Baby Ada

My sister Alyssa and her new little baby Ada came for a visit this week. Ada is pretty dang cute, but I think she's a little worried about what's she's gotten into with all these kids around. I think this picture captures it best....

Obviously, Jack is already used to the insanity that we call life at our house!

The Price of the Potty

This was John's price for using the potty....now you know why I haven't posted in a while!

Happy Mother's Day

I had a delightful day today....sometimes it's not easy to have small children AND have a peaceful mother's day. But today was a good one. All I wanted from my children was for them to wear what I wanted them to wear to church without complaint. Thus, the white pants. My children thought I was crazy, and I probably am,(five boys in white pants?) but I sure thought they looked cute! Jack's face cracks me up in this picture...I don't think he quite knows yet what he's gotten himself into with this family. Hope you all had a great Mother's Day too!

PS - Here's an updated picture of Jack (AKA Charlie junior). He's 4 months old today!

Golfing Boys

The Easter Bunny brought Joe some practice golf balls this year. And, as is almost always the case with my boys, the enjoyment of a sport is in direct proportion to the amount gear required. So first, we had to get out the "golf" shoes. (This was actually my ploy to make my 10 year old believe that wearing saddle shoes to church is cool... "See Joe, these shoes look like golf shoes...won't they be great?") And then of course, they needed the hats. Apparently in their minds, golf apparel hasn't advanced much since the 1940's. Maybe Grandpa Steve could enlighten them a bit about that next time we see him.

Is is Easter or Saint Patrick's Day?

That's what my kids were asking me this morning....oh well....Happy Easter!

P.S. Here's a shot of where I found John asleep a couple of days ago....he's having a hard time transitioning to not taking a nap I guess....

How to Keep A Two Year Old Happy For General Conference

Pictured below is the Playmobil Recycling truck. It came in the mail to our house yesterday, via Royal Mail from the United Kingdom. I bought it on ebay a week or so ago, and although my husband questioned my knowledge of the exchange rate when he saw the price, it has already proven it's value of 28 pounds. It seems to be completely unavailable in the United States...maybe we're not an ecologically friendly enough country to deserve this replica recyling truck. :) It has acutal sanitation workers who can come in and out of the truck, and actual garbage bins that can attach to the back of the truck and then be emptied into the truck with the press of a lever. The bed of the truck can be raised to empty all the trash out of the back. IT IS AWESOME.



Needless to say, John is a very happy little boy this weekend.

In this picture, you can see John's preferred "trash"....Reeses Puff Cereal and Connect Four Checkers.

Happy Conference Weekend!

PS - Yes, John is STILL wearing the shirt(s)....we're going on three weeks now.

Two Things

I learned two new things today....

One: It's possible to fall asleep while standing up. I was in my room this afternoon, folding laundry, talking to John who was standing by the sofa in my room. One minute he was talking, the next he was sleeping....standing up. I guess when your're done, you're done.


Two: When people say boys are tough on clothes, they really mean it. Here's a shot of Joe's shoes from the top:

They look worn in sure, but would you expect to see what I saw when I turned them over?

I'm not a sentimental person. Today I packed up all the boy newborn clothes, (because yes, Jack is already out of them) put them in a bag, and put them in the garage, ready to go to goodwill. I'm not saving any of it - and some of those things have been worn by all five of my sons. But, I think I'm going to save these shoes....to me, they speak something of the joy of childhood....that a boy could literally play so hard and for so long that he actually put holes in his shoes.

Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that John is wearing the same shirt in every picture you've seen him in lately? It's his Oscar the Grouch shirt - it's the only one he'll wear for the past two weeks. I finally went and bought a second one...now we have one to wear, and one to wash...and mama and baby are both happy!