Outtakes

I had a goal. It was to get a good picture of the kids in their matching Christmas outfits. I was even thinking that I might have it printed onto a canvas and it could be something that I could hang up at Christmas time for, oh, the rest of our lives. And then we had the "photo shoot". Believe it or not, this is the best we ended up with:


And just for all your viewing pleasure, here are some of my favorites of the hundreds of outtakes that we took.

Merry Christmas!!!

Snow

We get snow here only occasionally. It snows for maybe a day or two, last a day or two longer, and then goes back to the never ending rain. But it is a really big deal when it does, and today, it did.



Now, I've seen a lot of snow in my extensive years. Enough to know that I despise snow. Yet I have never, ever seen flakes the size of the snow that was falling here today. Some of them were literally the size of my palm. It truly did look like big fluffs of cotton were falling from the sky. I tried to take some pictures, which, of course, did not do these freak flakes justice at all. What can you do. But it was sure fun for the kids (and maybe even Mom and little tiny bit) to watch.


The bummer part is, this is the second day we've seen snow so far this winter, and both times the snow started right at lunch time. So I of course promised both times that as soon as the kids woke up from naps, we could go out and play in the snow. The first day (the day after Thanksgiving), I heard Cooper crying halfway through nap time, as she heard the rain outside the windows and knew that it was putting an end to her plans of an afternoon full of snowmen. You'd think I'd learn, but I made the same promise today, only to have the snow stop and immediately start melting as soon as I tucked the little ones into their beds.

We did find out today that we are for sure headed to Fairchild AFB in October (in Spokane, WA, hometown of all the coolest people in the world) so I suppose the munchkins will have plenty of years ahead of them to make snowmen. I cannot wait until they are old enough to go outside and play by themselves.

It was this or laundry...

It's been a while. A couple weeks ago we took all the kids to Rome to meet up with some friends. Then when we were just on the verge of a nervous breakdown, we came back home. Then we had a few days of only mild madness. Then my husband went to pick up our previously mentioned friends on a mountain in the alps (where it was required that he stay to board for a day and spend the night) while I stayed home with our three kids to clean the house and prepare it for company, to prep everything for the Thanksgiving dinner we would be hosting for our guests and several other friends, and to care for our newly spayed dog who wouldn't sit or lay down because of her new wound, and wouldn't walk around at all while wearing the cone of shame. Then our guests came, and we had lots of people around and had even more fun. And then they left.

I put our house back together. I restocked the fridge. The fridge got postponed a day, but it got done (I discovered, standing at the front door, kids in shoes and coats, that somewhere in all the madness my keys got misplaced. I had to wait for Jesse to get home that night and confiscate his key to my car). I have almost regained my sanity. And now all that's left is to clean the house. And yet, even with all the organizing and straightening, I have not yet regained my motivation. So instead of doing laundry or mopping floors, I am killing time with a cup of hot cocoa in front of the computer :)

One little story though from our days of mild madness. We were at a Thanksgiving function and Cooper fell in the parking lot and gave herself a bloody nose. It's a very long story, but lets just cut it down to: I left the function with no cell phone, at bedtime, and a bloody four year old who suddenly couldn't keep her eyes open, said her head hurt and that she was sleepy, and wouldn't answer any questions I asked her. In a panic I detoured from our house and went to our pediatrician's house, who happens to be a good friend of ours (at least for the time being...we'll see how much longer he'll take my calls on holidays and open the door for me on dark nights when something has happened to one of our kids). All that to say, she was fine, and is fine. Maybe just a little puny the next morning:

We actually have quite a few pictures of Cooper looking pretty bashed up. Maybe sometime I'll post the ones from when she fell out of the stroller onto concrete on her second birthday. The poor kid is so much like her mom...

The worst part is, Cooper looked a little beat up. Then Payton fell while we were all down at the square and scraped up her face. Then Zeke and I were playing with a balloon on Thanksgiving and my thumbnail scraped his forehead and left a big bloody scab. When some friends came over later that day, after seeing all our beaten children, she asked Zeke what happened to him. "Mom hit me."

Veteran's Day

This guy is a veteran:

He's also my grandpa. I grew up hearing the story about how his nose is crooked from the rifle butt he took to the face during the war, but in reality, he worked in a hospital. I'm not sure he saw too many rifles. My guess is it was a brawl.

This guy is also a vet:

His name is Jerry and he's married to my grandma (right there next to him). I don't know too much about Jerry's service, except that he was in Japan during the war, and has NO interest in going back (I know this because my brother and sister in law lived there for a while, and my grandma went to visit them alone as Jerry was perfectly happy not going).

Another vet:

My amazing father in law, with my mother in law and all their grandkids! He was a fighter pilot in the AF, and spent time stationed in Europe when their kids (one of whom I obviously think is pretty great) were the same age our kids are now. We pretty much live our lives based on theirs.

These guys are all vets. And also all serious athletes:

But that one in the orange sunglasses, I am particularly fond of that one. He's my favorite veteran.

I never really understood the supposed attraction for women to a man in uniform until I met this one. He's hot. In uniform or not, but I gotta say, he's pretty sharp looking in any of his uniforms. Unfortunately, at the time of this picture, his wife was about 24 months pregnant and was not looking quite so hot. More bloated and exhausted, really. Good thing that award is so big to help detract from the lady.

I think it's important that everyone understand how serious it is to be a veteran. A veteran would never, say, use a couple of his uniforms to dress up for Halloween with his wife as an instructor and a student. Especially not if his students were being mocked in the process.

There are definitely times where it's hard being married to a veteran who is still currently serving. For instance, sometimes said veteran might make you wear a parachute and gear while they practice some drill they have to be able to perform in a certain amount of time (can you tell how well I paid attention to exactly what we were practicing?)

And sometimes they might go off to war when you are eight months pregnant.

**Side note in all seriousness: my veteran missed the birth of his son while he was off helping to defend our freedom, but he came home healthy, mentally and physically. We owe all of our gratitude to those veterans who are not so lucky, and their loved ones who either live with a changed man/woman, or who live without their man/woman at all. You are the true heroes of our country.**

There are also the great times that come along with being married to an active duty veteran. Like when they finally come home.

Or when they take you to fancy functions where you get to get all dressed up.

So in honor of Veteran's Day, THANK YOU, all of you, who have served or are serving in our armed forces.

A List...

of gratitude:

1. Finding binkies stashed in a trail like breadcrumbs that make me smile and think of Payton when I am picking up the house.

2. A husband whom I trust completely to make a decision about our future, because he continually chooses our family.

3. Online shopping.

4. Parents who let me call them first thing in the morning, while they're still waking up, just to chat their ear off and have some adult conversation.

5. In laws who stay up way too late to see the kids on Skype and be able to talk to them.

6. Friends who don't have kids, but aren't intimidated by the noise and destruction that come along with mine. They still want to hang out, unbelievably.

7. Coffee.

8. Any one of my three kids giggling.

9. Every time my boy uses the potty and I know we've saved another quarter on diapers :).

10. A babysitter whom all five of us adore, and never having to worry when I leave the kids with her.

11. A warm, cozy bed and a good book, and a man who loves me enough to send me upstairs to both while he cleans up and watches the kids.

12. Early mornings (never thought I would say that) sitting in the lamplight with a hot mug, a blanket, and my Bible, snuggled up to the love of my life.

13. Superglue. And scotch tape.

14. Daughters who are thrilled to sit on my lap and look at books.

15. The way little ones' cheeks are so pink and squishy when they wake up from a good nap.

16. Hearing my kids whisper "I love you" to each other, especially when they don't know anyone is listening.

17. Being married to someone with better fashion sense than me.

18. A family who appreciates my cooking, no matter how unsophisticated it can be.

19. A steady, reliable income, and the unbelievable opportunities we have been blessed with because of it.

20. Days spent in pajamas, which happen way more than they should around here...

21. Sunshine. Oh, how I love sunshine.

22. A train set that keep my kids occupied and quiet for astonishing amounts of time.

23. A washer and dryer that I complain about unendingly, but in reality they are saving me from a whole lot of work that I would not enjoy doing.

24. Eating treats after the kids are in bed.

Real Life

Anyone who takes many pictures is guaranteed to get some "bad" ones. I often like the bad ones the best, because they make me smile, and they are much more true to real life. They may be technically poorly taken pictures, or pictures that just happen to get that look (the one that is actually much more common than the plastered on smile). Or they may be evidence that the kids get into mischief (not mine, of course, this is hypothetically speaking).

Enjoy a glimpse into our real life:
*For the sake of my son and our future relationship, there has been some editing done on one of the pics. You'll see.

The Bouncy-Castle-Daddy-Monster

At a birthday party we went to recently, a Daddy Monster somehow got turned loose in the bouncy castle.

The prey has been spotted...

"Help me, Mommy! Saaaaaaave meeeeeeee!" (Zeke can barely stand the excitement in the background :) )

Maybe she's scared because she's seen the monster do things like this to her brother...

Okay, maybe getting caught by the monster isn't that bad. Maybe it's even kinda fun.

Out numbered

We have two beautiful, glamorous, extravagant princesses that live in our house, and they both definitely love to dress the part.


How could anyone resist jumping into this wonderful world of royalty? Especially when you are the only boy in the kingdom, all day, every day??


At least there are those who have gone before who can show him the way.


I think he's pretty pleased with the end result, too :)


But simply because one joins the ranks of princesses does not mean that one might not still try to poke his little sister in the eye.

Soccer

I have been meaning to write this post for several weeks, now, and it hasn't happened. I have lots of excuses about the internet not working, etc, but mostly it comes down to the fact that I started reading the Twilight books, and that is where any extra time went. It is pathetic, I know. I am appropriately ashamed of my enjoyment of these adolescent girl novels. However, I finished the fourth and final book last night, and am slightly relieved as I feel like I can finally return to reality and life can go on :).

So about soccer. I know I have said that a class full of 3 and 4 year old ballerinas is the cutest thing there is on this earth. However, watching a class of 3 and 4 year olds attempt a soccer game, I am now unsure about the exclusivity of my statement. Here is a typical week of Parent/Preschooler soccer.

We start with warm ups, of course. Wouldn't want any strained muscles in the strenuous exercise to come. Seriously, preschoolers doing jumping jacks is better than stand up comedy.




The kids' favorite drill (and therefore the one that we did every week) was red light green light with ball dribbling thrown in.



(This is what Zeke and Payton and I are doing on the sidelines. It occasionally involves Zeke streaking across the "playing field", followed closely by Mommy)



The final week (that we went, at least) was an actual "game". You know what I mean by that if you've ever seen the littlest soccer players go at it. To make it easiest on the munchkins as far identifying their own teammates to pass to, the game was adults against kids. I am not sure the adults really even moved, except when they were shaking from laughing so hard. Watching the kids steal the ball from each other, dribble right on by the goal, and miss wide open shots from directly in front of the goal was hilarious. Not to mention the amount of time they spent just running around in confusing chaos. But somehow, they came out victorious! Cooper was thrilled to death to inform me that she had scored 5 (I think) whole goals all by herself, and the dads hadn't scored ANY! She pretty much was the star player, although I think her strongest asset was how darn cute she looked in her soccer getup :)






Please get here quickly, January, so that Zeke can participate in his first sport, and no longer has to be on the sidelines!!!