Coming Together

I have a dining room table!!!!!!!!!!

The color is more like the one on the right, antique white, not the yellow it appears in the photo on the left. The chairs will be in after Easter. I still have to paint the credenza and get the china cabinet moved but we're on our way! p.s. The table cloth is for protection against the elements, namely, Ansley, Judson, Turner and Sawyer. Not for aesthetics. That'll come later.

C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!

Randy headed out this morning to keep score at a martial arts tournament that our dojo was putting on. It was pouring rain, so I decided to stay at home with the kids. Then the weather slacked up a bit, so I decided, 'head 'em up, move 'em out'. We are going to the tourney too.

BIG MISTAKE.

The rain began again in earnest about half way there. After parking the car and getting all 4 out, we head to the door of the gym. Get right to the curb and there's a river running thru it. All 4 walked right through the mini-river.

Get in the door Judson goes running in and slides on the slick wet floor. Sawyer heads right towards the gym and the demo that is going on. It was 'his turn'. So while I'm chasing him to stop him, Turner heads back out the door. Only, I thought Turner was with me and didn't realize he was heading in the opposite direction. So, I'm wrestling Sawyer to keep him from getting on the demo floor where kicks are flying as well as boards breaking. (I did try the new wrist wrap containment system. Didn't work. He tore the velcro right off his wrist) Meanwhile, a man comes up to me with Turner in tow. "Is he yours" he said. "Yes". The man sternly said, "he was heading outside". I said, "Okay, thank you". Apparently, I wasn't alarmed enough for him. So he repeated, "He was heading outside". So, I repeated, "Okay" Then added, "sorry". I guess that was enough because he said, "no problem".

Meanwhile, two VERY nice ladies from our group offered to help. One took Ansley and one took Sawyer. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief for a brief moment.

We stayed for the demo. Got a snack. At the time for the competition to begin, Judson declared it was time to go. So we waddled our little duck selves back to the car through the river again.

So happy to be home!

Three Brothers and A Sister

One, trying to find a quiet place to read.

One, trying to practice his music. (everyone is a critic)

One trying to scale new heights!


One can do anything they can do ... better.

The Down Side to all the Rain (Which we desparately need)

Oh my, the cabin fever is at an all time high today. Judson tackled Ansley and started pounding her. (He was provoked but still, sheesh) Yes, Ansley can take care of herself and can throw punches pretty darn well. Sawyer and Turner were also exchanging blows. I did what any Mom would do, Turned my back and pretended not to notice. Then when all was over and the whining started, I put them all to bed! Hmmm, I sound like the little old woman who lived in the shoe...

New Bed

So Sawyer (at the age of 4) finally got his own 'big boy' bed. Why you ask did it take so long? Simple laziness on my part, mostly. He never tried to climb out of his bed. (Unlike his sister who would leap from the top of the rail on her baby bed) He liked his baby bed. I didn't have to worry about him wandering the house in the middle of the night. Finally, I decided enough was enough. He needed his own bed. So, I got on Craig's List and claimed this little toddler bed for $10! (So as to slowly transition him into a twin bed) It's low to the ground and HE LOVES IT. Two of my most important criteria for choosing his bed. The first night, he slept right thru the night, not a peep. Second night, I heard him fall off. Went in there and he was curled up on the floor right where he fell and sound asleep. I put him back in bed. The next morning, he was curled up next to Turner's baby bed on the floor. At nap time, he doesn't always sleep but he does stay on the bed.Each one of the panels has a super cool giant pocket for storing great treasures! Notice the fantastic Thomas Pjs. Only the bestest Pjs in the whole wide world. Of course, if we could find some with Elmo or Sam Wiggles, that'd be pretty awesome too.

Mission Trip

Anybody doing the Gladney mission trip in August? Randy is seriously considering it and just wondering who might be going.

For Lucia And Kelly And Kimmy And.....

You inspired me today with your blog post. I do live with clutter most days. It drives me crazy and yet, seems necessary at the same time. We're in middle of changing our dining room back into a dining room after 10 years of being an office. (believe me, with 6 of us, we need a dining area)

I can only work on the room while the kids nap and at night. So it is a very slow process. So, what do you do with 10 years of 'office' junk? Right now, it is in the middle of the floor upstairs and downstairs. It is so NOT ZEN.

Hopefully, within the next month or so, I can post pics of the finished product. For now, the 'in progress' product is quite stressful. (with one completed wall)

The idea is European Countryside meets 1970's ranch meets the needs of a 6 person family. More to come....

And just for Lucia, the picture of my kitchen table (as it stands 99% of the time)

Happy Down Syndrome Day!

www.worlddownsyndromeday.org

Check this out!

http://sarahely8989.blogspot.com/2009/03/late-breaking-news-letter-to-president.html

Foto Friday

Friday

Big day planned! Randy is taking a much needed Mental Health Day/Vacation from work today. We're dropping Sawyer off at school and the rest of us are going to eat bagels and then shop at REI. THEN, (Mom's favorite idea) if we have time, we get to go to Lowes and pick up paint for our dining room. WHOO-HOO!!! I might even sneak in a peak at a particular back splash I'm scoping for our kitchen! Why not live on the wild side every once in a while!!!!!!!!!

YOU CAN HELP!!! (Additional info from my previous post)
http://www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com/blog?op=view&id=63

A Sad Day

Ms. Haregewoin Teferra died today. To those who know Ethiopia and their orphans, she was a beacon. (Not a saint but a light, a hope) She did more than most of us would dream about doing. She brought the plight of AIDS orphans to the world. Not only did she talk about it, she walked the walk. If you have never read, There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene, you should. (but have a box of tissue ready) It details the life of Haregewoin Teferra. I feel sad for the orphans she leaves behind. She was a mighty voice and a wonderful advocate for them. She will be greatly missed.

Not to be Left Out

Pooh is still being Pooh. Here she is at her Dumplings class, singing the 2 Tigers Song and doing art work.

Questions on a Little Man's Mind

1. Back in the olden days, when you were about 16 Mom, do you remember when they invented the light bulb? (Blame that one on Dad for saying back in his day, you had to go to bed at sunset because there was no light bulb. My next task is to introduce him to inventors, most importantly Edison.)

2. When was the very first battle, ever? (Which war?)

3. Were there people in the early Permian world? There wasn't that much land. (You'll have to look that one up)

4. How far did people have to dig to find dinosaur bones? How did they know they belonged to dinosaurs?

5. Did the Germans help the British or the Americans in the Revolutionary War? (He now knows the answer because he looked it up) Why did they say the shot was heard around the world when it really wasn't that loud? What is a figure of speech? Why do they use those? (for a boy who thinks literally, it can be very confusing)

6. Why was Maine once part of Massachusetts?

This is just a sampling. The questions start the minute he wakes up and do not stop until he goes to sleep. These are just the ones I remember from last night as he was trying to go to sleep.

It's Almost Time

For what you ask? The summer hair cuts! I feel one more 'winter' haircut and THEN, the summer shave down. Why do you ask would I do that to my babies? Let's face it, I'm lazy. I don't want to have to 'fix hair' every morning before going out. My motto is, "you can have your hair the way you want when you are willing and able to fix it yourself". Simple. Is that all? No, members of the jury, there is more. I submit to you the following evidence.

Exhibit A: The Single Swoosh Cowlick (notice the video of him 'fixing' his hair)



Exhibit B: The Double Swirl Cowlick (He wants hair gel so he can make it stick up more. He likes his cowlicks!)

Exhibit C: Permanent Cap Hair (hoping this one eventually rectifies itself)

So you see, members of the jury, there is more to it than simple laziness on my part. There is not enough mommy spit to 'fix' the above mentioned issues. Nor do these babies see their hair as 'issues'. So why drive me crazy over such stuff. Yes, I know, I'm already crazy but why go any farther. That is why I shave my babies heads.

Yes I Can

A video worth watching!

What To Do on a 75 Degree Day

Play Outside!

Yes, Pooh is wearing a jacket.
She also has 3 pony tails and a Christmas barrette in her hair.

It's Coming!!!!

S-P-R-I-N-G!!!!!!

From snow on Sunday to 75+ degrees this weekend. You can't stop the flowers from blooming and the trees from budding. I LOVE this time of year.

We did have some damage from the snow. It weighted some of the bushes down so far they haven't rebounded (yet). This one split.

Hubba Wha!

What the heck am I doing? I joined Facebook (Why, because I didn't want to be left out. I'm like that you know) I have no idea what I"m doing. Anyone want to give me an idea what you do after you 'login'?

The Snowy Day

They predicted less than 1 inch of slushy accumulation. They got the 'slushy' part right!

It was a very pretty snow coming down with really large flakes.


Three of the four kids loved it. Turner, however, was quite freaked out by it. Cold, wet, slush was not for him.


The temps were never below freezing while it was snowing. I suspect, had they been, we'd have had 5+ inches of accumulation. In the end, we had enough to make the kids happy. That was plenty! Many thanks to our neighbor for finding his 20 year old sled his daughter used to use. The kids loved it.