Soft Skin

David: "Mom, you have such soft skin."

Mom: "David, your skin is softer than mine. Usually the younger you are the softer your skin."

David: "So Mac's skin is softer than mine, and Ruthie's skin is softer than his."

Mom: "That's right David, Ruthie has the softest skin in our family."

Gabe: "Hey, that means that dad's skin is softer than mom's skin because she's older than him."

Mom: (Pause)"Yes Gabe, that's probably true. Thanks for reminding me."

Sick Day

David sleeping wedged between the guest bed and the wall

I think we are passing something mild around at our house, starting with David and Ruthie. Ruthie is drippy,whiny, and tired but doesn't seem too bad. David slept off and on all day long but he didn't complain one bit about being sick. He was so cute to read books to and snuggle with. (The grape-juice purple vomit I cleaned up around lunch time was less cute, but I've had to clean up worse.) Thankfully today David is feeling much better and back to his energetic self. 

Out Takes

 This one is my favorite 

Brothers

It's a good thing to have three older brothers

Mother son dates

Zach and I thought it would be good for the boys to work toward something they wanted so that learning time wasn't just drudgery. We promised the boys a special date with either mom or dad if they completed some goals last month. Mac had to fill up his potty chart, David had to learn 100 sight words, and Gabe had to read an illustrated copy of the Book of Mormon (263 pages) to earn their special dates. They all finished relatively close to one another and have all gone on their special outings. Mac chose pizza and Chuck E' Cheese. David  and Gabe wanted a JDawg but David chose to go to Jump on it and Gabe went to see the movie Brave. Gabe went with Zach who is not as much of a picture taker as I am so I don't have any photos of their special day, but here are my memories of hanging out with the middle two, one- on- one. I figure if we are going to have eight kids we need to plan for some special time with each child so they don't get lost in the mix. 

Jumping with David was more fun than I expected. He was the one to ask ME to leave, not the other way around. I spent a lot of time on the trampoline as a kid. The next dates will not have to be earned but also be a lot cheaper- a snow cone by the river. 

Good Job boys! 

In love

I'm sure one of these will go on my wall at some point. This is my angel baby who let me play glamour shots with her. Isn't she a little angel? There were so many that I liked I'm sure I'll edit and post some more later. 


(and to all you mom-ographers out there, I think I am sold on RAW now, at least for photos I really care about. I'm just learning, but I LIKE it)

Words of Wisdom

As I was swinging my adorable two year old at the park today on one of the 'big boy swing' I asked him if he was holding on tight. His response was a keeper:

"If you stick your finger up your nose you fall off."I get the sense that he has figured this out from previous experience.

I'm sure his sage advice can be applied in life to some sort of 'keep your eye on the ball' senario. If not, it still made me chuckle.

Lucky 13

Look who's six months! Born on Lucky Friday the 13th, and six months old on Friday July 13th. I can't believe her babyhood is half over. I'm a little sad about that since she has been such a wonderful baby. She does sound a little like Attila the Hun recently when she is hungry, but it's still funny to listen to. Not so much a baby cry as a battle cry. She babbles up a storm other times and worms around all over the floor. She will probably start crawling within the next week or two. The whole family loves hearing her giggle and enjoys her sunny disposition. What a blessing you are Ruth Anne. 

weight 15 lb 7oz       35%

Length 27 in             95%

Head 16 1/2 in           25%

First Bites

I've put it off long enough. (I was trying to get Mac some what potty trained before I set off on a new adventure.) This little miss is going to be 6 months soon and she has been grabbing at our food for a while. I had a feeling she would be a eating champ since she is in the stage where she wants to put everything into her mouth. Zach was work so Gabe happily obliged as baby feeder so I could snap some shots. I love how he is opening his mouth in hopes that she will mirror his actions, which she did. Ruthie did so well with baby mush we upgraded her straight to corn on the cob.(Just kidding, she is just sucking on the leftovers. ) 

When Dad helps

Previously on, "When Dad Helps" Mac ended up in Ruthie's pants that he mistook for shorts. This time Ruthie's shorts some how became her hat. I think I'm going to dock his pay next time this happens. She does make a cute chef though. 

A different red, white, and blue

     I thought it very fitting that my son disfigured his face on July 4th so that his wound appeared red and blue on a white background. 


   Yesterday before we all got in the van to go to the store Mac tripped over a crack in the cement and hit the ground- hard. Oh he was sad. That made me sad. He was so pitiful. I could literally see the goose egg rise up off of his forehead as I sat there with him. It was like a horn growing right before my eyes. All of a sudden I had a baby rhinoceros. I told Zach that I think this is the biggest lump on any of our boys so far and they have all had their fair share of bumps and bruises.  Five minutes of hugs and kisses pretty much restored his cheerful character though, and we were on our way again. Can't keep this kid down. 

These shots were a few hours after the run in with the cement so his happy

 spirits were fully recovered by then

Little Dragons

Welcome to little dragons, i.e. Karate Kid 6.

 A while ago Gabe told us he wanted to do karate instead of t-ball this year so we signed him up for a month long introductory course. We said that if he liked it we would consider signing him up for something more long term. Turns out this is just what our bouncy ball needs- a firm voice telling him to focus, be still, and pay attention. The physical skills seem to almost be secondary to training your mind. Just in the month he has been there his snap kicks have gone from limp fish  to an actual kicking noise on the practice pad.  They even learned some basic 'stranger' techniques to use if someone grabs them. 

looking very fierce in one of his more focused moments while blocking

His instructor, Beau ("Bow"), showing them how it's done

I think this could be a very good thing. 

Kitchen Helper

"Aren't I your good kitchen helper mommy?"

Of course the dish we are making has beans in it,
just call me the bean queen. I can probably make beans
15-20  slightly different ways. 

I am lucky enough to have three little boys that want to help in the kitchen right now, but hopefully not all at once. It is fun to have a single  junior chef; it is chaos to have three. David is my most likely volunteer for the job, although they all like it. He has become quite proficient at leveling a scoop and cracking eggs into a measuring cup. David also likes to take pictures which is another hobby of mine and he is the only child that resembles me in the slightest. If I had a mini-me, it would be him. Making pumpkin chili by myself is not nearly so entertaining.