May Madness

Daniel's Escapades

2012-02-12T20:56:00.001-08:00

Daniel went to play at a friend's house a few weeks ago. They got into the stamps. Daniel's body was their canvas, as you can see. It was pretty funny. He looks quite proud of himself!

One morning, about a week after this incident, Daniel woke up early and came downstairs to talk with his Daddy for a while. At one point in the conversation, Daniel casually said, "Oh, yeah, and can you please get his eraser out of my nose?" Michael frantically woke me up to help get it out. We did, thankfully. It was one of those little tiny white ones at the end of a Bic mechanical pencil. Daniel has been going around the house stealing them from my pencils; he calls them "marshmallows."

Oh, that child is a handful. But we're still crazy about him!

Adventures in Picture Taking

2012-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is lately, but I can't seem to get a good picture of all of the kids. On Christmas day, I tried to get a good picture of them in their pajamas. Jonathan didn't want to be in it, and this one would have been OK if Daniel hadn't decided to make a run for it.

This one was better, but the camera didn't cooperate.
We had a nice visit with Jim and Carol after Christmas. We tried to get a good picture with Grandpa and Grandma after church, but Jonathan was tired and grumpy, and Daniel kept sticking his tongue out. This was the best one. Seriously.

This one is pretty good. Jonathan was taking his nap at the time. The kids had fun putting this together and later decorating it.

Here is a good picture of my sweet Emily. Doesn't she look pretty in her new dress? Her grandparents gave it to her and she loves it!

Some day it will be easy to get a good picture of the kids where they don't make goofy faces and they can sit still for more than 5 seconds. Maybe. But that would just mean that they are growing up. So for now, I'm happy with these imperfect pictures of my wonderful children. I want them to stay little for as long as possible!

Our Fun Weekend

2011-12-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

We had a nice visit with my dad, my stepmom Debbie, and my nephew TJ this past weekend. They got here on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, my dad and I went to see Daniel in his Christmas program. He was so cute in his white shirt and Santa tie! He didn't sing very much, but he was still adorable. Jonathan loves puzzles, so this Perfection game was right up his alley. He is really good at it. Half of the pieces are scattered around the house by now, but he had fun with it.

Here are Dad and Andrew building my new shelf.

Cookie Decorating time!

Daniel and Papa

We went to Bass Pro Shop on Saturday...

...then to the mall.

What a great weekend!!!

December Fun

2011-12-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Visit with Santa

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to help at Andrew's school and with Jonathan's class last week. On Monday, I went on Andrew's class field trip to the mall to see Santa and ride the train and carousel. He also went to Build A Bear. Where were those field trips when I was a kid? It was so much fun! On Tuesday, I went to Andrew's school to help with their Christmas party. Then on Wednesday, I went to Jonathan's school to help with the Christmas party for his Mom's Morning Out class. Ten 2 year olds is a lot of work! His teacher was grateful for the help! Daniel was there, too, in his preschool class. Here is Jonathan, eating his third piece of pizza!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

What? I'm only a month behind. Sheesh!

Nathaniel--Optimus Prime from Transformers; he wasn't going to dress up, but then at the last minute he asked me to dig this out.

Daniel--Winnie the Pooh; he has taken a sudden liking to all things Winnie the Pooh lately

Emily--ballerina (of course!); I made that skirt for her at a craft activity

Jonathan--Thomas the Tank Engine; he kept trying to take the costume off, but once he started collecting candy he was fine with it! :-)

Andrew--Batman! again :-)

Jack-O-Lanterns

The kids had a great time Trick or Treating with Daddy while I stayed home to man the door. I was a little worried about Trick or Treating in our neighborhood because there aren't many young children near us, but it was wonderful! The kids got a ton of candy, and I gave away all the candy I had purchased. Happy (late) Halloween!

Family Portraits 2011

2011-11-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

The week we did the portraits this year was crazy! I had to get the outfits together and cut everyone's hair--I'm the only one who didn't get a hair cut. We went to Portrait Innovations again. It was weird to go to the studio and not need to bring a stroller. Daniel was much more cooperative this year (we did bribe him by promising to take him to Stevi B's pizza buffet afterwards), but Jonathan was pretty ornery about the whole thing even though he still looks adorable. I'm pretty happy with the pictures, all things considered. Here they are:

My Brain-Eating Zombies

2011-10-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Normally I'm kind of a Halloween scrooge. I don't like to decorate for Halloween and I definitely don't like to dress up. However, for my kids, I'll make an exception (for decorating, I mean, because I still won't dress up). They were pretty excited that I broke out the five pieces of Halloween decor that we own. And I couldn't resist ordering the Jell-O brain mold I found online. They love to make Jell-O molds! We made this one today, and they thought it was so funny to pretend they were zombies eating brains for dessert. The things sticking out of it are (gummy) worms! Look at Jonathan's face. It's like he's saying, "What the heck is wrong with you people? I'm not eating that!" But he actually did. Two helpings!

Happy Halloween!

Busy Weekend

2011-10-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

My kids adore their Daddy. Seriously. I think they like to let me sleep in on Saturdays so that they can have more time goofing around with him. They know that as soon as mean old Mommy gets up they'll have to do something productive. Yesterday, I woke up to them dancing to music videos on You Tube.

Michael has been especially busy this past week getting ready for Stake Conference. Our congregation is called a ward, and a group of 8 or so wards make up a Stake. Michael has been the second counselor to our Stake President for two years now. Today, he was released as the second counselor and called to be the first counselor. He is honored to serve and we are honored to support him.

This is Michael and Daniel having fun together a couple weeks ago.

Saturday was schoolwork day. Emily has a big project due on Monday, and we left it until this weekend. In our defense, she just finished a big storytelling book report that required a costume and props and a presentation. Anyway, we spent a majority of the day working on this poster and the report that goes with it. She had to choose a habitat and an animal that lives in it, so she chose grassland and a lion. That poor little zebra is supposed to be the lions dinner!

It was a busy weekend, but we got to spend time together as a family so it was all good!

Visit with Papa

2011-10-02T20:06:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful visit with my dad this weekend. He arrived Thursday afternoon. The boys had a fun time with him, and Andrew, Emily, and Nathaniel soon came home and we had a nice evening together. We ate dinner at Cici's and then came home to finish homework.

Jonathan *loved* sitting on Papa's lap. On Friday we came home after taking Daniel to preschool and running a few errands, and I tried to put Jonathan in his booster seat to feed him his lunch. He wanted nothing to do with that--he fussed until I got him out of his chair and then he darted over to Papa to sit on his lap. So cute!

On Saturday morning, we went to Home Depot for their monthly project. The kids put together their helicopters and painted them. (Jonathan stayed home with Daddy and took a nap.)

It was a fire safety theme, and the kids had fun seeing the fire truck. The dog is fake. :-)

The firefighters let the kids climb up into the cab and even pull the horn. We had a blast!

We also spent some time at the zoo and went to a few garage sales. Nathaniel is still excited about the bargain he found--the first six Harry Potter books (hardcover and in great condition) for only $15. We talked them down from $20.

It has been a wonderful weekend! Jonathan has had a cold, and we're pretty sure Papa got one from him, too, but it was still a great visit. We wish that Nana and TJ could have come too, but we are so grateful to have had the time with Dad. We love you, Papa!!!!

Daniel Pumpernickel

2011-09-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

If I am getting impatient with Daniel, and I say, "Daniel James!" he'll say, "No, Mommy, I'm Daniel Pumpernickel." He got it from a Disney show, and it makes me laugh every time. He has had so many cute sayings lately that I have to devote a post to it--

"Mommy, I dreamed that one of my friends got my trains and he took them home--it was a nightmare!"

After coming out of the YMCA where he held the door for us, then held it for a lady also, he said, "Mom, I helped a old lady!" Really loud. Luckily she was already inside.

After the YMCA we stopped by the library to drop off a book. As we were pulling out he said, "Mommy, are you sure this is the way home?" He says this A LOT. Like he has zero faith in my ability to find my way home.

"I was right and you were wrong, Mommy!" I can't remember what happened exactly, but he was right and I was wrong. It was just funny to hear it coming from his mouth.

"Why do we have to wear pants every day?"

"What if we wear play clothes to church? Will they lock us out?"

OK, so maybe these little sayings aren't as funny to others as they are to me, but he makes me laugh every day and I am so grateful to be his mommy!!!

Scouts

2011-09-11T19:20:00.001-07:00

We had fun watching both Nathaniel and Michael receive scouting awards last month. Nathaniel earned his Tenderfoot award, and Michael was given his Woodbadge award.

I love this picture because of Michael's smile! He spent some time down in northern Florida for training and did a lot of work to earn this award. We're so proud of him!

Is that a cool necklace or what? Haha! He later hung this on the back of his tricycle. I think this picture was taken in the afternoon. I had just bought these pajamas for him the day before, and he refused to change out of them.

Here's my sweet Jonathan playing with cords. We have another Andrew in the making!

First Day of School

2011-09-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Daniel was so excited to start preschool. He calls it "Little Kids School," and he would beg to go there every time we passed it all summer long--which was often because it is practically across the street from our neighborhood. Finally, he started at the beginning of August and he loves it!

Andrew is doing well in 1st grade at his new elementary school. They closed the school he was at, and we are very happy with the new one. We were surprised to find out that his teacher is someone we know from church, and we are very happy about that!

It turns out, a bus comes to our neighborhood in the mornings and afternoons to pick up and drop off Andrew. Emily can take the same bus to Andrew's school and get on her magnet school bus, but she doesn't get bussed home after school. I was surprised to hear that there would be a bus in our neighborhood because that wasn't the case last year. I guess we are far enough away from the new school. Anyway, my intention was to put him and Emily on the bus the first day and then go to Andrew's school to walk him to his classroom. There was a lot of traffic and the bus beat me there. I was so worried about Andrew getting to his class because he had only been there once! I didn't need to worry, though, because once I got there he was sitting quietly at his desk and coloring. He even looked at Daniel, Jonathan, and I and asked, "What are you doing here?" I was so proud of him for finding his class all by himself.

Emily is in 3rd grade this year. She has a planner and is very responsible. She will still take piano and dance as well.

Nathaniel was pretty worried about going to middle school, but I kept telling him he would love it. I was right! He did! We had taken him to the open house so he had a pretty good idea about where his classes were. The school is downtown and it has four floors! He said he found his way around and that he enjoys his classes and is making new friends.

I'm so glad the school year is off to a great start! Jonathan and I enjoy our quiet days on Monday and Friday when Daniel is at preschool. Jonathan even goes to "baby school"--he goes to Mom's Morning Out on Wednesdays at the same place where Daniel goes to preschool, from 9:30am-1:30pm. It's wonderful and he loves it!

Birthdays

2011-08-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

I call Jonathan and Andrew my twins--born four years apart. :-)

Jonathan's birthday was on the 13th. We had a family celebration at home. He got some cute new toys and he loves them. He really loves to wear this cute Elmo shirt--he'll pull it out of the drawer and hand it to me to put on him. I can't believe he is 2 already! I'm so grateful he is walking, and he is trying harder to talk these days.
Enjoying his birthday cake

Andrew turned 6 on the 18th and we had a party for him with a few friends at the house. He had fun going to Publix with me to choose his birthday cake, and we also got him a helium canister so that we could have balloons at the party. He chose a Phineas and Ferb theme.

The kids had fun playing musical chairs, freeze dance, and limbo. We also had pizza and opened gifts at the party. I think everyone had a nice time. :-)

Our trip to Blue Ridge, GA

2011-08-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun on our fishing trip up to Blue Ridge. We stayed for four nights in a cute cabin right on the Toccoa River. It was my kind of camping! Michael loved taking the kids fishing. He and Nathaniel both caught a trout, and Emily caught what Michael called a sucker. The kids all said that the hot tub at the cabin was their favorite part of the trip. :-) Nathaniel also loved catching his fish and playing pool.

Jonathan loved sitting by the river and watching the kids fish. He sat happily on his little rock the whole time.

Andrew loved fishing and helping Daddy take care of the poles and bait.

Nathaniel was quite the fisherman. He and Michael walked down the river our first day there; that is where Michael caught his trout.

Emily, looking pretty as always. She has her new orthodontic appliance in, called a twin block. The goal is to bring her jaw out where it is supposed to be. Anyway, she enjoyed fishing just as much as the boys.

Daniel served as the entertainment.

Andrew fell into the river--right after I turned off the video camera. I think we could have made it onto America's Funniest Videos if I had been recording it. He wasn't hurt, and he was pretty excited about getting all wet.

Nathaniel with his trout. This was on our third day.

The kids really enjoyed this swing on the porch at the cabin. Another fun thing they enjoyed was tying a rope to a basket and lowering things down from the loft in the cabin. They overheard me tell Michael that they had created their own dumbwaiter, and so from then on they called it the dumb-evator.

Seriously?

I was so glad we got to go on this trip! Michael has been wanting to take the kids on a fishing trip forever. It was wonderful!!!

Jonathan

2011-08-23T12:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Jonathan

Unhappy Jonathan

Isn't he too cute? He gives us this face a lot these days and it always makes us laugh.

The Sunglasses

2011-07-17T12:56:00.001-07:00

I love it when the kids play together--especially when they are being creative. The other day I found a great deal on some kids sunglasses, so I bought them each a pair. Emily, Andrew, and Daniel decided to make a music group, and they called themselves The Sunglasses. Andrew played the drums (which was a metal Thomas lunchbox and a rolling pin), Emily wrote and played music on the piano, and Daniel came up with the lyrics. Their first song was, "I Don't Wanna Daniel." We still don't know what that means. When I asked him, he just said, "It means it's an awesome song!" with great enthusiasm. Don't they look cute?

Their latest hit is "Fill Me Up with Cars Ice Water." I know what this one means--Daniel wanted a drink of ice water in his Cars cup. Watch for it on itunes! ;)

T-Ball

2011-07-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Daniel both played t-ball this summer. I have to be honest--it didn't go well. Their first practice was OK, but their first game was played in 100 degree heat in the sun and they hated it. The boys kept whining that they wanted Mommy and they wanted to go home. They walked off the field to me more than once. The next game, Michael took them and the rest of us stayed home and it went much better. Overall, though, they weren't crazy about it. I think they might like it more in a year or two. We'll let them decide if they want to do it again. On the plus side, they sure looked cute!

Daniel is on the left in the front row, and Andrew is in the back row second from the left.

Daniel liked putting the glove on his head. I have no idea why. He was thrilled to be number 1, because that is Thomas the Tank Engine's number.

I love this picture, because they are both running to a base--Daniel to 3rd and Andrew to 2nd.

Next stop: Iowa!

2011-07-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to see my family in Iowa! We had a reunion on Sunday afternoon, which worked out great because Jonathan likes to take a morning nap. Grandpa and Grandma came over to see us that morning. As you can see, the kids didn't sit still very well for their picture. I like this one, though, because of Grandma's smile.

The reunion was at my Uncle Sam and Aunt Linda's house. I love visiting them on their dairy farm! I used to visit a lot when I was younger. I loved going with my aunt and uncle and cousins to softball games (and even playing softball) and going to the county fair. They just expanded their house, so it was a wonderful place for a reunion. My kids had so much fun playing with all of the (second) cousins. Jonathan camped out in this playhouse for a while. He had so much fun.

Here are the kids playing kickball.

The great grandkids

The grandkids

My grandparents, Uncle Frank, Uncle Harve, Uncle Stan, and Aunt Linda.

(Almost) the whole gang.

My cousin, Brian, took the kids on tractor rides. Here is Daniel taking his turn. Thanks Brian!

Thanks, everyone, for being there and making it such a special day for us! Thank you Uncle Sam and Aunt Linda for all you did and for hosting!

On Monday, Michael stayed at the house in town with Jonathan, and I took the others to Grandpa and Grandma's house. We went to get them at lunchtime, and Aunt Linda came over too, and we had a wonderful day. We even got Grandpa set up on Facebook. The kids convinced Uncle Frank to drive them around for a long time, and they had so much fun. Thanks Uncle Frank!

That night, we went to dinner at Paradise Pizza. The kids ate a LOT of pizza!

Iowa trip, part 2

2011-07-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are Aunt Linda and her little buddy, Daniel. Daniel saw that hat at Grandpa's and asked if he could wear it. Of course, Grandpa couldn't say "no." It wasn't long before Daniel sweet-talked him into letting him keep it!

My little sardines. We didn't realize until we got there that the air matress had a hole in it. The pull-out couch worked fine. Jonathan slept in his pack and play and Andrew slept in a twin bed in a different room.

Grandpa and Grandma Horsfall at their home. I love coming here to visit. It is where my mom grew up, and I lived here for a while when I was a little girl. We moved around a lot as I was growing up, but Grandpa and Grandma's house was always there and always the same and it still is today. I am so glad I got to be there and visit with my grandparents and share the experience with my family.

Here we are visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Freese, Deb, and Bob in Mason City. We had a wonderful visit while the children played. Thanks everyone for meeting us there so we could spend some time with you!

Daniel making fast friends, as always. They even traded hats for a bit.

Jonathan had so much fun!

Me and my grandparents

Me and my Aunt Linda. It was a little windy! Not the best look for me--this is why I have bangs.

I also got to see my Aunt Rose (my dad's sister) and Uncle Merrill and their kids and grandkids. It was great to see everyone! Thank you all for being there! We had a great dinner and great conversation.

After dinner, we went back to see Aunt Linda at the dairy trailer and have an ice cream cone. Yum!

It was so hard to say goodbye. We had such a wonderful time. Even though the visits were short, I am so glad we got to see so much of my family and I'm grateful to my husband for letting us come on this trip with him and doing the vast majority of the driving. The drive back was long but uneventful, thankfully. I am so grateful we got to go!!!

Our summer trip--First stop, Chicago

2011-06-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when Michael told me that he would be going to a Society for Military History conference in Lisle, Illinois! That is the exact town where I grew up, and I haven't been back in over twenty years. Usually, he goes on these trips by himself and I stay behind with the kids, but I knew it was finally time for us to tag along. I was also excited because it is only a six hour drive from Lisle to northern Iowa, where much of my extended family lives.

First, we headed for Lisle, which is a suburb of Chicago. I lived there from 1981-1989. On the way, since we were going through Indianapolis, I couldn't resist seeing my good friend, Toni King. I knew it would be a quick visit, but luckily she was able to meet us for dinner and we had a nice time. Here is a picture of Nathaniel and Toni's son, Daniel. We have decided that they can be roommates at BYU some day. :-) Amazingly, we made the trip in one day. We left on Wed., June 8 at 6am (Michael and I had woken up at 3am to pack the car and get everything ready) and made it to our hotel by about 10:30pm. One highlight of the trip for the kids--getting a semi driver to honk his horn. They are easily amused!

I couldn't wait to take the kids to Chicago. I knew I wanted to take them to see my favorite museum when I was a kid--the Museum of Science and Industry. Luckily, it was a big hit. Michael was excited to see the U-505 submarine, and we all enjoyed it. Michael and Nathaniel even took a tour inside while the other kids and I went to the farming exhibit. The boys loved getting into a tractor and looking around. The kids' favorite part was the Idea Factory, a super-cool area for kids.

Here is Jonathan at the Idea Factory. They had an area just for little ones.

OK, so we like to watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network. I've recently stopped watching because I always think, "Well, I'm never going to get to taste it myself, so I don't want to watch Guy Fieri rave about the food." Since we were going to Chicago, though, we did a little research because we knew he had featured a lot of restaurants there. We decided on The Depot. They were famous for their Pot Roast Sandwich (which I was excited to try) and Blue Plate Special. When you watch the show it looks like a normal size restaurant, so we were surprised to see that there was only a counter, four booths, and one table! We got the table, of course. First disappointment--no kid menus! I had finally convinced Emily to order something other than chicken and fries, and she wanted the spaghetti and meatballs. Nope--they were out of meatballs. I wanted to have mashed potatoes with my Pot Roast sandwich. Nope--they didn't have much mashed potatoes and they had to save it for another dish. The sandwich was cold, and only so-so. They were also out of the Blue Plate Special. It was 6:30pm. We ordered adult meals for the kids to share, but it wasn't enough food and we had to order more. Oh, and the bill was over $40 before tip. So our big lesson was that things aren't always as they seem on TV!

Yes, the kids are shivering in this picture. It was 53 degrees and windy (of course)! Who knew I would need to pack a jacket for everyone in June?

On the way back, we stopped in Naperville. I wanted to get the kids (and myself!) a treat to make up for the dinner. Our GPS took us to this Dairy Queen. I was thrilled that it was the exact one I used to go to as a kid! Even the laundromat and Little Ceasars are still next door.

On Friday, Michael had to be at his conference for the day, so I took the kids to a really cool diner in Downers Grove. This experience was much better! I was excited about it because the theme was Thomas the Tank Engine. There is even a train track that runs around the counter and the train brings you your food. How cool is that? It was a hit! Daniel still talks about it.

After lunch, I wanted to go into the city to take Emily to the American Girl store. I told her we weren't going to buy a doll that day, but it was still cool and she got to choose a book. She chose the one about Molly. We had fun at Water Tower Place. As we were leaving, the kids saw a glass elevator and so we just *had* to ride in it. On the way up, we saw a Lego store, so we stopped for Nathaniel.

This is a statue in downtown Chicago. Daniel said, "Look, it's tape!"

After we got back and picked up Michael, we drove around Lisle to see my old house and schools and things. I wanted so badly to see some of my friends, but we just didn't have time. Everything looked just like I remembered, and even better in some cases. As we were driving down my old street, I pointed to a house and said, "I knew the kid who lived there; his name was Rob." We drove around the block, and when we came back, guess who was walking out the front door of his house--Rob! I slowed down and we looked at each other funny and I asked, "Are you Rob?" He said he was and I couldn't believe it. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes. He has five kids also, and he was home visiting his parents. Below is the house we lived in for about four years. I loved it because I had my own room!

On Saturday, Michael went to his conference in the morning while I packed up and loaded the car. Michael was worried about me doing it all by myself, but it worked out fine. We drove to Iowa, and I got to see my good friend from high school, Michelle, in Iowa City, and then my Grandpa Mel in Cedar Rapids.

We made it into St. Ansgar late that night.

Mommy's Hair Salon

2011-06-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last night we had Mommy's Hair Salon--all of the boys and Daddy had a haircut. Don't they look cute?

Daniel's Birthday

2011-05-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Daniel is 4 years old! We went to Burger King on his birthday--his choice! The kids had fun eating and playing on the slides.

He wanted an Island of Sodor (Thomas) cake, of course.

Here he is in his new pajamas. I think Daniel gets too many hand-me-downs. He asked me, "Where did my pajamas come from?" I said, "From Papa and Nana." Then he asked, "But who in Papa and Nana's family didn't want them anymore?" I made sure he understood that his new clothes came from the store and that they are just for him. Now I'm especially grateful that he got new clothes for his birthday!

This is the other outfit he got from Papa and Nana. They got him a Thomas video, too. :-) (That's not what's playing in the background, though--that's Max and Ruby.)

Happy Birthday, sweet boy! You amaze me with your insightful questions and your sense of humor every day. I love you, Daniel!

May Family Fun

2011-05-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

May is a crazy/busy month for us. It's recital season and there are many events at the schools as the year comes to a close. I love it, but it sure is hectic.

Emily received an award for writing a song for the PTA Reflections contest earlier this year. Here she is being recognized with all of the other winners from the district.

Here is Andrew at the Mother's Day program at his school. They sang the cutest songs for us!

After the program, I got to visit Andrew's classroom where he gave me many wonderful handmade gifts.

On this day, Michael was up north helping with the tornado clean up. The kids and I were on our way to the YMCA, but I had noticed the day before that the local Geico office near us was collecting donations for tornado victims so we dropped off our boxes. The kids were so excited to get their picture taken with the gecko.

Mom's Morning Out is now over for Daniel (and me!). On the last day, he had a field trip to the zoo. They love to ride the train!

Here is Daniel with his teacher and his class. I know he will miss everyone. Not to worry, though, since we know most of the children from church!

Here is Nathaniel at his bridging ceremony where he received his Arrow of Light and officially became a Boy Scout. He is super excited about it. He went to day camp on Saturday.

Since Nathaniel was at Scout Day Camp, he missed the piano recital. He hadn't ever missed one in the five years he's been playing. Emily performed, however, and she did a wonderful job!

Here are the boys, waiting to cheer on their sister at her dance recital.

My beautiful girl, after the recital.

This has been her fifth dance recital! Every year she gets this same picture with her Daddy.

It's not over yet! Emily still has her Gymnastics/Baton/Jazz recital next week!

Fun times

2011-05-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Apparently, we can't get enough Disney these days. Here are the kids at Disney on Ice. I didn't tell the boys until we got there that it was "Princess Dreams." Emily was pretty excited. Don't the boys look thrilled? They really did enjoy it. The characters did some cool tricks that we all liked. We were in the front row of the balcony, so the seats were perfect for us. It was so much fun!

Daniel must have thought that I didn't do a good enough job cutting his hair. He found some scissors and made an adjustment. I thought about giving him a buzz cut, but he cut it so close to the scalp that a shorter cut would make it even more obvious.

Andrew likes to make "projects" these days. This was his idea for an Easter basket that he can wear. At least this one didn't include glitter.

Here is Jonathan doing what he does best--looking cute and melting my heart with that smile!

Emily's Baptism

2011-04-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Emily was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on March 5. It was such a wonderful day. Michael's parents and his sister, Erin, were able to be there and they all spoke. We also had many wonderful friends there, including Emily's piano teacher. I am so grateful to have Emily as my daughter. She is an example to me in many ways.

The dress she wore is very special to me. My mother had it made for me by a family friend when I was little. I wore it when my mother married my stepfather, and then again a year later when I was baptized. Watching Emily be baptized in the same dress was very special to me. I am so grateful to my Grandma and Grandpa Horsfall for finding it for me. I didn't realize it had been in the closet in their house all these years, but I was extremely grateful that it was!

Small changes and big fun

2011-04-03T15:12:00.001-07:00

OK, let's start with teeth. Nathaniel had to have three baby teeth pulled to make room for permanent teeth. I didn't take any pictures; I know he is grateful for that. :-) Andrew had what I thought was a blister in his mouth. It kept getting worse, though, and so I finally touched it to see and I was shocked to find out that it was a tooth! I got him in to the dentist right away and they pulled his two front bottom baby teeth.

Emily needed some early-stage orthodontic work for her overbite. She got a Schwartz appliance. It's like a retainer.

This is the beginning of a week of illnesses. Emily and Andrew were really sick with a stomach virus. Thankfully, they are OK now.

Medieval intrument of torture? Nope--it's Jonathan's "gait trainer." Please walk soon, baby! I'm begging you!

Morning bed head

Nathaniel wanted to go see Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules for his birthday and to go to Stevi Bs for dinner. Here he is with his friend. They had a great time!

We spent the day Saturday working on TWO science fair projects. I'm so relieved to be done with them. I think I'm more relieved than the kids are. They both had the same idea and used the same data, but the projects are very different. We took pulse rates to decide which ride at Disney World was the most exciting. For Emily, it was between Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain won. For Nathaniel, it was between Space, Splash, and Big Thunder Mountains and Big Thunder Mountain won. Well, you know that 97% of statistics are made up, right?

Andrew was sharing a room downstairs with Jonathan. He liked being across the hall from us, but now he wants to be upstairs so he has moved in with Daniel. It's going fine so far. Jonathan decided to crawl upstairs the other day. Within a day, he was an expert in crawling back down, too, and he loves it up there! There was a while today that all five kids were playing happily upstairs. The playroom is a wreck, but it was worth it.

Daniel shows off his moves to Princess Aurora

2011-03-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

As Nathaniel said about watching this clip, "This never gets old."

The Big Kiss

2011-03-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

There is no introduction. This one speaks for itself. ;)

"We're going to Disney World!!!!!!"

2011-03-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

We had a super, FABULOUS time at Disney World for Spring Break. You would think that after spending six days there that everyone would have been ready to go home, but we weren't! On the first day the kids were a little whiny, but they were angels after that. On our way out of town, we discovered that we had a flat tire. The kids were troopers, though, and we were back on the road soon. Monday--Hollywood Studios--We saw a bunch of cool shows and a parade. First was Disney Junior (in the picture above), and then Ariel's Voyage. We were about to see the Indiana Jones stunt show, when we got a disturbing phone call. "Mrs. May, this is ADT calling. The fire alarm is going off at your house and we are sending fire trucks now." Aaaaaah! Thankfully, there was no fire. And we did get to see Indiana Jones, which was a highlight for Nathaniel. Tuesday--Magic Kingdom--This was a big shock, because it was way more crowded than Hollywood Studios. It was swarming with people! Thanks to Fast Passes, though, we were able to do most of what we wanted to do. First we took the railroad. It wasn't until we passed the first stop that we realized it was the *only* stop because the entire Toon Town section was closed. So we rode around again to Frontierland because everyone (except me and the two little ones!) wanted to ride Splash Mountain. After that we went to Space Mountain. Michael went with the two big kids and I took the three little ones to the People Mover. Then, Andrew and I went on Space Mountain together. I really wasn't sure about it and I was terrified for him, but he really wanted to go. I sat behind him and put my hand on his shoulder for the entire ride. He loved it!! After that, we all went on the Teacups together. It's a family favorite!

Wednesday--Magic Kingdom

We got an earlier start this day, and our reward was to wait in a much longer line for the monorail. The kids wanted nothing to do with the ferry. Right away, we went to Pirates of the Caribbean (only a five minute wait--yay!) and the Haunted Mansion (just Michael and the three big kids went on that one). Then Michael, Nathaniel, and Emily went on Big Thunder Mountain. After that, we got some Fast Passes and headed back to the condo. It was a really awesome condo that sleeps ten and has a full kitchen. I had intended for Jonathan to take a good nap, but he wasn't interested. He was an angel and he took naps in our double stroller. On Wednesday afternoon, Dad and Debbie and Troy and TJ (my stepbrother and nephew) joined us at the condo and we headed back to Magic Kingdom. We went to Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and Big Thunder Mountain. Then we watched the light parade and fireworks.

Here are Andrew and Jonathan enjoying the light parade.

Thursday--Magic Kingdom

Our favorite picture spot.

Another crazy, crowded day, but we still got to do a lot of fun stuff. Besides riding on all of the "mountains" again, we went to Tom Sawyer's Island, It's a Small World, and Mickey's Philharmagic, and watched the afternoon parade.

This is at It's a Small World. Daniel wore that hat everywhere. It's a miracle we didn't lose it.

Friday--Animal Kingdom

This was a favorite for Papa. It was much less crowded and there was a lot of shade. The weather was nice during the whole week. I made sure everyone had sunscreen, and only Nathaniel got a little burned one day. There was a Fast Pass "error in our favor" and so we got to do all of the things we wanted to do that day. We were taking a break in a small cafe, and an African music group started performing. They were asking for volunteers, and so I told Emily that she should go. The guy motioned for me to go, though, and so we both went up and tried to follow the dancing. I will not be posting photos. I have no rhythm. Emily did great, though. We then watched a bird show and went on a safari. We all loved it! Then after lunch we went to Expedition Everest, which was a very exciting roller coaster. In Andrew's words, "That was so cool!" We also saw Nemo the Musical, played at the dinosaur playground, and rode the Triceratop Spin, which was the same thing as the Dumbo ride without the wait.

Saturday--last day--back to Magic Kingdom

We started out going to the Speedway. I saw a little girl in line who had the princess makeover and I decided I really wanted to have it done for Emily. I was afraid that the boys might be jealous, but they weren't. They loved it, too! They loved watching her have her hair and makeup and nails done, and she loved being treated like a princess. I think that was my favorite moment of the whole week, watching my boys supporting their sweet sister. I had told Nathaniel that he could go somewhere with Dad or Papa instead of watching her makeover, and he said, "No, Mom, I want to watch. She deserves this." Be still my heart!

My second favorite moment was when we met the princesses. Dad and I waited with Emily and the two little ones for an hour, but once it was done we knew it had been worth the wait. First, Emily met Cinderella. Then she met Princess Aurora. We asked the boys if they wanted their pictures taken, too, and the only one who did was Daniel. You can see he wasn't shy!

She gave him a big ol' kiss, and he loved it!

We had fun on Saturday letting the kids have one last time on their favorite rides. Nathaniel and Andrew chose Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, so they went to those with Daddy, Emily chose Big Thunder Mountain, so she went with Papa, and I took Daniel and Jonathan to Daniel's choice, the teacups.

I loved the shirt Papa chose for me. It has a picture of a glass slipper and it says, "And she lived happily ever after." Boy, isn't that the truth!

I don't think it could have been more perfect! Thank you, Papa and Nana!

Dad, I'm guessing you're the only one who will actually read this entire lengthy post. I love you!

Emily's 8th Birthday

2011-02-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

Emily was so excited to celebrate with her friend, Regan. We all went to Pump it Up and then to Stevi B's for dinner.

I made a chocolate chip cookie cake, per Emily's request. Jonathan enjoyed snacking on some chocolate chips while the kids helped me make the dough.

She is growing up so fast!

She wanted a pink Wii remote sooo badly. Thanks Papa and Nana! I don't think the boys will want to use this one, which was her plan all along, I'm sure.

Emily will be baptized this Saturday!

Sleepy McSleeperson

2011-02-20T11:12:00.001-08:00

Jonathan is my sleepiest baby. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but he still takes two naps a day and sleeps well at night. There are few things as sweet as the sight of a sleeping baby. Here he is in the car on a particularly crazy afternoon of taking kids to all of their activities:

Daniel needs a nap during the day, but he refuses to take one--at home, anyway. If he knows we are doing a lot of running around in the afternoon, he will insist on taking his pillow with him in the car because he intends to take a nap. It's pretty cute. This is a picture I took one evening after I laid him on the couch because he had fallen asleep in the car. I love those rosy cheeks!

Daddy-Daughter Date Night

2011-02-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Every February for the last three years, Michael has taken Emily to the Daddy-Daughter Dance at the YMCA. This year, however, Emily decided that she wanted to go to dinner and a movie with her Daddy. Michael was happy to oblige! They went to see Yogi Bear in 3D and then to a buffet for dinner. Emily calls it "the best night of the year!"

"Mom, take my picture"

2011-01-30T20:12:00.001-08:00

Pure joy!

These were taken because Andrew brought me my camera and insisted I take his picture. Then everyone wanted to join in the fun.

I have no idea what he is doing in this picture.

Emily's Honors Program

All A's again!!!

New Years Eve

2011-01-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time on New Years Eve!!!! I realized that it was our last chance to see the lights at the zoo, and even though it was supposed to rain we still went. It started to rain just as we were walking to the front gate, but we didn't let that stop us. I'm glad we didn't, because it really only drizzled and we had so much fun riding the train around the zoo and seeing all of the lights. I was so grateful to be there with my wonderful family and just enjoy spending time with them. After the zoo, we went to dinner--Mexican. Andrew kept asking me to take pictures, and here are a few of them. Next, we went to a dance at church. The kids had fun eating and watching a movie and eating and dancing and eating. I wondered why we even bothered to buy them dinner.

Andrew and Jonathan
Jonathan eats more than Daniel and Emily (combined!) on a regular basis.

Emily
She was the most excited for the dance. The boys didn't really want to go, but I think they still had fun.

Daniel
This child is a riot. When we were dancing, he realized that he was being watched by some teenage girls. So, what does he do? He turns around and shakes his little booty at them. They laughed and laughed. It was so funny!

Nathaniel and Andrew
They are always messing with each other.

Nathaniel and Emily had been planning all week to stay up until midnight. They were sound asleep on the couch by 11pm.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T15:00:00.001-08:00

We have had a wonderful Christmas this year. The only reason it wasn't perfect is because Jonathan was still sick. After finally getting over the flu, he also had an ear infection and wheezing. I am hopeful that the medicine will help and he will be better soon.

Here are Nathaniel and Daniel at the beginning of our illnesses two weeks ago. Nathaniel was out of school for the whole week with the flu and strep. From the 13th to the 17th, each child got sick. Some of them got sick again the next week. Thankfully, they are better now!

Luckily, they were well enough to perform in their Christmas piano recital. They had worked so hard, and they did a great job!

Sweet Jonathan loves to cuddle when he is sick.

Papa came for a visit! We had a wonderful time!

Papa brought this hat, and Daniel claimed it as his own.

Decorating Christmas cookies! The kids had so much fun. Papa made sure we had plenty of sprinkles. Andrew was an excellent worker, as were the others.

The finished product

Christmas day, enjoying their new toys

Daniel played with his new track all day. I only had to put it together three times. :-)

Michael and Nathaniel got a really cool tank game, and Emily was soon beating them both.

Andrew got tools, tools, and more tools. He loves his work light.

We are so blessed and grateful for all that we have. We want to wish a very Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful family and friends!

For the Kids

2010-12-22T21:42:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/dy5DHWtggDCUTpiDZRFe

Family Portraits 2010

2010-12-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

When you have five kids, it's hard to get a family portrait just right. Someone is always looking away or has their eyes closed (me!) or making a goofy smile (Nathaniel) or just finished crying (Daniel). I think these turned out pretty well, all things considered. These are the originals on the CD we bought, so they're not all cropped right but they were before they were printed.

I love this one of just the kids.

I love this one even more!

These next two were spliced together for a special effect print.

I LOVE this one of Daniel and Jonathan. It's so like them!

Angel baby

Daniel cried until we let him have his picture taken in this chair.

My baby boy is growing up!

Pretty Emily!

Nathaniel was all washed out on the white background, so we chose this one instead.

Merry Christmas!

Emily's Christmas Parade

2010-12-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Emily got to be in a local parade again this year with her dance studio. We had a great time!

She loves her dance class, and she is getting really good at twirling her baton.

Santa Visit

2010-11-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

We went to see Santa early this year. Last year we went a few days before Christmas, and Emily asked for something she had never mentioned before. This year I wanted to make sure we went early so that I could be prepared. It was nice because there was no one there so we had Santa to ourselves for a while and the kids had a great time.

Day at the Zoo

2010-11-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the zoo on Veteran's Day. We were invited to a birthday party, so we took the opportunity for some family time. The kids had fun looking at the animals, riding the train, and playing at the park. I'm not sure what Nathaniel and Emily are doing to Daniel in this picture. He takes his Cat in the Hat everywhere. Jonathan was a good sport, even though it was his nap time. He slept on the way home. We had a great time!

My Sweet Baby

2010-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

I mean, seriously! Is that the cutest smile or what? Yes, I get to smooch those cute cheeks every day. I'm a lucky Mommy!!!

And then he does something like this and I think, "You're lucky you're so cute!" Haha. I knew he was playing too quietly. This is my laundry room/office. He sure had fun!

More Pictures

2010-11-07T13:25:00.001-08:00

My sweet boys are doing their best to read a book together.

Jonathan's play closet
We hope he doesn't tell people some day that we kept him in a closet when he was a baby. I promise we don't close the door on him! He sure loves playing with his toys in there.

Michael was getting ready to go home teaching (a visit to some members of our congregation). As soon as Andrew heard that he was going he rushed off to his room to get his church clothes on so that he could go with him. Daddy couldn't say no, of course. I mean, look at that face. Andrew's main joy in life is being Daddy's helper.

Decorating Halloween cookies.

We had so much fun yesterday at the birthday party for Emily's friend Bethany. They said all of the kids were welcome, so Jonathan stayed home with Michael and we all went. They had a hayride and hot cocoa and lots of games and fun things for the kids to do. Thank you, Hudsons! Daniel was a little ball of energy at the party, but he was fast asleep by the time we got home. Poor little guy had a rough night, and he was sick this morning. He is feeling better already, thankfully.

Monopoly Money

2010-11-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here waiting for Jonathan to wake up so that I can feed him lunch and go vote, so I thought I'd do a post about the great deals I'm getting with coupons. Almost everything I do, I get the information from http://www.southernsavers.com/. You can still find good stuff on it even if you don't live in the South. On the website, I can find out the good deals and even link to the coupons to print out. My favorite stores are Rite Aid and Publix. I used to think it was weird that all of these bloggers would post pictures of the stuff they bought, but after a few months of couponing I totally get it. Here is my example. I got all of this stuff at Rite Aid for $13.84.

If the store isn't busy I'll do two or three separate transactions, which is what I did here. I think I was the only one in the store, so I didn't hold up the line and the cashiers are always happy to let me. This is how I did it:

First transaction

3 boxes of Kleenex, $.99 each

1 box of Huggies size 5 diapers, $19.99

1 Crest Pro Health Clinical $3.99

Coupons used:

$5 off $25 purchase

$3 off Huggies manufacturer coupon

$2 off Huggies Rite Aid store coupon (you can use both on the same item)

$1 off Crest manufacturer coupon

$1 off Crest Rite Aid store coupon

$.50 off Kleenex manu. coupon

$1.00 off Kleenex store coupon

2-$1 off Rite Aid coupons on any non-prescription purchase

The total after all of the coupons was $13.25, and I used a $10 Rite Aid gift card that I got from a rebate on some good deals I got in the past. My total paid was $3.25.

I also got back $6 in +UP coupons, that are good on my next purchase.

Second transaction:

3 Kleenex $.99 each

2 Nestle Crunch Fun Size bags $2.50 each

Venus Breeze razors $5.99 (these are usually $9 or more)

Thermacare $2.99

2-Little Critter Gummy vitamins $6.79, $3.39 (buy one, get one 50% off)

I used these coupons:

$5 off $25 purchase

$1 off Thermacare manu. coupon

$1 off Kleenex manu. coupon

$.50 off Kleenex store coupon

$2.00 off Venus Breeze

2-$1 off Nestle candy

2-$1 off Rite Aid coupons on non-prescription purchases

$6 +UP reward from last transaction

Total: $9.44. I also got $2 more in +UP rewards

Third transaction:

2 boxes of Ziploc bags, $2 each

Used:

$1.25 Ziploc coupon

$2 +UP rewards

Total: $1.15, with $1 +UP for next time

Whew, it takes a while to type all of that up. It does take some time to get everything organized for a shopping trip, but now that I've been doing it for a while it is much easier and totally worth it. I only buy the stuff we can actually use, but I sometimes stock up on free stuff that I can donate. For example, I have about 12 tubes of toothpaste that I got for free or for pennies, and I'll donate what we don't need.

Let me know if you want to try this and you need help. I've decided that coupons are like Monopoly money that you can actually spend. I have been able to reduce my budget and actually stick to it. Yay!

Baby's up. Perfect timing. :-)

Five Little Pumpkins

2010-10-31T19:11:00.001-07:00

The kids had so much fun for Halloween. We had a Fall Festival at church on Wednesday night where they did some trick or treating, and then we went trick or treating again on Saturday night. I was happy because we didn't end up with an insane amount of candy this year. They were so cute in their costumes, and they had fun helping design their own pumpkins. We used craft pumpkins this year (thanks Papa and Nana!) and the kids have been playing with them non-stop. Emily has named every one of them, too.

Here is Daniel with the pumpkin they carved at Mom's Morning Out.

Super Jonny! He is the fourth boy to wear this same costume.

Emily made a great cheerleader.

Daniel was so excited about the Thomas costume I bought him, but when it came time to go trick or treating he wanted to wear this homemade one instead. I made it for Nathaniel six years ago! He did wear the other one to Mom's Morning Out and storytime at the library on Friday, though.

Andrew as Batman. He wasn't fond of the cape.

It took us forever to find a costume for Nathaniel. I got this on Wednesday at CVS, of all places.

Ready to go get some candy!

Here are the pumpkins we carved. Jonathan was already in bed, but we carved one for him, too--it's the one in front of Daniel.

Jonathan just wanted to roll them around on the ground. Here he is this morning before church.
Happy Halloween!

Emily's Baton Routine Part 1

2010-10-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

More of Emily's routines. I'll post the other half later. :-)

I realize the camera work isn't great--I was dealing with whiny boys. You can probably hear them in the background.

Emily's Jazz Routine

2010-10-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out that my videos were too long to upload to my blog, so I've trimmed this one down. It's one of Emily's dances from back in May.

Nathaniel Playing Piano

2010-10-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Here is Nathaniel playing "Morning Has Broken." I love to hear him play. He is getting so good!

Best Buddies

2010-10-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that I was actually able to upload a video. Yay! Andrew gives Daniel a ride on his tricycle a lot and it's so cute. I love it when they play together. It's hard to hear it, but after Daniel gets off the tricycle Andrew says, "Love you."

Random Pics of the Boys

2010-10-03T20:37:00.001-07:00

Daniel is so excited to be Thomas the Tank Engine for Halloween. I got this costume at a great price at a consignment sale. He wore it for a few days straight until I told him we needed to put it away to keep it nice for Halloween. He (amazingly) agreed.

Here is my happy Jonathan in the car, with Andrew in the back.

After many tries, we were relieved that Daniel had finally gone to bed. This is what we found in Nathaniel's bed. Can you tell they are brothers? Notice Daniel's hand underneath Nathaniel. :-)

Here is Daniel reading the "newspaper," aka the Toys R Us ad!

That seems like a lot of pictures of Daniel. He is home with me all day, so I guess that's why. I'll post some of Emily soon.

Good morning, Dad! I know you're reading this, since you're my number one blog fan. :-) Have a great day! I love you!

Michael's Awesome World War II Speech

2010-10-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Michael gave a speech called "Remembering World War II" at the reunion of the 504th Bomb Group. There were 10 World War II veterans there with their families, as well as second generation members of the group. We had a nice dinner first, and I was privileged to sit next to Fiske Hanley, who was a prisoner of war in Japan, and his sweet wife, Jeri. He said he was kept in a 9 by 5 cell with five other men for six months. I can't even imagine what that would have been like, or what other things he suffered. He is a very kind man. He was so impressed with Michael, and after his speech he excitedly told Michael "I have a book I want you to have!" Now, really, I'm not just saying this because he is my husband--it was a wonderful speech! He had read their history and shared some information and anecdotes specific to their group. I sat there with a huge, goofy smile on my face as I watched people line up to tell him how much they enjoyed the speech, and one man even asked if he could use part of the speech for a book he is writing. I was so glad I was able to be there!

From left: Fiske Hanley, Jeri Hanley, me, and Michael

Just when I thought they couldn't get any cuter... :-)

2010-09-12T21:52:00.001-07:00

It was time for Nathaniel, Emily, and I to have a check up with the eye doctor. Since we have insurance for the whole family, I decided to have Andrew and Daniel checked as well. I'm so glad I did! Andrew has a lazy eye (on the right--I couldn't even tell) and everything is fuzzy through it. He definitely needed glasses. Daniel has astigmatism in both eyes, so he needed glasses, too. Emily was the most excited about getting glasses, and she needed them the least. She had them picked out before she even knew she needed them. Nathaniel just needed a stronger prescription; he's been wearing glasses for a couple of years.

Don't they look cute?

Visit with the Mays--Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-12T20:48:00.001-07:00

Michael's parents came for a visit recently. They were here from Wednesday (the 1st) to Tuesday (the 7th). We had a fun time.

Here is Daniel cuddling with Grandpa

One highlight for the kids (and me!) was that Grandma took us to see Toy Story 3. The men stayed home to watch football and take care of Jonathan. Daniel really liked the movie. He had to hold Woody and Buzz!

Here is Andrew looking cute!

My boys!

Back to school after the long weekend

"Daniel, He's the Cheeky One"

2010-09-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

The title is a Thomas the Tank Engine reference. Daniel loves it when I sing this line to him, because he wants to be Thomas. He still gets mad if he overhears me tell someone that he is 3. "No, Mommy, I'm #1 like Thomas!"

I was trying to get dinner on the table, and Daniel came to me with a box of Froot Loops and a bowl and asked me to pour him some. I said "no," so he went to Daddy.

Daniel: "Daddy, can I have some Froot Loops?"
Michael: "What did Mommy say?"
Daniel: "Mommy says no."
Michael: "Then Daddy says no, too."

Daniel: "Nathaniel, can I have some Froot Loops?"
Nathaniel: "No."

Daniel: "Emily, can I have some Froot Loops?"
Emily: "No."

So, here is his solution. :-)

I'm grateful that everyone backed me up on this one. He didn't even bother to ask Andrew, which is funny because Andrew might have said "yes."

"Ooh, that baby is so juicy!"

2010-08-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

That's what a woman said about Jonathan the other day. He is 1 year old, 32 inches tall, and 33 pounds. She also asked if he is a boy or a girl, so I decided to finally cut his hair yesterday.

Pre-haircut

Post Haircut

My angel!

I bought a carpet sweeper so I would have something for quick cleaning and for the area rugs. Andrew saw the box yesterday morning (I had ordered it from Amazon.com) and he was not happy with me that I wasn't going to open the box before school. As soon as he got to the car at afterschool carpool he said, "What's in the box? Can we open the box?" Poor kid must have been worried about it all day. I told him I already put it together and that he could see it as soon as we got home. He was so excited! He is still obsessed with vacuums, and when he saw it he said, "Thank you, Mom!" He thinks it's a gift for him. He spent all afternoon using it all around the house.

My Babies are Growing Up!

2010-08-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

The kids started school on August 9--which is way too early, if you ask me. They were all excited, though.
Papa, Nana, and TJ (my nephew--in the red and white shirt) came to visit last weekend. On Friday night, we celebrated Jonathan's birthday.

YUM!

Climbing on Papa

Then on Saturday, we celebrated Andrew's birthday. Papa and Andrew went to get a big load of sand for our sand pile. The kids had fun "helping" unload the sand and then playing in it. Saturday night, we went to Chuck E. Cheese. Andrew's been talking about going there for his birthday all summer. It looks like he had fun!

Daniel

Movie night--watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Andrew's birthday--at school with his teacher Mrs. Mills

Blue cake and blue cupcakes--well, blue inside anyway. He also wanted strawberries on top, but I added those later.

Rub a Dub Dub

2010-08-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

...three (adorable) boys in a tub!

Jonathan seems to get bigger every day. He has this adorable smile that is so big he closes his eyes when he does it. He is a bit of a brute with the other babies at church. He likes to slap at people, and they sure don't like that. I know it's not malicious, but it's pretty embarrassing. He is such a sweet, happy baby. He turns 1 in one week!

Daniel is a little ladies man. Once, at Burger King, a little girl gave him her kids meal toy. The other day at the pool, a woman said he could keep a pool toy that he really liked. And then last night we were at a neighborhood get-together, and he walked over to us with a huge bowl of chips. I quickly took it back and said I was sorry that he took it. "Oh, I gave it to him," the lady said. I told Michael that Daniel can get women to give him anything. He said, "That's not a good thing!"

Andrew is still obsessed with cords. The other day, our DirecTV went out because of the storm, or so we thought. It wouldn't come back on even after the storm was long over, so we called customer service. The woman told us we should have a router box attached to one of our TVs, and we couldn't find it. Guess where it was? Andrew stole it! He unhooked it from the TV upstairs and made it so none of our receivers could get a signal. I can't believe he will be in kindergarten next week. I will be praying for his teacher. :-) He is so sweet and so helpful. I literally cannot cook or bake by myself if Andrew is in the house. It's like he has radar for when Mommy is making something in the kitchen and he will come in all excited and pull a chair up to the counter to watch and help. He knows what bowls and utensils and ingredients I need and he just gets them out for me without being asked.

Emily is such a sweet big sister. She's not great at cleaning up, but she is the nurturer and she is so sweet to her brothers. She can help Daniel get his shoes on and she will play with Jonathan and read stories to them. I am so grateful for my little girl!!! She will be a 2nd grader this year!

Nathaniel will be in 5th grade this year. At the school open house, it was fun to see a group of little girls whispering, "There's Nathaniel!" They asked him which class he would be in, and they seemed pretty happy that he would be with the same pair of teachers that they were. I don't know if I'm ready for all this! He is so helpful and responsible. I love watching him grow up.

Brothers and Shopping Fun

2010-07-29T21:11:00.001-07:00

We have been having a wonderful summer. The kids love the new house, and so do I! Yesterday we finally put some pictures on the walls in the family room and play room. We also cleaned out the closet under the stairs that is a perfect baby play area. I can't believe the kids start school in less than two weeks!

Here is Jonathan, age 11 months, and Daniel, age 3. Jonathan is already wearing size 24months/2T.

Here are my angels in the checkout line at Sam's Club. And this is why I can never get through a shopping trip without hearing the phrase, "Wow, you've got your hands full!" People also usually seem to pity Emily because she is the only girl.

Today we were at Wal-mart and I panicked for a moment when I couldn't find Andrew. Guess where he was? Hiding on the bottom of the cart. Don't worry--I don't let him ride around like that. It sure keeps him out of trouble in the checkout line, though. :-)

Catching Up

2010-07-04T20:19:00.001-07:00

Life has been a little crazy, but we are doing great. We closed on our new house on June 1. We first did some painting in the new house and then we finished packing the other house. We moved on June 12. We were blessed to have my dad and Debbie and TJ here for over 3 days to help (Dad did a lot of work helping us fix up the new house), and many wonderful church members were there to help us on moving day. We have been working hard on getting unpacked and settled in.

Daniel's birthday was on May 24. He was so excited about his presents and his Thomas cake.
I tried to buy him a "3" candle at the store, but he cried until I agreed to buy him a "1" because Thomas is engine #1.

I found this ride-on toy at a second-hand shop and I couldn't resist. It looks exactly like the one in the waiting room at our doctor's office, and he cries every time he has to stop playing with it. Needless to say, he was pretty excited about it.

The kids love to cuddle on the couch and watch movies together.

We had a great visit from Uncle Joe, my brother. Jonathan loved sitting on his lap, and Joe didn't seem to mind holding him. :-)

Emily's Song

2010-05-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

My sweet Emily wrote me a song for Mother's Day. It was a wonderful gift! Here is a clip of her performing it.

My Awesome Kids

2010-05-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

I think that should be the title of every post!

Jonathan is such a big boy. He already has four teeth and more are coming in. I put him in the front part of the shopping cart the other day. He is flying through his baby stages. He wears toddler size clothes and size 4 diapers. He turned 9 months yesterday.

Daniel is growing up fast, too. He is always paying attention, even when we don't think he is. The other day, we were in Sam's Club and I asked a worker where the formula was (they seem to move everything around every time I go in there--it drives me nuts!). Anyway, he didn't know so he called out to a co-worker a few aisles down, "Hey Chris! Where is the formula?" Chris told us where it was and went back to work. I thanked the man and started walking away. All of a sudden, Daniel yells out, "THANKS CHRIS!" Nathaniel and I had a good laugh about it.

Today is Andrew's last day of preschool. He has come a long way this past year. He is talking better and he knows his letters and he is starting to write his name. I can't believe that he will be in kindergarten in the fall! Here he is with his wonderful teacher, Miss Julia.

Emily wrote me a song for Mother's Day! She wrote the music and lyrics all by herself, and she even made her own sheet music. I've been trying all day to upload video of her playing the song, but it won't work. I'll try again next week.

Nathaniel is doing very well in school. I'm so proud of him for all he does, and he does it on his own. He had a huge year-long 4th grade project this year. I helped him by taking him to the library and buying his supplies and proofreading, but he did all the work. He got a 97%! He is a huge help to me at home. He plays with Jonathan and takes Daniel to the bathroom and plays outside with his younger siblings. Andrew is always so excited when Nathaniel comes home and plays outside with him. I love to watch them all playing together.

Little Trooper

2010-04-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Andrew fell on the playground at preschool yesterday and chipped three teeth. The dentist was able to see him right away and fix them. Andrew was so brave. His teacher was so impressed with him. This is the same child that didn't make a peep when he got his IV at the hospital. He is a tough kid!

I went with Andrew on his preschool field trip to the zoo on Monday. He was really well-behaved and stayed with me the whole time. I think he might have been afraid I was going to leave; he still has a hard time when I drop him off at preschool. Anyway, I brought Daniel and Jonathan, too, and we had a great time.

This is a tiny turtle they found.

On Monday night, we went to our local Pretzelmaker because I had read that it was National Pretzel Day and they were giving out free pretzels. Spending 12+ dollars on pretzels isn't something I would normally do, so I thought it would be fun for them. We must have been the first ones to ask for the free pretzels, because the cashier looked really confused. His manager assured him that we were correct, and we all got a free pretzel. I forgot, however, that this particular Pretzelmaker is also a Great American Cookie store! Oops! I think the kids would have preferred the cookies.

Day Out with Thomas

2010-04-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time this past Saturday at the Day Out with Thomas Celebration. It was one of those blissful days where we were able to just enjoy being together as a family, and the kids were so good and cooperative. There was no fighting and very little whining. We got to ride the train and there were lots of different tents and stations to visit: mini golf, sandbox, bouncy house, play tables with tracks and trains, petting zoo, and, of course, a gift shop.

Four years before, we had been to the same Thomas Celebration with a very excited 6 year old Nathaniel, 3 year old Emily, and 8 month old Andrew. Jonathan is in the same exact outfit that Andrew had worn. I can't believe how much they look alike. Jonathan doesn't look like he's having much fun in this picture, but he was an angel.

Here is the picture of Andrew from four years ago.
Jonathan kept trying to steal Daniel's hat as we waited for our train ride to start.

The kids were excited to have their picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt, or "Sir Thomas Hatt," to Daniel.

Petting zoo--Emily and Andrew

It was a little sunny--can you tell?

Thanks Thomas!!!

Cute Little Boys

2010-04-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Daniel singing "Who Let the Dogs Out?" It's so funny when he just starts singing it out of nowhere. He learned it from Emily's Just Dance Wii game. I love his little smile at the end.

We signed Andrew up for YMCA soccer. He liked it in the beginning, but lately he doesn't want to play. He looks so cute, though! Maybe he will like it better next year.

Happy Times

2010-04-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

My sweet Jonathan has been sick lately--again. He is my biggest boy so far, but he has been sick the most. Look at that smile! Oh, it brightens my day!

You can tell how big he is in this picture. He is not quite 8 months, but he weighs 26 pounds!

Nathaniel had a fun birthday. He invited four friends from school to his party. I took Emily and Nathaniel and his friends to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid (he has loved reading the books; I've even read them) and then we came back to our house for pizza and cake and ice cream. His friends were so well behaved, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

He wanted a Diary of a Wimpy Kid cake, so I used frosting to make the face that is in the books. I bought the picture holder at Walmart. The great thing about it is that it is reusable. Great for the May family! I used it on Emily's cake, too.

We went to an Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood on Saturday morning. They had a great time.

"No, Mommy, I don't need a nap. I'll just rest here on my sippy cup for a few minutes."

Spring Break

2010-03-26T07:40:00.001-07:00

We finally got through all of our illnesses (me and the three older boys), so we decided to take a trip down to Florida to see Papa and Nana and TJ (my dad and stepmom and nephew) for a few days. Michael had some deadlines at work so he couldn't go, but I decided to take the kids down there myself. It was a wonderful trip. The kids were so good, and the drive wasn't bad. It took us 9 hours each way, which includes an hour worth of stops. We had so much fun while we were there. My dad was sure surprised when I called him Thursday morning and told him we were on the road and we would be there that night!

Here we are at Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs on Friday. We had a great time on our nature walk. Jonathan was an angel, as usual.

This was at a train show in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Within minutes of this photo, Andrew knocked poor Thomas and Annie and Clarabel (his coaches) right off of the outside track. As my dad said, "He's the only one who knew they were on the wrong track." :-)

Emily was such a good sport, and she had a great time even though she was the only girl and we did mostly "boy" stuff.

This was taken on Saturday at Sawgrass park. TJ got to come with us.

This raccoon was too cute.

Dad said you can always see an alligator at Sawgrass, and he was right. This one is really far away--I just zoomed in a lot.

My sweet Andrew--he cried for Daddy on the way there, and he cried for Papa and Nana and TJ on the way home.

Here are some things I learned on this trip:

Even with a GPS that shows expected arrival time, the kids will still ask, "When will we get there?"

The May family should stay away from train shows.

A house full of tile + the May children = LOUD!

Portable DVD players are one of the greatest inventions ever.

Sonic has outdoor bathrooms--thanks for the tip, Ginger! This was especially helpful in rainy weather.

We need to take more opportunities to do fun things as a family.

My kids are awesome, and they are excellent travelers!!!

My Guys

2010-03-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Can you guess what they are watching?

It's on the Food Network.

It's Alton Brown's Good Eats. The episode that has their rapt attention is about chocolate. :-)

The other day Daniel was upset about something and so I was comforting him. All of a sudden he yelled, "I NEED CHOCOLATE!" He's a boy after my own heart!

He wore this Burger King hat until it disintegrated.

Yesterday, I said, "Andrew, how about grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch?" Andrew: "No, steak!" Mommy: "What, no shrimp?" Andrew: "Yes!" Note to self: sarcasm is lost on a 4 year old.

He loves his Emily!!

Here is Nathaniel, being an awesome big brother. Jonathan hasn't said anything cute yet, but he sure is adorable when he coos. He is a big boy--24 pounds. He outgrew his car seat a month ago. My new nickname for him is Chunky Monkey, because he is so cute I could eat him up! I am so lucky that I get to kiss those puffy cheeks every day! He will be 7 months old tomorrow.

Poor Nathaniel has been sick all week. He's been a trooper, though. I can't believe he will be 10 next month!

Birthday Girl

2010-03-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time last weekend while celebrating Emily's birthday. My dad, stepmom, and nephew and Michael's parents all came to visit. Emily was in heaven! We had a fun, crazy party with 9 little girls on Saturday. The theme was (Wii) "Sing It," which is like karyoke. Each girl had sunglasses, a tiara, a boa, and a play microphone (thanks again, Dad(Papa)!) to dress up like a star. Each girl had a chance to sing and we also played musical chairs.

We also hung up some Christmas lights.

A homemade cookie cake was Emily's request. :-)

OK, next time I will write something about the boys!

Our Princess

2010-02-25T19:16:00.001-08:00

Michael and Emily went to the Daddy Daughter Valentine's Dance at the YMCA a couple of weeks ago. She was so excited. Michael later told me that, in the car on the way there, Emily said, "Daddy, I've been looking forward to this for a year!" She will be 7 years old this Saturday. I can't believe it!

I bought this dress for her at a consignment sale months ago, knowing that it would be perfect for this dance. She loved it, and I was so glad.
Andrew loves his "Emmy"

Snow Day

2010-02-12T20:11:00.001-08:00

We had a fun day at home today. What was supposed to be a three day weekend turned into a four day weekend, and the kids were so excited. The two older kids spent a lot of time outside, and Nathaniel even built a snowman. The little guys were outside, too, just not as long. I took my husband's advice and tried to have some fun instead of trying to get things done. He was right. I had a wonderful time sitting on the floor with Andrew and Daniel, building tracks and watching them use their imaginations on the "Island of Sodor" (where Thomas lives). :-)

Can you tell that Nathaniel was ready to get out into the snow? They were ready to get out there at 6:30am.

Mission Accomplished

2010-02-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my goal was to clean and organize Andrew and Daniel's room, and I am glad to say I got it done. They were good helpers. It's a pretty simple system--small toys go in the drawers and big toys go in the toy box. Andrew especially liked helping me vacuum when we were all done. I think it was the highlight of the week for him. :-)

Pump it Up, take 2

2010-01-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

The last time we went to Pump it Up was for Andrew's birthday, and he was the only one who wouldn't play on the slides or jump around. When Papa and Nana and TJ were here, we all went and he had a great time.

Jonathan

Andrew

Daniel

Nathaniel

Emily

"Shoo, Diaper"

2010-01-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

Daniel is my first child to start potty-training before age 3. Yea! I tried to put a diaper on him for night time, and he said, "Shoo, diaper, shoo! Bad diaper!" So, we are done with the diapers and we will hopefully soon be done with the pull-ups.

He is really good at using the computer. He knows how to point and click and he has a fun time on the Thomas and Friends website.

Shopping Tips

2010-01-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

For the last few years on the day after Thanksgiving, I do my big shopping trip for Christmas gifts. Michael watches all of the kids and I get started bright and early. I look through all of the ads on Thanksgiving night after the kids are in bed. I write down all of the stuff I want to get on a list, and I gather all of the ads to take with me. My first stop is Walmart. I first get all of the things from their ad that I need before it's all gone. Then, while everyone else is standing in the huge checkout lines, I walk around the store looking for the things I wanted from other stores. Walmart matches their prices! No one is looking for those things, so they are pretty easy to get. My two biggest finds this year were some Thomas trains that were advertised at Target, and Microsoft Office (I saved $60!) which was advertised at Best Buy. By the time I am done finding everything at Walmart, the checkout lines are almost empty. I avoid Target and Best Buy because their lines are crazy, and ToysRUs is a madhouse. I am able to get so many great deals--I love a good bargain!

All of the kids adore Jonathan.

And Thomas!

2010-01-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy that I haven't written anything about Thanksgiving yet. We had a nice weekend here. I made our traditional turkey meal, with Michael's help, and we just enjoyed being with the kids. Michael said the prayer for Thanksgiving dinner, and he was listing all of the things we are grateful for when Daniel cut in with a very loud "and Thomas!" It was so hard not to laugh. Daniel loves Thomas and Friends; he knows all of the songs and the names of the engines.

Here is Daniel after a typical day of refusing to take a nap.

18 pounds

2010-01-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

Jonathan weighed in at 18 pounds on his 4 month visit in December! I'm grateful to have another big, healthy baby. :-) His smile lights up a room. Here are some examples.

Seriously?

2010-01-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very cold day. Where I grew up, in the Midwest, we would have considered it a beautiful winter day. However, in Alabama, they cancelled school for it! According to weather predictions, there would be snow and ice and so on Thursday night the school district cancelled school for Friday. Andrew spent a good part of the day playing with this empty diaper box. Later, he ripped down one of the sides and sat in it and used it for a chair.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks and to visit Santa today. The kids are so excited for Christmas. I love this time of year when there seems to be extra kindness in the air as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

My Sweetie

2009-12-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

Michael has a new calling (position) at church. For those who don't know, we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Michael has been the Bishop in our ward (congregation) for three years. A stake is made up of many wards, and Michael has been asked to be the 2nd counselor to the Stake President. He has been serving for over a month now. Life is still busy, just in a different way.

This picture was taken at our portrait session last month.

Sneak Peek

2009-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoy these portraits. They cropped out the Thomas train in Daniel's picture before they printed it. Letting him hold it was the only way to make him happy and get him to sit still. You can't see it, but he is holding it in his right hand in the bottom picture, also.

The kids are all feeling better. The doctor advised that we should stay home from church today, but things should be back to normal this week.

Home Sweet Home

2009-11-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

My babies are home! We are so grateful that they are better!!!! Jonathan came home on Saturday, and Andrew came home yesterday. They are both doing really well. My dad was here to help on Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning. He took Nathaniel (Optimus Prime--from Transformers), Emily (Ariel the mermaid), and Daniel (Thomas the Tank Engine) trick-or-treating while I stayed home and handed out the candy. Andrew wore his James the Red Engine costume in the hospital (I took pictures with my 35mm camera, so they aren't ready yet), and different nurses and other staff from the hospital visited him in their costumes and brought him candy. After trick-or-treating Saturday night, we all went to visit him and bring him more treats.

We have had so much comfort, love, and support from family and friends and we are very, very grateful.

Daniel refused to sit still for a picture. He sure had fun, though.

Sweet Boys

2009-10-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and Andrew are both in the hospital this week. Jonathan was admitted on Monday for croup, and then Andrew on Tuesday for pneumonia. Once they admitted Andrew, they moved us to a much larger room so that they could be together. Jonathan is much better and should be discharged today or tomorrow, but Andrew is having a hard time. We are hoping he can come home on Saturday.

I stayed at the hospital Monday and Tuesday night, and Michael and I switched last night. I am home doing chores and taking care of Daniel, so I thought I would take a few minutes to update everyone.

We are so grateful to the many people who have helped with rides, meals, and babysitting and also to those who have offered to help. We appreciate all the prayers offered as well!

Big Boy

2009-10-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

As of Wednesday at his 2 month check up, Jonathan is now 13lbs 12 oz (90th percentile) and 25 in long (95th percentile). No big surprise for one of my boys! He is doing really well. I love his eyes in this first picture; he doesn't look very happy, but he sure looks cute!
Aren't the ears cute?

After four children, the motor in our old bouncer finally gave out. This is our new one (thanks again Uncle Sam and Aunt Linda).

Weekend Fun

2009-10-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Jonathan was blessed in church on Sunday, and Papa and Nana and Grandpa (Grandma was sick, unfortunately) were all able to be there. We also had a fun day on Saturday at the pumpkin patch, and later that day the kids decorated Halloween cupcakes. Thank you Papa, Nana, and Grandpa for coming to visit!

This was taken at the pumpkin patch on Saturday--the date is wrong.

Here is Jonathan on Sunday. Can you tell he is well fed? I love the little smile. I see resemblances to all of the other kids--and Michael--in this picture.

Tiny Angel

2009-10-06T06:57:00.001-07:00

He is awake a lot more now, but he still sleeps great at night. Yea!

I love this picture because it shows his adorable profile, and it reminds me of the ultrasound picture below.

This is from May, when I was about 6 months along.

For the post below, here is the order from top to bottom:

Andrew, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Emily, and Daniel

Pop Quiz

2009-10-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Who is who? Answers next time. :-)
(Check out the post below this one--I just posted it today--and it will give you some clues.)

The Circle of Life

2009-10-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

When one of our children is annoyed with a younger sibling about something they used to do to their older sibling, we call this the circle of life. For instance, Nathaniel used to get so frustrated playing with his tracks and trains because Emily kept messing up the tracks. A few years later, Emily would get frustrated with Andrew when she was building a track and he kept destroying it. Now, Andrew gets angry when Daniel breaks his tracks. Eventually, Jonathan will do the same to Daniel. Does it make me a bad mom that I sometimes chuckle at these situations?

Here is another fun example of the Circle of Life:

Nathaniel holding Emily

Emily holding Andrew

Andrew holding Daniel

Daniel holding Jonathan

Everybody loves to hold Jonathan

2009-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Jonathan is such a good sleeper. The kids get so excited when he actually opens his eyes.

These pictures are in order starting with the most recent.

Jonathan and Papa (Christine's dad)

Jonathan and Nana (Christine's stepmom)

Jonathan and Emily

Jonathan and Andrew (the date is wrong on this one)

Jonathan and Grandpa (Michael's dad)

Grandma (Michael's mom) and the boys

More Pictures

2009-08-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of me 4 days before Jonathan was born.

The kids were so excited to come to the hospital to visit us, but they were soon more interested in watching cartoons.

Nathaniel and Jonathan

Andrew's Birthday

Jonathan Allan May

2009-08-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Allan May was born on August 13, 2009 at 7:55am by C-section. He was..drumroll please...10 lbs 3 oz! And 21 inches long. The first thing I heard them say when they pulled him out was, "Wow, that's a big boy!" You're telling me! I carried that heavy baby. My back and sides were suffering there the last few weeks. Now we have our beautiful, healthy boy and I am so happy and grateful. The kids adore him, even the little boys. He and I are both doing well and I am recovering nicely.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

2009-08-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today Andrew is 4 years old. We celebrated last week as a family by going to Pump It Up, where they have these huge inflatables and slides for kids. Our kids had a great time. Especially Daniel--he was so brave to go on the big slide.

Tonight, we'll have cake and ice cream and presents.

Coming soon...

2009-08-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

First, I just want to say how great it is that Emily has learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. She was pretty scared at first, but she had the biggest smile when she realized she could do it! The sun is in her face in this picture, but she is so happy.

My C-section is scheduled for August 13. We can't wait to meet our new baby boy!!!!!

Mommy’s Boot Camp

2009-06-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation is always a good time to teach the kids some new skills. Especially with a baby on the way!

So, I am giving the two older children a morning routine and a bedtime routine and giving them some new chores. In the morning, they know that they have to finish their routine and then give me their report before they can watch TV or play on the computer or whatever it is they want to do. They also have to play outside before they can earn video game time. At night they have a shorter routine, and they must complete it and give me a report before they get their dessert. They are so cooperative, and they have been spending a lot of time playing outside with each other and with friends.

Here are some of things I want them to learn this summer:
Nathaniel: Fold and put away his clothes, make his own lunch, help Daddy in the yard and garden, and vacuum; he can already empty the dishwasher and take out the trash
Emily: Fold and put away her clothes, make her own lunch, wipe down bathroom counters, empty small trash cans, and fold bath towels
Andrew: Fold washcloths and buckle himself in the car (he will get to sit in the back row with the big kids when the baby comes); he is just recently completely potty-trained--yea!
Daniel: Sleep in a big boy bed, and stop throwing tantrums!

Reptile madness

2009-06-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Last week, Michael saw a snake slither across our garage. I had a hard time believing it could be as big as he said it was, but I kept the children in the house while he tore apart the garage looking for its hiding place. When he finally found it under a bookshelf (we could only see the tail and the head), we decided it would be best to call for help because we had no idea if it was poisonous or not. We called a man from the yellow pages to come and get it for us, and I’m so glad we did because there were actually two of them—male and female!—and they were big. We originally had thought that since it was so expensive to have him come and get them that Michael could just do it, but he looked at me and said, "Honey, you really need to call the guy back and have him come out here." He had said a prayer to himself about it and he felt very strongly that we would need help. Michael is very wise about these things, and I'm so grateful to him. It was hard to tell since they were coiled up, but I’m sure the snakes were at least 5 feet long. The man said they were rat snakes, and they are not poisonous but one bit him. I wish I had thought to take a picture, but I was just glad to be rid of them.

Afterward, I was relieved but also sad to see my garage in such disarray. On Saturday, Michael had planned on doing yard work. Since it rained, he decided to tackle the garage. He did a wonderful job! He even went through some boxes of papers that he had been keeping for eight years or more. I was so happy! He also got rid of the bookshelf. I don’t have any “before” pictures, but here are the “after” pictures.

Recital madness

2009-05-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

First we had Emily's recitals on May 2 for gymnastics, baton, and jazz. The clip is a little long, but you have to see her wiggle her little body in the last dance for the jazz routine. So cute!

Then, on May 16, there was the piano recital in the morning and the dance recital for tap and ballet in the evening. Oh, yeah, and Nathaniel went to scout day camp in the middle of all of that. It was a long day, but we are so thrilled to be able to watch our children and see all of the hard work they've done.

Enjoy!

Great News

2009-05-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

Andrew has now graduated from speech therapy. His teacher tested him recently, and she said that he has improved so much that he doesn't need the services anymore. We are so proud of him! We are so grateful to his teacher, Miss Jennifer, for taking on extra students when Andrew's original speech therapist left suddenly.

Yea Andrew!!!

"Uh Oh, Do You See What I See?"

2009-04-13T08:01:00.001-07:00

That's what the lady who was doing our ultrasound last week said with a smile to our family--right before she told us what we are having. Yep, boy number four! Emily told her, "No, it's supposed to be a girl." She recovered quite quickly, though, and was soon telling us, "Oh, I love him so much!"

We are so excited for this new baby. Don't ask us about the name, though. We have no clue. :-)

Billy Joel

2009-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning, I heard a contest on the radio. They played a line from a Billy Joel song, and to win you had to call in and tell them the next line. The line was from the song "We Didn't Start the Fire," and I was sure that the next line was, "We didn't start the fire, no we didn't light it but we tried to fight it." I had no idea what the prize was but I couldn't resist calling in, and the DJ miraculously answered. They made me sing it, which was so embarrassing. They told me it was "ignite it" instead of "light it," but they gave it to me anyway. I've since googled it and three different sites had it as "light it," but whatever. Anyway, I now have tickets to see a show called "Movin' Out" featuring Billy Joel's music. Fun!

My trip

2009-03-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful time visiting my sister, Betsy, and her family in January. I had so much fun holding the baby and visiting with Betsy and her husband, Geoff. It felt strange to be in an alternate universe where there was only one baby to take care of, and I wasn't even the mom. During the flights and layovers, I was able to read an entire 500+ page book. I was also able to see some dear friends while I was there. Thank you to everyone who made this fabulous trip possible!

Adorable Little Pills

2009-03-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Daniel

These are the pajamas they got for Christmas. There is a picture of a monkey on a snowboard, and it says, "I do my own stunts."

I am so grateful for my two little boys. I have so much fun with them during the day. They love to go to the store with me and to the YMCA and to play in the backyard and get dirty. Don't let those innocent-looking faces fool you, though. These two partners in crime are on a constant search for mischief. Just when I think my house is babyproof, they prove me wrong. Andrew loves his "ov-alls." I found another pair for him in our boxes of boy clothes, and now Daniel can wear his old ones.

Daniel loves to wear Nathaniel's hat around the house all day.

Snow!

2009-03-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is snow coming down. We woke up to a thin blanket of snow on the ground yesterday, which melted very quickly. Nathaniel managed to find a patch of it and make a snowball, though. He couldn't find his gloves, and I decided against searching for another pair in the attic because I knew they wouldn't last long playing outside anyway. I was right. Less than five minutes after they excitedly ran out the door to play, they were back inside saying, "Mommy, it's too cold out there." The odd thing about the weather here is that by Friday it is supposed to get up to the high 70s!