Legos and LayLa

Xander is coming up with new creations everyday almost. It is amayzing how his mind works and the vehicles (and in this case the castle) he can dream up.

We also had a BIG puppy here. She was a big sweetheart and all the kids loved her but Aliza was particularly cute with her becasue of the size difference. LayLA was always very gentle and aliza would actually lay on her with her arms around her neck or come and lay her head on the big black lab.

Summer is here and Dog Sitting

Sofie is our little dog we babysit from time to time. this time we are so sorry to say she ended up with a fish hook in her paw. and it needed to be taken out (thus the pink wrap). She was a bit drugged and happy to sit for the afternoon on the bed the kids made her. The next day she was right as rain.

I suppose there will be a time when:

... I will have ALL my cupboards and not have to sacrifice one or two so the baby can entertain herself as I make supper.

...I won't have little scuff marks on my floor from scooters... and be stepping on Mr Potato Head pieces.

... "having lunch out"... might actually mean getting in the car to share a paninni with a friend and not consist of 3 children a picnic blanket and pb and homemade plum jam ( and comments like "Wow, were YOU lucky that it landed 'face up'.. now sit still and eat your sandwich!")
... I might actually climb in the bath tub and the end of the day and not lean back on the toy shark and various bottles and squirters that seem to have a permanent residence there.

... I am not sure what to do because I am board.

... I don't have to uncurl and rearrange 3 children so they are parallel with their beds...and cover them so they sleep well...( and I sleep well knowing they are)

... I have to worry about how I should wear my hair on Sun instead of: breakfast, the brushing teeth and hair of 3 (soon to be four..) and what about lunch and grabbing my mascara and hair clip on the way out as I holler "Someone got the Bibles, right"?

...I can spend the majority of my reading time reading MY books and not insect guides, dinosaurs, fairy tales and Amilia Bedelia... and the Bible comic book Grandma Betty just got us. (Good and Evil)

... I no longer have the privilage of listening to my son's prayers and being deeply humbled and touched by them. (tonight he prayed.. "Lord we walk right by Your side except when we choose not to Lord.. help Josie and I decide to not to lie and sin against eachother.. help us choose to walk with you.. and Lord when I turn away from you (like I wish I wouldn't do) I pray you would forgive me and help me turn back to you... "

...I won't be woken up in the middle of the night to chubby arms reaching for me in the darkness and grateful sniffles as we spend a few min rocking (Aliza)

or a warm freckled cheek slipping in my side of the bed and sharing my pillow because she had a bad dream. (Josie)

or a long legged boy who comes to spend a few minutes in the morning to lay at the foot of our bed and pat my calf. (Xander)

...or maybe I can take a bath without two girls popping in on me and begging to crawl in too.

YES I SUPPOSE THAT DAY MIGHT BE COMING... AS I LOOK AT MY GROWING BELLY- IT FEELS LIKE A DIFFERENT WORLD AWAY... (I WILL CONFESS THERE ARE A FEW DAYS here and there I WISH IT WERE SOONER THAN LATER.) BUT WHEN IT COMES RIGHT DOWN TO IT - I KNOW THAT I WILL MISS ALL THE ABOVE SOMEDAY AND WISH I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME.

Still Blessed to be ME!

Well its the same picture as the first one in the blog 2 years ago... {GO CHECK IT OUT IN OLDER POSTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE} but now we have all gotten a bit older and we have added one ALIZA (and a half...?) It was fun to see that first picture of long ago.. the one that started it all. I feel the same way about life as my comments long ago.
Dan took this shot Mother's Day (yesterday) and I thought I would comment because I am not sure we will be in the same chair or house for that matter next year... but I keep trying to remember that it's just four walls and that the smiles and love will be the same next Mother's Day.

Rats!

Yes I have been debating whether or not to even add this to our blog because of the common reaction I get when I say that 4 letter word. :) The kids want a dog so baddly, but in our situation; we just can't get a dog right now. So I decided on a hamster but as I searched for the best breed to get the answer was in front of me over and over. The experts all thought rats were better pets for kids. Here's a few reasons why:

You can teach them to use a litter pan.

You can teach them to fetch toys and come when called! (our old hammy got lost all the time!)

They love to ride on your shoulder or in a pocket.

They do not carry diseases.

They HARDELY EVER BITE!.. even wild snake food rats don't bite usually... ours was not tame and have never bit any of us.

SO as you can see the kids adore them and they ride around on the bikes and in pockets, purses, and occationally in the car or swing. Josie wakes up at 6:30 and I get a tap on my shoulder "Can I play with my rat?" She spends almost all her time with Leena and Tilly. (that is what we named our $4.99 companions who live in my old parrot cage. They only live to be 18mo or 2 yrs so maybe by then we can get a dog.... but until then they are the subjects to the kids love and we saved them from a very unplesant death.

Florida Adventure 2

One week.

St Augistine Beach... the hotel rooms, pool and Georgia in Bloom! It was a long week (of Rubbermaids of clothes, beach stuff, food, pack and plays and trying to be quiet for the baby who doesn't want to miss a thing!) and even longer drive (Dan put on 3200 miles on the pickup). We drove straight through down there and from Georgia back home getting home at 5am this morning! I swear we could not have made it another 20 miles! But it's done and I am glad we did it as a family. The kids loved the pools and Xander can now swim from one end of the pool to the other. (he was unsure he could do this until I offered a Sour Starburst for the family if he could accomplish this feat!) Some days were too cold and windy to make it to the beach. The sand whips around and hurts your bare legs and face. but the days that we did make it out there we had fun with the shovels and buckets, standing in the pounding waves, and reading in on the beach as the kids ate their 'Pringles" they have saved for weeks for the occasion.

Xander Turns 8!

Xander turned 8 and we are so blessed to have him as our son. We celebrated with some grilled hamburgers, 'dogs, salads, jigglers, and a volcano cake. Auntie Ginger made a homemade pinnata and it was the first we have had in our extended family. What fun! HE really wanted and Fishing pole and not only recieved that but slingshot, nature books, legos, a Check (very exciting in our family!) and lots of small tokens of love from all his cousins. :)