Cool Summer Days

We've got one week left of school

and ready for lazy days in the sun.

We thought we'd get some practice in

by stayin' cool and havin' fun.

If that means sharin' popsicles

with a small sibling or two.

Then I'll ask mom for another to eat

and then share it with you!

*Simplistic poem by Summer

Goin' for a test drive.

While I was checking email I heard Tarryn and Makade laughing hysterically. As the laughter was getting louder I figured I had to see what mischief they had Kellan into. Tarryn and Makade decided to have some fun so they put 10 month Kellan on Corban's 4 wheeler. As you can see Kellan is fearless and ready to greet any new adventure head on. He now constantly crawls over to the 4 wheeler wanting on and I'm thinking we've created a monster.

To turn off the background music, go to the bottom of the web-page.

One Shining Star

Make-up, dressed up, twirling and
dancing in front of tons of people....
what 9 year old girl wouldn't feel in
her element? Tarryn did fabulous for
the world to see and you never
would've guessed this was her first time
on stage! Call me biased; Tarryn was the
star that shone the brightest. Now I
know we've found her niche to show
that glowing personality where
twirling is Tarryn's forte.









Thanks Britt, for bringing your
super cool close-up lense!

A picture worth a thousand words...

I guess no one told Hayden what the juice box said! Click on the picture to enlarge

Goin' to the Zoo

Lynda (Brandon's mom)

and Brittany (Brandon's sister)

were super courageous and took

the 3 under age 3 to the zoo last

Thursday so I could have a little break.

The boys had fun being with Grandma and "Aunt Bicky" they enjoyed hangin' out in their natural habitat among all the other jungle animals. They loved the train, and ran around to their hearts content, then crashed on the way home. Thanks Lynda and Britt for the much needed break. We should do it again real soon!

*wink wink*

Potty Language

Corban enthusiastically runs onto the platform of the stairs jumping up and down like a toddler on a mission.

Corban: Mom, I want a poo!

Thrilled that the day has finally come for potty training I rush over to the stairs,

Me: You want to go poo in the potty?

With sheer disgust on his face the bouncing stops...

Corban: No. I want a Pooh on a T.V.!

Who names a bear after a bowel movement anyway?!?

Showing Maturity

We were headed out the door so I asked Tarryn if she remembered deodorant because she had her hands stuck under her armpits 'Super Star' style. She replied with a simple, "Yes." So as I'm ushering the clan to the garage, Tarryn says, "Actually Mom, I couldn't find my deodorant so I used toothpaste because yesterday I tried lotion and it didn't work." I couldn't hold in the laughter and neither could she while she's telling me how her shirt keeps sticking to her underarms! We fixed the problem and left but I'm telling ya, that one's going in her baby book!

Making Room

Imagine yourself a parent on the edge after a long day of refereeing fights, cleaning the same messes over and over again, wondering why you even bothered to cook dinner, and holding on by a thread knowing that once you get the kids to bed you will finally get your long awaited 'ME' time before you retire for the evening. Imagine you have 2 toddler boys and a seven year old sharing a room together and one of them is on a trundle in the middle of the room. Depending on how well trained Mr. Rogers has you at make-belief you can probably hear the boys giggling, screaming, and even re-enacting '3 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.'



Now imagine that this goes on E V E R Y N I G H T! Enough said? I was a mad woman on a mission. I was going to solve every problem I possibly could without building 2 new separate rooms in a day. First I needed to address the main concerns.



~Give Hayden a more permanent place other than in the middle of the room and be able to continuously leave his bed out in the open.



~Coinciding with the aforementioned, make it so we can have permanent access to the closet especially on school days.



~Devise a way so the nocturnal beings can't make eye contact while lying in bed thus producing giggles and other noise.



~Keep the space open for play.



As you can see, I had my work cut out for me yet I'm proud to say I filled each and every need on the list. The bunks got moved to a different wall, the book case as well. Then the trundle fit like a glove in the window space and since it's low to the ground I don't worry about second story accidents.



I believe I now know how Einstein felt when he discovered the Atom Bomb, or when Newton found gravity; both men uncovered something that had always been there. This room re-arranging was a true epiphany for me and the boys love it! Not enough to give in to the Sandman quickly, but we hope time will slowly work a change on that!

Ring Around the Roseola

Apparently Roseola is one of those illnesses that often a child goes through without the parent's knowledge. I'm told this by our wonderful Doctor Dan as reassurance because of the stats in our home; my lack of awareness is 3:1. This sneaky little infirmity starts out as a high fever in children usually ranging from 6 months to 3 years for 3-7 days. Due to the fever, a child can become dehydrated or have loss of appetite but the fever is really the only symptom thus MY reasoning as to why parents probably mistake the illness for teething or something more common. Once the fever is gone, this lovely rash appears all over the trunk of the body; when this stage hits the child is no longer contagious. Doctor Dan says that the rash can consist of 2 dots on the skin or a complete connect-the-dot coloring book. Kellan was close to the latter. Hopefully Doctor Dan is correct that both Corban and Hayden have probably already had this illness without their mother's knowledge so we don't have to go the rounds with roseola!

Toddler Times Two

Since the time I was pregnant with Tarryn I've had a strong feeling that we would have 5 children. It's always seemed odd to me since all of my life I had pictured 3 children; which probably had to do with each of my siblings only having 3. After having Kellan (who is 100% angel), Brandon and I have doubted whether we could handle or even want five. Now we've got the chance to have a test run and see if we're truly fit to have enough kids to suit up and make a basketball team thanks to the privilege of having our nephew stay with us for a while.

Hayden is a wonderful little guy who tries hard to do the right thing and is aimed to please all(just don't take his toys). For a toddler he's really quite mellow....until you add Corban into the mix! Now not only does it seem that I've got 2 toddlers on my hands, but because of a variety of things including closeness in age (exactly 6 months apart minus a day), hair color, and height, I find myself with the likeness of having twins! I have 2 friends that have twins (VerNeita and Keeley, bless your hearts!) and I never knew it was THIS hard! I'm finding I never have enough arms, hands, or lap space to satisfy two toddlers and a baby. Everything seems to have doubled! Double the laundry, double the dishes, double the bumps and bruises, and double the story books at nap time. It wouldn't be fair unless I shared the other doubles I go through in a day. Double the hugs and kisses, double the giggles, and double the love to share.

Although we STILL aren't certain whether we could ever have five of our own, this is an adventure of a lifetime both Brandon and I are blessed to experience. We are positive the amount of inner growing potential for all involved is monumental!

Good Morning

Each morning for the last few weeks Corban has started a new routine. I first hear his door slam shut over the monitor (I don't even NEED the monitor to hear this racket), then comes the banging of my doors while he tries to open them, then the soft sound of sleepy feet dragging across the carpet. Now my favorite part comes without fail.

"Mom, can I way down wif you?" in the softest whisper a 3 year old can mutter, I turn to see these big brown eyes peering over the top of the bed.

"Sure buddy, climb on in." I mumble in my half awakened state. After being trodden on or climbed over (depending on the day) Corban lies down next to me and wraps his arms tight around my neck.

"Mmmmm, I gwad to see you Mom!" The words that start my heart for the day.

"I'm SOOO glad to see you Corban!"

Our daily routine wouldn't be complete without the final step. After we settle in and get cozy to drift off to sleep again, "Mom, sing me song." So I oblige, dry throat and all.