Play House Disney! Live!

Part of Kami's birthday gift was taking her to see Play house Disney Live...she had a blast!

Kami doing the "hot-dog" dance
Kami and I....she still in not into having her photo taken!

Now she just is yelling no at me so I will stop trying to take her picture!

Now your Three..time for the Doctor!

Oh, Kami is Three.....that means she is three times more stubborn, three times more trouble, but also three times more lovable and three times more hugable! :)

At her three year check-up Kami was a little leery of the skeleton that was occupying the exam room with us, we left with her saying that the doctor is scary...meaning the skeleton. Also, since Kami's speech is not at a three year old level...we will be taking her for a complete hearing test. I will keep you posted.

The Birthday Girl......

Did not want her photo taken!

Kami checking out her cake. Oh, and you don't even want to know what I went thru to get the cake to even look this good (or should I say BAD!) This is when, "It's what 's on the inside that counts" comes into effect......it looked horrible, but tasted good......just be glad you can't see the gray frosting that I used to spackle the cake back together after it fell apart!

Her gift from us...a my size Barbie!

I think it was a hit!

Blowing out the candles!

My Kiddos

Kade, the runaway...

What Mom would chase after her son, who is running away from home, with a camera just to document the occasion...ME!

My handsome five-year-old son came crawling in to my lap late this afternoon with tear stained cheeks, "Kami kicked me in my tummy" he said. Yes, Kami is the wild one.

"Is your little sister beating you up again" I responded with a smile.

"Can we adopt her" he asked.

"You mean send her away?"

"YES!"

"No" I said "she needs to live here with her family, family stays together."

"Then can I be adopted?"

"You want to go live somewhere else?"

"Yes, I don't like my life."

"Why?"

"I don't know......"

Ok, now my son is sounding like my "tween" aged daughter, hmmmmm. I have a feeling that he is testing, so I decide to go with it.

"Well, honey,I want you to stay here with your family" I tell him. "We love you."

"I want to leave and live somewhere else."

"Where?"

"I don't know, I have a lot of choices, I am going to pack my stuff."

"Ok."

And off he goes packing up his back pack with all of his idea of necessary items, that include two pairs of PJs several short sleeved t-shirts and two pairs of shorts! Might I add that is around 36 degrees out! As soon as his bag is packed he asks for a hug and kiss from me and out the door he goes. I watch from the window as I put my shoes on, then I follow him silently down the road. After a while, I ask him if he knows where he will be staying tonight.

"I don't know yet."

"Well, it's getting cold and dark, why don't you come back home."

"I don't know."

We continue down the road that oddly enough loops back to our house.....

"We are almost home Kade, would you like to stay here tonight?"

"Sure."

Back to are bright, warm house we arrive, unpack and have a nice dinner. I think Kade learned a good lesson, now matter were he goes, or what he does, his Mom will always be there for him.

Playing with the Camera some more...

Playing with the Camera

Kayla's B-ball Game

Today's science lesson is.....

It's been a while since I have sat in science class, I did enjoy biology, but chemistry, well all those upper and lower case letters with the numbers dangling off of them, well that has long been wiped from my memory. Now a days my science is trying to figure out what my child ate that turned her poop green, orange or blue (yes, we have had blue poo) So, when I saw this in the sky the other day, I tried to scrape all the left over brain cells to see if I knew what it was...I am talking about the small "rainbow" on the right side of the photo. There was a matching one to the left of the sun also, in a perfectly straight line.

Well, ever lacking in the "little gray cell" department, I email the photo to our local weather man who kindly email me back (in record fast time I might add) and told me they were sundogs.

Sundogs, sometimes called Parhelia or Mock Suns, are with the 22 degree halo, the most frequent of the ice halos. They are most easily seen when the sun is low. Look about 22° to its left and right and at the same height. When the sun is higher they are further away. Each 'dog' is red coloured towards the sun and sometimes has greens and blues beyond. Sundogs can be blindingly bright, at other times they are a mere coloured smudge on the sky. They are visible all over the world and at any time of year regardless of the ground level temperature. In Europe and North America one will be seen on average twice a week if searched for.

So, that concludes our class for the day and best of all, no homework! :)

It's Muffin Tin Monday....

A friend who is a GREAT cook and baker shared an idea that she has been using with her girls....Muffin Tin Mondays. Fill up a muffin tin with healthy easy dipping foods, so I gave it a try and it went over a lot better than the green eggs and ham! Whoo-Hoo!!

I made turkey burger "drumsticks" (ground turkey, chopped onion, evaporated milk, crushed corn flakes wrapped around a chunk of string cheese and fried) and paired that with yummy fruits, veggies and dips.

I Love Lists.....

I do, I love making lists, shopping lists, daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly to do lists. Honey do lists, packing lists, office to dos, errands to run lists, I even have sticky notes of list on my back door, just so I don't forget anything that needs to get in the car before we leave for school. Oh, and the never ending mental list that sometimes keeps me awake at night. I just love lists, I think it is because of the never ending tasks of a home-maker (yes, I said home-maker, that is a household executive to you progressive types) wife and mother, it gives me some sort of accomplishment to cross some thing off as done, even though it will be right back at the top of the list again soon.

So, when I saw this magazine, it was like it was written for me, except the last article listed on the cover, the not-to-do list, ugh, can there be such a thing!?!?!?! Well, it covered most of the things on my mental list, like poking at my pudgy "4 babies have lived in here" belly and the I'm not going to worry, like that could ever happen! So, I love my lists, even if Real Simple says my mental list is a not-to-do!

Fast Pass, PLEASE!

If you have ever been to Disney, you are familiar with the Fastpass...you get a specific time to return to your desired ride and get right on without waiting, genius! Well, I would like our doctor's office to implement this! Instead of waiting in a six by six room with three cranky children, one, who insists on drinking water, one sip at a time and having to get a new cup for each sip, one who loves to spray the doctor's hand foam all over the walls (oh, and the doctor's stuff is good, it takes off the paint, shhhh, please don't tell, I don't want the repainting bill) and the other is fascinated with the dreaded 'stirrups' pulling them in and out not completely satisfied with my explanation that they are foot rests.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could make a 1:00pm appointment, but on that day they call and let you know that your fast pass is for 1:25pm. You walk in, pay your co-pay, walk back to your six by six room and boom, in walks the doctor, that would truly be the happiest place on earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12 on 12

A friend shared the idea of taking 12 photos on the 12th, to document everyday life...well here is today!

Feeling Suessical...

In my attempt to liven things up at the dinner table, I learned something new...

My kids do not like green eggs and ham.

They do not like them on a plate.

They do not like them when bribed with cake.

They do not like them here nor there.

They do not like them when thrown in the air.

My kids do not like green eggs and ham.

They do not like them in the dark.

They do not like them in the park.

They do not like them with soda pop.

They do not like them with ice cream on top.

My kids liked green eggs and ham....

When they were plunked into the garbage can! :)

It's Easy, NOT!

You know you have a "tween" when the easy task of going to the local office supply store to purchase material needed for her school project turns into a paper fight!

Now, in Kayla's defence, PMS was raging, so I was not in a "easy going" mood, but, my dear, dear daughter wanted to tell me that some how I was to know exactly what she need when she said "I need a big piece of paper."

Well, with that I shuffle all five of us over to the poster board.
"Here is the paper" I say.

This is followed by a "NOOOOOO, not that kind of paper, it has to be bigger!"

Ok, now I know I have not done a school project in a while, but the fact that there is bigger paper than poster board, well this is news to me. Now, I try to CALMLY, inform her that there is not bigger paper, which in turn is followed by a lot of nos, buts, and then tears...hers not mine. Finally, she blurts out that she needs a piece of paper from a roll....now that's information I could have used, oh about the time she said she needed a big piece of paper!

I am sure the staff and customer's enjoyed our "paper fight" looking back on it now it is a little humorous...but as soon a Staples easy button helps with parenting, I will buy 4!

Guess What!!!!!!

Got ya...didn't I!

No we are not expecting again! I am participating in a preemie onesie drive, you can find out more at http://preemieonesiedrive.blogspot.com/

Backing up to Christmas '08

Santa filled the stockings with care....

And enjoyed putting presents under our tree...
And all the kids smiled with glee....
Ok, maybe Kori just loved the orange from her stocking!

Yea...maybe I will hit it big, or just win 18 dollars....

Kayla was SO excited to see Santa brought her a "Just Like Me" American Girl Doll

The kids on the mini tramp from Grandma and Papa

Ahhh, a New Year!

I got to start the New Year (well 3 days into the new year) at the spa! I indulged in a deep tissue massage and a facial, both were much needed after our extended Christmas vacation. I have to say the the facial was a surprising treat.....for a strange reason!

One of the first creams that was applied instantly reminded me of my Grandmother! And that brought a flood of memories back to me... the white face cream she used, her house, the red kitchen chairs, how she always brought us chocolate milk because we couldn't drink store bought! Oh, and who could forget the light covers on the patio, made out of coffee cans and marbles..too cool! :) I hadn't thought about my Grandmother's house in a while, when I was younger and could not fall asleep, I would picture each room in my head, remembering every piece in it, even where she kept the granola and chicken soup in the kitchen. So, as I enjoyed my facial, I also enjoyed a trip down memory lane.....