Boo!!!! - October 31, 2004 -
Just a quick post to say Happy All Hallows Eve, and to post some pics of our day…..so fun!
Carving the pumpkins.
Cody decided he didn’t like the feel of “pumpkin guts” so he abandoned the project.
Here are my kiddos (Princess Mia on the front row, Quinn as Spiderman along with Ninja Cody on the 2nd row, and on the back row, Cory the costumeless kid) with their friends.
Loaded up for the hay ride to trick or treat.
Such a fun day. The kids had a blast, and are now very tired. We are giving out candy here for the rest of the evening!
Boo to all!
Laundry envy - October 28, 2004 -
Okay, so Chris, who has 7 kiddos, has a really great system for laundry, and she has me inspired to do better. Go ahead, take a peek at her laundry room. I want my laundry room to look like that!
Now, take a look at my system and remember that I “only” have 4 children.
At around 8am I dump it all out of the hamper onto the floor after my husband has reminded me for days that it is so full and heavy that the kids cannot get it open on their own anymore….hence, exhibit A:
Then I sort it into whites, lights and darks. Next step is dragging it down to the laundry room. Then I rest for a bit.
After having ADHD throughout the house, starting projects and not finishing them, I finally get back to the laundry to start the first load……that would be somewhere around 1 pm.
By 5pm I have only managed to wash and fold 2 loads…..one of which is sheets. The other is the “lights” load. I do this on purpose, as these are the easiest to fold, next to towels (which will be my next load).
I place washed, folded laundry in piles for each kid in their room. Then they put the stuff away. I wash Mia’s stuff separately, fold it………
……………..then it sits in my room on the big, green easy chair until Bill says, “Do you need to put that stuff away?” which is polite, anal-retentive for “Dang, that stuff has been sitting here for 3 FREAKIN’ days, can’t you put it away already?”
By the time I have it done, the laundry hamper will be back to bicep-building fullness. It usually meets that criteria every 4 days.
But, back to today…….the score is now 2 loads down, 5 more to go, with the laundry in the lead.
Oh well. After all, tomorrow is another day, right?
Happy birthday, my 10yo son! - October 26, 2004 -
10 years old!!! How can that be? My first born son is growing up!
For his birthday he wanted to go fishing with his dad and 2 of his closest friends. The day started out with a heavy down pour of rain! I mean, it was coming down! Of all days! We decided to go with plan B…dinner and a movie. The boys were really disappointed. They begged to go fishing….”we’ll fish in the rain!” Cory had asked for a new fishing rod and reel, and was anxious to try it out!
At around 2pm, the sky cleared, and Bill decided to go with the fishing plan. So, they got ready and off they went.
Bill said that when they got there, they had to walk in across the property to the pond due to the mud and water runoff. On the way, they caught some bull frogs, stepped on a turtle while crossing a small stream, and had a great time! At the pond, the fish were literally jumping out of the water. I will go with the motto “A picture is worth a thousand words” and show you the results of that day: 
Bill fryed them up and we had a fish feast!!
Year 11 is going to be even more superb!!!
For Karen… - October 18, 2004 -
Here is Mia drowning in pink blankets. 
Mind you, this shows only her PINK ones. She has a whole host of others that include Silkies and such.
Stop the insanity!!!
Snippets - October 6, 2004 -
Things heard around my house:
-Several 7yo’s in the back of the van, talking about their dogs. I hear my 7yo say “Our dog was a highly trained dog. Very smart. But she wandered off and got lost and we never found her again. ”
-Oldest son, frustrated at me when I tell him ‘just a minute’ when he asked me to do something, yells “If you do it, you will.” I am calling Nike.
-My husband, sitting on the bed with Amelia and I, states “You might have another girl next time”……this from the man who was sure he didn’t want any children when we first married….now he has 4 and is making comments like this. Will I ever REALLY know this man’s mind?
- Conversation with Quinn (4yo)this morning: “Eat your oatmeal” Quinn; “I can’t, my legs hurt”. ?
-Almost 10yo to Bill and I: “I don’t think Santa Claus is real.” (Whaaaaaaaaa! I thought I had one more year of all the kids believing in Santa.) He was sitting on the couch talking with Bill. They talked quietly about it and I listened in. I was in the kitchen, out of sight, with tears running down my face. Not sure why this rite of passage was so tender for me. I think what had me in tears was listening to my husbands gentle words as he exchanged dialogue with Cory. He is an amazing father.
Mom is here! - October 1, 2004 -
So much for a daily post! LOL!
My mom has been here since last Friday, so life has been very busy. We are enjoying her visit so much, and she is eating the kids up!
My mom, Quinn, Mia and I spent Sunday night in San Antonio at the river walk. The big boys stayed home with Dad, and I got a much needed break. We stayed in a 5 star hotel right on the river. We shopped, ate, walked, shopped (mom got Mia another pink satin blankie and a pink satin nightgown!) and ate some more. After dinner we had room service send up a chocolate sundae for Quinn. He was so tickled!
The rest of the week has been spent at home visiting. I helped her order a laptop computer and it arrived yesterday, so I am teaching her how to use a computer for the first time. Trust me, she is just getting the basics!
Will try and catch up on life here after Mom leaves on Monday.
