Who Ate My Cookie?

Family Celebration

2012-02-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

The kids were so excited about Valentines Day. This was the best we could get picture wise. B was so excited to give us our valentines gift that she made with our nanny. I love these days so much!

Valentines Day

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

This little girl LOVES valentines day. Seriously she is so excited. The first picture is a cookie that she and her nanny made. She tells everyone how to make them. I just love that she puts her heart into everything. Passion is a strong suit of hers.

She is so excited to see what Valentines day is about. I guess that means we should plan something!!

National Marriage Week

2012-02-13T08:57:00.001-06:00

This man has made me a better person.

Is it a coincidence that he was out of town all week? :-) While he was sipping wine in Napa Valley I was at home hearding my herd. Reflecting on our wonderful years together. Chad has taught me so much in our time together. His faith is so amazing and very important in his life.

We both started our marriage young. Thinking we knew everything but now realizing we were flying by the seat of our pants! One thing is for sure, our faith has carried us through. We are each others biggest cheerleaders.

I love KLove(105.3 in Milwaukee) and they were mentioning that among the marriages surveyed over an 11 year period, the marriages in which both spouses were willing to make sacrifices for one another were more successful.

Sacrifice and selfishness can not coexist. But it is hard! I think our human nature is to think about ourselves. By nature I'm a very giving person. Always ready to lend a hand and help someone. Often times Chad will tell me that I need to step back and stop overextending myself. It's when I realize that often times I'm the one extending myself and it doesn't get reciprocated that I realize I do need to step back.

Chad is very conscious of our marriage and making sure that he is available to me. Worldly things get in our way and it is then that we have to remind ourselves to step back.

1 John 4:8 (NIV) 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Everything aside, Chad makes me who I am. He makes me a better person. I certainly pray I do the same for him.

Science Anyone??

2012-02-08T06:36:00.000-06:00

C loves science and history. If he had it his way those would be the only two courses he ever learned about. This past science lesson was on magnetism, electrons etc. We pulled out our snap circuits and C had such a great time figuring out complete circuits. He even learned how to magnetize a nail with copper wire around it. That was fun!

Basketball Season

2012-02-05T18:33:00.001-06:00

We are almost done with basketball. E was hesitant to go out for it because he knows he is short and is afraid that he doesn't measure up to his good friends. We are SO glad he did. He did a great job and played very hard.

Early in the game E got the lead for the team!

Yes, this picture is blurry. Yes, that is Chad ref'ing E's game. Yes, Chad did call a penalty on E. Thank the good Lord E didn't throw a fit! Progress!

This is one of E's best buddies. J is a great boy and I couldn't ask for a better family to be friends with.

Yumminess!

2012-01-31T06:55:00.001-06:00

I tell myself all the time that I am a great mom. Some of the time it's because I have failed at something and need to make myself feel better. Other times it's because I know just how to get to the center of my kids hearts! Chocolate! Can you hear them? Nope, me either. That's because they are deep in this yummy goodness.

See that yumminess oozing out?! Yum!

Our School Day

2012-01-20T08:45:00.000-06:00

Since I know many are curious what we actually do all day I figured I'd show you! Our day generally starts at 7:30. B loves to go first and C doesn't so it works for us. Most of the time I do one on one schooling but this week was a crazy week so they worked side by side.

Our school provides us with a laptop per kid, printer per kid and all accessories down to art supplies. I am able to move the subjects around as I please. So if I wanted to do two math classes in one day I can move that. We school on Sundays since I work two days during the week so I am able to move the classes around. Our nanny does do school with them but I like to make her days easier. After each class is complete for the day you enter it into attendance with the amount of time it took to complete.

Here you see C working on grammar. Currently he's learning about the kinds of verbs. On the laptop you see his daily schedule in blue and at the top it shows any class connects he has for the day. A class connect is an online class with a teacher. They do Math, Science, History, Language etc. The class connect takes you to a white board where the teacher puts the materials for everyone to see. It's similar to an online meeting. She can give you control so you can write on the blackboard to answer questions. We have a microphone so the kids can talk. These sessions are also nice as the teacher will schedule additional one on one sessions if a child is struggling. So we constantly have a teacher at our hands.

B is working on a Math test. This math test included 4 pages from her workbook, a worksheet and two timed tests. She loves math and is doing the next grade materials.

Here C is participating in a class connect. The kids love these as it gives them a chance to get instruction from another person and in a way that I may not have taught it. C can not see his teacher or classmates, rather it's just like a whiteboard that the teacher puts the material up on.

In art B was learning about the different kinds of masks people used to wear and some currently still do. She was to design her own.

This is my day!

I generally stand on the opposite side of the counter. I have my teacher books there which are amazing at stepping me through the lessons. They also include a picture of the student pages with the answers filled in.

Here C is taking a math semester assessment. They do not call them tests. Some of the curriculum's testing is done online and others are administered in the book or print outs. In taking the tests online, they are graded immediately. If you do not score above 80% you can not move forward in the lesson and have to retake. If you retake a test too many times your teacher will call you. We haven't had this happen yet, but his teacher told me that in a conference! Checkpoints are done throughout the year to make sure the student remembers things they have already learned. Then quizzess and assessments are done as well.

Twice a year we have an online meeting with the teacher and go over the child' progress and concerns. There have been many times that I've contacted C's teacher for help on a different way to teach something. He is quick to respond. Many accommodations have been made for C in this school that our previous school wouldn't even think of.

The calendar format of this school is the same as a public school. However, we can follow our own schedule. So long as we complete the work and have the appropriate number of school days, we can school when we want.

C is working on Science. Science and History are his favorites. He can remember any number of facts from these subjects. The school provides all books, even reading books!

This is B doing her phonics. I love how thorough the course is. Currently she's learning trigraphs and diagraphs. Which are the blends of letters. While she'll tell you she doesn't like phonics, she is very good at it. She can read but holds herself back because she doesn't want to make a mistake. We've moved to really easy books to give her the confidence.

That is our day. We generally finish by 11:30 but do not take many or any breaks. It flows well and I find it is too hard to get them focused if they do have a break.

Gifted and Talented

2012-01-16T08:33:00.000-06:00

This time of year is stressful for me. I have so many things running through my head. Surely I can not be the only one who has heard the public school open enrollment commercials on the radio. Those commercials send waves of shock through my body. I immediately change the channel. Please God make the decision for me.

Who knew that school could be such a stressful decision? Far after the open enrollment period expires, I still catch myself wondering; did I make the right decision? Now please do not take me wrong, this is a mutual decision between my husband and myself with much direction from the Lord. I am so very thankful to have a husband who is so involved in our children's education. We make a great team.

I am an over thinker. As one who has been trusted with raising four amazing children, how can I not be?

While we've always placed so much worry and angst over one of our children, I am realizing that all of our children are gifted and talented. It's by your own definition and open mind that you see those talents and achievements.

We have spent the last three years fighting our local public school to provide the education that our child needed and deserved. School was not fun, it was stressful for all of us. We worried about him, his siblings worried about him. I dreaded every aspect of school. Teacher conferences proved to be so stressful I'd literally not be able to hold back tears. It got to the point that I couldn't even talk about it. It was just my way of dealing with it. I was my child's advocate and believe me when I say that my voice was heard. But we learned my voice didn't matter. We hired our own team of specialists who monitored him and helped guide us to make sure he was getting what he needed. Soon we found that didn't matter. Because the state deamed that he didn't qualify for anything. Nadda. We have plenty of diagnoses and statistical data, but does that information form our child?

This year he has been home with us. Glory be to God he is such an amazing person. Gifted and talented beyond measure. Seriously this boy has so many areas of absolute outstanding performance. Sure we struggle, but we are always able to figure out what works. He has an amazing team that works with him and us to make sure that he is most successful. He has a love for science, social studies and Legos like no other. His comfort zone happens to become an issue for some people but we have no issue with it. Winter is by far his favorite time of year and he can spend hours outside playing. Having him at home with us has allowed us to work closely with him to help him work through his biggest areas of contention.

Our other children also have amazing talents. From amazing athletes to a gymnast. Because they may be on the high end of their class, they often grow bored and distracted. We are working on that with them. Neatness and putting care into work aren't on the high end of their spectrum.

From the one who would rather not try than fail. To all of those that thought we could just spank it out of him. That doesn't work. Thankfully we are able to work with him and give him other outlets. Helping him recognize what is happening and how to handle it is something we invest our time in.

To the one who has soared through her schoolwork. That has an amazing memory and visual learning. Sometimes that way she is able to find answers in her head has us laughing. For now, it works for her and we love it. She also struggles with failure in the form of not wanting to try. We push her to try things and hopefully she'll grow out of it.

Lets not forget the child who at one point was two grades ahead of his peers. We often wonder if we should have kept him back two grades so that he'd be closer in size to his peers. With the love of football, size is a big deal. His academics far exceed what he shows us in grades. Sure, his grades are good, but they are not great. This strict momma has high goals and this child is fine with just doing what is expected.

Every child is gifted. Every child has challenges. Some challenges are just harder to see. It's my job as a mom to point out every single gift and make a huge deal out of them. And those challenges, they are ok, we will conquer them.

Christmas

2012-01-11T13:40:00.001-06:00

I know this is late. I have taken some time away from the computer and just enjoyed the last two weeks being a mom, teacher, wife and friend. It's been great. Honestly, I have gotten used to it!

This was our attempt at taking a picture of all the kids. I chose this one because A up in the top left is so very proud of her smile!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the night! Aren't they so cute?!

Grandpa was doing something silly and this is N's response.

Minute To Win It!

2012-01-03T18:58:00.000-06:00

This Christmas I was able to host my family. In doing so I decided to host a Minute To Win It competition. My goodness did this go so well. We had a blast and are still smiling at the thought of how fun it was.

We paired the oldest and the youngest to try and make it fair. Little D was so excited to play!

Little D wasn't all that excited about this game. Although we adults sure got a lot of laughs!

The only two successful at this game!

Check out the concentration!!

Notice how hard they are working on getting them in one by one?

Then we had this big guy throwing handfuls in!

My intention with this game is that the kids would work together to get the ornaments hung. But heaven forbid they actually got close to each other!!!

Although these two cuties certainly did a great job!

Sneak Peak!

2011-12-29T11:23:00.002-06:00

Oh my goodness did we ever have a wonderful Christmas! It is our tradition to have fondue on Christmas Eve, then we go to Christmas in the Barn. I've done it since I was a child and it's just a tradition that even the kids don't want to break. I was dissapointed to not hear grandpa read the traditional Irish poem at the end. It just wasn't the same:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Then we come home and open presents from our own family exchange. The kids love this. We exchange names and pick out something that we know they'd really like. Cade put so much thought into E's gift this year. And he was so very proud of it.

Christmas morning the kids slept until 7:30 which wasn't terrible. I need to note that the large presents in the pictures are for all the kids. So it looks like some of them had many but it was actually large present for all of them.

This is what happens when I make our traditional overnight caramel rolls and they overflow! Doh! We thought the house might start on fire. Our smoke alarms are SO sensitive. No joke if one piece of cheese from a pizza falls on the oven floor the alarm goes off. The entire house was filled with smoke, so much so that we were coughing from it. The alarm never went off. But the dogs sensed something and this is where we found Marty!

E's Eleven!

2011-12-24T19:47:00.001-06:00

My baby is eleven! It is so hard to believe that all these years have gone by so fast. This past year has been on with much growth. E has battled many issues of feeling inadequate which have manifested themselves in not such nice ways. Thankfully, we were able to recognize them and help E work through them in various ways. E is such a people pleaser, he always wants to be on the top. Failure is not an option for him. So if he feels he is not going to be "on the top", he'd rather not try. At times we have pushed him to do things out of his comfort zone and we are so glad we have. Thank you God for holding my hand this past year and guiding me to make the best decisions for my son.

E is wearing one if his gifts, his pink power necklace. E loves everything pink. Everything. Chad and I drew the line at painting his bedroom pink!

Look at those teeth! Gosh I love his smile. Thank you Dr. Lenz! This was E's number 1 request.

Socks and underwear were also his requests! Who doesn't love new socks?!

Basketball wasn't on E's list of things to do. This was an area of great concern for him. He has grown extremely conscious of his size in all aspects of life. Heck, when you play football with kids 3 times your size, how can you not notice it?! These are three of E's great buddies and look how close he is in height to them!!!! Thank you Jesus for helping E decide that he can do anything through Christ who strengthens him! E has had a major growth spurt the last few months as he is finally growing out of some of his size 8 clothes. Notice, I said some. He is very proud of that. We are too!

E, you are such a great child. You have such passion for life. We know that the struggles you have now will turn you into the man you want to be. God is working inside of you every day!

Elf Antics!

2011-12-20T09:47:00.000-06:00

Christopher has been up to some mischief at our house! One day he left the kids a cupcake kit! They enjoyed decorating their own cupcake.

He thought he'd see what it was like to sleep like a princess for a night.

Having a tea party with Tinkerbell!

Zip lining to the Christmas tree!

We can not wait to see what he has instore for us this week. We'll all be sad when he leaves us!

St.Nick has arrived!

2011-12-13T16:53:00.002-06:00

I have an awesome husband. I didn't even know he took these pictures until I uploaded them today. Which then lets you know that I am behind on uploading my pictures!

Check out her hair! Isn't it awesome?!!

St. Nick even comes for this big guy!

Christophers been crazy!

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

Christopher wrote messages on our pictures!

He even brought us Advent Calendars. To which C declared, "This is the best present ever!"

He also brought us a Gingerbread House Kit.

Before

After. This was the best I could do with three great helpers!

Breakfast with Santa!

2011-12-04T16:19:00.001-06:00

We loved breakfast with Santa at the Zoo so much that we decided to try it again this year. They have such great childrens programs! Here C is making a snowman treat. C commented on how great B's looked to which we replied, "Girls give these types of things much more attention than boys!"

E's didn't turn out so bad!

B is very proud of hers!

Now I realize this isn't the best picture, but we just had so much fun watching these two Chimps play together. At one time the lion was making noise because he wanted to go out and it sounded like he was yelling, "out".

B told Santa she couldn't remember what she wanted. C told him Star Wars and Legos. Is that a surprise? After we walked away B was confused, "I already sent him my letter." She couldn't understand how he didn't remember!

Christopher Popinkins Is Back!!!

2011-11-30T13:37:00.001-06:00

This past weekend while we were in Ohio Christopher surprised us at the hotel! The first night he brought the kids an elf hat because he wanted them to fit in with him!

The second night he decorated the room in candy canes! What a nice treat!

The third night he brought them some Christmas cakes that mom would never buy! The kids loved them by the way!

These are some of his other antics so far!

Here he is getting into a snowball fight with the Webkinz. Notice the monkey was smacked right in the face with a snowball!

Last night Christopher was trying to trap the others from stealing the candy canes!

This came in our mail today! It was address to the kids from the North Pole!

Thankfully Cade ripped it open so he didn't touch Christopher! Inside was a note from Santa!!

Great Weekend

2011-11-26T19:44:00.001-06:00

We spent this weekend cheering for E's final tournament. While we missed our family, we certainly enjoyed the amazing weather and great friends.

These two cutie pies had fun cheering. I was trying to get a pic without them noticing so my focus was all off.

I know I have said this before but really, look at the size of E. He's number 52. This season has been a fun and competitive year. There are many wonderful and positive things that have come from this team. We've met some great friends. E has bonded well with some outstanding boys. We have had some great getaways as a family. I love family time. Infact, it's no secret that I love family time more than anything. This momma has a huge guilt complex. One thing that e has realized is that size does matter. He's grown very conscious of his size and that is making him feel extremely inadequate. I so wish that he was proud of himself and confident. We are so very proud of him!

Message in a Ziploc!

2011-11-19T14:08:00.000-06:00

Both kids are learning about many different coutnries right now. B has learned and memorized the continents and different aspects of each of them. After Cade and daddy recently read Robinson Crusoe we decided to send a message to see if we'd get a response.

Originally I had thought that one balloon would do. But the weather was too cold and the balloon just sunk. Daddy came to the rescue with two more balloons!

And they're off! Hopefully we get a response!

Our Gladiator

2011-11-17T17:32:00.000-06:00

E's on the down swing with football. Next weekend will be his final weekend playing travel ball. We've really enjoyed it and I know E's had fun. Chad has enjoyed his time as well as the offensive coach.

Way to go E! We have loved watching you play.

Letter to Santa

2011-11-15T17:17:00.001-06:00

Writing letters to Santa is a HUGE deal! The kids spend many hours looking through catalogs to decide what they would like to put on their lists. They then take their letters and give them to the mail carriers at the parade. This year we were joined by our awesome cousins Ashton and Anitha.

We took this picture of B's letter because we knew Aunt Kari would love B's #1 wish.

Emily?

2011-11-09T10:30:00.001-06:00

This is what I noticed today on B's math test. When I questioned her about it she told me that she prefers Emily as her name. How is it that two of my kids have now decided they prefer different names? I think this is so cute! Although I'm not sure I will start using Emily as I much prefer her real name.

I also love how she dots her I's. Sometimes it is a dot and sometimes it is a heart. Girls are just so awesome!

Blessings

2011-11-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

Life can get so hectic and harried that we often forget to just sit back and thank God for the wonderful blessings that we have. Although I'd like to think that this place of contentment that we have is wonderful. I ask myself, "How can we fully engage in the life God has for us?"

These people of mine, that I have been trusted to raise, are the reason for life. Just look at their faces and smile. I am blessed beyond measure.

This bond can not be broken.

Dear God, please help us to raise this little girl.

This bond is one that on the outside world may seem non existent. But we catch glimpses of it that make our hearts smile. While so very different, they have so much in common.

^1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2a

Future Babysitters!

2011-11-02T19:19:00.000-05:00

B and her cousin P love these babies so much!

J was lovin' the attention.

N let me know exactly what she thought of my camera in her face!

Pumpkins - Anyone?

2011-10-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

The kids were so excited to carve pumpkins. By carve I mean, take the seeds out. Thats all we are interested in anyways. Here is B with her big pumpkin.

E was so excited to try and cut his own open. Yikes.

Cade thought for sure he would be able to cut it as well. He's just not as careful and he often doesn't think things through well. However, he really wanted to try. "Dad, I am not a baby!"

Ew she says.

Man I love these guys.

Our furry friends joined us. Marty was excited to chew on his bone. Max stood on the lookout for any other furry intruders. He takes his job very seriously.

Max didn't spot any intruders and decided to snif out what we were doing. He decided it was pretty yummy and started chowing down!! He stuck his head right in the bowl of garbage and started to eat the leftover pumpkin! I had no idea he would like it. So I cut one of the pumpkins up and cooked it for him. I'm sure he'll thank me later.

Special Day for a Special Girl!

2011-10-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Belle is now six! She's such a little mom and thinks that she can step in and fill my shoes. When B loves she loves with all her heart. We're working on making sure she isn't so upset when she has the opposite feelings! School is going very well for Miss B. She is on her way to reading well. Math is by far her favorite subject and she wizzes through her work. She loves being homeschooled and claims that she is never going to go to school outside of the house. I sit back and enjoy all the time I have with her!

Belle loves to play with her dolls, Polly Pockets, crafts and baking. B could spend hours a day coloring and doing crafts. She also thinks that baking is so much fun.

Weighing in at 36 lbs give or take a little, I believe she is our slowest grower! She loves to eat so we know she is just small. Some of her favorite foods are, vegetables, fruit, noodles and sushi. Anytime I make something new she asks me if she likes it. My answer is always yes. She then eats it, generally without any hesitation. Daddy loves this as he has plans to travel with her and eat exotic foods.

For her birthday this year we planned a trip to the American Girl Store. B was so excited. She was given some spending cash and couldn't wait to choose exactly what she wanted. This is her twin doll that was dressed to match.

Here we are enjoying lunch. B brought Marisol with and the blonde doll was one of her purchases. The dolls now come with a code to play online and B was so excited to play.

Daddy was excited to spend the day with his princes. My goodness I could just eat her up.

Homecoming Sophomore Year

2011-10-20T17:39:00.000-05:00

Homecoming has come and gone and I didn't even post about it. How sad is that? Well, I posted about the parade but not about this handsome fella?

Nick went to the dance with a few friends(all male). He wanted to be able to mingle will all the girls instead of just one. I'd like to think that he still believes girls are just trouble.

I can not get over by how grown up he is. He's been searching for ajob but has yet to find one that will hire him based on his age. Nick is by far the youngest in his class so he's struggling with the fact that all of his friends either are driving or have their permits. This momma is thankful that we have 6 months before that will happen!

Chubby Lovin!

2011-10-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

These are two of the cutest babies I've ever met! I can not believe how fast they are growing.

Check out his eyes!

Seriously, I think I could kiss those cheeks a million times over and still want to kiss them some more!

Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

The weather has been amazing so we decided to enjoy it and go to the pumpkin farm.

The kids were attempting to jump across these hay bales. E would not even consider trying. Which is so odd to me considering he has no issues head butting some kid in football.

B who waffles between being cautious and outgoing jumped!

C tried but didn't make it. He was a tad hesitant.

E and B jumped while C took a break. He said it was too hot.

I'm thinking I may never get a normal picture from this group ever.

Be Jealous!

2011-10-07T13:53:00.000-05:00

I was telling Belle a few weeks ago that we should find her some toe socks. She had never heard of them before. Well she found some at the store and had to have them.

She isn't sure what to think of them. Having her toes individually covered seems to bother her. We'll see!

21 Questions

2011-10-05T21:09:00.001-05:00

I asked the kids 21 questions this week that sheds some light on their views on me. Some of the answers are right on the dot, others...well, not so much!

For reference, B is Belle, C is Cade and E is Ebug. I love these kids!

What is something Mommy always says to you?

B- Be Good

C- I love you

E- Clean up!

What makes Mommy happy?

B- Kisses and being nice.

C- Hugs and kisses.

E- Cleaning up the house.

What makes Mommy sad?

B- If you don’t love her.

C- Max being gone.

E- A dirty house.

How does Mommy make you laugh?

B- A dog wearing a dress. – I think she is thinking of

America

’s Funniest Videos.

C- Pulling Dad’s or Nick’s pants down. – No clue where this came from. We DO NOT do this.

E- Tickles me.

What was Mommy like as a child?

B- Playing

C- Nice, kind

E- Hurt from her older brothers.

How old is Mommy?

B- 30

C- 35

E- 35

How tall is Mommy?

B- No idea.

C- 5 feet
E- 4 foot 11

What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?

B- Go somewhere

C- Watch TV

E- Clean

What does Mommy do when you're not around?

B- Go to Nick’s Games.

C- Watch TV – In my defense I watch 4 shows a week. I do not sit around watching TV!
E- Work and clean the house.

If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

B- Being Beautiful. – AWWW Through the eyes of a child!

C- Well, it’s certainly not signing or dancing. - HAAAAAAA
E- Being a maid.

What is Mommy really good at?

B- Cooking

C- Typing

E- Cooking

What is Mommy not very good at? B- Making friendship bracelets – True. I can not do this.

C- Building things.
E- Being quiet at football games!

What does Mommy do for her job?

B- Fix Computers

C- Works on computers.

E- Fix Computers

What is Mommy's favorite food?

B- Sushi

C- Pickles – EWWW I despise pickles.

E-Sushi

What makes you proud of Mommy?

B- She gives me toys.

C- Saving my life from Ethan if he’s hurting me.

E-Making money

If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

B- Hanna Montana

C- Bugs Bunny since he’s really funny! – Aww, but I’m not sure I’m funny!

E- I don’t know

What do you and Mommy do together?

B- Parks and getting ice cream.

C- Art projects

E- Cook

How are you and Mommy the same?

B- Hair
C- Hair

E- Both short

How are you and Mommy different?

B- Faces

C- I’m more funny, you are more boring!

E- Mom is smarter than me.

How do you know Mommy loves you?

B- Because everyone loves me.
C- She always tells me.

E- She gives me kisses every night.

Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?

B- Sushi Places

C- Stores

E- To get Sushi.

Homecoming Parade

2011-10-01T11:51:00.000-05:00

It's homecoming week and we went to the parade to enjoy the festivities. In these photos you'll see the many faces of Cade.

Apple Picking

2011-09-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

This past Friday we took our first school year field trip to the apple farm. The kids really wanted to go tot he pumpkin farm but it wasn't open yet. So we went to the apple farm. This momma didn't plan well and the kids were starving. So we didn't spend as much time there as we could have.

I love homeschooling. It just works so well for us and frankly, I love that I am incharge of my childrens education. I enjoy the fact that I'm not fighting for the proper rights my child should have since I am the one in control of them. This is a whole seperate thread though!

While we didn't actually pick apples(this mom is too cheap to pay $12 a person), we did play and walk around a bit.

15?!

2011-09-25T18:47:00.000-05:00

No way! Niko is 15. My goodness I only have three more formative years with him. Gosh will that go by fast.

Niko loves football. He's not quite sure if he'll go out for baseball or track this year. School is going very well. Niko has matured so much this past year. He looks forward to getting his drivers license although he's unsure of the costs that will come with it.

Happy 15th Birthday buddy!

BFF's

2011-09-23T18:47:00.000-05:00

These are two of the cutest girls I know. Well, I do know a few others, but these two are definately BFF's and got to hang out at their big brothers football games this week!

Go Broncos!

2011-09-16T10:12:00.000-05:00

E's season began this past Saturday bright and early! The boys were pumped and so were the parents.

Great blocking to provide E with an open space!

Even though it was early, it was quite muggy.

This was the last play of the game. E had a great run with the ball. Those three boys ahead of him ran into him and pretty much threw him to the ground. We were all surprised he got up on his own. But he did without any complaint!

This is B and her cousin P. P is three months younger than B.

Holding hands on their way to the park.

1st Day of School

2011-09-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

Its so hard for me to accept the fact that summer is over. I just love spending time with the kids. Our No Bummer Summer list worked very well. If I get a chance I'll post a picture of the end product. As with most everyone in the world, life is busy. We spent the past weekend in Ohio at a football tournament for E. It was also nice to be able to see some of my father's family.

School is in full swing for everyone. Niko is enjoying being a sophomore and especially likes not being at the bottom of the school grade wise. E is enjoying what our school considers middle school. The jury is out on whether or not he'll be challenged enough. Currently his spelling list is easier than Cade's.

Cade and B are enjoying their year of homebound education. This mommy loves having them home. The environment is very productive and we are looking forward to some fun days.

E - 5th Grade

Cade- 4th Grade

B- K/1

Niko- 10th Grade

Hip Hip Hooray!!

2011-09-01T16:29:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for some football? E's regular team season started this past weekend with a scrimmage. Although almost half the team wasn't there, the boys did a great job! Doesn't he look so grown up?

Grandma if you look close enough you'll notice that E is sporting a pink mouth guard, not green! Perfect, it is hardly noticeable in the pictures.

Crawfish...anyone?

2011-08-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

Doesn't she look thrilled? The boys met up with some other kids and were watching them catch crawfish. B was less than thrilled and decided she'd stay on dry land!

This was, however, right up Cade's alley. Although he didn't try catching one, he loved helping the boys!

B decided that feeding the ducks was much safer.

I told the kids they could have ice cream for lunch if they picked one up. This was E's reaction to touching it!

Cade got it buy it's antennae but quickly dropped it.

JV!

2011-08-24T07:14:00.000-05:00

Yikes I can not believe my baby is on the JV football team. Well, I can't believe he is in the 10th grade. He is so big and independent.

Niko's loving football as usual. I love his drive to be the best he can be at all times. Although he isn't nearly the biggest kid on the field, he pushes through as if he was. Way to go Niko! Keep up the hard work!

Traveling Football

2011-08-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

E made the local traveling football team and is having a blast! He just loves playing football. The traveling team will travel to three tournaments one of which is in Atlanta! How awesome is that?!

We always knew our kids were on the small side. But this team has assured us of that. E is smart on the ball and definitely has some skill. But he does not have size. Oh dear! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I'm sure I do not even have to point E out.

These are ALL 10 year olds. Honestly, I'd love to know how any 10 year old can be so big!

Get'em E!

Seriously this picture just makes me laugh out loud. These huge guys on the line and then shorty on the side. I'd run away crying to my mom if I had to tackle any of these guys. And I'd like to note that I can still win an arm wrestling match against my almost 15 year old. But I'd still run away from this line. We won both games- yeah Gladiators!

Cade's 9th Birthday

2011-08-22T19:14:00.000-05:00

Oh my dear my baby is Nine. Seriously these years go so fast. I can not even imagine how fast the next 9 will go.

Cade still loves Legos. Did I mention he LOVES them? He can spend hours upon hours in his room building new things and they all have very detailed stories behind them. Cade thinks of things to put on his creations that many others wouldn't. We just love his creativity.

Cade still loves Star Wars. Often times Lego Star Wars but he still has a passion for Star Wars as well.

Cade finds so many things hilarious that most others do not. His belly laugh is absolutely contagious and I wish everyone could experience life through his eyes. Often times he will tell you every detail about whatever made him laugh, even if you do not want to hear it.

Cade loves animals and perhaps will be a veterinarian some day. He can remember facts about most animals that many wouldn't even know. I love that he has a passion for it.

We spent the day with family at the local water park. We were excited to have the babies join us as well!

B's telling him it is ok. The water was c.o.l.d.!

She did not like the water. I think she'd rather be at the spa!

I didn't plan well and forgot the candles. Thankfully Grandma had one so we used two that added up to nine! Cade designed the Legos for the top. Yes, there was a story behind them!

Most of all I thank the Lord every day for blessing us with a child so different than his older brothers. Cade shows us on a daily basis that he loves like no other. His passion for life is amazing.

Lemonade Stand

2011-08-18T11:35:00.000-05:00

On a whim the boys decided to have a lemonade stand. They were eager to earn some money. All of this happened to go down while I was working which made me a terrible mess. The main road to our subdivision is closed so I had visions of them selling on a closed road with a bunch of construction workers nearly missing them!

The kids popped popcorn, sold puppy chow and some "amazing" lemonade. Unfortunately none of them have ever made lemonade before!!!

They were pretty excited to have made $10. Even if the $10 was almost solely from the same two kids!

Sand Castles

2011-08-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that Cade loves Legos. All sorts of Legos. Literaly he spends his days building new creations. While camping he found that building sand castles was similar as he could do whatever he wanted.

New Addition

2011-08-10T13:10:00.001-05:00

Sir Marty Brewer joined our house this past week. He was rehomed due to the owner breaking her leg because he insists on always being under your feet! We just love Marty. Max just tolerates Marty!

Rabbit Judging

2011-08-04T11:43:00.000-05:00

We had an exhausting week at the fair. But we always enjoy it as well. Cade loves this exhibit every year. Watching the baby chicks hatch is where you can always find Cade when we are in the small animal barn.

Oh my goodness it was HOT out! This little girl loved taking care of the rabbits.

E caught me capturing a moment between him and Mercedes. This was right before judging.

This is when Niko realized that Mika was up for Best opposite in class.

Yes! She won!

These handsome fellas are no longer with us. There were actually three of them. Niko and E tried their hands at selling meat rabbits this year. Thank you to our buyers!!!

4th Time Champ!

2011-08-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

This little girl is an amazing hula hooper! Is that even a word? Every year at the county fair there is a show that has a hula hoop contest at the end. The audience votes on who is the best and on the last day they give a trophy. For the last four years she has won!

Oh my gosh it was SO hot and this girl hula hooped like no other. I'm not sure how they can keep going for so long. I can not hula hoop. I look like I'm having a seizure if I try. We do not even own one as I'll embarass the kids if i try.

Great America

2011-08-01T07:13:00.000-05:00

We had a great day at Great America! The weather wasn't the greatest in the morning but the clouds opened up for us and we walked onto all the rides! We even spent a few hours in the water park!

This is proof that E and C did go on some roller coasters! C still occasionally gets car sick so him going on rides just surprises us. Although he blames his car sickness on his fathers driving!

These were taken with my phone!

After a very long hot day!

E's last Tournament Game!

2011-07-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

What a fun weekend. Baseball and football are the two seasons in our house! When one ends the other begins! This marked E's last tournament team game. E has overcome some struggles this year and proved to have an awesome weekend. Boy was it hot but the team pushed through and won two of the three games on the first day which put them into the playoffs!

This was towards the end of the second game and the time for the game was close to the end so the coaches instructed the kids to take their time. I believe E is counting down the time...or perhaps he's telling his dad what he wants to do in the batters box.

This was the first female ump we've ever had and she was great. Her strike zone was the tightest but most consistent. This game ended in over time with California rules. The first team to score a run won. Chad of course chose the outfield since we were at the top of our order. My goodness it was stressful. One of our players snapped the ball into his own eye!!! We ended up winning by an over throw from the other team!!!!

Showing off the only tattoo's she will ever have in her life! My kids are so amazing at sporting events. We all know that they sit through a LOT! Rarely do they complain or whine at me. I see what other mom's go through and I'm so very thankful!!!

Football has already begun with the first game being Labor Day weekend!!

A Yogi Vacation!

2011-07-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

This year we decided to try a Yogi Bear campground for our vacation. We also wanted to stay close to a certain area since E had a baseball tournament near by. Yogi was certainly a hit with the kids, and we enjoyed it too!

Cade looks like he is being tortured. I'm sure he is doing that on purpose!

These are pedal cars. They are close to the debil. Seriously. The tires are filled with air which means you can go very fast in them. Also, they have two sizes so Cade and E barely fit into theirs. Cade flipped his over when he was our riding and came running back to the cabin a hot mess. His leg and foot were badly swollen and bleeding. He was so scared. Poor guy. Then the next day B and daddy were riding and she got scared and tried to stop with her foot and got her leg stuck under it. She still is recovering from it!

N and E had a lot of fun on them but somehow I didn't get N's picture!?!

B has quickly become a water bug this year. She loves our pool at home and has almost mastered floating. She can now swim under water as well!

This is a popular game in our family. Pickle football! E was jumping in trying to intercept. Success!

We had a wonderful time and can not wait until our next trip which will be soon! I love family time!

I got myself a bow and I'm going hunting!

2011-07-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

Cade has wanted a bow for over a year. Infact, it was a major reason he wanted to join Boy Scouts. We decided Boy Scouts wasn't a fit for our family so we promised him he could do bow in 4H. However we learned he has to be 10 for that. So this past weekend we went and got him a bow. He tells everyone that his Uncle Charlie is taking him hunting so he can shoot an animal. E even thinks Uncle Charlie is taking him bear hunting! I'm quite certain Uncle Charlie doesn't know what he's gotten himself into!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

B loves the 4th! She was so excited to celebrate!

This silly little guy thought it was so funny to throw snappers at me! Perhaps it was my reaction that was more funny!

I love this boy.

Seriously, can it get any cuter?

This must have been his serious face.

This little girl happens to be lucky to have her birthday right around the 4th.

Look mom, I'm the Statue Of Liberty!

He was a little apprehensive so he stuck close to his daddy.

I love these two!

This is the best he would give me! Stinker!

Mini Gofling

2011-07-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

We had planned a beach day since it was supposed to be extremely hot but that didn't seem to happen. So we went mini golfing instead.

B was extremely upset. I forecasted that this would happen but didn't execute a plan properly. As a mom I find myself forecasting situations all the time. I just wish that I would have set some rules before I let it get this far. There are so many things I've learned from having children. The first deals with having three boys. They are very competitive. Everything is about being #1. Now I see even B is getting in on that but generally it is the boys. Of course, as parents, we've also fostered this. Such as, on bath nights, in order to get things moving faster I will say that the last person out of the bath gets showered in kisses from me. You'd think that would be a good thing but with an 8 year old and 10 year old, it gets them moving! We also do that for bedtime sometimes. It's a cute little joke. But again, we're encouraging the competitive nature.

Another thing we've learned is that as a child of four kids they seem to always feel they need to call things out so that they get what they want. Such as, I get this seat in the car, that bowl is mine, I get the last piece of... In this case it was, I get the pink ball. E loves pink. He called this ball before we even left the house. Crazy. I should have stopped it then and figured out a compramise as I knew this would cause issues. But I chose to let them figure it out. Wrong choice. B was so upset that she could hardly golf. This girl is so extremely stubborn but again, she's finding her way amongst three boys. She was so distraught. Daddy tried to calm her. He wanted to force E to give her the ball but I didn't feel that was the right choice. Sure, it would have allowed us to have a nice afternoon of mini-golf but I don't want B to think she cries and gets her way. So she cried, loudly. We ignored her until it was so distracting that I couldn't stand it. I dealt with her by making her sit by a tree until she could calm down. I should have taken her to the car and sat with her but this was a family outing. I wanted to be apart of it. She eventually came around and golfed with us. Shortly after E willingly switched balls with her! I tell you, parenting is not easy and frankly, nobody could prepare you for these situations.

She had just come around but was so upset she was still not herself.

Concentrating hard!

I had to sneak this in here. He is so HOT! And mine! Thank you Jesus for an awesome husband and even better father.

N is very serious.

Water Fun!

2011-07-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

The weather has finally cooperated which allowed us to enjoy some water fun!!!

The boys made up this game using the Slip N' Slide. They play baseball and you run the bases by sliding down. I love it!

B didn't play ball but she thought she'd give it a try. She didn't slide very much since she didn't run!

So she stopped for a water break!

Picnic in the Park!

2011-07-05T08:43:00.000-05:00

Nick had a game in Lake Geneva and since we have to drop him off an hour before his games I thought that gave us a wonderful opportunity to have a picnic in the park!

Of course being boys the first thing they found was this HUGE ugly bug. Now that I think of it, is there any cute bug? Regardless, it was huge.

E watching the boats dock.

Oh my dear heavens B was a hot mess. It was a long day and I guess fixing her hair wasn't on my radar. What was I thinking?

Smooch, I love this boy so much. Last night he told me his Lego Battle that he set up was "epic"!!!

Legion Baseball

2011-07-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

Nick's summer baseball team is on the wind down. Can you believe it? We are not even into mid July and both boys teams are almost done!

Gosh do I love this boy so much. He will always be my boy so I can continue to call him that. Look at how big he looks here!

Bowling!

2011-07-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

Local bowling alleys are giving two free games per week this summer so we hit up the bowling alley! What fun!

The babies are always the center of attraction!

Nick is just amazing with the babies. He surprises me daily. They can be so upset but he nevers gives up comforting them. Here the boys just wanted some cuddle time.

Belle was so funny. She'd throw the ball and then do a dance to get the ball to go to the side she needed it to.

Two Wheels!

2011-06-28T08:10:00.000-05:00

We've been trying to get B to ride her bike without training wheels for a year now. She has tried but does not like taking chances. It was just too scary for her. It helped us a little that a girl down the road who is a year younger than B has been riding her two wheel bike since she was 4!! That gave B much incentive!

So tonight we had at it again.

Her first fall.

Daddy insisted she was fine but B was insistent she wasn't. Daddy, I have three bloods!

Band Aided up and all better.

And she's off!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-26T08:59:00.000-05:00

The kids made a card for daddy. B hid it which is why it is wrinkled.

Hugs.

And more hugs. Nala was rather dissapointed that she wasn't included in any of the hugs.

Daddy wanted a new grill. His first time using it!

I'm telling you, this girl will eat almost everything. We had sauerkraut on the counter. She got herself a bowl of it and started eating it. Yum!

Daddy, C and his cake! We love you daddy!

Dairy Breakfast

2011-06-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

In the midst of a full weekend of baseball we were able to fit in a trip to the dairy breakfast. This was one of the busiest ones we have been to. So we just walked around instead of eating.

They had a crop duster demonstrating which was pretty awesome!

This handsome fella was wondering what was for breakfast!

Tractor pulls

Who doesn't like to pretend they are driving a tractor?

Who's on the team?

2011-06-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

E's little league team had a county wide tournament this weekend. Unfortunately there were a few kids missing which meant we had no backups. C stepped in willingly, ok fine, I bribbed him with DQ! It worked! He probably wouldn't admit it but he wanted to bat and even mentioned possibly playing next year.

I've included this picture because it is one of my favorites this year.

Bakery Visit

2011-06-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our bucket list included a visit to a bakery. The kids had no idea what a bakery was as we normally bake our own or buy it at the grocery store. We stopped at O&H bakery in Racine which is a true bakery. Sensory overload! While there we also got daddies Father's Day cake.

B chose a chocolate donut! Doesn't it look yummy?

C chose a chocolate long john.

E chose the same. Sorry for the poor quality picture.

Museum

2011-06-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

This week we went to the museum and had so much fun. We are members but C has only gone once with his dad. So we decided to hit it up before an appt. nearby.

B watching the fish of the great lakes. I loved their aquarium area. So impressive!

C being attacked by the huge beaver skeleton. I swear this boy has a career in acting!

E playing in the water system of milwaukee. This was right before he almost fell in!

C was fascinated by the water system.

C checking out the jelly fish.

N works so hard to get her thumb in her mouth. She got it!

J worked hard on his sleep!

Nail bed anyone?

E was thrilled to try this experiment. You take mint mentos and drop them into a soda bottle and the reaction...

Causes this.

No Bummer Summer!!

2011-06-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

We've got so much going on this summer that I'm feeling a little guilty about having fun days. I got this bucket list idea from a friend(thank you Rachel!), and thought it was a wonderful idea. I came up with this list and have encouraged the kids to think of their own ideas to write on it. I'd love for this paper to become a record of our fun summer. Here's to a No Bummer Summer!!!

Another Year? Say it isn't So!!

2011-06-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

Thursday marked the end of another school year. Mrs. B is happy to be finished working in Kindergarten although she will continue with Kindy next year as to not be too advanced. I had to include two pictures as I couldn't pick just one! B you love whatever it is that you have your heart set on. Shoot for the moon baby, it's all yours.

Oh my dear Cade! So many changes in one school year. I love your positive upbeat outlook on life. God has certainly gifted us with you to help make me laugh more.

Mr. E. The boy who pushes himself to be the best at everything and gives himself a horrible time if he feels he fails. Trust in the Lord, he has your life already planned.

Mr. N. You have a lot of responsibility being the oldest. Always being pushed to give more in every area of life. You rock. Live large and keep dreaming big!

These four make me who I am. They are the glory and light to my days. I thank God every day for trusting in me to raise four of His children.

All In A Day!

2011-06-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

What a crazy busy weekend. We love it! What else would we do with our time?

Friday E had a select game. Saturday he had two select games and then an All Star game.

Belle kept herself busy with a baby that she bought. This baby eats and poops. She loves her and named her Norah. How sweet! This baby is very special to her.

Even the team was interested in how this baby worked. You'd be quite shocked at some of the questions I got.

This is the uniform for his little league team which he wore to the All Star game. His friend did that to his face.

You'll notice that E's face has more black on it. Yikes. It was dark out so I'm pretty sure it wasn't necessary.

E had fun! What a long day!

Gymnastics Expo!

2011-06-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

Belle had her final gymnastics expo this past week. I'm sad because it marks the end of an era for us. No more little kid classes during the day. She's too old and has moved up to classes that are only held at night. She's pretty excited about that but isn't sure if she's going to continue or not.

This wonderful lady has been Belle's teacher since she started gymnastics. It will be sad to not have her. Although we know where she lives so we could stop by!!

This post wouldn't be complete without this face. Isn't she so cute? She certainly knows how to get attention!

Belle was chillin' by nala so I layed N by her as well. Nala didn't even move. It was a warmer day which means Nala does as little moving as possible. What a great big sister Nala is!

Man I love this kid!

2011-05-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

Although this isn't the best picture I've ever taken, doesn't it just make you smile? You can feel the happiness! This picture marked the end of Niko's final freshman game. ...cue the tears...

It also was the only game they've won all season. The best news...they run ruled the other team! Yes, believe it. Niko's excited to start playing summer ball. No worries practices are already starting. No breaks in this house.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

2011-05-23T13:56:00.008-05:00

After today there are 12 days of school left. That means Nick will be a sophomore. That is not very exciting. Part of me is thankful that he's got a full year before he can get his temps.

We have about 40 baseball games in the next month. Exciting? Ummm I'm not sure yet.

Cade and Belle had an interesting confersation in the car the other day. They were talking about how things were made. Pretty much anything you can think of. Then they started asking about how humans were made. Cade tells us that most people believe we are made from dust since Adam was made that way.

E's select baseball league had a pig roast this weekend. Although there was no actual roasting of a pig. Interesting. There was a country music band that was going to be playing. The kids were all curious what country music was/is. Belle chimed in, "I know, Connie loves it. It's barn music." Ha!!! Very true, it is barn music!

In reference to #1, I can not wait for my kids to be home all summer. Yeah!

Wishes that life wasn't so difficult. Every corner I turn, every step I take seems to be caught with something negative, strife or contention. Every day I watch as my children are forced into roles that they are not mature enough for. The world expects so much of kids these days. As a mother I feel great guilt for these situations. Every outburts, act of anger or cry for help seems to be taken as a child who is out of control or not disciplined. I struggle to remind myself that daily life is not a battle against the sinner but a battle against the sin that is permeating the world.

Ephesians 6:12 "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

Most importantly I am praying for accountability. That with Him I will guide my children to be the best they can be. That with every battle they will know who the enemy is. I pray for self control and courage to remember: hurting people hurt people.

Cutie McCuterton!

2011-05-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

Baby Boy was SO tired. Belle loved every minute of it!

Baby Girl was out almost the entire time!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

We aren't huge into celebrating Mother's or Father's day but we do take the time to recognize each other and help the kids recognize each of us as well. Belle is very into any celebration so she certainly will not let anyone forget!

Connie helped Belle make this amazing card for me. It is so sweet. It says, "5 Reasons Why I Love My Mom." Her list includes yummy food, lots of hugs and kisses etc as her reasons.

Cade's teacher helped the kids to make a gift which I thought was awesome. As the kids get older in school they do not bring home many projects. So Cade wrapped his gift for me in his blanket! I'm not sure why he's doing the bug eyes all the time now. I'm pretty sure he thinks it is funny. He painted a flower pot and included flowers. So sweet!

E felt bad for having not thought of a card so he made one similar to Belle's. He did it after this picture so we do not have a picture of us with it. He said he loved me for giving him life! Ha! And teachig him how to cook!

Me and my babies. Niko was at his dad's in the morning but stayed with us after his ump'ing job so we could cook out. E played two baseball games and by the time we got home we were exhausted!

Thick Skin

2011-05-10T16:02:00.002-05:00

Twice this weekend I was told that the situations in these following pictures would give my kids "thicker" skin. Why is that?

That is Nick ump'ing.

My baby in glasses and braces. His friends weren't very kind to him and that breaks my heart.

Because others decided they could use bad language or make fun of my babies! I personally think that is so sad. Adults and kids should know better than to use their mouths to say such hurtful things. But, I'm proud of my babies for keeping calm and walking away.

Are you ready for some baseball?

2011-05-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Brrr what a chilly start to the season! This seems like football weather. E was excited for his first game.

Notice the tongue. It stuck with him like that for the entire series of pictures!

Did you know?

2011-04-28T17:05:00.002-05:00

Not often do I take the time to boast about my children. But today I am. Sit back as this is going to take awhile!

That this boy is a teenager? Nah, I'm joking. This boy has such a love for his little sister. He may tell you that she annoys him but he has a love for her like no other.
He is such a people pleaser although at many times he lets his selfishness get in the way.
Is working towards graduating with honors. In his freshman year he's already in two honor level classes and is a tad worried about how quickly he is moving up. We are very proud of him!
In order to free up his workload at school so that he can have more room to take AP level classes he's committed to taking a full years worth of history this summer in addition to summber baseball, football camp and weight lifting.
Has his first job ump'ing this summer!
This boy has a passion for cooking. Chopped is his favorite show. Almost nightly E asks me what I'm making for dinner so that he can help. He's learned how to infuse olive oil with garlic to make garlic chicken and a roux for soup. We've made many other meals and desserts and he feels like he's on his way. I've submitted for the Food Network to have a childrens Chopped hoping that E could be on it!
Loves UW-Madison. Just loves it. Although the size of it is a tad intimidating but I'm sure most small children would be intimidated.
Is very stubborn and bull headed but so generous at the same time. Who would have thought that was possible? E will give away his food, even candy, if he knows you don't have any.
Is a very good student although he complains that school is boring. I'm sure next year he will be more challenged on the big kid side of school!
Although it may be hard to see in this picture, as of today he is the third person in the family to CURRENTLY be in braces. Yikes! Although I can't complain as he was eligible for a sibling discount! But momma is not thrilled to have three boys to take to appts!
Is very much a people pleaser. This boy wants to make you laugh. There is nothing more that makes him happy than to know that he made someone laugh.
This boy is a rule follower. The consequences of not following the rules scare him.
Is the most hard working person I know. Well, besides his father. I have yet to meet another 8 year old that works so hard to conform, to show that he CAN do it.
Thinks his name should have been Kevin.

This little girl is so full of life. Who would have ever realized that one can go from one emotion to the complete opposite in such a short period of time!
Loves gymnastics. Although at this point she is a little bored with it but has been moved up to the next level. We just know that means taking her at night which is hard.
Loves babies. Especially the new twins. She has her own diapering station setup with maxi pads that she feels with all her heart are baby diapers. Who can argue with that? She already has an amazing maternal instinct.
Is so very smart. She has grown so much this year. She has moved on to 1st grade material and should be reading but doesn't seem to push herself enough with it. She can recognize groupings and immediately knows what number to count by. Which makes teacher her time easy.

I love my babies so much. Today I just needed to take the time to put my thoughts down.

Badger Spring Game

2011-04-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

E's been wanting to go to a Badger game for awhile but the games conflict with his football games. We decided the spring game was our best option so we headed there this past weekend. Aside from the spring game we were able to walk around downtown, the farmers market and go inside the capital. I've never been inside it for whatever reason I'm not sure. It was beautiful and stinky! Ew those darn protestors! They must have left a stench behind. We were able to see into the courts for all branches of government which was neat.

Not the best shot of them but the sun was shining in their eyes.

The police officer wasn't in the best of moods but offered to take the picture.

I believe we were told there are six stories to the capitol if the observation deck was opened. This is one of the branches court.

Again, not the best picture but the capitol dome. I spy a red balloon that the police officer rolled his eyes at when I asked what it was!

Now onto the farmers market. The entire square is setup to include all local- no reselers- wares. There were a few bakeries, cheesemakers, veggies, herb farms, meat of all kinds including elk, flowers, honey, jams, even a local noodle company with fresh noodles! I was in heaven. Where else can you find devine tomatoes in April? They were/are beautiful. We purchased four different color popcorn and two different kinds of noodles. I could have purchased much more but we didn't have room to carry it all!

Then we went to the kids fair in the practice dome. There were all sorts of football players, both present and past, and cheerleaders. E and Cade were thrilled although Cade had no idea who they were but loved getting their autograph!

Once inside the stadium the seating was first come first served. We were pretty much on the field. The players in green are the quarterbacks. It was fun to watch and all of the children enjoyed themselves!

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun visiting the Easter bunny! E is thankful this is his last year as a participant; I'm rather sad about it! Cade loves the games they have for the kids. He went around the room a few times playing the games. Belle was a little overwhelmed and just did a few things. Thankfully Niko was with me so he kept her while I was with the boys.

This is perhaps the kids favorite game. They love getting the goldfish to bring home. I'm not so much a fan of the goldfish. Those things can live forever and they do not care if you clean the tank once a year.

She was not thrilled while eagerly waiting for the hunt to start and mom insisting on a picture!

Now I know that her boots do not match her fabulous coat but I just could not let her get her shoes all muddy.

This wonderful man and his wife are huge advocates for the area and do such an amazing job with kids activities, 4th of July etc. I can remember them teaching me Sunday school!

Despite his reluctancy to "have" to participate he did join in on some games!

Fun Day!

2011-04-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

We had an unexpected day off today. No games and no practices = no plans! This is the first weekend since the first week in January that we have had no plans! A wise person might have wrapped themselves up in a blanket and watched recorded tv shows. But we siezed the day and decided to do something as a family.

It's been months since we have all took the time to just be with each other all doing the same activities!

We went to an arcade to play some games and play mini golf. Then we went out for a nice family dinner. It was so very nice and as my children grow older I realize that these days will be fewer and fewer!

Believe it or not I did not have the battery in my camera so these are the only pictures you will get!

Brielle had an assignment this week to write a letter. She was less than thrilled as it seemed to momentous for her. So I suggested she write a letter that we could mail. Now that was do-able! She chose her cousin to write the letter to. She came up with the words and I helped her write it. Daddy did the artistry at the top of the page as Belle just could NOT draw babies....and of course Nala!

Our visitor!

2011-04-13T08:23:00.000-05:00

Hello, my name is Nala! I may look big but I'm really not. I promise I can sit on your lap if you let me.

Belle and E love me so much. They play with me, teach me my letters, sing to me and fall asleep on me!

See, I can even give hugs!

Do you want to see my pretty teeth? I can make the most funniest noises when I yawn.

These girls certainly keep me entertained. I even like to watch the fish in the fish tank!

Belle threw me a welcoming tea party. Although I'm not a huge tea fan I had fun.

They even bought me a rawhide that was my size. I found lots of miniature rawhides around the house but those didn't last long. This one has been so much fun!

Let the season begin!

2011-04-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

Nick's first baseball game was this week. Brr! Nick is on the high school team and will be playing summer ball as well.

Ebug started his practices months ago and will be playing a more local little league team, traveling team and subbing for a team up a level! I think we will have a busy spring/summer!

Pretty Dresses

2011-03-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love to wear pretty dresses? Belle proclaimed that she can not wait for summer so she can wear dresses and sandals. The first day it was semi warm enough we both broke out our sandals! Belle couldn't wait to twirl in her new skirt. (don't mind the chocolate on her shirt!)

I'm not quite sure if her clothes will ever fit her properly around the waiste. Thankfully she had white leggings on! Belle tells me that in order for me to ever be a princess I need to have three things:

1. Cute clothes and she claims I sometimes have cute clothes.

2. Have cute shoes.

3. Have a fabulous coat.

I think I'm in trouble with this one in a few years!

So very creative

2011-03-25T15:35:00.000-05:00

Cade has struggled so much to conform to what others feel his expectations should be. Somewhere someone, over time, has decided that by a certain point you should be able to meet the standard that has been set. We've struggled with his inability to meet many of those goals. Yet at the same time we've taken great pride and satisfaction in his ability to achieve other goals that many aren't able to meet.

It seems we live in a society that everyone wants their child to be the best at everything and rushes to always boast about them. Yet how often do you hear someone talk about their struggling child? It is just sad because who decides what is the norm? E and C are only 19 months apart but complete opposites. What C struggles at E excels at. And it is the same vice versa. Most would say that E is "gifted" educationally but I disagree. It's just who he is whether or not he is ahead of the norm.

We do many things to prevent their strengths from clashing. I am extremely protective over the boys conversations about schoolwork. Well, not so much the work itself but how they feel the work is. Grades are not something we share rather an individual place of excitement. What one child may easily achieve another may struggle. So each grade is a personal achievement and should be celebrated as such.

This week Cade brought home two assignment that I just love. Cade's imagination is like none I've ever seen. This boy can imagine the most extravagent things while I struggle to imagine what an outfit would look like together. I'm pretty concervative when it comes to what I feel is appropriate at school and what is not. Cade knows that drawing things that are violent are not acceptable to us. Yet he somehow see's the humor in drawing a gun shooting a marshmallow. It's just very hard to tell that is what it is! :-)

If you notice at the top of this paper Cade started to write his name, erased it and then re-wrote the name Kevin. His teacher crossed it out and wrote the right name. That makes me a little sad because it is so very cute, and who cares? There are no Kevins in the class.

The story goes on to say:

He was growing so big. He was biger than a tree. The people started to folow him everwar for gold. And one day he farted so lowd he shrunk.

Oh my goodness Cade I'm not sure what is more cute. The fact that you wrote this and thought nothing of it to hand it in or your face when I had you read it to me.

If you read the top of this paper it asks you to draw a picture and then write a sentence or two about it. Now verbally Caden can talk your ear off for minutes telling you about this drawing. But when writing a sentence he was able to come up with:

Harr's finger got bit the ant.

The person on the left is colored in red with steam coming out of her ears because she is so mad.

Gosh I love this child so much!

Braces Be Gone!

2011-03-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

Just a little over a year ago we started with this. Oh my goodness look at his sweet little boy face. It has to be that haircut right? Chad has a thing with shaving the kids heads and it drives me batty. I like their hair with boy haircuts. Do you not just want to squeeze him?

Now we have this. See, maybe it is that haircut. Where did my sweet little boy go? Now I've got this boy filled with spirit and personality. He thought he was funny giving me this "smile". But it does give you a good idea where our money has been going. Ebug was thrilled when the ortho actually took them off. We celebrated with Cousins for dinner. Because the last false alarm proved to be more emotional than this momma had ever thought. And who doesn't look for a reason to celebrate?

Twins Galore!!!

2011-03-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

This week Belle and I had the opportunity to love up on some babies! Oh my goodness it sure was fun! Since we had some time we decided to do a photoshoot. I'm pretty happy with the results.

J on the left N on the right. N would be the girl!

Just for clarity sake, this is J!

Doesn't this face just make you want to squeeeeeeze him?

This little guy barely cried the whole day. I just had to capture it!

This is how he spent most of the day. Well, sleeping but not in this position!

This little one wasn't as easy to settle. She loves her pacifier more than any child I've ever met! Well, maybe not that much but she really likes it. I'd get her settled with it in her mouth and pull!

So sweet and innocent.

I'm pretty sure this was before she realized she didn't have a pacifier in her mouth!

Her mommy tells us that her daddy sleeps the same!

Hey! We clean up well!

2011-03-08T21:19:00.000-06:00

We had a wedding this weekend which gave us a wonderful reason to dress up. Belle loved it. The boys, well, not so much.

Don't they clean up well?

Now one would think that with my children all being above the age of 5 that I could get a nice picture. I take enough pictures of them that you'd think they would know what is expected. Yeah..not so much. Cade thought he was being the funniest kid on the block. Nick looks very thrilled knowing that Cade isn't cooperating. Belle just keeps on posing!

Proof that there are six of us!

Welcome To The World Babies!

2011-03-05T09:23:00.000-06:00

We're so excited to welcome in the new additions to Aunt Kim and Uncle Nick's family. They welcomed twin babies into their family this week!

Belle is beyond excited. She could not wait to hear of them actually being here and then she thought she could just rush straight to the hospital! E and Cade were a little unsure but surprisingly didn't want to take their eyes off the babies once we got there. They loved holding them and watching them be given baths!

Norah, 5 lbs 7 oz and Jonah, 5 lbs 9 oz

Mommy and her beautiful babies!

Norah Elaine

Jonah Paul

Jonah on the left Norah on the right.

Belle and Norah

Cade and Jonah

Chad, Belle and Jonah

Chad, Cade and Jonah

E and Norah

Nick and Norah

Belle, Me, Cade and Jonah

Oh my goodness we are all so blessed to have these additions to the family! We love these babies so much!!!

Moments with Belle

2011-02-27T17:20:00.002-06:00

This little girl is certainly turning into a young lady. She has grown so much over the past few months that I wanted to document some of the things before I forget.

Belle loves to cook, bake, and help in the kitchen. It is now the norm that she will put her fabulous apron on and help out. No task is to large or small for her. She will mix the ingredients, wash the dishes or set the table. Belle loves to take your order and get you exactly what you want. Be prepared for her to let you know it must be healfy. Yes, healfy it is!

I love that she still loves food. I can live vicariously through her as she can eat anything and not gain any weight. This girl still is lucky to tip the scales at 35 lbs. She will step on the scale and any change in the weight causes great excitement. So 35.5 one day and the next is 35.1 and she is super thrilled! It is wonderful isn't it! She thinks gaining weight is great because we encourage the boys to eat good foods so they grow!

Some of Belles favorite things to eat are salads, fruit, vegetables(her recent favorite is asparagus), and well, pretty much anything you put on her plate. In a recent cartoon a character was talking about becoming a vegetarian. Belle watched intently and I worried that it may sway her. Even though I do often talk about vegetarianism myself! Thankfully she was unfazed! She made lunch this week for daddy and I and it consisted of edamame, strawberries and grapes! Perfect!

When recently kitteh sitting I found Belle alone just sitting on the couch. I asked her where the cat was. Her response, "I don't know." I proded more, "Well, why are you just sitting here?" Her response, "I'm playing hide and seek with kitteh and she is cheating! I keep telling her where to hide and she ignores me!" How cute is that!

Later that week I came upon Belle in the living room franticly shaking a feather pillow. Feathers were flying all around her. My reaction was rather slow as I was shocked! "Belle, what are you doing?", I asked. Her response, "Mom, there are chickens in the pillow. Get the chickens out of the pillow!" Oh dear!

While waiting for the boys to come out of school she tells me, "Mom when I eat food I poop and when I drink water I pee. Do you want to know how I know that? My brain, it just tells me!" HAAAA!!!

It isn't uncommon for her to use words much beyond her years. Hideous and unacceptable are two examples and she does use them correctly in the same sentence. This weekend she told me that I have to dress her because her daddy dresses her slummy! He concurred!

My goodness this little girl is growing up way to fast. She has finaly conceeded and agreed to stay living with us forever!!! Praise God!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-02-23T17:01:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Chad's birthday on Monday. Belle was so excited!!! When we were shopping for his gift she was insistant on getting him a man bag. I should have taken her to the Coach store to by him a ~~purse~~ man bag but we went to Under Armour instead. Upon entering the store and being asked if we needed help Belle wanted me to ask if they had any man bags. The sales clerk had no idea what we were talking about!! After much explanation he directed us to some athletic draw string type bags. I figured Chad would be much happier with than than a Coach purse.

Belle anxiously wrapped a few presents for daddy that she found around the house! Who wouldn't want a book about the children of holocaust? Actually we have been reading it as a family. She also wrapped some pictures and some of her toys!

Daddy chose BWW for dinner and they had clowns making balloons. Cade picked a monkey and a snake. Belle picked a pink poodle!

Thank you to everyone who has collected box tops. The competition of box tops has started and E was excited to equally divide them for him and Cade.

Cade was eager to play daddy in a game of chess.

If you can see through the smoke Chad was excited to have blown all 35(one of the candles was put in upside down) candles!

B's bestie P

2011-02-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

B and P are cousins, yet they are besties. I think they may be life long besties. Atleast I hope so! Who wouldn't love to have their cousin as their best friend? I think it may be a little easier for them since they will not be in the same school, same sport clubs etc. So little competition!

P had her birthday so we stopped in for some fun. It was a great time to see B & P interact.

P and her princess cake.

Aunt Sharon let B blow out candles since she missed B's birthday. B was thrilled!

Remember this dog from Christmas? Bella isn't much bigger but is sure a spitfire dog! She is sure loved!

Tis the end of basketball

2011-02-20T13:20:00.000-06:00

E had parents night for basketball. While Chad and I are not very knowledgable in basketball we certainly enjoyed watching E play. E is in 4th grade and they played only 5th & 6th grade teamst his year. They did a great job!

E's team- he's third from the left.

E's team plus coach.

The entire school's teams plus cheerleaders! Way to go guys!

Kitty or Kitteh?

2011-02-17T19:30:00.000-06:00

We kitty sat this past week and Belle was in heaven! This poor kitteh was loved up on so much I think she was relieved to go home. The kids enjoyed playing with her although Belle did get upset once because she felt kitteh was cheating at hide and seek.

Kitteh mostly lived in the basement but on her last night here she came upstairs and teased poor Max. It was rather funny as she thought his lead was a toy and he didn't care for it.

Can you see the sad look in his eyes?

Winter Fun!

2011-02-13T12:58:00.000-06:00

Friday the boys had crazy hair day and mismatch clothing day. Caden was excited for this day! Ha! Check out his hair, it just cracked me up. Ethan skipped on mismatched clothing!

Saturday we took the kids tobogganing and had a blast. Although the walk back up the hill kinda sorta made it not worth the fun! We all went down the first time and Belle screamed the whole way. After the toboggan hill we went to a different hill but my camera battery died!

I'd like to be able to say that sledding wore them out but this was actually before we even got there!

They had dog sledding and the boys were eager to try.

While it was a short course, the boys loved it!