Week Off

Kindergarten had a week-long break! Those 2 1/2 hours make a bigger difference than I ever imagined. Blogging went by the wayside. Apparently.

But I thought I'd share with you how our week began.....

Play structure-turned water slide!
Girls ready for the waterJumping RIGHT IN

Dad, the "Mister" Man

Doing the Happy Jig!

And how it ended....

What's Memorial Day weekend without RIBS?

I.Am.Carnivore!

The remains of a delicous meal that I did not cook! The best kind!!

She rocked the BBQ sauce for about 10 seconds before she demanded to be wiped down! Such a clean-freak.

Heaven in Styrofoam cups.

If you come visit us, we'll show you what it's all about at Rib City Grill.

Here's to a new week, where Daddy is not boarding an airplane, and we have a vacation in store.

Lazy

Overheard by a fly on the wall...

(Sydney, who detests wearing soiled or wet clothing approaches her Mom, who is doing the dishes, with a DOUSED shirt on....)

S - cold, take off!

M- Oh, did you spill? Okay. (Mom removes shirt)

S - (standing there, whining) cold, cold, cold.

M - Well, are you gonna go get a clean shirt to put on? Or are you gonna be LaZy???

S - lAzY!

Proof positive that she can not only HEAR you, she UNDERSTANDS you. Time to dial down the sarcasm...

Free Tunes

Who doesn't love Coldplay? They just made this new live album available for download FREE, here. As a thank you for their fans. Talk about a recession-buster!

I've listened to about half of it and am itching to see them live. I think "Fix You" is my fave so far.

3rd Kid

I've been having Mommy Guilt.

My 3rd child has NEVER had her picture professionally taken. I used to be a professional. And I've taken her picture. But somehow I don't think she's going to buy that. Is she going to be upset with me when she is older? Is she going to accuse me of not doing it because she wasn't the 1st child? Maybe.

I meant to get her pictures done around her 2nd birthday, but it never was convenient. (when is it, I ask???) The days I planned to do it (3 seperate occasions) she was always grumpy, had a bump on her head, etc. Her current picture on the wall is of her in the office chair, just after turning 1. I've done a few sessions, but haven't found one that POPS , you know what I mean...

Until this, last week, totally candid. Isn't this wall-worthy?

Let me know what you think.

I think it captures her, heart and soul. (I played with it on Picnik, love that site!)

Two weeks....

from today we're going to be hiking here.... (this is Thor's Hammer at Bryce Canyon)and sleeping here...

and maybe catching some fishies here...

for 3 glorious days and nights. Ahhhh, I think I can make it, knowing a vacation is on the horizon! Now off to plan the packing, meals, activities, etc. OK, so maybe the hubby and kids will have a vacation, I'll have a "working-vacation"....but I'm still stoked!

Of Children and Motherhood

The Price of Children

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,

* $741.38 a month,

* $171.08 a week.

* A mere $24.24 a day!

* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.'Actually, it is just the opposite.What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights . First, middle, and last!

* Glimpses of God every day

* Giggles under the covers every night

* More love than your heart can hold

* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs

* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies

* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate

* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites

* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up.

You get to:

* finger-paint

* carve pumpkins

* play hide-and-seek

* catch lightning bugs

* never stop believing in Santa Claus

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading Dr Suess

* watch Saturday morning cartoons

* go to Disney movies

* wish on stars

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day (I got a cute one today from the boy), and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof

* taking the training wheels off a bike

* removing a splinter

* filling a wading pool

* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs

* coaching a baseball team that never wins, but always gets treated to ice cream regardless

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

* First step
* First word
* First bra
* First date

* First time behind the wheel

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match..In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price! Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren! It's the best investment you'll ever make!

(the above is borrowed from an email forward, but it is so much the way I feel EVERY Mother's Day that I found it appropriate to share)

I am so incredibly grateful to MY MOM for loving me without counting the cost, and feel so blessed to be a Mom to 3 amazing little people who teach me so much every day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Cavity Free

It is with great relief that I post this today.

After Gunnar's announcement last week that he had discovered an easier way to "brush" those teeth, that didn't EVEN require a toothbrush.

"OH REALLY?" I said. "What is it that you've been doing? Because if there is NO BRUSH involved, you can't really call it brushing..." (Thinks to self, maybe I should be standing over him making sure he's been BRUSHING).

"It's so cool Mom, I just squirt a little toothpaste in my mouth, and a bit of fluoride and SWISH. Two steps in one! It's super fast!!" (so excited)

Aaaaaccccckkkkkkk. "How long have you been doing this?????? That's SWISHING, not BRUSHING."

"For about 3 days."

Sigh...... "Well, let's hope you don't have a cavity. You're going to the dentist NEXT WEEK."

Prayers involving "please no cavities" ensue on the part of the young man of the house.

Looks like despite his awful tooth hygiene (for at least 3 days) his prayers were answered!

Both kids are cavity free! Gunnar has NEVER had one. Savannah has now been on a year-long streak. (Poor girl had some enamel defects that have since been taken care of, whew.)

Savannah had sealant put on the 4th molar that wasn't all the way in last time....so lets hope the streak keeps going. Yay!

Spring,

it's for the birds.

We've had this lovely pair of courting quails canvassing our lush (in my humble opinion) yard for a nest. I really hope they find some real estate. How fun would it be to see their babies in a few weeks?

Weekend Wrap-up

WOWza. I'm behind. We've been having too much excitement around here, and I've put anything and everything possible on the back burner. Apparently.

There are a couple of things I wanted to share with you though.

This...

I love how she worked so hard to appear to know that she shouldn't have been into the nail polish on her own. In the end she couldn't keep it up though....she was simply tickled pink that SHE DID IT.

It was realllllllly quiet for about 10 minutes after I'd put the big kids to bed, so I went looking after her, and she was in my bathroom sitting on the toilet lid painting her toenails, toes, feet, and some of the lid. She was also stinking the place up in a huge way (and not just with nail polish). P-U!

And this...

The J3s came to visit! To those of you who are UnInClined, I have 4 brothers, and all their names start with a J. Growing up, my parents just resorted to the # system so they didn't have to be mocked for their constant Je-Ju-Jo-Jor-J stutter when trying to yell at one of the boys with their correct name. It stuck, and now that they are all married with cute little families of their own (all with the same last name), it's just easier this way.... But I digress.

My little brother married a beauty and somehow ended up with one of the most darling children ever to walk the earth! Hay-Hay is so deliciously cute and infectiously curious it's hard to keep your hands off him. (Course ALL of the cousins are beautiful, they can't help it....I am a bit biased though)

See what I mean??

Who needs a creek to go creek-walking when you have the boulders? (this is our neighbors park-strip, hey, I guess you don't have to weed or mow it)

Right after this picture was taken, he noticed a jogger going past, and said, "You runnin?? I can run too!" And proceeded to chase her down the road for about 100 feet before I caught up to him! He's a kick, and he's in perpetual motion!

J3 and Chris pulled out the Ripstick for a little playtime. I swear, I'm scared of that thing.....It looks fun but there's a good chance I'll break an arm or leg if I get on it. I need to get brave before I have a go.

Hay-Hay and Mommy. He's gonna be a Big Brother in a few months! :) We had so much fun with them and are glad they came to play while they were in town!