Baby Dude

Cheek fat.  Note the drool.  Awesome.

Arm fat.  Note the middle forearm fold.  Awesome.

Back fat.  So awesome.

Hand and wrist fat.  I eat these hands regularly.

Chest fat.  AKA:  Baby cleavage.  

Thigh fat.  

More thigh fat.  More awesomeness.

Back and side fat.  Chew on it.

Neck fat.  My favorite.

Belly and side fat.  Perfect for raspberries.  The other kids agree. 

We have regular slobberfests because of this belly.

The little dude will be 6 months old this week.  I love this age, but I am not loving him becoming a big baby.  He's starting to be mobile, and I know this chubb won't last long.  

Ha Ha Ha

Here are 6 things that have made me laugh recently.  It doesn't matter that I was laughing at myself.  It's still a laugh, and I need it.

1.  When putting the dishes away, I opened and closed the cabinets at least 6 times before I realized it would be easier to leave them open.  So, I left them open... for the rest of the morning.

2.  I'm either dying of heat, or freezing.  There is no middle.

 

3.  I keep a very organized calender of events, so I always remember what is going on.  I write down the date, function, time, etc.  I forget to look at it.

4.  My boobs are hardly ever the same size... as each other... at the same time.

5.  I buy a new package of candles for every birthday.  That is 19 kid birthdays so far.  I literally have about 200 candles.

6.  I get my beginning consonant sounds mixed up a lot.  I once tried to call SCM a finger sucker.  I accidentally said "singer ____".  Yup. Out loud for everyone to hear me.

Crime Scene: Murder of Mr. Pocket

                                           
I'm still in a bad mood.  

I have resisted the urge to write about the stupid neighbor lady who let her kid (3 years, if that) run around in the street, while she sits inside her house and yells through the window, unconvincingly, "look both ways," while the people driving by give me dirty looks because they think she is mine.

 Yes, I resisted.  

Instead, I thought this picture was hilarious.  I did not set this up.  It was the result of strategically placed strawberry juice, that was not cleaned up (I'm a horrible housekeeper, see below), and a careless child, setting her toy down in the right spot.

I come from a long line of OCD women, who can't stand the sight of a mess in their house.  Okay, maybe not a long line, mostly just my mom and sisters. Laurie especially.  I was taught well.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  My goal in housekeeping is to keep it from being disgusting.  And that's even subjective.  Are my standards too low?  I'm hoping in a few years, when I get more help from the older kids, and the younger ones don't require so much time, I will have an impeccable house. 

Probably not.

T-Ball

Brynster and Rhon had their last T-Ball game last night.  I'm not sure how much they learned, but they had a good time.  Brynster tried to get into it.  She fielded it quite a bit.  When it comes to sports, she is not timid.  It really surprises me, since she is any other time.  Check out her ridiculous uniform.  I tried to tie her shirt in a knot in the back, but she didn't want me to.  She said it looked "dorky".

 

She hit it a couple of times when the coach pitched it to her.  He usually screwed up the pitches though.  I love this picture because you can see Nate holding SCM in the background.  Also, Rhon and Dare are staring at that wagon because it was full of candy someone was trying to sell.  I never bought any for them.  I thought it was too weird that random people were selling food.

                          
She is about to knock that big, dumb kid over for standing in the base path.  Just kidding, she would never do that.  Too bad.

                                                               
Rhon didn't get into it quite as much.  This was her while she was in the field.  I didn't blame her... it was BOR-ING!!  Plus her coach didn't teach them anything, so every time a ball was hit, ALL the kids would run up and try to get it.  I thought she was funny because she would start to go, then stop when all the other kids came running up.  She was too cool to get pushed, or rolled on, or slammed into.  So, I don't think she fielded it once.  I didn't blame her for that either.  

                        
                                   

Here she is about to hit.... the tee.  Oh well.

                                       

                                       
Isn't she cute?  She asked me multiple times if I got a picture of her with the helmet on.  I think that was her favorite part.

                      

I know I am being very negative, but I'm in a bad mood and it was pretty dumb.  We are going to find a new league next time.

Mum's the Word

I have very thoughtful kids.  I got my Mother's Day gifts today because the girls couldn't wait.  They were too excited.  

Brynster gave me a card that she made.  Inside it said: 

"Mommy, 

I love you soooooooooooooooooooo much.  As much as all of everything one thousand times.  Love xoxo(heart shape), Bryn."  

Also, when we were eating strawberries she found a heart shaped one and said it was for me.  She washed it and gave it to me.  When I took a bite, she asked, "Does it taste like love?"

Rhon gave me a poem.  It went like this:

M- me marvelous mop muffins

O- oops one 

T- talk terrific tickle

H- help

E- every exercise energy

R- rose rake

I asked her what oops was for, and she told me because I make mistakes.  And the one is because I'm her only mother.  She doesn't have any step mothers.  She also gave me a card that said, "Happy Mother's Day.... I mean very happy."

Dare gave me a present.  It was wrapped in a piece of paper she decorated.  When I unwrapped it, I found 2 pennies.  I loved it.  

Mads drew a picture for me with help from Rhon.  Just keeping his attention on coloring, instead of throwing the crayons across the room, was present enough.

SCM gave me this.........  

Now you know why he is my favorite.  

Just kidding, Nate and all the kids gave it to me.  But really, he is my favorite.  Just kidding, I love them all the same....   seriously though, I love him the most.

Happy Mother's Day!  

This was added later...  Bryn gave me a present on Mother's Day.  It was wrapped in handmade wrapping paper.  Inside there was a piece of paper that said "Gift of being good".  I thought it was very sweet.

Fun Sunday, or Sun Funday... Whichever

We went to the temple yesterday to enjoy the flowers and the nice weather, finally.  Memories:

----  Mads' favorite part was the area under construction.  He would stop every 2 or 3 steps to look at the building materials.

----  There was a missionary from Singapore, who talked to Nate in Chinese.  She also made me cry.  Good tears.

----  There was another missionary who looked stunned at our family.  She asked how many sets of twins I had.  When I said none, she just stared.  Now, I get this quite a bit, but she honestly looked like she was staring at a family of chimpanzees, who just happened to like walking around the temple grounds.  I guess a couple of them, namely Dare and Mads, could have blended in quite well with chimpanzees.  But still, she must see big families all the time.

----  There was any color of tulip you could imagine.  Plus all kinds of other flowers that were amazing.

----  Being at the temple is a good thing, even if you don't go in.

I'm not good at taking pictures.  I never have been.  I'll probably go into that more some other time, but I am proud of this one.  So tell me how good it is.

This is SCM attacking me.  He grabs my tender neck hairs on both sides and pulls them so my head cannot move without pain.  Then he proceeds to suck on my face with such ferociousness that he doesn't leave an unslimed speck. 

Check this out!!!  All of us in one picture.  That doesn't happen very often.

Puke Skysquawker

                                                 
SCM found two new toys that he has been enjoying.  The first one is his tongue.  He razzes and blows spit bubbles.  Quite entertaining for him, and me.  I love the way he contorts his face so that his tongue is sticking out one side of his mouth, and his bottom lip goes the other way.  And if he didn't have enough drool in the first place, he certainly does now.  Drool is cuter when it is all bubbly and foamy looking.  And if we are lucky, it has little chunks of curdled milk in it.  Just kidding..... that's gross. 

                                                 

His other new discovery is underneath his diaper.  Yes, I'm too embarrassed to say what it is.  Every time he gets a diaper change, he immediately reaches down.  I wonder if he is making sure it is still there?  I feel like I have to tell him to go easy on himself.  He is anything but gentle.  The way he yanks and grabs.......... oh man.  I guess those parts are pretty durable.  They have to be.

Brand New Smile

Rhon's tooth was loose first. Brynster's brain must have made the tooth come out, so her little sister wouldn't lose a tooth first. We are all very excited for her. It was a long time in coming. Three days after her 7th birthday. She was the last one to lose a tooth in her classes.

Brynster reads this blog. She reads it when I'm looking at it, and she knows how to get to it on her own. This new development has dramatically reduced what I feel comfortable writing about. Also, she pointed out that Dare's post was much longer than hers. Now I feel guilty and I can't say what I want. So along with the tooth news, I thought I would write more about #1 (edited for her eyes). I'll have to tell her this is much easier if I don't feel pressure. Oh wait, you're reading it, I don't have to tell you anything!!!

What I love most about you:

*You are a great eater. You will try new stuff and like it. You never give us trouble at the dinner table like everyone else. That is HUGE.

*You love to laugh. You tell Dad all the time to make you laugh. He will say one word, and you are cracking up. You get the dead-horse laugh all the time. Dad will pretend he is trying to start a car, and we are both uncontrollable. I'm trying not to laugh right now. And you will go from crying to hysterics in a snap.

*You have a phenomenal memory. School comes very easy for you. Almost too easy. You say that you are bored at school. I love that you can tell me about ancient Egypt, religions of the world, Mesopotamia, etc.

*You are a great big sister. When you are not being selfish, you will do anything for your sisters and brothers. You like to read books to Mads, and you help keep SCM happy in the car.

*You make and keep friends easily. You are very likable and your friends love you.

*Your long eye lashes and huge smile. You also have a double jointed jaw, like a snake, which enables you to turn that cute little mouth into a enormous gaping hole, that you can cram tons of food in. You get that from your detachable-jawed Dad.

*You like me, and you are one of my best friends too.

I'm BAD

"I'm seven, Mom.  That means I'm almost ten."

That is how Brynster imformed me that she was growing up way too fast.  I love that she is able to mostly take care of herself, but I worry about her not needing me anymore.  I love that she wants to read all the time, but I am sad that we hardly read together anymore.  I am happy that she takes care of her little sisters, but nervous about her bossiness.  I love that she enjoys to laugh, and laughs so easily, but I am sad when she tries to be sad, and can't laugh.  I'm glad she has a strong will, but it frustrates me when she cries about not getting her way.  It is so great that she has such a love for learning, but she will soon know more than me.  It is wonderful that she is aware of other people's feelings and cares so much about other people, but I cry when she gets her feelings hurt.  

Brynster is 1 in a million.  They don't come better than her.    

Dare Devil

"No...no no.  Dare, don't do it...........Wow, I'm impressed"

And so begins the story of Dare.

When she was little, people would ask if I wanted a boy.  I thought... I don't need a boy since I have Dare.  Examples:

*She ran around with unmatchable energy.

*She started her hobby of jumping off things at about 18 months.  Counter tops, bunk beds, picnic tables, and flights of stairs.......just to name a few.

*She used potty humor from a very young age  (and still does).  One of my favorites is when she said Brynster should take "honey-nut poops" to school for snack.

*She used to burp like a fog horn.  

In contrast, Dare is girly too.  Examples:

*She would wear dress-up clothes everyday, all day, if I let her.  The skirts work well as a parachute while jumping off things.

*She loves lip stick, and pink clothes.

*She cries about EVERYTHING.

*She wants to grow her hair really long.

Dare is smart.  Examples:

*She can do Rhon's addition facts, and often answers her word problems for her when I read them out loud in the car.  She grasps the concept of subtraction too.

*She can sound out words. 

*She constantly surprises me with how much she remembers.

Dare has an awesome sense of humor.  Examples:

*She calls people names.  That isn't necessarily funny by itself, but she makes the names up.  The names are what's funny.  "Wack Job" is still used by us today.

*When I was giving her a hug one time, I said "I love you, Dare."  And she responded, "I love marshmallows."

Dare's funny story of the day.... it has a little background, but I want to remember it all.

Rhon and Dare have had this thing with asking questions about Jesus.  They ask where he is, if he is old, what is he wearing, etc.  They also ask pretty weird ones too, like "if everyone has germs, does Jesus?"  So we were driving to get Rhon from school.  More background: Dare uses this time to talk and ask questions without any interruptions from her sisters.  Mads does not talk. Probably because she won't stop.  As soon as we pull out of the drive-way her first question is "are we almost to Rhon's school?"  (it's a 25 minute drive)  Some of her other regulars are "did you bring anything to eat?" and "why did Heavenly Father make ___?"  Fill in the blank with bees, wasps, snakes, and pretty much anything that can hurt us.  Ok, we are driving.  Dare farts.  She starts laughing and tells me she tooted.  Here is our exchange:

Me (with mock surprise):  "You did?"

Dare:  "Yup."  Pause  "Mom, did your mom toot?"

I have no idea why she asked about my mom.

Me:  "Yes Dare.  Everyone toots."

I bet you can guess what came next.

Dare:  "Does Jesus toot?"

I laughed because I know she was trying to be funny, but I also explained how we should talk reverently about Jesus.

I realized when I mention Dare in my posts, it is usually a bit negative.  She gives me trouble, I'll be honest, but she is so awesome too.  She is always fun and unpredictable.  She is one of my best friends.

                     

Earth Day

I am embarrassed to say I am extremely ignorant on the subject of Earth Day, and what it means. I learn mostly from what the kids learn at school.  Sad, but true.  I try to recycle, but it doesn't take too much effort because we have a special bin for it, and the city provides pick-up.  I realized how much more I can, and need, to do.  I need to be a good example.  When the kids are my age, it will probably be even more important.  So today I decided to make a bigger effort to take better care of the wonderful planet Heavenly Father has given us.  I need help..... I don't even know where to start.  Cloth diapers maybe?   Ok, I can't do everything!

Saturday is a Special Day

As I was "trimming our nails" (all 100 of them), I thought of the Primary song Saturday.  It sounds like such a great idea.  So perfect, so genius.  If only I could pull it off.  I am pretty proud of myself when I can get everyone's nails cut.  I know I should teach the older girls how to do it themselves, but I like things done right too much.  Plus, clippers can be so dangerous.  Ha!  I am so a fifth-time mother.  I've reached the if-they-hurt-themselves-they-will-probably-learn-their-lesson phase of mothering.  And why is my 4 year old so uncooperative?  She tries to be difficult just because.... um.... because it's fun?  I don't know.  And I decided to try and clip Space Dog's nails while he was nursing.  I thought it would distract him enough to get it done quicker. Because of this, he changed his routine.  It's normally suck, pull, detach, over and over.  This time it was suck, pull, detach, and glare, suck, pull, detach, and (stunned/confused) glare.  But I got it done.  Now all that is left is clean the house, shop at the store, brush our clothes (?), and shine our shoes.  And also, the writer forgot "prepare the lesson for the Primary class you said you would sub for before you realized you were going to church husbandless with two little church-haters".

New Club

I had a dream recently where I was married to Matt Damon.  He kept making me laugh, so it was probably Nate with Matt Damon's face.  Nate would say that was an improvement, I don't think so.  Aren't I sweet?  That is the reason for the picture.

I feel like I joined a new club of moms this week.  The ones that have a different kid in a different activity every night.  The club that Maria, Cyndie, Jeanne R., Mom, and more belong to.  Here is what we got going on:

Tuesday- Two T-ball games at 6:30, thankfully they are at the same place.  Also, I am teaching preschool, and doing a horrible job.

Wednesday- Soccer practice at 6:00.  Did I mention I volunteered to be the coach?  Bad move.  I almost forgot....Nate's new calling requires him to be at church every Wednesday night.

Thursday- One T-ball game at 5:30 and one at 6:30.  That doesn't sound so bad.

Friday- Nothing so far...oh wait, the visiting teachers are coming.  That means I have to clean up.  That is the biggest job yet.  Nate is not coming home from work.  He is going straight to the airport and staying with his brothers all weekend.  Happy for him, not so much for me.

Saturday- Soccer game is at 11:00.  I am the coach, you know.  I didn't know at the time, but I will be trying to coach with one kid in the game, and 4 other kids on the sidelines (Nate in AZ, remember?) Impossible! Does anyone want to babysit?

                                                                                           

I have been trying desperately to have dinner at home every night.  Unsuccessful.  Last night we went to Carl's Jr.  I can't break my Jalapeno Burger habit.

I know it will only get worse as they get older.  I love having them involved and active, but I don't want to have a family who never eats dinner together.  Is there any middle ground?

Oh, I wanted to mention Mads' new thing.  He will bring me or Nate the remote and say "ball". He wants to watch ball on TV!!!!!  This is so funny to me.  Nate loves it, of course.  Now he can watch sports, and count it as quality time with the kids.  He has made some pretty big ManUnited fans out of our girls too.

The Many Faces of 2 Years Old

 
 

We were playing outside, and he started looking sad when I said it was time to go in.  

He loves being outside.  Sometimes he just wanders around.
 
 

He will try anything Dare does.  The problem is, Dare has better physical ability and 

more developed coordination.  Those two would run down the drive-way with ice on it. 

 I never worry about her, but he gives me a heart attack every time.  

 
 

It is so cool having a boy.  He brings so much to our family, and I know he will 

be an awesome big brother.  We just have to keep him out of the Emergency Room, 

and keep him from picking up some of the girls' bad habits (whining, crying, complaining, etc).

 

I'm in Love with a Boy Who Finds Joy in Sucking on His Toes

I've only known him 4 1/2 months.  We have nothing in common.  We can't even hold a conversation.  He is bald, and has no teeth. He drools on me.  He pukes on me.  He expects me to wipe poop off his butt.  He will bite me if given the chance.  His favorite pastime is sucking on his own toes, or cramming all 10 fingers in his mouth at once.  He screams if he doesn't get his way.  He is perfectly fine with taking up A LOT of my time.  I can't even tell what his personality is like (completely).  How can I love a person like this?  I don't get it either, but I do.

I really do wonder how it works.  How do we love one person so much, but be indifferent towards most others?  How is it that there are certain people who make you smile just by seeing them.  I know, very cheesy for me.  I will stop.   With babies it is even stranger.  There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him.