A New Years Eve to Remember

For the past few years we've enjoyed hosting some of our local friends for New Years Eve.  We play games, eat great food and talk the night away.  This year was no different, except that around 10:30PM there was a loud pop, and the house went DARK!

The wind had been howling terribly for much of the night, so it really wasn't super surprising, until we looked outside and all but 1 other house around us still had power. 

Candles were lit immediately, Caden was EXCITED and on top of that part.  And Keith got the generator hooked up and plugged in some work lights from the garage to light up the dinning room and turn the TV on for the ball drop. 

We all gathered around the TV minutes before the ball drop, and the crowd of kids were on the floor near the power strip and extension cords running power from the generator, when one of the girls fell to the side as the 10 second count down begin and knocked the power out, again!

We laughed and celebrated anyway.  And the fun continued until about 2AM.

The girls went to bed hesitantly just after midnight, not loving the dark.  Ruth fell asleep in my lap and Elinore slept in our bed. 

By morning, both girls were in our bed scared of the dark, and the power didn't return until about 9AM new years day.

Our friends were great and text us that morning with offers of bathrooms and showers and power if needed, but fortunately it was restored for us. 

Things Boys Do...

How Caden got ahold of the staple gun, I'm not so sure, but I do know he doesn't have it anymore!

Bringing Up Boys

I finished reading this book over the weekend.  It took me awhile to get through.  It wasn't hard to read, but it was a hard read.  I found myself feeling guilty for not following a few of his strong recommendations.  1 - I send my kids to public school.  2 - I work outside the home. 3 - I am part of a blended family.  Even with these differences in lifestyle choices from the books recommendations; I feel the book was a valuable read, and I learned some things and have applied some things in our life of raising boys. 

This book was written close to 20 years ago, and still applies today.  I can see the viewpoints and the society changes and examples that directly related to the world today.  With twin boys in my house, I'm always looking for ways to be a better parent to them, to connect with them, and to understand them. 

I'm not judging you..

A month or so ago while driving the kids to evening activities Caden disagreed with me on the use of child locks on the back doors of the truck. 

He said "Mom's I'm not judging you or anything, but I think what you're doing is stupid."

He thought that if the child locks were in and we had an accident he would be trapped and unable to get out of the back seat.  However, my side is presented that Ruthie has grabby hands and likes to open doors while driving down the road.  There was a greater likely hood Ruth would open a door than an accident and the child locks were staying on!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I asked all 4 kiddos this question today.

Caleb wants to be a police officer.
Caden wants to join the circus.
Elinore doesn't want to do anything.
Ruth wants to be a surgery doctor or a baby doctor.

Happy Mother's Day 2018!

These are the days of...

These are the days of:

• Pre-teen angst
• Potty training
• Busy work schedules
• Ballet
• Swim lessons
• Cub Scouts
• ROCK Group
• Sunday morning church
• Family time
• Family movies nights
• Family game nights
• Adventures with older kids and toddler with grandma
• Reading books
• Working out

First Day of School 2017

Caden, grade 5
Caleb, grade 5
Elinore, preschool

Decorated Bandaids

Elinore had a spill in the parking lot on the way into the dentist office today.  Poor girl, skinned knees again.

She's afraid of bandaids.  So we got into the office after a few hugs and me carrying her the rest of the way.  Ruth was suddenly handed over to big brother Caden since I had been carrying a shoeless Ruth.

We got some wet paper towels and cleaner her up. Ruth panicked with brothers while we were in the bathroom.  We made it through the teeth cleaning with only a little crying through it after the ordeal.

When we got home I finally talked her into a bandaid, but then she was upset because we only had plain ones.  So I colored her hearts and butterflies! But I could only use one bandaid no more for the others.

I get it kid. I don't like bandaids either, and I probably wouldn't have used one on myself.

Cavity Free

There may be a lot of things that slip through the cracks in my busy crazy house of 7, but today the teeth weren't one of them.  I took all four kiddos to the dentist at 9 am this morning and they were ALL CAVITY FREE!

Pee Issues

Recently I had gone downstairs to scoop the litter boxes for the cats, when I found what looked to be a crazy amount of pee covering the whole top of one of the boxes.  After a phone call to Keith and the boys it was quickly confessed, Caden peed in the littler box. 

Cleaning litter boxes isn't exactly fun, let along when it is your kid's pee in there!




I was hole alone with the girls one night and Elinore asked me why she has to sit down to pee.  She said, daddy doesn't, and she can just pee like Daddy does.

WHOA!  Sit down girl! 

High Orange

Caden and Caleb passed their tests on the first try last night to earn their high orange belt. They've come so far in the last 4 months or so here and I'm so proud of them! I see them learning and growing and it's awesome. Way to go boys! I love you!

TEN

Caden and Caleb turned 10 at the beginning of last month.  TEN!

I can hardly believe how grown they are.  They are tall and lean and so independent.  They have each grown into their own unique personalities and interests, yet they are still brothers and come together on things too. 

We celebrated by letting them each invite 2 friends over for a sleepover.  I was going laid back on it, but they started collaborating and wanted a camping theme, so we got a little committed to that and had some goodies for them that were camping themed, flashlights, bandanas, glow sticks, etc.  We had a bbq grill on the ice cream cake and had campfire flames aka cheese puffs, and bear poop aka chocolate covered raisins for snacks.  We had a camp fire outside with marshmallows and even though it was in the 40s outside they played outside until 10 that night playing capture the flag.  Most of the kids eventually fell asleep, all but 2 anyway.  Two of them trooped ALL NIGHT.  I couldn't hang much after midnight; Keith fell asleep sometime after 3 on the couch so he could hear them moving around.  They were crazy, and had a lot of fun.  I'd say it was a success!

TDK & Hobbies

Caden and Caleb are about 4 months into their new Tae Kwon Do place and are doing fairly well.  We are happy with what it is doing for them.  Caleb really enjoys it.  Caden won't admit it, but we think he likes it too.  He usually responds with an "eh" and shoulder shrug when you ask him, but he doesn't put up a fight to go.  I think he just doesn't want to admit it because his brother does like it. 

Caden doesn't like things his brother likes.  They are very different and we've seen a few times where if Caleb really starts to like something Caden will pull away from it to be different.  Caleb is into typical things like super heroes, minecraft, and video games.  Caden loves to decorate.  When he has money he buys decorations for holidays and his room and loves it.  This past weekend he bought a new party light for his room. 

Ladies First

Tonight at bedtime, Caden asked me:

How come girls always get to go first? God made boys before girls.

I asked what he was talking about a dozen immediately was thinking about women's rights and how behind we've been from men for, well, forever.

He said well every one says ladies first and let them go first.

Best Valentine Ever

Thanks Caden.

You are welcome from breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Shoe Rack

We currently have a shoe rack inside our front door to keep the shoes on.  It's cheap and not well made.  It commonly falls apart and sits in shambles because I get frustrated putting it back together all the time.  I'd held off on buying one hinting heaving that I'd like a new one for Christmas last December.  Christmas came, and Keith had one under the tree for me!  However, it broke during assembly.  Apparently a well made shoe rack is hard to find.

So Keith decided he was going to build me a shoe rack out of pallets. 

He got a couple pallets from my parents and a week or so ago spent some time cutting it apart into boards. Yesterday, with the help of Caden and Caleb, they built me a shoe rack!  Caden and Caleb did a lot of the sanding on it.

Last night it was all assembled and ready to be seen in the basement.  He wants to stain it yet before use, so it isn't 100% done, but it looks like a shoe rack!  He took the girls and I down to see it, and Elinore was SO EXCITED.  She spent a little big of time down there with Keith during construction and while Keith and I were down there talking and cleaning up a bit, she ran up and down the stairs bringing all her and her sisters shoes downstairs and putting them on the shoe rack.  She told us all about it too and how the shoes would fill the shelf and where she could put her book on it and everything.  I did make her bring her and Ruth's shoes for Monday upstairs with us and she wasn't so happy about that.  Who wants to run downstairs to find shoes on a Monday morning though? 

When we got up stairs and were talking about it still we found out she thought it was going to be her rack in her bedroom.  She wasn't so happy when she found out it was going in the living room! 

TKD

Last fall Caleb was heavily interested in taking some karate lessons.  We agreed that after Caden's soccer season ended, we could look into that as an activity for the boys.  It's been a journey finding the right place and program for us.  We're on our third one now, but it's finally one we seem to be comfortable with and enjoy, the kids and us as parents.  They are now enrolled for 6 months in a Tae Kwon Do program. 

The school now has been great for all of us!  The locations is alright, the price is reasonable and the kids are enjoying and doing well in it.  I think the structure, curriculum and practice of this is good for them.  On their second night they broke their first boards!  They have them displayed in their bedrooms now. 

I'm looking forward to watching them grow and develop in the program and it's great seeing them find something they enjoy!

4x4

Caden and Caleb were asking what the 4x4 on trucks means. They thought it meant 4x4=16 and you have to be 16 to drive.

A Train Ride & Santa

We saw Santa yesterday!

My Aunt text me yesterday afternoon that she was running the train at an area mall in their Christmas display.  So after Elinore woke from her nap yesterday afternoon we headed to the mall to ride a train. 

Keith was at a friends helping them with some computer stuff, but was able to meet us there too, so that was a nice surprise! 

The kids and I rode the train three times.  (It pays to know the operator!)  And we hopped over and visited Santa and had pictures taken with Santa too!  Bonus for being so early in the year to see Santa; there was no line!

Caden asked Santa for fake snow.  Caleb asked for an iPad.  (Santa said his elves don't make those and they have to check with parents on getting those!)  Elinore asked for a restaurant and a car. 

Ruth cried a little while on Santa's lap, then the photographer distracted her.  Then the distraction ended and crying started again, but we got a great Santa photo of the kids this year!