Today

So, I figured out why I am blogging more this week than say...the last year. Ben bought me a nifty little netbook that is ALL MINE. That's right. Mine. Kids cannot even breathe on it. That said, here is today:

Sonora and Quinn pooled their creative juices and made a note delivery service. Your note will be printed and delivered via paper airplane for the low low price of 1 cent.

I requested a note to be sent to Ben letting him know that I love him. Here is the finished product.

Judah is not quite used to our new school schedule and he was worn out today. He was getting REALLY cranky so we put him on the closest thing we could find for blanket time. This is how we found him a few minutes later. School is tough.

Finally, I busted these out tonight for the first time in about 4 years.

Excited to start a new tap class tonight. Classes started in August so I'm hoping that I can catch up. Haven't tapped in years, so I'm looking forward to it. Fun + Exercise. What a deal :)

New Shoes?

You would think I would know this lesson. I mean, goodness...I've been a mom for 12 years. Apparently not. Lesson: Never leave a toddler with scissors unattended.

H~s 9th

Happy Birthday to my beautiful 9 year old Harper! And, since I am in a picture kind of mood, here is a collage of H's Yellowstone trip. You know what I noticed most about H in all the vacation pictures? She is always smiling. I know that there were times in our trip where she was frustrated or cranky, but she always tried to smile for the pictures. I love that about her :)




(I had to add the following because it really shows her heart)

He has a six shooter, shooting EVERYTHING.

Her name is Harper.

AND, this...this, is the cutest video EVER.








(Just to make sure it's heard...his first words are "I shoot a mountain lion, Harper.")

She's such a good big sister. LOVE you H!

(Wow...2 blog posts in 2 days. A record. :)

Bits and Pieces

Writing to remember a few snippets from today...

In random order:

Harper: At dinner, she said, "Mama, do you know you have the best mama smile ever?" I don't know what she's up to, and frankly, I don't care. I'll take it :)

Quinn: This afternoon the kids went door to door looking for work. (Yes we feed them) Surprisingly, a neighbor told them to pick up sticks from the yard and she would pay them $2 each. She went to give them the money beforehand, and Quinn gave it back to her saying that he couldn't take it until she saw the job he had done. I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM!!! I saw a glimmer of the man that I pray for him to be.

Nate: After the kids brought their money home to show us, Ben told them that they now had to pay taxes. Running away upstairs, Nate yelled as he went, "I don't believe in taxes."

Judah: It is so fun to walk hand in hand with Judah. He is so short and his little legs are so chubby, that he has to take five steps for every one of mine. I love it. I looked down at him today as we were walking and felt happiness and sadness at the same time. It is such a precious time, that will be gone all too quickly...

Sonora: Alright, I admit, I saved this one for last. The first words I heard this morning have stuck with me all day...She walked down the stairs, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "What is that ugly smell? Smells like chicken."

ET Walker

Tonight Judah was walking on the treadmill (it wasn't on :) and Harper said "he walks like...like...ET!"


I guess maybe he does!

Number Five

Sonora's leisurely breakfast in bed for her fifth birthday :)

Vacation Bible School 2009

There have been so many funny things said around here lately, and I have been forgetting to jot them down when I hear them :( We have been busy with VBS and now the planning crunch for school, so I'm hoping to blog more in the near future. Until then, here are some cute VBS pictures. The theme was The Boomerang Express (The Australian Outback). The kids had fun!

This year, I helped in Q~ and H~'s class, so most of my pictures are from there, but I did happen to snap this one of N~ up on stage practicing for the family night program.


J~ in the nursery...


Q~ and H~'s Class.


The busiest place in VBS: Crafts


Yes, a kangaroo in diapers. There is something just wrong about that.


Obviously, it rebelled.


At the end of family night, the kids got to throw water balloons at the pastor.
S~ didn't get one.

Not including the lack of water balloons for S~, it was a very fun week!

J~'s News

Affected to Tea

Tonight I had the pleasure of being invited to the most beautiful tea party in town.

It had the best china...



The hottest tea...


The nicest companionship...


The cutest conversations...

One of which went like this:

H~: Would you like some cotton candy to go with your tea?
Me: Sure! I would love some!!
H~: Well, don't give any to S~, because she's affected to cotton candy!
Me: Huh?
S~: Yummmm....Cotttttooonnn Caaannndddyyy...I'm affected to cotton candy...
Me: Affected? Really! I see...

And, although this party was a female only affair, every party has it's crasher...


I'm addicted to my kids...I think they're really cute!

Too Hot

It is so hot here today! We took the kids to the splash pad and even then they were ready to come home to the AC. I had a little fun with Photobucket after we got home...

The Before: With red cheeks from the heat...

The After: It's a miracle...no heat!


Here is my other blue-eyed beauty....

That was fun! Not the scorching heat part, but the editing!
Staying Cool,

Oh No!

Watch out world...looks who's mobile...





He's pretty proud of himself...he flips right over the minute you put him down...

Oh man, I'm not ready for this! :)

Six Months

J~ is six months old today!


It is hard to believe that he is already at this milestone! It seems like we waited forever for him to get here and now his babyhood is flying.

I wish that I could slow down time....

In the Blink of an Eye

I have been struck lately at how much the kids all seem to be growing. Their childhoods seem to be flying...I put this collage together today with tears in my eyes.


Incredibly thankful this Lord's day...

Happy Easter

This post is for my mom, who won't get to be here to celebrate Easter with us this year. They decided to move away...:( So, Mom, HAPPY EASTER!!!

First we copied all the kids handprints and cut them out. The kids stapled them onto pipe cleaners to make lilies. Here is N~ showing you his lily up next to J~'s lily. Quite the difference!


H~ is showing you the bouquet of handprint lilies that will go into your vase...


The kids made you a picture frame magnet with a picture of the collage header to this blog. S~ is showing you...



Q~ just wanted to say...


Here is today's picture of J~.



And finally, the finished product. This will be waiting for you next time you are in town...and, until then,,,,,,,,,We Love You & Wish You a HAPPY EASTER!!

Tiny Toes

I happened to get this picture yesterday and thought I would share. J~ is almost 4 months old! His little babyhood is flying by so fast. Seems like he was just born. He is such a sweetie and a huge blessing to my day!