Got anything good to read???

On Sunday we woke up and decided enough was enough. Tessa was telling us when she had to go, she just didn't want to go in the potty. We decided to really push it this time. We've been talking about it for a long time. We even put some books in there for her to read. She's doing great - no accidents so far. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

However, I guess I need to get some NEW books for her. When I came to check on her once, this is what I found.

One minute they are reading The "Belly Button Book" and the next, they are reading "Bicycling".

Man they grow up fast!

Pumpkin Patch 2009!

Every year I see the signs at Walmart for the pumpkins. $3.98 for a giant pumpkin. The cheapskate in me cringes every time because I know it is a better deal to buy the pumpkins at Walmart. Yet every year I pass by the pile knowing that we will be headed somewhere else for pumpkins.

The pumpkin patch may not be what I look forward to most each year, but it always surprises me how much fun it is watching the kids pick out pumpkins. They have only one rule: They have to be able to carry the pumpkin by themselves. Gone are the years where the kids run around the patch while Ted and I try to juggle four gigantic pumpkins in our arms all while making sure the kids don't get lost, hurt, or run over by a tractor.

This year was great. The weather was perfect. Still a ton of pumpkins to choose from. Tessa understood what the mission was, and she loved it. For the kids the highlights are always the train ride, the swings, the hay bale maze, the home made donut holes, and of course the tractor ride to choose a pumpkin. Some of the highlights for Ted and I? Sam diligently carrying a pumpkin that might just weigh as much as him; Emma dutifully helping Tessa choose a pumpkin only to have Tessa decide she was bored and drop it on the ground (Emma then carried her own pumpkin and Tessa's - what a great sister!); and my personal favorite: Lincoln asking if he could ride the swings again. His exact words were, "Can we ride the swings again? I'm sure they are free!" Ted just started laughing. Yeah. Sure they are. Ahhh.....the innocence of children!

I love watching the kids help each other examine each and every pumpkin to ensure that they get the best "canvas" for their carving creation. I love watching them run around and laugh together. I love seeing them dutifully help each other as they navigate the field with their pumpkins to the tractor. I love watching them hide in the hay bale maze, find each other, and then do it all again. I love listening to them make plans for next year's trip as we are driving away from the pumpkin patch. Priceless.

Maybe those Walmart pumpkins aren't such a great deal after all.

Playing while the kids are away....

Who needs a dog?

You know, you can never have too many light sabers. Everyone loves them.

The kids love using our dog run for all things Star Wars. One more reason we shouldn't get a dog. If we actually owned a dog for the dog run, where would the Jedi prison be??

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.

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.

Now we have a cabinet door on every opening. Each drawer has a handle. We can sit at our table and no one has to climb in over chairs to get seated. Here are a few before and after pictures. I don't know why, but these pictures make the cabinets look more red than they actually are.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We were fortunate that our kitchen has been functional for most of the time. We never had to wash dishes in the tub or anything like that, and the changes over the last six weeks have been small at best. We started out just changing the island and counters, but then it expanded into new cabinet doors and a new hood. Despite it being relatively small, it feels like an enormous weight has been lifted. No more wondering when it will be done. No more accommodating schedules to meet workers. No more exposed garbage cans, tupperware, and kids' cups. No more reaching in through the bottom of the cabinet to try and push out a drawer because there was no drawer handle on it.

Now as we look at other projects we have been contemplating we find ourselves thinking, "Nah. We can live with it!"

They're back!

I took this photo of Ted and Sam because I thought it was so sweet how Sam gets so excited each week to help Ted mow the lawn. Tessa just follows them around too. However, I am publishing this picture because Ted's nemeses have returned. If you look between the lawnmower and Sam you can see the holes in the lawn. We have trapped, flooded, poisoned, and even blown up these holes hoping to eradicate the gophers. But to no avail. They are back. Their holes are destroying our lawn. I am ready to give up. The point goes to the gophers in my book. I don't ask Ted about it. I know it makes him crazy, and what is he going to do about it? What is the next step after blowing them up????