Happy Birthday, Jeannie!!

We love you and we miss you!

Cheesy Monkey.

Lily has gotten the idea of having her picture taken. Her grandpa would be proud. She says "Cheese!" when we snap her picture and as you can see we get a very cheesy smile. She then immediately says "See?" because she wants to see the picture I just took on the camera screen. What did we do before digital cameras?? She also makes a monkey sound (ooh ooh aah aah) when we ask her if she's a cheesy monkey. She's so adorable! Isn't she? Or am I a biased mother?

Stinker Noah.

This is a reenactment of Noah doing his pouty face. He usually does this face when he's mad or he doesn't get his way or when he just feels like being pouty. He usually makes sure he does it right in front of me to get a reaction out of me. This morning he did it to me because I wouldn't let him go outside until he had breakfast. This time I just smiled at him with a big cheesy smile. He said, "Oh man, it doesn't work anymore!" and walked away. AHA! Mom wins again!

Moving Day!

I'm tired. So tired. So very, very tired.
Lily must have run up and down the ramp to the moving van 300 times today. She called it the boom-boom. I think because it's noisy to walk on. Thanks Grandma Connie and Aunt Jill for running after Lily all day long.
Thanks, Mr. Rich, for bringing this big guy. It was a huge help.
I love this picture of the kiddos. We're all moved out and into our storage shed. Now we can do this all again in 3 weeks when we get our new house. Woo-Hoo!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

We love you and we miss you!

What Was I Thinking?????

Why didn't someone stop me? Why? Why? Why? Eight 6 year olds is a lot to have at one party. It all comes back to me being cheap. I don't want to shell out $200 to go to one of those party places where all you do is show up and have fun and everything else is magically taken care of by the birthday fairies. Every year, I say to myself, "I can do my own party for fifty bucks tops" and then halfway through we look at each other and say "why did we do this???!!?"


We had armpit noises, we belched the alphabet, all in all, there was a plethora of energy, if you will. In other words, COMPLETE AND UTTER CHAOS!!! Jackson totally checked out on us and I do not blame him. When we were inside he said, "Mom, if you need anything, I'll be outside." and when we were outside, "Mom, If you need anything, I'll be inside." Poor Lily just walked around looking shell-shocked. I did have one major 'I'm turning into my mother' moments. Noah gets tagged out while we're playing kickball and hides behind the bushes pouting and crying, (Em, you know where this is going...). Apparently he was under the impression that if you're the Birthday Boy, no rules apply. It was very similar incident that occurred 25 years ago involving a girl and a party and a relay race gone bad. So, I march over and in a very ugly frazzled voice say, "Noah, this is your party, you're going to get back over there now, and YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FUN (I did leave out the da*# it! on the end, though. Love you, mom!) Yes, history is repeating itself.

It was 8 on 1 in basketball with three balls in play. I'm sure you can figure who the "lucky 1" was.

I think we can say a fun time was had by all. We had a few cryers and one nuclear meltdown at the end when it was time to go home, so they must have had fun, especially Noah, and he is SO worth it! Happy Birthday, Noah, we love you. Whew! We were exhausted. I slept really good last night.

Track Day

Tug-O-War is easily the most popular competition every year, and man, do those older kids take it seriously. Jackson (or his bum) is the third one in.



and of course, the impending pile-up at the end! It's always a good sign that they're winning when they're on their backs and not being drug on their bellies!

Lily had the best view in the house.

Jackson doing the frisbee throw. A special thanks to those 2 sixth grade helpers in the outfield. They were the hardest working kids there, poor things.
Jackson running the relay race.
The three legged race is also a favorite. Both of my kids disappointed me this year. They both made it across the finish line without a single fall. No tumbles or tangle ups or dragging went on this year. Oh, well, there's always next year!
Jackson and Joel did great, they had their rhythm figured out.
Kindergarten tug-o-war. You can see the very serious expression on Noah's face. That's the look of pure concentration. Actually, he's probably looking at me, thinking, 'I hope she's getting a picture of this!" I'm not sure what he's doing with his foot. Leverage..yeah, that's it.

He's a thirsty boy.
Noah and Jarom. This is quite symbolic because these two might as well be attached at the hip all the time.
Noah doing some cup stacking. It's amazing how fast some of these kids can do this!


WHAT A FUN DAY!

Action Jackson.

The Nifty Fifty States Party.

Today, fourth grade had their Nifty Fifty States party. Each kid was assigned a state in which they did a report on. Today was the culmination of their projects. They had to bring a food that corresponded to their state and then had hot dogs as well. Jackson had South Carolina, whose #1 yielding crop turns out to be tobacco. We didn't think handing out smokes was appropriate, so we went for #2, peaches. I made a peach crisp which is in the upper row middle. Let's just say the peach crisp didn't turn out so crispy. I don't know what happened. It's a good thing 4th graders aren't too picky. It was fun to see what everyone brought. Some of them were a little questionable...did you know Jello is representative of Utah and that when I think of Nevada I think of chocolate donuts with sprinkles??? It was hilarious. I learned a lot. They were all very cute and so proud of what they brought.

After lunch, they sang about 4 or 5 patriotic songs. They sang a wonderful rendition of America The Beautiful and just about brought this mother to tears. I was looking around as they were singing and seeing all those young faces in so many different colors. It makes me so thankful to be in a town and school district that is so diverse, and that my kids get to be exposed to that. They all did such a great job.
Tomorrow we'll go back to the school for Track and Field Day. This is Noah's dream come true. He's had to watch Jack on this day from the sidelines for 6 long years and now he FINALLY gets a turn. He's so excited, especially for the tug-of-war. So, I'm sure I'll have pictures to post.

The Joy Of Push Pops.

Lily has discovered the joy of orange push pops. She likes them a lot. I tried one and they're just not as good as I remembered them being. I must be getting old.

Right In The Schnoz.

Noah shouts out a big thank-you to Aunt Emily in Austin for this fun water gun. You can move the poseable eyeballs to shoot in all directions. So far, this is his favorite position. It really doesn't look all that fun to me to have water squirting up your nose at 30 mph like that, but then I'm not a 6 year old boy with abundant energy and lots of time on his hands.

Noah's Party.

Noah has officially been added to our wall as a 6 year old. Every year, on their birthday, we mark their height on the wall. They like to see how much they've grown in a year. Luckily we thought to put it on a piece of molding so we can move it with us when we go. He grew a good 3-4 inches this last year!

And introducing... BlackBart! This was one of his favorite gifts. HIS FATHER picked out the guns. Apparently he used to have some just like it when he was little. It's undecided who played with them more, the birthday boy or his father. These have the little paper roll caps that you can shoot. I think they're stinky, but my husband kept saying, "hmmmm, smell that?" with a smile on his face. So, I think it was bringing back memories. In the picture below, Noah is giving his "meanest cowboy face."

Noah actually stood on his chair and "directed" us in singing the Happy Birthday Song. He was WIRED!!!

He got em' all out in one blow.
Noah got a new scooter, so he can stop borrowing his brother's!
Cowboy Noah! Yee Haw! Are your cowboys this cute in Texas, Em???????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOAH!!!!!

The Trial Of Mother Goose

Jackson had his play at school today. It was called The Trial Of Mother Goose. It was cute. They all did a great job. Jackson was Old King Cole's herald, so he got to do the whole "Hear ye, Hear ye" thing. It was great. Here are a few pictures.





The king above is his best friend, Jackson Middleton. They are oftened referred to as Jackson Mc. and Jackson Mi. (poor teachers).
The invited the Kindergarten classes to come and see it at the same time the parents did. Here is Noah and his buddies. (notice the birthday crown he got to wear all day!) Everyone had a great time. Good job Jackson!

Rub-A-Dub, Lily's In The Tub!

Yesterday, it was about mid morning and I hadn't gotten a shower yet. Usually I do it at night or when she takes a nap, but my schedule was all out of whack. I decided to go for it, even though Lily doesn't nap until afternoon. I put some toys on the bathroom floor, and thought to myself "I'll get in and get out. 5 Minutes tops. How much trouble could she get into?" So, I'm scrubbing my hair (with my eyes closed, of course.) and I hear "Hi, mommy!" I turn around and there she is, right in the tub with me, fully clothed of course. She has the sweetest smile on her face with those big brown eyes of hers. I love being a mommy!

Happy Birthday, Noah!

Noah had his annual birthday donut this morning. He's VERY excited. He says he won't technically be six until he blows out the candles on his cake tonight. He's already recieved a birthday phone call from grandma. After I announced he had a phone call, he just rolled his eyes, smugly, like, 'yeah...everybody wants to talk to me today.' He's having his family party tonight, then a party with friends next weekend. It's always good to spread it out as long as possible!

Awwwwwww......

What a cute little treasure chest. Jackson was eating his Oreos today at lunch and said he" felt something hard in his mouth and tried to bite it three times." So, he spit it out in his napkin. A Tooth! The little sucker popped right out, and he got to put it in this cute little treasure chest. Let me tell you, folks, the treasure isn't so pretty. Jackson wanted to put a picture of his tooth on the blog, but I said it was just too graphic for our viewers. Let's just say it involves lots of Oreo slime. Enough said.

Today Was A Good Day!!!!!!!

YaaaaaY! Today was a good day!! He has a new outlook on life, and it isn't so bad after all. I talked to Mrs. Towers after school and she said all the kids oohed and aahed over his new haircut and she said you could see the transformation in his face. She had recess duty today and apparently Noah and his friends quote "strutted" up to her and made her feel the top of his head and said," I've been running around all recess and my head didn't even get sweaty at all! I love my new haircut!" She also overheard him telling one of his friends that "professional athletes have their hair cut like his." So, it sounds like his self esteem was not permanently damaged. He even told me he thought his friends would probably have their hair cut like his tomorrow. This picture makes him seem like he is completeley bald, the camera just didn't pick up the blonde stubble.

Haircuts Gone Bad, Part 2.

I knew it was going to be bad....and it was. We didn't talk about his hair ALL morning until it's time to get in the van.

Noah: "I CAN'T GO TO SCHOOL, MOM!"
Me: "Yes, you can, there's nothing to worry about."
(repeated back and forth about 13 times)

Finally, we at last get into the van, with Noah crying in the backseat. He has his jacket on with the hood on, pulled down tight. It's 70 degrees outside.

Noah: (with lots of tears and crying noises): "Mom, can't we just pretend I'm sick today?"
Me: "No, that would be lying. We don't want to lie to Mrs. Towers, that wouldn't be very nice."

We pull up to the school and Noah refuses to get out. There's lots of crying and tears and "Why, Mom??!!" going on in the backseat. About 5 minutes of back and forth goes on. Finally, he agrees to get out, as soon as the group of 3rd grade girls who are standing next to our van, talking, leave. The girls leave, Noah chickens out.
It now turns 8:25, the bell rings, and all the kids start to go inside. So, now my ugly side is starting to come out.

Me: "I'm going to start counting and I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS VAN BY THE TIME I COUNT TO THREE. 1.....2.............(longer pause, of course.)..........3!!!!!!!!! (Oh, crap, he called my bluff.)

So, I go where no mom wants to go.

Me: "DO YOU WANT A SPANKING????" (crap, he calls my bluff again.)

So, I'm now hauling myself out of the van (in my pajamas, mind you. But, don't worry, all the parents and kids were gone 10 MINUTES AGO!). I yank open the door, haul him out, hood and all, and give him a 'gentle shove' towards the door. He's now walking as slow as possible to the door. A snail would have beat him. He goes inside the door and turns around to give me one last forlorn look. And what do I do? I gun it out of there, of course!! By the time I get to the edge of the parking lot, my motherly instinct has kicked in and I think to myself 'Maybe I should at least make sure he gets to his classroom'. So I go around the circle again, park it in the bus lane and sneak in the school (in my P.J.'s, of course). Luckily, there is a small rectangular window in Noah's Kindergarten door, designed for the purpose of spying undetected. All the kids are sitting on the alphabet rug doing their calendar time and Noah is across the room, by himself, by his cubby (with his jacket and hood on). Mrs. Towers sees him finally and comes over and kneels beside him and talks with him for several minutes. I can't read her lips, but the jacket and hood come off and he walks over to join the other kids. Mrs. Towers then turns around and gives me a smile and a thumbs up. How does she know I'm there? I'm supposed to be spying! I swear, it's a sixth sense teachers have. I love Mrs. Towers.

Snip Snip.

We've had a traumatic evening tonight. Joe took the boys to get haircuts. As some of you may know, at Sportclips, when you check in, they print out a receipt with your info on it and it's recorded on there how you usually get your haircut. Well, the lady cutting Noah's hair asked Joe, "Do you want Noah's hair the same as usual?" Joe says, "yes." So, Joe is sitting in the waiting area watching ESPN and looks up and the 'hairdresser' has already taken two swipes down the top of his head with the shaver set on the "1" setting, which is like a military cut. HELLO, I have NO idea what this lady thought she was reading on his receipt. So, what do you do? There's no going back now. Joe goes over and Noah is in tears. He came home and took a bath and said he hoped the water would make his hair grow. In his prayers tonight, he asked God to help his hair grow back. It's now 9:00 and Noah has gotten out of bed 3 times, crying, saying he doesn't want to go to school tomorrow because he doesn't want anyone to see his hair. I have no idea how I'm going to get him to go tomorrow. I keep telling him how much I like it, and how cool it is, but I don't think he's buying it. It doesn't look bad, it's just REALLY short. I didn't have the heart to tell him I needed to take a picture of his hair for my blog, so you'll just have to use your imagination!!!

Poor Joe.

Poor Joe. Joe was not a happy man yesterday. Joe played in a golf tournament. Joe played the third hole. Joe almost got a hole-in-one. Joe watched as his ball hit the cup and rolled 3 inches away. Joe was 3 inches away from winning a brand new $40,000 Dodge Durango, fully loaded with sunroof. Joe came home with a really bad sunburn and no car keys. Poor Joe. You may leave your condolences below.

This Kid Cracks Me Up.

This is Noah's latest thing. The infamous shrug. Usually, I'm asking him, "Noah, what happened?" and this is the reaction I get. I usually only get this reaction when he's guilty of something. It's really hard not to laugh, and of course, he knows that.