Oh So Proud!!

Proud mom alert!!!.......

Jessie was invited to join the California Junior Scholastic Federation. CJSF is a state wide organization to "honor and foster outstanding California middle school students based on scholarship, service and citizenship." :)

Andrew received the Student Of The Month award for Nov/Dec!! The special note on the back of his award reads "Andrew, you truly are an amazing student. Your love of learning is infectious. Thank you for being such a fantastic first grader. It is a pleasure having you in my class." :)

Andrew with his teacher, Mrs. Gradstein (she looks a little creepy with the red eye!)

Andrew with Mr. Mueller, the principal



This is his trying-hard-not-to-smile smirk

Can you see my proud, beaming smile?! :) :) :) :) :)

Fun Time part 1 and 2

Yesterday Fun Time Part 1:



Rylee, Devynn and I went shopping. On the way home, as I turned off the freeway in the rain, the truck decided to start hydroplaning and then fishtailing!

Rylee, from the back seat: "Mom, what are you doing?"

She thought I was intentionally driving like an idiot!

Thankfully, I was the only car that was exiting then and there wasn't any other traffic so I didn't hit anyone. And I somehow managed to stop us from sliding into the traffic that was stopped at the light on the other side of the road. But it was rather scary for a minute there! Yikes!!



Yesterday Fun Time Part 2:



Last night we decided we were going to go out to dinner and then pick up a Christmas tree on the way home. The kids were all excited!! So we went out for some chinese food...Yummy!...and then loaded our whole gang up in the truck to drive to the tree lot. Everything was all good...until Ryan tried to start the truck. The battery had decided to die! And of course our jumper cables weren't in the truck. And the only person we could get ahold of had loaned his out and they were never returned. Plus, it was raining. So we called AAA. One hour, and a billion games of "I spy" with the kids later, the tow truck came and jumped us. But he said that as soon as we turned the truck off, the battery would lose the charge because we needed a new one.

So we drove across the street to the tree lot. I stayed in with the engine running while Ryan took the kids to find a tree. A minute later they came back empty handed. Apparently the sign that says "We've Gone Full Discount" was a lie.

So we decided to drive down to the parts store and get a new battery. Thankfully they had the one we needed in stock. YAY!! Once Ryan had switched them out, we drove down to Lowe's to find our perfect tree.

Except their Christmas tree lot was closed.

So we drove across town to Home Depot. They were open! They had trees! The kids found one they loved! We bought it! We are now the proud owners of one fine noble fir Christmas tree. :)

Look Who's Talking! :)

Devynn has started talking sooo much lately. She has always been a babbler, but now she is putting together sentences! Her newest thing is to say "Do it, Mom!" when she wants me to pick her up. Just walks up, puts her arms up, and says "Do it, Mom". She used to say "Carry", which I liked because it reminded me of when Jess was her age and would say "Carry me." But not anymore. Apparently Rylee is rubbing off on her and she's becoming very demanding! :)

Devynn's other newest word is "booder", which translates to "booger" when she picks her nose. Lovely, I know. It's cute to watch her say it, though because she sticks her little lips out! :) Adorable!



Adorableness is overflowing in my world! :)

Totally Random

So I haven't posted anything for awhile...sorry! We had a great Thanksgiving! Turkey turned out fabulously (and yes, I helped with it so I get partial credit for it!), and the yams were to die for (and they were ALL me so I get full credit there...well, I guess I have to give my Mom some credit since it's her recipe!) :) Mmm Good!

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Every night as I tuck my monkeys into bed, I tell them "Love you. Sweet dreams. See you in the morning." It's something that I started saying when Jess was a little bitty thing, and it has continued on down the line. So now Devynn knows it and says it to me. Cutest thing ever!! She even says it at nap time! " Wuv you. Feet dreams. Morning." Melts my heart every time!

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Rylee Speak:

"mow dryer" = lawn mower

Adorable! And to think that there are actually people in this world that don't want to have kids!! Boy are they missing out!! :)

Adventureland!!

So this morning I had a fun little adventure. After dropping Andrew off at school, Rylee, Devynn and I headed over to Stater Bros. We quickly found our items-a loaf of bread and a sugar-free pumpkin pie for Andrew's Thanksgiving Feast at school tomorrow. We put them up on the conveyor in line and waited for our turn. Rylee started asking if she could pay for our stuff, so I opened my wallet to give her the money. That's when I realized that my money was actually at home in the pocket of the jeans that I wore yesterday!! Yikes!! And since we are an all-cash family now (We have chosen to stop using all plastic, even debit cards) I quickly realized that I was in a bit of a predicament. I was so embarrassed when I had to tell the cashier that I didn't have money to pay for our stuff and would have to come back. SO mortified!!! At least I realized my money was M.I.A. BEFORE he started ringing us up!

So I loaded the girls back in the car and drove home to get my money. (Fortunately we live pretty close to the store.) Then we turned right around and headed back. It felt like deja vu walking into Stater Bros. for the second time! Of course the same cashier rang us up. At least he knew I wasn't lying about leaving my money at home!!

Moral of the story: Don't put your money in your pocket!!
(Want to hear the worst part...I put the change in my pocket, where it is still sitting!)

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Yesterday I had Andrew's parent-teacher conference. I know I'm a bit biased, but I have the World's Smartest Boy EVER!!! His teacher used the terms "all-star", "stellar", and "model student" more than a few times. He is off the charts in everything...way above grade level! He gets his good looks and his supercharged brain from me! :) It makes me feel proud, though to know that I'm doing something right because Jessie has always been the exact same way...always above grade level, excellent student in all areas, model citizen. (She was even student council vice-president in 4th grade...the only 4th grader ever elected to that position at her school. She then went on to be president in 5th grade!) Yes, I know I'm bragging...and I know that genetics play a big role in their intelligence levels. But I also know how important it is for kids to be read to, sung to, talked to, all from a very young age. I know the importance of letting your children color, dance, sing, laugh, make messes, play, be creative, use their imaginations. I also know the importance of setting rules and teaching kids about responsibilities from the time they're little. And I know how important it is to just spend time with your kids. These are all things that I try to do with my children. This is why I choose to stay home with them. Yes, I'm tooting my own horn a bit, but I think that it's pretty obvious that I made the right choice!!

Fun adventures and smart children are abundant in my world!!

Cutest things in the World!!

Hearing Devynn say:

"Awesome"- sounds more like "aweshum"

"Roxy and Lola" (her friends across the street)- sounds more like "Rossy" and "Wowa"

"Show me"- when she wants to show me something, she says "show me" and then takes my hand and leads me to whatever it is that she wants

"Yes"- this one was a hard-fought battle...she would only answer "no" regardless of what she really meant- so happy that she's finally saying YES!! (And so glad to hear her say "yes" instead of "yeah" like the rest of us...she's so proper!)

"blanket"-sounds more like "binekie"

"Sweet dreams"- sounds pretty much like "sweet dreams"

And my FAVORITE:

"Love you"- sounds like "wuv you"...I couldn't care less what it sounds like...to me, it's one of the best sounds I will ever hear!


Devynn adds more and more sweetness to my world everyday! What more could a girl ask for?! :)

Happy Halloween!

So the kids had a lot of fun on Halloween this year. Jessie decided not to dress up ...guess she thinks 7th graders are too old for that. She still had fun, though. Andrew and Rylee are trick-or-treating pros now! Devynn isn't quite there yet. She was rather poky...guess she can blame her little legs for that. Plus she scared rather easily. She looked adorable in her little 50's girl costume, though...even though she wouldn't really let us take her picture! And she had fun carrying around her "punkin" and getting candy from about 10 houses. Fun fun fun!! :)


Halloween is always spook-tacular in my world! (hahaha)

RyRy's Reaction

So, when Rylee returned from her trip to Grandma's, we told her about the little incident at the playground with Devynn and the trashy little girls' spit (see previous entry titled "Disgusting!"). Rylee immediately asked "What color hair does she have?" and "What color shoes was she wearing?". I kind of fear for the little girl's safety...I think RyRy is going to hunt her down and make her pay! Uh Oh!

The next night, as I was telling someone about her reaction, RyRy informed Andrew that he "should have been protecting Devynn!" She was quite annoyed that Andrew had slacked off! I kind of fear for Andrew's safety now, too! ;)

Rylee is such a funny little girl. She has the face of an angel, but quite a temper. She is the first to hit her brother or sisters (thankfully she outgrew the biting/scratching/pinching phase!) but is also the most protective of them. The other morning while we were walking Andrew to school, Andrew and Rylee were walking up ahead of me. As they approached the corner, I told them to stop. They did, but apparently Rylee thought that Andrew was standing too close to the street (he wasn't). She started telling him to step back. Of course he wasn't listening to her, so she started trying to pull him back. Right about then, a car started coming down the street. When Rylee saw it, she immediately stepped between Andrew and the street, with her arms stretched out to her sides to block him from the car. She did it without any hesitation or thought of her own safety. It was so natural for her to be protective. I guess she thinks that she's the only one allowed to hurt her siblings! :)

She's going to make a great mommy someday (hopefully not for about 20 years, though!), and it makes me feel good to think that she's learned it by watching me and following in my footsteps! :)

Protection provided by Rylee Belle in my world!

DISGUSTING!!!!!

So, last night at Jessie's soccer practice, Andrew and Devynn were playing on the playground. They were minding their own business, when this little girl decided that she was going to walk up to Devynn and spit on her! My poor baby girl! We were so disgusted! And the girl's mom didn't even apologize! Can you say "TRASHY?!" To add to it, this was the same little girl who was calling Andrew an a**hole earlier! She was probably only 3 years old, too! She's just lucky that Rylee was at Grandma's house and didn't see it!!

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In other, happier news, I'm going to be an Auntie again!!!! My brother Brandon and his wife Cindy are expecting!! YAY!!! We are so excited! It's been a long journey for them, but I know that this baby will be sooo worth it! Congrats to them! :) Now, if I can only convince them that the baby should be named Kelly Jr.! :)

A What?...

Rylee and I were hiding from Devynn in her closet.

Rylee: "It's kind of like we're in an actulater."
Me: "What's an actulater?"
Rylee: "You know, that thing that you go in and go up."
Me: "Oh, do you mean an 'elevator' ?"
Rylee: "Yes."

So cute! I absolutely love all the little mispronunciations that my babies have. It makes me sad to hear them go! (Like Rylee's "ah min no" instead of "I don't know"...still miss that one!)


Life is always more fun in my imperfect world!

Uncle Steve's New Name! :)

So this weekend, Devynn renamed Uncle Steve. They were asking her what his name is, and she replied "Fluffy". I have no idea where she came up with that...I didn't know that she could say that, or even knew that word. So Steve's new name is Uncle Fluffy! Rather odd, but incredibly funny! :)
So now my kids have Uncle Fluffy, Bawgee, and Laa Laa! Not to mention "Uncle " Rikki! We're such a strange family!

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Andrew lost a tooth this morning! He was so excited! Time for the Tooth Fairy to make a visit! :)
Poor guy is going to be without his front teeth for a while. His top front tooth (actually, there were 2 because he had an extra one right on top of it) had to be removed because of an abscess that developed. And this one this morning (bottom front one) was actually knocked loose last week when Andrew tripped going up the stairs and smacked his mouth. I'm hoping the permanent ones will come in soon, but since they didn't fall out on their own, I don't think they're ready to yet. Sure makes eating apples tough for my poor guy! :)



There's always something happening in my world!

Count your Blessings!!

As some of you already know, my dad's cousin Kris's little boy was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. He was only 7 months old at the time of diagnosis. So scary. To make it even scarier for me, he is only 3 days older than Devynn. Over the past year, little Clay has had two brain surgeries, months of chemo, radiation, and then oral chemo. For the first rounds of chemo and radiation, him and his mom were away at St. Jude's. They were away from Clay's big sisters Tatum and Cimone, and Daddy. During that time I often thought about how much strength Kris must've had to muster up to be able to be alone, so far from home, watching her little baby go through such an ordeal. And how much strength the rest of the family must've had to muster up to be back at home without Mommy and baby brother Clay, knowing that they were far away and enduring so much. I've said many prayers over the past year for them. And I've hugged my babies a little tighter at night, thankful that they are healthy.

I am happy to report that Clay has finished all of his treatments, and his latest scan shows that he is cancer-free!!! :) He still has a line in, and will receive monthly injections to help ward off pneumonia since his immune system is so weakened. He will travel back to St. Jude's in December for another scan and MRI. At that time, if everything comes back clear, he will have the line removed and will officially be free.

Clay is 20 months old now. He has reached all the normal developmental milestones for a baby his age...so incredible! What he has had to endure in his short little life so far is amazing. But what's even more amazing is that in every picture, he still has a huge smile on his face!! He is truly a fighter!!

SO go give your little ones an extra hug. Be thankful that they are healthy, and remember that they truly are little blessings. Be thankful that there are incredible doctors and nurses out there, and that there are amazing organizations such as St. Jude's and Target House.

Weekend Report

On Friday night , we went to a block party at our friend's house. The kids had a lot of fun getting their faces painted, hitting the pinatas, and playing with all the other kids. I was bummed that I didn't win the pie bake-off. I mean, really, who wouldn't pick the double layer chocolate pudding pie with graham cracker crust that took me a whole 5 minutes to make?! :) Maybe next year I'll pay off one of the judges! :)

Saturday night , we went to Chuck E. Cheese's with some friends. Rylee is still scared of Chuck E., (but not nearly as scared as some of the other kids that were sitting near us!) and since Devynn saw Rylee's reaction, she had to get scared, too. They both sat in the booth, clinging to my arms until Chuck E. went back in his room. Silly girls! :)

Yesterday, Devynn started saying "bless you" when she hears someone sneeze. It is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard! Andrew keeps "fake sneezing" in an attempt to get her to say it again. She's too smart, though, and won't say it unless you really sneeze. Too cute!


Weekends are always fun in my world with the world's most adorable kids EVER!!!

WooHoo! :) Ouch!:(

Last night Jessie had a soccer game. Our team won 5-4! WooHoo! Last time we played this team, we lost 3-1. I think the other team came out last night thinking they were going to beat us again....Boy were they wrong! Our girls were on fire! And my little Jessie is improving sooo much with each game...it's really cool to watch her confidence level go up every week. She even came close to scoring a goal! YAY JESSIE!!! :)

The only downside to last night was when poor little Rylee got hit in the face with the soccer ball. OUCH!! Unfortunately, the field that we were on last night has very narrow sidelines. Rylee and Andrew were laying on a blanket watching the game. The action started getting close to us, and before we could scoot them back, the ball got kicked out of bounds and smacked Rylee right in the face! She cried, but sure is a tough little girl. And then, for the rest of the game, she kept pointing out "the girl with the braid with the two circles on her back (#8)" and telling me that she was the one who kicked the ball at her. I think she wanted revenge!! Fortunately, her face isn't bruised today. And luckily, RyRy doesn't know the name or address of the girl who kicked the ball! ;)

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This little story didn't take place last night, but it happened on Saturday at Jessie's game, so I thought I would mention it. Andrew was getting bored sitting watching the game, so I was trying to keep him entertained without having to take him to the playground because I didn't want to miss any of the game. I asked him if he wanted to play "rock, paper, scissors". To make sure he would be interested, I told him that I bet I could beat him 3 times in a row. He said ok and then quickly folded his hands, closed his eyes and bowed his head. He was praying! He said he had prayed that he would beat me 10 times in a row. That's my boy!!

He ended up beating me 6 times in a row, so I lost, and he was satisfied with that. :)

Creature of the Night

So for the past month or so we've had an animal that comes into our backyard in the middle of the night and makes our dogs flip out. We could see it sitting on the fence post in the corner by the pool, but we weren't able to tell what it was from our vantage point...and since it always happened in the middle of the night, we would just tell the dogs to stop barking from our bedroom window and would go back to sleep. Usually this elusive animal would go away and we would continue with our night's rest. Well, the other night, the dogs started barking around 12:15 am. I got up and told them to stop. Sampson obeyed, but Harley kept at it. I could see him in the back corner so I knew the critter was back. And since Harley wasn't letting up with his barking, we knew that the critter wasn't leaving, and we ended up having to get up out of bed and go outback.

It was dark in the corner of our yard, and with our flashlight shining, all we could see were the critter's eyes. We still couldn't tell what it was though. And since we didn't know what it was, we really didn't want to get too close. Ryan tried throwing rocks at the fence to make it move but that didn't work. So he tried his b.b. gun. That didn't work either. Nothing was even making this animal turn his head. He kept his gaze right on us. So Ryan decided to turn the hose on and squirt it. At first, it didn't seem like that was going to work either, but the critter finally jumped down into our neighbor's yard. When it turned, we were able to get a better view and realized that the critter was actually just a big possum. We were a bit surprised because in over 5 years, we haven't once seen one out here.

Now, as ugly as possums are, I actually have no problem with them coming into my yard in the middle of the night. I figure he probably comes to drink from the pool, which I have no problem with. I just wish he would do it quieter so that my dogs wouldn't notice him and wake the whole neighborhood with their barking.

He hasn't been back the last couple of nights, since he got hosed, so I'm really hoping he stays away. It's been nice not having my sleep interrupted by barking dogs.





I probably just jinxed myself.

Weekend Update

Yay, my little Rylee Belle is home! And boy, she slept so good last night! It must've been good to go to sleep in her own bed because she was sound asleep so quickly...even with Devynn calling out "Ry Ry!" I think Devynn was glad to have her big sister home, too! :)

In other weekend news, Jessie had her first official soccer game yesterday. Unfortunately, they lost 3-1, but it wasn't due to lack of effort. Jess played well, and I think she will continue to improve as she gains more confidence.

Andrew went to the sprint car races with Bachan (Ryan's mom..."bachan" is "grandma" in japanese) and Papa Lou last night. He was so excited. He hasn't stopped talking about all the different things that happened there, and all the different cars, and who they were rooting for. One of the most exciting things for him was the fact that they got "little, tiny pencils that they could keep and they were free! But they didn't have erasers on them." It's the little things in life that make him the happiest! :)

Today, after church we decided to go eat at this little mexican food place near us. When we pulled in the parking lot, this man that had been driving behind us for awhile pulled up alongside and informed us that there was a pair of glasses on our bumper. Turns out, we had been driving around with Andrew's sunglasses out there since yesterday! I still can't believe that they never fell off. Thank you, kind stranger!

Lastly, I have to give myself a pat on the back. I made it to the top of the hill on Benton/Pourroy! Let me tell you, that hill is much steeper than it looks...and it looks pretty steep! Go Me!! :)

It was a pretty good weekend in my world!

Ry Ry!!!

I miss my RyRy!

She's been with my mom since Wednesday! I'm glad she's coming home today. Can't wait to see her pretty little face. And I'm sure she'll have some wacky thing to tell me! Like the other day, when she informed me that it isn't fair that my brothers and I all have the same parents. She was quite annoyed when she found that out. Then she said that I was just making it up. I don't know where she comes up with these things!

Silly Little Girls

Last night after we had put Rylee and Devynn to bed, we could hear Devynn calling out "Ry Ry" over and over again. We laughed about it, and soon enough all was quiet. This morning when I went to get Devynn out of bed, I discovered why she had been calling for Rylee. She could see the toys in their dollhouse, and wanted Rylee to get them for her. So Rylee, being the sweet big sister that she is (or maybe just to get Devynn to be quiet), got out of bed and gave her what she wanted. So Devynn slept with a Bratz stroller, 3 Barbies plus a Barbie baby, a little princess doll, a baby doll, some Barbie clothes, some baby doll clothes, a Barbie baby carrier, and a little toy car.

In other news, Rylee informed me today that since she's 4, we aren't suppose to spell her name with a "y" in it anymore. Apparently, we are suppose to replace the "y" with a "4". Guess my teachers never taught me that rule. ;)


Little girls are weird in my world!

The Adventures of Bathroom

Yesterday, while Andrew was sitting on the toilet, he started calling for me. Since I was busy with Devynn, Ryan went to see what Andrew needed, thinking he needed some more t.p. or maybe help with a stuck zipper.

Ryan: "What do you need Drew?"

Andrew: "Who is Batman's enemy?"


Some things are just too important to wait until you're done in the bathroom!

Today's Random Thoughts

Is it just me, or are 5th graders enormously tall nowadays?! I seriously feel like a midget every day when I walk Andrew to school! Strange mutant children! Must be something in the water out here!

Anyways, today as we walked back from taking Andrew to school, we saw an airplane flying overhead. Rylee and Devynn started waving and yelling "hi" to the pilot. Then Rylee informed me that the man in the plane had seen her and waved back. She said that there were 2 men up front, and the one that wasn't "driving" waved to her. I giggled and went along with her little story. A few minutes later, as Rylee pushed the stroller across the street, she informed me that she was "like a mom because she's big now and knows everything." I had to laugh with that one! My silly Ry Ry!

Yesterday Jessie started soccer. She is, of course, the smallest girl on the team. Her uniform is huge on her, even though it's a small. She sure is a teeny little thing! I guess whatever is in the water out here that is making the other kids super tall is having the reverse effect on my kids.

Some days are rather random in my world!

Good Night

Rylee's Bedtime Routine

First, she has to make sure her 2 purple pillows are placed just right...near her headboard, and closer to the wall. Then, she puts her big stuffed dog on her right side, and her stuffed kitty on her left. She has to hold her small stuffed dog and her little bear. Next up, her blankets. Right now, she's only been using her tiny yellow one and her Noah's Ark crib blanket. Sometimes, though, she'll use about 8-10 different ones. No joke. And they all have to be laid facing the correct way. Once she's in and covered, she makes sure her night-light and ceiling fan (even when it's freezing) are on, and then our conversation goes like this...

Rylee: "Love you."

Me: "Love you."



Rylee: "Sweet Dreams."

Me: "Sweet Dreams."



Rylee: "See you in the morning."

Me: "See you in the morning."



Rylee: "Are you guys gonna lock your door?" (She is referring to mine and Ryan's bedroom door. This question started during her brief phase when she tried to sleep in our bed, and we started telling her that we would lock our door so she couldn't sneak in.)

Me: "Yes." (We don't actually lock our door, but she doesn't know that. Shhhh!)



Rylee: "When are you guys going to bed?"

Me: "In a little bit."





We repeat our little banter twice. Don't ask me why.



Kids are sometimes a bit odd in my world.

Flying High

Andrew got the "High Flyer" award at school today! He's so proud of himself! And we're very proud of him, too! He was amazed that all he had to do to earn the award was sit in his seat and not talk. At home, that's a very tough thing for him to do! :)

Sometimes the kids I have at home and the kids I send to school are completely different in my world! :)

I am Mom

I am not a woman whose hair looks perfect all the time,

makes a home-cooked meal every night,

and knows exactly how to answer all

my children's questions.

But I am strong. I am invincible.

I AM MOM.

I found that in an ad in my Parents magazine, and I liked it so much that I cut it out and stuck it on my fridge. It's the new motto in my world.

Back to School!

Yesterday was the first day of school for Jess and Andrew...7th grade and 1st grade respectively. I am happy to report that everything went incredibly smooth, and there were no tears shed by anyone! Yay! I was a bit worried about Andrew because he seemed really nervous about starting first grade (and after last year's chaotic, emotional first week, who can blame the poor boy?!)(For those of you who don't know...Andrew had a pretty rough time starting kindergarten last year. For the first two days, he was incredibly shy, wasn't really making friends and was kind of emotional. Then, just when he was starting to adjust and was doing ok, we received a call from the principal saying that they were having to switch some teachers around because of the amount of students who registered late. Of course Andrew's teacher was moved to cover another class, and all the students in Andrew's class were split up amongst the other kindergarten classes. Needless to say, it was a rough first week.)


But things went pretty well yesterday! The only "bummer" moment was when Jess found out that she has a different lunch than her BFF Ali. I'm sure they'll survive, though. ;)

First day of school!

Prettiest, but itty-bittiest, little 7th grader!

Big, bad 1st grader!

My 4 little monkeys!

Yesterday was a great day in my world!

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!!!!

So, today was an adventure, to say the least. It started off with Devynn waking up in a bad mood. Not sure why, but she was such a little crab-apple this morning. And since Rylee and Andrew had spent the night with Papa Dave, she didn't have her usual morning playmates to help entertain her. So, I put her in the shower with me. Of course she ended up getting soap in her eyes...twice! Do you know how loud a screaming 18-month old sounds in the shower?! Stupid soap! After our shower, everything seemed to be calming down a bit. But that was short-lived. Jess had school registration and pictures, so I was helping her curl her hair. And yep, you guessed it, I burnt my finger. Ouch! Stupid curling iron! And it wasn't even 9:30 am yet!

After Jessie's school stuff, we decided to go to Kohl's. I didn't take the stroller because I knew that they would have their handy-dandy little stroller carts. But, of course they didn't have any extra ones available when we were there. Stupid missing carts! I'm not sure where they all were...I think they hid them on purpose just to make my day even harder. So I spent what seemed like forever chasing Devynn around the racks (under them too!) while Jess and my niece Taylor picked out some clothes. At least Devynn was being friendly and saying "hi" to all the little old ladies that walked by. Too cute!

Once we were finished at Kohl's, we were trying to figure out where to stop for lunch. Turns out it didn't matter though because my car wouldn't start! My battery decided to die. Stupid battery! What fun! Thankfully, Ryan wasn't in Orange County today, and was able to come rescue us. Yay Ryan! But did I mention that it started raining on us while we were waiting?!

Needless to say, my day continued on it's course of pure fun. Devynn wouldn't nap, which means she was just a little bundle of joy. Andrew and Rylee didn't nap either because they got home from Papa Dave's later than expected (thanks to my little car incident), which means they were not the most pleasant kids to be around. My foolish attempt at a nap was quickly interrupted. And to top it all off, I ended up spilling a soda all over my nice, clean floor. Stupid Dr. Pepper! (I don't even like Dr. Pepper!) By that point, I seriously wanted to cry.

Instead, I had a bowl of rocky road ice cream for dinner.

At least in the end, I ended up with some new pants. :)


Sometimes I worry that I will lose my mind in my world!

In my pocket!

So this weekend Rylee was standing there with me and Uncle Steve, when she reached into her pocket and pulled out a little hair clip.

Rylee: "Mom, why is this in my pocket?"

Me: "I don't know. It's your pocket, so how am
I suppose to know why it's in there?"

Rylee: "Because, smart ass."

Ry Ry can only be found in my world! :)

When I grow up...

Jess was playing dress-up with Rylee and Devynn the other day. They had so much fun!

Watch me do the hula!

Instead of a bouquet of flowers, Devynn opted for her cup and bag of snacks! :)

I'm a genie, and I will grant you 3 wishes...but don't even think about wishing for my food!

Little Fairy Princess.

What a beautiful little bride! (Ry Ry informed us this weekend that when she gets married, she's going to live at home still. When I asked her what she will do if her husband doesn't want to live with us, she gave me her typical are-you-really-that-stupid look and informed us that she wouldn't get married. Don't you feel a little sorry for the guy that does marry her one day?!)

Dress-up day is always fun in my world!

Happy Birthday!

So yesterday was Andrew's birthday! I can't believe my boy is already 6 years old! Jessie decorated his room and told him that the Autobots (Transformers) had done it. He was very excited to think that Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee had been in his room...you could even see their footprints still! What a nice, sweet big sister Jess is! :) We let Andrew pick wherever he wanted to go for dinner...he chose In-N-Out. That's my boy! Then we came home and had cake and ice cream. His cake was really cool...Thanks Papa Steve and Kim! :) He giggled as soon as he saw it. (I love his giggle.) But I think the highlight of his day was being able to ride in the car without a car seat! He was sooo happy! He thinks he is the coolest kid ever! (I kind of agree with him on that one, though!)

Birthdays are always fun in my world! :)





PS- Just think...in order for Andrew to have been born yesterday (Tuesday) morning, that means that my labor would've started Sunday night! I amaze myself! :)

So sweet

Sweetest thing ever: Watching Devynn hold hands with Rylee and Andrew while bowing her head during our dinner prayer tonight, and hearing her say "Amen" at the end. How sweet is my world?!

Summer Fun

Celebrating Rylee's 4th birthday

Playing in the dogs water bowl...again!

Devynn absolutely loves Harley!

Being "wiggle worms" after playing in the sprinklers in their undies!

Jessie looking so happy on her 12th birthday!

Weekend in Review

Our church Life Group has been on break this summer, so we've been having bbq's instead. Friday night it was at our friend's Tonja and Dave's (aka Ali's parents...Jessie's BFF). The kids had a blast swimming in the pool and jumping on the trampoline with all of their friends from church. My kids ended up staying up way past their bedtimes, but it was fun anyways. The next one is at our house on the 15th...last one before the kids start school! (they only have 15 more days until they go back to school!)

Andrew had his second-to-last t-ball game yesterday morning. Each boy gets three pitches from the coach before they pull out the tee. Andrew did good, and didn't have to use the tee at all! :) And his last time up, he hit a home run! (Ok, well since they don't have outs and just go through the whole lineup each inning, whichever kid is up last gets to run all the way home. But he did outrun the boy that had the ball! ) Go Andrew!

After the game, we all came home and went swimming...even me! For some reason, I don't go swimming very often. I'll sit on the side with my feet in, but I don't actually jump in. So the kids were very excited when they realized I was going in! Fun, Fun, Fun! Devynn decided she was done sooner than the rest of us, so she was just playing around the pool (naked, as usual!). Then of course, she had to pee! I don't know why, but it was the cutest thing to see her peeing out back naked! (Hey, I never said that we weren't white trash! )

Today we went to church, which the kids always enjoy. And to top it off, we got to bring home the extra donut holes! Bonus! Afterwards, Ryan took the kids swimming while I took a little nap! Rare for me, but so enjoyable! When I got up, little miss Rylee Belle had to show me her new trick in the pool...she's learning how to swim without floaties! She was so proud of herself! It was so cool to see the huge grin on her face! My baby love is getting big!

So all in all, it was a pretty lazy summer weekend here in my world. (my favorite kind!)

Stupid Bird!

So tonight Jessie and I had a bit of an adventure. When she went out in the garage to feed the dogs, she discovered that there was a bird in there. We opened the door thinking that it would fly right out. Boy were we wrong! This stupid little bird would fly from one side of the garage to the other. It would fly in circles and bang into things. It would even land and sit on top of the open door. But it would not fly out! We probably looked like complete morons to any of our neighbors that happened to see us (not that today would be any different from any other day!). Finally, after almost 10 minutes, the little bird figured out where the big, huge open garage door was and flew out. Maybe we should make our door less invisible so next time the stupid animal won't have such a hard time!

See, even birds want to come stay in my world!

Andrew

So today was a pretty typical day in my world. From the moment he woke up until I was tucking him in, I was constantly having to tell Andrew to talk quieter because we were inside. I'm still amazed at how different little boys and little girls are. Anyone who tries to tell you that they are different because of society or the way they are raised is very wrong, and has obviously never been around children. I ABSOLUTELY love my son, and wouldn't trade him for the world...but I would go crazy if I had 2 of him! Don't get me wrong, he isn't a bad kid at all. He's just all boy, all the time! Everything he does is loud (like father, like son)...walking, talking, opening things, closing things, laughing...everything! And he has that boy sense of humor...farts are hilarious, talking about "pee pee" and "poo poo" is the best thing ever, and crashes of any kind make his day. He is always moving, too. He doesn't ever sit still. Ever. Even in his sleep. And we think it's physically impossible for him to stay quiet for longer than a minute...we actually bribed him and timed it once! But he is also the most gentle-hearted, giving child you'll ever meet. He is sweet and funny. He doesn't like you to be mad or upset with him. He thrives on routine, and likes to follow the rules. He takes what people say very literally. He can be very intense, and he loves to be near people. And he is incredibly protective of his sisters. He often tells me that he wishes he had a brother. It kind of makes me feel guilty. But then again, I know that even though we don't always get what we want, it usually turns out to be what we need.

So, tonight as him and I were walking to his room, and I had to again remind him to be quiet because Devynn was already asleep, I found myself thinking how glad I am to have him. In our house full of pink, he is our blue. With all the estrogen flowing through here, he is our testosterone. While all us girls can be emotional and moody, he is our level-headed thinker. And even though he can be incredibly intense, he somehow balances our family out. He is, as Uncle Steve calls him, "The Boy."

And it wouldn't be my world without him.

Earthquake

We had a 5.4 earthquake a little bit ago. They don' t usually bother me too much, but it sure upset the kids. That was the first one that Andrew and Rylee had ever felt so they were pretty scared. I finally got them down for their naps, although you could really see how nervous they were about being more than 10 feet away from me. I'm hoping we don't have any big aftershocks while they're sleeping.


Other than that, everything is quiet in my world.

Rhino?!

So, I think it's always a good idea for young kids to know the proper names of "private parts". But for some bizarre reason, Andrew was having trouble remembering the proper name for vagina. He kept thinking that a girls "private part" was called a "rhino"! Ryan and I both about fell out of our chairs the first time he said that! Puts a nice mental picture in your head, doesn't it?!

So Ryan decided that he would help Bubba remember by telling him that vagina rhymes with China. It seemed to help and we thought all was good. Until the other day when Jessie's BFF Ali was over.

Andrew went up to Ali and said "Ali, ask me what rhymes with China." When Ali didn't oblige, Andrew started yelling "VAGINA! VAGINA RHYMES WITH CHINA! CHINA, VAGINA!" Ali and Jess laughed out of embarrassment. And Andrew now thinks he's a comedian.

Boys will be boys in my world!

Strange

For some completely unexplainable reason, my kids have all been getting along and playing nicely together. RyRy even pointed out that she hasn't had to sit in time-out lately (which is usually a multiple times a day thing for her!). I'm sure I just jinxed myself, but it's been so wonderful hearing them laugh rather than argue and whine! I wonder if it's a full moon or something....

Laziness

So, on Saturday Andrew was scheduled to have a t-ball game at 10 am. At 9:05 am, we received a call saying that the game was being cancelled because of the heat and the concern of the boys getting heat stroke.

Give me a break!!!!

I think the parents just didn't want to deal with a little warmth...I won't call it heat because I don't think it even hit 90 degrees at the hottest part of the day! There are too many parents out today that are lazy, and are raising lazy kids. These are the same parents that show up late to all the games, even though the games have a strict one-hour time limit. They rarely, if ever, get their boys to practice...out of 14 boys, we have about 7 at any given practice. And it's usually all the same ones. They aren't teaching their boys anything about being part of a team. If you sign your kids up for a team sport, you're making a commitment to get them to practices and games for the entire season. If you don't want to deal with the heat, then don't sign your son up for a league that runs until August!

I guess one of the biggest problems I see with society today is the fact that too many parents are afraid to be parents. They aren't teaching their kids about responsibility or commitment. They aren't showing them that if they work hard at something, then they can feel good about the rewards. Too many kids expect something for nothing. It's sad because these kids don't know the feeling of accomplishment. They don't know that feeling of pride when they worked their butts off for something and finally earned it.

Parents, start being parents. Don't give in, be consistent, and let your kids come to know the joys of feeling pride in themselves and in their teammates. One day, they'll thank you for it. And then you'll have the sense of pride in knowing that you raised them right. And that's what it's all about.

Fears

Devynn's List of Fears

1. Ryan's old Freddy Krueger mask ...she knows that it's in his closet, so she refuses to go in there. She instead will stand near the closet door saying "mask, mask". But if you bring it out, she instantly starts crying and trying to get as far away from it as possible.
2. Shadows on the wall...the look of terror on her face when she noticed my shadow on the wall scared me because I could only imagine what was behind me. I was very relieved it was just my shadow, but that did little to make her feel better.
3. Balloon animals...she was actually ok playing with Rylee's bunny balloon at first, but something happened and she suddenly didn't want anything to do with it. When I tried handing it back to her, she started crying and trying to get away.
4. Whoopee cushions...the classic trick for old prank-pullers...she is scared of it when it is just sitting there. And if you blow it up, and sit on it, she starts crying hysterically!
5. Shampoo suds...her newest fear...discovered this morning while she showered with me. She was quite upset when I rinsed my hair and she could see the lather gathered around the drain. Even once it had all been rinsed away, she kept eyeing the drain nervously.

Dealing with an 18-month old that has strange fears...just another day in my life...welcome to my world!

Baseball Practice

I was so excited when we went to register Andrew for t-ball awhile back. It's America's favorite game, and the little boys are so much fun to watch, and look so darn cute in their uniforms. It's great fun to watch the first game and see the entire team run after every ball. I was looking forward to sitting in the stands and cheering my boy on. Unfortunately though, reality has set in. I spend most of every practice and game at the playground with Rylee and Devynn. I don't know any of the boys on the team, or their parents. The team mom even comes to the playground when she needs to pass any info on to me!



So, the other day at practice, I was sooo bored at the playground...again! I let the girls play for a bit, and then I decided that we would take a walk on the path that goes around the baseball field. The girls were excited with this new idea, and I figured I would get a little exercise in while I was at it. So we started on our little adventure. Rylee started running ahead and Devynn was doing her best bobble-head run trying to keep up. As we got to the southern end of the park (which took about a whole minute because the park is enormous), RyRy asked if we could go sit on the little hill that's there. It's a small grassy hill that overlooks a habitat conservation area. With the afternoon breeze, and the shade from the few trees there, it seemed like the perfect place to sit on a nice, summer afternoon. So we climbed to the top and took a rest. The girls sat for a minute eating their snacks, and then took off their shoes and started playing on the hill. It was such a treat for me to sit and watch them running (or for Devynn, falling) down the little hill with these HUGE smiles on their little faces. AND I discovered that I could actually sit and watch Andrew at his practice at the same time! I was so happy! Andrew noticed us watching, and gave us a big thumbs up with his big grin that can light up any room (or baseball field!). So as I sat watching Andrew and my girls at the same time, I was amazed at the joy I felt in my heart seeing their eyes light up with pure happiness as they rolled and ran and fell and laughed. There is nothing in the world that even comes close to comparing to the sound of your children's laughter. Absolutely nothing. It was in that moment that I realized that I may be just an ordinary mom, but I'm doing something extraordinary by raising my monkeys. What a great feeling. I was in such a happy place that even the man on the bike who decided to stop right behind us (which was upwind from us) and start smoking couldn't ruin my afternoon.



Of course, as soon as practice was over, Andrew and Rylee had to start fighting over who was going to climb in the car first. So I had to leave my happy place, put on my referee uniform (why I ever take it off at all, I don't know), and get back to my normal life.



All in all, not a bad day in my world.

The Beginning

So here you are in my world! It can be crazy, noisy, chaotic, and even boring here sometimes. But I love it and wouldn't trade being able to stay home for the world! Even though I have moments where I want to scream, I know that I am incredibly blessed and fortunate to be home with my monkeys. I think my kids will truly benefit by me being home with them. And vice versa. So feel free to come back and visit my world often. Let me know what you think...good or bad. Just be prepared because you never know what to expect when you step in here! :)

Everyday is an adventure in my world!