Motherly Moments

After watching Lisa's post, I thought this would be appropriate. This heralds from our friends Vanessa and Jacob. They have 3 boys and a daughter Katie....

katie is kind of cranky, it's her nap time and i usually have to walk her around to make her fall asleep during church. it's not working. so i just kind of give up and just walk around so she doesnt scream in everyones ears. she's happy, and i'm being amused by the 3 year old that got up by the front pulpit and was saying "you can't catch me!" to the very embarrassed mom. he sees that the bishop spotted him and ran up further inbetween the rows of chairs, then he realizes he's cornered and gives up, every one chuckles, so do i. poor mom is embarrassd but it made church a little exciting...i go back to my seat as the final verse is being sung, and gather my stuff up and the kids take off, jake looks at me and says "i've got to tell you something" okay...what?...too many people around i guess, so he ushers me down the hall a little as we pass a few people smiling at us. nothing abnormal. then jake divulges the story "well you know how on the forth of july when we bought those fireworks?" yeah? " well you know how they had lots of different kinds of fireworks?" yeah? "well APPARENTLY, a tampon looks a lot like one of those little poppers you find in those packages of fireworks" ohno... "yeah i turned around and apparently ryan while looking in your purse to see if you brought any snacks or toys for church, came across your pocket in the purse that contained a tampon, and it was too late by the time i saw him he was very frustrated that the "popper firework" wasnt working when he pulled the string." ohno...."did anyone see?" "OH YEAH. there were a few families that were turning purple as they were trying not to make a scene from laughing hysterically, there were even some with tears in thier eyes!" that my friends is what happens when you leave your boys for half an hour with your husband at church.

Ty's new haircut

Ty just got a haircut and it was a little shorter than expected. Tell us what you think. Yay or Nay.

It's alive!

At last! The blog is alive. Sorry I have not posted anything in a while. These past few weeks have been rather strenuous and hectic.Raising 3 children is not as easy as some may suspect, despite having someone as supportive and helpful as Brian for a husband. I have been so exhausted at the end of the day that the thought of getting on the computer just seemed like another chore.Here is a quick update on what has been happening.

Our addition upstairs is almost finished. We extended the floor of our loft to cover the two-storied entry in order to enlarge the loft and add some closets for some bank computers.

Ashlynn is enjoying her second year of playing soccer, although her competitiveness is really shining through. Whenever the other team scores a goal and she doesn't, she gets more and more frustrated. I think it must be hard to deal with such competitive feelings when you are only six. I wouldn't know. I've never been competitive in sports.

I am also learning alot about Ashlynn's class, having the opportunity to volunteer once a week.

Briggs turned 4 on Sep. 21 and celebrated with a big bash a Chuck E. Cheese. He was so excited, but much preferred playing games as to being interrupted by the Big Cheese himself wanting to sing him happy birthday.

Ty has earned a new nickname, "El Diablo" as his devious actions have only incresed as time goes on. His daddy just gave him a haircut, which was a wee bit too short- the kid looks like "Private Rober".

Ode to Amanda

Brian and I are so lucky to have the wonderful family that we do, but I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone how AWSOME my sister Amanda is. I honestly don't know what I would do without her.

For those of you who don't know, Amanda, my younger sister, lives here locally and has been a livesaver in so many ways. She watches our kids all the time and refuses to accept payment, she helps us with our garden year-round, and she is always available to provide sisterly advice whenever I need it.

Some examples of how Amanda rocks:

She has the knack for showing up right at that time of the evening before Brian gets home and I am about to lose it. She'll take the kids out for a walk, or play with them in the garden so that I can get dinner ready or just put my feet up.

She takes our kids to Farmers Market EVERY SINGLE THURSDAY EVENING. For those who don't know, it is a massive street fair where the kids and their "Aunty Mae Mae" have fun traditions they enjoy. This is a huge deal, and she had been doing this for almost 2 years strait now. She loves it, the kids love it, and Brian and I love it. Can you say, "Win, win, win situation"?

She is always taking the kids to her house so that Brian and I can get big projects done at the house when necessary. Like today. Brian and I are getting ready for a trip and need to get the house ready, so Mae has all 3 kids. Am I spoiled or what.

Mae has spent so much time with our kids and knows them so well, Brian and I cosider her our third parent. I can't tell you how many times we consult her for parenting advice when we have a problem - and she doesn't even have kids of her own!

Needless to say, I have so much gratitude and love in my heart for Amanda. I am so much closer to her now than I have ever been, and it is all because she has truly shown me how gratitude and service can change a persons's heart.

New Vocab List

I have added an element to the blog as a way, mostly for me, to keep track of Ashlynn and her crazy vocabulary that she spits out. She copies everything she hears, but she knows how to use the words properly. If you click on the word, it is linked to wikipedia for the definition.

I've also included a picture of Briggs and his friends, Harry and Delaney, on their first day of school.

First day of school

Ashlynn started 1st grade last Tuesday, and Briggs started a new preschool today. They were both excited to start and had great days.

Oh, yeah, and here is what I deal with in their absence (aka Ty).

Ashlynn's birthday

Ashlynn had a little birthday party here at the house. Here is a picture of me bringing in the cake while we sang to her. Notice the precarious situation of the cake. Yes, it was air born but somehow landed right-side-up on the table. All of the little girls squealed and claimed I almost burned the house down. Why is it that 6-year old girls exaggerate so much?