What to blog about???

I couldn't really decide what to blog about, but it has been 2 days, so I feel behind! LOL Clay spend the day working on our computer as it declared when he was ready to create an album, that it was totally full! We were like...WHAT?? Well, he got it all worked out, found some hidden files, and then we worked on backing up all our family photos, and getting them off the work computer to my laptop. Are you sitting down? Want to know how many family photos we have on our laptop??? Over 23,000! You think I share a lot with you on here...you aint seen nothing! You can imagine that Clay didn't think it was as comical as I did. That is only for 5 years. The first 2 years of Noah's life was documented on film. And not to mention the previous years before he came along. I started taking pictures around the time my sister was born, and she is 20, so you can imagine. I have boxes of old photos...they used to be in albums, but I thought they would take up less space if I just took them out of the albums. You know, after moving 5 times and listening to my husband gripe about ALL THE PICTURES....I thought I would do something, but that hasn't helped much. Maybe I need therapy. I think I may be addicted to taking pictures. Hmmm

So, this blog is just a little about everything we have been doing the last few weeks that I haven't blogged about.

Man...this is the time of year we want to go to the zoo, and it is just TOO HOT! This was the only time that the kids weren't complaining I think!

Rachel's new thing is fixing her own hair. And that doesn't entail brushing it. She comes up with some craziness too. And gets MAD if I try to redo it. She also likes to leave it fixed for a couple of days. And...she has even washed her hair with her ponytail holder in tact. I do fight it when it is really important, but most days, it just aint worth it.
My washing man. I taught my girls this weekend. At supper, they were all 3 aruging over who would help me with laundry. That will last I am sure, until it is time for someone to actually DO it.
This is Clay's YUMMY cheesecake he made with the springform pan I got him for Father's Day. I mean...YUMMY! Watching the food Channel is paying off.

This is the "bee" lady at the library program.

The kids at the library program...playing instruments to sound like a swarm of bees. It was SO LOUD in there! Look at Rachel's SERIOUS tan line! She needs whatever style suit Leah wears apparently.
I babysat for my friend a couple of weeks ago, and then the neighbor came over, so I had 6 kids here. They all acted so good....the kids had a blast.


You may get tired of pics of my boy cleaning....but you know I don't! Haha.. This day, he voluntarily cleaned the girl's room. Then wanted to know if I would pay him. So, I told him if he would vacuum too, then I would give him a quarter.
This was the day before I got my haircut. I had attempted to fix it that morning, but it drove me crazy, so it wasn't long until it was up.
And this is the "do" that Clay HATES. He said....Slicked back, with all those fuzzy curls sticking out.
So....Sat morning, Rachel wanted to fix my hair, and was sad it wouldn't go in a ponytail. So this is the style she came up with me. I harrassed Clay, telling him I could STILL wear a lovely hairdo with my hair short. It would just be TWO ponytails! Ha This picture does not give it the full effect.

Happy Saturday!

Clay has a 6 wedding in a row stretch starting next weekend, so we are enjoying a fun, relaxing Saturday at home! (and thank you Clay for taking these pictures!)

Freebie Homeschool Site!

Angela has created an awesome blog about all kinds of free homeschool stuff on the web. You should check it out. Even if you don't homeschool, there are links to a lot of fun stuff....might be some good ideas to pass the time this summer. If you go down a few posts, there is a post about a lapbook on Elections. I will hopefully post some pics soon of the lapbooks I have been doing soon. They are so cute and fun, and a fun way to learn without feeling like they are. Again, even if you aren't homeschooling, this election might be a fun way to teach your kiddos what's going on this year. All the stuff is free, you just have to print it all off, and then put it together in a folder. I am going to link her from the side too, so check her out from time to time...she is putting a lot of neat stuff on there! Also go down and check out her link for the free Gradeschool Memory Book. That would be cool for anyone too!!

http://eclectichomeschooler.blogspot.com

making igloos

I know I don't talk about school on here much anymore. Not sure why, just don't. I have been thinking about taking pictures of the stuff we have done this year. I am excited about it, and should do that some time.

This week, we have been talking about Arctic animals. We aren't out of school for summer. I take breaks all throughout the year, and since nothing in life changes for us when the summer comes except going swimming, we are just going on through. What else would we do around here anyway! Gotta have something to keep them occupied. And, it is actually a good incentive to tell them, "if you do good with your school work, we will go swimming this afternoon!" Anyway, we have been talking about Arctic animals, so I thought we could have a project making igloos out of sugar cubes. I talk alot about Noah and his art, but let me just say, Leah is my diligent one. If you want something done well, and someone that will stick to it, Leah is your gal. If she makes up her mind she wants to do it in the first place that is. When she eats, colors, writes, she takes her time, longer than anyone else, but she does a good job. She is also big on following the directions and rules. When I got out the sugar cubes, Rachel wanted to make a dog....(hey, at least it wasn't Sponge Bob!) and Noah wanted to build a fort. Leah....she wanted to build the igloo, just like I said we were going to do. I helped her get the first layer started, and then she worked very carefully, and I think she did a great job! I think the other 2 were disappointed they didn't build them one once they saw how cool hers was.

(notice they took a break to change out of their p.j.'s....into their church clothes!?!? Yep, this is the activity you wear your Sunday best for.)
And now, we will just eat a Popsicle instead....it's cold...that works with our theme!
Leah's finished product We are pretending that dog is a snow dog
This is Noah's village he said. By that night, half the buildings had been eaten by him....you shoulda seen him bouncing!

Before....and After!!

We are all feeling much much better today. The girls have barely coughed, and I have made it so far today feeling good! Maybe the blueberry muffins did do the trick!! They were not as good as I had hoped. I made this Blueberry Boy Bait cake...(very odd name...Clay saw it on this food program) and it was SOOO Good...so I think I will just stick with that. I need to share that recipe, we all loved it.

We had a good day today. I met Becky for lunch today when she was in Little Rock. I had my 3, and she had 6 of her kids, and they were all so good! It was great to see here, and her hair is just adorable! I meant to take pics, and I totally forgot. I will hopefully get to see them again soon though, I will get to keep her kids...at least the little ones when she has the newest Gustafson addition! I am so excited!

After I got home, we were talking Clay and I were talking about my hair. He has been on my lately b/c he can't stand a ponytail. I have been trying to grow it out, but it is so wavy, but won't do a thing, and SO HOT that I wear it up all the time. He told me to just get it cut then, and I was ready. I kinda wished she'd gotten it a little shorter, and I make let her cut some more off when I go back to get it highlighted. I had Noah with me today, and I didn't want him to have to wait while I did that. I also, had Noah's professional cut for the first time ever today. I have always just buzzed it with the clippers b/c I didn't want to have to pay to get it cut. He has such nice/thick hair, and I like it longer, but it was getting wild! So....I am LOVING his new haircut! I should have taken him somewhere a long time ago!

Here is our before and after photos we took of each other.

What do you do when you are tired of being sick???

You make blueberry muffins at 10:00 pm! Ha ha I was watching Jon and Kate tonight, and she was making blueberry pancakes, and they looked so good. And, I happen to have some frozen blueberries in the freezer....probably the first time ever, so I started googling a recipe for blueberry muffins from scratch. They are in the oven right now, and I am ready to induldge!! haha

I am feeling some better. Thank you everyone for your concern. I don't know what is up, but I don't want to go to the doc and spend the money for him to tell me....oh, it is just your sinuses!! And, it could be, but I have not had a stuffy nose at all, and we all had fever last week. Leah's got up to 103. Now, I feel o.k. in the morning, but by afternoon, my throat still hurts so bad, but it is just red, nothing else. Maybe it is just allergies. I don't know. Nothing serious now, it just makes me feel cruddy. And I am tired of feeling cruddy everynight. So...I am going to go enjoy me some muffins in just a bit, and I will let you know how they turned out!

Rachel's artwork

Rachel did these drawings one day, but she wanted to give them to my mother-in-law, but I was so proud that she took it upon herself to draw these, I took a pic of them to save them. Noah has always been our drawer, but the girls have shown very little interest. Just lately have I been noticing little square and circle shape people on things.

I am still so proud to see her name written. Her learning to write her name has been a huge accomplishment this year. It was a lot slower coming than the other 2, and we are all so proud.

I believe the above photo is of Patrick, and then below is Sponge Bob...she always remembers to draw his spatula! (Why can't my kids draw things besides Sponge Bob!?!?)

still sick!

I am sick of being sick. I will get better for a day, and then feel horrible the next 2 or 3. The kids are all still sick too. I thought they were better too, and now they are coughing their heads off again. Today, my throat has hurt so bad I haven't been worth anything! I have had more naps in the last 2 weeks than I think I have had since I was pregnant....not sure if I even took naps then. It is not my tonsils, it is like the entire area of my throat above my tonsils is so red. It feels like, and looks like it is burned?? We went to the pool one day last week and stayed 30 mins b/c then Leah started coughing and couldn't stop. This is summer....we aren't suppose to be sick. And Clay still hasn't gotten it. He is the only one. Anyway, this was just a pity party post....and the pictures are just some I took one day when I fixed the girls hair in pigtails for the first time. Nothing exciting...but I felt the need to post photos! haha

Disney Extravaganza

These 2 made the perfect Belle and Beast. Noah was my only child that would get in a picture with a character. We had Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, Snow White and Dopey and Sleepy, Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, and Mr. Incredible. They all took turns at the booth posing with the kids. And we had some kids come back each time they saw a new character. They were so excited! One girl was about to jump out of her skin she was SO excited to get to have her photo made wiht Belle and Beast!

My settings got messed up on this one...at least it was of my own kids! haha
We had an artist volunteer to paint this as our backdrop on a canvas. It turned out great, I just wish it had been a little bigger, b/c I had a time fitting everyone on it!
A balloon artist made this for us

The CASA volunteers had this CARS booth. They had little mini cars for them to drive around.

This is Alicen, she is our social worker. Our kids call her Alicen Wonderland. They were just tickled to see her dressed as Cinderella. Then they said she should have been Alice in Wonderland! haha
Someone e-mailed me a few of these.... you know I don't care for this one of me, but this is what I was doing the whole time! ( Man, I need a new hairstyle!)
This is Christie, the one that was behind this whole day

learning to sew

Homemade slingshot

I found a folder of pictures I forgot to ever blog about. Here, my dad made Noah a slingshot, and it turned out great! He was really excited that he made that for him.

His price is going up....

Yesterday and today, when I tried to get Noah to do the laundry for me again like last week, he said, "only if you pay me $10!" It is worth that price, but I just don't know if I am going to be able to afford him!! Smart boy. I am still thinking on that one. If it keeps piling up though, I may give in. Hmm

Disneyland, Comes to Life in LR! (Our Saturday)

Wow, I am overwhelmed by the day we had today. My friend Christie, (She is so awesome!) organized a Disney Extravaganza for the foster/adoption eligiable kids today. It was truly wonderful. I could dedicate this whole post to all the things she does for these kids...voluntarily. So many churches and people volunteer to put this on, and the kids had so much fun! It was just awesome being around so many people that were there b/c they love these kids. They truly do have a lot of people on their side rooting, and praying for them.

I had a booth....of course, it was Minnie's photo booth. I thought I could tackle it by myself, but thankfully, my dear sweet husband arrived pretty soon when I called him for help! I was so excited to see the lovely faces of my husband and kids! I felt like my team was there with me! I took my laptop, and my picture mate printer, and we printed the photos for the kids right there. It did get kinda wild, but still, I felt so PRIVILEDGED to be part of it. Wow. Again, as I always am, I have been an emotional mess. For so many reasons. Rejoicing for the children that I saw again, that were now with their new parents! (YIPEE!) And hopeful for the kids that were meeting prospective parents. B/c that is also part of what this day was for. It was a day for potential adoptive parents to meet the kids. And, I felt so silly to get so excited each time a kid came up that I had already met when I did their heart gallery photo. I doubt they remembered me, but I greeted them by name with excitement....if only they knew the time I have spent looking at each photo and praying for them. Words cannot express how priviledged I feel to be able to be involved with the work for these kids. Truly. God is awesome. And the people I am meeting, that advocate for these kids, are awesome. Meeting these children have changed me as a person, how I look at the world, how I feel in my heart, and how I know God.

My best story of the day. An adorable little girl marched right up to Minnie and hopped into her lap with the biggest, happiest smile I had ever seen. And whenever I looked at her closely, I realized I had looked at her photo over and over again, looking into her sad eyes. Eyes that told the pain she had been though. I met her whenever Kelly and I photographed these kids the first time. And she and I have talked about her so many times. And the woman standing beside her, I asked her, "is she with you?" And she said, "Yes, she is my adopted daughter, we finalize in August!" And I burst into tears. She looked at me kinda funny, and then hugged ME b/c I was crying. And then, through my stumbling, and cracked voice, I described to her what she was like the day I first met her. How it took 30 mins for her to give us a weak smile, and that the change in her was AMAZING! She has only lived with her for 4 months. I told her she was awesome, and GOD BLESS her for what she had done for this little girl. And I will never forget that. And I have told this story to my mom, Clay, and typed it here, and I tear up everytime!

Love it!!

Yesterday I babysat for a friend, and then the neighbor came over, so I had SIX kids at our house!! I will post more pics later of her girls on my private blog, but I just LOVE this one! Her baby is just PRECIOUS, and evertime the older kids would go outside, she would just stand at the door patting it talking to them. I love this one where Rachel is smiling at her...(except you can see how dirty our glass it!! haha)

He was at it again.....

My cleaning child.....Sunday night he got the urge to clean the dining room floor. The tile floor in there is shiny, and if you use a mop, it leave horrible streaks. This entire project was his idea...I was exhausted, and didn't even want to think about cleaning, but told he could do whatever he wanted. I came out, and he had sprayed the floor down with windex, and had made "newspaper shoes" and was wiping it all up. (notice in the left hand, that is his windex bottle) The floor looked great when he got done. I don't know how, but that boy made that floor look better than I ever can!!

And, in answer to previous post questions....I have no idea why he likes to clean, or where he learned it from. I was the biggest slob growing up, and Clay was too. He just gets these crazy urges, and it is the best thing ever for me!!

Oh, and this is the same day I had paid him $5 to do all our laundry for me b/c I was sick. It was so piled up....and he washed it all, and dryed it, and I just had to fold it and put it away. He was excited to do it! He kept running to me asking when the dryer would quit so he could get another load going. I am sure this will not last forever, but I am going to enjoy it, and reward him for it, as long as he wants to do it!

Hooray for the Ice Cream truck....Again!