Words of wisdom...

My dad sent me this site (click the link). Good stuff.

Our verson of "Twister"

This is the rug in living room. When I need to entertain all three kids we play like this...

Playing with Lou...

Ole doesn't seem to need me as much as I thought...

Or hoped! I got up this morning to run (gasp!!!! really!) on the treadmill. After feeding baby, I headed downstairs. I turned that iPod up so that I wouldn't hear Jason and baby (in case either one was fussy!). I had a great time running. I came upstairs- expecting to be welcomed with relief and open arms. Uhhh... no! They were both sound asleep!

Jason got up and ready for work. I ate breakfast, read e-mail, worked on the grocery list, took a shower, dressed... and guess who is just now beginning to miss me. Yes, I know... it's a good thing.

Here's a picture of Ole just waking up. (Yes, I'm one of those co-sleeping mamas! At least for the first few months. Makes nursing so much easier and who doesn't want to snuggle this little guy?!)

Fractions...

Turns out, Rhys really did learn fractions last year! He just told me that Kjersten scared him 3/4 to death! Ha ha!!!

Maybe Cael likes daddy after all...

Seems whenever I state something lately- I am immediately proved wrong! Like me telling the lactation consultant that Cael is sleeping 4 hours at a time at night! Until last night... Like me telling someone yesterday how well Brennen naps in Rhys' room. Until today...

Here we go again. At least this is a good one to be wrong about!

Two videos my kids watch over and over and over...

They find both of these very funny!

Taters and The Llama Song (which George calls the "lolly Elmo" song. Llama must be a hard word to remember!!!)

"Timberfalls"

Wow! Three year olds are always getting hurt!!! Scrapes, bumps, bruises, scratches, etc... Good thing they're so quick to heal.

Yesterday, I was talking on the phone with my friend, Cynde. Brennen took the opportunity to bounce on the couch. He bounced and over shot the end of the couch. Off he went. Head over heals. I didn't see him land, but I could see HOW he was going to land. On his head, with his next hyper-extended. Oh... my heart stopped! He landed and made no noise. Didn't move. Didn't cry. Although I'm not usually prone to exaggeration (LOL!), I just knew he was dead! He wasn't. Just a bit of "hardwood-floor-rash" on his forehead. (I called Cynde back to update her. Didn't want to leave her wondering, like I did to Cindy the other day when Kjersten rolled over Cael!!! Yes, she really did. Yes, he's fine and she's still grounded!)

By the way, when I explained to George that he wasn't allowed to do somersaults on the couch and this was one reason why, he said he wasn't doing somersaults. He was doing "timberfalls". Huh? "Timberfalls, mama!" Huh? Rhys had to explain. "You know, mom... When he yells, 'timber' and falls down." Who knew? Guess they goof around on the couch more than mama thinks!

Some photos of George's various owies...

Jason seems to think Cael doesn't like him...

Why? Because this is Cael's usual reaction to Jason. Poor daddy! (He knows it's just that Cael isn't impressed with anything that doesn't look/smell/ sound like mama a.k.a milk)

Sagebrush... what a pain!!!

Apparently, once sagebrush is removed- it does not come back. One can only hope. What a pain! Here's the two littles helping daddy load the truck with the sagebrush daddy chopped out of the ground.


We had a tornado warning just north of us last night. We were just under a tornado watch. Here's a cloud passing north west a bit after that. In person, it looked like a wall moving by...

Look what nifty little thing I am playing with...

Jason's company picnic was tonite. It's held at one of the owner's homes. The kids swim, the adults eat and drink, and all the employees win a prize of some sort. Lots of good stuff. This year there were printers, scanners, digital cameras, a Wii (really!) and three of these iPods. Isn't it pretty? It does music and video. I haven't yet figured it all out, but I am working on it. Can't wait to download Dave Ramsey's podcasts! 30GB can hold a lot of music/ talk radio!!!!

If you give a kid a camera...

You'll get some (or 180+) silly pictures...

Wyoming race results...

Well... we had a great time driving down. I thoroughly enjoyed the hotel. Sheridan is a pretty little town. But... the entire trip wasn't as we'd hoped. Jason had to drop from the race at 28 miles. At the suggestion of two first aid guys and with his split times being behind, he opted to drop the race. The weather had created the worst trail conditions in the history of this race. Turns out nearly 1/2 of the runners of both the 100 mile and the 50 mile races dropped. I'm not glad anyone else had to drop, but I know it is a bit of a relief to Jason- that he wasn't alone!

He described the trails (inclines you wouldn't believe), running in creek beds with water still flowing, and unavoidable mud that took their shoes off as they ran through... (And they all love this!) Next year, he'll be better prepared and, undoubtedly, the trail conditions will be better. And I will be staying at the same hotel. It was delightful. Baby and I napped and played and napped and played. Very clean, very comfy, and I didn't have to check out until 2:00 p.m. Glorious!!!!

Here's a few photos of mama and baby- wasting time in the van waiting for daddy and playing in the park waiting for daddy... (Who, by the way, took 6 hours to get off the mountain AFTER he dropped! The vehicles needed to remove runners kept getting stuck in the mud! Poor guy. Quit the race and you still can't get back to civilization- and food and bathrooms and wife!)

(oh, and the cheap camera is headed to the return counter. Too complicated for too few options! And all of his race photos were deleted... Argh!)

Self portraits- much too close!


Playing in the park.


Sleeping in the park.


Love those fat little feet!!!

Greetings from Wyoming!

Well, here we are... Jason, Cael, and I. The other three are home with grandma. We're here for Jason's 52 mile trail run tomorrow. He's wavering between nervous and excited. He's going to dogreat! I, on the other hand, am just giddy I don't have to get up in the morning. I was to take Jason to the bus at 4 a.m. that will deliver the runners to the start. Turns out, for a very reasonable extra $3, the bus will pick him (and the other crazies) up at the hotel at 3:15 a.m. That is awesome!!!! I don't have to wake Ole and haul him into town and then find my way back to the hotel in hopes of more sleep. The mama is very happy!!!

Here's a crappy picture. We bought a cheap digital camera (Jason's father's day present) so he can take pictures when he's running without taking my good camera. Well... this one stinks for inside photos but we'll see how it does outside tomorrow. If it does okay, we'll keep it for running adventures and kiddos to play with. If it stinks at outside photos, it'll be going back to the store.

Beautiful baby Cael...

Here's Cael at three weeks...


Happy boy!!


Tired boy!


Just had to show you his pudgy (for a newborn) wrists!

Rhys driving...

Now, I know that mowing the lawn is not that exciting, but it is to a 10 year old. He loves to mow and mow and mow. Even from the deck, I can hear him singing his heart out as he mows. Makes you wanna be ten again, huh?!

To "she-who-shall-remain-nameless"...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

She made me promise not to blog about her- so I'm not! I'm just going to post about the wonderful thing she did. I was having a terrible morning. Ever have one? Hormones, tired children, early scheduled appointments for kiddos at the eye doctor's, spilt milk (really... dropped a bottle of pumped milk on the bed... boo hoo!), and the list goes on. To add to my bad attitude was a very messy house. The house that was so kindly cleaned by Audra just a few short days ago has descended into messy, cluttered disaster!

"She-who-shall-remain-nameless" to the rescue!!!!! While I was at the eye doctor, she and her accomplice snuck up here and cleaned. No, I would not have allowed them in- had I been home. It was that messy! Now, it's nice and tidy and I am so grateful...

So, dear friend, to you and your helper... Thank you!!!! I appreciate it more than you know!

She did it!

My baby girl lost her first tooth. That perfect mouth of pearly white, perfectly spaced and straight baby teeth is no more... And she couldn't be more excited!

Rollie Polie Ole-er

He's getting bigger!!!! He had his 3 week check today (yes... already!) and he gained another 2 lbs. Cael now tips the scale at 12 lbs. 7oz. No wonder nothing fits!!!!

Fire!!! Or is something cooking on the BBQ?

The other night, Jason cranked up the BBQ to grill some steaks. As he headed back into the house, he smelled a... grass fire?!?!? He promptly opened the BBQ and found a pile of dry grass. Ack! (This is why you should always open the lid BEFORE lighting the BBQ) Anyhow, he turned off the gas, called the kids, and began chewing out all the potential offenders. Really. Why would anyone put grass into the BBQ?

Any guesses? Me neither...

It wasn't a child's handiwork. It was a bird's. Yikes!!!! There's a nice little nest in there. At the time, there were 2 eggs. We're hoping that the brief increase in room temperature did no harm. As of this morning, there are 5 eggs.

Jason looked it up on-line and apparently they have about a two week incubation. Seems we won't be BBQing for a while!

Out my window

On one of the homeschooling loops I'm on, a "blog challenge" has been issued. What do I see out my kitchen window?

This is a winter view- which I love when I am NOT driving up and down my hill, but rather am washing dishes in my warm and cozy house!


This is my view this afternoon. Still a very nice view!

Audra's Visit

She's gone. Dropped her off at the airport a bit ago. George is disappointed she is gone. Kjersten is excited Audra left her some lip gloss. We had a great time. Audra hadn't been home to visit since February 2005. Lots of visiting and catching up to do!

She played with the kiddos, cleaned my bathrooms, mopped my floor (with the awesome mop for laminate floors we went to Target to buy!) and did my dishes. The kids were thoroughly entertained and my house is noticeably cleaner! Thanks Audra!!!!

We went out Friday night with some of the girls. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse (Audra's favorite.) Great fun!

(that's me, Cael, Audra, Peggy, Mindy, Amy, Kerry, and her baby Michael)

Audra and Peggy even changed Cael's diaper at the table (as I had already changed him twice on the nasty changing table in the bathroom). Ewwwww...

1st bath

Well... it's official... Rollie Polie Ole is growing up. He finally had his first bath. He survived. So did mama.

Mama is pouting tonite...

I have been without e-mail for 32 hours and counting... I am getting really cranky. Yes, I called my ISP. They know they have a problem and claim it is fixed. I just need to log in anew. Yeah... No! It won't go thru. They were supposed to call me back... 6 hours ago!!!! Argh!

Okay, onto other news...

Rhys, Kjersten, and Brennen all went to the dentist today. This was Brennen's first trip. He loved it! He also had the best brushed teeth of the three. Go figure. No cavities for all three. Yippee! Kjersten's loose tooth is a potential problem. Not the loose tooth- but its replacement. No space. Hmmm... Looks like she'll have to have a tooth pulled soon to make room. Shhhhh... we're not telling her yet. Rhys is headed towards orthodontia as well. Great.

My friend, Laquita, made us dinner tonite. She made teriyaki chicken with rice and veggies. Have I mentioned how much we love the meals we've received? We don't "need" them, but it is such a treat!

My dear friend, Audra, was to fly in tonite to spend the weekend with us and visiting old friends. Her flight was cancelled and Hotwire rescheduled her flight for 2 hours ealier!!! No notification. She missed it. She's now flying in tomorrow. Stupid Hotwire. Won't be booking flights on that site- EVER!

Well, Ole is tired and giving daddy an earful. I need to go fill the little thing up with some milk and put him to bed for the night next couple of hours... Ha ha ha!!!

Very cool baby things...

I'm a bit of a baby gear junkie. You can ask Jason. I have been banned from buying yet another high chair, car seat, or playpen. (It's okay though... I have the "perfect" one of each of those now!) Anyhow, there are so many awesome baby things.

Here's one. bumkins bibs. They are 100% polyester. Machine washable. Soft on baby. Waterproof. I wash them along with the dishes or throw them in the washer. All of mine (and I have many!) have been thru the dryer repeatedly and they are just fine. They look great after 6 years of use. So worth the money!!!!!

My MOPS table leader brought me dinner last night (lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and cookies- YUM!) and these bibs from the girls at my table. Very sweet!

Cael has two new things!!!

One- a nickname!!!! He's too big for the standard "peanut" and we hadn't found anything that fit him until last night. He's certainly roly poly and the family has always been fond of the name Ole. So... Meet "rolie polie ole" (not Ollie, like the TV show!)

Two- see what else he has now?!?!? Yup! Ole's got a belly button! I was lamenting the fact that he still had that unsightly umbilical cord stump yesterday. It was look ickier than usual and I was pouting about not being able to do "real" baths yet... Well, last night at grandma's, he shed that unnecessary appendage and is now ready for a big boy bath. (Now, I'm a bit ambivalent. Most babies aren't real pleased with bath time and it's a pain in the rear for mama. But... now I have the option! That's all I really wanted!)

Kjersten's letter

Don't know how well you'll be able to see her artwork. She wrote a letter to great grandma complete with portraits of both great grandma and great grandpa. I love how she draws. Rhys doesn't draw much (never has) so I haven't had much experience with a child's perspective on paper. Love it! (If you click on the picture- you can see a larger version.) And it says, across the top and down the side, "To Peggy. I (help) hope you are feeling well. From Kjersten." Grandma has been in and out of the hospital lately.

Baby Cael photos

He smiles at his mama. What a sweet boy...

The trouble with being a younger brother...

Poor George. He plays with Rhys. He plays with Kjersten. He helps daddy. It gets a bit confusing... Here he is playing with Rhys, with grease on the forehead from working on the car with dad, and with purple glitter lip gloss applied all over the face. (Notice Kjersten has the same lip gloss applied a good 1/2 inch outside her lip line as well...)

Kjersten's news...

Keep in mind, she's six years old and this is a VERY big deal to her!! (and remember- she also learned to ride her bike sans training wheels this week. Busy little girl!)

First: She has her first loose tooth! Here's a photo which just shows that shes currently has all of her baby teeth. It's hard to show a (not so) loose tooth...





Second: Grandma taught her to tie shoes. I am one of "those" moms who loves slip-on shoes. I see no need to buy "have to tie" shoes for children. My only tie shoes are my running shoes. So... tying shoes is not big on our list of things to do, but it really is a necessary skill. Whew! I can check that off our list to learn this summer!


Here's she teaching George. Won't that be handy?! Now, I won't have to teach him!

Kjersten has big news...

but you'll have to wait for tomorrow. I need to take some photos to accompany her announcement. She's had a very big couple of weeks!

In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure... Here's baby Cael at 10 days old.