Live from Tormville!

a grunt would have sufficed

We're still working on training the tween that we don't actually talk during the 6am hour. 

She's new to this hour - having moved up to middle school this year. She's taking awhile to train. 

This morning it sounds like this in our kitchen....

From me: nothing - just sipping my coffee
From Allan: nothing - just eating his breakfast
From Dad: nothing - although he did just do his goodbye/see you/i love you grunt. 

From Wendy:  ".....and mom, did you sign that paper yet, I really want a sweatshirt and oh, Mrs. Brinker owes us 50 cents because you wrote the check for seven fifty, but they were really seven dollars and oh my locker, it still sticks but they said they are going to get me a new one. Should I let Tippy out?  Can I have a granola bar in my lunch? Should I let Tippy back in?  Mrs Langley REALLY liked the picture that I brought in for science. I just told her, oh - well my mom IS a photographer. I wore this shirt because you told me it's going to be hot today. It is three fingers wide, and I have a hoodie too because some of our classes are cold. This morning I was just laying there in bed waiting for my alarm clock to go off and I was beginning to think that I forgot to set it so I went to put my hand by it to check and it went off at the same time that my hand was there! So I turned it off real quick.  Mom, will you be home when we get home from school today?  Allan! Don't purposely bump me!!!  Mom, can you pull my hood out from under my backpack? Thanks mom. Bye mom!..........."

Silence. 

testing...testing....

let me know if you can't see this video - I'm not sure I did the settings correctly....

I'm not even remotely proficient at taking videos, let alone having any idea how to edit them - but I know the grandmas and my aunt who love kid's programs were wanting to see Wendy do her part.  She opened up the Disney segment of tonight's program and she was sooooooooooooo nervous, but she did well for all her nerves!   You can't even tell that we had a big wardrobe argument just 45 minutes prior! 

My first youtube upload ever. 

Monday!!!

On Friday we finally brought Brian bowling for his birthday. It was a first time for both the little boys, and at least 15 years for my husband. The guy at the counter was giving him some major teasing for asking for stuff that hasn't been in use for over 10 years. Remember inflatable bumpers? My husband does. 

Wendy won - she played half the game with gutter guards and then had them taken down.

We did all make it to church Friday night.  Oh - and we slept well Friday morning. We know, because my mom locked herself out of the house while packing her car and spent 45 minutes knocking on all the doors and ringing the doorbell, while Tippy - our non-barking dog - wandered from door to door watching her.  She didn't get quite the early start to home that she thought she was going to. 

Saturday had me at church at 9am to help prepare for Easter Sunday - then I did the rounds - stopping in at my dad's for coffee and pie and then over to Uncle George's place for a bit before heading back home. 

Saturday cleaning, hot air balloon launch, lazy Easter Bunny duties (Brian got 42 jellybeans, Wendy got 14.  Oops) and to bed. 

Sunday morning I shared that THIS year we might all actually go to church. (We seem to always have at least one sick which has made it so I no longer get too fired up about new Easter duds) 

Then, as we were getting ready for church I was baffled as to why I was SO exhausted.  Already dressed to go out the door, I stuck a thermometer in my ear and found I had a 101 fever. 

So this year it's me that was sick. That's a new one. 

So no Easter pictures - I got my photo a day just before bed. again. 
I slept all day. I'm not sure yet how I feel today - but I'm going to take it easy - just try to get some laundry done and tomorrow's blog hop post finished and another week in my Project Life album complete.  It's leftovers for dinner tonight. 

Happy Monday!

 

Sunday Bubbles

• It's almost Monday
• Today was gorgeous
• Hubby made it home at 10pm last night - and spent the entire night in the bathroom
• And most of today in bed
• He knows he'll go to work long enough tomorrow to return the company car, but we'll see what happens from there. All I know is - I ain't sharing his bed tonight. 
• Today I walked for 35 minutes and biked for 30
• The line at the DQ was out to the side street
• My lilacs are going to bloom 2 months early.
• Unless we get one more frost - then what of all the budding flowers huh? what then?
• Will they move the lilac festival and the cherry festival up two months to accomodate the earlier than normal blooming?
• Four people on our street put out yard waste bags on the curb today - but yard waste pickup doesn't begin until April.
• We did not go bowling today as planned. 
• I'm blogging for Calvinball points - I'll share my Project Life week 10 tomorrow - and maybe week 11. 
• I'm going to chance it and wash and put away snowpants and winter boots tomorrow. I see 80's in this weeks forecast.

• I took the little boys to the St. Patricks Day parade yesterday. I was baffled as to how they had no problems posing with this leprechaun, but no way would they stand next to the clown. Then someone pointed out to be that - duh - the leprechaun looks like Uncle George. Makes perfect sense now.

• Uncle George was over on Friday. It was too hot for blankets
• And there's my On The Shelf photo - Greg's carvings

• And on Saturday - there was cake, therefore - Brian is officially 7. 

Almost Monday!! 

 

Morning Conversation

Wendy has a class event today at school for which they are all dressing up

Wendy:  Mom, I can't even picture some of the kids ever wearing a skirt or dress, or the boys wearing a shirt and tie. They only ever wear play pants and t-shirts

Mom: Well, it's kinda like when you only see some people at church in their church clothes, but then see them someplace else in casual clothes

Wendy:  Oh! Like when the minister came to pick up Sarah and Aleena that one day! That was sooooo weird.

Mom: Yep, just like that. 

Two new smiles headed up the hill

A four day weekend seems long when we've completely altered two of the smiles in this house during that time. 

Brian is going up the hill with a gap, and Wendy got her braces yesterday morning. She's adjusting. He's giddy that it only took the tooth fairy two nights to show up. It's been much longer for other teeth. 

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• Today is so rainy, gloomy and dark that going back to bed sounds like a good option
• or creating all day.
• I tallied up my total biking miles last night and I'm at 1059.63 - plus the 6 I biked this morning. That puts me 100 miles this side of Wyoming and still over a 1000 miles to go until I get to Oregon. I'll get there. Those darn 5K trainings totally botched my biking schedule last year.  *wink*
• yesterday we had chicken noodle soup for dinner. Today it's chili.  The newly in braces kid gets to plan the menu for the week
• We have no snow. Again. This winter blows. 
• oh hey - just checked the weather to see if we had any snow coming in the next 10 days and it says that today's rain is going to turn into 2.6 inches of snow! 
• Now I'm smiling
• A couple days ago I posted about a sale - today is the last day of that sale. Don't miss out! 
• Time for me to get it in gear.....

Happy Tuesday! 

 

she got her skittle pooping unicorn

Someone asked her a couple months ago what she wanted for her birthday and she flippantly responded that she would love to have a skittle pooping unicorn. It was a tall order to fill in time for her birthday, so it was decided we would surprise her for Christmas.

Unfortunately, her dentist absolutely restricted her intake of all chewy sweet candy, so the order had to be changed to a  horse that poops Reeses Pieces instead. She's not complaining.

(It was originally a horse. Greg added the unicorn horn and painted it white) 

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eta: our kids didn't wake up until 7:45 this year. And only because they finally heard me bumping around the kitchen - one room away - digging out the stuff to cook the ham

October Goal: Kid 3/4

Her dad's next project is to install a gun rack on the front porch next to his new rocking chair guard post. 

little sleep and lots of laughs

I don't know about you, but around here - the weekend was a giggly blur. 

I can't even rememember what we did on Friday - but Saturday we had soccer, Saturday cleaning and then Wendy had some friends over for a birthday slash let's go downtown to the Halloween event - event. The weather while crappy all week, turned out perfectly for our outing. We couldn't have ordered anything better.  There were thousands of people who came out to enjoy the weather with us.

I had the girls on one hand, and my little boys on the other. My husband didn't get home from work until after 8, so he just missed all the fun. 

All the fun included creatively scipted gravestones.....

....the headless horseman..... (I had wanted to run the Headless Horseman 5K, but ended up not signing up when I had one babysitter out of town, and a working husband) (and a gaggle of giggling girls for the night)

....some tall Halloween creature things, I assume they entered the contest. Always lots of cool costumes.

....cool grandma's out enjoying quality time and spooking with their grandkids....

....cowboys....

....zombies...

This picture makes my heart swell up. Markie is not fond of crowd situations. He was leaning on Brian's shoulder for support. He passed on the candy bowl more than a few times because he couldn't stand the bowl rush crowds.

After we covered the entire event, we headed home for birthday cake and a giggling sleepover. 

This lot likes to play the dare game when they open gifts. They spin the bottle to find out whose turn it is, then that person has to dare Wendy something in order for her to be able to open the gift.  

• Kiss the dog 15x
• Open the present with only your teeth 
• Open the present with one foot and one finger
• Open the present while standing on your head

Then they got to Mark.  Wendy: what's my dare, Markie?   Mark: Open the present with your BOOTY!! 

I didn't see that one coming. 
Nearly rose the roof with those giggles.

The giggling lasted until just past midnight
The girls weren't quite as perky Sunday morning when we woke them up for Sunday school.

All in all, a good time.  A few friends and I were discussing the city event overall while a lot of fun, is easier if you have kids of just one age grouping. If you have big kids and little kids, it's very hard to keep an eye on them all for how crowded it is.

On Sunday we enjoyed having my husband home for the day - went church, visiting, relaxed.

Today it's baking, laundry, assignments, and two Halloween parties tonight.  

Eleven

photo from Wendy's camera/her field trip to the science center on Friday

Today she'll wake up Eleven. ELEVEN!!!

• I remember the day she was born. I remember we went to the hospital the minute I felt something, and the hospital just walking distance away said - ooh, look at you - no, sorry - no epidural for you, you're too far along.  The doctor made it into the room just in time. 
• I don't hold it against her. Or the boys who pulled the same stunt. 
• At Girls on the Run recently the girls were asked to give a word that described themselves. She couldn't think of anything, so the girls helped out. They all agreed that bubbly was a very good word for Wendy. 
• She's getting a football for her birthday - and she'll get it this morning so she can bring it to school. Seems that she and her friends Emily and Molly are really into playing football at recess with the boys but have a problem with the boys actually passing them the ball. Now she has her own ball, her request. 
• Her cupcakes for the class are Halloween theme. Again. 
• Her birthday will be as well, as we told her she could invite a couple girls to do our town's Halloween event next weekend - something we had tried to do last year but sick kids that week and weekend prevented it. 
• She also bargained for a new pair of  boots that she's been wanting, but she had to push back an unknown birthday gift to a Christmas gift, it was hard for her - but she really wanted the boots. 
• She admits that she's not a very good pen pal.
• She loves to draw, listen to books on tape, try different crafts and just recently starting reading Harry Potter. 
• She's got a big heart. There was recently an incident in our neighborhood where some girls were teasing the new girl on the block, and she felt so bad for her that she - right then and there - invited that teased girl to her birthday party.  I found out when the girl hollored over the fence the next day, "Wendy, I can come to your birthday!"  Asking Wendy to explain she broke into tears, "Mom - they were being so mean to her, I felt so bad! I had to!"
• She's doing a good job taking care of Tippy. She feeds her every day, takes her for walks - but only does the poop job if I ask her to. She's working on getting Tippy to sleep in her room but that will never happen.
• The next sport she's signed up to try is volleyball.
• She doesn't wake up easily
• It's time for me to go wake her up.

Happy Monday!