Track and Field Day at Franklin

Sam and Sarah participated in their school's Track and Field Day. It was awesome. They had a great time. Here are some pitures to prove it.
Sadly, my camera's batteries ran out after only a few pictures of Sarah.

It's almost 'that' day

I won't mention it right now. I'm just going to smile at this picture and think of how fun and amazing Jake was.

Double swing

Don't you hate it when you ask your kids to come in, wash their hands and sit at the table 'cause it's dinner time and they ignore you? I sure do. It really irks me. So, on my way to yell at the kids for the who-knows-how-manyth time, I spotted the twins doing this and I just had to stop and take a picture. They were having so much fun. I couldn't possibly stop
1. the non-crying play, and 2. the getting along play. I just couldn't.

here is something funny to read....

My friend, Edna, is funny. I've known Edna for over 20 years and she is a riot to be around. I teased her about her blog and how she should dedicate a post to me. Well, she did. It's more of a tribute, in a round-about funny way. Read it here to find out more about me as a teenager. Boy, was I silly.
I wish I had a picture of her to post on my blog. Instead, I will post a random picture of my kids. Enjoy!

Love this little boy!

David has been such a blessing to our family! He is the most calm, sweet, mild-manner boy I've had the pleasure of parenting (so far). In fact, he is the most clam, sweet, mild-manner child I've had, period! All the others were balls of energy from the moment of conception! This little one was fiesty in the womb, came out screaming like the dickens, and has been cucumber-cool ever since December 13th. Not one complaint. Nope, not one. Just look at this face. PER-FEC-TION!
And this one, Sarah, is the best little mommy to David! They get along great!

Keeping busy at a slow pace....

Is it just me or do other people have the same problem as I do? Case in point: I've been buried up to my neck in laundry (clean, thankgoodness) for the last week and a half. Seriously. There are piles of clean laundry here and there, on my bed, on the couch, on the floor, in baskets (already sorted and folded). Everywhere! I've been working on these laundry piles everyday but don't seem to make any progress. Finally, today, I focused on getting the laundry in my room and on my bed PUT AWAY! I ignored my twins, my crying baby. It only took me all but 10 minutes to get it done, uninterrupted. Minus the basket of socks. Yes, only 10 minutes, UNINTERRUPTED! I've figured out that ignoring the kids is the key to getting things done.
Yep, I learn something new everyday.

Another week goes by....

We had a wonderful week here in the Lee home. In a nut shell:
The kids made it to school on-time each day this week, which is a wonderful accomplishment for me. Joe and Mary had fun learning and playing at preschool. I taught Monday thru Friday at various locations and will be busy again next (this) week teaching almost every day. Mike and I spent all day Saturday cleaning out the garage with hopes of parking one of our cars in it. We still have a ton of work to do but made great progress. Will keep you posted as this is one of my main goals for the year. (yeah, it might take a whole year to clean out the garage)

Random photo for you to enjoy!

Back to teaching, another week to survive

Monday was my first day back to teaching aqua aerobics. I thought I wouldn't be able to handle the activity after having a baby and being sick for the last 2 months. The class started out with welcoming words to and from those who take the class. I was glad to be back and, thank heavens, they were glad to have me back. I gave them a nice workout and picked up David and the twins from the gym daycare. Whew...David slept the entire time and the twins didn't get into trouble at all! This week was off to a great start.
I posted on Valentine's Day (afternoon) so I have to mention that Mike came home with a lovely bouquet of flowers for his sweetheart. How nice!
Now it's Thursday and I am tired from spending a wonderful afternoon at the park.
Random picture to enjoy....Mary all dressed up like Lady Gaga. She did this on her own. Enjoy...

Love is in the air....

Every Valentine's Day, my dad used to give the girls in our family a heart shaped box of candies. Isn't that nice?
Every year I think about giving the girls (daughters) in my family the same special treatment but every year I forget (or am too tired, lazy or cheap). This year, my mom brought over some yummy Valentine's Day candies for the kids and a box of chocolates for me. Well, they might actually be for Mike and me but she didn't say I had to share. All the, kids except for Sam, were fast asleep when my mom came by last night bearing gifts. He got to have the first Valentine's Day treat, a holiday edition of Fruit by the Foot. Today, the other kids got the same treat...only I took credit for the gift. How horrible is that? My mom did bring multiple treats for the kids so I will make right and give her credit for the other 2/3rds of the bounty.

Here is a picture of me and my honey. This photo was taken back in December, just a week or two before I gave birth to my 5th baby, David.

Kisses all around.....

p.s. that yellow purse is soooo spring 2010. Uh.

It's 2011 Already?

Time sure does fly when you are busy. I guess being busy is better than not being busy. Thinking about it, these are the things that keep me busy (in no particular order):
1. New baby. Born on December 13, 2010. Name: David Whetten Lee

2. Messy house. Thanks to four kids, one thing is constant: a messy home

3. Making meals. Kids have to eat, right. Do they have to help? Not always. Every time I make Mac 'n Cheese, Joe insists on adding the powdered 'cheese' to the boiling water. He thinks it will make the food taste better. Nope, it's still Mac 'n Cheese.

4. School work. Sadly, I am not on top of the kid's 'daily homework finishing requirement' like I am supposed to be. It's sometimes just too much.
5. Being sick. Sam got sick first, back in October. Then I got sick and then Sam got sick again. Each time it was the flu. Then I got sick again, had a baby and stayed sick with a sinus infection, ear infection and the flu until, well, present day. During that time, Sam got sick, Joe got sick, Sarah got sick and Mary got a little sick. 2 weeks ago, I got the flu AGAIN, Sam got it over the weekend, and now Joe and Mary are home sick with the flu. Mike is toying with getting it. Poor guy.

6. Managing 5 children 9 years-old and under. In general it's crazy. Here, Joe got stung by a bee on his thumb after trying to pick up a smashed can of soda pop. Mind you, he took the liberty of smashing 11 cans of soda on the block wall in the backyard. The spilled sugary pop attracted the bees. He cried when he got stung. I took this picture then helped mend his boo-boo. This is an example of Karma, right? for him, not me.

7. Laundry. Enough said.

8. Husband. Husbands have needs too, right? Enough said.
That's him on the right. Handsome.

9. Cleaning bathrooms. I walked by the bathroom and could smell the fine aroma of urine. Yuck. I clean the bathrooms. Swear!

10. Gees whiz, life in general. What can I say...life is busy, life is great!
This photo was taken at Ft. Riley in Kansas back on September 11, 2010. This is a new memorial dedicated to those who sacrificed their life for our country. We were there to honor my brother, SFC Glen Jacob "Jake" Whetten.

Yeah, it's time for an update....

I guess it is time for me to start blogging again. It's sad that I don't even visit my own blog because, like my mom commented on the previous post, "it makes me cry." Yeah, that is why this blog has sat in silence for many months. I guess I should get 'back on the horse' and start to live a normal blogger's life (whatever that means).
So, enjoy this random photo and come back later this week, or whenever, for an update on the happenings and crazy antics of the Lee Family!

A slideshow tribute to Jake

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A friend of mine put this slideshow together as a tribute to Jake. It's beautiful!

SFC Glen Jacob Whetten 19 March 1978 - 12 March 2010

I am saddened by the loss of my brother, Jake. He served our country well. We are very proud to call him our brother and friend. You can honor his life by visitin his blog and posting a comment.
SFC Glen Jacob Whetten

Looking forward or looking back?

How is it that on Thursday and Friday I want, so badly, for the weekend to come (sooner) and on Sunday I am begging for the new week to start? I am so silly.

Oh my, I turn my head for one second....

What a mess, again! This time the twins were very quiet and kept their mischievous behavior under their hat. I never heard a thing! Sarah came and got me later on in the afternoon to reveal what she had discovered: holes and art work created by Joe and Mary. What can I say? 2 words: padded room.

Candy Planes

I've mentioned before that Sam loves scouts. He looks forward to scouts every Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday, he came home with a cute candy airplane he made out Lifesavers, candy, gum and beads. Last week he came home with a toothbrush head wrapped with a wire that made 'feet' and a tiny motor hooked to a tiny battery. It was a robot bug. Aren't his scout leaders so creative?

Joe and Mary

Hello!

Rain + Dirt = MUD!

It rained yesterday. It rained and it poured and it rained some more. On the bright side: the grass is a bright and beautiful green! On the down side: muddy areas not covered by grass attract the dirt-loving mind of a 3 year-old. In my case, two of them.
This is what happens when I turn my back, to clean the kitchen floor (how dare I think I can get something done?), and take my focus off of Joe and Mary: They dig in the non-grassy (muddy areas) part of the backyard. Rookie mistake, shame on me, I should have known better.
They love to dig in the dirt. This time, not only did they dig in the dirt/mud, they collected said mud into a bucket and 'washed' Joe's fire truck. The truck, their hands and feet and clothes were covered in mud! They also 'swept' the porch with the mud using a play (indoor) mop. UGH! Welcome, Monday!

Sunday is a day of.....

Certainly and definitely not REST. Sunday is usually an all out battle for control. In the Lee house, it's four kids against two adults.
Round one: Getting the kids ready for church. Usually starts of with, "Is it church day?" Followed by, "I don't want to go to church" or "I don't want a bath/shower!"
Round two: Keeping the kids quiet during church. Anyone who sits within 8 rows of us can hear Joe say, "I don't like this kind of food!" when the bread and water is passed. He also says, "I don't want to be reverent!" You may also be able to hear my loud SIGH and Mike's frustrated and audible GROAN.
Round three: At home, trying to keep things calm so we can pretend the 'day of rest' is observed. The house is always at it's messiest: every toy and book out on the floor. I have a Sunday cleaning ritual (no rest involved).
RESULT: Knock-out. Kids: 1 Parents: 0

Man, that due can play the flute!

Now: It's late afternoon on Friday, the kids are restless and I am trying to cook dinner and clean the house at the same time. It can be done, although, yelling is (always) involved.
Much Earlier: The day started off like any other day...wake up, dress, eat, take the kids to school, teach aqua, pick up kids, blah, blah, blah. Sorry...I know that sounds a bit ungrateful for the many wonderful things that I have and enjoy on a daily basis. My tude will change as soon as Mike gets home.
Earlier: After Sam got home from school, we spent most of the afternoon picking oranges and the most awesome house ever. They have an entire park in their backyard, not to mention a way cool pool and tons of grass to run around on. I came home with 3bags FULL of the best oranges in the world. Jealous?
Earlier and Now: I have an itch to go out and do something - dinner, a movie, window shop, shop for-real, whatever, but I don't want to leave the house. Sigh. Stretch. Sigh again. I think I will just stay home and hang out with the hubby and kids.
I decided to cook the kids a lazy dinner consisting of corn dogs and bagel bites. They were happy, I felt guilty. I didn't even cut them an apple or offer them any veggies on the side. Oh, ketchup counts, right?
Mike and I will eat chicken, broccoli and salad (same dinner almost every night). Then we will watch a little TV, put the kids to bed at 7, put Sam to bed at 8, then watch TV until we are ready for bed (usually 9 o'clock sharp). Consistent or routine?
Now: listening to M.U.- The best of Jethrol Tull. Love the flute. I wonder if that guy was teased as a young lad. Making my yummy granola.

My 4:00pm break

I know this sounds totally lame and uneducated and everything in the realm of, well, lazy, but, I have to admit that I look forward to 4:00pm every weekday. It's the one thing that I do to keep sane. A world outside of my 'now' world, a time I take for myself, a little time away from the kids. This is what I do: I go and hide in my room and watch Inside Edition. Totally trash TV but I love it.
The kids are yelling, their homework isn't finished, the house is a mess and there is lots of work to be done. It can wait. It's starting.....

Three Cheers for Grandma!

I came home last week to find four coloring books and four boxes of crayons on my counter. They were put there by my mom, while I was out, for my kids to enjoy. And enjoy they did! It was quiet in my house for, like, 20 minutes. It was so nice. Thanks, MOM!


Oh - I did apologize to my mom for the horrid smell she had to endure when she entered my house. I told her that I cleaned out my fridge and threw the rotten 'left overs' away but hadn't washed out the containers. WHEEEEWEEE! It was smelly; and that is being kind. I told her I hope the smell didn't bother her. She said she didn't even notice. Aren't moms sweet?!

What's that behind us?

It's the Declaration of Independence! Yes, it is...look again. An official copy is currently on tour, visiting a few select U.S. cities, and Phoenix is one of them. With only one hour and 15 minutes remaining (at the time of this posting), I will tell you that it is a one-day-only showing, today, Saturday, February 20th. Go, run, now...1700 W. Washington, Phoenix. Anyway....
We took the whole gang and spent 2 hours in line, waiting and waiting and waiting. And waiting and waiting and waiting. It was worth it.

No more song embedded in a slideshow!

Can you say YEAH! I dreaded logging onto my own blog because I didn't want to hear that silly song that was embedded into one of my slideshows! I finally figured out how to delete it. And delete it, I did!
I am so much happier now. I might even post more often.
In celebrate of this lovely event, Mike is going to take me out tonight for a nice dinner, some dancing and a movie. Not really. We will attend our ward's adult Valentine's Day Formal dinner and dance and then skip out early to meet some friends at a movie. I am really excited. I know it sounds cheesy, that Valentine's Day movie looks really cute. I will post later to let you know if it's a thumbs-up (puts me in the mood) or a thumbs-down (sorry honey, not tonight).
Here are some more pics of the kids. Sam at his first Blue and Gold banquet and Sarah with her new hair cut.

it's hard to get on the computer and post. I can surf in much less time.

It's true. I've been on the computer enough times this past month that I should have updated this blog. Instead, I did what was easy and fast: I checked my email, a few other blogs, FB and then logged off. Lazy, I know.
So here it is in a nutshell....
I turned 35 years-old (uh), Sam got his Bobcat at his first Blue and Gold Banquet, Sarah learned to roller blade. Those are just the highlights. The low lights are: I turned 35 years-old and the twins are still not potty trained. I feel like the twins will learn to potty train at the same time I grow into diapers from old age. (Let's hope that doesn't happen)
All-in-all January was a good month. Although, we had a few rainy days (seemed like record-braking) that kept us indoors and caused the kids to go wild from cabin fever. We also spent a long weekend up in St Johns and joined Mike's family in celebrating his grandma's 90th birthday.

Time flies when you're having fun

It's already the middle to-the-end (?) of January 2010 and I have nothing to show for it. Oh, wait, my Christmas tree is down and packed away. Other than that, the house and kids are exactly the same as they were in 2009: loud and messy.