4 generations of ladies

Sunday

It's no secret that Tim prefers short hair on boys.

It's also no secret, that similar to cleaning the shower and putting all of the laundry away... getting the kids hair cut on a regular basis is just one of those things I just can't seem to accomplish. I'm not sure why really. I myself only had my hair cut 2 times last year.

Just about every weekend Tim tells the boys that one of these days he's going to shave them bald. Apparantly the time was now.

and to quote the kids..." We finally caught a turtle this summer."

Sydney

Tim bought me a new camera for my birthday.

It's a cute story really.

You see, my friend Cara informed me a while back that she was getting a new camera, and selling off her old (still very nice, and a huge upgrade to mine:) camera.

I asked Tim if I could buy it, and if I remember correctly, his response went something like this..."If you think you need another camera, I suppose we could work something out ....what's wrong with your old one?"

While I translated this to a "yes", I debated back and forth if I really needed this new camera. Time went by, and the next time I saw my friend, she informed me that she had sold it already. I was really bummed, but figured it wasn't meant to be.

Fastforward a few weeks later to my birthday.

Tim, the sneak, had bought me the camera! A gift of love, that was not only thought out, but also proved he listens to me :)

Okay, so on with this post....

I've got my new camera, and a cute old chair I bought at a garage sale...so it's high time I practice my skilz. I still need to learn a bit more about what my photoshop can do for me tho.

My goal is to take a "nice" picture of each of my kids this summer on "the chair".

Sydney was my first subject...

the little girl was feeling left out :)

Patience with Paper Mache

We decided to try our hand at paper mache this past week.

A project with endearing qualities similar to grinding play-do into the carpet.

We waited till the babies were down for their afternoon nap, and then got started. We blew up our balloons, shredded the paper, and made our paste. I dished out my expert advice on strategy, but finally gave up and let them just have at it.

The book said to let your project dry overnight....ours took 5 nights. Did I mention, that both paper-mache and painting are now outdoor projects? LOL

WaLaa! Dylan made an octopus, Austin a squid, and Sydney made herself, complete with jingle bell earings!

seriously, what's with them?

I think we may need to get a dog soon.

On Monday, my 3 big kids ran into the house excited and breathless. "Mom! We caught baby mice! Can we keep them?"

Sure enough, they had stumbled upon 2 baby mice nestled in a pile of wood. They were named, played with, and put to bed in the bug barn for the night on a bed of fresh leaves and straw. Stella was thrilled, she thought the "myew" was back.

Yesterday, as I was making dinner, they ran inside all excited once again. "Mom, we caught a baby bird! Can we keep it in your bird cage?" Sure enough, there was a bird in my garage.

The kids thought it might have a broken wing because it wouldn't fly. I got my camara out, took a picture of their pet, and then we put it back in the woods where they found it.

I told them we'd go back out after dinner to see if it was still there, and figure out what to do with it then. We prayed for the bird, and finished dinner in record time. I've never seen my kids eat so fast! Luckily, after dinner the bird was no longer where we put it. And so, my bird cage remains a household decoration LOL.

I think I may buy stock in Purell :)

a stroll in the park

Since the arrival of summer, the kids have been begging to go fishing. We had great plans to fish over Memorial weekend, but it just didn't work out.

So, Sunday afternoon we headed out to a local park complete with a kids fishing pond, for an adventure. Apart from the pesky mosquitos and broken fishing pole, it was delightful.

Ellery was HAPPY, and sat in her stroller nicely for a bit!

Serious talent for a 2 year old....drinking and fishing at the same time.

Tim, doing what he does best...fixing a pole.

The only catch of the day!

"What Shall Make Today" Day 2

Todays craft was pretty simple.

You see, I love kids artwork.

If you know me well, you know I can't commit to one color, or one fabric choice. I like every color and pattern there is, and the way they all look together. I think that's why I love kids art so much. I also know that in a few years, my kids will no longer be creating these beauties, so for now I will treasure them.

Last year, Sydney painted me this picture....





....and it is one of my absolute favorites. I should say, she sold me this art, because it was her latest "get rich quick" scheme at the time.



Another of my favorite places around the house is the wall outside of my mudroom....

So, todays craft was simply painting a "favorite thing" on canvas. My kids feel like real artists when they can paint on canvas instead of boring paper :)

And wa-laa! This is my new wall going out the back door to the garage...

let the race begin...

Ellery is almost 7 months old.

I suppose if I'm honest with myself, I didn't just have her. However the pounds, (12 to be exact), just don't seem to be magically melting away on their own.

Perhaps I need to face the truth.

I am no longer 25.

Looking back on pictures from Austins baby book, I had lost all of the baby weight by this point, and was already cooking Sydney!

So, I'm starting to think I'm going to need to put a little effort into this.

I vowed to Tim that I would wear a bikini on the 4th of July. We are currently finishing up our last half gallon of Breyers ice cream, and though I have a love affair with coupons and ice cream...I will buy no more. I have also joined a CSA, and very Wednesday I get to pick up a crate of organic, fat free green goodness

I realize diet is only one part of the equation. I truly have been trying to work out on my wii fit, however Stella thinks she owns it, and throws an all out tantrum and tries to push me off every single time. She's actually quite good at the skateboarding competition :) Well, it just seems wrong to run on a treadmill in June, and if I take a walk with the kids, someone is either crying from falling down, or we are walking at a snails pace. Do you like all of my rationalizations? :)

So, while at Target few nights back, I bought this...



Can you read that fine print? "Eliminate love handles, muffin tops, and wobbly arms for good!" Music to my ears.

So, the race is on. Realistically, I'd really just like to lose a few extra lbs, firm up some of the jiggle, and eat healthier.

And now you are all accountable :)

Project "Eliminate Boredom" Day 1

So, summer vacation is now in full swing around here. An hour after getting off the bus yesterday, Austin was bored and begging me to call a friend.

For the past few weeks I've been trying to wrap my head around summer, and how it will work with 5 kids at home all. day. long. I've been randomly jotting down ideas of things to do when they are bored, sketching out a tentative schedule of how our day will flow at home, making lists of fun, attainable and cheap outings, making lists of daily chores, and making up separate lists of chores, for when they grumble about their regular chores LOL.

My kids, who are no different than most kids, would like to be entertained all day long, with responsibility left to the bare minimum.

Well, since my kids are "Crocodile Hunter" meets "Martha Stewart".....really just a sweet combination of Tim and I :), I've decided that crafts are a must.

My kids LOVE to do crafts, but they especially love "real" planned out crafts. Giving them glue and a toilet paper roll doesn't quite cut it anymore. So, my goal is to do one "organized" craft each day we spend at home with no plans on the calendar. Besides, it will give this guy a brief respite from Dylans catch and release program.

Poor frog never gets free because 5 minutes after being released, Dylan seems to "re-catch" it. Stupid frog needs to learn to jump faster. I digress.

Todays craft Tie Dye shirts.

not so happy to be set down while I help the kids :)

Wa- Laa! Our finished shirts! Apparantly I washed them on too hot of a setting because we lost most of the color. But, the kids had fun and they're excited they all match...even Elles.

Stay tuned for tommorows craft!

Memorial Weekend

Gorgeous weather, ice cream , Boo Boo Bear, riding bikes, a beautiful sandy beach, dancing.....these were a few of our favorite things.

And now that I have found the bottom of this...

...I will sit down and tell you about them :)

We spent a beautiful holiday weekend in Grand Haven at the fabulous Yogi Bear Campground. We're really starting to grow quite fond of that bear!

This little trip was fun and chock full of great memories, but by no means relaxing. The fact that Ellery screamed the entire 45 minute trip to the campground should have been our second clue. The first clue being that we had to drive separately, because we no longer all fit in Tims truck :) Ellery was not so fond of being anywhere other than my arms for the majority of the weekend. And so, we seemed to spend the weekend divided into 2 groups....big kids versus babies. Stella wavered between the 2 groups. As you can see by the picture above, Tim was on baby duty, while I was teaching the kids how to do underwater handstands in the pool. :)

There was a nice little kiddie pool just perfect for Stella, and she loved it.

We headed out to the beach early in the day, and were able to actually get in! Not an easy task on a holiday weekend. The water was 51 degrees. Did i mention that I went under? I did....Tim told me I couldn't do it, and Austin told me I just needed courage. Seriously, you just can't pass a challenge like that up!

gearing up for a walk on the pier....destination ice cream!

Sydney rocked the basketball tournament, and won first place! Somehow she beat out 4th and 6th grade boys to win this sweet little satchel LOL.

On Saturday night there was a dance. An absolute dream. come. true. for Sydney!

What could be more fun than doing the Y.M.C.A with Boo Boo Bear?