!  Good luck with that! You're gonna need 2 wives!

Mom- A man can't have 2 wives, it's against the law.

Bella- Yes they can, I saw it on cable.

*for the record, please note we do not have cable, and have not had any TV service for a while, so...... you have some explaining to do grandma!

budding romantic?

This morning when I got out of the shower, Isaac said, "You take showers every day.  Why do you take showers everyday?"  I told him, "I liked to be clean and smell nice, that way daddy will kiss me!"  Isaac gave me a silly grin and said, "I like kissing stuff and married stuff.  When I grow up I'm going to have my own car, my own house, get married, and go to COLLEGE!" (he was really excited about college)  Suddenly Elijah piped up from behind (very casually, but very seriously), "Isaac, you want to meet a wonderful girl, and have all your dreams come true?"  Isaac answered with a very enthusiastic yes and they started discussing their future plans with their wives.  At that point I had to go take care of Noah, but oh how I would have loved to hear the rest of that conversation!

Wimpy Kid = Awesome

For Christmas I gave Genna the first 4 books from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  On Wednesday she decided to start reading the first one.  She has now read the entire series in 1 week. (I ordered book #5 when I realized how quickly she was devouring these books, and thanks to Amazon it arrived the day after I ordered it!) As a special treat for her persistence, we're going to rent the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie on Thursday. I love seeing her dive into reading like this, and can't wait to have the chance to experience the movie with her this week!

He's finally in!

My kids seem to have a way of hazing the newest family addition into their tight-knit group:

They color their heads.  Genna did it to Elijah.  Elijah did it to Bella.  Bella did it to Isaac.  Isaac did it to Nahshon.  Nahshon did it to Micaiah.  Now Micaiah has done it to Noah.  We told Noah this was a very special moment and gave him a big round of applause.

He's very happy to be part of the group now.

skating!

Bella had been asking to go ice skating for a long time, but we were just never able to get it scheduled.  Last night Jeremy surprisingly had the night off work and casually asked me if he should take Bell ice skating.  I looked up skating sessions at the nearby ice rink, thinking there was no way the rink would be open for a public skate, and they had a session starting up in 20 minutes!!  She fell a couple times, and held Jeremy's hand a lot, but by the end she had gotten the hang of it pretty well.  She had such a great time; now all the kids are asking to go!

Is there anything better.........

Than when your 3 year old tells you he is your valentine?  I think not.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ahhh, boys

1. Tonight Isaac was finishing off the last couple sips of Jeremy's Pepsi while playing a game at the table.  When finished, he crumpled up the can and just tossed it over his shoulder.  Then, he had the nerve to act utterly insulted when I made him pick up the can, plus an additional 25 items to serve as a reminder that his frat boy behavior needs to be kept in check for another 15 years. Oh how I dread the day these boys figure out how to smash cans on their heads.

2. Still sore from surgery, I decided to make scalloped potatoes au gratin for my dinner.  Isaac was sitting next to me, watching me eat when he suddenly asked, "can I have a bite of your butt cheese?" HUH?  He then pointed out how the cheese on one area of potatoes looked like the shape of a booty. Way to keep it classy son.

3. This isn't as much of a boy thing, as it is a three year old thing. Last night Nahshon hurt his shoulder on the corner of a kitchen drawer.  Remembering there was a tiny bit of ice cream left in the freezer, I told him I had some "special owie medicine" for him.  I dropped a few chocolate chips in the container, tapped the lid, shook it up, and did a little dance until the tears turned to giggles.  I then handed him the carton and a spoon.  He looked down at the treat and then looked back at me, puzzled, and asked, "is it a car?" Wha....? No.  He looked at it again and decidedly pronounced, "it's an elephant" as he walked away. Whatever.

When will he learn?

Every year for the last 6 years, Genna has correctly guessed the winning super bowl team. Every year.  I told Jeremy he needed to place a bet one of these years, but he never does.  (I even called him to let him know which team Genna was rooting for this year)  This year Genna had a little Super Bowl party with her papa.  I haven't talked to her yet, but I'm sure she's super psyched that her team won yet again. Maybe next year we can make a little money off our little football prodigy.  

she's a dork and I love her

This morning Bella was pouring herself a bowl of cereal (Kix, to be exact), and in her very best mixed up Russian/Brooklyn accent she repeatedly said, "You've got to be kixing me."  (kixing instead of kidding) She's so weird sometimes, but it's the kind of weird that makes my life better.

when I'm 9

When I'm 9, I'll be big.  When I'm big, I'll go to college; but I don't have a skateboard to take to college, so I'll just take my watch.

~Isaac (age 4)

A MUST- see

Last night Jeremy took me to see The King's Speech.  Now I understand why there is so much buzz about this movie!  I had no clue what it was about beforehand; Jeremy thought I would enjoy it more if I had no foreknowledge of the plot.  (for that reason, I will also avoid sharing too much) Colin Firth was great, you could feel the pain of his character.  Helena Bonham Carter was witty and fun.  Geoffry Rush though, in my opinion, was the star.   He was phenomenal! It was the perfect date movie too; no blood, not packed with action/adventure, not overly mushy or sappy- just a fantastic story.  I can see this being one we will buy.

blue birthday balloon

At the end of gymnastics today, Nahshon's wonderful (and very patient) coach gave him a balloon to celebrate his upcoming 3rd birthday.  When we got home, he drew a face on it and named it King Julian.

*Thank you, Rachel for taking this lovely picture!*

Yeah...... I believe ya.....

Just walked into the kitchen where Bella and Isaac were talking.  Bella looked over her shoulder and said, "we're just talking, mama."  Um, that's perfectly fine Bell.  Then Isaac chimed in, "but we're not talking about you!"  Well, I didn't think you were, but I do now!

Awesome Christmas Gifts

Since I still have no clue where my camera cord is, I thought I would just share some of neat things that found their way under our Christmas tree this year.

Jeremy and I like to encourage a giving heart in our children, so at Christmas time they each get to pick a gift for me and Jeremy.  This year, "Noah" gave me a Kindle!!

I love reading, and reading on a Kindle makes it so much easier to actually sit down and enjoy a book with a handful of kids running around me.  I just finished my first Kindle book too- My Life in France by Julia Child.  It's a lovely book, and I highly recommend it.

Next up on my list of cool Christmas stuff, is this gift from Micaiah:

It's a purse hook!  Mine doesn't look exactly like this, but it's the same style.  If you are like me and have never even seen one of these before, here is what it's for:

It gives you a handy place to hang your handbag when you go out! Brilliant, right?


Now on to this little cutie:

This was not one of my gifts, but what the big man left for Nahshon.  I think this little play kitchen is too stinkin' adorable!  I love that it's wood;no sound effects mean my kids get to use their imagination to the fullest!  It's small, which means it fits perfectly in my living room.  And it's red, so it matches my living room too!  Nahshon also got a large set of mini metal pots and pans, and mini baking accessories to boot!  This set has been played with everyday since Christmas.

I know I'm a little late to the party with this next one, but it's too great not to mention:

Aquadoodle!  My kids are notorious for coloring all over their bodies (they ALL have gone through a phase where they doodle themselves head to toe!), so this is just awesome.  I especially love the fact that since you "paint" on it with water, I never have to worry about markers drying out, crayons getting cracked, and if the water pen gets lost you can just use paint brushes, sponges, or even your hands!

Of course there were many more things under the tree, but these were just a few of my personal favorites.  Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!

not a newborn anymore

Today while playing with Noah, he grabbed my hand a bit down on my fingers to show me the power of his new (and very sharp!) teeth!  Wasn't he just born like two weeks ago?  How can he possibly be 5 months old and growing teeth already?

Liar, Liar, now my oven's on fire!

Ugh!  Not the best way to kick off a new year.  Two nights ago I made scalloped potatoes au gratin.  Unfortunately, I used a baking dish that was a bit too small, and some of the lovely cream sauce bubbled over into the bottom of the oven.  Now, normally I'm very careful about not spilling things in the oven (that's usually Jeremy's job), and then I completely forgot about it. Until today.  I just whipped up the loveliest smelling garlic pizza dough, because the kids and I were going to use our wonderful new pizza stone to bake a pizza tonight.  I popped the stone in the oven, turned it on, and a few minutes later noticed the oven was smoking.  I asked Jeremy if I should worry or if the heat would just burn it off.  He assured me the heat would just burn it off.  Being cheeky, I said "so you promise it's not going to start a big fire?"  He laughed, and said no, not at all.  Fast forward 3 minutes, I look over at the oven and realize I have a toasty little fire going! I yelped and went for the baking soda, which is the exact moment Genna noticed it and started screaming FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! And all the kids ran outside. In the snow. In their bare feet.  To sum it all up- The fire is out.  My house smells like smoke.  Dinner is being delivered from the pizza place around the corner. And my husband is a big fat liar.

And this is all typed in white and highlighted in charcoal so you can get the feel of what my smoke infested house feels like.  Isn't it nice how I bring you right in to my world?

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.