Things I Won't Miss..

You know how when you are struggling with your kids in public and there is always that one person who says to you---"you'll miss this someday so enjoy them while you can." Well there are just some things I most definitely will never miss.

1. Finding my child lapping up water with their TONGUE from the toilet pretending to be a puppy!

2. Any form of puke or poop that I am forced to clean up while fighting back my own gagging especially when it occurs in the middle of the night.

3. Having my new makeup smeared all over my child and the counter, and the floor, oh and the wall too.4. Going grocery shopping with all my kids. Note: I will only do this now in an extreme emergency I will go without most anything rather than put myself or any other customers through that torture.

5. Having to hide my trash can in the closet to prevent my child from eating garbage.

I agree there are many things I will miss that drive me crazy but these are just a few of the things you cannot convince me I will look back on and wish I still had those days back.

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I know you are getting to spend sometime with your family this week so I hope you enjoy every minute of it.
We had a great visit over Thanksgiving and can't wait to see you at Christmas. We all love you!!
Sorry for the makeover all over your carpet
Oh and sorry if your neighbors think less of you with a naked toddler parading outside. Luckily you do have a pretty high fence though.

Thanksgiving Fun.

This year we went to TN for Thanksgiving. It was fun to see my family. We missed having my brother and his family though. Here are some highlights.

I was a little worried Kristen and my cute little niece would have the MINE wars and Kristen rough her up a bit as she has in the past. This time however they were more like Thing 1 and Thing 2 except there was no Cat to come clean up the mess. This is a picture of their Makeover gone really wrong.














Luke's highlight was getting to go hunting for the 1st time with his Uncle Chad. They didn't get anything but it didn't matter to him he had a blast and can't wait to go again. I don't have a picture but you can tell how he chose to decorate his room just how much he likes the idea of hunting.
We just relaxed and my kids got their Disney channel fix. We saw some movies and of course it wouldn't be a trip to TN if I didn't go to Wal-Mart at least once. Here is everyone crammed on the couch watching more TV. It was a fun trip with good food and great company!

Boys

I was looking over this parenting book I got a long time ago called So you want to raise a boy. Well I got it when I only had 2 small boys. It made me laugh because now having 4 boys they left out some chapters that would have been nice to know. Like..

Chapter 10..Life's a hoot..when you always toot
.. this includes the information that boys find every sound or function your body has as the absolute most hilarious thing you have ever seen/heard/smelled ever!! Seriously if they even hear the word pee or even better poop they are sent into hysterical fits of laughter which sometimes results in spitting or drooling which just escalates the laughter even further.

Chapter 11..Stick=Sword, Lego=Gun, Spoon=Dagger
..this is instructions on how boys can and do make pretty much any toy or piece of nature a weapon of some sort.

For years I didn't buy any toy guns not wanting to encourage that kind of play but then found legos could be built into a gun, sticks were anything from lightsabers to daggers and even the fairy wand my daughter had doubled as a sword (unfortunately even by her). So why fight the inevitable and at least get cool Nerf guns and of course my family's weapon of choice the Lightsaber.

Lord of the Dance...

Move over Michael Flately there is a new dancer in town.

You know how I love dancing so I have been taking this line dancing class for fun and Colin wanted me to show him. He then showed me how he can do it too--it came out looking more like Irish step dancing but hey my grandma did come over from Ireland as a young girl so I guess it comes natural to him. We will be developing his act(his back up dancers need some work) and I will let you know when tickets will be available.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the best fireman, lego builder, project helper, all around coolest Dad ever!!
I hope you had a great day here are some highlights:














He's so special he gets TWO cakes. One was an Eclair Desert for everyone and the other a Graeter's Grasshopper Ice cream cake for just the adults who can appreciate it. Notice the candles. I totally forgot to get candles so I scrambled and found some tea lights. Each one counts for 11 regular candles.














Kristen also had a great time having some girl time with her aunt Lisa and Ellen. They did her hair and nails-she had no clue about nail polish and at first every time they put in on her nail she would just wipe it off. Later we found Kristen on the basement stairs with the ice cream cake she swiped out of the freezer and she was trying to dig into it. Apparently she wanted to appreciate it as well.
All around it was a fun time and a great day! WE LOVE YOU KEVIN!!!

Special??

It took me a week to finally get a chance to write this down but last Sunday was the Primary Program--that is where the 3-11 year old kids sing and talk about what they learned that year.

Colin got up and says--"My family is special because I am in it... and because my Dad is a fireman."

Well it's good to know what pinpoints the greatness of our family. I kind of thought the other 5 people not mentioned were pretty great too but I guess we don't quite measure up to the truly "special" category. Without Kevin and Colin we are apparently just average. So I don't know if I should be happy he knows how special and great of a kid he is or if I should be worried he is a little self absorbed. Then again I've yet to meet to many kids that don't feel the world revolves around them.

So maybe we should all be able to acknowledge and proclaim just how special we are!

I've been tagged!

Well I guess I have been tagged by Corrie and I'm always ready to play a game so here it goes.

Here are the rules: "MY UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS"
1.Link to the person who tagged you
2.Mention the rules on your blog
3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you
4.Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5.Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

1. I'm obsessed with anything that has dancing in it. I will watch any movie or tv show that has any type of dancing in it. Even if it is the lamest movie--which unfortunately alot of the movies that center around dancing lack in plot and acting ability. I guess I like to live vicariously through people who can dance.

2. I have to finish a book/movie that I start. Even if the book/movie turns out to be painfully boring I have to know what happens. Even if I don't care the least about the characters. I know it doesn't make since--my mom when reading will just skip ahead if it starts to drag but I just can't do that. I have to torture myself with every last boring word or watch every last painful minute of something until it is done. The one acception if it's too inappropriate than I won't finish.

3. I am a walking contradiction. I hate any type of cherry filling or toppings but I like fresh cherries or cherry artificial flavoring in candy is ok too. I hate banana artificial flavoring in anything but I love fresh-real bananas. I hate coconut but every now and then I'll eat an Almond Joy(Ok that's mostly because I can find no other form of chocolate around). You see it makes no sense.

4. I hate watching people brush their teeth. Not just kids either. Anyone. I have always and continue to hate seeing people brush their teeth. I should be pleased they have good hygiene but instead it makes me gag. Even if it's on a movie I turn away especially if they are trying to talk while they are brushing. I guess it may be related to the fact I don't like spit. Perhaps my sister chasing me pretending she was going to let spit fall on me-just to see me get hysterical helped encourage my weird dislike.

5. I have an obsession with office supplies. I love them. I get excited when I walk in an office supply store. I have to work hard to maintain focus as I take in all the wonderful, glorious, organizational products, paper, staplers, etc. Several years for christmas I got gift cards from Staples--and loved it! I guess it is no shock that I loved my accounting office jobs and would often be found organizing the office supply closet. I know how lame is that!!

6. I have a great need for efficiency and a touch of OCD but I'm too lazy/tired to carry it out. I love things in perfect order. I feel anxious when my house is messy or I can't see my kitchen counter. If I wasn't lazy and or tired I would have all my pantry alphabatized and in perfect symetric order. Same with my linen closet and all shelves. I sit and think about how I could arrange things for optimal efficiency. I'm constantly obsessing over finding the perfect schedule or organization that will make things run the smoothest but I rarely take the time to actually make it happen.

Even typing these makes me think maybe I need some therapy or something. Well that's probably more than you really wanted to learn about me-- so here is an opportunity to read about more people. I tag.
1. Maura
2. Michelle J
3. Jamie
4. Dory
5. Shayleen
6. Sarah H

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I hope you have a great day with lots of rest and good food. It was fun getting to see you guys in August. We love you!!

Today..

Today I stopped chipping away at my mountain of laundry to help create this.
I love to see kids using their imaginations to create and how excited they get over something so simple. Colin needed blinds on his window for the house. He also wanted a doorbell that would light up. So he came up with putting a goldfish cracker inside a water bottle cap so we taped it on and sure enough it kind of looked like it had a glow to it.
Kristen made her self right at home--snack and all.
Sometimes it is worth putting everything aside to do something fun! However no one might think so when they don't have clean clothes tomorrow. Oh well!

The Open Window Theory..

I've spoken before about Colin and his Deals..
Yesterday I really wanted to take a shower before I left the house. I know it seems like it should be a pretty easy thing to accomplish but for me to take a shower takes at least a ten minute strategic planning session. To proceed to put on makeup and dry my hair promptly after that shower literally takes the moons to align in the universe.

So I see my window where everyone is occupied in a non-destructive activity, seemingly calm, and Ben is asleep. I act with lightening speed. These windows are never open long and you have to hit it just right. Kind of like a space shuttle reentering the atmosphere. You hesitate just by a second and it could be disaster.

So I tell Colin I'm going upstairs and for him to keep an eye on Kristen and I will be right back. I come back down and everything is still intact and everyone is happy. Awesome! Colin approaches me seeing my pleasure and says can I have 2 Starburst now. He had been bugging me all morning for candy. I said well you did do a good job helping me so OK. Colin must know about this Open Window Theory as well because as he's eating his candy he turns to me and says "You know Mom you should pay me for babysitting." I point out that he just got paid in candy. (His favorite currency). He thinks about that and says "Umm no I mean with money." Playing along to see where his mind will go I say-- well you know it was really only 10 or 15 minutes that would probably be like 25 cents or maybe 50 cents. He said well "that's good but how about not 50 cents but 50 dollars."

Extortion I tell you!! In his defense he had no idea just how insane that request was. His money knowledge is very limited--cents don't buy much at Target but dollars do. I then say "Here's another starburst and were even." He quickly responds, "OK that's good!" Man if the whole world could be negotiated that easily with candy we would not have this economic crisis....although we may have some major dental problems.

Lessons Learned..

First of all I have to declare to all that I am evidently a big fat liar. I promised my 6 year old when we were watching the recent weather updates on Hurricane Gustav and then when they started talking about Ike coming that there was no way a Hurricane would ever come up to Ohio. It's the Midwest for heavens sake and not an Ocean within miles and miles and miles. This comforted him and his weather anxiety and then....Well what do you know I have to eat my words and get the look of complete betrayal as we sit in the dark with winds swirling around our windows. At least we just had the wind and not the rain right..Still getting the stare.. OK I'm sorry I was wrong!!!

I did learn some other things this week. I learned I'm not nearly prepared enough for any emergency. We did have a 72 hour kit but it needs some work. Cheap batteries and flashlights are not the way to go. Unless your emergency is approximately 1-2 hours and then in that case you are set. Candles may be good as well. I had two scented candles that were 3/4 of the way gone. They didn't make very much light but dang if it didn't smell great in the dark.

I learned that it is impossible to explain to a 2 year old why her beloved TV and computer don't work. She thought I was holding out on her or punishing her. She just kept carrying around DVD's wailing and crying. I don't know what is more sad the fact she was so confused and distraught or the fact she is apparently way too dependent on TV and nickjr.com. So I guess I'm a liar and a negligent mother.

I also learned that in an emergency I will be a single parent. I kind of knew this in theory but the reality never really hit me until this trial run. Kevin will always have to go in to work during any emergency situation. I am not a particularly independent person. I feel quite comfortable relying on my husband for comfort and support. Yet everything in my adult life has pushed me to realize that I can be a strong independent woman. DISCLAIMER: I may realize it and can do it but I still don't like doing it. Dealing with 5 kids with no electricity in the dark who are scared and at times completely irrational(I heard many cries of "We're going to die!") was not fun but we made it through and I know that I need to better prepare myself with knowledge on how to do "survival" type things so I can have the confidence to handle whatever comes. Hey maybe it will be a tsunami next. Sitting there hating the situation and wishing it weren't so doesn't really accomplish anything so you just have to accept it and deal with it so to quote the great show GI Joe--Knowledge is Power! I will be more ready next time.

I also learned how great it is to have wonderful neighbors and friends. They gave me some support, good company, and a flashlight that worked! Also thanks to the great firemen who put up with me and my 5 kids running around the well lit firehouse. They also gave me some extra water and food which I greatly appreciated! So we survived and have learned a lot. It's funny how we have to learn things isn't it.

Musical Beds...

You know we only have the best most exciting "games" at our house. I hope you can sense the sarcasm intended in that statement. Our newest is a game we call Musical Beds. These are all our bedrooms and where the "game" takes place nightly. Kristen has her own room with an extra twin bed. Colin and Ryan share with the bunk beds, and then Luke and Ben.
It begins when we put Kristen to bed in her bed. She then promptly moves to the twin bed in her room. After a couple of minutes she makes her way to the top bunk where Ryan is sleeping. Which then causes Colin to complain-not that she's making noise and disturbing him but that she picked Ryan and not him. OK so we put her back in her bed. She then makes her way to visit Luke in his bed where she either brings a book or just grabs his Gameboy and starts "playing it". I put her back in bed and then go deal with Ben and just wonder where I'll find her when I'm done feeding him.

Now for the next part of the game. I usually then find Luke and Kristen asleep in his bed. However now I need to put Ben to bed which happens to be in Luke's room. The problem is I have to let him cry to sleep soo.. I move sleeping Kristen to her bed..get Luke to wake up enough to shift to the extra bed in her room and then when Ben falls asleep later I move Luke back to his bed(per his request or I'd just leave him). Almost done now..Usually in the middle of the night sometime here comes Kristen who tries to climb in our bed.
I take her back to her bed and in the morning...can you guess which bed I find her in..Luke's. Luckily he doesn't mind--I think it makes him feel kind of cool Her Royal Highness has chosen him (over the other two brothers) to find comfort with.

As you can imagine this game has gotten old real quick. So a couple of days ago about 10:30pm it dawned on us that maybe we should just rethink this whole situation. We start taking the crib down right then and we moved Ben so he now has his own room where he can cry and not disturb anyone..Then we put her toddler bed in Luke's room. So far so good. I guess Kevin wanted to play this game too.. hopefully we can fix that too.

Not again!

I'm SO not ready for this---
Ben went from crawling to pulling himself on things in about a week. He is only 6 months old!!! He kind of skipped the whole sitting up process. Kristen pulled this exact same stuff too and was walking at 8 months. NOOOO! I'm probably the only parent that finds no delight in there advanced achievements but truly wishes their kids would stay immobile for the 1st year of life. Did I mention he already climbs too. He keeps getting stuck places-- for example:

Why is it my kids are advanced in areas I don't want them to be but in the areas that would be useful like let's see maybe.. Talking or perhaps retaining the alphabet maybe would be good too.
But no I have little monkeys that can scale any apparatus at pretty much birth or can sniff out any form of sugar or sweets within a mile radius. I love them all so much but come on!!!

Pictures

I have had requests for pictures and it has taken me awhile. I was going to wait until each room was totally clean but that doesn't seem to happen at the same time ever so here they are and just ignore the stuff on the floor. I will add the bedrooms later it takes forever for my computer to load these photos.

You know what's Great?!

1. No more feeling like the little old woman in the shoe--With kids busting out the windows!

2. No longer having to share one bathroom..No longer hearing banging on the door and yells of HURRY UP I HAVE TO GO NOW!! No more whining OH MAN DAD's in there..it will be forever!

3. Having more than 2 people in the kitchen and still being able to move and without even bumping into each other!!

4. Not having to be the Quiet police when a child is napping. They now can go to a whole other floor and not be able to hear anything!

5. Not being able to see everyone from anywhere in my house. I actually have to look for my kids sometimes instead of tripping over them!!

6. Having great friends, family, and neighbors who have helped us pack,move,remove wallpaper,fix a wall,unpack, and arrange rooms.

I'm sure I will have more things I find to be great but here is my list for now.
THANKS WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Ode to Sleep

Dear friend who I used to know
Oh I enjoyed our time together so

Your visits are never long enough these days
I go through my week in a tired haze

Our off and on relationship over the past 3 years is rough
Going without you is really very tough

Oh how I long to know you again
But alas I have Kristen and Ben!

I just want to express my gratitude for my Father in Heaven. He has truly watched over us in this whole process. After 4 years of showings, and open houses, and endless frustration I always felt comforted. I should have been completely losing my mind or angry with life( OK I did have some moments like that) but overall I really felt that I was being comforted and given the patience and support to keep on.

Over a year ago I received a blessing and in it the statement that stuck with me was that we would be blessed with our desires and in a way that we would know and everyone around us would know that Heavenly Father made this happen. I was surprised by this and thought OK it must be time to sell our house. Well the year slowly passed and I thought maybe I was wrong. I had another blessing recently and it said to not worry about my house that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. So I geared up for another year in the trenches.Well now I can say that this blessing has come and it is in a way that we know Heavenly Father's hand is in it. We have felt guided along this process. I don't think it is a coincidence the house we happen to love is the house we could move into with only 2 weeks notice. I don't know why now and not any of the past 4 years. I may never know that for sure but it is a testament to me that 1. God's time is not our time. 2. Endure it well because all these trials are just for a moment in the eternal outloook. 3. Trust in Heavenly Father because he knows what's best for us way better than we do.

So most of you know but to those who don't we move out July 29th to our new house and I can't wait! OK now back to packing.
http://sibcycline.com/webphotos/listnet/CIN/1132533_1.jpg

Alleluiah!!

Well after 4 years, 3 almost sells, 2 realtors, and about 100 showings we have sold our house!!! I'm still waiting for them to call and tell me this is just a joke and it isn't really going to happen. The inspection is tomorrow and if that goes well IT'S DONE! They are paying cash(which I'm not even going to ask how they have that much cash) so I don't have to wait for financing.

The big catch to all this is ,the thing they wouldn't budge on, we are closing July 23rd and they want us out July 30th!! What! That gives us about 20 days to find a house and move. So instead of Hurry up and wait we did wait...wait...wait...wait....wait...HURRY UP!!!! But I definitely will not complain at this answer to our prayers. We are long familiar with the fact things happen in God's time and in His way so we will just get busy while we continue to offer thanks to our Heavenly Father.

Thanks for all the prayers and fasting in our behalf!

Belated Birthday Wishes

I have to apologize to my mother in law. I did a tribute for both my parents and father in law on their birthdays and well my hiatus of blogging and her birthday coincided so I missed it but I am doing it now and I guess late is better than never. So here are the thoughts of everyone.

Kevin: I like that even though I am grown up my mom still checks up on me and is interested in what I am doing and how I am doing.

Heather: She is a great second mother, friend, doctor, and advice giver. She has saved me endless times when I am about to lose it and the phone rings out of no where and she invites me and the kids over.

Luke: She cooks good. She let me go over after school whenever I wanted and talked to me about stuff at school or the sports I was playing.

Ryan: She makes really good meat on Sundays when we go over. She is nice to me.

Colin: I like to go over to her house and I like all the food she makes us. There is always tons of good stuff when we go there.

Kristen: She has a lot of Veggietale movies I love!

Ben: She cleans off my cradle cap so I don't look like I'm shedding.

Another one bites the dust..

It has been reaffirmed this week in our home that we are not good pet people. We had a loss this week--Colin bought a fish last year for his birthday and after 6 months of different names he settled on Colin Jr.Unfortunately he is now gone. Now I know this is not shocking to anyone who has seen the murky water he often found himself swimming in but that's not what sealed his fate. As a true Richards' he died of stubbornness. Kevin was cleaning his bowl and he would not go into the little dish to await his fresh water. Instead he kept swimming to the end of the bowl where the water was no longer.. let's just say he had a little too much fresh air.

We broke the news to Colin and he appeared very sad--for about 30 seconds and then replies Well I guess I can get that mouse I wanted now. Umm wait..what..

We have gone through about 4 or 5 fish, a hamster, and 2 turtles. All but the turtles ended up dead and that's probably just because they ran away! I like the idea of pets, the whole thing where it gives your kids a sense of responsibility and a companion but it's the application of it that I can't stand. You see we get the pet-pet is fun for about a week-comes time to feed, clean out cage or bowl and suddenly it is now Mom or Dad's pet. I have 5 kids I don't need another thing to feed, take to the doctor, keep up with shots, and potty train with the inevitable "accidents" to clean up. So for now I will enjoy being pet free . I feel a little more free already!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORRIE!


C - Crafty and creative(you always have a great idea and cute creations from food to knick knacks)

O- Organized! You can plan any event with the best little details.

R- Rescuer-(You rescue me many a Sunday with my children-who like you better than me-your way more fun)

R- Really dedicated and great friend

I- Intrinsically funny-You have a great sense of humor

E- Educator of young minds(you are a great teacher)


I hope you have a great birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAURA!!

On my birthday Maura posted some really nice comments about me that made my day. I hope this puts a smile on her face on her birthday!

M aker of awesome cards or mexican food lover (you have great taste in food and are incredibly creative)
A mazing friend (you have been a great friend to so many and are an unfailing support)
U nderstanding ( you always have advice and compassion for those around you)
R unner of marathons! (I'm still amazed with your marathon running-you are inspiring but not quite enough for me want to do it too)
A wesome sense of humor- (you have a quick wit and can make any situation fun)

I hope you have a great birthday with lots of chocolate and rest!!

7 More Reasons..

Here are 7 more reasons my family may like Star Wars too much. See 7 reasons for my previous list.

1. My kids can't name all the planets in our real solar system but they not only know all the names of the planets in Star Wars but also the climate on all the planets. All weather conditions have a corresponding planet that they can play they are on that "level". If it is raining then they are on Kamino, if it is snowing they are on Hoth, if the sun is setting and appears orange it is Tatooine.
2. Some little girls push their dolls or stuffed animals around in little strollers but not ours. She is pushing the Tie Fighter(Darth Vader's ship) in hers.
3. My table has been completely taken over by Star Wars legos. It is a permanent landing pad. In order to eat dinner we have to remove all the ships or cities that are covering it or for lunch and breakfast they just scoot them all to the middle. This is not the centerpiece I envisioned on my table. I didn't have a picture of them on my table but imagine all these and more sitting in front of you while you are eating your breakfast.
4. When I was talking to them about pets they decided how cool it would be if they could have a taun taun (that thing Luke rides in the snow) or even better their very own ewok. This one actually works for me because I don't want a pet so if they continue just to want creatures that don't really exist I'm set.

5. It is not uncommon for a star wars movie to be playing on the TV while one is playing Star Wars Battlefront on the computer and the other playing Star Wars Lego on the gameboy. Most likey there are the corresponding toys all over the floor to go along with whatever episode is on.

6. They are way to pleased with Ben's name. After inquiring I realized that they liked it because he was like Ben Kenobi. Blast! They got a Star wars name after all. I'm sure this was Kevin's secret plan as well. It was way to easy to get him to get over his "No names that can be shortened rule".

7. One of my children approached me and said "Do you want to hear what I memorized". I'm thinking sure is it a scripture, an article of faith maybe. OK no- how about something from scouts or school. Nope. He memorized the Jedi Code. OK I wasn't really aware that there was actually a written code but apparently there is and it's quite detailed. I'm listing it not because I really think that anyone wants to read it but merely to show the length of it.

Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy.

Jedi use their powers to defend and to protect, never to attack others.

Jedi respect all life, in any form.

Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy.

Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

I can't imagine the amount of time it takes to memorize something word for word that really has absolutely no application in the real world. I'm sure Kevin would adamantly disagree with this and in fact have an argument how this code has some deep spiritual focus that can keep you centered in life.

Two Birthdays

Luke and Kristen recently had birthdays so here are some pictures from the festivities.

Every year Luke wants Angel Food Cake and with nothing on it. One year we made it all fancy with cool whip and strawberries all arranged on top--he looked at it and informed us unhappily that we ruined his cake! Less is more I guess.

My attempt at Rita's Butterfly cupcakes. Kristen got a stroller which she loves and put her doll from Grandma in it. The doll looks like a little mini Kristen.

Birthday girl going for a ride on Grandpa who she calls Pa-pee.

Grouchy Smurf

I went to post something yesterday but was stopped again by having to clean up an enormous mess. I look up and Kristen looks at me and I notice her mouth is completely blue.









She got in the super industrial food coloring-the stuff you get at a cake store to really make the icing bright. I quickly survey the damage. She had gotten some on the counter then stepped in it, proceeded to then slide down the counter leaving bright blue streaks. The boys come running to see what's going on and then quickly leave the scene of the crime as they see I am not happy! Well in their rush they didn't notice they had stepped in it and there were these footprints on my freshly cleaned carpets. You see we put are house back on the market Mon. got the carpets cleaned on Thurs. and I'm scrubbing them on Fri.(blueberry poptart gone awry) and then again on Sun. where it looks live over sized smurfs were running through my living room. It was like this crazy epidemic- blue was everywhere and nobody knew how it was getting there. It was on their arms, the wall, and my hands and feet. The more you scrubbed the more it spread-- just how it was intended to do in coloring icing. I do love the Smurfs and I do love the the color blue BUT COME ON!!!

Updates

Over the past two months at our own personal Guantanamo Bay the sleep deprivation torture is working quite well in breaking down the leaders. Kevin jokes that water boarding is next. I'm telling you it's good I don't hold any secrets of great importance because I would sing like a bird if asked. Despite all this we have tried to have some family fun and enjoy our newest member little Ben.
For our Family Night treat we made Yoda Soda which the kids loved. Thanks Corrie for the fun Star Wars cookbook. We have also tried the Han-Burgers and the Wookie Cookies.
Another Family night was when Ben experienced his first rousing game of UNO. You can see he isn't happy about losing-- He already fits in with his brothers.

We tried the Transformer kit for dying eggs this year. It turned out to just be a sheet of stickers you could put on the eggs and some color tablets.
What? I'm just talking to him-- I promise I didn't just stick my cup in his mouth like usual--it was just my fingers this time.