On, Wii, Wii

Wii is quite the hit in our world. All of the kids love it; however, G is, by far, the most obsessed! He will play forever! While it is fun for the adults too, we have just as much, if not more, fun watching the kids play!How could this over and over not be funny?

Yep...I married him!

The pictures say it all...

No one warned me! :)
Love you, Baby!

The Big Lunch Helper

G is a funny little man...He wants more than anything to be as big as his two older brothers...to do big boy things...to make decisions on his own...

Sometimes his determination to be "big" makes me so proud, and other times it makes me crazy! Today, however, it made me proud!

Each week at school there G has a different job. He likes most of the jobs, but his favorite, by far, is to be the lunch helper! The school G and Ballerina attend is affiliated with our school district, so he is calling in the lunches to nutrition services who then delivers them to their school site.

The director often emails us random pictures of them at school, and I must say they delight me in ways beyond words! Nothing makes me smile more!

The 60th Birthday Prince

Today K-Dan, my dad, turned 60! I have given some great thought all day as to what I should write about the occasion; however, words have escaped me. How does one properly say happy birthday to someone who, perhaps, is the most solid rock in our lives...makes us smile more than anyone else...and whom we admire and respect at all times. Well, from these pictures you might not believe the statement above, but...
For his birthday, we held a Sesame Street party at Gattitown! K-Dan, of course, was the birthday prince... Then we all headed to my our house for cake...A little running in the yard...
And, a nap...
While this might not be K-Dan's most exciting birthday, I do hope that it was a memorable one! Happy birthday Dad! We love you!

Upon Finding Nemo

Before I tell this story, I feel as if I should let you know that Nemo is our million dollar cat. We found him on the side of the road (thus the name Nemo) when I was pregnant with G. He was so tiny, covered lice, had ear mites...you name it! He was in bad shape! We spent hundreds at the vet rescuing the then 4 week old kitten.

Than about a year later we were back at the vet spending hundreds again on a life-saving surgery because of a major kidney infection.

So...to the story...

Each night before I go to bed, I make sure all of my "kiddos" are tucked safely in bed...the 4 kids, the 2 dogs and the cat. However, at 10:30 that night when I went to do this, Nemo was nowhere in the house to be found!

Knowing the boys had been in and out all weekend, particularly that day, I immediately assumed that he had gotten out of the house and was wandering outside! When this has happened before, I would open the front door he would come running in.

But, when I opened the door this time, there was no Nemo. I went calling for him...and no Nemo. We went looking in the backyard...no Nemo. Then to the neighbor's yard...no Nemo. Eric went driving around...no Nemo. Justin and I looked all over the house...no Nemo. Fearing we have lost him like we did Blue, I begin crying, and after a couple of hours of looking, Eric and Justin convinced me to go to bed and that I Nemo will appear like he always does.

Of course, I never fell asleep, but when Eric got up to go to the bathroom around 3 in the morning, he accidentally stepped on Nemo! He squealed in terrible pain, and we knew immediately there was something seriously wrong. We have no clue from where he appeared!

We were at the vet ASAP that morning where we learned that he had been in a terrible cat fight and had 3 abscesses!

So, $400 and 6 hours later he was at home with his new necklace (collar), straw (drain), strings (stitches), and fuel (drugs).

We are now on our way to recovery...Just one more instance of how Nemo is truly our million dollar cat!

Boys Only

I know I have said it before; however, I have always worried that I am just not cut out to be the mother of a little girl. I sometimes feel sorry for Ballerina...No matter how I try, I just am not into super girly things. I just think I am better with footballs and frogs than I am with bows and dolls.

However, on the flip side, I have found that there are some things that are for boys only, and shooting guns...well, that is just one of them! It is not that girls cannot shoot guns...it is that Mommy cannot handle the stress of seeing her boys doing that!

So on Saturday, there was a boys only trip to the pit...Cannon, Gunnar, G, Daddy and Papa Randy. No girls were invited. (Thus, the pictures from Daddy's cell phone.)
The boys had a very muddy blast! And, G shot a gun for the 1st time!
It was funny, after church on Sunday Gunnar was telling Uncle Kason and Aunt Carla about his adventures to the pit and G's 1st experience with a gun...Gunnar said, "Yea, teaching is a little like dying." Kason and Carla did not get the correlation and asked for clarification "...well, when you are teaching Grayson how to shoot a gun you never know if you might die."

I think that pretty much sums up why this was a boys only trip...Mommy does NOT need to be present for such teachings!

A weekend of nothing?

It is not often that we have a weekend that we really do not have that much going on. In fact, I cannot recall such a weekend in recent months! So, we took advantage of the time we had to just "chill" as G likes to say!

So what do we do when we have time to do things? Well, Eric and I stay busy doing the neglected laundry, picking up the backyard, cleaning out the toy closet, rearranging Ballerina's closet, and other important tasks of the like.

But we also go to birthday parties for our dearest friends...However, the kids, on the other hand, find alternate ways to amuse themselves...For example, they pick out their own clothes and then decide to pick out their own meal.They also play more video games than I care to acknowledgeI despise video games. They are on the same lines as movies, television, etc. for me...They are a waste of time. I cannot fathom one having the time to sit there without "producing" anything. If it was possible to play a video game, clean a closet, fold a load of laundry, write a reference letter and pay bills at the same time, I, perhaps, would appreciate them more. Until then, I am just not very interested. However, they DO amuse my children, and for that I LOVE them! :)

Ballerina chooses to play all day with her babies...And, then she likes to harass her Daddy...However, there could NEVER be a lazy weekend in our house without FOOTBALL! Now, I am also NOT a fan of pro football. I love college and high school; however, when there is nothing else on while we are cooking dinner...I am all for it! I just seem to do better when football is on in the background...I know it will be a good, long while until we have another lazy weekend; however, until then...

A Whole 1/2 Year

On Monday my only niece was a whole 1/2 year old. And, in find family tradition there was a celebration with their first ever piece of cake!

Oh, the many faces of Avery McCall!

It is just hard to believe that it has been a year since this little one, sweet Avery's cousin, was a whole 1/2 year. I say it so often, but boy does time fly!

Sweet Roughness

I have a list of 101 things to do tonight with laundry, testing rosters and making lunches topping the list. But, none of the things on that long, long list are as sweet as simply witnessing the roughness that was occurring in my bedroom.So, so sweet to see such roughness and smiles.

Another Knight

On Saturday we were surprised to learn there would soon be another Knight...

Lauren and Justin are now engaged!Just after the moment...Hugs for all!All were super excited...Except for G who found his cookie far more entertaining...Showing off...Calling others...Everyone was having a good time...

Lauren minus two of her sisters...Congratulations Justin and Lauren...

We wish you our happiness and more...