Christmas Eve we took all the kids skiing. This would be the first for Tessa. After one run she was doing okay until she saw me, then she needed hot chocolate and a rice krispie treat in the lodge. That was okay, though, because Santa came in and visited the kids in the lodge. She did manage to take two more runs, though. It is pretty fun having all of us up there together (if only we could make the getting ready part a little more enjoyable!)
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Merry Christmas 2009!
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 9:22 AM 2 comments
Holy cow, where did the time go?!
Is it already the day after Christmas? I swear Halloween was last week. At least it feels that way. I know that everyone always says that, but seriously. Anyway, here is an update of what we have been up to for the last two months!!!
1. Ted's birthday. I surprised him by taking in several dozen cookies to his office where he happily informed me that they had brought in treats so now he didn't have to share any
- We just can't have a dog when we have little babies in the house. (Repeat this argument three times to coincide with each child being born).
- We can't have a dog until our youngest is at least a year old.
- We can't have a dog until our youngest is at least two years old.
- Why would we get a dog when I am already cleaning up food and poop from one of my children?
- We can't consider getting a dog until our youngest is potty trained.
Man these time lines seemed so far away when we were saying them.
At any rate, we knew the time was getting close. So, we decided to start searching for a dog. We were determined to get a little dog, and we wanted a grown up dog so as to avoid the puppy stages. Well, we filled half of the requirements. It is small.
Santa delivered him to our doorstep early along with this note. It is a bitter sweet present. Ted and I love him, and think he is a pain. The kids just love him. It was priceless watching the kids see him for the first time. It was also funny because one of Sam's friends was over, saw that Santa had delivered a dog to our house, so he ran home yelling, "I'm gonna see if Santa took a dog to my house too!"
So far all is well. However, just this morning after many nights of not enough sleep and waking up to take the dog out and get Tessa some milk he told me, "You know, it was your idea to get a dog and it was also your idea to have kids." I'm not sure which one he was thinking of getting rid of! :)Posted by Ted and Leslie at 8:34 AM 3 comments
Monday, November 2, 2009
Happy Halloween 2009!
Right now I'm still over the moon with how fun it is to have young kids on Halloween. It was a great night, and luckily the weather held out for the most part. The older kids had a great time in the haunted house the next block over. Tessa got pooped on our block and then had a blast opening the door for the trick-or-treaters. She thought it was great the way some kids would scream as the ghost by our front door would turn on and "oooooh" with the noise of their "trick-or-treat!" Totally fun.
1. Taking an almost 3-year-old to school parties is a TON easier than taking an almost 2-year-old.
3. Sam will be anything Star Wars. No fighting. No fuss. If it is Star Wars he is all over it.
Holy cow, I love Halloween.
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 12:35 PM 4 comments
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Got anything good to read???
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 11:14 AM 5 comments
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Pumpkin Patch 2009!
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 10:49 AM 4 comments
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Who needs a dog?
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 4:12 PM 2 comments
First Day of School
Sam has a sweet way of keeping us grounded. He really is a "glass half full" sort of a kid. He is almost always happy and supportive. That is why it is so funny the way he will make sweet comments that are a bit disconcerting. Allow me to illustrate: When we travel on a plane he will say, "I love you. I hope your plane doesn't come crashing down out of the sky." or if Ted goes for a bike ride he will say, "Bye, dad. I hope you don't crash your bike." When Ted is in a bike race he will say, "I hope you don't lose and come in last."
It isn't that he is being sarcastic or mean - he genuinely is hoping for the best things, but it just doesn't quite come out right.
This summer was crazy. Lots going on. On any given day there were between 6 and 11 kids here at any one time. It was crazy. I tried to control it. I tried to limit it. I tried to have fun activities to keep everyone busy, but towards the end it was pure chaos. I admit it. I had lost it. I knew I had lost it when I came into the kitchen and found 6 new cups being used to get water - only to add to the 12 that were already out. I knew I had lost it when I started yelling, "paper cups!!", and the kids knew I had lost it too.
When the last day of summer was ending and I took the last of the kids home (9 including my 4 had been at the house that day) I asked Sam a rhetorical question. Mostly I was thinking out loud. I said, "Oh- am I just the meanest mom ever?" Sam politely sat in the back of the car and said, "Yes. You are. Sometimes you aren't, but most of the time you are." As I looked at him in amazement, he happily turned to me and said, "You're welcome for being honest!"
I knew without a doubt I was ready for school to start.
My heart just melts seeing them on the first day - mostly because I can see from previous year's pictures how much they have grown, and it is going by too quickly. Try as I might to keep them little, they still manage to grow up. I cannot believe that Emma is starting Junior High, but she is ready. Linc is loving fourth grade. This year he is in a third/fourth grade combo class. His favorite part? That he gets to eat lunch first before the other fourth grade classes. Sam loves being in first grade. He loves the full day. He loves being a "big" kid. His biggest challenge? Resisting the urge to fill his pockets to overflowing with all the rocks he finds on the playground.
Tessa is as mad as ever that she can't ride the bus, too. However, being the only kid to run errands with mom has its perks!
How am I doing? I miss them, but they were ready. Truth be told, I was ready. I love their school. I love that I'm not all alone yet and there is still one child to cuddle in the mornings. I love the quiet of the mornings after everyone has safely gotten off to school. I love grocery shopping with only one child. I love cleaning a room and knowing it might stand a chance of staying clean for a few hours. I love not hearing "I'm bored." At this point I don't even mind the homework. I love hearing the bus pull up and knowing that the chaos will begin again - after all that quiet I'm ready for it all to get crazy again. I love hearing the door open and the first thing out of anyone's mouth is a loud "Mom?" I love it. I love school.
You're welcome for being honest.
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 8:15 AM 5 comments
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Can you hear the singing?
Do you hear the Allelujah chorus coming from Boise? Do you hear the shouts of joy? Our kitchen is done. Can you believe it? Our three week minor remodel is done after only eight months? Seroiusly, we signed the original contract for this to be started on November 13th. It was supposed to be done three weeks later with a back up date of December 18th. Here we are in July, and he finished on Monday the 6th.
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 8:39 AM 4 comments
They're back!
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 8:34 AM 1 comments
Moab
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 8:27 AM 1 comments
Monday, July 6, 2009
Ode to the Crib
Man I love this crib. It has gone through four kids, seven moves, three states, and countless teeth have been cut on this thing. It has been painted, mended, and loved from the start. I love this crib. I've learned several things from this crib:
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 3:33 PM 2 comments
Monday, June 22, 2009
Really??!!
This past month has absolutely flown by. So many fun things have begun. Emma and Lincoln started swim team again. Sam is in swim lessons. We are all doing more bike riding. Ted is gearing up for his bike races. Tessa is in a big girl bed. Emma is in Young Women's. Sammy lost his first tooth.
However, lest we get too comfortable there will always be a few things that make you stop and say, "REALLY??!!" And just to be clear, I am not saying this in a tone of, "that is great" or "I can't believe it." Rather, it is more a tone of "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????"
Example: In our kitchen there were four cabinets that were cut to the wrong size. Send them back, re-order them again, wait the two weeks to have them built, another week for the staining, glazing, blah, blah, blah....and then finally? Ah.....the day arrives. The cabinet installer gets here with beautiful doors. I could almost cry. The kitchen is so close to being done. The next words from his mouth should be "Ta-Da!!!" Instead, a cry of anguish. The doors that were too narrow are now the right width, but they are two inches too short. REALLY??!!!
Second example: We have mostly switched from ground beef to ground turkey. As I thawed some meat for dinner I ran outside to grab something. In that brief moment Tessa opened the microwave, reached in, and grabbed a handful of raw ground turkey. Being poultry I called poison control. No need to panic. Just spend the next 24 to 72 hours watching for signs of salmonella poisoning. REALLY??!!! (She is okay by the way).
And making another attempt. Stupid bird.
Posted by Ted and Leslie at 1:44 PM 2 comments