Overdue... or maybe just overdone!

Contrary to what the Expectnet.com link says on my sidebar, I do not have 5 days until my due date... rather, I am 5 days past my due date.  If I make it through today without delivering, it will officially be the longest pregnancy I've endured.  Now, when I say that, it makes it sound like being pregnant is never any fun.  This is NOT true.  However, for me, the last few weeks are never fun.  And this time around is no exception. 

It's quite possible this is the worst it's ever been... especially this last week.  Quite honestly I've been feeling kind of borderline psychotic.    There have been some REALLY bad days (yesterday was one of them).  I think one of the hardest parts for me is the fear of having another gall bladder attack.  As of last night I'm up to six attacks since mid-October.  I've been asked what triggers them.  The only answer I can give is FOOD.  I can eat something one time and be fine, but eat it again a few days later and have an attack.  I can't pinpoint anything specific.  I'm almost afraid to eat anything other than a bowl of cereal.  I just want to have this baby.  And then I want to talk to the doctor more about taking care of this gall bladder issue. 

I'm also kind of tired of everything being "up in the air".  We can't make plans for anything because we don't know when the baby will arrive.  I don't go to church anymore because I can't handle the comments... I'll either lash out, or cry (neither of which is a good option).  Sleep has been elusive.  Last night was the first night in a long time that I was *only* up twice.  Usually, I'm awake every hour or two all night long, and often can't fall asleep in the in-between time.  This makes for one tired and cranky momma.

So... there you have it.  I could really use some prayer here!  (I know many of you are already praying for me on a very regular basis.)

Ahh... a laugh!  I was just informed by Victory and Alex that Chase took Jericho's *dirty* diaper off and she promptly peed on him.  LOL  So, see??  There are still SOOO many reasons to love my life! ")

I AM Thankful!

I truly am thankful for so many things in my life.  Unfortunately, lately I've been much more inclined to grumble and complain about the things I'm NOT thankful for.  So, today, I thought I'd make a special effort to avoid grumbling and complaining.  And, I'm making this (very incomplete) list of the things I AM thankful for:

*A husband who loves me, even when I'm a ranting lunatic
*6 children - true gifts from God
*A 7th child, soon to be born
*Second chances
*A home that, while small, puts a roof over our heads and keeps us close
*A God who supplies ALL of our needs

A relative posted this the other day and I thought I'd share it here (since it was pretty much the inspiration for my post):

This Thanksgiving, "will you be grumbly hateful or humbly grateful?"

Birthdays, Babies, and (gall) Bladders

I am so grateful my birthday was a relaxing and enjoyable day with a couple unexpected surprises!  My parents came down and took the family out to eat for my birthday.  Tim had worked enough hours that he was able to be home for the entire afternoon.  I got a text from the gal that cuts my hair letting me know if I booked something before January I'd get a nice discount.  As a result of that text I was able to get my hair done (paid for with money I'd just received for my birthday) and I'm pleased with the results. ")  Tim and I ended the evening by watching "Where the Wild Things Are" after which I read the book to Tim since he'd never read it before. ")

I guess there isn't a whole lot to update about the baby.  He's still in there.  We're all still waiting for him to be out here.  The kids are getting more anxious.  Levi says, "It's taking for.ever!"  Victory is looking forward to being able to hug me good again (tough to get the arms around me these days! LOL).

As for the gall bladder... earlier this week I had another attack.  It was the worst yet.  Until last night.  Last night I went to bed but was up after not too long to spend some quality face-to-face time with "john".  Took a shower and headed back to bed even though I still didn't feel very good.  About an hour later I woke up and climbed out of bed to use the bathroom.  I didn't get further than the edge of the bed.  I was in so much pain I couldn't even stand up straight.  I woke Tim to let him know I needed to go to the ER.

When we walked in to the ER the receptionist said, "Looks like we're having a baby!"  Um, no.  I wish!  That pain I can handle! (And even if I was in labor, I would be having the baby, not her... duh.)

After about 2 hours in the hospital (being pregnant gives you an instant pass out of the ER up to L&D) it was determined that my major problem was "significant dehydration".  Guess I need to be more careful about my fluid consumption!

Back to birthdays... I'm hoping to be able to announce another birthday quite soon!! ")  If you haven't already done so, check out my previous post or click the link on my sidebar and enter your guess for when baby will arrive!

Polling Time!

I almost forgot to do this, but seeings Steph's gender poll reminded me I needed to get a poll going for date and weight of this baby!!  So, click below, or check out my sidebar and enter your guess.

Prior stats in order of birth:

#1:  boy, 9lb 7oz, born 5 days after due date
#2:  boy, 8lb 13oz, born 5 days after due date
#3:  girl, 7lb 3oz, born 5 days before due date
#4:  boy, 8lb 10oz, born one day before due date
#5:  girl, 7lb 12oz, born one day before due date
#6:  girl, 7lb 14oz, born 5 days after due date

All my babies were between 19" and 21".

You'll notice my guess defies logic when it comes to delivery date. ")  Hey, a girl can dream, right!?  And, I have my reasons for picking that date... it was my grandpa's birthday.  I fondly remember celebrating with him and my dad every year and think having a baby on his birthday would be a wonderful tribute to his memory.  It also means I would have plenty of room to eat a big plate of food on Thanksgiving!  LOL

So, have fun guessing!!

Random

Facebook breaks and more...

Well, I'd been taking a break of sorts from FB (which I'm enjoying immensely by the way!) but I didn't expect to have to take a break from the computer all together!  Last week the computer started acting goofy.  Tim ran a hardware diagnostic and found an error code.  We ended up taking the computer in and found that the hard-drive was failing because the fan for the hard-drive was failing.  It's fixed, and I'm happy to have it back!  I can't tell you how many times in the last week I've thought, "I'll just go print that off... oh, nevermind!"  or had the boys ask a question and thought, "I'll just go look that up. Nope, not happening!"  I'm looking forward to googling again.  LOL  I'm also happy that I can use the computer to develop my menu for the next few weeks along with comprehensive lists for each menu.

Weekly menus...

I think it was back in July when I started planning weekly menus using old daycare food program cards Steph had lying around.  She told me I could use it but wasn't allowed to brag about how well it worked (if it did) because it was an unused resource at her house. ")  Well Steph, I'm going to brag anyway.  LOL  When we don't have menu it almost seems as if nothing else works quite the way it's supposed to around here.  Strange, because we've gone for years without a menu.  When I first started I used the cards, which are separated into breakfast options, lunch/supper options, and snack options, to plan my week Monday-Friday.  Supper was always something from our *typical* unofficial menu and I planned for two snacks a day.  Since then, I've started planning my week from Monday-Sunday leaving no slots empty.  Each week I would sit down on Saturday or Sunday and make my shopping list for the week based on the menu, cross off all items I already have on hand, and then make a final list for the store.  This has been working well, but I would love to create a master list for each specific menu so at some point I can simply print off a previous week along with the grocery list and cut my planning time by half (at least!).  Now that I've got the computer back, I'd like to get master lists done for at least two more weekly menus (completed one the week before the computer died) so it will be easy for Tim to get the shopping done and menus will already be planned for the few weeks following Phoenix's birth.

Baby news...

Not much to report here.  Sunday will be the official 38 week mark.  While we've been hoping for an early delivery we realize there is a possibility it could be as much as 4 weeks until we get to meet the little fellow (Oh, Lord, please don't make me wait that long!!).  Last night Tim was watching my belly as it did it's typical mutant movements and said, "WHAT was THAT!?"  LOL  What I assume was a leg (knee on down) *rolled* across the surface of my belly causing it to stick a good inch or two higher than the rest.  I love watching him move, but recently I've begun telling him that if he wants to move around THAT MUCH he needs to come on out and do that. ")  Not only am I getting anxious to meet the baby, so are the kids.  Levi and Shiloh will even talk to my belly and tell him to come out.  Shiloh said the other day, "Baby Phoenix, come out! Now!"  LOL And so the waiting continues...

Keeping busy...

Over the past 3 or 4 weeks I've crocheted several projects, sewed a few items, and even finished a KNITTING project!  For those of you that know me well, you know I always say I DO NOT knit!  Turns out, I can... I just don't prefer it. ")  Maybe someday I'll put more effort into really learning to knit, but for now I'm just pleased with the very SQUARE corners I managed on that one project. LOL  At some point I may have an entire post dedicated to the projects I've completed.  We'll see... I've found that promised posts rarely make it to the screen, so no promises on this one!

Blast from the past...

Throughout our high school years our class had the privilege of hosting several exchange students.  In 9th grade (20 years ago!!) one of them was a vivacious gal from Brazil named Helena.  Last Sunday, three high school friends and I met her at Rafferty's Pizza in Brainerd/Baxter and had a mini-reunion!  What fun... it just didn't last long enough!!  It was fun to not only reminisce about the past, but also to talk about our lives now and make tentative plans for future reunions.  I had to laugh because I think the last time I ate at Rafferty's may have been when I was in 9th grade!

Oldest and youngest...

This morning I found Jericho sound asleep (and snoring) in Alex's bed.  She has the pillow blocking the light from the window, and her Wubbanub in her mouth.  It was too sweet...  I love how Alex shows his heart in the way he cares for her.  He's growing into quite the young man!

Yes, they like the dentist!

Today I had all the kids to the dentist (Jericho was the only one without an appointment).  Thankfully, getting my kids to the dentist is NOT like pulling teeth!  ")  They enjoy the dentist, they like having their teeth cleaned, they even ASK when they can go again!

Today's reports were pretty typical... everyone could brush a little better than they have been.  This time, however, Alex and Chase were both instructed to start flossing more often since most of their teeth are the ones they need to keep for life!  Alex has 5 teeth left to lose, and some of those are loose at the moment.  Chase has 2 baby teeth left, and one of those is loose... the x-rays showed the other should be loose soon.  (Sounds like the tooth fairy will be busy around here!)

The bad news was that Levi has two cavities. "(  He'll head back next week to have those taken care of.  Hope it doesn't change his positive view of the "don-tist"!  (Levi always has trouble with "dentist" -- I'm pretty sure it has something to do with all the trips he's made when we took Alex and Chase to the orthodontist...)

The Levi story of the day came as I was scheduling his appointment to have those nasty cavities filled.  The dentist let me know that Levi gave him a good laugh.  I always make the kids brush their teeth right before we head to the dentist's office.  Levi let Dr. Imdieke know that he had only brushed his bottom teeth because he wanted the dentist to brush the top ones.  LOL

Staying In Touch

A while ago Victory brought me a little scrap of a paper towel with some writing on it.  She said it was her phone number so when she got bigger and didn't live with me any more I could still call her...

That number is 812-6350.

It's clear that we need to work on our numbers (I'm almost wondering if she doesn't have dyslexia because most numbers get written backward... even when she's copying them directly), but it was so cute!  She was pretty bummed when I told her "they" don't allow you to pick your own phone number and she emphatically stated that they really should let you do that!  ") 

It's a must-see!

This literally made me laugh out loud. I'm so glad I have TiVo so I could go back and watch it again! Oh, how I feel what the mom says... LOL

If it's not one thing...

The last week of September I got hives... and they lasted (off and on) for about 3 weeks.  The first week of October I developed a nasty cough.  That lasted about 2 weeks.  Just when I was starting to feel pretty good again I had an attack.  And then, two days later another.  Gall bladder.  At least that's what we suspected.

On Thursday my doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound of my upper right quadrant.  While the techs never say much, this tech was sweet enough to tell me that she did think it looked like there were stones.  A call from my doctor's office today confirmed that fact.  For now, they plan to wait until after baby is here and then perform a follow-up CT.  That is, if the pain doesn't get worse.  If I continue to have attacks I'll have to talk to the surgeon.  I don't know anything for sure, but from what I've been able to find online it seems unlikely they would do surgery at this point in my pregnancy unless it was an emergency (ie. infection of the gall bladder) and at that point it would be an open surgery because the uterus would be in the way to do anything laproscopic.

My midwife has recommended cutting fatty and/or greasy foods from my diet -- in particular animal fats.  So, there goes most of my diet... meat, cheese, milk (ice cream!).  Could be an interesting month around here.  Though, if it ends the attacks I guess it's worth it.  But, seriously, cheese??  I love cheese!  *sob*

I sure would appreciate prayers that the attacks do not continue, and that the following weeks up to delivery pass quickly.  

Progress!

About a year ago we cut a hole in the wall between our dining room and a bedroom to create an "flow" for what became a dining room/living room. 

 
We LOVE the resulting open feel, but the wall has been bare sheetrock for a l.o.n.g. time.

And, with 6 kids living in the space, the area around the opening has become more and more marred with fingerprints as time passes...  (If you click on the picture above to look at a larger version, you can clearly see 4 distinct fingerprints above J's head. LOL)

But, over the last couple of weeks Tim has worked hard to get the taping/mudding completed, and we are finally making progress!

As I sit here typing this post, Tim is working on trimming out the wall so we can paint!  I think he plans on getting the trim to complete the opening sometime this weekend as well.  Hopefully, soon I'll be posting pictures of the completed space... and maybe I'll even take time to hang the family pictures on the wall before I do! ")

Finding time

I've looked, but I don't think there's any extra lying around here...  Mostly, I struggle because I'm stuck in one or two rooms of the house all day in order to keep my oldest two on track with their schooling.  I've found if I leave the room for even 5 minutes they get totally off track and unfocused.  *sigh*  This means, I spend a lot of my time in front of the computer.  I'd love to find a useful way to spend that time on the computer, but so far not much has come to me.

One of the things I would love to find time for is sorting through my sewing "stuff", and actually using it!  Thankfully, I have been able to find a few minutes of free time here and there in the last couple of days.  Yesterday, in those bits and pieces of time, I was able to make a pouch sling to use when the baby comes.  It turned out beautifully!  The only issue is, because of my pregnant belly, I can't tell if it's big enough.  LOL  So, I guess we'll find out after he arrives!

My next project (that I also plan to work on in bits and pieces) is making some kind of slipcover for the stools at the dining room table.  The current upholstery -- even on the one I already recovered -- is totally shot because we have little kids that use the stools...  I got some great upholstery fabric (free!) from a friend and it will work great on those stools!  The biggest challenge (I think) will be creating the pattern for the covers.  I plan to make a "prototype" from scrap fabric first so I'm not wasting the good stuff.  Maybe by the end of the week I'll have some "new" chairs! ")

An ongoing project I have (that I can do while sitting in front of the computer) is a crochet hat pattern I'm working on.  I found a cute pattern, but it just wasn't working, so I've modified it greatly and I am about 2/3 done with the first hat.  There are already modifications that will need to be made, but so far, so good!

Lastly, I'm finding time to improving my typing skills by using a typing program (Typing Instructor Platinum) I ordered with our curriculum to help the kids learn keyboarding skills.  Because we are still trying to find our "groove" with the basic 5 subjects in their curriculum, I haven't yet added keyboarding.  However, I'm enjoying the "learning" for myself. ") 

I hope you are able to find time to do some things you love!

Logos Bible Software Giveaway

Logos Bible Software is having a giveaway!  Oh, how I would love to win one of the top four prizes... but even an iTunes or Apple Store card would be nice. ")

I heart Apple.

To find out how YOU can enter for your chance to win, simply click here.  Scroll down, and follow the instructions.  Simple!

Transformation

 Watching the monarchs just never gets old.  When this one emerged from it's chrysalis all of the kids got to watch.  It's amazing to watch the butterfly pulse, emerge from the chrysalis, and continue to pulse in order to "grow" it's wings.  (I learned recently that their abdomens are full of a blood pool that they use to help their wings expand.)  So beautiful!  So glad we got to watch this one... the last one emerged while we were sleeping.  We have one more hanging, and I anticipate it will emerge sometime over the weekend or early next week.

"Mom, we need this!"

These are words I generally discourage.  I've made a point to explain the difference between a want and a need.  It is important to me that my kids understand the difference.

So, in light of that, when Victory came to me today and said, "Mom, this is what we need!" I was about to launch into my typical "want vs. need" discourse when she showed me this...

Love it!

I just laughed and had to say, "You're right!  That is EXACTLY what we need!"

Swedish Weaving: Take Two

Six weeks ago I posted this about the blanket I made for Jericho.  I am happy to report that she is finally beginning to like the blanket and will actually pick it up on her own as she moves from room to room. ")

Tonight I finished my second blanket.  This one is for my niece, Summer, who was born July 1st (also Tim's birthday!) to my brother Kevin and his wife Casey.  I really like how this one turned out too.  I made a few modifications to the pattern.  Again, as with the last one, the binding was a complete pain!  I sure wish there was an easier method for sewing that stuff on.  (Maybe it's just my lack of experience, but to be honest, I'd rather not have too much experience... LOL)  If you have a blanket that needs some binding... don't call me!  ") 

I love the bright colors of this blanket, and I'm hoping Summer likes it too. ")  I'm pretty sure my brother doesn't check my blog all that often, so I think I'm safe posting this tonight... it'll still be a surprise to them when we see them tomorrow afternoon!

I wish the pictures would do the blanket justice!

Tomorrow we leave for a mini-vacation with my parents, and Kevin & Casey and their family.  I always find it a little funny that our family outnumbers the rest of them... there are 6 total, and we've got 8. LOL  I'm sure we'll have a great time.  And maybe when we get back from THIS little vacation, I'll finally get around to posting about our LAST vacation.  (It was only 6 months ago... LOL)

I hope you enjoy your weekend as well!  Now I'd better run off to bed... I've got to get up early tomorrow and get everything packed so we can get on the road!

Levi's Tree: Then & Now

Just over 4 years ago  I posted this after we bought an Autumn Blaze Maple for our yard.   I love this tree!  It is just beautiful, and has the added beauty of not producing "helicopters" to mess up the yard. ")

Then:

Now:

We had also trimmed the bushes in the front of the house before we got the tree... you can see they've done well too!  LOL  Take note of the height of the power line (the lowest one) in each of the pictures.  It gives a great reference point to see just how much everything has grown.

I'm hoping planting a placenta under this poor lilac we transplanted from the parsonage in Pillager will perform the same sort of miracle...

This lilac has beautiful DARK purple flowers and was originally taken from my grandpa and grandma Osell's house in Duluth after my grandpa died.  It's never really done all that well in the nearly 2 decades it's been in the yard in Pillager.  It's a fond memory for me of my grandpa, and I'm hoping it survives it's second transplant!  It got a bit mangled on the trip here due to the fact that it was on the trailer as we traveled 70MPH down the highway.  Essentially it withstood hurricane force winds for an hour, so I guess it's not doing too bad.  LOL  I can't wait to see what it looks like next year...

There you have it, Steph. ")  Now I can move on to the 200 other posts that have been piling up in my brain!  LOL

For Jericho

Here's the project I finished tonight....

I used this free pattern called "Venice".  It was recommended as a good pattern to begin with, and since this was my first time even attempting to do any Swedish Weaving (also known as Huck Embroidery) I figured a beginner pattern was the way to go. ")


Honestly, I had a hard time understanding some of the written instructions for the pattern, but I had no problem looking at the grid and following those directions.  Maybe because my mom taught me how to do counted cross-stitch years ago?

Shiloh has been very attached to the blankets her grandma and great-grandma made for her, and I really wanted to try my hand at the craft.  I'm hoping that Jericho will love her blanket like Shi had loved hers.  Jericho really hasn't latched on to anything to sooth herself, so it would be nice if she had something...  She has a larger one (follow the link to see it), but it lacks the silkies that make some blankets so appealing. ")  Tonight is her first night sleeping with it... we'll see if it's grabbed on the way out of the crib in the a.m.

As for making the blanket, I can't wait to make another!  I started working on it last night around 5pm, and including the binding (which is a PAIN) it was totally complete by about 8pm this evening.  The best part was the cost:  about $3.  I got the Monk's cloth (enough to make 3 more blankets of the same size) with a 40% off coupon at Joann's, the yarn was already in my stash, and the binding was also in my stash - purchased several years ago for another project that never was.

*******

In other news, Tim and I are taking Alex and Chase to the Air Show here in Saint Cloud tomorrow.  Can't wait!!  It's been fun hearing -- and sometimes seeing -- the Blue Angels, and the bombers fly over. ")  Has the kids all excited for the real thing too!


~Next post: Levi's Tree - Then and Now (for you Steph *grin*)~

Anyone want to adopt a pet?

We have several.  They are very small and quiet.  Come pick as many as you'd like!

We believe this is mom.

May!?!?

What happened to April??  I'm so behind...

Computer issues, pregnancy induced exhaustion and nausea, pictures unavailable due to previously mentioned computer issues.

So, no promises for this month.  Though I would appreciate prayers that I'm feeling much better soon and that the 2nd trimester is MUCH better than the 1st!

April!

Can't believe it's April (almost).  This month, we will celebrate 3 years of Shi being part of our family.  So... she has the honor of being the blog header this month. ")  I, for my part, plan on posting more this month.  It's been awfully quiet 'round the blog these days.  Check back soon!

An explanation...

I'm AM working on the long awaited vacation post.  I think one of the problems I've had with writing the post is the fact that the vacation didn't end on the best note.  As soon as we got home, I got sick, and that was followed by some heartbreaking news.  I've been debating for weeks now about whether or not I'd share the following information on my blog...


Over the course of the week following the trip we learned we'd had a miscarriage.  I had a *faintly* positive hpt.  I began having symptoms of a miscarriage (I won't share ALL the details here) the following day, and the Wednesday after we returned from our trip I went to the clinic for some lab work.  My hCG level was very low, but was elevated above typical non-pregnant levels, and at the low end of the expected level for a 4 week pregnancy.  The Dr. who reviewed the results suggested that I return the following Monday to retest, which I did.  I was saddened when the report came back that my hCG levels were now <1.  This confirmed the miscarriage. I'm thankful for the short time God gave me with that baby, and am looking forward with anticipation to any other blessings He sends our way.


I've closed the comments on this particular post because I don't want or need a lot of "I'm sorry for your loss" comments.  If you're reading this, I'm probably at least somewhat important to you, so I know that you are sorry, and I would appreciate your prayers as we continue to deal in our own private way.  Thank you.

Ta-da!

One down, 6 to finish (in this batch *grin*)...

I love the fit around the legs - no gapes!  Though I may still shorten the elastic just a titch.

My less-than-cooperative model. LOL

 Cute little bum ")

Sew What?

When I was a kid and would say, "So what?", my dad would always reply with, "Sew buttons on your underwear!"  Well, no buttons... but snaps are in my future!!

Here's what I've been up to:

It took me two evening to get all these diapers and inserts cut out.  All they need now are 112 snaps, serging/sewing, and a little elastic. ")  Yes, I'm happy to be climbing back on the cloth diaper bandwagon!!

Tonight I'll get some much needed "sewing therapy". Steph and I will be going to Bonnie's house and sewing up a storm. I can't wait!! Just hope my 1/2 bum shoulder will be up to setting those snaps. ")

Keep a look out for photos of the finished product. And, if you know me IRL and see me, you'll get to see them in action on my cute little "model".

Headers & Hair

I changed my header again, as you may have noticed.  I've made it a goal to change my background and header every month.  I love this picture... it's one of the outtakes from our family photo session with Angela that we had back in October.  All the kids have *great* looks on their faces.  LOL

Now, on to the hair.  Victory has been asking to have her hair cut because she hates having it brushed.  With all the curls it easily tangles.  She asked a few days ago and I said I'd talk to Tim and see what he had to say.  Then, it didn't come up again, so I let it go.  Today she asked again.  So, here's the before and after:

This should be MUCH easier to care for.  And, she really likes it, so that makes me happy.

Every time someone in the house (any one) gets their hair cut, Shiloh wants hers cut too.  I usually oblige by setting her in the chair and cutting a couple little strands.  Tonight I did a bit more... I think the results are great!

 

Much nicer look.  She's always got what looks like a big rats nest in the back no matter how many times I comb it, so I'm hoping this will help solve some of that problem.

I'm still working on that vacation post, so stay tuned!

Friday Fun

It's been a long time since I posted!  There will be a vacation post at some point... just trying to get it together in my head before I put it on the blog. ")

I did have a little fun playing with this photo I took in AZ with my phone.  Love the results!

Before:

After:

 

So, until I get the rest of the story together, you'll just have to settle for this. ")  (Tami, I know you'll especially enjoy it!)

Bored

I love the blog of Ann Voskamp.  She always has words that speak to me, to who I am, to where I am.  In my inbox today was a link to this article (courtesy of Ann).

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Children nowadays have more toys to distract them than ever before – toys that are more sophisticated. This suggests they are bored because they are over- rather than under-stimulated. For with choice comes restlessness, a nagging feeling that there might be something better to play with, or something on television they are missing, if only they were not wasting their precious time playing with toys.

****************

In our home, we try very hard to limit so-called "screen time".  While we do have a Wii, time spent on it is limited -- a special treat (for the most part).  Kids DO need to be bored!  The imagination that is sparked in a child with a simple box of Jenga blocks, or a container of Legos, or a bin of construction paper never ceases to amaze me.

Most recently, the bigger boys have been building "sets" from Lord of the Rings... Helm's Deep, Soromon's castle.

Characters from the movie are carefully made.  Each is placed just so.  The story is told and retold.  Hours of play.  (Now I just need to get them to read the books!)

Jenga blocks have become houses, roads, fences, garages, people, animals...  Pictures are drawn of ant home (you would not believe how elaborate these can be!  LOL) or pirates, or airplanes -- scenes that all include elaborate stories.

Magazines (Clubhouse, Clubhouse Jr., Highlights, NatGeo Kids) all provide hours of entertainment.

I find that the more T.V., movies, or video games they are allowed to play, the more they want.  It's like an addiction that I am loathe to feed.  Go, do!  Please!  Don't waste your life glued to a screen.

While I don't plan on smashing my Wii anytime soon, and I won't be getting rid of the T.V. (though at some point I would love to, but that takes some convincing/conviction of others *grin*), and the computer is going to stay right here on my desk, I do hope that I will be able to continue to keep my kids bored on a regular basis. ")

MPG

Way back in December, in this post, I promised to do another post about the bike.  Finally, here it is... (Thanks, Karri, for bugging me about it.  LOL)

We blindfolded Victory and brought in the bike.

 

 I'm pretty sure she liked it -- and was surprised!

 

 

 She had to check everything out, including the cute little backpack on the front.  Did you notice Susie (the cat) had to check it all out too?  LOL

As we were removing all the tags from the bike I noticed this:

See in the middle of the tag where it says, "No Gas Needed"?  Right above that it says, "MGP Guide".  What were they thinking?  Are they serious?  Or was this just supposed to be funny?  It's kind of like the warnings you find on things like silicone packets in pills... "Do not eat".  LOL

Just another Manic Monday

This was supposed to be my Monday post, but things have been a bit hectic around here.  I was also having some issues getting my pictures uploaded... new printer problems.  I've also been keeping Steph's blog updated rather than my own. ") 

Here's what I was wearing on Monday...

 I had a couple people give me a hard time about it... "But, they lost!... Favre lost the game... etc."  Let me tell you, even though they lost, the Vikings (for the most part) played a good, hard game.  As for Favre... I'd like to see you get knocked down as many times as he did and keep getting back up and playing like he did.  And that's all I have to say about that.

Look for my Tuesday post, and my Wordless Wednesday post coming soon.  LOL

For Fun

I don't know who took the following pictures of Jericho, but it was quite the sequence. ") I have an idea it was Chase since he is the one who usually "steals" my camera.

I had a little fun with the last picture really making the colors *pop*. I LOVE the way her eyes look! What a beautiful color!

 

 

 

 

When I Grow Up...

"I want to play football... for the Twins!"

Levi had me laughing so hard at supper tonight. He was talking about all the vehicles he was going to have when he "gets big". Apparently he's going to need a large garage!! A Corvette, a truck, a van... just to name a few. :) When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up he said "a football player", and when asked which team he would play for he said, "The Twins!!" When I told him the Twins played baseball he said, "Some twins play football!" Alex pointed out he was right and gave the example of Peyton and Eli Manning. ROTFLOL!!!