Merry Christmas!

What a great day! It has been a blast so far and we still have lots more to do! Like make gingerbread houses, visit grandma and grandpa Lee and play with the toys Santa brought! An elf dropped off p.j.s for the kids while we were at aunt Linda's house last night. Sam tried to chase the elf down but the elf jumped the fence just before Sam compromised his identity! Today, Sam swore that he heard Santa at about 4 o'clock this morning - it's what woke him up! He was so excited that Christmas was finally here that he could hardly contain himself! I let him take a peek at the tree and presents before anyone else woke up. Later I realized that it was probably torture to him since he had to wait another 2 hours before we opened the presents. I let him wake up Sarah and she asked him if Santa had come. Sam said yes. The fun began.

I Accidentally Wrapped the Remote...not really.

I've wrapped so many presents tonight that I had to distance myself from the phone and the remote so I wouldn't accidentally wrap them during my last minute rush to get ready for Christmas. Sheesh! Even with feelings of 'I am so not ready'; I do have to say that I am having a great time wrapping presents for the kids and marking them 'from Santa'! This year's Christmas is going to be great!

Good Friends Last Forever....

I'm usually not very personal on my blog but this requires mentioning -
My good and dear friend, Marianne Merrill, passed away peacefully Monday evening in her home. She fought a courageous battle with an unforgiving disease but in the end received the greatest reward - a welcome Home from passed loved ones. Marianne was not only a good friend, she was a mentor. She taught me how to laugh at the unpleasant and sometimes discouraging events which often occurred (and still do!) while raising my 4 little ones. She taught me, by example, how to seek for the good things and be grateful for every little thing. She was dedicated to service - I being the recipient of many of her 'errands of angles'. In her last weeks, Marianne was inspired to ask me to do her a favor. In reality the favor was for me and I am thankful she gave me such a gift. Marianne loved her family especially her husband, Walter, whom she honored and supported their entire marriage. Although I am sad that my friend is gone, I am confident that she is happier back Home.

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

Can you believe there are only 12 days left (to shop, plan, wrap, prepare, budget, gather, organize, etc.) until Christmas? I am so not ready!

Who's Watching Who at the Zoo?

Monday I took the twins, Sarah and her friend from school to the zoo. We had an afternoon filled with train rides, fun, food, animal gazing and playground playing. It was so much fun! Enjoy the slide show - can you tell which one is the caged animal? (if you guessed me, Julia, you are correct!)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Joe!

Joe has survived 2 whole years! Thank goodness. Joe is an active boy who loves to run, climb, jump, slide, duck, dance, twist, bump, stomp, punch, slap, pull, poke and hug. Besides half of my genes and half of Mike's, Joe is also made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails (just like the song states).
He is a dirt eater, food thrower, ice munching, exploring kinda kid. He can find trouble without even looking and sometimes falls into trouble by association. By this I mean that he willingly takes the blame for everything his twin sister, Mary, does. He's perfect.

6 minutes later...Happy 2nd Birthday, Mary!

Mary is a spunky gal. She can hold her own but knows when to pull out the 'fragile girl' card. She loves her twin brother, Joe, and is fond of her bigger brother Sam and sister Sarah.
Mary just loves what her Aunt Linda gave her for her birthday...a play purse! She carries it around like it's the real thing and won't let anyone else near it. She struts around with her purse on her arm and answers the matching phone in her most grown-up voice, "hel-lo!"
She's a quick learner and very observant so I have to be careful of what I say when she's around. She also the joker of the pair. Mary has a sense of humer that lets you know that there is much more going on in her head that you think possible. Mary is also the instigater. She starts the party and then blames the mess on everyone else. She's perfect!

These birthday kids are twice as nice

A Giving Thanks kind of day -

I could make a list a mile long of things that I am thankful for. But I won't. Instead, I will list the top 5.
1. Mike - a wonderful and supportive husband
2. Sam - a smart and thoughtful boy
3. Sarah - an independent and loving girl
4. Joe - a jolly and trusting little boy
5. Mary - a dependable and happy little girl

I couldn't post on Thanksgiving day without a picture or two or three.
Joe helping me with potatoes
Kids at the 'kid table'
Mary looking cute

Monday messes are just the beginning of the week...

What a mess! It is time to rearrange my kitchen and box-up and lock-up anything and everything that is or can be opened! Have you ever wondered what a 25oz. box of cereal spilled out on the floor looks like? Check out these pictures - in no particular order! Can you see how Joe likes to stomp and crush the cereal while Mary likes to pick out the marshmallows?

On a lighter note -
Joe learned how to put on his own shoes!

A New Week!

My aunt sent me this link and I am happy to pass it along to all who wish to learn more about what life has to offer. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2AibapAJfE
I don't know how to put a link in a post. Highlight the address, copy and paste it in the address box above.

It's the weekend, finally!

Need I say more?

Thank a Vet! Happy Veteran's Day!

This is a shout-out to my brother, Jake, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army. He spent a year overseas with the infamous 82nd Airborne in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a Ranger, a skilled shooter and is as tough as nails. This year he is on his way to train as a Green Beret. GO JAKE! Our family thanks you and your fellow soldiers for your (their) service!

Happy 7th Birthday, Sam!

Sam came running in my room this morning with a grin that stretched from ear to ear and announced that it was his birthday! Finally! He has been counting down the days for the last 3-1/2 weeks. I was half awake (or asleep) and wasn't in the same mood he was in so early in the morning. Not wanting to crush the spirit of a newly 7 year-old I said, "You're right, it is your birthday. Happy birthday!" He then asked to open his presents. Oh uh! I told him I hadn't wrapped it yet. I gave him the choice of waiting for it to be wrapped or me telling him where I hid it. He wanted to open a wrapped present. "I'll wrap it while you are in the shower," I told him. Off he went (without a fight). Who knew a wrapped present could equal a showered boy?
He opened his present with delight and, thank goodness, was thrilled with his gift - an Air Hog saucer. His grandma Lee gave him transformers, greatgrandma Smith gave him a $2 bill, grandma Whetten took him to the golden arches last night and will bring him his 'real' present today. He wants Hawaiian haystacks for dinner and ice cream cake for dessert.

Post-Election Day, Blah!

I am tired! I have talked and talked about the presidential election and various propositions so much that my political gas tank is empty. A side note: I am happy to report that according to Obama supporters, I need not worry. He will fill my gas tank, pay my bills and relieve me of my mortgage payments. Ha Ha.

Election Day! Horrahhh, Horrrayyyy!

One of my favorite songs is Stars and Stripes. I hum it constantly and sometimes clap my hands or tap my feet to the beat of this inspiring song in my head. It's a quick pick-me-up or tension breaker. Try it and let me know how it works for you. Moving on....
Although there is no magic ball to see exactly how this year's election will fair, I can see great personal growth as I work towards improving my attitude towards opposition. Some of the best advice I got regarding opposition was this: You have to recognize it for what it is; opposition.
A Monologue that's not that hard to swallow:
I thought about it and realized that I run into opposition daily. Most of the time it's with my kids; they have a different idea of how their day should be spent - mostly playing, seldom working. I run into opposition at the store; I don't think I should have to pay so much for gala apples but the grocer disagrees. I run into opposition at the gym; someone is using the piece of equipment I want to use at that moment. I run into opposition with my friends; mostly over the election. What does this mean? That no matter what we do, there will be opposition. The key is to be prepared. Plan ahead, know your strengths and weaknesses, keep healthy and strong, hold onto your values, teach your children how to love and forgive, educate yourself, pray. The list can go on and on but I won't let it - make your own.
Enjoy the rest of the day!

Post-Hallowing BARF!

I just want to puke from all the candy that is in my house. I thought I could handle the 4 mini Kit-Kats I downed this afternoon. NOPE! I think I just threw-up a little in my mouth!

Happy Halloween!

Aren't these kids cute? After the annual Wednesday-night ward festival which was exhausting for us all, the kids are ready and excited to go out and hit the neighborhood for a round of 'trick or treat'! Sam and Joe are dressed as G.I.'s and Sarah and Mary are pirate girls.

Earlier, Sarah marched with her school in their annual around-the-block Halloween Parade. She had so much fun. Grandma Whetten (sporting her purple witch hat)and Grandma and Grandpa Lee were there to cheer her on. The twins had fun watching all the kids walk by in their costumes.

It's Mike's Birthday...shhhhh!

Yes, it's that time of year, again. It's the day no one is supposed to remember. So I am not going to mention it at all. The end.

Hang on...here we go!

Haircuts!

It was soooo past that time. You know, haircut time. There are many signs and ques that are given to tip a mom off that her kids are in dire need of a clip or a trim. Some are obvious and in-your-face. Such as, people telling you that your kids need their hair cut (like my mom and sister). Some aren't so obvious until after the cut i.e., your kid not having to tilt his head up to see under his bangs that are covering his eyes. With that said, Sam, Sarah and Joe needed haircuts.
I took them outside wearing their underwear only (less clothes infested with little hairs) and sat them on our picnic table. Sam was first and sat still with off and on bouts of the wiggles. His cut took longer than normal but I didn't have to use the buzzer (which he hates) because I was able to blend from the neck-up and from the ears-up like a pro. (This is after many years of cutting his hair including cutting his ear once). Sarah was next and she had the wiggles. She couldn't stand still at all. I just wanted to trim the ends off (about 2 inches) and trim her bangs. The back cut was easy - straight and steady. Then, I tried to trim her bangs and layer her hair and oh my gosh I messed up big time! Mike was at the gym and was going to be home soon. I thought I could hurry and dress all the kids and run Sarah to the salon and beg (even bribe) anyone to fix what I had done. I really didn't think I could even pull that off - the twins were still in their diapers and Sam was still wrapped in a towel post-haircut shower. I just kept at it, trimmed another 2 inches to blend in my mistakes and, viola! Persistence pays off. It's the cutest cut ever and it compliments her face very well.

I put her in the shower to clean off and it was off to Joe. What can I say...he sat still the entire time. No fuss! I couldn't have asked for a better client. The cut is cute and now he looks like a big boy. Poor Mary....she needs all the hair she can get. No cut for Mary. She was sad. Maybe next year, Mary!

Two days off and lots to do!

What do you do when school-aged kids have 2 days off of school? Not worry about getting them to school on time, for one! Yeah! Really, though, it's not that hard to get up and get the big kids ready for school and the twins ready for the day; it's just nice to know that I don't HAVE to do it all by 7:30am for 2 days! I did have to get everyone up, dressed, fed and in the van because I was scheduled to teach aqua at the local gym both mornings.

After my class on Thursday, and a little workout for myself, we came home and relaxed for the rest of the day. It was so nice to know that I had the whole day to spend with my kids without the interruption of carpool and homework! And that is exactly what I did!

Friday was a repeat of Thursday. I taught my class and worked out a bit, showered (at the gym) and came home. We ate lunch and listened to music.

I decided to change the kid's rooms around once again and ran out of steam and time. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. We ate dinner and Mike and the kids watched some TV. By 7:00pm the kids were so tired. We put them in their pj's and tucked them in bed. Some kisses, drinks of water and prayers (extra ones for Sam because he gets scared) and the lights were off!

I decided to post because I took a cute pic of the kids on Thursday morning before we got ready for the day.

Oh - one side note of the day...Sarah and her friend decided to knock on my bedroom window to get the twins attention who were playing in the backyard. I guess they knocked so hard that the window broke! Not cracked, broken! A piece fell out! She was sad, I was mad. Well, that's it... more from the Lee House of Adventures later.

Happy 5th Birthday, Sarah!

The day started out great for Sarah. She woke up in my bed (not by my choice) to the phone ringing. It was her Aunt Linda calling to wish her a happy birthday. I then informed Sarah that there were some presents on the couch for her. She ran in and opened the first one. It was the Barbie Diamond Castle movie. She was excited. She let Sam open the other gift eventhough I insisted she help. It was her birthday afterall.

It was a doll that came with an extra outfit and a stroller. She liked that, too. She wanted cookies for breakfast. What child doesn't? She settled for scrambled eggs. I gave into the cookie.
I quickly dipped her and the twins into the bathtub. During that time, Grandma Whetten called and sang Sarah her birthday song - into the answering machine. Sarah played with her new toys for a bit while I packed up some delicious homemade cookies for her to take to school to share with her classmates.

Later, we ate lunch at Target with her best cousin, shopped a bit and played at the play center in the mall. Her play continued into the late afternoon with her cousin and then with the neighbor girl. Her day was filled with lots of fun!

Fool Me once...

Here is a picture of a just-bathed, dressed and fed Joe. I guess I didn't meet his fructose needs because he grabbed a full bag of powdered sugar and dumped it out onto his tray, his seat and all over the floor. I was furious.

The next day he did the same thing with a bag of brown sugar.

Vote for America

Sam is so patriotic. He found two flags in storage and thought he hit the jackpot! He then marched around the house shouting, "Vote for America!" He loves America because we have taught him about the rights and freedoms that we enjoy and are privileged to have in this great country.

Torture Device?

Joe loves to get into my sewing box. He loves to open my straight pin container. He loves to dump them out. How do you pick up more than 100 straight pins? You put your Glen Whetten thinking cap on and tie a piece of ribbon to a magnet and swing it around (carefully) across the table, chairs and floor.

I hope I got them all... No casualties so far!