Video Games

For you other moms out there with boys in the 8-12 range, how do they seem to react to video games?

My boys seem to want to play them constantly! Not that I let them...but they play as often and for as long as I permit. Usually I end up taking the Wii away earlier than I had planned though because they end up fighting over it. Is that typical?

I've also had to take some of their games away, due to the attitude that always seemed to follow.

I know how much they love the Wii. At times, it really bothers me that they try so hard to make me feel like a bad mother for taking the game away. But I have to take it when I feel that it is becoming a detriment to them. Speaking of which....I'm off to take it from them now!

Didn't get lost...

I really didn't get lost...I promise! I did get sidetracked and away from my blog for a while. My man lost his job! So...he was here with me all day, every day. And hogging the computer! Can you believe that? I told him that all of my friends live in my computer (yes, I realize that is pathetic...) He didn't seem to care. He's back to work, but the baby is crawling. And MAN, can he crawl fast! I mean, super fast! So I am spending quite a lot of time baby-chasing. I really need to invest in a baby gate. We've been doing a lot of baby proofing. Cabinet locks and such. But we need a gate, so that I can at least confine the speed demon to just one room!!!

Wednesday, day 44 of 365

Carrot Face!!

Tuesday, day 43 of 365

So full of expression! I just love all the different faces he makes each day. I shot about 40 pics of him on this Tuesday, and he had a different face going in nearly all of them. This ended up being one of my favorites though...not exactly sure why!

Monday, day 42 of 365

Wearing Daddy's hat

Oh, how he loves to wear hats. But only if they are too big for him, so that they flop around on his head. He's going to be such the little goof ball. And already you can see the drama king coming out in him (just like his big brother Ethan...)

Sunday, day 41 of 365

Yum! Peaches!

Saturday, day 40 of 365

My guys...well, the ones in this state at the moment. Glen was pouting, Lucas was pissed. And Chuck seemed oblivious to both, as he watched something on TV. Typical....LOL

Friday, day 39 of 365

Glen waiting for VBS to start at church. He really enjoyed Camp E.D.G.E. The puppets were great!

Thursday, day 38 of 365

Lucas. Being cute, as always!

Wednesday, day 37 of 365

Another Mischief pic...and me trying out the black and white setting on my camera.

Tuesday, day 36 of 365

well, this is a self portrait...and the best picture I have from this day. Ugh, I could smack myself for not uploading more frequently. It's blurry. But I've got nothing better.

Monday, day 35 of 365

Today is another Mischief picture...

Her favorite spot to sleep (other than in our laps) is on top of the cable box, in the entertainment center. I guess it stays warm, so she likes that. You can see the plastic curling up, she's clawed the lining up on the front of the box. I don't know how much longer she can fit in there though, she's growing so fast!

Sunday, day 34 of 365

Here is Mischief...confirming that we gave her the proper name. This little kitty is always getting into things. Her favorite thing to do is sit behind the couch on the bay window and bat the curtains. She's poked holes in them already. *sigh*

Saturday, day 33 of 365

Again, with the cell phone. Just after a bath...his arms are blurry because he was waving his arms and was just so very happy! He LOVES baths :D

Friday, day 32 of 365

Ok, so if he sees that I kept this pic, and posted online...he will probably shoot me! But I thought it was funny. He was just trying on the hat as a joke when we were at Walmart. He would never actually purchase and wear it! He's more of a ballcap kind of guy.

Thursday, day 31 of 365

Ok so, I didn't take today's picture! Don't shoot me! We took Lucas to Sears to try to get some good professional pics. After Olan Mills was so awful, we didn't want to spend a lot. I had a coupon for a $4.99 package at sears...The results being, of course I want all of them because they were SOOO good!!! This was my favorite.

Wednesday, Day 30 of 365

Another cell phone pic...I have decided that Lucas is the new record holder for the world's most stubborn boy title.

Tuesday, day 29 of 365

Sitting in the waiting room of Olan Mills...We wanted to take Lucas for some professional pictures since he hadn't had any done yet. Olan Mills was HORRIBLE!!! This was the best shot of the day, and I snapped it with my cell phone as we waited...and waited...by the time we were done waiting, Lucas didn't want to play anymore! I was so disappointed!

Monday, Day 28 of 365

This pic turned out kinda cool. Lol

Lucas and I were sitting out on the porch, enjoying the nice day. Well, he was enjoying it a bit more than I was. He likes 90 + degree weather apparently! And when I looked back, I saw Mischief sitting in the window looking out at us. So, I snapped this picture with my cell, and was really pleased with the result! I didn't expect the reflection on the glass would make it look like a double exposure. But it did!

Sunday, Day 27 of 365

Today was a pouting day. He was mad because we wouldn't let him destroy the blinds at Chili's. He badly needed a nap!

Saturday, Day 26 of 365

Mischief tried to walk past Lucas on the couch, and he reached out and grabbed her. He's starting to grab every thing that gets with in his reach. She seemed really suprised that he grabbed her, and she actually just settled down and was letting him hold her. That is until he decided that she might make a good chew toy....LOL

Friday, Day 25 of 365

So, usually my kids, or my new kitty are the subject of my 365 pics, but today...I saw this and this will have to sum up the highlight of my day. Sad as that is, the most excitement I had was walking up to the neighbor's yard sale. They had some little hand golf carts that Chuck wanted to check out...we didn't get those, but he did get 21 golf clubs for $2. They aren't the greatest, but most are in decent condition. He's going to be able to get a whole set for Logan out of them though! So worth the walk up there. However this $10 table was the most..interesting...thing that they had for sale. We could only think of it as a crotch table! LOL

Thursday, day 24 of 365

Today's photo of the day...our new kitty, Mischief. Chuck found her at work. Someone dumped a whole litter of them out at the dumpster outside his store! Being the big softy that he is, you know he couldn't leave her there. So he brought her home, and his coworkers took the rest of them. She is so fun to watch. When I first saw her, I thought she was such a pitiful looking little thing. She looks much better now that she has had a bath! Smells alot better too!! We've decided to call her Mischief, because every time we turn our backs she's getting into mischief!

Wednesday, Day 23 of 365

My boys left today to go visit their dad for the summer. I'm so depressed. Lucas has been freaking evil today too...*sigh*

Tuesday, day 22 of 365

Ethan and Lucas were snuggling with me before we got up for the day. They were so cute. E would tell Lucas something and Lucas would just coo back at him. Ethan told him, this is a quarter. You can't have it because you might eat it. Then you would choke and die, and then I'd be sad. And Mama would whoop my big fat bahookey.

Aren't kids funny?

Monday, day 21 of 365

You just never know what to expect with little boys! Monday was Memorial Day, and we managed to catch a Star Wars marathon on TV. Being little boys, you know how much they loved that! So we spent the day sitting on the couch (not always on bottoms as you can see), eating popcorn, and getting our Jedi fix!

Sunday, day 20 of 365

sick baby...enough said

Saturday, Day 19 of 365

We took a trip up to visit my mom, just for the day. She wanted to see Logan and Ethan before they left for the summer. She hadn't seen them since October! She doesn't make the trip here, I have to go see her. And with the fire and new baby, we just hadn't had the money...

Friday, Day 18 of 365

Glen graduated today! Preschool graduation, that is! But they had the caps and gowns...even got little diplomas. Each of the 19 kids in his class had 2 poems/songs to perform, plus several group songs. They were SOOOO cute! Here's Glen and his proud Daddy :D

Thursday, Day 17 of 365

Goofing around at the doctor's office before their physicals. They totally freaked when they were told they had to pee in a cup!

Wednesday, Day 16 of 365

So, the big event of today is that it was the last day of school. Not only the last day of the year, but their last day EVER at Clyde Riggs! Next year they will be at another school, we are in a different zone at the new house, so goodbye Clyde Riggs!

Logan is looking more and more like Chris every day....

Tuesday, Day 15 of 365

Lucas and Chuck sitting out in the picnic area of Jetter's during dinner. I love the pooh shirt...we actually have 2 of the exact same one. I'm going to be so sad when he outgrows it.

Monday, Day 14 of 365

Logan, watching something on the computer and looking so serious. He is growing up entirely too fast. He's already picking out what kind of car he is going to get when he starts driving. And worries about money, and what is going to happen because of this or that. I wish he didn't worry, but he gets that from me...

Sunday, Day 13 of 365

More thumbsucking.....*sigh* He's SO attached to it now.

Saturday, day 12 of 365

Saturday we went to the Strawberry Festival here in Portland. I took over 100 pictures of the kids playing. They did Laser Tag with Chuck. Logan and Ethan vs. Glen and Chuck. The boys were so busy watching Chuck that they would forget Glen, and he could walk right up to them and shoot them.....

Friday, Day 11 of 365

So, it's official..my baby is a thumbsucker :( Neither of my big boys were...they barely took a pacifier. My stepson is almost 5 and still sucks his thumb. I'm really, really, really hoping that we can get Lucas to stop well before then. *sigh* If not, it will drive me crazy!!!

Wednesday and Thursday, Days 9 and 10 of 365

Glen was inspecting the house with a magnifying glass on Thursday...he was so cute!

Lucas is quite the outdoorsy baby. He loves to be outside, or looking out. We spend quite a bit of time standing at the door looking out so that he is happy!

Monday and Tuesday, Days 7 and 8 of 365

Lucas looking cute as always on Tuesday :)

Playing with Daddy on Monday....

365, Days 3 through 6

Me and my boys on Mother's Day. Ok...I obviously didn't take this pic myself, but it was the best representation of that day....

Saturday, Chuck reading Sports Illustrated to Lucas...trying to make him a sports addict early on

Friday, Ethan's recycle project...we made a lion out of a pop box, oatmeal canister, 4 toilet paper rolls and a kroger bag....Not too bad huh?

Logan on Thursday afternoon....in his John Deere shirt. We got it on clearance for like $3.50! We bought a different John Deere shirt for each of the 3 big boys and didn't pay over $4 for any of them. I love clearance racks :)

Wednesday, Day 2 of 365

My photo for Wednesday....is my Mother's Day present from my boys. I know, I know, Mother's Day isnt until Sunday. But I have little boys, they can't wait. So this has got to be the most...interesting...present I have ever got for Mother's Day. I got a pearl necklace. And had to get the pearl out of the oyster myself. It came from Bass Pro Shop, LOL! Not somewhere that you expect a Mother's Day present to come from, huh? It was cute though, and I do love it. I let the boys get the pearl out, mainly because I didn't want to touch the oyster!

365 Days, 365 Photos

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. At times, I think that is true. It can remind you of days long past, things you hadn't remembered until you looked at it. I found this challenge on a friend's page on facebook.

http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

So, I'm going to take the challenge. And do a photo a day. I may not be able to upload them all every single day. I have a life with 4 kids! Some times I don't have time to upload daily! Having 4 kids, I usually take more than one photo a day anyways! lol

I took this picture of me and Lucas sitting on our porch on Tuesday.

Tennessee's Monsoon Season

When I moved here, no one told me there was a monsoon season! It has rained for 2 weeks pretty much non stop...My kids can't play outside. We cant mow the grass. Our yard looks like a swamp. I can't plant any flowers....I hate rain.

On another note...I finally saw "Twilight". And, I have to admit, I really dont see what all the hype is about. Decent movie, but I have seen way better! Why is everyone so excited about it? I just don't get it. Maybe I am just too old to appreciate it.

Writing, amongst other things

I haven't wrote much lately. A few posts on here, and that is about it. I used to write a lot...short stories, fan fiction, anything that popped into my head. Since the fire, I just haven't really had any inspiration. Plus with a new baby, there hasn't been much free time. I am going to have to start doing better about that!

Right now, I am too hot to write! Our dang air isn't working. We are going to have to have someone out to look at it on Monday. Wouldn't it figure that it goes out the instant it hits 85 degrees outside? It was working fine last week when it was just 75 out.

And my boys have spots...The school nurse said yesterday that she thought it was chicken pox. So I take them to the doctor this morning. The doctor said, not chicken pox. What do they have then? "Well, this spot here, that is poison ivy. These spots down here, those are chiggers. These are mosquito bites. And those, well 'I am not quite sure what those are'." Words of confidence there...I'm not quite sure. And guess which spots itch the most? That's right! The "I'm not quite sure" spots.

My Saturday

So, yesterday Chuck took the 3 big boys fishing...leaving me and Lucas home alone for a while. I took advantage of him being in a good mood by taking some really cute pictures of him. He actually cooperated for a little while so that I could get a few good shots.

This one ended up being my favorite. I had him propped up and as I was snapping some, he slipped down but was still smiling. I had to reposition him after this one, I got a few others that turned out really cute as well. Now, I just need to try to convince the big boys to pose for some pictures for me!

The Things Kids Say

I'm breastfeeding Lucas...have been from the start. And I haven't made it a secret. I nurse with the boys in the room. I do try to be fairly discreet, yet I'm not going to leave the room each time. Well, apparently today is when Glen, my step son, noticed that I am breastfeeding. Lucas is 11 weeks old...

I'm nursing in the living room, watching TV with Chuck. Glen walks by and stops and stares for a moment at me. Then he goes and climbs up in Chuck's lap, and asks, "Daddy, why is baby brother sucking on Allie's tummy?" So Chuck explains that mommies are made to be able to feed babies, and that baby brother was having a snack. He sits there for a minute quietly, and then says:

"I just thought he ate soup."


Kids just crack me up!

"I'm a father"

...that's what my 8 year old told me this afternoon as I picked him up from school. Hmmm...How is this possible? I asked. And he tells me that he adopted a baby "calipiller" and it will turn into a butterfly to be released as part of a science project. I sent Chuck a message telling him what E said, and his response is "So who's the lucky girl, and when do we meet her?" Like I would find that funny...

But the discussion somehow turned to animals, and what their babies are called. Logan is quizzing E, trying to stump him. So I have to get involved to try to stump Logan...that's only fair, isn't it? "What's a baby elephant called?" E's answer: an elf.

I had to stop the car because I was laughing so hard. The things that kids say....

My Boys

Anti-Crack Bill

Most mornings, I have the news on as the kids are getting ready for school. Sorta half watching it, half keeping them on tasks, only partially paying attention to anything but the weather. But this caught my eye....

They are trying to pass a law here in Tennessee that it is illegal to 'sag' your pants. It would be a misdemeanor offense, that could have a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 160 hours of community service. Seriously! I just don't see how they can do this. I don't want to see some guy's ass hanging out of his jeans either. BUT, at the same time, it doesn't say anything about girl's wearing low rise jeans that show their crack when they sit either. So, isn't that discriminating against the men? Shouldn't it also say something about your pants not being large enough to cover your crack as well as just wearing them down too low?

Here are the links to some of the articles about this bill:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090327/NEWS0201/903270341/1009/NEWS02

http://www.wsmv.com/news/19012791/detail.html

Starting Up

I've been thinking about starting a blog alot lately...but hadnt gotten around to it. I mean, what if no one ever reads it? What's the point then?

But, I decided, What the heck? Even if no one reads it, then at least I got my thoughts out there, and off my chest. So, here it is. If anyone has a comment, then go ahead and leave it. Ideas for what you want me to write about, disagreements, whatever...

And the name of the blog...came from a poem that I found once when I was looking for scrapbook inspiration. This was back when I just had 2 boys...but it still holds true. I will post it if I can ever find it again. I searched for it this morning for a bit, but didn't have any luck finding it. It had the lines:

"How can you stand the noise? That surely is your punishment for having so many boys. .... I replied with knowledge sure and true, I never wanted pink and lace. I only wanted blue."