Leaman Girls

It Goes So Fast

2012-02-03T16:18:00.000-08:00

There was a time that going to the grocery store required a lot of strategizing. I wore one baby in the Bjorn, set one in a car seat in the front section of the cart, one in the big section of the cart, and I forced Lorelei to hold on to the back end of the cart, so I wouldn't lose her.

I thought that that stage was really hard.

But this week, one of my girls came home crying because of caddy girl drama at school. The other one asked that I not put her hair in a pony tail because she didn't like her ears (that one really shocked me by the way), and another one had a meltdown at gymnastics class.

In the midst of school and homework and lessons and trying to impart little bits of wisdom into their sometimes foolish hearts, a younger woman at church called me and invited my whole family of 6 to her house for dinner tonight. She currently has 1 child and is expecting another. And I heard myself saying to her.... "It goes so fast.... really enjoy it, enjoy it."

And I almost couldn't believe my own words. But they were true. The baby problems are so small, just like them. They require rash ointment, and sometimes that you switch formulas because they're allergic, and you think that diapers are expensive, but wait till you pay for private schooling and guitar lessons.

So enjoy those babies while you got 'em, they won't be babies for long!

Bedtime Brute

2012-01-31T20:18:00.000-08:00

I know, I know no parent is perfect, we all have have our flaws, but what I'm about to confess to you all puts me up there with pageant moms. I hate bedtime. In every family movie that's ever been filmed, there's a token shot of two serene and smiling actors sitting at the foot of their child's bed reading them a bedtime story. The child usually slowly closes their eyes, and the mom and dad look at each other and nod at one another knowingly. The bedroom is tidy and well decorated, both parents are wearing robes over their color-coordinated pajamas, and basically everyone is happy.

When I first had Lorelei, my beloved first born, I envisioned that our nights would be like those nights. I don't really remember my parents "tucking me in" much, but I was going to be different, I was going to set up a nightly routine, that involved lavender scented bubble baths, reviewing memory verses, reading literary classics, and I'd close it all out with prayer. All of these seemed like good things, fun things, the right things a "good" parent would do.

8 and a half years have passed since that first child of mine came in to the world, and during those 8 and a half years, I've acquired 3 more children, 5 English classes to teach, and a much larger grocery bill. By the time dinner is done, homework is done, the dishes are cleaned, all I can think about is sitting very, very still in front of the warming light of a television set. The thought of reading a book, or tucking someone in sounds like it requires so much energy. I can't fathom it.

Fortunately, my dear, patient, loving husband usually does this job. But he's taken up running. In fact he's running right now, and my kids are shuffling around in the hallway, calling to me,

"Mom, I'm cold," (It was 75 degrees today).

"Mom, I'm thirsty," (Cups of water sat on the table all day long, untouched).

"Mom, the tag on my pajamas is itching me," (not making that up, folks she just said it).

"Mom, can you read me a story..... no can you make up a story for me?" (Um, no, please don't make me).

And so I told them to just go to bed, don't get up, don't go back to start, just go to bed.

And now I'm hiding in my room behind a computer screen, hoping.... praying, that they all do just that.... go to bed.

But I Don't Listen to the Lyrics

2012-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was running a quick errand in the morning and only Morgan was in the car with me. The other girls were already at school. I flipped on the radio and the classic rock tune, The Joker, by Steve Miller came on. I was distracted as always, and I'm not even sure if I was humming or singing along, but suddenly, Morgan interrupted.

"Mom, do you like this song?"

"Um yeah, I guess."

"But Mom, he said, 'I'm a sinner.'"

"Oh... huh, well technically he's right, we're all sinners. But he probably shouldn't say it so glibly, it's something to be taken seriously."

Note to self: The kids are listening to the lyrics, even the four year old.

Oh Happy Day!

2012-01-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

Dan asked me what I wanted for our special anniversary this year. If he had asked me 15 years ago, what do you think you'll want to do when we have a big anniversary, I would have thought of sparkly jewelry or sunny vacations in tropical places. I would never have guessed that all I would ask for is a trip to Disneyland for a family of six, which by the way is practically the equivalent of asking for a new diamond ring. I knew that my fiscally wise and frugal husband was struggling with the idea of visiting the happiest place on earth, now that are kids are all charged full price and the cost of tickets has gone up, up, up! But I also knew that our kids ages:4, 6, & 8 were the perfect ages for such an event. And so all I asked for for the big 1-5 was that we play hooky for a day, and venture out to Disneyland! We surprised the kids on Friday, woke them up as if they were going to school, then told them Auntie Bethie had wanted them to open something. Groggily they opened up four mickey mouse bags, each with a $10 gift card to Disneyland (Auntie had thought they'd all want a souveneir). They looked at the cards hesitantly, and then we asked.... hey would you like to skip school today and go to Disneyland?!

Surprise! They said yes!

It was a pretty great day, we hit the park at 11am and left 9 hours later, the weather was about 77 degrees out, and the crowds were manageable! Morgan was just exactly tall enough to go on every ride with us, so that was a blast. I only had one cranky moment standing in line.... those lines can really test a person's christianity let me tell you. All in all though, it was a success. And we'd like to thank the Christmas money contributors; Grandma Luci, our friends the Pattees, and of course Auntie Beth for the gift cards for helping us to make it happen. (& thank you to my kind and gracious hair stylist who cut my hair and didn't charge me full price the night before because she said I was going to go broke after a day in Disneyland with four kids.)

This has been a very busy school year, and for me a day off of grading papers, cleaning kitchens, picking up kids from school, and worrying over impossible to do lists was just what I needed to celebrate this year.

So thanks Dan, for going to a place that's probably not your happiest place on earth, just so you could make your 5 girls happy! We love you!

Holiday Pix

2011-12-30T09:02:00.001-08:00

See the girls with their new porcelain dolls? Guess what
those dolls aren't new. Three of them were mine when I was
a kid, and one was my sisters. We gave them to the girls this
year, after a five minute speech about not playing with them.
Meanwhile, Auntie Beth decided she would get
each girl a pair of shoes for Christmas, Noelle wanted
imitation uggs, Lorelei wanted Toms. So their wish was
granted. I sort of think Toms look like shoes a homeless
person would make out of scraps, but who am I to buck
the trend? Besides for every pair sold, another pair is
donated.

Here are the girls with my grandpa, their great-grandpa Felix Sr.
Visiting him this year was bitter-sweet, because this was our first
December without Grandma Mita (his wife Mary, we called my Grandma
Mita). She went to be with the Lord in November, right before Thanks-
giving. Grandpa is the last of my four grandparents, and we are all so
thankful for him.

And here we have my family....after church on Sunday.
What a group.... do you like how we're all color coordinated?

15 Days till the Big 15!

2011-12-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

In 15 days, Lord willing, Dan & I will have been married for 15 years! I know, it's hard to believe I'm old enough to have been married that long, especially since I still like to shop in the junior department and pretend I'm a 15 year old teenager. (It's not as believable lately, I gotta tell you).

Anyway, I thought it only fitting to come up with 15 reasons Dan & I are still married.

15. He lets me get my way, a lot, not all the time.... but a lot.

14. Dan's the best dad of ALL TIME. (Though, my own dad is sort of tied with him, I have to say). He loves the kids, and takes them on bike rides, and teaches them to roller skate, and tie their shoes, and he reminds me not to yell so much on long car trips.

13. Dan only works with men, no leggy blondes, no curvy brunettes. I really love his workplace. I always look pretty cute to Dan after a whole day with just Scott and Anthony and Scott's dad. I think one of the UPS delivery people is a woman, but I suspect she's not my husband's type.

12. Dan still looks pretty good in soccer shorts.

11. He's accepted I won't watch sports with him, and I've accepted he's not in to romantic gestures.

10. He eats everything I cook, and doesn't complain about the fact that lately, it's mostly cheese quesadillas and progresso soup.

9. We love our kids together, and only the 2 of us can truly understand how the four of them can be so incredibly annoying and yet so incredibly amazing all at once.

8. We both actually enjoy each other's parents. No really, we do.

7. We are both share a love and a commitment to our church.

6. We are honest with each other, even though, sometimes I think he should lie to me and tell me there's nothing I need to work on, I'm perfect the way I am.

5. We were both raised by parents who taught us that divorce is never an option, and that God hates it, and I'm pretty sure they'd just about disown us if it ever came up. That foundation has helped us tremendously (as have their examples to us).

4. When the doctor said, you know you're having twins, right? I started crying, and Dan said, "TWINS! AWESOME!" like it was the greatest news of his life. Seriously, what kind of man is that? A superior one, for sure!

3. We still Love each other.

2. We still LIKE each other.

1. God has shown us great grace and forgiveness when the ugliness of sin does rear it's head, which is every day.

Last of the ABCs

2011-12-23T09:26:00.001-08:00

U is for Unbelievable, people would not believe how many cookies I've eaten in the last 7 days. Needless to say, I was forced to turn on a Jillian Michaels DVD this morning as a result. (I said I turned it on, I didn't say I did the exercises).

V is for Vacation is truly vacation when your 4 kids all actually sleep in...... ahhh, we may never be able to get up before 7 again.

W is for What a Mess! I got this one from 1 of my favorite friends & bloggers, Miss Stephanie. It was her response after we let 7 of our 8 children frost and sprinkle sugar cookies for an hour. I'll be picking sprinkles out of the lines in my dining room table for the next 12 months!

X is for eXcitement - Only 2 days to go till Christmas! Everyone's getting dreamy eyed and the adrenalin is pumping, can't wait till the Christmas day let down, when an hour after opening gifts everyone feels depressed and defeated because real life isn't like a Disney channel movie. Kids will be tired and whiny, there will be no beautiful snow on the porch, only gray murky fog, and suddenly I'll start thinking about my credit card bills....

Y is for Yuck, fruitcake.... really? My dad still gets at least one every year from a patient. Y is for Y people? Y ?

Z is for Zoo, maybe this week I'll see that new We Bought a Zoo movie, it looks pretty cute, and Christmas vacation isn't complete without at least one trip to the movie theaters!

Well that's it folks, 26 things you didn't really care about it, listed alphabetically, to give you an idea of my Christmas. All jesting aside, I hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas!

More than Half-Way thru the ABCs....

2011-12-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

P is for Painting ornaments, a fun cheap craft we do almost every year that keeps the kids busy enough that I can fit in some of that grading I put off until the break....whoops, maybe P should be for procrastination was a bad idea this year.

Q is for Quandry, as in I'm in one because seriously, nothing Christmasy starts with Q.

R is for Regis, yeah I fit him in to my ABC's twice so far, that's my tribute okay, and so far the wanna be guest co-hosts for Ripa aren't cutting it. They're not grouchy enough, they're too nice and Kelly keeps gushing over all of them. I want to see tension, playful banter, and eye rolling please. If I wanted to tune in to 2 people being polite to each other, I'd watch Good Morning America.

S is for Sunday - the day Christmas falls on this year, and you know what even though in my initial fleshly state, that initially seemed inconvenient, I realized that's the best day for Christmas, since after all it is supposed to be about Christ, and it's going to help me teach the kids that concept I'm still struggling through - delayed gratification. Yep, we're ganna make 'em wait to open gifts AFTER church!

T is for Tim Tebow, as in that's all my sister wants for Christmas this year, and Dan would be fine with having him as a brother in law.

ABC's of Christina's Christmas Continue

2011-12-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

K is for Kindergarten performances, as in, I've sat through 3 in the past 7 days. The twins sang with their teacher's singing group in one performance (dressed in their PJs), they had Oscar-worthy performances as "cow" and "lamb" in the annual Kindergarten Nativity chapel, and all 4 girls sang in the school Christmas musical. What can I say, their talents are endless, and my attention span is, well, short..... because at each performance I kept thinking.... another song, oh my, how ambitious, when do we get to eat cookies?

L is for Lights, we drive through Gemini street each year, the local neighborhood that decks out each house with lights and cartoon character themes. Instead of being grateful for the experience, now the girls just complain about the single string of lights Dan hung that go across the trim of our roof. They all say, "Dad, Dad.... our lights are the worst ones on the street, we need a nativity scene on our roof, we need a sled hanging over our driveway, Daddy, please..... build us an ice rink in our front yard....."

M is for Making Cookies for Darla's annual cookie exchange. Every year, I slave over making 72 cookies of some sort, well, not every year, sometimes I get my sister to do it for me! And every year it's worth it because seriously, I LOVE COOKIES, and because I'm so self-sacrificing, I hide all the good ones in the freezer for a rainy day (for myself people, I don't waste the good stuff on the kids).

N is for Neighbors, Christmas is a great chance to spread some Christmas cheer to the neighbors you don't usually see or talk to and bring them some cookies or a card.

O is for Open your gifts with low expectations that way you're not disappointed when you see that your student gave you yet another apple shaped ornament that says #1 teacher on it in shiny letters when all you really wanted was.... well, anything but that.

More later....

More ABC's of Christina's Christmas

2011-12-06T18:42:00.001-08:00

F is for fragile.... as in, hey I paid a lot of money for that ornament why did you feel the need to drop it and shatter it into a plethora of dangerous tiny shards of glass that I'll be finding in corners from now until March? What me angry? No of course not honey, I love you more than things, or at least I will in an hour or so when I calm down.

G is for guilt-ridden.... because I'm a mom and it's required that you feel guilty about either spending too much money at Christmas, feeding in to the materialism of our culture, or not baking sugar cookies from scratch (because the store bought pilsbury ones are just as good).

H is for Have you bought your kid's teacher a present yet? Because you really, really should if you haven't already, I hear they make like no money.

I is for I miss Regis, which has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, but hey I've never been good with change.

J is for Justin Bieber.... his Christmas album plays repeatedly in my van, at my house, in my head..... and yes, I'm starting to like it.

More Later.

Some ABC's of a Christina Christmas

2011-12-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

A is for Are you serious, it's December already?

B is for Better not shout.....so much at the kids anymore, the neighbors are going to turn you in, and when I say you, I mean me.

C is for Coffee, Coffee, Cup of Coffee..... caffeine.... it stimulates the dopamine in my brain, it's my own version of an anti-depressant.

D is for Dan, please stop being a scrooge, and complaining about putting up lights, taking decoration boxes down from storage, and griping about buying me something, I'm starting to think you're the grinch!

E is for Explain to your kids that just because we don't believe in Santa doesn't mean everyone else doesn't believe in Santa, and that when they destroy other children's faith in jolly St. Nick, chances are, mom's going to get a phone call from that child's mom, and that phone call will end up with me apologizing awkwardly and sweating a little.....

More Later

Move Over Freud

2011-11-08T16:45:00.001-08:00

I realize I haven't posted as religiously as I used to, and I'm also realizing that I'm entering a whole new chapter of this thing they call parenting. For a few years there, I really thought parenting was exhausting, the lifting of chubby babies in and out of car seats, high chairs, and grocery carts, the running across the room to perform the Heimlich maneuver because your toddler just swallowed a nickel, and the never ending cleaning up of diapers, spit up, and spilled everything.

Well, a few years have passed, and I'm now realizing that parenting is still indeed exhausting but now in a different way. Before so much of what I did with my 4 girls was physical, but now we're entering into new territory, and I feel as if I must put on counselor's cap. As the girls grow, I'm starting to really get glimpses of who they are as people, and here are a few things I'm realizing.

1. Though genetically linked, our children are not miniature versions of ourselves or our
husbands. Chances are they have some striking similarities, but sharing in the same gene pool does not make them entirely like you. Example: For me to have a daughter that does not like school is almost unfathomable. I soooo loved school, so much so I became a teacher. One of the things I'm learning is that just because I like something doesn't guarantee my kids will. I know this seems like common sense, but I think if we're honest with ourselves we expect our kids to be just like us in a lot of ways, and then when they aren't we're almost disappointed. We need to accept it, and adapt.

2. Secondly, I am just now truly coming to grips with the fact that my children are flawed. Let's face it when my babies were babies, I was pretty much secretly satisfied with the fact that they were superior to all other babies in every way. Obviously this is ridiculous, and maybe it was the post-pregnancy hormones that were blurring my sense of reality, but I was content in my own children's perfection. However, as they get older, they each are showing that not only do they have amazing individual strengths and unique preferences, but they also each have their own set of struggles (aka sin issues). I think as parents this is really hard for us to truly admit to ourselves. If we see something unbecoming in our children like laziness or a mean streak or a selfishness, we are very reluctant to acknowledge to ourselves, to our spouses, and definitely to other people. However, I think the very best thing we can do is look at it honestly for what it is, so that you can (in love) help your child to deal with that issue early on.

3. Lastly, I'm learning that parenting is still exhausting, but in a different way. It requires a tremendous amount of thought, discipline, grace, love, time, and prayer. Mainly prayer, and if you think I'm preaching to you, I'm not, I'm preaching to myself. I'm admittedly a typical teacher, which means I'm controlling, bossy, and I like things run a certain way. No matter what I say or what I do, ultimately I cannot control the people my children become. Only God can orchestrate the direction of their lives, only God can move their hearts, and convict their souls. I can do everything right or I can do everything wrong (more likely) but my input only takes them so far, which is why we have to continually put them in God's hands.

Shwew.... now that I got that off my chest, I feel better. Oh and my kids haven't turned rotten lately in case you're wondering, they're still nearly perfect in my eyes, it's just every once in a while they remind me of me, and I get a little terrified.

The Eye of the Beholder

2011-10-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's my favorite time of year - Picture time! Our amazing friends/photographers just did a shoot with our fam. last week so that we could find a pic for the annual Christmas card, and as usual, they were creative and cheerful and immensely patient with a family of 6, a blaring hot sun, multiple pesky flies, and a group of cross country runners that kept running through our shots! Part of their talent is that they like to take pictures of shadows and backs and feet and other fun angles that reveal a certain charm and whimsy that is somehow simultaneously current and vintage at the same time. Kat is in love with all things romantic, like rainy days, old movies, and sentimental mementos, my husband and I are a bit more pragmatic than she is. So it cracked me up that she said that the 2 pics above (the one of the girls' backs, and then the one of their feet) were some of her favorites. Dan just looked at them, and said, "I don't get it, why does she like those?" He super loved the close ups of the girls and the more traditional family shots. It was just another reminder for me that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

But seriously, the pictures are awesome, will reveal more soon, or you'll just have to wait till the Christmas card comes out. If you're a local, be sure to check out herveyphoto.com or her some of their other info. which you should be able to find via her blog at somissurfergirl@blogspot.com.

How Bout them Apples?

2011-10-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

In Morgan's class last week, they measured all of the kiddos with apples. Morgan was 9 apples tall. The teacher made a chart and hung it up for everyone to see. It listed each student's name, and how many apples tall they were. I noticed everyone was at least 1 apple taller than my Morgie. I picked her up, and said, "Wow, I heard you're 9 apples tall!" She smiled her gigantic face-breaking, dimple-cheeked smile, and said, "Yep, I'm the smallest one."

I've always loved the runts of the litter.

Busted

2011-09-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

So the other day, Morgan got into the car and sat down in one of the van's captain's chairs and began to buckle up.

"Hey Morgan, get in your seat, you need to be in a car seat."

"Why?"

"Because you're only 4, and it's the law. If you don't sit in a car seat, you're breaking the law. Do you want to break the law?"

"You break the law when you talk on your phone in the car" (meaning while I'm driving).

Silence.

Me...to her, "Just get in your seat, and obey mom."

Grateful? Or Grumbling?

2011-09-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

I fluctuate between 2 constant states of mind. A part of me says, I love this life of mine, I love my family, I love that I get to work part time with my favorite age group in the world, and teach students how to write introductions and thesis statements, and I actually love being really busy. However, I find myself more often vocalizing tired statements like, "well, I'm just so exhausted," and "there's just so much going on," and "It's just so hard to work and be a mom," blah, blah, blah.

Seriously, I'm annoyed by my own complaining.

So no more Debbie Downer droning from me folks, I'm moving on. Seriously, a new chapter is here. The next time I try to complain to you that I currently have a head cold, and didn't sleep half the night, I'm going to stop, and remind myself that it could be worse. Lice is worse than a head cold, and I don't have lice.

Or if I try to complain to you that paying for over-priced school pictures and carpet cleaning and new tires is really depressing because I'd rather just buy something fun and frivolous like a tiara, well, then I'll stop myself, and I'll remember my new chapter, my new happy, grateful chapter.

Yep. That's the new me. No more complaining. I'm not even going to mention the fact that I should go grade right now.

Or that my head hurts.

Or that I'm tired.

Or that my kitchen floor is dirty.

Nope.

Not ganna do it.

New me, new chapter.

Who Me? Tired? Nahhh....

2011-09-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

Summer was moseying along, and then POW!

1. Soccer started, Dan's the coach....yay, oh yay. That means we

can't be flaky and miss practices because we're having an off day.

2. Guitar lessons started cuz I always said, my kids would try an

instrument when they turned 8, and whoa, I've got an 8 year old.

How did that happen? (and did I mention, I'll have to take a 2nd

mortgage out on the house if I want all 4 girls to take lessons of

some sort in the next few years?)

3. School started, school, you know that thing we go to, where all

4 of my girls are in 3 different classes, and I'm teaching 2 classes at

their same school, and they expect us all to be there with lesson

plans, and homework, and ironed uniforms, and lip gloss on by 8:30 each day? Well, maybe they didn't mandate the lip gloss but

please people, I am not an animal.

4. And then right after school started our family came to visit for

Labor Day weekend. That was fun, but did I mention, they have

SIX SONS UNDER THE AGE OF NINE? Did I also mention that my

house is less than 1400 square feet? Did I mention that?

5. And guess what I have Monday? TWO WORDS: JURY DUTY.

I love my country.

So yeah, I'm not tired, not tired at all, because being tired is for sissies, and I'm not a sissy, I'm a mom.

* Note: I'd like to say a special thanks to Auntie Bethie, my bestest and only sister for giving us a fun first day of school package to open the morning we all started, with presents for all of the girls and for me. (This is the part where all of you feel jealous that your sister is not as thoughtful as mine).

* Secondly, I know my relatives are all reading this, and I'd like to say for the record, that I did indeed enjoy the visit from my brother in law and his wife: Doug & Leah. We love them very much, and as much as I am not a kid person, especially when it comes to little boys, I will admit, that the boys were actually really good and really cute! And the chaos was sort of fun and very worth it because my girls especially had a BLAST with their cousins. The baby is missing from the 2 pix above, so you don't get the full effect.

My Twins Are 6, How Old Are Yours?

2011-08-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed there are sets of twins everywhere you go these days? I have. But no matter how commonplace they may be, I must say that having 2 kids that are only 1 minute apart never strikes me as altogether normal. This last week my girls turned 6, and I sort of wondered for the first time if it bothered them to have to share a birthday? I don't think so because that's all they've ever known, but still.... it's a unique way to live. But despite their differences and daily squabbles, I get the feeling they love each other a lot!

This year we went to Paintin' Place, a paint your own pottery type place to celebrate their birthdays. It was sort of a quiet party, lots of painting, no jumping in bouncy houses, no splashing in swimming pools, no energetic attempts at musical chairs... so basically I loved it. I think they liked it too, but I must say, it may be more of an age 8 type of thing depending on your kid's personality. Every year for me is an experiment, and by the time I figure out what my kids really love, they'll have moved on to the next thing. Anyway, the girls are 6 now! Big things like kindergarten are on the horizon!

Washington Highlights

2011-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Lots of time with friends and family. Here we are with our

buddy Andrea Peterson who we met for the 3rd year in a row

in downtown Tacoma at Indochine restaurant. Soooo yummy.
A line up with some cousins, Dan's youngest

sister has 3 daughters (& 1 son) & the 2 younger

ones especially hit it off with our girls. Breah,

the oldest is a lot older than my girls, but was a

perfect shopping buddy for me!

And finally after dozens of trips to Washington, I

finally got the chance to visit the beautiful volcano,

Mt. Ranier. It was awesome!
Thank you Leaman (Hughey/Cowan) family for

1) actually reading my blog posts

2) for babysitting my kids so much when we visit,

3) for loving me despite all of my very un-Leaman like ways.

(example: Leamans are good with small children, I'm not.

They rarely complain, I often vent. They're fun-loving, etc. etc)

4) for feeding me so much I gained 3 lbs.

5) for always being good examples to me of people who are

living out their christianity day by day, for being my family,

not just by marriage, but through our bonds in Christ.

4) for always entertaining me with

Pics of the Ducklings

2011-08-16T23:11:00.001-07:00

We just returned from our annual trek to Washington state to spend time with family; Grandma & Grandpa, lots of aunties & uncles, and lots of cousins. While we were there, we didn't get as many pics as we usually do. (Dan says he no longer feels "inspired" with his photography skills). But that's okay, because his little sister is quite the photographer. Auntie Sandra patiently clicked over 400 pictures of my girls enjoying the scenic beauty of Chambers Bay in University Place. It was so pretty there, a perfect day, a blue ocean, a rambling golf course, and the models..... well, they weren't so bad either. Thanks Sandra!

Camping & the Like

2011-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Check out this antique water heater.
This is how we make due without a toaster!
My great grandparents last name.... Avery carved out on

a stump in front of the cabin
My great grandparents built a sweet little one bedroom cabin with a loft full of twin beds in Mineral King, a patch of deep mountains east of the sequoias, and it is still being used 5 generations later each summer. A succession of cousins and in laws and family friends take turns each year to get their fair share of crisp mountain air, landscapes of pines that last for miles, and a reminder of what life was like before there was electricity.

So let me say this; the cabin is charming and full of dreamy nostalgia. The mountains are beautiful, and I was happy to see my kids running around exploring, looking for deer & squirrels & enjoying God's creation. But I have to confess to you, this is more Dan's thing. I don't want to be known as the shallow, prissy girl that has to have her make up on and her blow dryer working to be happy, but seriously.... have you seen my hair when I don't straighten it? Will you notice there are no pictures of me posted? That's because I looked frightening for three days straight. And another thing, I'm not a clean freak, but the dirt, people.... the dirt! Four little kids with deep dark lines of dirt caked into their fingernails, and sticky roasted marshmallows in their hair does not a happy mom make!

I know, I'm pathetic, and I ought to be ashamed that I have become utterly dependent on the internet, and the cell phone, and my cable TV shows for my comfort & convenience, but what can I say? I'm a product of too much time at the shopping mall, clever marketing ploys, & doggonit, there's nothing I love more than an over-priced cup of coffee at Starbucks.

But before you judge me too harshly, consider this - perhaps I'm just stating what you're all secretly thinking. You just don't want admit it because being outdoorsy has become trendy ever since the Jeep Cherokee came into fashion in the mid 90s. But let's face facts, I saw Into the Wild, and that outdoorsy guy died, & I saw 127 Hours, and that outdoorsy guy had to cut his own arm off. So the way I see it, staying in the suburbs just may keep me out of trouble, and it truly does do wonders for my hair.

Accidentally Scaring Your Kids to Death

2011-07-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Morgan has developed a new and annoying habit. She often puts her fingers in her mouth. It's kind of gross and I think she does it when she feels shy or awkward, and it's one of those normal kid things that kind of bother parents. So yesterday, their loving little auntie starts to tell Morgan that if you keep putting your hands in your mouth, you could get worms. She tells them that there are these microscopic worms that you can get under your fingernails and then I pipe in and tell them, yeah, and then they get in to your stomach, and come out when you go to the bathroom.....

Okay, so this is disgusting, but this is what our mom told us when we were kids because she was a thumb sucker, and it actually happened to her when she was really little.

Fast forward to bedtime.

Noelle cries hysterically for 35 minutes. When I ask her what's wrong, she says, I can't stop thinking about the worms.

Ooops. Fear tactic was a little too effective there. Maybe, I'll leave that one out of that how to parent book I was ganna write.

Build A Bears & Stephen Tyler?

2011-07-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

So last Thursday, June 30th marked a birthday in our household, and we greeted

our 4 year old with a pink Hostess snowball that was so full of processed chemicals and sugar, it sort of resembled plastic.
The Birthday celebrating continued as we headed to Visalia to see

the grandparents and get spoiled. Morgan loved her new clothes (take note

that's me in the background wearing unflattering "mom shorts" hmm, maybe

I'm the one that should have gotten a new wardrobe).

And at last, we finished off the day with a trip to Build a Bear, because

we are suckers for marketing and capitalism and ridiculous trends.

And speaking of trends, here are my girls sporting their Stephen

Tyler feather hair extensions that we took them to get in Visalia. Yep,

my kids know who Stephen Tyler is, he's the judge that wears the feathers

on American Idol. They don't know who or what Aerosmith is, and they

don't know the lyrics to "Dude Looks Like a Lady," & I plan to keep it that

way for as long as possible!

So yeah, we went to Visalia, did the birthday thing, had a great time. We saw the grandparents, the great-grandparents, & even old high school friends. But I must also note that 3 of us got some major dental work done by my dear old dad. Lorelei and I have horrific teeth which cause us much agony and anxiety and we've both suffered the wrath of root canals. I was fearful that the other girls might also share our same genetic fate. So when I spotted some cavity like spots on 2 of Maylin's teeth, I started to panic and assume the worst. We took her in and dad filled the 2 teeth. But low and behold, as Lorelei and I shoo and trembled and tears streamed down our faces, Maylin smiled cheerfully throughout her entire dental procedure. Dad drilled on her teeth with NO NOVACAINE, & she didn't even flinch. She thought the whole thing was a fun adventure.

This puzzled me and led me to the only logical conclusion I could think of, she was switched at the hospital, and has no actual genetic ties to me. (You have to understand, my dad says I'm the worst squirmer, jumper, crying baby patient he's ever had). But then as I thought some more, I considered an alternative option, Maylin is a Leaman, I mean a real Leaman. I'm a fake Leaman. You know the kind that marries someone with the last name Leaman. Maylin is an actual Leaman.... you see real Leamans like Dan and his mom and his 2 sisters never complain, never fuss about pain, and never seem to experience any form of stress or anxiety. I'm so happy for her, and I was terribly proud of her bravery. Dad told me to be more like her.

Hmmm, something to shoot for, be more like your five year old.

Summer = Swim Lessons

2011-06-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

Every summer, my girls look forward to their 2 weeks of swim lessons with their beloved teacher, Mrs. Lynne, and every summer I forget to take her picture with them! First of all, she's wonderful, secondly swim lessons are wonderful because the girls get to play and swim and most importantly, the lessons make them very, very tired, so they all sleep in each morning! Ahhh, bliss. Quiet mornings, happy children, what more could I ask for?

Whatcha Been Up To?

2011-06-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays.... for her birthday, Lorelei
got to get a pedicure with her BFF, Lilah, and her sisters. You
may think this is a bit extravagant, but it's way cheaper than a
party, cheaper than a jolly jump, and oh so much quieter! Am I
smart or what?
Immediately, following my bday, and Lorelei's bday, is
Owen's bday.... and nothing says party to a 2 year old
like a plastic pool. Good times.
Immediately following the end of the school year
came a rare, but sweet visit from 2 of the girls' cousins
from Tennessee : Ivy & Chloe, they are pretty much
grown ups these days, ages 18 & 20. Could these
brunettes be foreshadowing my future?
When the cousins came, we hit L.A. and then S.B.B.
as in Santa Barbara baby. Here are the girls in front of
the mission. We looked for Oprah, but she was nowhere
to be found.
Then we decided to crash yet another birthday
bash in an attempt to mooch more free cupcakes
for the girls. This party was for cutie-patootie, Bennett,
who is not pictured, but I promise he was there.

In all, June has been full of sugar, chaos, and very little sunshine, but hey it's summer, and so I'm hip-hop-happy!

Life's a Beach

2011-06-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

This month we had a brilliant idea. We thought we would have a birthday party for both myself and Lorelei since my bday is on the 1st of June, and her bday is on the 5th. Of course all of our friends have a bunch of kids so we knew it would be a little tight at our small, 1300 sq. foot abode. But no worries, we live in sunny, southern California, so we thought, we'd bring our party to the beach! That way, I'd avoid the mess and disaster of dozens of little kids running through my pathetic little backyard, and everyone loves an excuse to enjoy a day at the beach, right?

So this is what the beach usually looks like. In fact it was so beautiful last

Monday (Memorial day) we could barely tear ourselves away from it.

But on Saturday, the beach suddenly felt like this......
Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating and maybe that's not an

actual photo of Ventura, but seriously, June gloom set in, and the

beach was FREEZING COLD. So after 40 minutes of teeth chattering,

wind- blowing over our tables/decorations, and my parents looking

utterly miserable, Dan said, Forget this let's all go back to our place....
So there are some of my friends who had just driven 30 minutes to the beach, and now look - they're packing up and driving another 30 minutes back to my 1300 sq. ft. home that was completely messy and unprepared for guests.....

You'll notice in the picture, I'm smiling, laughing actually at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. I guess, the weather is sort of like children, it cannot be controlled and it often acts up when you most want it's cooperation. Fortunately, I'm 35 now, and wise beyond my years.... okay maybe not so much wise, as resigned to the fact that my dreams of Martha Stewart events are not so much ever ganna come true. And actually, that's okay, because in the end my friends were troopers, my sister made amazing cupcakes, and my kids had a lot of fun. So you know, Happy Birthday to me.

Memorial Day Recap

2011-05-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend was near perfect! Dan and I went on an actual date (babysitters and everything) on Friday night, Saturday I organized my closet, Sunday we went to church, and Monday we did what every good American does on Memorial Day, we participated in a big ole barbecue (and we even fit in a beach trip in between all that).

What is really funny is that in the midst of all of that, the absolute highlight for me was cleaning out my closet. I keep all of my paperwork for teaching in a file cabinet in my room, and by the end of the school year, the combination of photos, school stuff, and clothes creates the perfect storm of chaos in my room/closet. A bedroom can be closed off to the world and hidden from view. But now that school's almost out, and most of my classes are over, I finally had the time to purge through the piles, and I've gotta tell you, it's a weight off my shoulders! It may seem cliche but that kind of disorder is truly stressful and indeed a the state of your home can be a metaphor for the state of your life at times. But shhh, don't tell Dan that, I've been telling him all school year, that the clutter on my desk is fine, and that he shouldn't get so bothered by it!

Finale Finality

2011-05-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

It's always a strange time of year for me as May disappears into June, and the responsibilities of teaching and taking the girls to school are almost over, but NOT QUITE. I start to get giddy and excited, and then when I see that there are still some key things to accomplish before I celebrate, my mood will plummet into an "I'm so overwhelmed" state. I also have noticed that things get a little more frantic this time of year because birthdays approach, kids get antsy to be done with school, and I begin to contemplate all the household duties and repairs that I've been putting off till summer.

So what does one do when things get crazy, and time is scarce? One watches season finales of television shows of course. I watched the Am. Idol finale and of course the 3 day Oprah worship that took place as she closed out her 25 years in the talk show business. This is what I have to say regarding all of these things. I do like Oprah. As a person, I think she's fairly down to earth at times, and likeable. However, she has a tendency to take herself too seriously, and that can be ANNOYING. On her final show, she practically preached a sermon. Her platform is basically humanism, what man can accomplish within himself if he just believes..... blah, blah, blah. Sprinkle in some new age type philosophies about energy and karma and what you put out, you take in, blah, blah, blah. Some Christians are puzzled as to why I would even bother watching. I basically watch the show because sometimes she has fun guests, I am riveted by human interest stories, and hey, everyone appreciates a good make-over episode from time to time. But as a Christian, I am always conscious of her underlying agenda. I think too that it actually is important to see what the world is currently embracing and excited about. So that's why I watched.

Regarding American Idol: I thought this was great entertainment, some funny parts, some weird parts, and a genuinely nice kid named Scotty who won the whole dang thing. He seemed sweet. Kind of weird that I'm probably about his mother's age, but whatever. Jennifer Lopez was beyond beautiful, and Jack Black's appearance made me excited about Kung Fu Panda II.

With that, the countdown till summer continues...

Kitten Update

2011-05-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Turns out Bella the cat had to be re-named. Nope, there wasn't a violent backlash against my recent Twilight reference, turns out Bella's a bit feminine of a name, since... oops, Bella's a boy. Who knew? Not us, but hey Dan always did want a few more male influences around the house. So yeah, we've re- christened the cat. His new name is Oliver called Ollie, yes after Oliver Twist.

In case you were wondering.

It turns out animals are the best form of entertainment ever! My kids are seriously obsessed with these poor wittle kitties. They have dressed them up, played school with them, and cuddled them practically to death. But I'm not sure the hub is as excited as the rest of us are. When Dan came home and saw me trying to take pictures of the cat tonight, he said, "We are not going to become the kinds of people who take pictures of our cats!" For some reason, that was really funny to me, especially because he looked so exasperated in a tired way when he said it. I guess living with 5 females has finally gotten to him. But hey, now he has Oliver.

Here Kitty, Kitty....

2011-05-16T10:20:00.001-07:00

For the past few years I have been the only one on the block without a pet. I've used the argument that I have 4 children, and plenty to do, so WHY would I ever add to those responsibilities, a fur-shedding, money-demanding, often questionable smelling creature who will most likely destroy something I own? But alas, my babies are all out diapers, they're a little more self-reliant, and my excuses have run out. After all, doesn't every kid need a pet at one time or another in their childhood?

Personally, I grew up with cats. My mom is bordering on one of those crazy cat ladies that feeds outdoor cats and has her own 3 indoor cats. She even used to have her kitties bred so that we could have kittens to play with. My sister owns two cats that probably cost more than it did for me to give birth. So the cat thing is in my blood. I LOVE kitty cats. I not so much likey stinky, drooly dogs. Cats are potty trained and they practically just become a part of the decor. They're pertty, and I like them. Yes, I know that the majority of people love dogs, but I'm way too selfish to walk them, train them, and put up with their neediness. I'll stick with cats any day.

And I have to say, my girls LOVE them. How do I know this? Because they fight over them EVERY day. The poor cats have been so overly handled, I can't believe they haven't tried to curl up in a fetal position and started rocking back and forth. Noelle was saying to one of them, "Are you trying to get away from Mommy?" as she clutched him in her grasp. In that moment, she reminded me a little bit of Kathy Bates in Misery.

Ahh, kids, ahhh cats, ahhh kids and cats, so cute.

And their names are Gatsby and Bella, after 2 literary masterpieces... you know The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Twilight by Stephanie Meyers.

What? Why is that funny?

Missionary to Watch

2011-05-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Our church currently supports 3 missionary families. One of them is the amazing surgeon who has devoted his skills to Mozambique, Africa. Check out this video at

http://hospitalafrica.org/

Spell Check

2011-05-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Every Monday afternoon Lorelei brings home a folder full of the previous week's classwork. I always glance through her papers to see how she's doing. This week as I perused through her assignments I saw that at the top of each page she had written "Lorelei Sarah."

"Um, Lorelei.... you wrote Lorelei Sarah on all of your papers?" She smiled and looked down.

"I know."

"Well, that's pretty cute, but you do know that Sarah's not your middle name, right? Your middle name is Elizabeth."

"Yeah, I know, but Elizabeth's too hard to spell."

I thought that was pretty funny.

Ode to Spring Break

2011-05-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

The typical tourist hat shop
I always thought of her as a little cupcake.
Posing with a pirate
Dan getting attacked by a bird, but playing it cool
4 little heads in the sand
More hats to try on
Morgan looking for seals
Maylin, lovin' the hotel pool.....

Spring break came late this year, I had had it with school.

But the sun came out, and the beaches were cool.

We did Easter with family in Visalia, then came home to relax.

Spent time in the sand, ate candy, and went shopping at Saks.

Actually we shopped at Target, but that doesn't rhyme.

We also went to Long beach, Dad took off some work time.

We went to the aquarium and cheered as Dad turned 42.

But his birthday was overshadowed by the wedding of you know who.

Princess Kate looked stunning, I so loved the dress,

I actually loved all the hoopla, I must confess.

But now it's time to face the music, and head back for one last stretch.

I hate to face my grading, it makes me want to.... wretch.

But hey, I can't complain, I had a great run.

The girls are great ages, they're actually a lot of fun.

But now it's time to head back to real life.

Early mornings, wrinkled uniforms, lunchboxes, and sibling strife.

I'm not upset though, cuz after all,

Life's more than jelly beans, sunshine, and trips to the mall!

The Gym & I : Part III

2011-04-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have now completed week 6 of my going to the gym experiment. Much to my chagrin, I have not transformed myself into the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model I had hoped to magically morph into. I was a little disappointed to learn that one of the main reasons women in their 30s and 40s should work out is not so much to make themselves look better, as it is to "maintain." This was a bummer for me. I can't believe I have to get up at the crack of dawn, force myself to sweat, and use machines that slightly resemble medieval torture devices in order to "maintain" the slumped over, poochy, I've had 4 kids figure that I currently rock and try to camouflage with deceptively flattering wardrobe choices. However, I must admit I have become all the more inspired and stubborn in my pursuit of self-improvement as I observe the die hards around me.

I've learned that the gym is not a conversation-friendly place. Most people around me have headphones on and look deep in thought as they run, sweat, and grimace their way through their workouts. So although, I don't really speak to anyone, I have watched, and I must say, I am truly impressed by the regulars that seem to be there each time I go. So here's my shout out to them.

First to YELLOW SHORTS GUY, I'd like to say, that despite the fact that your shorts are only a shade more flourescent than your legs, I applaud your consistency. YELLOW SHORTS GUY not only consistently wears the same bright and cheery shorts, but he consistently pounds it out on the treadmill. I also would like to mention that I'm guessing YSG is somewhere in his mid 70s which makes his efforts extremely impressive and inspiring to me. If he can do it, surely, I can to. (Though, you won't see me doing anything in yellow thanks, it's never been my color).

Secondly, there's the TERMINATOR CHICK. She's got dyed red hair that she wears pulled straight back, and muscles for days. She reminds me of Linda Hamilton, thus the nickname. Truthfully, I'm a little afraid of her, but doggonit, if she doesn't look good. Watching her work out is like watching seniors wave to you from the Homecoming parade when you're nothing but a lowly freshman, hoping to get your locker open. She's that cool.

And thirdly, there's my new work out buddy, MISS AMY from church. Now I've known MISS AMY for almost a decade, and I've always known she was strong and athletic and stuff, the kind of girl that thinks playing softball at picnics is fun. But seeing her in action at the gym has brought me to a whole new level of respect for her. Not only is she about 25 times stronger than me, but she's patient enough to have been helping me ever since my trainer sessions ran out a few weeks ago. She makes me try scary things, though I did flat out refuse when she balanced on a half dome squeezy thing while doing squats with dumbells. We all have our limits after all.

And so my going to the gym experiment continues. But don't worry, I haven't changed that much, I just ate enough Whoppers to feed a small village in a third-world country. I mean, come on, not all of us can be Linda Hamilton you know.

Spring Dresses

2011-04-14T19:42:00.001-07:00

What? What's that you say? The relatives want pictures of my kids and are wondering why my blog has become nothing but a series of trivial rants about TV shows, my lack of athletic ability, and musings about the weather. Frankly, I don't blame them, just the thought of it is putting me to sleep. So here you go, here's some pics we took of the girls debuting their Easter dresses. Tonight the preschool had a Spring Sing concert, and so the girls got to try on their dresses early and practice their modeling. It's been ages since I've taken any pictures of them (shameful I know), and I am amazed at how they are growing. This week they've given me gray hairs with fingers slammed in van doors, splitting chins on dining room tables, and more finger smashing in the hinge portion of a friend's door, but aside from that and the hourly bickering over who knows what, they're really quite charming.

(Insert shout out to my amazing seemstress mother who required some arm twisting to sew these beautiful dresses for the girls.... thank you mom, you're the bomb).

Recently Heard

2011-03-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

The other day

Me: So Noelle, how was your day, who did you play with?

Noelle: Welllll, Parker kept asking me to play with him. I think he's in love with me or something....

Could be.

This weekend

(with my sister, I pulled my bangs back to reveal my forehead...)

Me: Bethie what should I get for this?

Bethie: The brown spots? Or the wrinkles?

Me: Neither, I was talking about the zit....

Yesterday

Lorelei: Mom, do you think other people kind of might not understand our family?

Me: Umm, what do you mean?

Lorelei: Like do you think that they might not understand some of the things we do?

Me: I don't really know what you're talking about, do you think we're weird or something?

Lorelei: Yeah, kind of.

So there you have it folks, I have one daughter who thinks everyone's in love with her (which actually may be true). I apparently have skin that is rapidly aging and needs tending to, thanks for that ego boost Bethie. And my oldest daughter thinks our whole family is weird. I didn't think she'd figure that one out for at least another couple of years!

The Gym & I

2011-03-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

When I say I had anxiety about joining a gym, I'm not exaggerating. I literally had nightmares 3 nights in a row. Walking in there, I automatically feel soooo stupid, like everyone around me knows I'm a total poser. Even though my tennis shoes look brand new, they're actually 3 years old. Here are 5 reasons to feel good about yourselves, and further evidences that you're probably in better shape than I am.

5. The expression most often escaping my trainer's lips is..... "Wait, it looks like I'd better lighten up this machine for you, a little less weight may be more manageable for you. (As my arms and legs twitch against my will, I smile nervously, no, really, I'm fine).

4. At one point she had me lifting 2.5 lb free weights, and I could barely manage them.

3. The old people at the gym run faster than me and lift more weights than I do. And when I say old, I'm talking oxygen tubes are coming out of their noses (no lie).

2. After 4 trips to the gym, today was my record of time on the elliptical machine: 11 minutes... thank you.

1. I didn't understand that to get the elliptical machine started, you had to begin pedaling, and then once I started, I was going so slowly, the machine actually began flashing the word PAUSE in red. One person commented they didn't even know that was possible. Wow, I'm awesome.

Old Dog, New Tricks?

2011-03-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Imagine for a moment your greatest fear.... is it public speaking? Climbing treacherous heights? Re-taking geometry? For me, all fear revolves around anything athletic, anything that involves running, catching, straining your muscles, or perhaps even sweating. Part of this of course, stems from years of humiliation during the P.E. classes the state forced upon me as part of my "education," part of this can be attributed to my extreme lack of physical coordination, and then there is the factor that the muscles most people have seem to be missing in my own personage. I'm the scrawny-shouldered kid that was always picked last, and who, now over-compensates for her insecurity with sarcasm and disdain for all things healthy.

And so it was with great fear & trepidation, that I stepped foot in to a gym this week. And not only did I attempt to "work out," but I actually paid money to become a member there. Was it a sudden lapse in my sanity? A pre-mature mid-life crisis? Or simply the desire to wear a bathing suit again without having to worry about nauseating the people around me?

I'm going to go with the latter one. When the overseer of the gym asked me if I was here to "get healthy," I said, "oh, dear heavens no, this is just a vain thing...you know, I want to look good." Apparently she'd never heard that response before, which leads me to believe, other people are lying about their motives to exercise. But that's besides the point.

Ultimately, the point of this blog is simply to state that a miracle has occurred, I went to a gym 3 times this week and worked out with a trainer each time. If you actually know me, you'd realize this is indeed miraculous. My sister who's always dreaded the idea of attention, said it would be the equivalent of her signing up for acting classes. I almost expected the earth to shift, and Obama to release a press conference saying he wanted less government involvement in our health care system, or for Oprah to admit she's not omniscient, or maybe for a Christian character to be portrayed on television in a positive light..... but of course none of those things happened.

I did, however, break a sweat today. And it's going to take a whole separate blog post to recount to you how incredibly awkward this whole experience has been. So if you're not laughing now at my irony, you will perhaps be laughing later... at my expense.

This Week's Clouds & Silver Linings

2011-03-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Cloudy: Gas Prices.... nothing more annoying then filling up a minivan I don't really enjoy with gas that costs more than the really expensive shoes I was coveting in a magazine the other day.

Silver Lining: Libya may affect how much it costs me to fill up my tank, but yay for me, I don't live there.

Cloudy: My teacher duties include sending home progress reports to frustrated parents this time of year, and my students look longingly at the sun shining outside their classroom windows, and I'm pretty sure that all of my winsome charm has worn off, and they're sick of me.

Silver Lining: I still get paid, and because I'm an English teacher, I recognize that the statement above is indeed a run-on sentence.

Cloudy: I'm tired.

Silver Lining: Coffee.

Likes & Dislikes

2011-02-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

As I will officially be entering my 30's this year, I find that many of my likes and interests remain the same, I'm a bit of a creature of habit. Though, having 4 kids greatly imposes upon my routines and forces me to be much more flexible & spontaneous than I otherwise would be. Nevertheless, I'll always love books & TV shows, but those sometimes change too. So here's what I currently am liking and disliking (here's the part where you read on and pretend to care)

Liking: I just read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book that was a group of stories told through letters about an island off the coast of England immediately following WWII. I LOVED it! It was so sweet and charming and old-fashioned, it reminded me of black & white movies and Gary Cooper, and it made me want to address people as "Darling" or "Old Sport," it was absolutely refreshing.

Liking & Disliking: Meanwhile, like many of you, each January, I set the goal for myself to read through the bible in a year, and probably like many of you, I fail miserably, and give up by summer. However, this year, I found a bible reading plan from http://www.ccc.org/BibleReadingPlan.pdf that allows for a few make up days at the end of each month for slackers like me to catch up! It's been great so far, and I'm really encouraged and hopeful I will get through this year. So what am I disliking? Well, truthfully, I'm in Leviticus right now, and reading about Leprosy is not my favorite thing. However, I guess next time I'm lamenting the dark circles under my eyes, I should be reminded, it could be worse.

Disliking: House used to be one of my favorite shows, but I have to say that it seems to me that it has officially jumped the shark and is treading in DARK waters right now. After years of watching the cynical, but brilliant doctor flirt with his boss "Cuddy," the 2 have finally gotten together & their relationship is utterly depressing. The show has lost it's weekly humor and wit and each week takes on a new godless approach to a hopeless world filled with liars and cheats. I mean really, is this supposed to entertain me? After seasons of faithfully watching each week, I've officially had enough. No more Dr. Gregory House for me. Wilson, I will always love you.

Liking: It may be cheesy, it may be predictable, but the television show, Castle, is so fun to watch. There's witty banter, a charming leading man, a beautiful detective with a tragic past, and the 2 of them solve murders together each week. The show reminds me of Remington Steele, and Scarecrow & Mrs. King, fun mystery dramas from my childhood. And it has a MUCH lighter tone than many of the more serious shows out there. And that's what I appreciate. I'm sick of liberal agendas and christian-bashing.....please, just entertain me.

Disliking: rain, cold, and all things winter-related.

Liking: my rain boots

Okay, so I had to get those things off my chest, I feel better now... Happy Friday, and bless you if you actually read through this entire post of my ramblings!

That's Entertainment

2011-02-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

Friday was show day! Friday morning the 1st graders hosted Friday chapel at their school and did a presentation celebrating God's creation. Lorelei may have been the flower in the play, but she was the "star" in my eyes. Listening to sweet voices singing worshipful songs and reciting verses from Genesis was cuter than I could have imagined. I loved every minute of it!

Then that evening we went to a local production of Oliver, which starred some of my homeschooled students. I wasn't sure how my kids would do for a 3 hour play, but they loved it! Well, Morgie fell asleep half way through, but they've been youtubing song selections from the play ever since. I have a soft spot in my heart for musicals because my mom made us watch a bunch of them when we were kids. Occasionally, I have the urge to break out into song when I'm talking to someone, but as of yet, I've restrained myself.

Valentine's Day Check List

2011-02-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

Perhaps there was a time in my life when I thought Valentines Day meant romantic dinners at fancy restaurants, roses, and chocolates. But now as a mother of 4, let me go over the checklist I had this morning:

1. Valentine's themed plates & napkins for Lorelei's class - check

2. 25 v - day cards for Lorelei's class, signed & sealed w/ heart shaped lollipops - check

3. grapes for the twin's class party - check

4. 16 valentines signed from Noelle - check

5. 16 valentines signed from Maylin - check

6. fruit punch for Morgan's class party - check

7. free dress day - all 4 girls dressed in some sort of heart/pink/red apparell - check

8. 8 v - day cards signed from Morgan for her class - check

9. Am I wearing my teacher red cardigan to teach in today with my heart shaped

earrings I wear once a year? Check....ready to teach at 11 - check....

Walking onto the school campus today, we looked like we were lugging enough bags for a 3 week trip to Bermuda, so romantic dinner tonight? Yeah right. We've spent so much time on Valentine's day cards, we haven't had time to go grocery shopping. I'm a mom with priorities and candy hearts and pink t shirts trump the 4 food groups and a clean kitchen. My feet may currently be sticking to the tiles on my floor, but my children are ridiculously happy and they will be sharing their conversation hearts with me tonight whether they like it or not! On that note, Happy Valentine's Day people! May your day be filled with sugar.

That Seacrest, He Kills Me...

2011-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been watching Idol religiously this season, because let's face it, it's just not entirely the same. It's not the judges so much as the idea that the show has somewhat run it's course. Nevertheless, I happened to catch an episode the other day that had a quality moment in it.

A contestant came forward to audition, and his name was John Wayne Schulz. He was a genuine cowboy, rancher type, 6th generation farmer from Texas.

Ryan Seacrest went to interview his parents, 2 older all-American looking farmers. He asked, "So what made you decide to name your son after John Wayne?"

The wife replied, "My husband wanted a really tough, strong type of son."

Ryan looked at the father, "Boy it would have sucked if you'd had me."

The old man looked at Ryan and replied, "You wouldn't be the way you are if you'da been my son."

Comedy at Ryan Seacrest's expense, now that's good stuff.

Some January Fun

2011-01-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Usually, January is a big ole blur of post holiday blahness for me, but this year, our January kept us hopping. It started out with a bang, as we stayed the night over at our friends' home in the valley for your New Year's Eve. Their kids & ours had a blast as you can see, and they banged pots and pans together in the front yard at midnight to welcome in 2011. Shaw family, we love you guys!

But even more exciting than that moment, was Dan and I actually went on a little get-away trip to Morro Bay & San Francisco for our 14 year anniversary. I must say that was all made possible because of our sainted niece, Rhaquel, who flew out from Washington and watched our girls for 4 days and 3 nights. And when I say "sainted," I'm barely exaggerating, this girl is a gem! The girls keep saying that they miss her, and believe me I miss her too! It was an awesome blessing to have peace of mind that our kiddos were in good hands and to be alone with my husband, absorbing the beautiful weather in Morro Bay, and then the eclectic sights of San Fran.

Funny thing is this, I definitely have reached a new phase in life as I enter into my mid-30s. When I was younger, big cities like San Fran & L.A seemed so inviting to me. They were places that were full of life, energy, and possibilities. I have to say that now as I reflect, Morro Bay was much more enjoyable to me than San Fran. It was scenic and beautiful and very calming. The What once seemed glitzy and glamorous to me now struck me as a bit gritty and over-priced. My youthful independence & sense of adventure have been replaced by a concern over the amount of germs that had passed through the San Francisco transit system bus I sat on, and I kept thinking, man strollers would be tough to maneuver in this place....

Oh man, having kids really does change you, doesn't it?

PS
That plate pictured above is the "anniversary dinner" my girls prepared for us. Move over Emeril....

Grandma Elizabeth

2011-01-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

My last blog entry was 1-11-11. That morning I woke up and thought about my wedding anniversary and how good God is to provide me with that blessing. That evening, before I went to bed, my dad called with the news that my 92 year old grandmother (on my mother's side) had gone to be with the Lord. Despite my tears, I still was reminded that God is good. After a decade of dealing with dementia & senility, it was a blessing to know, that Grandma would not have to suffer anymore. The grandmother I once knew has actually been gone for a long, long time.

So bear with me as I share a couple of things that struck me as we shared in a memorial with friends and family this weekend.

1. I learned a lesson. In my short life, I have been very protected, blessed, and sheltered, and therefore, I have very little experience with death or grief. I honestly did not know how much a letter, a note, a phone call, or a box of flowers can impact someone until I saw the effect that it had on my own mom. I feel terrible that in the past as friends or acquaintances around me have dealt with death, I did not go out of my way to acknowledge them. These small gestures mean the world to those who are grieving, my lesson learned, is this, in the future, I will try to remember that acknowledging another person's loss is a true expression of love and kindness.

2. My grandma was not really herself in recent years, but I did have some time as we walked through her house this past weekend to remember what a gentle, quiet spirit she truly was. She was an artist, a painter, a teacher, a lifetime choir member, and piano player. And all of her gifts and talents were things she used to serve her church. That is the legacy I reap the benefits of, generations of church goers who loved the Lord and in turn loved others. I am so grateful for her quiet, yet faithful example. I will always cherish our Friday nights taking grandmas with us each week to her favorite local, now extinct Mexican restaurant, El Conquistador, with it's bull fighter murals and unending supply of tortilla chips. I will always remember grandma's stories of her teaching days and the joy that she expressed to me when I became a teacher like her and her mother before her. I will always remember her deep appreciation for nature and that she knew the names of all the flowers. And I will always remember her sitting on her turquoise blue (her favorite color) couch, watching Wheel of Fortnune, while solving the weekly crossword puzzle in the paper, with her ratty, old springer spaniel, sitting loyally at her feet....

1-11-11 Happy Anniversary To Me!

2011-01-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

Us Now, Us then....we've multiplied!

1-11-11 = Our 14th Year Anniversary!

And guess what I still love the guy, and for some odd reason, he still loves me! We have so much to be thankful for....

- Thankful that God has given us the grace to put up with each other each day despite our sinful, earthly natures.

- Thankful we both had Christian parents that prayed for our spouses for years before we even met.

- Thankful we had the same foundation in Christ, and studied together at the same awesome

Christian college - The Master's College

- Thankful we've spent almost 13 of our 14 years together at the same church learning and growing, surrounded by faithful saints and consistently Christ-centered teaching; Faith Community of Oxnard... What a blessing!

- Thankful for those 4 little trouble maker daughters that wake us up in the middle of the night, cost us more money than we have, and interrupt all of our meaningful conversations.

Hold The Whip

2011-01-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

So I saw that some of my fellow bloggers listed out meaningful and thoughtful resolutions for the New Year. I don't really like to make resolutions, because I never follow through with them and then I feel like a loser in March when people are asking me so how's that whole exercise thing going? And then I give them the blank stare and wonder if perhaps they're addressing the person behind me.

So I had to think of it this way: Baby steps. One small resolution, that's not ridiculous like hey I'm going to be nicer to my kids, yell less, and start ironing.... I mean really. And we all know I'm not switching over to brown rice and soy milk. I'll die before I buy organic produce (I hate spending money on food when I could be spending it on accessories), and I'm certainly not going to give up caffeine or anything like that.

But I was thinking, I could make a conscious effort to cut out a few calories in my life, now that I'm facing being 35, and I'm no longer the 98 pound 16 year old that had Mountain Dew and old fashioned doughnuts every day on my way to school for breakfast (see I have evolved). Now it seems calories are actually sort of creeping up on me, slowly, bit by bit, year by year, despite my denial and insistence things fit weird because "I just had a baby," wait, how old is Morgan now? Oh never mind. So here's my resolution folks. When I go to Starbucks, and order my most favoritest drink, a grande Carmel Macchiato with whip, well, from now on, I'm going to sacrifice, and ask them to please, hold the whip.

Sigh. I really like whipped cream. It's so good, but apparently it adds a bunch of calories to the already excessive and unnecessary drink.

So there it is, there's my resolution. If you run into me at the coffee shop and I have a whipped cream mustache, please feel free to confront me and make me feel very small.

On Behalf of My Other Daughters

2011-01-05T08:23:00.001-08:00

About a year or so ago, I think I mentioned something about a cute little 3 year old boy planting a kiss on my 2nd oldest daughter Noelle. I didn't think much about the fact that he had singled out Noelle, I just thought it was a cute, kind of funny story.

Then this past Sunday at church, a little 5 year old boy (the pastor's grandson actually), approached my husband, and said, "Just so you know, I'm going to marry Noelle someday." Dan took a serious tone, and replied,"Are you asking me if you can marry my daughter?" The little boy said, "yep."

Well, as Maylin recounted the story to someone in the back of the church, yet another little 5 year old boy objected right in front of me, saying, "I was going to marry Noelle...."

Wow, she's popular.

I would just like to say, that Noelle Christina is my namesake, and perhaps with the name, came all of my less favorable qualities. She talks too much (like me), she's overly dramatic (also like me), she has a propensity to stomach aches (me too), and truthfully, she can be quite a handful (possibly this is all my fault).

My other 3 daughters remind me more of my much more agreeable husband. Maylin is diligent and hard working, she can really stick to a task. Lorelei is easy going and likes everyone. Morgan is fun loving, and laughs at life.

The point is fellas, I appreciate your interest in Noelle, but I would like the world to note, I have 3 other perfectly charming daughters, and if you offer me the right amount of cows and goats, I'd be happy to hand them over.

But if you insist on pursuing our little Noelle, it looks like you'll have to take a number, and in the words my father once used when addressing Dan about whether or not he could marry me. Sure... but remember, no refunds!

Christmas Gets A Little Retro This Year

2010-12-29T14:11:00.001-08:00

Barbies, a microwave that cooks things with a lightbulb, scooters, and the rip-roarin' headache of a game, Hungry Hippo were some of the fun gifts that the girls scored with this year. As I was flipping through the photos, I realized these were all toys I'd had when I was a kid. Hmm, am I trying to relive my childhood or what? This concept surprises me since mom always said I was an old soul. When the other little kids wanted to play tag type games on the playground, I would always say, "No... let's sit under a tree and talk." But I guess despite, my "old soul" tendencies, I do have a nostalgic hankering for the little things that can bring a kid great joy (for at least 9 to 11 minutes).

Anyway, it was a Merry Christmas this year, and I'd love to tell you all about it, but the truth is, as I type this silly little blog entry, a stack of short stories written by well-meaning 15 year olds awaits me. And instead of putting them off yet one more day, I should probably tackle them NOW. Who knows, maybe the next great author of our future is among them, and if not the next great author, perhaps at least I'll encounter a future housewife that blogs a little on the side.

Snow: It Does Exist

2010-12-27T11:03:00.001-08:00

Having been raised in the dry heat of the San Joaquin Valley, my ideal climate is tanning bed warm. I like to be warm, I like to be dry, and I like to be tan. Is that so wrong? The point is I have almost NO experience with snow, because rumor had it, snow is wet and cold, which always made me wonder why people deliberately choose to go to it. Then I had kids and in my imagination, I daydreamed about them frolicking in the pure white snow, laughing, and playing. I asked Dan if on Christmas Eve we could drive to Grant's Grove just 2 short hours from Visalia, and introduce the girls to the snow so that I could make my daydream a reality.

Well, I'll say this, it was indeed very beautiful. We even visited the Big General Sherman tree that I believe is the tallest Redwood in the world (275 ft). It was majestic and an impressive testament of God's creation. The girls were very excited, and that made me happy, but as it turns out.... genetics are a mighty thing. Apparently, that whole liking to be warm & dry thing was passed on from me to them, because as soon as we got there, Morgan got snow in her boots and I have never heard that girl cry and fuss and whine so much in her entire 3 years. The older girls got to do a little sledding, and as they finished up, Lorelei went into hysterics about her freezing cold feet. She thought she had frostbite.

Dan accused us all of being a bunch of babies, and looked at me accusingly as if perhaps I was to blame for all of the crying. Then we left.

Needless to say, it was a little bit of Christmas magic, Leaman girls style.

It Wouldn't Be December Without...

2010-12-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

The annual Christmas show at school. Plus side: the girls were

cute & loved singing their songs! Down side: We were there for an

eternity, because we had to sit through the preschool performances

& then the elementary school performance.....I have no patience.

The office party. Dan's office mates and our dear friends all

get together and our kids exchange gifts. Plus side: We get to

hang out and eat a lot. Down side: Our friends gave Noelle a

slide whistle, need I say more?

The annual Christmas parade in Camarillo. Plus side, it was

a beautiful, sunny California day that day. Down side: It was

too long (there goes that impatience of mine again), and a guy

yelled at us for sitting where he had staked out his cones hours

before the parade. There's some Christmas spirit for ya!

Frosting Cookies at my house with a few of the girls

friends from church. Plus side: My sainted sister made the

gigantic batch of sugar cookies for us. Down side: Remember,

in addition to the fact that I have no patience, I also have no

self-control, so I ended the day with a sugar over-dose headache

and a vague conviction that I may be getting too old for eating frosting

till I'm sick.

Merry Christmas to Me

2010-12-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I've got to tell you this morning has provided me with a unique glimpse into what it would be like to be a real housewife of Orange County (or wherever... and no I don't actually watch any of those shows because let's face it, I can't afford to lose any more brain cells into the vortex of mindless television). Anyway, I'm officially off of work until January, but all of the girls had to go to school for one last day before vacation, so I find myself here.... at my house...... ALONE!!!

I thought about buying a box of bon bons and eating them in front of the television for a while, but then I remembered the hundreds of cookies I brought home from the Christmas cookie exchange I went to last night, and I figured.... they'd do. So yep, here I am, a mom alone in her house, drinking coffee, eating Christmas cookies, with no small children to ask me how many more days there are until Christmas, with no one yelling, "I'm telling on you," and there are no cups of sticky milk being spilled on my dining room table right now. Instead, it's just me, relaxing, contemplating painting my nails for the first time since August, and wasting time on my computer.

Insert contented sigh.

I guess Christmas came early for me this year.

A Lesson From Scrooge

2010-12-06T14:09:00.001-08:00

I have 4 neighbor girls in my neighborhood that live but a stone's throw away from me. I know, I know I'm very lucky to have friends that live so close by. But here's the deal, they're all younger than me, they all have fewer kids than me, and for whatever reason, they're all much perkier, cheerier, happier, more fun-loving type of folk than I happen to be. They all like to make crafty-craft things, or do other people's hair, or of all things run around the block together. I try to avoid all of these types of activities, because I like sit and sulk in my house about how many kids I have, and make fun of them for being hopelessly optimistic about life and love and cuteness for cuteness-sake.

So it should have come as no surprise to me that they had some type of festive fun for the holidays for me to begrudgingly be a part of. Sure enough, they suggested we do Secret Santas this year. You know, we pick names and anonymously drop off gifts on each others' porches and mailboxes, etc. I attempted to refuse, and complained loudly that I have SOOOOO much going on right now, and this will be just one more thing on my "to-do" list, and they made me do it anyway.

I was determined to be a scrooge about it, until this morning when I opened my front door and saw the coca-cola in a bottle pictured above, and guess what........

It made me SO HAPPY!

One little bottle of soda is really all it takes to thoroughly make my day. So thank you Secret Santa, whoever you are, and thank you to all my perky, happy little neighbor girls that love rain drops and Santa Clause and twinkle lights..... thank goodness there are freaks like you guys in the world, because if everyone was a Scrooge like me, there'd be no Disneyland, no ridiculous movies starring Reese Witherspoon, and there'd certainly be no such thing as Secret Santas.

Ode to Our Photographer

2010-12-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

When it comes to taking pictures, I'm totally lame.

My kids faces turn out blurry, & unfocused, it's really such a shame.

Thank goodness I have neighbors who have an artist's eye.

When they take our family photos, I almost want to cry!

They have a way of making us look better than we actually look in real life.

They have the patience to put up with our whining while we pose and give them strife.

With Christmas cards coming soon, I suggest you give them a call.

They're bound to make you look good, way better than the mall!

http://herveyphoto.com/

& yep, they took the photo I used as the heading for the blog, I got so many comments on

that photo, I wanted to give the Herveys a shout out! Seriously, they're great, check them

out!

Hot Cocoa.... No Thanks

2010-11-29T16:11:00.000-08:00

This is why children shouldn't have hot chocolate..... ever!

The Family Photo Christmas Card Endeavor

2010-11-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again folks, the time when I attempt to get my kids, my husband, and I to all face the same direction and smile like we like each other. Yep, every November we attempt to take the perfect picture for our yearly Christmas card. We made it almost through an entire hour photo shoot before the crying began. As the girls ran from one picturesque scene to another, there was some tripping and falling over each other that resulted in skinned knees and a sudden lack of enthusiasm for posing for our photographers.

So, I want to order cards that are reasonably priced, and that provide a classic format for our family pic. This year, I'm going with shutterfly (and yes this is a shameless plug). They've got pages of formats for me to choose from, and I can't wait to see my finalized product. Maybe you should get shopping too! http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Shopping Made Easy

2010-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

You may be wondering what are these ladies (myself included) doing exactly? Well, I'll tell you. I happen to have an incredibly crafty and talented neighbor that lives one house away from me who makes amazing and delightful decorations and personalized necklaces and jewelry. Tuesday night we laid out a spread of all her wares at my home, and about 20 ladies from near and from far came to browse and shop for Christmas gifts and so on. Can I just tell you that as much as I have always loved shopping, shopping in your own kitchen while eating cookies, drinking cider, and talking with your friends brings it to a whole new level!

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun, and if you're curious about my friend's products, you're in luck, she has a website. So go check it out and get some of your early Christmas shopping done! www.bethanymariedesigns.com/

Bragging is So Unbecoming

2010-11-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know that I'm trying to teach my kids that bragging isn't right, but I'm going to have to break my own "No bragging" rule for a moment. I figure it's slightly okay, because I'm not going to brag about my kids, my husband, or myself..... Nope, today I'm bragging about my sister!

Yesterday our little Bethie ran her first half marathon which is 13.1 miles, which is about 13 more miles than I could ever run. 1,487 people ran the half-marathon, and my sister came in 18th of the women!!! In her first half-marathon, with a time of an hour and 37 minutes!!! I think that's especially impressive, since she's only 4 foot 11, and her entire body was the length of some of her competitor's legs - I'm just saying.

To celebrate, I'm going to go have some pumpkin pie I made for breakfast. Let's see it's 6:58 am right now, I'm getting ready to eat a pie breakfast, and Bethie's at a gym somewhere. I'm beginning to wonder if one of us was switched at the hospital.

Anyway, have a good day all.... and remember my sister is cooler than yours if you have one.

California - Only Good For Our Weather

2010-11-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so seriously, on a positive note, I'm going to wear a sundress and sandals today and it's November 3rd. But let's face the reality of some of my state's newly elected officials: Embarrassing. Liberal. Embarrassing and liberal.

So perhaps it was no coincidence that I read this verse last night:

Daniel 2:20-21

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

So with that I will not face my future in a fearful or anxious way. God appointed Pharoah and hardened his heart against Moses at one point in history, and He did that for a reason. So today, I will not be disheartened by my new leaders, rather I will trust in the God who removes kings and sets up kings..... and I will be grateful for the warm weather He has provided!

Let the Candy-Eating Begin!

2010-11-01T20:55:00.001-07:00

That's right... embrace the cuteness. Thank you mom for making Beth that adorable Heidi-esque dress for Bethie (my sister) back in the 80s, and thank you for actually keeping it, so that we could put Morgan in it and re-enact The Sound of Music. And yes, this year you truly outdid yourself by making Lorelei's doll a matching costume. I so enjoyed pushing the stroller around the block as we went trick or treating, you know the stroller for the doll! I didn't want to push and force you to make the twins costumes too, so for that we must thank Target. Kitty cat ears seemed genius to me because I thought, wow, cheap and simple, and then when the bunny ears concept fell through for Noelle at the last minute, we bought the least plastic looking costume we could find for Noelle. It was labeled Snow Princess and she was loving it, so we all lived happily ever after.

Well, sort of. I actually have a stomach ache right now, because even though I enforced the only 2 candies today rule for the kids, I found myself repeatedly sneaking into the kitchen for just one more itty bitty Twix. They seemed so small, so bite size, but apparently when you eat bite size candies ALL DAY, they end up sort of stomach size. And I wonder why my kids lack self-control.

Sports? Really?

2010-10-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know me well, know that when it comes to sports, I am neither a fan, nor a participant of ANY type of athletics.... and I mean ANY type. I'm so uncoordinated, I can barely swim, I've never returned a ball in ping pong, never ran a complete mile, and I've never served a volleyball successfully over any net. So how is it that my Saturdays now include soccer games, gymnastics, and a new church softball league? I'm not sure how it's happened, perhaps I'm over compensating for my total lack of physical activity by forcing my kids into sports, regardless, somehow I've turned into yet another mini-van driving soccer mom. The twins are in AYSO this season, and they've got the awesomest (yeah that's right, I said awesomest) coach ever, so awesome, I'd have his children..... oh wait, I already did. Coach Dan is practically at saint-level status as he attempts to motivate 6 little 4/5 year old girls to stop hugging each other, and start kicking the ball..... preferably in the right direction.

So here's what I like about AYSO so far.... it's cheap. That's right I said, cheap. When you have twins, everything doubles in cost, and that's not very fun. My oldest child decided she LOVES gymnastics. Initially, I thought that was cute, now I realize this stinks because gymnastics is super expensive. Upon further investigation of possible tennis, golf, ballet, tap, dance lessons, I soon realized why AYSO is so popular, because it's comparatively inexpensive. Of course they make you pay in other ways, with your time, your snacks, your dignity as you lug lawn chairs, toddlers, water bottles, and granola bars across a field and try to convince your other children this is fun. But I digress, the truth is, it's not that bad, and one of my twins definitely has gotten the idea of the whole game, the other twin (who shall remain nameless - rhymes with Palin) just likes to run back and forth and smile out at the fans as if she's competing for Miss California. Wherever did she come from?

Twins? Are You Sure?

2010-10-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm really amazed that my twins, Maylin & Noelle actually shared the same womb at one time, because they couldn't be more different. People ask me if they're super close, if they have their own special language, or unique bond.... The answer is um, no. They painted these pictures in class last week. You know what they say, "A picture is worth a 1ooo words." Maylin loves purple and she constantly draws pictures of little girls. Noelle, well... I'm not sure what color she likes this week... and though she claims that's a portrait of a "machine," I'm not totally convinced.

A Woman With Priorities

2010-09-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

To Do List:

1. Beg mom to sew costumes for kids for upcoming Halloween.

2. Catch up on the multiple shows I've been recording via my DVR.

3. Figure out where I can get store bought goods that look baked for bible study tomorrow.

4. Teach my kids how to grade high school essays. (Just mark with red every 4 or 5 lines, you may get lucky).

5. Find time to go grocery shopping since the pantry currently only holds refried beans and

some expired chicken broth.

6. Consider that the holidays are steadily approaching, and take a few minutes to feel overwhelmed.

7. Seriously, catch up on those TV shows, this is Oprah's last season.

8. Take pictures so that the next time you blog, you have evidence you have children.

9. Bring the grass back to life again, so that the neighbors don't resent us.

10. And lastly, come up with something to blog about that's more interesting than your life, which currently consists of driving kids places, grading papers, heating up frozen pizza, and not watching enough television.

The Latest

2010-09-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

In case you feel like you live really far away, and you don't get to know the kids as well as you'd like to, let me give you the latest on the four girls.

First of all we have our oldest, our little first grader. Lorelei recently asked, "Do you have to practice drawing a lot to be the President?"

Ummm, what do you mean exactly?

Because they have to be really good artists, right?

Ummm, not necessarily, why would they need to be good artists?

You know, so they can draw all the dollars for us.

So apparently those are her thoughts on Obama.... I'm guessing they haven't really covered U.S. History yet this year.

Then there's Noelle. Her favorite thing to do these days is complain about the temperature in the van and see how long it takes before mom gives in and adjusts the air for her. I'd like to tell you this is a charming habit, I really would.

As for Maylin, she likes to insist we play the same CD in the car at all times, preferably at full volume. I don't know much about birth order, but I'm wondering if middle children are more demanding than the others.

Then there's Morgan, she had her first "share" day today in preschool. She had to share something red. She took Elmo. I'm guessing it went well, but I guess I'll never really know, since I wasn't there and all. I've also started to notice that she talks to herself frequently throughout the day. Today as she was spreading some processed cheese onto a cracker while Lorelei took her gymnastics class, she was saying quietly, "spread, spread, spread, spread...."

Then there's Dan & I. We went to a bible study tonight that's showing a DVD series on parenting by Tedd Tripp. We figured since the kids are talking to themselves, making constant demands in the car, and our oldest daughter thinks that drawing is the most important skill a politician should possess, maybe we ought to re-evaluate how things are going.

We'll keep you posted.

Shout Out

2010-09-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

Our friends from church started an awesome company that sells hair products, including colorful gel that the kids can put into their hair and then wash out that same day. Check out zachswax.com to learn more, and wait.... who are those cute models they put on their home page? Could it be two of my very own daughters? Okay, so I'm biased, and I'm going to support their products forever now. Check it out!

School! School! School!

2010-09-08T13:23:00.001-07:00

Lorelei's 1st day in Mrs. Bowen's class
The twins line up for their teacher Mrs. Lewis
And Morgan gets cuddly with Mrs. Paladino on her 1st day!

So it's here at last... September: the mad rush for back to school supplies, the blaring alarm clocks, the stocking up of snack foods for lunch boxes, and lots and lots of VAN time as I maneuver my way across town for drop offs and pick ups and later pick ups.

With it all brings mixed emotions. I am somewhat of a creature of habit, so I welcome the idea of a predictable routine, but I'm surprised at how tiring it to get back in to. I'm amazed that Lorelei is in "big kid" 1st grade now, and has homework, and is acting like she's soooo old now. She said the other day, "I saw the kindergartners pass by mom, and they were sooo cute," as if she's so much older than them.

Meanwhile, I'm thrilled for my younger three as they are still in preschool basically, pre-k for the twins and a younger class of 3 year olds for Morgan. Their teachers are so nurturing and "huggy," I'm amazed at their willingness to love on and embrace all these little guys. I mean it's one thing to think your own kiddos are cute, but these ladies actually like all these kids. They are their own unique breed of people, and they should all get extra jewels on their crown someday!

As for me, I'll stick to teaching junior high and high school. You think three year olds are cute? There's nothing cuter than 4 foot tall 12 year old boys sitting next to 12 year old girls that are 5 foot 7 and look 5 years older than them. I love the awkwardness of adolescents, they're all right on the brink of beautiful, but they've still got a few things they need to figure out, and they're still not too cool to laugh at my jokes. What could be better?

Bye, Bye Summer... You were Good To Me

2010-08-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

To celebrate summer's final days, we spent a few days together exploring the aquarium in Long Beach, swimming at a hotel pool (to my kids, this is the equivalent of a winning the lottery), and then we headed to Lake Arrowhead with Sandhya's amazing family (my TMC bff).... ahhh Summer days, so sweet, so necessary.... the rest I needed to prepare me for the working days ahead! We came, we saw, we suntanned....we got a little cranky with our husbands for not taking the freeway exits we suggested, but overall.... we loved every minute of our beautiful state! We couldn't help but marvel at the fact that here we could be enjoying the beach in one city and then within just a few hours drive, enjoying the hills and lakes of the San Bernadino mountains! It was a great send off to summer.... now perhaps, I'd better stop blogging, and start thinking about that new class I'm teaching... you know that one that starts Monday?

Twinsies Turn 5!

2010-08-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

The day the doctor looked at my ultrasound, and said, "Now you know there are two in there, right?" was a day that I truly will never forget. I started to cry, and my sweet or crazy husband (it depends on how you view life I suppose) exclaimed, "TWINS?.... AWESOME!" I looked up at the doctor and tried to explain that I wasn't crying because I was disappointed, I was just so utterly caught off guard. As I endured a truly unbearable last few weeks of the pregnancy, and then survived the blur of their births and the year and a half that followed, I kept thinking to myself, someday they'll be five, and this will be easier....

Well, that day has come folks, and is it easier? Certainly in ways, no more days of hand washing (I had no dishwasher then) 16 bottles a day, no more days of buying diapers in bulk, and no more aching muscles from hoisting two car seats into my shopping cart (and then wondering where in the world am I going to put the groceries). The twins are indeed 5 now. Saturday was their birthday and after a weekend previous of celebrating with my parents (and visiting Build-A-Bear) we celebrated again with cupcakes made by Sandhya at a lovely cabin by Lake Arrowhead.

So now they walk, they talk, they're potty-trained and are ready to begin five day a week "transitional Kindergarten," so I guess in some ways I'm in the clear. I mean two beautiful twin girls with 14, maybe 18 years of school ahead of them, could it be any harder than the 5 years now behind me? Let me consider the possibilities....... on second thought, forget that idea. I'm going to try and just enjoy this moment.

Happy Birthday to You, Miss Noelle, you always keep me guessing, and I have a feeling you'll have the ability to charm diplomats and blue collar workers alike. Charisma is a gift, and I hope you use yours wisely. And Happy Birthday to You, Miss Maylin, you may be quiet, but I know that mind of yours is always thinking, contemplating, creating new pretty pictures and outfits for your bears. Someday, you can decorate my house, but I have to warn you it may be difficult to find pink upholstery in most stores. In gist, I love you both very much!

Uncle D Got Married!

2010-08-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the big day, Uncle D married the lovely Andrea Carnahan, Dan was a handsome groomsman, Ava gave a charming speech, and I, well, I got to buy a new dress, and enjoy a dinner out in Malibu celebrating the occasion with my friends. God is so good!

Campin' Out

2010-08-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

When things get a little slow around here, Dad gets great ideas. First of all due to a serious lack of storage, he became inspired to create a whole wall of built ins and a desk that opens up for Lorelei. It's so awesome! We now have a place for all the little Barbie shoes, plastic animals, and toy purses we've been accumulating over the past few years!

Secondly, he set up the tent in the backyard, and the girls (well the 3 older ones) were brave enough to sleep in there until 4am when someone woke up cold and then they all ran in to our room and crashed into our bed.... With all three of them trying to wedge their legs and arms and chins in between Dan & I, I found myself teetering precariously on the very edge of the mattress for the remaining hours of the night. Needless to say, I just made an appointment with a chiropractor.

Four-Letter Words

2010-07-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Lorelei's been begging us to get back into gymnastics, and so this summer, we finally signed her back up. After the first week back, I noticed that most of the summer staff was made up of giggly, energetic teenagers that seemed very well, for lack of a better word, teenagery, which got me thinking....

Because of course I want to encourage my kids to communicate with me, I said to Lor in the car on the way home, "You know, you can tell me if you ever hear the teenagers at the gym saying bad words or whatever. You wouldn't get in trouble, I want you to know you can always tell me when you see or hear stuff going on..... blah, blah, blah... " My point was that I want her to feel like she can tell me everything, all the stuff she sees and hears without feeling afraid that she's going to get into trouble. Are you with me parents?

So this week is our annual VBS week at church, basically free day camp for the neighborhood. We've had large amounts of kids from the nearby apartments walking over each day. My girls of course are involved, and somehow each year, I'm roped in to teaching one of the teams.

Long story short (TOO LATE), on the way home today, Lorelei said soberly, "Mom, I heard one the teenager boys say a bad word yesterday."

I remained calm, wondering inwardly if Lorelei even knows what bad words actually are and trying to figure out where she's learned them, "Oh really," I replied.

Lorelei nodded, and with a VERY serious look on her face, she said, "You know, the one that starts with a B...."

"Um, don't say it out loud, babe, wait till we stop for gas, and then you can whisper it to me, okay?"

We stopped, Lorelei approached me with a grave expression on her face, "Mom, that one boy, mom, he said.... you know.... 'butt.'"

"OOOOOHHHH, that B word. Well, thank goodness you told me!"

Thank you Lord for another day of childhood innocence. I know these days will be SHORT, but thank you that I still have a few left!

Prayer for Heidi

2010-07-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

Some of you TMC people may recall my feisty, one of a kind roommate from college - Heidi Potter. Well, I've asked for prayer for her before as in recent years she's had 2 very challenging pregnancies, and one very high risk premie. The good news is the Lord kindly answered our prayers, and Heidi now has a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and an 8 week old baby that are all very healthy. The bad news is Miss Heidi has been diagnosed with cancer. She had to have her thyroid and her lymphnodes removed on Monday. In 2 weeks she will have radiation and be in the hospital for 3 days. I've spoken with her, and she's in good spirits. She has peace and is not fearful, more than anything, she's thinking like a MOM, and concerned more about the inconveniences this causes than anything else. She had to quit nursing, and well, I don't need to explain to most of you the challenges that already exist when you have 3 very small children... or even if you just have one newborn for that matter!

Pray for Heidi's strength, stamina, and a quick recovery. Pray that they can find meds that help her deal with the consequences of not having a thyroid as quickly as possible. Pray that her husband and local friends come alongside her and help her as much as they can in the days ahead.

As I complained to myself this week about the never-ending messes I clean, I thought of Heidi and was reminded that I should be grateful I have the strength to clean them. When I whined internally about the financial drain of owning an older home and trying to keep up with the wants and needs of 4 children, I remembered that I'm not paying extra medical bills right now. When I got the cell phone pic of her recent giant incision across her neck, with her comment, "Now that's sexy," I smiled and remembered.... to be grateful!

Pixie Girl

2010-07-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Thank you Noelle for either being an extremely independent spirit or perhaps my biggest people pleaser.... Either way, thank you letting me keep your hair short. The other girls fuss and fume and dream of long Ariel-like locks and then they cry and scream when I shampoo and pull combs and brushes through their tangles!

You my dear, have got the face for pixie hair cuts and bobs forever!

Ahh, Nostalgia

2010-07-07T16:50:00.001-07:00

So apparently there are some serious marketing geniuses out there in the world that have tapped in to a strategy I call the need for nostalgia. Basically this strategy pinpoints suckers like myself, by capitalizing on all of my positive childhood memories and forcing me to spend money so that I can pass those experiences on to my own four children. First there was the remake of The Karate Kid, starring my former boyfriend (*Remember, I'm an English major, things I write shouldn't always be taken literally), and the beloved Mr. Miagi (formerly of Happy Days fame). In gist, I forced my kids to watch the original, which was fortunately an "edited for TBS" version, but still much more grown up than I had remembered, and then I convinced them all that they were beyond EXCITED to see the remake with Will Smith Jr.... or some name that starts with a J. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I LOVED it way more than they did, but I will admit, there's a lot to be said for the power of suggestion when you've got kids ages 7 and under. Anyway, it was amazing, but I decided Ralph Macchio's image trumped the new poster for my blog.

And then as if summer wasn't off to the perfect kick-off already with me re-living my childhood favoritest movie, I saw the re-release of my formerly-favorite BARBIE doll of all time, Peaches and Cream Barbie, circa '85. I almost bought it, and then realized it wasn't the same price as all the other barbies in the Target aisle I so often linger in, drat, it's a vintage release.... Needless to say, I restrained myself, because I couldn't really justify the purchase, but I wanted to acknowledge that I'm on to the fact that they're on to me.... they being the people that market memories and make money on sentimental moms like me that did in fact actually have really good childhoods thanks to the materialism of the 80's and probably due in part to the fact that Reagan was in office for all my formative years.

But I digress.

Guess Who Turns 3 Tomorrow!

2010-06-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

Almost 3! And TOO cute, though a bit anti-social these days. But come on you gotta love her.

Oh, and by the way, Dan forgave me. I got a few texts from concerned readers : )

I'm a Jerk, Will You Forgive Me?

2010-06-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that none of you other wives out there have ever had an emotional outburst that was pretty much totally unnecessary and unwarranted towards your husband. But on occasion, I have. Every once in a while, I start looking around the house and obsessing over what needs to be painted, the towels that should probably be replaced, the mysterious boxes of items needing to be labeled and organized in the garage, and the villainous weeds that seem like they're on a mission to overtake our backyard. When I start to dwell on these things, I sort of start to panic because I feel overwhelmed, and often times that panic evolves into frustration. And as the frustration begins to bubble over into anger, I look across the room, and who's there?

My husband, that's who. So I start complaining and unloading and suddenly focusing on everything he's ever done wrong since 1994 the year I met him. And then I go to sleep and then I wake up, and then it's morning, and suddenly the house doesn't seem that bad, the kids seem pretty happy, and oooppps, I feel better, but why does my husband look so morose? Oh yeah, I yelled at him and blamed him for the time we had bad weather, the cavities in my teeth, and for the fact that my youngest daughter was overtired yesterday at church, and ridiculously clingy.

And suddenly, I want to take everything I complained about back, especially because now I'm remembering all the incredibly hard work he's done around the house, the devotion he has to the kids, the hours he's spent patiently listening to me ramble, and the steadfastness that so defines him in every way.

Do you think if I post it all on my blog, he'll read it and forgive me? Let's hope so, any other guy would be half way to Mexico right now. And blog readers, (all 3 of you out there), allow me to share this lesson with you that will so help you in your marriages - Proverbs 13:3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Speak less, listen more, and you'll be making fewer apologies than I have to make, I assure you.

June Gloom

2010-06-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

There's a phrase we have here in Cali, known as "June Gloom" that refers to a brief stint in time when it's supposed to be summer, but it's cloudy and cool, and we freak out because it's below 80 for two weeks of the year. So to escape that, we thought, why not head to Washington state, where we can embrace the cloudiness factor, enjoy the coffee, and bond with the relatives. Here's some of what we did. Jumping: This is pretty much what Morgan did the entire 8

days we were in Washington, because both Auntie Carol &

Gamma Luci have trampolines. Who knew these modern

day death traps could provide parents with so many hours

of happiness. Well, girls enjoy it, cuz Mom's NEVER getting

one. BTW, above is Morgan and cousin Sollie.
Miraculously, the day of the long-anticipated outdoor grad

party at Auntie Carol's was beautiful & sunny. The decorations

were beautiful, the food was good, & the grads were great,

it was a perfect afternoon.
Above, Rhaquel, our niece just graduated from high school

home schooled all this time, her parents deserve equal

commendation in my opinion, and there they are!
We also got to celebrate all the June bdays in the family,

3 of which are in our own immediate family, and we were

totally blessed and spoiled by everyone's generosity, and gifts.

I'm thinking we should go in June every year! That's our

friend Andrea joining in on the present opening.

Oh, look, Dan's friend from high school had cutie pie

puppies for the girls to admire and hold. Again, girls,

puppies are like trampolines, fun to enjoy at other peoples'

homes, not ours, EVER.

Uncle Doug graduated from Seminary, that's right Dan's little

brother is now officially ordained!
At one point during the week, Dan and I slipped away for

an overnight trip to Seattle. It was awesome, and most

of our time there was spent eating, looking for places to

eat at, or waiting to eat. Here's a glimpse of Pike Place Market.
Have you ever watched a World Cup Soccer game with actual,

real live Brazilians? I have.
Token cute shot of youngest child.
Some of the cousins & my girls with their 92 year old

great grandma and their grandma on Dan's side. What an

amazing woman - she came all the way from Brazil for this

trip!

In all, family, friends, fun, food, and well, we won't talk about the 18 hour drive to get there and back, because I don't want to relive that and lapse into a SERIOUS case of June gloom. Instead, we'll focus on the good times: My fellow Leamans, thank you for hosting us on yet another fantastic family vacation. We miss you already!

Catching Up

2010-06-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Marc, his mom (my cousin), my uncle James, and his girlfriend
The girls and my cousin and her kids.
My Cousin Vida walking down the aisle with her dad
Amazing drawings!
I had mistakenly thought that as soon as my school year ended in May, I would be relaxing and enjoying life without the hassle of grading essays and copying handouts. On the contrary, the last 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. But I thought I would be remiss to mention some of the highlights:

1. Dan's parents came all the way out here, driving till 1am to be a part of Grandparents day for Lorelei. This was such a great blessing for us, she was thrilled, and the next morning when we had our garage sale, they took the girls out to breakfast and gave us a few quiet hours to get stuff done. THANK YOU for that!

2. The next weekend, my family came down and we went to the Grove for Lorelei's birthday, 2 days later we had our big Memorial Day Bash, and the next day was my 34th birthday.

3. So about my bday. Dan and I are practical, non-sentimental people. I usually tell him to please not get anything for me, because I'd rather just use the $ to buy myself something or to get something for the house. This year, Dan totally surprised me, for maybe the first time ever. He had had Laura, an amazing young student about to go to Masters, create the drawings above of our 4 girls. I was so blown away by them. I LOVE THEM!! Because I mean, who doesn't love pictures of their own kids. I just thought these were so classic, Dan had had them framed, and I love the 4 of them hanging in my living room right now. Good job Dan, Good Job Laura, and a Happy Birthday to Me.

4. Then this past weekend we drove to Visalia for my cousin's wedding. It was hot, but beautiful, with a lake behind them as they said their vows, and it was a chance to see all the relatives you forget you're even related to. Everyone looked remarkably similar to my dad (see my Uncle above). Anyway, it was fun.

5. But is it over? No way, Lorelei's commencement is today, and a big trip to Washington is underway.... I've gotta clean, and pack, and clean some more.... yikes..

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

One tiny house (mine) 19 kids, Scott, and the various parents that belong to the aforementioned 19 kids, did you all catch that number.... 19? As in 19 under the age of 9? Yep, go ahead and salute me people. Our old friends from Masters were in town, and it was a great chance for several of us to get together, share some typical Memorial Day type grub, and reminisce about when we were all young and thin. It was a blast, and it forced us to mow our lawns, and clean out the playhouse, so it was a win-win for all. And yes, I paint faces too, it was cheaper than renting a jolly jump.

Oh, and before you jump to the conclusion that I forgot what Memorial Day was really all about, for the record, I tried to explain that soldiers fought for our country and for our freedom. But that lesson was a little complicated for my kids apparently. Because Lorelei kept asking, but are they free in Washington where Grandma Luci lives? But are they free in Visalia, where Mimi lives? But are they free in Hollywood where the American girl doll store is?

Perhaps, before I launch into politics and history, we should cover some basic geography. I finally summed up it all up by saying, listen, we're the good guys, there are some bad guys in the world, but they're really far away, and we should be grateful for the soldiers that keep them at bay.... they seemed satisfied with that, and I am too.

Only in L.A.

2010-05-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

Remember back when we were kids, and there were no such thing as American Girl Dolls? It was a sad and empty time for all of us, but fortunately for me, I have 4 daughters that I get to live vicariously through, and I intend to make the most of that. I have been telling my girls that when they turn 7, they would be able to choose their very own American Girl doll to love and cherish as their own. Much to my surprise, that day has come already. Lorelei turns 7 next Saturday, but that date happens to coincide with my cousin's wedding. So we celebrated early. Mimi and Papa came, and we all went to the Grove in L.A. to go the very special and amazing doll store for Lorelei. As we drove there, I said, let's see who can spot someone famous first, and Dan threw out the challenge that it wouldn't count unless we took a picture with them. Much to my surprise, fresh off the American Idole Finale, there at the entrance to Nordstrom was this week's winner, Lee Dewyze! I was so excited, we all talked with him, and took pictures as evidence!

So today was a success, we spotted a celbrity, got a picture with him, drank good coffee, and spoiled Lorelei with the doll of her dreams (still cheaper, by the way, than throwing her a bday party). In gist, we're grateful for these moments that break up the daily grind, and give us something to brag about, I mean blog about to our friends.

Generation Gap

2010-05-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

I emailed the pics from my previous blog to my parents and my sister because I know they don't check my blog regularly. I love the different responses they gave me:

My Dad: "How did you do that fancy blurring thing on the edges? That was great, that was amazing..... do you have a special program... " etc. etc. etc.
(Basically he thought I was a genius and the equivalent of a professional photographer).

My sister, Beth: "OOOOH, Why did you do that cheesy thing where you blur the edges on those photos you sent me. Don't ever do that again, it doesn't look good."

Alrighty then....

Wanna Be Photographer

2010-05-21T08:48:00.001-07:00

I see all these beautiful photography blogs, & think to myself, "I need to take cute pics of my kids," and then I try and I realize, I'm not too good at this. However, I do have some pretty cute subjects that put up with my attempts!

Open House

2010-05-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

This is Lorelei's big week. Open house at school last night, grandparents day today..... My mom made her the dress she wore, thanks mom! And Dan's parents drove until 1am to get here in time to take Lorelei to "Grandparent's Day" at school. Wow, my kids should feel so loved! I love that Lorelei is at that sweet age still where she thinks Open house and grandmas and the dollar section at Target are all SOOOO COOOL! I guess I need to enjoy these moments. Of course, the realist in me kept thinking last night, someday I'll have to visit all 3 of their classrooms in one night. That thought made me tired.

Anchors Away

2010-05-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of getting a new print to hang in my room and so I began scrolling through the many pages of art.com to get some ideas. My bedding has a lot of royal blue in it, and so I considered a nautical theme for the picture. I typed in anchors and in the midst of dozens of ocean blue images of various ship anchors, there was a picture of the silver haired fellow you see above. It took me forever to figure out why a poster of Anderson Cooper was an option for my bedroom decor. Once it hit me, I thought it was so funny....

And by the way, a poster like that hanging in my bedroom, not a bad idea.

TMC Reunion

2010-05-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

There's me with Sandhya, Ashley, and Kristy
Tricia's beautiful lunch for us sans Tricia, my camera died before I

got a picture of her, but not before I got a picture of her ADORABLE baby Caleb!

This past weekend Dan watched the girls ALL BY HIMSELF for the FIRST TIME EVER overnight, for TWO nights in fact, so that I could go to Valencia and meet up with my former TMC wingmates and have a reunion of sorts to celebrate Tricia's new baby, Caleb, above. It was amazing to me that 12 years have passed since we were all living in the dorms together, and yet it was like we just picked up right where we left off, that's the beauty of true friendships, especially because we're united together in Christ. I was so encouraged to see that though there have been weddings, births, trials, and grief for each of my friends in the past decade, they've all been brought through each moment by God's grace. That underlying foundation was evident to me in each of their lives, and I'm so thankful for that.

I also realized, I'm definitely getting old, because after two very late nights (staying up talking), I was EXHAUSTED on Sunday night, and pretty much have been of no good use since then. I'm in a daze, I keep looking around thinking, "wow, I have a lot to do....."

Hopefully, I'll snap out of it soon, because if I don't they may decide to feature my house on the next episode of hoarders.

Kinda Cute if You Ask Me

2010-05-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

I think all of my kids are super cute because, well, they're my kids, and I think it's some sort of maternal obligation you sign up for the second you see them and love them even though they sort of look like aliens at first glance. So yes, I think all 4 of my daughters are adorable, but Morgan is like funny cute... she makes these faces that crack me up. I thought I'd take a few pics today to try and capture what I mean.

The Binky Fairy Strikes Again

2010-05-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Soo, I'm one of those moms that bases a large portion of my parenting successes and failures on how accessible the nearest "binky" is in my house. But alas, my days of raising babies are gradually transitioning into a new stage of life, as my youngest is just weeks away from her 3rd birthday. And so the time has come yet again, to have a visit from the binky fairy. We did this with the twins, we told them that we would put all the binkies on the porch, and that while they were sleeping the binky fairy would come and collect their binkies for the tiny new babies that needed them, and replace their well-worn, disgusting pacifiers with some sort of "big girl" treat.

Well, we decided to try this whole charade yet again for Morgan, and so Friday night, Dan and I split up, he took Morgan and Maylin to Home Depot, I took Lorelei and Noelle to Target to find some sort of "big girl" toy for Morgan. Naturally, I had to explain what I was doing in the toy aisle to Lorelei and Noelle. The thought hadn't occurred to me that this would alter their universe. It was like the truth dawned on the two of them at once, "Why are you buying a toy for the binky fairy..... wait ARE YOU the BINKY FAIRY?" Lorelei looked at me, "Does this mean you're the tooth fairy too?"

Ahh man. I may as well buy them all ipods and let them get emancipated now, their childhood has ended. Pretty soon they're going to realize I don't actually know EVERYTHING, and then I'm really in trouble.

Needless to say, Morgan's now binky-free. But she's suffering more withdrawal symptoms than any of the others did. It's really sad, and not just for her....

Knotts Berry Farm!

2010-04-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

Dan's somewhat cynical boss (you know who you are Mister!) said, "Oh you're taking a day off to go to Notveryfun, eh?" But I must say, despite his little joke, and the chaos and grumpiness that can often take place when taking a family of 6 to a theme park for a day, we actually had a GREAT time! I'm so thankful for 2 amazing conditions that made our good time possible; First of all, there was the weather. It was totally mild, not too hot, not too cold. I was thinking back and realizing usually when I'm at a theme park, the sun is scorching and the heat starts to get to everyone after a few hours. So the lack of heat was a blessing, and then there was another thing lacking: CROWDS! We didn't have to wait in any lines, I figured there must be a lull between Spring Break and Summer Break or something, all I know is we got to go on a bunch of the rides twice even.

Anyway, we loved it, we consumed the obligatory funnel cake, shook hands with Snoopy, and Lorelei and I even went on Ghost Rider, and thought we were going to die. It was all very bonding.

The Paradox of Food (my soapbox rant for the day)

2010-04-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so like all moms, I occasionally feel myself riddled with guilt for not doing all the things I envisioned a perfect mother would do. And considering one of the essential roles I have during each day is to provide some kind of edible substance for my 4 little ones to eat, much of my self-inflicted guilt revolves around food.

In an era in which one of our 200 channels is a network devoted entirely to food, cooking has become much more fashionable than the days of old, and it has become much more accessible to the common middle-class masses. In the "old days" fancy cheeses and gourmet ingredients were difficult to come by, but now we're surrounded by ridiculously large, overstocked grocery stores that offer everything even a gourmet chef at a 5 star restaurant could possibly want or need. And so naturally, I feel both a pressure and a desire to cook fun and fancy foods for the kids. Everything Paula Deen ever invented looks tasty to me, especially since most of her recipes revolve around BUTTER, sugar, salt, and more BUTTER.

But, ahhh, there's the rub. I also am now living in a time when politicians no longer use world peace as their political platform, rather they speak about the dangers of childhood obesity. The Biggest Loser is one of my favorite shows, and every other commercial warns about caloric intake and overly-processed foods. There are now entire aisles at the grocery store dedicated to gluten-free, chemical-free, taste-free items that are guaranteed to make me live forever. So healthy living has been forced into my permanent subconscious. I feel super guilty when I see that all the other kids at school brought organic apples for snacks, and my kid's eating goldfish crackers and a Hershey's kiss I threw in the bag for fun.

So really, there's a paradox. Half of the media is pressuring me to be like Emeril Lagasse, and prepare restaurant quality food at night, but then the other half of the media is berating me to only eat 17 carrot sticks a day (that I've grown myself) and to seriously consider buting and slaughtering my own green-grass fed cow.

In gist, I feel befuddled and insecure about my food choices for my kids which is why I gave up this morning and gave them Eggos for breakfast; nothing baked and tasty like a recipe from the food network, and nothing healthy and fresh like the talk shows and documentaries say I need to buy. I think for now, I'm going to fall back on the old, hey, canned green beans and instant mashed potatoes were good enough for my grandmother, and so they're good enough for my family. (She's 91 by the way, and she loves her some glucose saturated canned peaches, let me tell you...)

Overused

2010-04-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

We all have our favorite catch phrases, or we go through stages in life where we use the same quirky little saying over and over again to add emphasis, to be sarcastic, or just as an inside joke.

But seriously, this one is on every single show. I can't flip on a show without hearing,

"At the end of the day...."

Watch for it, they used it twice on American Idol last night, the commentators and the celebs and the talk show hosts can't say it enough. So seriously, I have an idea, every time you hear someone on TV say, "At the end of the day...." send me money. Come on, it'll be fun.

Spring Days Recap

2010-04-04T20:26:00.001-07:00

1. In March Aunt Sandra (Dan's younger sister), Uncle Rob, and our friend Andrea came out for a visit, fun times, see above pic. and note the family resemblance!
2. Of course we did the whole egg dying thing. I tried to be like Martha Stewart and we blew out eggs but what's the point when you have a 2 & 1/2 year old that crushes them sort of accidentally every time she tries to handle one?
3. A week later, our niece, Rhaquel stopped by on her Spring break Cali trip. You know she's a good kid for visiting her old and boring relatives instead of cruisin' LA for hot guys. I want my daughters to be just like her!
4. We signed up for Spring Break swim lessons. The girls loved them, then hated them, then loved them again. Hmmm, could these daily mood swings and bouts of fickleness be an indicator of my future raising 4 daughters? (PRAY FOR DAN)

5. Dan's been workin' on the garden. Now that everyone and their dogs have seen Food Inc. or Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution, I figure we'll be super popular with all of our Organic veggies this summer, and apparently popularity's still important to me (I have left-over high school issues from that time I ran for student council, and lost, whatever Kami).

6. We had an awesome neighborhood egg hunt at Uncle Dennys. What made it more awesome was the fact that he had just gotten Bantam hens for his little girl, so all of my girls got to love on them, hold them, and then beg us for some of their own to raise. Gee, thanks Denny.

7. I made individual parfaits to bring to the church breakfast this morning, they were so easy and a total hit!
7. My sister gave my kids absurd amounts of candy, and I immediately stashed all the good stuff for me to eat when they go to bed.
8. And of course, this morning we celebrated the Resurrection with our church family with an awesome message from our pastor (Pastor Rick Anderson fccoxnard.org) and took our annual Springy dress Easter family pic. The girls even got in a photo with our hunky GQ neighbor, Owen. Shouldn't every 10 month old own a suit?

In all, I must say, I'm loving Spring Break! I've got one more work-free week left before I face that final stretch before summatime. I'm grateful for these days!

Cold-Hearted Snake

2010-03-24T15:59:00.001-07:00

So if you've ever seen me interact with my children when one of them gets hurt, your subconscious may begin replaying that old Abdul classic we all secretly know and love, Cold Hearted Snake, and in my defense, here's why:

A little after 1 today, I put Morgan down for a nap, then the girls and I sat in the front yard for a bit, chattin' it up with the neighbor (Kat). We have a wooden swing in the front, Noelle was whacked in the lip by it while pushing her sister.... insert lots of crying and tears. Then we went inside, Noelle then went to play with Lorelei in her room, and fell and hit the bunk bed ladder..... insert lots of crying and tears....... After Morgan woke up, sister accidentally knocked her while she was drinking out of my glass cup, bumping her teeth and lip..... insert lots of crying and tears. I then went to take a shower, and heard Lorelei run into the bathroom upset. She claims she fell and bumped her chin and she thought the inside of her mouth was bleeding...... insert lots of crying and tears.

Now for those of you keeping track, that's 4 injuries in 2 hours, that's 4 hysterical, high-pitched bouts of crying. Now I've got a little math problem for you. I've had in my possession, 4 kids for about 995 days now, In each of those 995 days, the 4 kids are awake about 12 hours a day. If I average 4 injuries every 2 hours, that's potentially 24 crying incidents a day. Now multiply 24 times 995. Yep. that's 23,880 crying incidents I've potentially experienced. These numbers don't even take in to consideration the almost 4 years before Morgan was born, this is just since I've had her.

My point is, I've seen the kids fall, trip, push, hit, stumble, bump heads, scrape elbows, and beg for bandaids on quite a few occasions. So if I appear incredibly cold and callous because my kid enters the room with a bloody nose, and I barely turn to acknowledge them, well, you do the math!

Back When I Was a Kid...

2010-03-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I was remembering how my mom used to force us to watch old classics with her, and how I was always glad I did, because I would end up laughing & crying & acknowledging that she was right, the oldies were the goodies. Can't wait till my kids are a little older, and I too, can force them to watch the classics with me.

Top Ten Movie Classics My Mom Made Me Watch:

10. Sergeant York: Gary Cooper, guns, war, and a Christian conversion, yep, this one's what we call a Felix favorite. It's a classic about a war hero, and based on a true story. (1941)

9. High Noon: Gary Cooper's the man, and Grace Kelly is the most beautiful actress maybe ever. (1952)

8. The Philadelphia Story: Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Helllloooo Cary Grant.

It's so fun to hear the way Kate Hepburn talks. During that era, the movie studios actually trained their actresses to all speak in that very distinct way, it's so fun to listen to. This is a sweet and silly one. (1940)

7. Roman Holiday: Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn (her first film I believe) 1953, another sweet one to watch, remakes don't do them justice. A princess just wants to be a real girl for the day, you know how it is.

6. Sorry, Wrong Number: This was a suspense with Barbara Stanwyck, ahead of it's time.... a bedridden invalid overhears the plot for a murder and tries helplessly to prevent it. (1948)

5. Meet John Doe: Let's see directed by Frank Capra, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, the fast talking journalist, what more could you want in a movie? Not only that, but there's a riotous speech given by a hobo about the "helots" in the movie that Dan loves. (1941)

4. An Affair to Remember: There's a reason Nora Ephron pays homage to this movie by referring to it in Sleepless in Seattle. It's the best. I love watching the last scene with my dad, he cries like a baby EVERY TIME, and so do I. (1957)

3. All About Eve: Whew, nothing in the world like deceptive and jealous women vying for

fame and clinging to their youth. You go Bette Davis, you go.... (1950)

2. It's a Wonderful Life: Duh. (1946)

1. Love in the Afternoon: My all time favorite, I don't know why, but I love Audrey Hepburn's attempts as the young naive girl to get the attention of an aging womanizer, played by Gary Cooper. In the background, an orchestra plays Fascination, Maurice Chevalier plays a French detective, and a silly dog makes me laugh all throughout the story. (1957)

Honorable Mentions: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Rear Window, Dark Victory, Now Voyager, Arsenic & Old Lace, The Bishop's Wife, Sabrina, Rebecca, and The Maltese Falcon.

While He Was Away...

2010-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

So Dan's been out of town, attending a family wedding in Tennessee since Thursday. While he was gone, my mom came to keep me company, and spoiled me by taking me to Costco & Target and all our usual faves. She went back home on Saturday, and then Beth came to spend the night. Now everyone's gone, and Dan's boarding a plane to head back, leaving me with a moment to reflect on our time apart. Here's what I came up with.

Things I liked about my husband being away:

1. I didn't make the bed, not even once. Here's the thing people, I don't care about whether or not my bed is made, I never actually have, but for some reason, it drives Dan crazy. He doesn't like to go to bed in a messy, disheveled array of sheets. I, on the other hand, could sleep on piles of laundry. I know some of you are grossing out, but it's true. So yep, I didn't feel the silent, disapproving pressure from the hub to make the bed..... Whew, freedom.

2. We ate Lean Cuisines, Del Taco, and string cheese, and I loved it. When Dan's around I feel this sort of wifely obligation to cook official meat-themed meals from time to time. He doesn't actually say, "Hey, cook me some dinner woman," but I know he appreciates it, so I make the effort. But while he was away.... Lattes and pretzels are the equivalent of the four food groups.

3. When the kids went to bed, I caught up on Oprah episodes and rented a really lame one-star chick flick on On Demand. Oh, yeah, bring on the cheese.

Things I didn't like about Dan being away:

EVERYTHING ELSE!

It turns out, I actually missed him. The house isn't the same without him, I don't like not having him to throw the kids in the air when he gets home (while I glare at him dissaprovingly because they're not being safe), I don't like that nobody is cheerfully singing opera in the kitchen while the rest of us grumps slurp up our cereal, and I especially don't like that there's no one to at least pretend to listen to my lengthy debrief of the day and the kids various successes and failures.

So as it turns out, the single life isn't for me, especially because I married the nicest, most good-natured guy ever. So if I ever go through some sort of tragic mid-life crisis and try to claim that I forfeited my youth and never got to "experience life" (aka go to clubs and get attention from drunk guys that will cheat on me) just remind me of this post, and the fact that making the bed every morning probably builds character.

Butch & Sundance

2010-02-26T16:35:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday I turned on the TV and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was on. The girls were all in the living room, and they asked, "What's this movie about?" I was looking at the guide thinking about what to watch.... "Oh it's about these 2 robbers, thieves actually...."

The scene was playing above where Newman and Redford are about to jump into a running waterfall, it was literally only on for a few minutes before I changed the channel. Maylin, who is my quietest child, looked over at me, and asked, "Mom, are all thieves handsome?"

Um, she's 4.

Her comment must mean one of three things, either:

a. She's freakishly observant or....

b. Redford and Newman were extraordinarily good looking in that movie (we're talking Dan level people) ..... or

c. I should be worried, because she's probably going to be inexplicably drawn to criminals later on in life.

Hmmm. Yeah, I'm going with the first option. She'll probably work for the CIA or something and use her keen powers of observation to fight terrorists, and this in no way implies to me that she'll be at all prematurely boy-crazy like her mother was, I mean, like I've heard some people may have been when they were in junior high.

The Love Month

2010-02-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

How could I not love Valentines Day when I'm the mother of 4 daughters? Red? Pink? Hearts? Candy? Decorated notes and t -shirts? Sounds like girly-girl heaven to me.... Here are some of our highlights...and yep I made them those shirts thanks to iron on sticky stuff because I'm so lame I can't sew! (and no, I didn't make the super cute LOVE banner, that was at my friend, Beth C's house, she hosted a little Valentine exchange for the under 5 kids at church).

Oh, and yes I have 4 kids, and only 3 shown above. Noelle's kind of squirrely and so I didn't get a picture of her that day. I know, I know, I'm a failure, and she'll probably need years of therapy to get over it.

Why I Loved The Master's College (A Shameless Plug)

2010-02-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

Recently, my sister told me she spoke with someone who was considering some of the different Christian colleges in California. As a teacher, I too, often have the opportunity to speak with christian teenagers about options for their futures. Usually, I don’t like to come on too strong, and fully pitch my alumni, The Master’s College, because naturally, I understand that young adults don’t like feeling as if they’re being told what to do or that an adult is trying to push some sort of “agenda” on them. But the more I think about it, the more I have to ask myself, “Who am I kidding?” I totally do have an agenda, and here’s why, I LOVED the Master’s College. I’m tired of pretending I didn’t because other people resent John MacArthur (the president of the college) and his unwavering, unapologetic stance on the Bible. I’m tired of sheepishly defending the fact that chapel attendance was required, and that there was a curfew for freshmen. The reality is that going to The Master’s College changed my entire life, and influenced me to love and serve the Lord, and certainly, there can be no shame in that!

So I decided to blog about some of the reasons the college is so awesome, and why you should go there. (No pressure Annie from church)

Here’s a few bullet points:

* Note: This is going to be long, and I don’t expect most of you guys (actually anyone) to read it, but please feel free to add your own TMC testimonial to my comments if you feel inclined to do so (that is if they’re positive).

Friends: First of all, I have to say that the friends I made in college are still my friends today, and here’s why. We had/have a common bond in Christ. Is every one of the 900 students attending there a surefire “born again,” certainly not, but for the most part, the people I met really and truly loved the Lord. I was so inspired to meet other 18 year olds that had claimed Christianity as their own individual faith ( not just the teachings taught them by their parents) and they were so passionate about it. They were young men and women striving to grow in their faith and be challenged in their studies, both academic and theological. Not only that, but, I’ve never had so much (dare I say) FUN, in my life. People assume that christians are boring, humorless stick-in-the muds, but the friends I made at Masters were an absolute blast in every way. I will forever cherish my dorm-room memories there; the all-nighters, the basketball games, the random pranks, and the camaraderie I felt walking through that campus.

Traveling/Ministry Opportunities: During my time at the Master’s college, I was able to spend almost 8 weeks in Africa - traveling from Kenya to Uganda and back. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime, eye-opening experience! My husband was able to spend 8 weeks in Khazakstan, and an entire semester in Israel. In addition to their world wide outreach opportunities, they have an emphasis on local missions too. While I was there, I slept at a homeless shelter in Venice Beach, visited numerous local churches, and I heard literally hundreds of amazing sermons from speakers all over the country, and actually, from all across the globe.

The S’s - Small/Safe/Secure.... I felt completely accepted, welcomed, loved, secure, and at ease there from day #1. I also felt very safe, granted this was a decade ago, and I’m sure things may be different now, but when I was there, I didn’t have to add worrying about theft, crime, and scary, drunk frat boys to my worries about my upcoming finals. Now that I am a mother of 4 daughters, I definitely think that’s something relevant to consider.

Academics/The Education Department: I will acknowledge that there are certain majors and fields of study that may not be offered at TMC. But if you’re interested in becoming a teacher, TMC has an amazing reputation in their community for training and credentialing both elementary and secondary teachers. My professors were hands on, inspiring, and personally involved in the success and failures of their students. I loved ALL of them, and I felt completely equipped when I entered the work force. Getting my credential through the college was one of the smartest things I could have done.

The Marriage Factor: I understand that there is somewhat of a stigma about the TMC being some sort of “marrying” school, and I know that actually deters some people from wanting to go there. But here are the facts regarding marriage, God has pre-ordained who you will marry and when that marriage will take place, so it doesn’t really matter where you go to school or what age you think sounds like the ideal marrying age. Secondly, I did happen to meet my husband there, but of my 4 best friends from the college, only one other girl also met her hubby there. So that’s 2 out of 5. Not only that, but I know a ton of people that did not get married to someone they met there, or while attending there. In defense of those of us who did get married young, and who did find our spouses there: the key element to a successful marriage is having the same biblical foundation in Christ. To be honest, finding a godly person to marry can be very much a challenge in today’s world. If you don’t find someone at church, where better than a college where you tend to be brushing shoulders with people who are like minded?

The Other Schools: There’s so much I could say about Westmont, Azusa, Point Loma, and Biola that would make me sound elitist, and condescending regarding their standards, their reputations, their professors, their agendas, and their doctrine. I’ll leave it at that.

Okay, so there’s so much more I could say, so many scrapbook pictures I could force you to look at, but I’ll spare you. I totally get that each person needs to find the right school for themselves to attend, but I figured, I had to proclaim the truth, and if not shout from the roof tops, at least post a blog entry on the fact that I really loved my college. It changed my life, and I believe God is continuing to use that school and the people that work there to light fires for His word and for His work.

And if you decide to go to Azusa, I won’t hold it against you, after all that wouldn’t be very “Masters” of me, now would it?

You Know the Economy is Bad When....

2010-02-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Gasp, gasp, sputter, sputter, inhale..... deep breath.... just got back from Albertsons... store having special sale from 1pm to 8pm.... lots of specials..... bags of shredded cheese, just 99 cents.... had to go.... had to have Cocoa Puffs for $1.50...... had to bring 4 kids with me.... gasp, gasp.... so many people, so many cars in the parking lot, so many hands to hold..... so much yelling... "Stay close! Don't you see the cars! STOP crying! I know Morgan has snot on her face, but we must go.... there's a sale..... we must go.... cheap food awaits! NO YOU CAN'T HAVE GUM! STOP TOUCHING EVERYTHING!"

Tonight when I close my eyes to sleep, I'll see the lines, the lines of people glaring down at me with that silent questioning expression, "Why did you have sooo mannny children?" I felt like I was in 1980s Russia, standing in lines, every man for himself. All we were missing were fingerless gloves and charcoal dust smeared on my kids faces. We were practically a scene from a Dickens novel.

But tomorrow morning when I open up my new box of Trix cereal (fully processed and food colored bites of solidified corn syrup), the memories of today's outing to the grocery store will fade, and all will be right in the world again.

TMC Alum Updates

2010-02-01T21:49:00.001-08:00

So, one of the things I love about the internet is that it enables you to stay involved in your friends lives without actually living near them or even seeing them for years at a time. Last year, I stayed in touch with my college friend Jennene (who sang at my wedding, was a fellow English major, did student teaching with me, and was basically rilly, rilly cool) and her battle with cancer, and now via internet, I discover that (now that she has fully recovered) she and her husband are adopting, check out her blog (The Margrave family) , and keep them in your prayers.

And speaking of prayers, my former TMC roommate, Heidi, could use some prayer too. She has 2 daughters and is pregnant now with a baby boy. Her 2nd daughter, Judah, was born very premature (at 26 weeks) and I blogged about that, and by God's grace and the miracles He provides through modern day medicine, her baby is healthy and thriving today. Now she is 24 weeks pregnant this time around and having a really tough pregnancy. If you think of her, pray that she is able to stay pregnant and not go into labor anytime soon. As all of you moms know, every extra week in the womb can be vital.

Another Weekend in Sunnyvale

2010-01-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

4 girls; 1 bed
Seals and a view in beautiful Santa Cruz

"Gamma Luci" and Maisy posing at church

My father in law is still stationed out in Sunnyvale while a church up there looks for a permanent pastor to fill their pulpit, so we decided to take another 3 day weekend excursion out to see him. This time "Gamma Luci" was there too! Despite the rain and cold, the girls were in hotel heaven with the "luxuries" of continental breakfasts and swimming pools, yep, that's right they went swimming despite the cold temperatures, and you can bet we had the pool to ourselves! We had a great time, eating, and playing, and eating, and eating... did I mention eating? We even happened to go to Marie Calendars on International "Pie" day and we all got free slices of pie! You can't imagine the kind of happiness free pie can bring in my life.

Of course no trip with 4 kids would be complete without a good old-fashioned "kids will be kids moment." And that moment occurred for us when the hotel called our room because the police had just called them. Why had they called? Because apparently that's what police do when a 911 call has been made from where? Oh, from our hotel room of course. Thank you Noelle, for providing me with classic blogging material, but next time I'd prefer to blog about you being the winner of the National Spelling Bee or at least that you no longer write your N's backwards, let's just try and avoid any future brushes with law enforcement, shall we?