See Ya!

I'm off to IKEA!!!!!! Be brave-not beige!!

Life Is Good.

He's got it pretty rough, wouldn't you say?
Lily wasn't too sure about the pool. The water was REALLY cold. And she doesn't like to be REALLY cold...
I need to change the subject for just a moment and ask those moms of boys out there..."Why do they do these things (see below)??" The standard answer I get from my husband is, "that's what boys do." They will forever remain a mystery to me. OK. Back to business...
Noah saw this picture (below) and said, "Look! I have a water wig!".

Ooh, that water's COLD!

If you think it is impossible to do cannonballs in 3 inches of water...think again.

This is what Lily did all day. She took cupfulls of water over to her lawnchair and dumped it in...
... then sat on it!!! She did that about 2, 384 times.
And it's not a party unless you make some silly faces, so I will leave you with these images of the beautiful faces of my children. Hopefully, you won't be scarred for life.

Peace.

From Painting To Photo Shoot.

These are called 'painting lips'. It's not quite as precious when I do it...





Precious girl...Do you know how special you are?

Has anyone tried a 'plumcot'? They are DELICIOUS! I believe it's a cross between a plum and an apricot. Listen to me, I don't even know what I'm eating. Does anyone else have concerns about these genetically engineered cross-fruits and vegetables? Does man have the right to invent these things? It leaves me slightly unsettled. If I happen to have an extra appendage or two or am babbling crazily to myself next time you see me, I ask you to politely not stare. It was the dang plumcot. Ooh, but it was good going down!

My Heart Hurts.

My heart hurts to lose our church. Yes, it's just a building, but I can't help but think of all the good memories there. Our kids have grown up there. They were dedicated there. I was married there. I was baptized there. My dad's funeral was there. Bible studies and preschool. Parties and worship. As I looked around at VBS this week in our temporary location, I was brought to tears several times as God laid it on my heart that all the people around me, serving these children and teaching them about Jesus is the real church. Yes, we have no building, but God is still the same today as He was yesterday. On a more serious note....if both El Dorado and El Ranchero are underwater, where am I going to get a chicken chimichanga, extra rice, no beans, sour cream & guacamole on the side?

It's Quite Possible Contact Paper Is From The Devil.

We had our third day of Vacation Bible School. I'm helping out in crafts again this year. Every year there is one 'special' project that looks good in theory but ends up a nightmare. Today, I experienced 'Nightmare 2008'. The little ones were making placemats. They were decorating 11x17 pieces of white paper, then they would bring it to us and we would 'laminate it' between 2 pieces of clear contact paper. It went pretty smoothly for the first group of 25 or so, but the second group was 54 kids and 15 minutes to get it done! Jill and I worked as a team and kinda got a system down (even though she's left-handed and tries to do everything backwards:), but all the sudden heck broke loose as they all descended on us at once. The pressure was on and as I tried to go faster the contact paper got stickier and bubblier and crooked-er and wonky-er. After one particular bad one I had to stop and look at it and just laugh. It was just terrible. I looked on the back at the name and wouldn't you know it....it was the CRAFT LEADER's kid. I'm so gonna be fired.

This Child Might Be The End of Me.

Noah had his 7 year check up yesterday and lets just say Dr. M got way more info about the Mc. Family than she probably wanted! I was literally tense and on the edge of my seat in fear of what was going to come out of his mouth next. This is only a small sampling of info that was shared:

1. While doing his coordination test, he informed Dr. M that hopping on one foot was too easy and said, "Yeah, but can you do this??" And broke out some breakdancing moves right there in the exam room.

2. She then left the room to get some papers and as soon as she was gone started doing his "Irish jig" dance. (You have to see it to believe it). I screamed, "Noah, what are you doing?" and he replied, "I'm just practicing for when she comes back in!"

3. Dr. M told him that he was her most entertaining patient of the day and he replied, "Welcome to our world."

4. He told her the reason he gets out of his bed at bedtime is because he lays there and thinks of 'all these important questions that he needs answered right away." She asked him why he can't ask those questions during the daytime and he replied, "because I'm too busy playing video games all day long."

5. She asked him if he knew what would happen to his brain if he played video games all day long. He replied, "I would turn into Indiana Jones?" (he just got an Indiana Jones Lego game.)

6. He told her that his brother purposely gets him into trouble all day long and that his sister pinches him really hard all the time.

7. He said his dad makes wierd noises at the dinner table.

8. He said that he and his brother play hockey with pieces of bread.

9. She asked him what kinds of things he does that gets him into trouble. He said, "I'm sorry, I can't answer that question right now," and points to me.

10. I finally just told him to 'shush' because I was trying to talk to the doctor and he kept interrupting with all his 'important information'. He then preceded to sit in his chair and raise his hand and wave it at her. I just kept thinking, "Please don't call on him...Please, don't call on him!"

Here's a 'Shout Out' to my sand-baggin' girls. You girls ROCK!!! (No pun intended, of course.)That wall you made all by yourself in back, Taylor...perfection. Pentico...your pipes were slammin'. We made quite the team. Let's do it again!

Goals For The Summer.

Jackson:
1. Go to the pool.
2. Sleep in.
3. Play video games
4. Drink Mt. Dew
5. Have fun.

Noah:
1. Go to the pool.
2. Go bowling.
3. Ride my bike.
4. Play outside.
5. Go to my friends house.

Lily:
1. Merry-go-round.
2. Princesses.
3. Babies.
4. Happy.
5. Change baby's diaper.

*As you can see, we're a family of high aspirations and goals!!*

We've progressed from this...

to this. Yee-haw. Ride 'em cowgirl!

A Mother's Prayer.

Dear Lord,
Help me, Lord.
Sustain me.
School is over.
The summer is upon us.
My freedom is gone.
Help me not to strangle or maim my children.
I know they are precious in Your sight.
It will only be by your grace and mercy that will make this possible.
Amen.

(sing) SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!

Birthday Girl Is 3!

Lily had her birthday party tonight and she was definitely in her element. I think she would like every day to be her birthday! Grandma made her a tu-tu and a matching doll. There was lots of twirling taking place...

This is her cheesy-will-you-stop-taking-my-picture smile...
One of the highlights of the night was the baby from the Brown family that wets its diaper. A certain someone was VERY intrigued since picking it out in the store. I think, judging from this picture, that grandma was intrigued as well...

I gave Jill this gift idea because my husband wouldn't let me buy her one because he said we just finished with diapers and didn't want to go back there in any way shape or form. He also threatened to take one of her old babies and his drill and make one himself... Thanks, Jill! You can always count on your sisters!
checking out the 'wet diaper'...

Noah and Will acted 'cool' while watching all the girly presents. When asked what they thought of all this girl stuff, Will replied, "I'm bored to death. Bored with a capital B!" He cracks me up.

A new baby from Jeannie and Dan...
Lily loved the package of 'accessories' that came from Texas...

And so did her father...
Rockin' out Princess style...


We finally have a child that actually sits still to reads the cards. I think it's a 'girl thing'.

Happy Birthday, sweet Lily. You are so special to us. You are such a blessing from God.

Kiddo Update.

Lily Margaret: Lily's done great with potty training, with the exception of doing #2. She's just decided she's not going to do it. And I don't mean she wants to do it in her pants. She's just decided she's not going to do it. Period. Well, God didn't make our bodies that way, so it's been interesting to say the least. She's very much into "princesses". Her current favorite is "Cindabrella". She likes to dance and is determined she wants to learn how to jumprope. I think it's a 'girl thing.' She likes to ride her pink bike and her scooter. And of course, still loves chocolate. She will turn 3 on Thursday!



Noah: Noah is wrapping up his school year. He brought home this artwork today.
"A very beautiful butterfly"

"A self-protrait"
a sideways close-up of his very shiny blue eye and a very cute ear...
Noah will start T-Ball on Thursday. He's got some of his good buddies, his cousin, and his dad for a coach. It should be a fun time. Ultimately, he's going to play for the Cubs someday. "The Cubs are good now, but just think how much better they'll be when I'm playing for them!" he says. School is going good. Last week he did announce that he got a new seating arrangement for the rest of the year and he's "girl-trapped". Bummer. He spends his days outside on his bike. He built a little ramp and likes to 'show off' a bit!

Jackson:

Jackson is getting to that age where he's starting to get a bit of a 'smartmouth'. I hear it's a 6th grade thing. But he disguises it well with his charming sense of humor and sunny disposition. For instance, today his class went to the Czech Museum. "It was really boring. I didn't learn anything. The only cool part is they made some kids eat this meat that was made out of pigs ears. Then they made us sit down at these tables and had us do a craft while they put 'kid music' on. What in the world?!?" then he pulls this out of his backpack...

He said, "Don't say a word. This just sums it up." Then he walked away. I did wait till he was out of the room before busting up. On a happier note...his homemade boat won 1st place in his class regatta. They had to use recycled material to make their own boat then it's judged on floatability, speed, and how many marbles it can hold. Here it is (drumroll)....the Skimmer 3000!!

He's anxious to start swimming lessons this summer. His goals are : 1. Tread water in the deep end and 2. dive off the diving board. He's also trying out tennis this summer. He's continuing to look and act older and is making me a bit emotional. He's not so cool yet that he doesn't like to hang out with me. Our special time together has been me and him taking his dad's car out, windows down and the sunroof open, the music cranked up and head down to the local library to check ourselves out some good books. I know...we're dorks.