Family Circus 6

The Girl Room

2012-01-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight is night number 2 of the girls sharing a room. (Before this we have had the younger 3 kids sharing one room upstairs) I went down to make sure they both had their blankets on, only to find them both asleep... on one twin mattress. Danissa left her bed empty to sleep with Chezney. I think they may be liking this "girl room" thing.

A little Chezney oddity

2011-12-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Chezney's getting into chocolate.

Me: "Chezney, please stop."

Chez: "Okay mommy."

......

I look at Mike. "That was weird"

Mike: "Yea... she did that earlier too... weird."

Disneyland- 11th Anniversary

2011-12-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

Mike and I planned months ago to go to Disneyland for our 11th anniversary this year, and that just happened to be this past weekend. So we loaded up the kids, took them to my mom, the dog to my in-laws, and headed to sunny California! The first day had a number of things go wrong and many expectations burst, but after we readjusted our expectations, the trip went really pretty well. It was a lot of fun. We went on a lot of rides, got a few character pictures (Pluto gave Mike a pretty hard time pretending to fight him for me and then proposed! HA!), and even got to do a few things we've always wanted to do but couldn't with kids... like have lunch at the Blue Bayou (too expensive with 6!)! We found a cozy spot in a deserted part of Disneyland to watch the fireworks all by ourselves and have dinner on the riverfront (literally BY OURSELVES!). Those two things were probably my highlights. We also got to experience Disneyland at Christmas time, which is a whole new thing. Who said there isn't snow in California!? At Disneyland, everything is possible! (they actually make it snow on you during the lighting of the castle). Of the many lessons we learned on this trip, another valuable one: We need a new pocket camera!

Above: In front of one of the many elaborate christmas trees in DL!

Below: a quick ride on the Tom Sawyers Steamboat.

Pluto proposing =)

Our own little corner of Disneyland... which really was remarkable because of

how crowded it was when we were there! Just a little blessing!

Lunch at the Blue Bayou (the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean)

Bath-time

2011-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Chezney decided that her precious Dora was in need of a good scrubbing so I caught her giving Dora a bath... and she was in the bath, too, of course. Then we practiced spelling her name on the wall with crayon soap. Such a great tool... it doesn't wash off the walls as easily as one would think, but it's still worth the scrubbing... and the occasionally dyed bathroom wall.

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-07T19:24:00.001-08:00

Last year, we started a new tradition and the kids are so excited to see them coming out again this year. I made advent boxes last year and filled them with little sweet treats. Each night, we open one and then read a scripture and "thought for the day" from a free print out I got from a site called the Jesse Tree. The kids love it, it's easy to understand, and it works us through the biblical lineage of Jesus up until his birth starting with Adam.

Last year, the dog got ahold of some of the boxes, so along with making a few new ones this year, I added a little more vintage "bling" to my boxes and I like them even more this year. Such a fun tradition!

Oh Christmas Tree....

2011-12-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today we went to get our Christmas tree at Shelton's Tree Farm in Cashmere. This is our second annual trip and- I have to say- even though it was much easier to get our tree with so little snow (at times I was walking on grass trails!) it was just a whole different experience last year in 2 feet of snow, and the trees caked in white! Maybe next year...

And the day of activity wouldn't be complete without a picture of Cohen sleeping....

Barney

2011-11-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

Chezney is laying in my bed watching Barney and Friends on Netflix. She loves Barney. She has a stuffed Barney that she found at Goodwill and I just couldn't say no. I mean... seeing the thrill and love in a little girls eyes for $1.50? No question ;)

Just now, she called me saying "Mom! My Barney is going to turn into real!" Then I remembered that the show Barney and Friends begins with them playing with a stuffed Barney- just like hers- and then it comes to life and they play with it. She is so excited LOL Hopefully she knows the truth deep down and isn't too devastated when her Barney doesn't become a 5 foot tall singing and dancing dinosaur! =)

Tell her...

2011-11-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

Cohen just came up to me and told me an entire 5 minute conversation he wanted me to have with Jazmine... the DOG. Apparently, there's a few things she needs to know that irk the little guy.

Another Thanksgiving Post

2011-11-27T21:58:00.001-08:00

Although I already have posted about my thanksgiving weekend TWICE, here is a more fun way to watch it =) Enjoy!

Winter Festival

2011-11-27T21:00:00.001-08:00

While we were at the cabin for thanksgiving, we found out that this was also the weekend for the Winter Festival. This was definitely a small town festival but it made it kind of fun in it's own way. They had an old empty building full of homemade products by vendors, arts and crafts for kids, and santa even showed up! He also just happened to bring his reigndeer so we went down the street to check on prancer and vixen while we were there. Cohen even got to feed one raisins!

Thanksgiving at the Cabin

2011-11-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

This is the second time we have spent Thanksgiving at "the cabin" with Mikes mom, Dennis and family. It was lots of fun and we really enjoy our time with his family. Five days and four nights of cousin play, food, video games, coffee, playing in snow, food, watching christmas movies, football, food, board games, card games, and sleep. Oh, and did I mention food?

My nephew, Austin, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on papas laptop.

The boys doing our first deep fried turkey. (the girls had another one cooking in the kitchen!)

Brandon and Ethan playing video games... they both have an equal love for those games...

50th Surprise

2011-11-23T12:03:00.001-08:00

Three days ago we celebrated Dennis' 50th Birthday with a big surprise party at The Cashmere Riverside Center. It took months of lying and planning and scheming to make it work but Cheri did a great job and it all pulled together nicely.

Another surprise?: She rented the "cabin" (it's way too big to actually be a cabin!) for Thanksgiving and a bit more! We leave today and we'll be there for 5 days. Looking forward to relaxing with family and enjoying my kids away from normal day to day stuff!

It's almost here....

2011-11-21T21:40:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Feasts

2011-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Birthday-day

2011-11-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the actual day of Danissa's birthday at home with just our family. It was fun having a small birthday and getting Danissa all to ourselves =)

Commercial Much?

2011-11-18T16:28:00.001-08:00

Ethan: "Danissa... did you know that your body knows you're pregnant before you do?"

Someone's been watching toooo many First Response commercials!

Birthday Bowling

2011-11-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Snow

2011-11-17T08:35:00.001-08:00

Last night was the first snow of the season and it's been so fun to watch the kids reactions. They are all excited but it's especially fun to watch Cohens reaction because he acts as if he doesn't even remember seeing snow. He's been asking questions about it and wants to know why you have to wear snow clothes, etc. It's pretty cute. The twins just went outside for the first time this year in their snow clothes and they are having a ball!

School Photos

2011-11-16T20:02:00.001-08:00

Long overdue: Here are the 2001-2012 school year photos!

Birthday Musings

2011-11-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my dear sweet amazing talented godly baby ten year old. We are so blessed to have you in our lives and have been amazed at watching you grow into the little lady you are today. As it is so easy for me to look backward at what we no longer have, always missing my babies, I find myself trying to remember to look forward at the remarkable woman you are becoming. I look forward to seeing you grow and seeing where life takes you. You are an amazing girl and I know you'll be an amazing woman. Just not too fast, okay?

(pictures of parties to come in future posts!)

Interesting Start

2011-11-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

This morning has already been interesting... the heater is broken, so I had to get ahold of my brother to see about getting it fixed. That prompted a quick clean of the side room to make it presentable for the person coming to fix the furnace.

Ran out of TP so kids are clogging the toilet left and right with paper towels *TMI* LOL

The balloons (it's Danissa's birthday!) got wrapped up in our ceiling fan and halted it's movement so I shut it off to await Mikes homecoming to fix it.

And in all that I thought it couldn't get weirder until I had to say "All guns are down till everyone is dressed!". But shortly after that I had to say "Cohen! Stop shooting your brother till he is dressed!" I think that one was weirder.... LOL

And it's only 6:30 in the morning!

Little Man

2011-11-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

Cohen found the suspenders that Ethan wore on Reformation Day and just had to try them out... regardless of the fact that he was wearing pajamas. That little guy keeps us smiling!

Road Trip

2011-11-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

I had a wedding out of town this weekend and my mom graciously came along with me to ensure my safety in not so fantastic lodging. We had a fun time hanging out and saw some pretty sights along the way...

First REAL Piano Recital....

2011-11-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

Support from G & G

A certain someone slept through the entire program... till the very. last. song....

The whole group of students- of all abilities.

And the final sleeping boy of the evening... I just can't go anywhere with these guys!

Project 1 complete

2011-11-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is my first major(ish) project

- in a group of recent projects-

that I have finally completed. Now to move on to another kitchen cabinet....

Sky

2011-11-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

I took this picture one evening from my car as I was driving sometime in the summer of 2010. I thought it looked like an example of Gods amazing artwork and possibly like His wrath. It was an intimidating sight but so beautiful, too.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

This year, we started our rounds by going up to my moms house and then doing her neighborhood. We got dinner and headed to the church. After Light the Night, we visited grandpa Ben at work and then headed to some neighborhoods above Western St. The highlight of the night, I think, was a house that we had to hike up to. When we finally got there, it was so spooky, with dead actors everywhere popping out and dragging themselves around the candy bowl, that none of the kids were willing to actually get a candy. Most of the kids that made the hike weren't willing to get their candy, either, which would explain why that house STILL had candy left when others had turned off their porch lights long before...

Chezney: Some type of fairy princess, Danissa: Tiana (newest Disney princess),

Ethan: Jack Sparrow, Cohen: a lion.

Cohen was supposed to also be Jack Sparrow

but he decided last minute he wanted to be a lion. =)

Malachi and the girls hosted a car at Light the Night so we went there to visit... "Arrrrr!"

And... even the dog got to dress up! =)

Reformation Day

2011-11-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

This years Reformation Day theme is C.S. Lewis. The characters at the school were amazing... kids really went all out this year. The twins class wasn't participating but I had to hang out at the school all day and take pictures so I dressed them up after their class was done. Ethan was Peter (his outfit when he is entering Narnia for the first time). Danissa is Lucy in the "older years". Cohen is Aslan, and Chezney is a little Lucy.

Giggles and Prayers

2011-10-30T20:27:00.001-07:00

Prayers are no laughing matter... or are they?

Do you think God chuckles just a little

when He hears His little lambs pray?

The kids love to say prayers. I haven't yet taught them about praise in their prayers, as I never think of it until they have begun praying and at that moment, I don't want to correct them. Their prayers are full of requests. Mike and I can't help but laugh as the twins pray because it is always exactly the same and yet so different.

EVERY one of Chezney's prayers is "Help us to ____. Help mommy to ____. Help daddy to ___. Help the homeless guy with no arms to ____." And she does this till she has "helped" EVERYONE she can think of. SO during her prayers, Mike sticks out his fingers and silently counts how many "helps" have been uttered- as I suppress my giggles.

Then it's Cohens turn. "Dear God... thank you for ____. And thank you for ___. And thank you for ____. Thank you for _____. And thank you for ____." Until every "thank you" he can think of has come out of his tiny lips. SO during his prayers, I stick out my fingers and count the number of "thank you's" as Mike laughs.

It makes me wonder

who is the example in this house.... ;)

Brotherly Song

2011-10-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Grandma bought Danissa some new training bras today at Danissa's request. This evening, as she was laying out her clothes for tomorrow, Ethan saw her stack of new bras and- in his best sing-song voice he says: "Dani-ssa go-ot boo-by things."

My Sleepy Little Lion

2011-10-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Kinder-prep Field Trip

2011-10-28T14:42:00.001-07:00

The kinder class went to Smallwoods Harvest for a field trip. They fed animals, rode the cow train, went through the maze and just had a great time together. I've always loved this age... they are so fun to watch and the field trips are lots of fun! =)Chezney shared her cow with a classmates little sister... always loving to be the "big girl"... she had fun mothering this little girl!

Flashback

2011-10-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

In honor of Halloween, here is flashback of my first halloween as a mother. Danissa was 11 months old and was dressed as a Pooh Bear Bumble-bee.

Forever

2011-10-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Cohen: "Mom... I'm going to love you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever (deep breath) and ever and ever and ever. For THIS many weekends (holding up 3 fingers). Then... the loving stops."

1st Piano Recital

2011-10-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Danissa played "The Water Lily" at her first recital, but for costume purposes, her teacher had her change the name to "Fall Fairies". She was nervous but did fantastic. I love the look on her face when she was done... a shy relief.

Wisdom

2011-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

My daughter knows something that I think many people don't. We were talking about bad things that happen to people and the "what if's" that can happen in life. About "stranger danger" and the scary things that have happened to children and adults sometimes (Rated G) At one point I finally said "Danissa... does God say that He won't let anything bad happen to you?" At this she replied: "No. He never said that. But He did say that no matter what happens to me, He will always be with me."

Rainman

2011-10-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

"L 68466557 J" Ethan says to me as I'm hugging him goodnight in his bed. "What?" I asked, puzzled as to what he might be talking about. Then, I go to the place that I had tucked his dollar bill away for him so that his siblings wouldn't steal it away from him sometime tomorrow when he's not looking. Sure enough... there are some numbers that sound like what he said, so I say... "Ethan... say it again." And as he says the numbers, I read along "L 68466557 J". My son has memorized the serial number on his dollar bill...

PUMPKIN DAY!

2011-10-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

This year, we decided to go toward the more economically friendly pumpkins and bought them ahead of time at Walmart. Then we headed up to Cider Works for some fresh donuts and cider while Ethan was at a birthday party. We then picked him up and went to The Patch in Malaga for some hay ride and corn maze fun! After that, we headed home for dinner, made caramel apples, carved AND painted our pumpkins, roasted the seeds and finally headed to bed. Busy but fulfilling day that we all look forward to each year! (pictures of the finished pumpkins to come...)

Paintbrush

2011-10-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight while doing the painting portion of our pumpkin day (painting the pumpkins) Cohen is talking to me: "Mom... am I allowed to use this... this... what is it called?" The rest of the 3 kids at the table all say "Pumpkin?" at the same time. "No... THIS!" Cohen says, pointing to the object in his hand. Then Chezney, with a slightly sarcastic tone says "A PAINTBRUSH...?" Cohen: "Yea! Am I allowed to use this paintbrush inside my pumpkin?"

Half of me laughs and half of me cringes.

Fire Drill

2011-10-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the River Academy had it's first fire drill of the year. This, of course, is the twins first fire drill ever. When I arrived to pick them up from school, they excitedly got in the car and told me ALL about the fire drill, the noise, the girl that cried, everything. Then Cohen- in all his manliness- told me of how he would, if we ever had a fire in our home, go outside and fight the fire with the hose and save us all. He is such a little protective warrior boy. Gotta love him!

Sick

2011-10-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

My two oldest boys are home sick today (Ethan and Daddy). It's given daddy some snuggle time that is probably good medicine for both of them. I've gotten some time to run around with Chezney and Cohen (nothing out of the ordinary) and then got to drop them off and have some alone time with Danissa after picking her up from school and then taking her to piano. Then it was off to work for me while Mike manage the kids- sick. All in all, a normal but not normal day all wrapped up into one. The kids are finally asleep, hubby is wrapping up his last video game for the night, I'm done editing, posting, tagging, burning CDs, and off to bed we go!

You Never Really Know What's Around the Corner...

2011-10-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Mommy in the making...

2011-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Scenario: Mike and I are sleeping and Chezney has claimed her spot between us sometime in the hours of the night... she moans and rolls over. Then says, still sleeping "Cohen... you need a bath..." Ahhh... spoke like a little mommy... or an annoyed sister.

Spider Meadow

2011-10-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mike went hiking today with some friends of his. They are actually wanting to put together a mens hiking group but aside from maybe one more time this year, they will have to wait till next year to really get the group going. This trip definitely motivated Mike, though. He thought it was beautiful and said words just can't describe the trip.

Crazy Day!

2011-10-09T22:14:00.001-07:00

I woke today alone because Mike was out hiking with the boys (Shawn and Mike #2). I laid in bed enjoying the coziness and the girls came and snuggled with me. If only I had known what I know now, I would have stayed there... permanently.

As soon as we began getting dressed for church, attitudes were in full swing. Clothing changes were necessary multiple times until we finally got out the door in decent shape. Through all of the chaos of it, we still ended up walking out the door with Ethan wearing 2 mismatched socks (one was mine!), Chezney wearing the wrong color of shoes due to a sudden growth spurt, and Cohen having issues with the undershirt he was wearing managed to escape the house in only a pull-over sweater (no shirt under it).

Not so bad? Your right... it keeps going.

My mom calls to tell me she has in her possession the car that Cohen had stolen from church weeks before and she wanted to go with him to return said stolen car. Then on the way to church, I caught Danissa in a cold hard lie and she tried to play dumb to get out of it. Something she NEVER does. So, by the time I get to church, she's crying, I'm dealing with her lying, and my mom takes care of my stealing son. Danissa has lost it so she's puffy and crying, so she hangs out for a few minutes in service before being escorted to sunday school.

We leave church all in one piece. *phew*

My mom and I are on our cell phones on the way home talking about how the morning had just been so out of character. Hoping for a better afternoon.

I head to the grocery store and to cut to the chase of that part of the day, we have an uneventful shopping trip. As we leave, however, I ask my 3 younger non-dependable children to hold onto the cart as we walk through the busy parking lot. For the first time in probably 7 years, my eldest DEPENDABLE daughter decides it's a great idea to take off into the parking lot to the car. As I yell her name, she almost gets hit by a backing-out car. Now we've got some attention. Just what we need.

On the way home, I call my mom to tell her the one-more-thing-gone-wrong that we had to just laugh at because of how the day has gone. In that conversation, my mom drops her phone and it falls to pieces- yet we can still hear each other. Laughing hysterically, we get off the phone as I pull into my driveway.

5 Minutes later I'm on the phone.

"Mom... you'll never guess what happened."

"What?"

"Chezney came running up from downstairs as I'm unloading the car, shouting that the mama kitten had gotten a bird and it's dead in our house."

"Oh... yuck!"

"SO... I follow Chezney downstairs and ask her to show me where it is. As we round the corner, Chezney shouts "IT'S ALIVE!" and I look up to see a bird flying around my downstairs living room. I already got it out but just had to call and tell you..."

OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT A DAY!!!!

How the Years Have Flown!

2011-09-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

2006 Kinderprep

2011 4th Grade

2008 Kinderprep

2011 2nd grade

2011 Isabella: Kindergarden, Cohen & Chezney: kinderprep

2011 The WHOLE gang!

First Day of School 4th,2nd, and kinderprep

2011-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lost

2011-08-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

I took the kids picture last summer and a few of the photos I meant to get around to editing got lost in the busyness of life. So I wanted to do a little flashback and resurrect them from the archives!

Last minute summer fun

2011-08-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

We haven't gotten to do a WHOLE lot this summer with Mike working all week, on call every other weekend, and me working weddings on the weekends. A couple of weeks ago we headed to the water slides mid-week just to get SOMETHING in this summer. So two days ago I packed the kids up around 11 in the morning and headed to the Moses Lake water slides for some quick fun before I had to rush back for a quick photo session in the evening.

Then yesterday, we all went in separate cars to the Moses Lake fairgrounds for some quick fun while Mike had is on-call phone with him. That's the only way we could really do anything this summer. It was super fun, though, and I am really regretting not having a camera. The kids were all finally to an age where they could go on just about everything and were happy to do so without holding our hands. We were able to just lay back and relax and let them having a blast.

There was an animal man there with lots of wild animals. We saw cougars, a few wolves, alligator, and lots of other animals. At one point, he told the crowd to step back while he pulled out some very venomous snakes. (kids were in the front row and they actually did end up dropping one! but only on the stage, not down below). So guess whos child decided to sneak back up to the front- closer than they wanted- reaching through the rails, and decided it was a good idea to PET the alligators tail? My son. My ELDEST son. Of course it was my son... no one elses son would do that! Then he proceeded to yell how cool he was that he touched the alligators tail letting everyone know how dumb he was. Smart. "Little boy... where are your parents?" I say.

The boys were contestants in the tractor pull. Ethan was 1" from making it to round 3. Cohen actually made it to round 3 and shockingly was only 2" from making it to round 4. We were told he was the only 4 year old they have seen make it to round 3. Hows that for iron boy? We thought that was pretty cool! He got 3rd place. 1st place was a 9 yr old and 2nd place was a 8 yr old.

The highlight (I think for all of us) was the ELEPHANTS! They were doing elephant rides but it was so hot that they kept "closing the ride" and instead we got to watch the elephants hose off with a water truck. It was SO cool. They were frolicking around, spraying themselves, laying down, flipping water, and then when the guy turned off the water truck, one of the elephants got really loud (I've never heard an elephant before) and he realized the protest and turned the water back on. It was really fun. I've never seen elephants do more than stand around so it was a real treat!

The Toothfairy

2011-08-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Chezney already has her tooth fairy costume for halloween courtesy of a grandma that just couldn't say no. It's adorable but I haven't let her wear it yet in fear that we would end up buying a new one before halloween was actually here. And yet- she just can't not be the tooth fairy... especially when her big sister lost her tooth in some taffy at a friends house. So Chezney just had to take it upon herself to take money she had FOUND in my car (and a wand) down to her sisters room and play the tooth fairy (even though the tooth fairy had already visited the night before). Just too cute not to photograph!

Blog

2011-08-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

I've started a new blog. You can find it at http://heartrippedopen.blogspot.com . I realize I don't blog as much as I'd like - so why start a new one? Because I also want a place where I can put down my thoughts without necessarily blaring them on facebook. A place where I can bare all =)

Fabulous Furry Five

2011-08-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Baptism

2011-07-31T21:40:00.001-07:00

Today our daughter was showered with blessings by our friends and family that gathered around her to witness her testament to following Jesus all the days of her life. It was a great "service" put on my Pastor Steve Bishop (also known as grandpa). Danissa picked out the songs Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) and Here I Am to Worship. Some family took the moment to stand and speak blessings and scripture upon Danissa and she then spoke her commitment to follow Jesus- followed by her actual baptism, family fun, BBQ, swimming, and some yummy treats. It was such a special and fantastic day. God was with us. Thank you to all our friends and family that shared in the day and took the time to lift up our daughter. She is so blessed and loved by you all!

The Family Circus Farm

2011-07-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

To add to our crazy list of Things Gone Wild around here, we not only have 1 dog, 10 (now dead) chickens (in the freezer... does that still count in the head count of animals since they technically no longer have heads but were in fact living here?) 1 rabbit, 1 cat which just multiplied into 6 cats (kittens!) AND the kids just caught the 3rd wild bird THIS YEAR (still squawking!) This one was the second adult with an assumed broken wing. Once again, we set it lose to meet it's doom with some roaming kitty- I'm sure, but I just think it's crazy to know the kids have caught THREE birds this year. Too weird.

Kittens

2011-07-28T07:57:00.001-07:00

Our cat had her kittens yesterday. Amazingly, none of us even knew it! She hid under Danissas bed and gave birth to 5 babies. When I tried to get her, to put her in her "bed" I made for her (trying to get her used to it for having her litter), I couldn't reach her and sat trying to "call" her out. After about 4 minutes, I noticed a little movement on the other side of her. I thought she might be moving her paw around, and then up popped a little tiny tail. Oh my goodness! I was so surprised to find that she had already had her litter. We had to remove the mattress and bedding to get to them, and as I moved the kittens to a blanket lined basket, she kept jumping in, grabbing them by the neck, and dragging them back out. Finally I beat her and got all 5 into the basket AND her, so she would calm down and moved them all to the downstairs bathroom. She's already such a good mommy. I can't help but marvel and how nature kicks in and they just know what to do. It's amazing!

Summer

2011-07-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

So far, our summer has been B.U.S.Y.! Not with anything in particular, but busy, none-the-less! Random appointments, summer classes (preschool gymnastics and diving class), visits to the park, cleaning the house, sleepovers, Forth of July at a friends house, and lots of weekend weddings! I also took the kids to Westport again this year solo because Mike was needing to work and just too many other things take up his PTO.

Baby Love

2011-06-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist taking a picture of Chezney with her little baby love Ricky. I can't believe how long this little fixation has lingered! She is talking more and more about marrying Ricky someday, and today I had to warn her that boys have germs and if she kisses him- she'll end up in the hospital sick... because I found her chasing him in circles trying to kiss him. Oh boy!

Fathers Day

2011-06-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

First Day of Summer Break

2011-06-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ethan was "done" pretty quick into our park visit....

Even the dog got in on the action...

And no trip is ever complete without a pout or two from Chezney...

Hersheys Track

2011-06-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

Danissa decided to join the Hersheys Track team this year (first year she was eligible) and chose to compete in the Standing Long Jump, the 50 Meter Dash and the 100 Meter. She had a lot of fun and met a lot of new friends. I'm very proud of her. We never did hear the results of the Standing Long Jump. In the 50 Meter she got 5th place,

and in the 100 Meter, she got 6th place.

Little Munchkin

2011-06-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Friend

2011-06-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Danissa had a friend over today. They were all downstairs playing quietly... (which should have been my first clue...) when Chezney walks upstairs looking like this.... her friend is quite the artist! ;)

Nerds

2011-06-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

If I can't find the twins... this is normally the number one place to look. Today they were barricaded under the table with a big baggie of Nerds.

You know what they say... "you are what you eat!"

Last Hug

2011-06-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Chezney reminded me of something from my childhood tonight. What I was a little girl, I always wanted my parents last hug and kiss of the night. If I saw them enter my sister or brothers bedroom after my tuck in, I would make them come in my room and give me another hug and kiss to be the last one they had before they headed to bed, themselves.

Tonight, I hugged and kissed Chezney, then Cohen, and then Ethan (all the kids that share that room). Then, as I walked out the door, I heard Chezney say "last hug! Last hug!" because she wanted to have the last hug out of the 3 of them. I just had to smile remembering my "last hugs".

Mariners Game

2011-06-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

Danissas class raised the most money in their school for the First Choice Pregnancy Center so each student, and one parent, won a ticket to the Weather Education Day at Safeco Field, which included the weather info time, a free lunch, and a Mariners game. Mike and Danissa carpooled with Malachi and Breanna and had a blast enjoying the day in Seattle. The girls even got on the jumbo-tron twice!!!

I've got the Joy down in my heart!

2011-05-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

The twins asked Jesus into their hearts tonight. Both of them have been having these discussions with me lately about Jesus being in their hearts and tonight they wanted to pray The Prayer. They were so sweet and so full of excitement talking about what Heaven will be like after the prayer was over. I just can't wait to be in heaven with my family. I pray that all four of them follow Jesus all the days of their lives. What more can a mama want for her babies?

Algernon

2011-05-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I was building a fire for our hot dog roast when Jazmine (our dog) wouldn't leave the fire pit alone. She was burying her nose on the side of the fire pit, & then trying to climb inside it. After a minute I called Mike and told him to look at our crazy dog. He moved the block that she was most focused on and there in the crack was a scared little hunkered down mouse. After some mouse teasing fun, we put a jar in its path and caught it, and now the kids are running around the neighborhood feeding it cheese and other little bits. Just another normal day in the Farr household! Mike will be letting it go in a nearby orchard later this evening.

MARRIAGE

2011-05-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

Chezney told me today that she will be marrying our neighbor, Ricky who is 6 years old. They will get married up on the mountain and then drive away on a green motorcycle. They will have a big round house on the mountain and we all have to go to the wedding. Then they will go away and sleep in a hotel. =) LOL

2011-05-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ethans mothers day gift for me was a paper from school that he filled out about me.

Titled: Super Mom

My mother loves me best when: I snuggle with her.

My mother looks prettiest when: she gets retee (ready) for church.

I like being with my mother most when: she playing on the trampleen. (trampoline)

If I could give my mother something special just from me, it would be: making her koockys (cookies)

My favorite thing about my mother is: her making koocky doe (cookie dough)

From Ethan

Preschool Portrait '10-'11

2011-05-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Field Day

2011-05-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

Every year many different elementary schools get together to do a big field day where the kids compete in different sporting events- separated by age and gender. This year, Danissa won 6th place in the 3 legged race, and Ethan won 3rd place in the long jump, 5th place in the 3 legged race, and 6th place in the shot put. Both had a great time and it's always an event that they remember and look forward to each year.

3rd grade TRA girls

Mr. Ethan ;)

Baseball Picture =)

2011-05-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Baseball

2011-05-10T19:43:00.001-07:00

We are now over half way done with baseball season and Ethan has really improved... the whole team has. It's so much fun to see a game actually progress the way it is meant to and to see those little wheels turning as they figure out how to make a play. Ethan got on base every time at bat tonight. He hit a double once and attempted to steal a base even though it's not yet allowed. LOL Mike calls him our little Ichiro. Tiny, mighty, and focused! =)

Apple Blossom Festivities

2011-05-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Apple Blossom stayed pretty mellow this year for our family... we went to the kiddy parade, the older two sang in the food court with their school, and we spent one night doing rides with the Salcido cousins courtesy of Uncle Nana providing bracelets to get on the rides. The weekend of the BIG parade, Mike and I were both busy so the kids went to the parade with Grandma B.

All a girl needs is a chair to sit on and her coffee...

On this ride (below): Danissa, Breanna, Isabella, and Chezney.

Rianne, Ethan and Cohen ended up on the next go-around.

Jonathan Christian

2011-05-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

I took pictures this evening of my new little nephew... he's adorable and he did so well!!!

Here's my favorite picture of the session...

TRA @ Apple Blossom Food Court

2011-05-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Danissa and Ethans school performed at the Apple Blossom Food Court this afternoon, with some sound offs and hymns. It was fun to go relax, enjoy some snacks and watch my kids perform for an audience. I love my kids so much and enjoy watching them in everything that they do!

Playing at the river...

2011-05-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Danissa and Ethan were performing at the Food Court today, but Cohen and Chezney and I had some time to kill waiting for them to get down there with their school. SOOO we decided to head down to the boat dock and spend some time just hanging out...

Cohen wasn't too sure about going down on the dock... so sister helped him out.

Chezney has been in a "posing for mama" mood lately... opposite of her siblings...

This is as much of a "look at mommy and smile" as I could get out of him today...

Cohen spotted a man walking this dog. His thoughts? "Mom!!! That guy caught a BEAR!" We had to walk over and visit the "bear" and found that this dog could move much faster than we had thought. He was very energetic and LOVED the twins!

I huffed, and I puffed...!

2011-05-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Chezney really wanted to blow the fluff off of the dandy lion but it just wouldn't "blow"...

She tried... and she tried... until finally... it blew!

Gymnastics

2011-05-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

The kids have been in gymnastics (all 4!) for about 4 months now. I can easily see improvement in all of them and they all seem to really enjoy it on most days. All four of them have benefited in multiple ways and I love that they can all go at the same time!

For Chezney, it's a great tool for her to develop listening skills.

It also gives her a great social outlet.

For Cohen, it develops coordination and strength and gives his joints

the much needed stretching that they need.

For Ethan, it gives him an opportunity to release his pent up energy

while building his muscles and having to listen to directions.

And for Danissa, it helps develop coordination in an other wise very tall

and lanky girl. Plus, she gets to build strength and a foundation for

other sports that she may decide she has an interest in.

Apple Blossom Art4Kids

2011-05-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

We didn't even realize that Danissas art work from school had been submitted into the Apple Blossom Art4Kids program. We found out that her name was announced and she won 1st place in her age division of Black and White Artwork! I'll post the picture as soon as it comes home and I get to see it!

Super Kids

2011-05-04T10:58:00.001-07:00

Jonathan Christian

2011-05-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a video I put together for the birth of my sisters son, Jonathan Christian!

Making a Splash

2011-05-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Danissa was at her honorary cousin, Brookes, birthday this weekend. Apparently she sat a little too close to the edge of one of the seats and threw the balance off. The chair popped over and threw Danissa into the pool fully dressed. Now THATS a good birthday party!!!

Strange measurements...

2011-05-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

I just did all of my measurements on the wall for my spring birthday kids. Chezney measured up only 1/2" taller than Cohen LAST YEAR at this same time. And they're twins!!! Right now, Cohen is 2 1/2" taller than Chezney, and 2 shoes sizes larger.

The last one...

2011-04-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

We bumped into Malachi (my brother-in-law) and his three girls at the carnival tonight, and who can resist a photo booth when you have 7 fun kids around?! Not me! However, squishing all 7 faces in was NOT going to happen so we had to make due with separating them and then editing them into one sheet =)

Soooo... before baby number 8 comes along, here is the last photo of the 7 grandkids on my side of the family...

Birthday Card

2011-04-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Ethan was going around the neighborhood with a clipboard, pen, and paper today. I asked him what he was doing. He then showed me the piece of paper. He had been going around getting everyone to sign the paper- which had written across the top: Happy 23rd Birthday Mike! Mike turns 32 tomorrow. I wonder how old the neighbors think we were when we started having kids?! LOL

Easter

2011-04-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his first REAL baseball game on Friday. He loved it so much and is so enthusiastic to play again! He was a little worried about the pitching machines but in the end, he stood up, faced them down, and got a piece of the ball in just the first couple tries. The one highlight of the night was when everyone on base was running into home. Ethan ran from second to third and then stopped, allowing the person on first to pass him by. By the time he got what was going on, he came into home plate behind the batter that was behind him. It was pretty cute! Classic first baseball game!

The world of watercolor

2011-04-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Before our trip, my mom gave all four kids a watercolor painting craft. The twins and the older two did the painting at different times and I didn't get to take a picture of the older two doing it, but here is my cute littlest kiddos painting theirs...

Last Leg of the Trip

2011-04-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we left Crescent City and traveled up Hwy 101 to Newport. We walked the boardwalk but most things were pretty vacant on a mid-monday. We saw the sea lions that are always perched on the docks and then headed north to Tillamook just in time to run in, see a bit of the cheese factory, and get a yummy scoop of ice cream.

Then we got the kids some dinner, got them in jammies, and had our last potty break of the night before heading home. We pulled into our driveway at 1am.

I think we are all so happy to be home and have the yard to run and play and see spring arriving at our doorstep. Awww... a great vacation and a great day to be home!

More plans a-changin'

2011-04-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

We decided we're not coming home tonight. Last night we pulled into Crescent City, CA and found a hotel, and now have the plan to possibly make it all the way to Newport, OR to spend just a few hours before heading to Portland to spend the night. Then get up early tomorrow and be home by mid-day. Yesterday, we spent a bit of time getting out of San Francisco, seeing Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world), driving past a cathedral that was built as an exact replica of Notre Dame, and going across the Golden Gate Bridge. We then made our way up the California coastline, enjoying our first glimpses of the Giant Redwoods. We drove through the famous "drive thru tree" and stopped to let the kids climb into a few of the trunks that we hollowed out and large enough for all four of them to sit in comfortably. We stopped in Eureka, Ca at a Irish Pub for REAL seafood and it was such a cute place! Made me feel like I walked into a real pub in Ireland. Then we found a beach a little to the north to let the kids enjoy the cold windy ocean for about 8 minutes. It was just too cold to stay longer and we were dressed for California... not Washington beaches (which is what it looked like!) Our hotel here in Crecent City is a little on the downward side- as hotels go- but the room itself is the biggest hotel room I've ever seen, without adding a livingroom space. LOTS of room and the kids enjoyed a jacuzzi bath late last night. Then- off to bed, too late to have blogged last night. Now we're off for Oregon. Wish us luck!

Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair...

2011-04-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

In San Francisco... Tonight we arrived in San Francisco. We left Anaheim (and not a moment too soon according to Chez-Chez who misses her Jazmine so much!) We have driven all day with a few stops along the way, including replacing our new dual screen DVD player we had bought for this trip about 7 days ago. Walmart replaced it and we were on our way. We did make a very brief drive-thru of Hollywood Blvd. to see the stars on the sidewalk and the Hollywood sign on the hill, but never stopped or got out. It's not as glitzy and glamorous as I had imaged. Sometimes I think it's best to just allow your imagination to believe what it wants and not visit reality ;) LOL We are now in the NICEST hotel we've been in on this trip and LOVING it. I wish we could stay longer just for the fun of having a full apartment to ourselves. Mike and I have our own bedroom/bath, and the kids all share a 2 Queen bedroom/bath. We also have a livingroom and full kitchen. Expedia had to cancel one of our reservations so they upgraded us to this. Super nice! Wish it had happened in Anaheim. =) Tomorrow: Golden Gate Bridge and the Redwood Forest!

Disneyland- Day 4

2011-04-09T21:28:00.001-07:00

The day started off with a feverish Cohen throwing up at 6am. The poor kid had the flu and was feverish yesterday, too, but we went along with the day and he was a trooper. It got the best of him this morning, though, and he stayed in bed at the hotel with Mike. The rest of us quietly got dressed and snuck out so he wouldn't be upset. I took the kids to the princess line, as we had planned the night before, and got there about 10 minutes before it opened. Even so, we were about 20 minutes behind in the line but that was way better than 90! The 2 kids got to meet Belle, Ariel, and Tiana. Ethan was the fearful pirate (but warmed up to the princesses in the end...) and the girls were dressed up as Tiana. After that, I took the 3 kids on a few kid rides (like Dumbo, Caseys Circus, and Snow White) and soon after, Cohen and Mike braved the outside world. Cohen was feeling much better and survived the rest of the day just fine. We spent the rest of the morning going on the rides we liked the most and then split up- me with the twins to do naps- and Mike with the older two to hit some more rides. When we joined up again, we spent more time in California Adventure and then went to Disneyland to watch a slideshow presentation that they put on at the Small World ride. Ethan and Danissas pictures both showed up in it! To wrap up the day, we headed over to Fantasmic to claim our seats and watched the fireworks from there. Then Fantasmic started- which was.... well.... fantastic! It was a great way to end our time in Disneyland. As rocky of a time as it was, it was still worth it. Just a learning experience ;)

Disneyland- Day 3

2011-04-07T21:08:00.001-07:00

Well, this trip has been a learning experience of what not to do at Disneyland. Don't get in line for a fast pass without the rest of your family having already been checked into the park. Don't come during spring break. Don't attempt any rides before 5pm. Don't expect to eat at the Blue Bayou without a 2 day in advance reservation. Don't plan on doing the "princess for a day" package without a day in advance reservation. Okay... enough complaining. =)

After a lot of back and forths across the park and confusion on where to go to do what, I finally bought the girls the complete outfits for doing our own princess for a day. I took them into a rest room and changed them and quickly put their hair up into a messy pile of fake curls. Danissa and Chezney both picked to be Princess Tiana. Danissa picked brown curly/braided hair extentions and Chezney picked one that was 2 shades of pink. We planned on doing a knights dress up option for the boys, but found that there wasn't one, SO while I did the princess day with the girls, Mike took the boys across the park to Adventure Land and bought them complete pirate costumes. We watched Cinderella tell a story about becoming a princess and Cohen was selected to "help in the story" by pretending to be prince and dancing with Cinderella. It was so cute! Later in the day we had a "Mickey and Minnie birthday party" where the kids got to wear hats, decorate their own cakes, and get their picture with Mickey and Minnie. Ethan was having an attitude problem so he wasn't in the picture (he was hiding behind me crying) but it was still fun. Cohen has had a fever since last night so he fell asleep wrapped in a blanket snuggled up to me in the park. We decided to head back to the hotel and get an early-to-bed so we can get up early and actually meet some of the princesses without a 90 minute wait! Here's to hoping that plan works!!!

Disneyland- Day 2

2011-04-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Day two, we decided on a new game plan. Get a few things done in the morning, go back to the hotel and sleep for THREE hours, and then head back into the park in time for the shows to begin and the lines to wear down. We actually were able to ride the pirates of the carribean about 5 times because it has the lowest lines that time of day, and at one point even got to stay on for a second ride (without exiting!) and had the boat to ourselves. Danissa got a chuckle out of that because earlier in the day, I had told her that getting a ride all to yourself would never happen in Disneyland. Just goes to show- never say never- or it just might happen.... even during spring break! We headed back to the hotel just after midnight and fell right to sleep. So far, Ethans favorite ride is definitely Pirates, Danissa and Chezney's favorite is Thunder Mtn Railroad, and Cohens favorite is probably Buzz Lightyear (I can't ask him because he's asleep)

Disneyland- Day 1

2011-04-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Our first day in disneyland was a bit rocky. Splash Mountain is closed, other things keep spiratically closing, and we keep on showing up late for shows. We really didn't accomplish much on this first day, but still got to see Disneyland and show the kids around. Then we frustratedly took a break from the crowds, had dinner, and tried again. This time it was much better. There were 3 shows going on (fireworks, Fantasmic, and World of Color) so lines were minimal and most things were actually operating! When we left the park, Mike was carrying Cohen and I was carrying Chezney. Cohen fell alseep on Mikes shoulder and Chezney fell alseep on my back, forcing me to walk the whole way back to the hotel hunched over. We got back to the hotel at about 11:30pm exausted and everyone was asleep within minutes. Such a better way to end a bad day!

The Farrs Do Vegas

2011-04-07T09:07:00.001-07:00

When we were leaving Zion National Park 2 days ealier, we saw 4 of our friends walking down a trail. We knew that they visit Vegas every other year so we knew they were probably on their way there, as well. So, we text messaged them that we would bump into them in vegas and hang out with them for the day. Adam, Karalee, Brook, and Brian (and Adams brother, Matt) showed us The Strip in record time. I think we spent a total of 5 hours touring Vegas. The smells kind of got to me and trying to keep tabs on 4 kids in Vegas isn't exactly a vacation, so after 5 hours we headed out of Vegas and that put our trip back on schedule. We made it to Anaheim by 5 and were able to actually enjoy swimming at hotel finally AND have dinner! What a treat! ;) The hotel wasn't exactly what we were expecting and I really don't recommend it (Desert Inn and Suites) but it still serves it's purpose...

Day 3: Grand Canyon and more detours!

2011-04-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Day 3- we woke up and went to the Grand Canyon. Beautiful! The kids got to get out a few times but mostly we enjoyed the view from the car.

The next planned stop was Las Vegas. On the way, we saw a Flinstone Town and just had to let the kids stop and stretch their legs. We enjoyed walking through the buildings and sliding down a giant dinosaur slide. The "town" was a little old and uncared for but the kids didn't notice and it was a nice way to break up the trip.

Shortly after that, we saw a huge sign announcing that we were getting close to Bearizona. It looked fun and interesting so we thought we'd check it out. It was a drive through zoo, basically, with native animals. We saw White Bison, wolves, rams, bears, etc. The kids loved it and I have to say that Mike and I really enjoyed it, too. After driving through the "large" animal area, we got out of the car and got to walk through the "baby" animal area. The highlight of that was the 3 baby cubs that were just born in January. A man was in their enclosure showing them off and you could tell that they were hungry and thought he was mama. One of them was getting quite vocal that the mans finger wasn't producing milk and it began to scale his leg like a tree. It was SUPER cute!

This put us a bit behind so we ended up pulling into Las Vegas around 9 pm. After a bit of driving we found our hotel and then ordered take-out for dinner, since we hadn't had time to eat. It was about 11:30 by the time we had all eaten and headed for bed. Long day, but full!

Change in Plans

2011-04-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today we set out- planning on running quickly by whatever we saw- but not detouring- until we reached Cameron, AZ, where we would stay the night. Instead, we took our time (somewhat) and had breakfast in Salt Lake with an old friend, and then started out south, stopping first in Bryce Canyon. It was a beautiful drive and a great way to kick off the day. Next we headed west to Zion National Park and took a drive through it's winding scenic route. We got some fun pictures and then headed on our way....

Cohen has become a pro at rest stops on the side of the road since

"when he needs to go... he NEEDS TO GO"....

Then we saw a sign pointing to "Coral Pink Sand Dunes" which we just had to see, so we took a 15 mile detour to see those and they just beaconed to be played in so we all stretched our legs and took it quite a bit of pink sand. Danissa collected some in a bottle and we headed out again...

About 2 hours later we finally crossed the Arizona border. FINALLY! But... we were just too tired and restless to continue on, so we are now in Page, Arizona at a Courtyard Marriot enjoying baths and cartoons! =) Tomorrow... breakfast and then the Grand Canyon!!!

Family Vacation- Day One

2011-04-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Our day started at 3:20 am with the plan to load the kids into the car- asleep- and begin our trip. First off, they were ALL WIDE AWAKE. We thought they were going to be asleep so we hadn't antipcipated bathroom breaks at 4 am. Nothing is open. We finally stopped in Quincy, then Moses Lake... and then finally it was late enough to have potty/coffee breaks.

Then we coninued the trip... destination: Salt Lake City. ETA: 6:00PM.

Our first sign of trouble was when we tried to hook up all the electronic devices we brought and get a movie on for the kids. The adaptor that we had bought to plug in the laptop began to fry and within minutes the car smelled like melting plastic. Not a great way to start a trip. So... no movies.

THEN, we came to an abrupt stop in Oregon just about 30 minutes from the border into Idaho. About 40 cars in front of us was a huge plume of smoke that we had seen as we approached the hold up. A semi trailer had caught fire and apparently, since we were in the middle of no-where, fire trucks would not be responding. We were told to wait till the truck burned itself out. Great. About 2 hours later, we finally were redirected and they turned the entire traffic jam around. Now we had to back-track about an hour to get around the fire.

THEN Cohen decided he had to poop and he had to poop NOW. In the middle of no-where. With no rest stops or anything else. So, as we pull over, he says he already did but didn't finish. I ran him around a huge sage bush and found that he had maybe had *ahem* a little too much juice in our delay with the fire earlier. Now is the time I interject that I am not a litter-er. BUT THIS TIME... there was nothing else to do. In that sage brush lies his shorts, socks, underwear, and a box full of dirty wipes. Sorry... it had to be done.

Finally we were back on the road and after 17 hours of travel, we are finally resting in our hotel. *phew* hoping tomorrow is better!!!

A funny Ethan-ism side note: Mike said "Look at these beautiful rolling hills of green, guys! Aren't they beautiful?" Ethan replies "I would rather color..."

Later: Mike told Ethan to make paper airplanes with Danissa. He replied "I can't... my leg hurts."

Even Later: The kids were watching the movie "Cars" (after in an act of desperation I ran into a Walmart and bought a duel DVD player) Ethan misquoted the movie by saying "I'm happier than a tornado in a trailer fart" instead of "Happier than a tornado in a trailer park".