Valentine's Day 2011

I had a busy valentines day yesterday, but we had so much fun! I made fruit smoothies for the kids for breakfast, which is their favorite breakfast (they all agree on something)! As I made the lunches for the school aged kids, I cut their sandwiches in hearts. Then for dinner we had heart and flower shaped pancakes and bacon (they all also love having breakfast for dinner).

After the older kids went to school, the younger two and I went and delivered some Valentines to some friends. Andrew and Mady wanted to do Valentines like their brothers, so we filled out some and gave them to friends. Then we went and met Paul for lunch. Andrew had filled out some of the valentines for people that work with him, so we had to hand deliver them. Andrew chose a hamburger joint for lunch....one of those that you sit in your car to eat. We had a wagon in the back for our later plans. He sat in the wagon and ate his lunch (yep, he is goofy).

Andrew decided that he wanted to just sign the From: section of the rest of the cards and hand them out where ever we go that day. Our plans were to go to the zoo after lunch for a while. We knew we didn't have time to stay long (Caleb gets home at 2:30), but I was planning on getting our annual pass, so we planned on going back again this week.

We got to the zoo and as I stood at the entrance filling out our information for the annual pass, Andrew stood next to me armed with an envelope of valentines. He chased to give them to the people coming in, and he gave one to the lady at the ticket window. They went on and on about how sweet he was to give a stranger a valentine card. We did have one older lady who kept trying to give it back. She didn't understand what he was trying to do, and he was very insistent that she take it. She finally said "But Mady won't have a card" (the Hello Kitty valentines had Mads name on them, Toy Story had AJ's name). I explained that he had planned the day before to take all of his valentines and hand them out to everyone he came across. You could see the sternness in her face melt and she came around the counter to give him a hug and thank him.

The first half of the short visit consisted of Andrew literally chasing people down to give them cards. He was not so much interested in the animals as he was giving away his cards. When he would give them to little kids (Mads age and younger) he wanted to give them kisses. He snuck one in before I could stop him (actually I HAD stopped him, but he got away and kissed the baby anyway). After apologizing for him entering the babies personal space, we moved on. Needless to say, he was a hit at the zoo yesterday!

Mady LOVED the zoo. This was the first time she has been and really understood what she was looking at. We ended up not taking the wagon in because we were going to be there such a short amount of time. They did great without it! Mady was so excited about the animals that she would hold my hand until she saw a new animal, take off to see it and then come back and grab my hand when it was time to walk again. There was no complaining, just lots of squealing and laughing.

She especially liked the "Big Ducks" (aka the emu's). Paul and I figure it was because they remind her of Big Bird. But, she saw them, didn't even care about the zebras that were with them, and started laughing, saying "big duck" and quacking over and over. She also kept saying the big tiger was a "Beaux Beaux" (which means dog) and would not go near him. He was lying down most of the time. When he lifted his head (even though he was looking away), Mady's mouth dropped and she started slowly taking steps backwards.

She also liked the elephants. They were standing just on the other side of the big ditch that seperates them from the fence we were behind. She did not want to go near the fence, but was very excited to watch from further back. One of the elephants kept talking and swinging his trunk and she thought that was pretty funny!

We are going back today. Our weather is so awesome right now (70s and sunny) that we want to be outside. After seeing how excited they were, and the fact that Mads slept until after 7 this morning (and she was woken up then), I think it is a good thing to do (and it is free now). Our zoo actually lets you bring in food and drinks, so we are going to take a picnic lunch with us. Andrew and Mady are both excited about going back.

My Perfectly Imperfect Life

On my favorite radio station, they have a contest every year where listeners submit their love story and artist Matthew West writes a love song for the winner. While our love story was not submitted, I could swear this song was written for us. Here are the lyrics:

I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING
By MATTHEW WEST

HAD A PICTURE IN MY HEAD
OF HOW I THOUGHT IT OUGHTTA GO
BUT LOOK WHO SHOWED UP INSTEAD
TURNS OUT YOU NEVER KNOW
LOVE WILL STEAL YOU BY SURPRISE
TAKE YOUR HEART JUST LIKE A THIEF
LOVE CAN BRING A STUBBORN MAN
DOWN TO ONE KNEE

I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING
IT’S PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
SO CRAZY BUT IT’S WORTH IT
I’M WRAPPED AROUND YOU LIKE THIS RING
AND SOMETHING TELLS ME EVEN IF I COULD
I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING


LOVE WILL SHOW YOU WHAT YOU LACK
LOVE WILL LAUGH AT ALL YOUR PLANS
AND IF YOUR HEART WON’T GIVE IT BACK
LOVE WILL SLIP RIGHT THROUGH YOUR HANDS
HEAVEN KNOWS WE’VE HAD OUR SHARE
OF DAYS WE’D RATHER LEAVE BEHIND
BUT LOVE DON’T REALLY SEEM TO CARE
IT MAKES THE WRONG TURNS TURN RIGHT

I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING
IT’S PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
SO CRAZY BUT IT’S WORTH IT
I’M WRAPPED AROUND YOU LIKE THIS RING
AND SOMETHING TELLS ME EVEN IF I COULD
I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING

I’M TRULY, DEEPLY, MADLY, COMPLETELY
DEVOTED EVERY MOMENT UNTIL MY LAST BREATH I’M YOURS

I GOT A PICTURE IN MY HEAD
A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW
ALL OUR LINES HAVE ALL BEEN READ
AND WE’RE BOTH UP THERE LOOKING DOWN

Our perfectly imperfect life together started over 15 years ago. We were in high school together. We spent endless hours when we were dating talking about how our life would be together and the family we would build. Of course, when people create these pictures, they are always "picture perfect." My picture perfect life was me and him being in love forever with our own family. The thing noone ever tells you about planning your picture perfect life is that this "picture" you have can't show what is around all of the corners of the windy road that gets you where you want to be. That windy road is not always an easy road, and it hasn't always been for us.

at our prom


But, I can still say that I have my picture perfect life. I have a wonderful husband who treats me like a princess on a daily basis. I NEVER wonder how he feels about me because he tells me constantly. If he could give me everything in the world, I have no doubt he would. Not because he thinks that is the only way I know he loves me, but because he would do anything to put a smile on my face. He makes me laugh until I cry. He is my best friend and I have no problem or complaint about spending all of my time with him. Fifteen years later, I am more certain now than I was then that he is THE ONE I want to be with for the rest of my life. I can definitely see us growing old together and it makes me excited about what is to come in our lives together.

And, I have a beautiful family! I have five wonderful and gorgeous kids. It can be a very frustrating job sometimes, but all of the other moments make all of the work worth it! I have the best job in the world and my hubby works extra hard so that I can stay home and be with them.

Sure, there are days we don't want to remember, but the days we do want to remember far outweigh and overshadow those. I am very lucky to have met the man I want to be with forever at an early age. Our life together will never be "perfect", but I can honestly say that I would not change anything we have gone through in the past. Those hardships are what got us where we are today. Each hardship made our love for each other stronger. Our love is perfectly imperfect and I wouldn't have it any other way!

First Valentine's Dance

Last night Caleb and I went to the Mother/Son, Father/Daughter Valentines Day Dance at school. I was not really sure what I was getting myself in to, but it was a good night! It started off with us going to the car to leave. When I walked outside, Caleb opened my door for me. He even let me get ALL THE WAY IN the car before he shut the door (I was kinda nervous for my foot/leg). When we got to the dance and we were getting out, I opened my door and he lectured me that HE was supposed to do that!

I never would have guessed how emotional it would be for me. I know, I sound crazy. But, other than Caleb's band concert the middle of December, this is the first time I have really seen him in the school setting since he started middle school. I caught myself by surprise. First off, we walk in and I see all of these Dads slow dancing with their daughters. That is enough sweetness to get anyone feeling sentimental! He just seemed so much older when we were in that room full of kids his age.



We walked around the dance for a few minutes, just checking things out. Then he went and fixed me a plate of fruit. As I am standing there eating my fruit, I really start looking at everyone there. The dance was "Sunday best" attire. Most of the boys and the parents were in their Sunday best, but I was pretty shocked by what the girls wear to church. It was looking a lot more like prom than a middle school dance! There are girls at all stages of development wearing strapless dresses, dresses that barely cover their bottoms, dresses that looked like second skin, etc. And some of the dancing going on....I wanted to throw my coat over my sons eyes and lead him out of the dance!

Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad! But it DID look more like prom and the girls were spending a lot of time pulling their strapless dresses back up where they are supposed to be! The dancing would not have been bad if the dresses were more bouncing friendly (they were REALLY short dresses). As a girl, I can understand the girls excitement of dressing up for a dance. It was funny listening to the girls complain about how uncomfortable their heels were! GET USED TO IT GIRLS!

The funniest part was seeing the MOM's that were in THEIR formal gowns! There were only a couple, but you had to wonder if they were living vicariously through their children or if this is really what they wore to church. Maybe all of these people wear formals to church every Sunday. If it is what they wear to church, I might want to visit their church from time to time. It would give me a reason to dress up!

Caleb spent over half of the dance by my side. He left several times and came back with cookies or cake or drinks or some kind of goodies for me. He didn't even get himself anything most of those times, he just got stuff for me. I kept telling him if he wanted to go find his friends he could (by this time most of the parents are on the sidelines and the kids are with their friends). He kept saying that was okay. After the third or fourth time of me telling him I didn't mind if he found his friends he says "This is a mother/son, father/daughter dance, not a friend dance." I got a HUGE smile, gave him a hug and didn't mention it again. After a while longer though, he took off. He would come back every now and again and check on me and see if I wanted anything.

He mentioned dancing on songs like "Whip My Hair" and the Cuban Shuffle. I sat those out and told him I would go for more of the slow dances. He wasn't around for most of those ;) He came up at the last song with a handful of M&M's. The song was "Butterfly Kisses". EVERYONE was dancing with their kids. I commented that he should be dancing with me, so he popped some candy in his mouth, put his arms around me (my arms and everything) and started swaying so hard that I almost fell over (with no hands available to catch myself with). Then he stopped, popped a few M&M's in his mouth, grabbed me the same way and "danced" the same way. He did this throughout the entire song.

When the dance was over and we left he said he was going to race me to the car and took off. He beat me to the car, but as he started to open his door he said "OH YEAH!" and ran to my door. On the way home he thanked me for coming with him and I thanked him for inviting me. Then he asked me if I would go with him next year :D

It really was fun to spend the evening with him. While him being in middle school is MUCH more real for me, as is the fact that he is growing up, I was reminded that teenagers today are still a lot like teenagers when I was one. It is still about being with your friends and having fun.

I am feeling better about when he starts to date, which he says will be NO later than the eighth grade (although he said he will have girlfriends before then). I was very impressed with his attentiveness and manners while we were out. I can only hope if he HAS to go out with girls, he treats them as well as he treated me last night! I felt proud that he has such a great father that treats me so well and teaches his children, by example, how to treat girls (and how to expect to be treated by boys in Mads case).

Hiking Pictures

Upside of Having Big Brothers....

When you get tired of hiking, someone will be willing to give you a ride. Sometimes, they will even CRAWL THROUGH THE WOODS with you on their back! Yes, having big brothers is great (just remember that when they are stealing your girlfriends and running off your boyfriends!)

What is in a (Nick)name?

I read an article this week about a book (I am not going to put the name of the book or the author because I don't want the search traffic) in which the author discusses how the "princess obsession" that little girls go through is unhealthy. The article starts with "Is our daughters' obsession with all things ultra-girly unhealthy?" I came out of the article a little annoyed. Obviously, everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is her opinion, which I am NOT criticizing. I just don't agree. Also, I have not read the book, so I am only going by the article about the book. (I am going to see if the library has the book though-maybe I will have a different feeling towards it after I read the entire thing)

She says "Instead of staving off the pressure on girls to judge themselves by how they look, and to become too sexy too soon, I think it pushes them toward it." She also says "The Cinderella-Belle phase feeds into the Miley Cyrus-Hannah Montana juggernaut-then Miley goes from wearing a promise ring to wearing a bustier and dancing in a cage."

Here is my problem with this thinking. First off, my daughter will not sit down and watch a full 30 minute toddler show, so, she has not seen any of the "Princess" movies. She still likes to pick out her own clothes and likes to wear tutu's and pink and jewelry. If she has been influenced by someone to want to wear these things it would be MY influence, not the movies. I buy her clothes and I DO buy a lot of pink (and after four boys would you expect anything different, especially since I LOVE the color pink). She has a ballerina room, and has tutus all over it. I don't think that is pushing her to dress sexy. If it is pushing her to something it would probably be ballet!

Secondly, how does my daughter wanting to be ultra girly mean that she is going to turn in to a girl that is going to dress "too sexy too soon"? It is not the small child's imagination that leads to this. It IS partially what they see as they get older, but why are the parents allowing their daughter to dress like this? Miley Cyrus was at an age where her parents should have not allowed her to dress the way she did. Just because Miley Cyrus is allowed, doesn't mean that I have to allow my child to dress like that.

My son likes to act like he is a superhero. Does that mean he is going to grow up to be a Chip and Dale dancer? Is he going to dress in tights all of his life and give lap dances because I let him make believe that he is a superhero? He likes to shoot things, even if he doesn't have a gun in his hand. Does that mean he will be a murderer?

How about we put the blame where the blame should be. If parents are going to allow their children to dress too sexy for their age, then it is the PARENTS fault for their child dressing this way. Yes, it is hard when the media is constantly saying you should be stick thin and dress like this and look like that. And, yes kids will be kids and try to sneak out in what they want to wear, what their friends are wearing. Even if you don't allow certain pieces of clothing into your house (like the super short skirt or the low cut shirt) they can still get their hands on them when you are not around. This is not a new problem. What happened to parents teaching self-confidence and that you don't have to look a certain way. Why can't parents sit down with their children (male or female) and watch things with them and then discuss why it is important to be happy with who you are regardless of what you look like or what other people say about you.

Why can't we let our children's imaginations soar? We are so worried of what they MIGHT do when they are older. Teens being rebellious is nothing new. Kids are going to try to test their limits and see what they can get away with. They start that EARLY on! That is why my one year old will stare at me when she goes to do something she KNOWS she is not supposed to do! This is how they learn. I don't think that stifling their imagination is going to change who they become, as long as we, as parents, teach them the difference between real and make-belief. I don't recall Cinderella or Belle, or any of the other princesses that little girls look up to wearing inappropriate clothing or lingerie.

Yes, there are parents out there that go over the top. Like these pageant shows for little girls. Where they are wearing "flippers" (pieces they put over their spaced out teeth that make them have a perfect smile) and tons of makeup and wigs. Some of them even wear inappropriate costumes. THIS is where I see children growing up with pressure to judge themselves (and be judged) on how they look. They are also a completely different person on the outside during the pageants. Their looks are usually COMPLETELY transformed! Is this teaching them that they are not pretty enough the way they are naturally, so we have to make them look like a different person for the stage?

In my opinion it all comes down to how they are raised and what the parents let them learn, believe and get away with. I will allow my daughter to watch Princess movies if she wants to. I will let my daughter wear pink everyday if she chooses. She can wear her tutus and her jewelry and her dress-up clothes. She can carry her purse wherever she wants.

(an exclusive from the Mady collection)


But, I will do my best to teach her to love herself for who she is. I will teach her that it is okay to have what others might see as flaws. I will try to give her what she needs to have a healthy self-esteem and self-confidence. I will tell her everyday that she is beautiful and loved. I will do my best to teach her to have a good attitude and to be friendly and forgiving. I will teach her that she is a daughter of the King (aka a Princess) and that she should portray that in how she acts and dresses. I will do my best to teach her to become a Godly woman, wife and mother.

Most of all, I will continue to call her my Princess. It is a term of endearment. That doesn't mean she will always get everything she wants. She will not always get her way. She will not grow up thinking she is "entitled" because we call her Princess. She will grow up with the same rules and expectations that her brothers will grow up with.

After all, nicknames don't make an attitude.

Rapunzel

I am enjoying watching the relationship blossom between Andrew and Mady. It is so neat to see them becoming such good friends and playmates.

Mady loves ALL of her brothers. When they leave in the morning she stands at the door with Andrew and they scream "huggy huggy, kissy kissy, have a great day, I love you" to each of them as they get on the bus. When she hears the bus in the afternoon she runs to the door squealing.

Mady and Andrew are together ALL the time though, so it is natural that they would either hate each other or love each other. I am happy to report that it is LOVE! I know this could all change, so I am going to enjoy it while I can. Andrew is a very loving child to begin with. He is constantly giving hugs and kisses to ANYONE! He doesn't care if he knows you or not. He is not biased, he believes EVERYONE should be loved! I LOVE that about him (Isaac is like that too)!

When they watch movies together, they sit side by side. He often annoys her with his constant need to hug her and hold her hand and have his arm around her. She squeals and screams until I make him move. A few minutes later though, she is moving to where he is.

He will bring out his pillow and blanket and they will lie on the floor together to watch a movie. If he is playing his handheld game and she wants it, he will gladly give it to her. Sometimes he will come and whine that Mady took his game. I will make her give it back, but as soon as her lip comes out he gives her a hug and tells her she can play with it! She is the ONLY person other than him that can play with his Toy Story toys!

It makes him very mad if someone calls her a "bad girl". One of the older boys was in the kitchen doing homework the other day and Mady tried to take his homework from him. He said "No, Mady! Bad girl! Give me my homework." Andrew was in the living room. As soon as he heard "bad girl" he came RUNNING to the kitchen yelling "She is NOT a bad girl! She is MY girl!" Then he gave her a hug and took her hand and led her back to the living room, while telling her she was a good girl AND a "very pretty girl."

I was getting on to her in the car because she likes to pull her earrings out of her ears when she is in her carseat. I did not even say she was a bad girl. I said "it is bad to pull your earrings out, it will hurt your ears" trying to explain to a one year old (I know....WHY?) why we should not pull on our earrings. Andrew, in a very exasperated voice says "SHE. IS. NOT. A. BAD. GIRL!! Don't call MY girl bad." Between laughs I tried to explain to the three year old (again...WHY am I trying to explain things to them?) that I was not saying SHE was bad!

Earlier today Andrew and Mady were playing together in Andrew's room. Andrew came out and stayed out, but I never saw Mady and she was being quiet. I asked Andrew where she was. "I don't know where she is." So, I went to investigate.

The kids door knobs are turned backwards because a certain little boy kept locking the doors with noone in the room to unlock them. When I got to his door and noticed it was locked I KNEW he had locked her in. I opened the door. She was lying in his bed (happily).

He had followed me to his room, so I turned and asked why he locked her in his room.

"Because, I was going to come back and play with her later!"

I told him she was not Rapunzel and we can not lock her up and hide her away (especially since her hair is so short still). Then, since he didn't know who Rapunzel was (guess he needs to go to the movies), I asked how the toys in Toy Story 3 felt when they got locked up by the mean toys. He said it made them very sad and they missed Andy. I told him that she was not a toy and he was not Buzz, so he could not lock her up. He said he WAS Buzz (my mistake) but, he seemed to understood that and said he still wanted to play with her later.

A New, Revolutionary Diet

For many, with a new year come new resolutions. Personally, the only resolution I have made in MANY years was 2009. I made a resolution to lose a substantial amount of weight by the end of April. I accomplished that New Year's resolution on April 19th, when Madeleine was born. I KNEW it was a resolution I could keep!

One of the most popular resolutions we hear is to lose weight. Was that YOUR resolution?

If so, I can help! It is a revolutionary new diet that works so well I have lost weight and have not even been trying (FOR REAL)! For a minimal fee, YOU TOO can experience this life-changing experience!

It is a simple diet with a not-so-easy-to-follow plan.

All you have to do is borrow my Madeleleine for a while. If you as much as glance in the general direction of the kitchen she will be in it. She will whine and whine until you give her food. The best part, and this is why the diet works so well, is that if you actually have the audacity to eat without feeding her what you have....well let's just say you don't want to hear or see what happens!

You are probably thinking "well, I can just feed her BEFORE I attempt to eat, so the diet won't really work!" That is what is so great about this diet. She doesn't care if she has been eating non-stop all day. Somehow, she finds somewhere to store more food. I have fed her her entire dinner before I sat down to eat. I had her cleaned up and playing when I sat down and she still climbed into her high chair next to me. She will literally take the food right out of your mouth if you are not careful! She has no problem stealing the food off the fork on the way to your mouth. And the food on your plate....it is NEVER safe!



Some common side-effects include, but are not limited to: closet eating, gray hair, exhaustion, frustration, love, smiles, laughter and joy!

Now, I need to get busy figuring out a diet for this little diet of mine!

Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve...making cookies to leave for Santa:












We had another wonderful Christmas with the kids. I LOVE seeing the excitement in their eyes when they are opening their presents! Makes all the hard work more than worth it.

Santa came and enjoyed the milk and cookies the kids decorated. The kids all loved their gifts from him. Caleb and Isaac got a new computer. They were so excited when they came out and saw it. Their old one was OLD OLD and VERY slow. They can actually do their school projects on this one!

Bryce got a DSi from Santa. He had things on his list like an MP3 player, a camera, games, etc on his list and he got ALL of those in one system. He has enjoyed everything the DSi has to offer more than the games he can play on them (don't get me wrong, he likes playing the games too). It has a recorder on that you can speed up or slow down when you playback. He has had so much fun recording things and playing them back goofy sounding. He even takes the music we put on it for him and plays with it.

Andrew got the iXL game system. It is made for little kids and you can put games, music, pictures, etc on it and you can also color and listen to stories on it. Of course he got Toy Story for it (and Handy Manny, but all he cares about is Toy Story). We added the Toy Story soundtrack to it, along with a bunch of other songs. He basically listens to "Woody's Roundup" and "You've Got a Friend In Me" over and over. He likes to to take pictures of all of his siblings and "color" them by scribbling all over their face. He finds if very amusing!

Madeleine got a pink kitchen. She has played with that constantly (so have her brothers - ALL of them)! We constantly have play dishes and food scattered around the house. I put some of it up because I was tired of picking it all up. Her kitchen is right by my kitchen. It worked out just as I hoped, she spends more time playing with HER kitchen while I am in mine and less time pulling things out and whining about food!

They got more toys and stuff from us, but the Santa stuff is always the big stuff and what they spend most of their time playing with.















Caleb got a tent for Christmas and wanted to try it out the day after Christmas (even though our low was 20 that night). So, he set up the tent and helped Isaac and Bryce get their stuff out in it (YES, he actually invited them to join him). Dad felt sorry for them because it was so cold, so he went and made a firepit for them to use. While he was doing that, I ran to the store to pick up some warm hats and gloves, and of course all of the supplies you would need for SMORES!! This time they were REAL smores, not the city smores we have done in the past!

I loved having all of my family home for two and a half weeks! It was nice to just spend our days chilling and playing and not having to rush off anywhere. Now, we have to get back into the daily grind of life!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.