They've got us surrounded

Lately everywhere I look I am faced with evil looking guys with some serious weapons. They're in my flowerbeds, the car, and almost every room of the house. Sometimes I just find their missing limbs, casualties of our own personal Godzilla (Buster). This morning I opened my purse and one of these guys was staring at me, with his gun pointed straight at me. I sure hope this isn't going to turn out to be one of those movies where toys come to life!

What a difference a day makes!

Grayson and his new best friend Amoxicillin!

After fighting a cough and low grade fever for few days, Grayson woke up a little before 5 on Sunday morning with a temperature of 103 and a much worse croupy sounding cough. About 2 years ago Grayson had a bad bout of pneumonia that nearly put him in the hospital, so I get really worried when he starts sounding and looking like he did on Sunday. After a VERY LONG wait at urgent care, they determined that he has some bad bronchitis. He spent most of yesterday sleeping and laying around with no energy at all. But this morning, after 2 doses of antibiotics he is much improved. He even got silly and wanted me to take this picture of him with his medicine. His cough is still pretty bad so I'll probably keep him home another day or two, but it's so nice to see some energy return.

The importance of a box of Cracker Jack

I saw boxes of Cracker Jack at the store today, and it totally took me back in time. I haven't seem them in forever. I remember getting them as a kid and loving the popcorn, peanuts and toy surprise. But my best memory involving a box of Cracker Jack is from 15 years ago. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact date, but I know it was in the spring. A box of Cracker Jack played a pivotal role in my becoming who I am today. About 15 years ago while on a date with Paul he very innocently gave me a box of Cracker Jack to snack on. The box was completely sealed up, (or as I later realized expertly resealed) so I didn't think too much about it. I actually thought it was a joke, since when we had talked about marriage I had told him I really didn't care about a big ring, one from a box of Cracker Jack would do just fine. Boy was I in for a big surprise! When I opened the "sealed" toy surprise a beautiful engagement ring fell out. Paul had done a REALLY good job making it look like nothing had been tampered with. I always remember the day we got engaged when I see a box of Cracker Jack, and my sweet husband who totally surprised me.

Horse Dreams

When I was growing up one of the things that I was very sure about, was the fact that I was going to have my own horse when I grew up. This dream was fueled by trips to my grandparents farm, where I got to spend some up close and personal time with horses. I wasn't a real "horsey girl" like my sister. She had all kinds of horse figurines and everything. But I've always felt love for these animals.

My memories of being at the farm with my grandpa are some of my fondest.

That's my sister, making sure the horse didn't move.

Somewhere along the way I changed my mind about this dream. Maybe it was the summer I spent as a camp counselor, where I had to ride every day that did it to me. Or maybe it was seeing the reality of having to feed and care for a horse that did it. Either way, I still greatly admire horses from afar.

Signs of life!

I am SO excited! Despite the freezing cold weather, and pummeling hail, things are starting to grow in our garden. These cute little radishes are first to make their appearance. Although that's kind of a yeah/boo for me. I'm excited to see them growing, but I don't really like radishes.

There were some things we were worried about planting outside, since it's been so cold. So we started them inside and now we're getting new things sprouting almost every day! Now if the weather would just warm up and start acting like Spring instead of Winter, we could really get this garden going.

He's a power hitter!

This is how Grayson hit a DOUBLE!
First you try to look cool and knock imaginary dirt off your cleat.

Then you get your bat ready, and wiggle your rear.(Sorry you can't see that part in the picture.)


and SWING!

Then you run like crazy while the other team scrambles for the ball, drops it, throws it in the wrong direction, and drops it again. Then you stand on second base and smile while three of your team mates strike out.

Afterwards Grayson said his teeth were chattering so hard he almost couldn't hold on to the bat. It was SO COLD! The thermometer at our house said 38 when we left and was a whopping 43 when we got home, and the stupid coaches decided to go an extra inning since it wasn't raining. Grayson was shivering bad! Right as we were leaving there started to be a light mixture of snow and hail. Perfect baseball weather!




Rowan and Fuller did their best to keep warm. Fuller whimpered so much about being cold that I finally broke down and gave him my gloves. When we got home I had to get into bed for about an hour just to get my core temperature up.

Evidence that they really are listening

Paul and I have been talking more lately about finding healthier options for foods we like. I realized just how much we'd been talking about it yesterday, when I poured Rowan a cup of juice. He looked at me and said," This doesn't have any high-fructose corn syrup , does it?"

You know you live in a small town when.....

...this menace and his gang of web-footed trouble makers are among the top 5 reasons for traffic hold ups.

Rowan just loves the geese, especially when we have to sit and watch them cross the road. This big one's a real mean fellow. When I pulled the van over and rolled the window down to take his picture he instantly started hissing at me and rushing at the side of the van.

My heart swells with pride

Well, I may have earned myself the title of "Most Embarrassing Mother EVER" for taking these pictures, but I just had to do it. Plus I did give him fair warning, I've been telling him since September that before the year was over I was going to get a picture of him being a crossing guard. I have been really proud of him for sticking with it. Some mornings have been pretty cold, wet and miserable, but he hasn't complained. The only thing that he ever complains about is when someone else gets "the good corner" and he gets stuck at the boring crosswalk back by the parking lot.

In this picture he's trying to figure out how to pretend I don't exist.

Just look at him, so alert to keeping his classmates safe!

I kind of feel bad now for thinking he just signed up for this because he heard they have a great end of the year party. Even if that was true, he certainly deserves some kind of reward for all of those rainy mornings!

Sun, fun, big deals, and sad goodbyes

This weekend started out on a very positive note. On Friday Rowan and I went into town to run some errands. While we were there we happened to drive by a big toy store, with a sign out front announcing "Final 3 days, 70% off everything." My first instinct was that they must not have anything good left, but I decided it was worth a look. I managed to fill a cart to almost overflowing with things my kids will really like, and all at an amazing price. According to my receipt I saved almost $160, and have lots of things in reserve for birthdays or next Christmas. The funniest part is that Rowan was so excited that I bought him lunch at Burger King on the way home that he seems to have completely forgotten about all the toys I bought. He didn't even tell the other kids we went to a toy store.

Saturday we woke up to a gloriously sunny day. We were so excited for Grayson to finally get to play a baseball game, after having his first two games canceled on account of rain.




















At this level of play third base can be a very boring place. Only one runner ever even made it to third base. I think Grayson spent more time watching the birds flying over head than the game.



















Grayson ended up striking out both times he got up to bat, as did the majority of his team (and the other team). The final score was a 1 to 1 tie. Grayson says he's decided baseball is boring and he isn't going to play next year. So I guess that's two down and one to go in that sport. Maybe Rowan will be my one kid that likes baseball. I kind of doubt it though since he's an "action" kind of guy.


Then I got my kids , plus a few of their friends to work on getting the cars clean.

Once everyone had completely soaked each other, they didn't get too much work done. Fuller was the only one that stuck it out until the job was done. That's why he got paid in cash, while everyone else got paid in ice cream.



























Later I watched Paul do a little planting in the garden. We're crossing our fingers that the frosty nights are behind us.




When we moved here three and a half years ago, our kids quickly made friends with a pair of brothers two houses away. This has been a great set up, someone for everyone to play with. These kids had the added benefit of being nice to Rowan. They are way more tolerant of his tagging along than any of the kids' other friends. They have played together 5-6 days a week since the day they met. Awhile back they sadly announced that they are moving to Nevada. This weekend was their last weekend here. The kids spent about 7 hours together yesterday, enjoying every last minute. The goodbyes were quick, but back at our house the tears were many. Everyone feeling like they were losing their best friend.

We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that whoever buys their house has some nice boys to play with.

One of a kind

As Mark Twain once said, "Clothes make the man."

When it comes to Rowan this is very true. Rowan is a quirky little guy, and definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. Most days will find him wearing at least one (but usually more) article of clothing inside out, backwards, on the wrong foot, or all of the above. One of the main things that he likes to wear backwards is his underwear. This makes total sense to him since the better picture is on that side of the underwear. Unfortunately it also means those undies are riding up his rear all day. He also likes to wear coats upside down, boots on the wrong feet and pants with the back pockets in the front. If you happen to mention to him that something he's wearing is on wrong he'll simply tell you "I like it like that". Today when I dropped Rowan off at preschool he was actually dressed completely correctly(except for the fact that he refused to wear socks). When I picked him up it was a completely different story. When I left him he was wearing a long sleeved shirt on the bottom, with a short sleeve shirt over it. They were both facing the right direction. When I picked him up he had the long sleeved shirt off and wrapped around his neck and the short sleeved shirt was now on backwards. Oh, and he had his coat on upside down. I can only imagine what went through his little head that inspired this change. He truly is unique.

There's always lots to learn

Motherhood is such a great occupation! It's so full of learning opportunities! In the last 24 hours I have learned the following "valuable" lessons.
- Dora can't do anything without Boots.
- It's possible to "read for 20 minutes" in only 10-15 minutes.
- It's my fault that they stayed home from school sick and therefore can't play outside with friends in the afternoon.
- It's possible to be "too full" to finish dinner, but still have room for dessert.
- Freshly shampooed carpets can make you feel really good about your house, at least until your kids come home and accidentally spill the disgusting contents of their lunch box on them.
- Never assume that the perfect flower blooming in your yard, the one that you've been waiting to take a picture of, will still be there in the morning.
- Flatulence is apparently always funny, even when it's gross and really inappropriately timed.

The passing of a Legend

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Charlton Heston, big screen hero of so many movies I grew up watching in reruns on TV. I know for many people his work in "The Ten Commandments" is likely the most memorable, but I'm more of a "Planet of the Apes" kind of gal. "Planet of the Apes" and it's sequels are among my very favorite childhood movies, and my primary exposure to this fabulous actor. Although he leaves behind a huge body of work, I think I will remember him for his quirkier movies like "Planet of the Apes","Omega Man" and "Soylent Green". They just don't make movies like that or men like him any more.

Good News! (well maybe)

For anyone who doesn't know, Paul was laid off back in early February. It wasn't really a surprise, that often happens when a big construction job is winding down. We figured he might be off for awhile since February is a slow time for construction. We weren't really worried though, he had been working A TON of overtime and we had been able to put quite a bit of money in savings. We were actually really excited about having him home more, we had really been missing him. Well, today he went back to work, which I know is a good thing. I couldn't help missing him though. His time off has been wonderful. We got to go for lots of walks together and actually talk during the day while all the boys were in school. We got to plan meals and cook together. It was great! Especially when we dropped all the kids off at school and then took ourselves out for breakfast, and then home to play Dance Dance Revolution until it was time to pick Rowan up. Today was kind of lonely. I really liked having my best friend around all day. Plus he's a big help around the house. I kind of got used to him getting up and fixing all the kids breakfast, making their lunches and driving them to school. That was nice! But I guess a regular paycheck will be nice too.

Musical beds

Ever have one of those nights where you wake up more tired than when you went to bed? Last night was one such night. Fuller came home around 7:30 from a birthday party, bragging that he had eaten 6 pieces of pizza plus cake and ice cream. Given Fuller's history we were pretty certain that barfing was on the schedule for the evening. Fuller has a loft bed, so we had him sleep on the floor so he could get to the bathroom quicker. Fortunately we were wrong, and Fuller was the one who got the most sleep. Rowan came downstairs about 10:30 complaining of a bad dream, so I went back upstairs with him and laid with him until he went back to sleep. But, the bad dreams weren't gone for the night, and he came and got into bed with us around 12:30. After a few fitful hours of sleep, with Rowan kneeing and elbowing me in the ribs, I was about ready to carry him back upstairs. Then I realized Grayson was crawling into our bed as well. He apparently also had bad dreams. In retrospect maybe they weren't ready to watch the "Princess Bride". Clearly there wasn't room for all four of us in our bed. Someone had to go. That someone ended up being me. I took my pillow and headed for Rowan's room, where I got a little more sleep before I started hearing kids up playing and watching tv. At this point I grabbed my pillow and headed back to my own room, desperate for a little more rest. I went back to sleep for a while, but really felt like I hadn't slept at all. Sigh. We really should have invested in a king size bed, or a sound proof door with good locks.

Opening Day

The Little League Pledge

I trust in God
I love my country
And will respect it's laws
I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose
I will always do my best.

Things that make you go hmmm...

Did I just totally date myself, or is anyone else old enough to remember the Arsenio Hall Show? As the only woman in a house full of boys it's seems I am frequently faced with things I just can't comprehend. A few recent examples:
- Waking up to find an athletic cup sitting on my kitchen counter.
- So much pee on the bathroom floor that I wonder why I even bothered to potty train them in the first place. Diapers were a hassle, but my bathrooms smelled so much better!
- And why do children who will complain about having to change out of their dirty/stained clothing, then throw a fit if a little water gets on them?
-Dirty, mismatched socks all over the house. Are their feet really so freakishly hot and sweaty that they have to remove them and throw them behind the nearest piece of furniture before they get burned by them?
- And why oh why do they insist on taking pictures like these when they get a hold of my camera?


HELP!

"What a disappointment"

Yup, that's what I heard when I was booed off the stage. Dance Dance Revolution has now proved beyond a reasonable doubt the cold hard truth, I've got no rhythm. I've always known I couldn't sing, and that doesn't really bother me. I come from a family of people who openly admit,"we can't sing". But dancing? Now that's a different story. There are people in my family who are quite good dancers, most notably my father who is an excellent dancer. The most illuminating thing about this game is the fact that Paul can REALLY dance. I had no idea. I guess I've been holding him back all these years. Good thing he loves me anyway, despite the fact that I have absolutely no future in any form of show business!

"Rowan's big day out" or "Everything poops"

I can't decide which title I like better

Today Rowan reaped the benefits of being young, and not having to be stuck in school all day. While Fuller and Grayson were toiling away, Rowan was out enjoying a day at the zoo with his cousins. It isn't often that Rowan gets his own adventures, and this was extra special because he had the attention of his older cousins, his mom and his aunt all to himself. He was pretty bouncy all day! We even bought lunch at the zoo, something I never do when I take all of the kids. Many of the animals were sleeping (as usual) and Rowan kept telling them to wake up, and then would say "enough sleeping animals, lets go!" It seemed like the few animals that weren't sleeping were busy pooping. So we have talked A LOT about this today. I don't know what it is about boys and bodily functions. I personally have just never found them all that interesting. Rowan thinks it would be cool to be a bird, they just poop whenever and where ever they want, and don't even have to look down. I'm not sure if this should worry me or not.