Can you do this?

We were sitting down for our nightly routine.

This is what Harmonie decided to do.

 

I had to stop and take pictures because she was just so cute! I thought I needed to capture the moment in time when she could fold herself in half - her feet can touch her head. I know all babies/toddlers can do this, but I don't know if I've ever captured it before. She was just so happy and didn't care that it was a little odd to the rest of us. Even if I could fold in half, my legs are too long and my feet don't touch my head. She started to get a little concerned that we were paying so much attention to her, as you can tell in the pictures. What a sweet, fun little girl!

Happy Birthday to my Honey!

He had to work on his birthday but that's okay. The kids and I enjoyed pancakes and ice cream for breakfast, which is always a yummy treat!

 

He decided he wanted new work clothes for his birthday so Wednesday (a couple days before his actual birthday) we all went shopping with him. He picked out some new shirts, a new tie, a new belt, and two pairs of pants. He tried to get the same colors that he already has but they all weren't exactly the same. He looks mighty sharp!

 

He asked for a homemade ice cream cake. I even made the fudge sauce from scratch. I thought it was yummy but the candy ice cream was a little too much. Next time I'll do it with simpler flavors. He did a great job blowing out the candles. 

More presents... he didn't give me a list so I had to come up with things on my own, which meant he was truly surprised. Except for this first one, because he did ask for a shoe shine kit.

Xiomara and Kemiah decided to buy him some mini starburst candies. They know he really likes them and these were really fun! They are really small and aren't wrapped so they are really easy to eat!

Ben thought of this one on his own. Kevin bought some tire changing tools the week before his birthday but needed an extension piece. Ben remembered and bought it for him, with Ben's own money! I thought it was great!

This is actually the apple peeler that we have been borrowing for quite some time but I ordered one for him so I figured it could stand in. I like it because we can make apple cinnamon oatmeal really quickly. Kevin likes to dehydrate the apple slices and eat them as a snack.

Harmonie couldn't eat the ice cream cake (still reactive to milk) so she enjoyed the cookies!

Some of the kids couldn't finish their piece of ice cream cake - too sweet. We just put their bowls in the freeze so they could finish them later. Of course, those who didn't like the peanut butter ice cream didn't want to finish it later, so the rest of us helped them. 

I think he had a nice birthday. We were just glad he didn't have to work so that we could really celebrate with him. We are so glad he loves us so much and takes such good care of us! Thank you!

Passed out BABY!

Today was the library's last summer activity, so I took the kids. We watched a woman play the accordion and sing songs. I couldn't believe my kids - most sat in the chair at the back of the room and they read books off the table about music and nursery rhymes. No one sang along, except me because I was entertaining Harmonie and Domonique. I had a good time. Anyway, Harmonie fell asleep in the car on the way home. She didn't get her nap today so she was really out. She stayed asleep as I got her out of her car seat and carried her into the house. She stayed asleep as I laid her on the couch. She stayed asleep as the kids and I ate dinner. Oh no! She was really out. I didn't let her sleep very long but it was really hard to wake her up. Of course, when it was time to put her to bed tonight, she wasn't ready. Oh well. She sure was cute and it was really hard for me not to swoop her up into my arms and snuggle with her while she slept. I would have joined her in dream land!

 

So seriously funny and awesome (if it works).

The last few days Domonique has been saying something really great!

"I'm three. I don't need a fier."

That's short for pacifier.

Her sister Emily told her, and she has stated it many times,

now that she is 3 years old, she doesn't need a pacifier.

I'll take her to bed for nap time and she'll remind me.

When she goes to bed at night, she reminds me.

The only down side is that she doesn't go to sleep very quickly.

Nap time may no longer happen for her because she is trying to stop using her pacifier.

I guess that's okay because then maybe she'll go to sleep faster at night,

even without the pacifier!

Way to go little one!

Frustration

Back in June I went on vacation with my kids. I took my laptop, thinking I would do some blogging while I was away. Unfortunately, I didn't have WIFI so I never took the computer out. When we got home, I turned on the laptop and it wouldn't go past the "Starting Windows" screen. It won't do anything. It is now at a repair place in hopes that they can get it to work - or at the very least recover all my pictures and data! Needless to say, I have been at a loss. We have other computers, but they are not MINE and so it's hard to work on them. I have decided that I need to do something before it is too late so I'm letting you know (if anyone really cares) that I have posted lots (or am in the process of doing so) but I put them in the date that they originally happened. So you'll have to look back into June and July as I add two trips, a birthday, camping and so forth. I sure hope my laptop will be fixed soon!

Doing that thing that all kids do.

I can still remember, oh so many years ago, Emily and Marissa putting the Potato Head earings on their ears and saying they looked like Grammy (my mom). It was totally cute back then, and even Ben wanted to be part of it. I laughed when I saw Harmonie walk into the room with the same Potato Head earings on her ears. She thought it was so neat, and enjoyed shaking her head a little to feel them wiggle on her ears. What a cutie pie!

 

And just so you know I'm telling the truth, I looked up the old photos of when the older kids were much younger...

Oh the memories!

Wow! I'm home!

We had our last summer vacation and I'll post about that later.
Just thought I'd let you all know that it is hot and humid, here in Michigan.
We got in last night and the kids were sweating just being in our non-air conditioned home.
We turned the a/c units on in our bedrooms, unpacked the car, ate dinner, showered the sweaty kids and put them to bed.
Today I have to take the fans around the house with me because I can't stand  being without the air flow!
This totally reminds me of island life.
I hope this heat wave ends soon so that we can be more comfortable.
We'll be moving the extra a/c unit to the school room so that we can finish up school. Yikes!
Anyway, we are well and glistening and working hard!

Visit to Colorado!

Believe it or not, my 20 year high school reunion was this summer. Can it possibly be that long? Yes, yes it can. We decided to take the entire family, not so much for the reunion but to show them where I grew up. I haven't been back there since 2004, and that was just driving through on our way to Alaska from Florida. Anyway, it was a two-day road trip and the kids did great. (Movies are really the way to go!) It was a quick visit and we were able to stay with my brother, who recently moved back to Colorado.

 

Friday we drove up to Greeley to show the kids where I went to college. It has changed some, because they tore down some buildings and put up new ones in their place. I'm sure there were other changes but I was happy to see the Institute of Religion was still the same. We stopped there to show them where I went to Church and spent a lot of my time (and we ended up eating our lunch there after the tour of the campus). Then we walked around some of the campus. I showed them a couple buildings that I had classes in but I didn't take them inside any of the buildings. I thought it would be a little strange to have my little kids peeking into college classrooms. We walked down to my freshman dorm and I showed them my room - easy to do when it's on the first floor in the corner. It was interesting to see these places again but probably not very exciting for the kids.

 

This was new. I think you can guess what our mascot is...

We have some friends in Saginaw who have family just north of Greeley, and they have a dairy farm. So we decided to drive up and stop in unannounced. Fortunately, they were very friendly and we had a great time. We got to see the big momma cows, baby cows, and the reason for the smell in Greeley. The family was so nice to us and it was fun to chat with them!

Some of the baby cows were very friendly. Others were not so we stayed away from them.

When we got back to my brother's house, Kevin and I got ready to leave and my brother fed the kids dinner. Kevin and I drove into Denver and I was amazed at the size of the city. It was fun to see Rockies Field, Elitch Gardens, and the new (well, I've never seen it before) Broncos Stadium. We found the bar where the high school adult gathering was to be held. It was awkward at first but I found some people I recognized and then as I saw peoples names (or talked to other people who knew who was who) and dawning occurred. It was fun to see how they had changed and talk to them to see what they've been up to. I couldn't make it to the 10-year reunion because I had just had Marissa, so I really hadn't seen any of these friends for 20 years. The only downs were that the bar was loud, there wasn't enough a/c, and they didn't keep their end of the deal. The bar said they would close to outsiders until we were done but odd people kept coming in. Anyway, it was fun to chat and catch up.

 

Saturday morning found some of us just sitting around. My kids found a Calvin and Hobbes book and were having a hard time sharing it. Once my brother figured out what they were doing, he left the room and came back with the collection of Calvin and Hobbes books so everyone could have their own. They were addicted!

Others of us enjoyed playing while we waited for the time to head down to Castle Rock. Looking back I wish we had left earlier so that maybe we could have climbed Castle Rock, but we ran out of time so we'll have to do that next time we visit.

Here's my crew walking across the parking lot to go to the picnic with my high school class. They just looked so cute I had to take a picture. Amazingly enough, that was the only picture I took. The camera went into my bag and never came out. We ate lunch, then Kevin took the kids to the pool for a swim, while I chatted with classmates who showed up at the park. Everyone met the crew when they were done swimming. It was a much better setting for visiting and catching up and I loved seeing the families of my high school friends. So fun!

After the picnic, we drove past my old high school and junior high (which are now all part of the high school), and stopped by my old elementary as well. This is the view from the elementary.

Then we stopped by my old house. Yes, this is the same corner that I grew up on.

This is the sign in the corner of the yard. I remember painting it and it looks very much like how I remember it. 

A view down the street from the house on the corner. That's the duplex my parents moved into after I graduated from high school. It wasn't much of a move really, but it was down-sizing quite a bit since they would only have one child left at home.

 

And there's Castle Rock, right across the street. Due to time, rain, and lightning we decided not to climb. Besides, it seems you can't go up the quick path anymore, so we'll do it the next time we visit - the kids will be older and maybe I won't be pregnant.

Castle Rock, the town, has changed so much. I guess that's good (especially since gas costs so much). I learned that there are now 7 high schools in the county - there used to be just one. The town has an outlet mall (which was small before I left), a hospital, movie theater, and tons of shopping that wasn't there when I was there. There are now 5 wards, and Castle Rock is a stake - there was only one ward when I was there and it split just before I graduated. Changes are good but it's weird when you're not part of them.

Sunday we drove down to Castle Rock to attend Sacrament Meeting in the building that I went to growing up. I saw a few familiar faces and that was so fun! Then we changed clothes and headed farther south to show the kids the Air Force Academy. It was fun to see the grounds and it brought back memories. Kevin enjoyed driving us around and telling us stuff. Then we stopped at the Academy Chapel, of course. It was a nice day and we enjoyed walking around. Then we got to watch cadets gather and do their stuff (Kevin could give more information). Kevin kept telling the kids about how things were when he was there. Then a woman next to us started talking about when she was there. It was fun to listen to the different stories. She graduated in the 80's. The Air Force seems like a whole lifetime ago.

This is what Harmonie did to entertain herself: took off her shirt and put it on her leg. Poor little girl couldn't see anything over the wall because I left her in the stroller. Eventually I got her out, and she quit taking off her clothes.

They went up to go inside the chapel while I stayed outside to change a diaper. Strollers weren't allowed up the stairs and into the chapel. The kids enjoyed seeing the stained-glass windows. It's really is an awesome building.

We had a nice visit. The vacation took 7 days of leave (7/10-16) but we were only in Colorado for 3 1/2 days. We packed in as much as we could and tried to enjoy each place. Next time, when the kids are older, we'll do more hiking and stuff like that because then all the kids (and adults) will be able to enjoy it. We enjoyed having dinner at my brother's house every night - big thanks to him for hosting us! We were also glad that the rest of his family showed up before we left so we could spend some time with them.