Flash back...

I didn't take any pictures today...so I'm going deep and I am going to tell you about our camping trip in Oct. I don't think Kev and I will EVER forget it.

Kevin took a week off of work to go camping. This was our first family vacation all year. The kids were so excited that Daddy was coming with us this time and we ALL ended up with the flu! To top it off a very sneaky mouse ended up running loose in the trailer! I was laying in bed one night (at 3 am) and heard this crackle sound. Then I heard this crunching sound, so I did what every good wife would do... I woke up Kevin to have him investigate. The critter was up in the cupboard with all of our food. Kevin slowly opened the door and we saw the cheese curl bag had been ripped opened. We thought that we had him! so Kevin did what every good husband would do...he told me to pick up the bag and throw it out the door. I very quickly threw that bag out the opened door and Kevin followed swiftly behind it with a pan beating that poor little beast to it's demise. We very quickly discovered that the only thing we succeeded at was waking up our neighbors (with Kevin's quiet beatings). That sly little mouse managed to stay aloof for another 36 hours before life got a little sticky for him :-) The picture is of Kev and Jilli flying in an airplane together at the Airzoo...the only day we were not sick!

Blessings!

School

Today as part of our school, the boys baked muffins. We had a lot of fun (and mess), but it is a VERY easy recipe so Micah can read it and the boys can mix it together all by themselves. With just a little help (with the oven) we had wonderful muffins for after supper tonight.

Speakin of supper. My husband put together a wonderful meal for us tonight. I had to run to the store and by the time I got home he had everything ready to go and on on the table. He was so proud of the presentation of the bread I just had to take a picture of the bread.

Muffin recipe

1 box cake mix (doesn't matter what kind or flavor)

1 can pumpkin pie filling

That's it. Mix it together (no water or eggs) You can put whatever you want, like choc chips, brown sugar, raisins....into it and follow the cake box for cooking directions. The muffins are very moist. I am not a big pumpkin fan, but with some cake flavors I can't even taste it (sorry I didn't take pictures of the final product). Enjoy!

Blessings!

Slacker Blogger

I know that I have been slacking this past weekend. My sister and I have been working hard at putting together a "family vacation". When I say family vacation I mean my whole family. There would be 12 of us going. Hopefully it will all work out, because my children have now caught on to what I am doing. They are getting excited and talking like we are leaving tomorrow. Jillian saw the picture of the swimming pool (with diving board and slide) and said "Oh my, that is the perfect size for me". How funny! Then they saw a picture of the indoor hot tub and said, "Mommy, how can we play in that pool if we aren't allowed to splash?" The things they think of! Jillian was so excited she put her boots and Jacket on and said "let's go to the swimming pool." I had to tell her that we couldn't go right now and she got very upset. (In the picture she doesn't have any pants on because she is potty training right now, there is a pull-up on though.) It's going to be a long 6 months if they don't forget about the family vacation!

Blessings!

FRUSTRATED

I was planning on posting again tonight with new pictures fresh off the camera, but my my computer is ACTING UP AGAIN!! I can not get any pictures off my memory card. This is what started happening the last time my hard drive crashed on me. Hopefully it will decide to work tomorrow...if not, it's going through a window!

Missing Nala

In August we received a beautiful gift....a rottie carved out of a tree trunk which we lovingly named, wood Nala. Since the passing of our beloved Nala in November this "wood Nala" has taken a special place in our hearts. Kevin once joked with me that when I was missing Nala (which is all the time) to just go pet the wood Nala. What he didn't know is that secretly, I had already tried that, but wood Nala was too rough and I was afraid of getting slivers.

Yesterday I was coming down the stairs to find Jilli ON wood Nala. This is the first time she has done this. When asked what she was doing, she said "riding my Nala". You see, when Nala was still alive, Jilli would walk up behind her and hold on to her neck and tell me she was riding Nala. I guess even though the kids don't say it, they are still missing her too.

Blessings!

Do you ever wonder what they are thinking??

There are times when I sit back and wonder....what are my children thinking. Yesterday was one of those days. I have one child in particular that keeps me in the dark about the workings of his mind. When asked what he is thinking, he turns on his beautiful smile and just starts laughing. All children are special in their own way and each one has their own special components, but I just can't figure Tyler out and honestly I think he plans it that way. So if any of you have any ideas as to what my beautiful child was thinking when I snapped this picture, please enlighten me!

Blessings!

Help Me Up Daddy!

Children are so inventive and I am blessed to see it everyday. Yesterday all three boys were sitting on the couch. Daddy reading the newspaper and the boys each playing a computer. Jilli, being the typical girl, wanted to see what Tyler was doing. She couldn't get "high enough" too see the computer screen. So what does she do....she uses what is available...Daddy's feet.

Blessings!

Indoor Sledding

What do you do when it's 50 degrees and raining in January?? You go sledding. Thanks to Tyler we now have a new winter sport in our house. I tried to take some pictures of Tyler doing his new sport, but the kid goes down so fast MY CAMERA had a hard time focusing.

Do you remember this saying...."It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt". Well, my flying Tyler did get hurt. Poor kid was going to fast he went sideways and smacked his head on the banister. Good news...he is fine, bad news...no more step-sledding... We will have to come up with another (safer) indoor sport.

Blessings!

Nastalgia

I can still remember the first time I met Barber Bob. Kevin had never allowed me to meet the man that had cut his hair since he was a very little boy. It was his secret place, but one day he decided to take me with, to get his haircut. We probably had been married for about 5 yrs!!! Fast forward 5yrs....Kevin now takes his sons, like his Dad took him and his brother. As I sit listening to Barber Bob and Kevin talk, it strikes me how much life changes...yet stays the same.

The chairs the boys sit in are about 60 years old, the twirly red, blue, and white "sign" still spins outside the door. Men line up to have their hair cut. Barber Bob still takes this leather strap and slaps his STRAIGHT RAZOR against it before he shaves a mans neck/face (yes, he still trims facial hair!) The first time I saw him do that I just about came out of my chair! Yet, here we are three generations later. Now instead of Kevin, Chris (Kev's brother) and Kevin's Dad, you have Micah,Tyler and Kevin.

So sweet and sad because Barber Bob will more than likely be done cutting hair before my boys have boys.

Thank You Barber Bob for the walk down memory lane!

By the way...can you tell which one of the boys loves to get his haircut and which one doesn't??

Blessings!

New Years Eve

It always amazes me how much life changes when you have children. It used to be that we would get together with a whole group of friends, play cards and see who could have the first fart of the new year (did I just write that?)....now with kids it is totally changed.

Did we get to see the ball drop?? NO, Strawberry Shortcake was the viewing of choice. Hard to believe that 3 boys sat on the couch transfixed by it. Playing cards All night?? Not on your life...we only got to play two games. The only thing that was the same was the company (minus 3 couples, plus 5 kids). I guess that wasn't even the same...Oh well, we had a great time. All the kids but Jillian made it to see the New Year (horrible parents we know). Hopefully you all had a wonderful New Years!

Blessings!