Right now, I'm furious. Can hardly find the words to type.

So this morning, it was 39 degrees. Somewhat chilly. I told the kids to grab sweatshirts as they headed out to the bus. Jonah was stalling and stalling and looking for his Indianapolis sweatshirt. I asked him why he didn't just grab his Michigan sweatshirt. He hedged the question..so I knew something was up. Upon further questioning he tells me that his social studies teacher informed him that her classroom was a "State zone". So she made him put a GIRL'S sweatshirt over his and wear it the entire class. It sounded like it was supposed to be a joke, but Jonah was obviously bothered by it. So much so, that he went to school without a sweatshirt on.

What would you do?!?!?!?!

I know I've already posted things about Thomas this week, but it IS his birthday week after all so he should get a few posts by himself.


Thomas dances. He dances. Anytime he hears music, in the grocery store, at church.. It is hilarious to see. I don't know who taught him this, but it's funny. ANd I don't know why, but until this weekend, I had not caught it on video. Well I caught it...so here is Thomas doing his booty dance...

Sometimes our children can display joy, outrageous joy, and everytime I manage to catch it on camera it makes me smile....here's this week's display..

I stole this from My five little monkeys. There's just nothing better to blog about at the moment!



I am a mom. I can't imagine my life as anything else.

I miss college life. I miss not worrying about anything and staying up late with the best roommate ever.

I think therefore I am. Wasn't that deep?

I know that God loves me, no matter what.

I want Diet Pepsi Max. Desperately.

I have a mini van. And proud of it. In fact we are trading up for a 12 passenger.

I search for children's shoes....ALL THE TIME!

I wish I had a chef.

I hate when people have to come to a complete stop before turning right...grrrr....

I am scared of bugs...I loathe them.

I fear that God will ask me to do something that I just can't do.

I always call my friend. Seriously, we talk several times a day. About nothing.

I love my husband. God's great gift to me.

I feel that houses should be self cleaning...I mean seriously.

I hear Thomas and Sydney wrestling under the covers and the Food Network.

I smell rain...it's gloriously raining.

I don't always remember presents for teachers or bus drivers. How lame is that?

I wonder what tomorrow will hold?

I care about my kid's future...how do I help them to become children who have a passion for the Lord and can change the world????

I regret when I lose my temper...no one deserves that.

I am not going to be able to stick to our new schedule!

I believe in fairies....no not really...but I love that line from the new Peter Pan.."I do belive in fairies, I do, I do!"

I dance a lot....it embarrasses my family. Especially in the grocery store.

I sing constantly....music is transcendent.

I write notes to my kids every day to put in their lunches.

I win the award for worst use of time! I'm such a slacker!

I lose my temper with Emma when she has to run in the house AGAIN as we are trying to leave!

I never want to be a mom who can't keep up with her kids!

I listen to a lot of musicals...I adore them.

I can usually be found at the computer, sadly :)

I read often...except I lose whole days doing so!

I am happy when I'm surrounded by family.

A secret that no one knows about me is I like Webkinz. I even got the manatee one for my birthday.

School, what a glorious word :)

Although I must say that I have been counting the minutes until the kids went to school....yet this morning I was fairly choked up as I watch my kids get on the bus. Something about another year beginning makes me ponder how much they've grown and changed, even over the summer. Here are the pics from this morning...

Today I am 29 years old. I say this, not to elicit many birthday wishes or greetings from my hordes of blog readers :), but to say out loud that I am indeed 29. This is my last year in the 20's. Yet, I feel no older than 18. My son will be 10 this year *gasp choke gasp* and yet I feel like I could be headed to college at any moment.

So what is it that makes us feel "grown up"? I can walk into any bar and order any alcoholic drink I'd like, lately I haven't even been carded. Which is quite sad now that I think about it. I must look "grown up". Yet I don't feel it. I can buy cigarettes or porn legally...not that either of those are an option for me personally. I have five children, ranging from 9-2 and that doesn't necessarily do the trick either. I have a house, cars, two dogs....but none of these have had a growing up effect.

So will I coast through my 30's and hit 40 and realize, oh crap...I'm a grown up? Interesting birthday ponderings...

Blah blah blah....anyway, yesterday my darling husband kept the children all day while I got to escape to Grand Rapids to have a birthday day with my mom. We went out to lunch, went to the beautiful Rivertown Crossings Mall(yes, I even waved at Rob Bell), and saw Mama Mia. I laughed hysterically at this movie. I can't wait till it comes to video. It was a lovely day and I felt quite refreshed when I came home. Where I found all of my children asleep in bed and my house clean. It was the perfect gift.

My comment lines have been bare lately...I know everyone is so busy, I am too. I confess that I've gone from blog to blog and read but didn't comment so I suspect this what others are doing as well. It's just sad to type into nothing ness...ok now that I've laid the guilt nice and thick....

Camp is over and we survived. I think the kids had a good time.....Jonah was a little reluctant to say he had "fun", but I believe it was slightly enjoyable. We went to Family Night on Thursday and saw the kids sing a song and then got free run of the camp. The big kids convinced Dad to go with them out onto the lake in kayaks while Syd, Thomas, Grandma and I watched. Sydney and Thomas went in the water of course...who can keep small children from water?? We also hit the mine shaft which is a huge, long slide that's buried in a hill. Yes, it's all underground. While I was content to sit with Grandma and watch the kids ride down this black hole, my kids were insistent that I try it. Well let's just say that getting me onto the sled thingy you slide down on was quite the feat and pretty much hilarious. The counselor in charge of the top of the slide and I were laughing so hard I thought I'd pee my pants! But I got down and it was....exhausting. But all in good fun right??

My quote of the week is from Emma (of course). This was said to me on Thursday night after Family night..."Mom, I entirely adore camp." lol

My excitement level is high today as I get to go on a double date with our good friends tonight to celebrate Matt's birthday. Yeah for grown up outings!!

Shhhh.....it's so quiet at my house. And no, despite my previous post, I have not injured any of my children or locked them in their rooms. No, it's simply quiet. My three biggest kids are at the YMCA camp this week. They leave at 7:30 AM on a bus and return around 5 PM. Thomas goes down for a nap at around 12 and Sydney fell asleep on my bed. So it's so quiet. Indeed the only sound I currently hear is my own fingers striking the keys. It's glorious.

*note to self: ALWAYS pick the very last week of camp to send the children! It's just the outlet they need at the end of summer and a much needed break for me!


Things swirling in my head as I sit in the quiet....

I have all of my "big" presents for my children bought and paid for and stashed in my bedroom. This is a HUGE thing for me as I usually hit December 23 and panic because we have no money. Thank you Ebay...

I'm addicted to Ebay

Molli and Emma are getting American Girl dolls for Christmas, Molli gets Kirsten and Emma gets Felicity. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for them to get them. Matt has made me swear that I would not give them early. So tough. So instead I bring whoever happens to come over into my bedroom to show them the beloved treasure I have. Even the Comcast man....poor guy.

Jonah is getting Guitar Hero for the Wii...along with a set of earplugs, for my benefit.

Sydney is getting the Dora twin babies. I still think Dora is the most annoying thing on the face of the planet, but Sydney adores her. So I will swallow my bile and present her with this treasure.

I cannot write what I have gotten for Matt in the rare case that he will glance at this at some point, but it's really good too.

My birthday is in 8 days. I will be 29....wow that seems old. How is it that I still feel 18?? I'm bracing myself for my birthday to be very low key. The kids all have their school open houses that night as well as soccer practice for Molli. My mom and dad will be in GR with Noah so it looks like a non-celebration. I must state however that Matt is keeping the kids all day on Wednesday so that I can go to Grand Rapids and my mom and I can go out for my birthday. So looking forward to that. Plus, I've already received a gift. Matt bought me the new manatee Webkinz which is so cool!


5 weeks from Sunday we leave to head to North Carolina. We are SOO excited to see Tigger and Jill and all the kids. Plus we get to see so many firsts! The kids have never seen a mountain or the ocean and will get to do both on this trip. Can't wait!

Alright, well I suppose I should use some of this time to do something productive...or maybe I'll just read a book :)

As I sat down to write this, my body groaned....audibly. I started working out again yesterday after a LONG hiatus and oh dear Lord....I'm not sure I will make it. My legs are weak and sore. I'm sure it will get better...if not, I quit!

To add to my misery, I decided to take all 5 of my children school shopping. I take them shopping all the time. It couldn't be that bad, right??? WRONG! Imagine 4 children running from bin to bin grabbing every supply imaginable, yelling "Mom! Found it!". Then we moved onto backpacks....holy cow. Molli must have a backpack that has NO pink on it. Emma must have one with Tinkerbell, Sydney must have Dora (gag me) and Jonah must have one with skulls. What a circus. Meanwhile Thomas watches with mild interest, attempting to escape the cart from time to time. We FINALLY got everyone the backpack they wanted and moved on to shoes. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? We got everyone shoes with only a mild hair pulling incident and only one reminder about screaming. We checked out and headed to the car. As I was loading the van, I was reminded that we had not gotten the supplies for camp that we needed. So off we went to yet another store. All to say that I am so ready for a nap....

How many days till school???

So what is it exactly that makes a mother snap?

I am, as anyone close to me will tell you, one the most impatient people on the face of the planet. I can't stand waiting for ANYTHING!! And yet, most of the time, where my children are concerned I am patient. Now don't get me wrong, there are times when looking for one shoe so we can leave drives me to the point of insanity. Or waiting for Emma to go and get, "Just one more thing Mom!" makes me crazy. Yet, I hold it together....till last night.

Noah had asked to come and spend the night. I was thrilled that he could be doing such a thing so soon after his surgery. I had some trepidation as I was worried that something could happen to him in my care and it would be awful. Or that one of my, or several of my rough and tumble kids would do something to him. But we pressed on anyway. The evening was great. We broke out the Wii and had tournaments (I was the champ, by the way). It was time to get ready for bed. We blew up the big air mattress for Noah to sleep on and the girls arranged themselves on the couches and floor. We even turned on the Olympics and the kids were awestruck by the synchronized divers. All of sudden, someone put a nickel in the girls. They were yelling, all trying to be heard over the other, jumping on the couches, jumping on the air mattress...etc. It was insane. I kept my cool and repeatedly told them to settle down. I was getting Noah ready for bed and realized I had left his diapers in the van. I asked Emma to go and fetch them. While I was waiting, Sydney slipped off of the air mattress she was bouncing on (after having been told numerous times to stop) and landed very near Noah's head. I looked at her sternly and told her to knock it off. Now I realize that Emma has jumped on and is riding her bike as opposed to getting said diapers. I begin to lose it. I bellow for Emma to get in here and she tells me she can't find the diapers. So I send Molli. As I turn back to Noah, Sydney falls off of the air mattress(that's right, she had NOT stopped as instructed) and landed on Noah's head. That was it. I absolutely fell apart. I screamed...and I don't mean yelled. I SCREAMED at Sydney, spanked her way too hard and sent her to her room. I screamed for Molli to get the %&*$&*%$ diapers already. She can't find them either. I storm out to the car myself, get the diapers and storm back in. Matt had jumped in as I had went outside and all the girls were now upstairs crying. As I sank in front of Noah, I lost it. He was crying and very upset. His lip was bleeding from Syd's body crashing on him. I sat him up and just held him. We just cried together. I finally got him and I calmed down and he asked to go home. Who would want to stay with a psychotic sister anyway?

I took my self upstairs and gathered my girls into my arms. Fresh tears were issued all around as I asked for their forgiveness for my behavior. I took a now calm Noah home and explained to my mother how he was almost debrained by my wild children. More tears of course. She was great and we got Noah tucked in. I stopped on the way home for ice cream. That makes everything better.

So what is it that brings a mother to the point of breaking?

A quick update on us as a busy August marches forward....

- The Destefano family descended upon Battle Creek this past weekend to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday. It was a great time of laughter (playing Cranium..oh my gosh, I'd thought I'd wet myself), swimming, of course EATING, and catching up with each other. My grandma was so happy to have everyone here. It was great.

- Saturday was Matt and I's tenth wedding anniversary. We didn't have much time to celebrate it as we were surrounded by family but I did wake up to a vase of ten different colored, gorgeous roses. We are tentatively planning to go on a cruise sometime in March to "officially" celebrate ten years. What a journey it has been. One of my cousins asked me if it's been a happy ten years...I had to stop and think! My answer was this, "No, not always. We've had joy, pain, sorrow, anger and love. But it's been blessed and that's enough."

- Jonah, Molli, and Emma head to to Sherman Lake YMCA camp next week..boy are they excited about that! How odd it will be to have just Sydney and Thomas here all day from 7:30 AM till 4 PM!! Syd is feeling quite left out so I have assured her that we will have very special mommy and Sydney time.

- Noah is still improving. I got him to get onto the floor and try his crawling/hopping thing. He was very tentative but did it and is now getting himself around some. Mom and Dad take him back to GR tomorrow for them to up his medication again and he will be readmitted to Mary Freebed Hospital probably next Tuesday. Be in prayer for my parents as they are entering a time of limbo and musical lives. MY mom will be up in Grand Rapids with Noah from Thursday to Monday and then she'll come back to work while my dad stays with him from Tuesdays to Thursday when he'll come back to work. They're not sure if Noah will allow them to leave him at night so there's trepidation there as well. Noah knows he's going back to the hospital and is very apprehensive about it. So remember them all if you would.

- I've had yet another encounter with a neanderthal person who insulted my choice of having five children. As we were leaving a check out lane at WalMart, Jonah bumped into a man walking by. He snorted, looked at me and said, "God, lady haven't you heard of birth control?" My mouth fell open and I was dumbstruck. I had no witty comment. As we headed to the car, Molli asked me what birth control was. So not only was I insulted but now had to try and find a delicate way to tell my seven year old what it meant! Why do people think they can say whatever dumb thought that comes into their heads??

- We are LOVING the break in the hot weather. I actually woke up this morning and put on jeans and a sweatshirt! Bring on fall!!!

A quick post to brag on my momma...

She has gone back to school to finish her bachelor's which is a feat worth mentioning in itself. But it gets better. My mom convinced her e-prof to let her write her final paper on comparing and contrasting three versions of the production of Sweeney Todd. My mom has loved Stephen Sondheim for as long as I can remember (she says it's been even longer than that!) Anyway, she wrote the paper, turned it in and has been patiently waiting for her grade.

She got an A+.

But that's not the best part. In the comments the teacher left, there was a note. Apparently the prof knows Stephen Sondheim personally and wanted my mom's permission to send him the paper as she thought he would enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's going to be no living with her now!!

Everyone in my house is asleep and I am bored.



1.You have a tan line anywhere?
Yes, on my chest and an awful shorts tan line


2.How long until your birthday?
27 days baby!

3.Do you have any relatives in the military currently?
My amazing brother Tigger

4.Are you better at math or art?
Gross and grosser

5.Science or History?
History hands down

6.Who was your 4th grade teacher?
Mrs. Haag and boy was she one!

7.Where did you go to pre-school, if you went at all?
I think so but no idea where

8.Who was the last person to call you?
Aunt Carol

9.What's your favorite brand of gum?
Any brand as long as it's wintergreen flavored

10.Do you own a digital camera?
Yes, I want a new one for Christmas though

11.How old is the ipod you have right now?
Just got it this past Christmas

12.Do you know anyone named Tyler?
yes

13.What was the last thing you bought?
Ice cream, it's hot!

14.Can you do a handstand?
in a pool

15.How many funerals have you been to in your lifetime?
Too many

16.Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yes, fish smell.

17.Whats on your wish list for your birthday?
Wow, haven't even thought about it, I don't know

18.Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Nervous for my kids, excited about watching it all unfold

19.Something you dislike more than anything?
People who treat their children like garbage

20.Did you kiss or hug anyone yesterday?
At least 6 people that I know of

21.Do you like surprises?
YES!

22.Do you think people have any misconceptions about you?
Holy cow yes...welcome to being a pastor's kid!

23.Do you miss someone?
Yes

24.Would you move to another state or country to be with the one you love?
yes.

25.Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
Indeed, we serve an amazing God who works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

26.What's your most favorite scar?
I only have one, where I shoved glass so far into my leg they had to remove it surgically

27.Whens the last time you flew in a plane?
Oh boy, let's see...Molli was a newborn so 7 years ago

28. What did the last text message say that you received?
Waiting for you

29.How many kids do you wanna have?
Well I have 5...maybe 1 more

30.Honestly, whats on your mind right now?
Gotta pay bills

31.When is the last time you received a comment?
a few days ago

32.Who made you cry last?
umm...Thomas when he headbutted me this morning


33.What was the last TV show you watched?
30 Minute Meals

32.What are your plans for tomorrow?
Cleaning out my mom's garage with Aunt Carol to get ready for the reunion

33.Given the chance, would you ever perform live with your favorite band?
HECK YES

34.Do you spell words like 'favorite' and 'color' with or without the 'u'?
without.

35.What class do/did you receive the most homework in?
English, without a doubt. My mom was a slave driver

36.What reminds you of summer?
The smell of tanning oil and cut grass

37.Have you ever been on a Slip'N'Slide?
Last week, actually...it was NOT a pretty sight

38.Have you ever owned a skipit?
No

39.Have you ever changed in front of a window?
Yes.

40.Have you ever been to a boardwalk?
Yes

41. When is the last time you got a good work out?
Wednesday

42.Do you prefer to watch scary movies alone or with another person?
Not at ALL

43.Do you think little kids are cute or annoying?
Depends on the kids :)

44. Does it bother you when people disrespect their parents?
This is HUGE thing for me....it's so awful!!

45.Have you ever seen the TV show "Ace of Cakes"?
Yes

46.What was the last parade you went to?
Christmas parade, we FROZE

47.Do you have to make S'mores whenever you go camping?
Yes, but I'd rather have hobo pies

48. Do you think skinny jeans are a hideous fashion trends?
Not as long as you are skinny...hate it when people try to shove themselves into clothes that are clearly too small

49.Isn't it absolutely annoying when dogs constantly bark?
YES

50. So what now?
Bed I think.

Well Noah comes home this morning and we are totally pumped to see him. He still has a long road ahead of him, but at least we'll have him here for a bit.

In other news, Jonah has finished Music Workshop and is now a bonafide member of the Battle Creek Boy Choir. He recevied much praise from the director. Can't wait to see him perform.

I am completely addicited to Jodi Piccoult books this summer. I'm devouring them. I've already read 5. My sister has told me that I MUST read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer..anyone tried those yet?

We have pumpkins growing!! WE tossed all of our old pumpkins outside last fall and we just checked and they are growing!!

And last but not least 30 days till school starts!

A quick update on Noah...

The surgery went very well. He woke up very disoriented and scared. The doctors had to give him extra anesthesia to keep him under. He seemed to be really uncomfortable so they gave him morphine which made him fairly dopey. We got to see the front incision which is much larger than I had thought. It looks like Captain Hook took a swipe at his belly. He really didn't like the pulse ox thing he had to wear on his finger that was glowing. I told him he was E.T. and he seemed to like that. They haven't turned on the pump yet so now he's just dealing with the pain from the surgery. We're going to head back tomorrow with the kids and hope that he'll be feeling a little better then. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts!!! I'll update when we know more!

Not sure how to start this post....

Most of you know that my little brother Noah has Cerebral Palsy. There has been much concern lately about his muscles because he is growing so fast. He's in much pain most of the time. So tomorrow morning he will go into surgery at Spectrum Health and will have a fairly complicated surgery to insert a Bacolofen pump. This pump will be put into his body cavity with a catheter winding around to his back and will enter his spinal column. This will mean that he will be able to get a continuous flow of medication to ease his discomfort. It also means that he will lose all of the tone that he has. He uses his tone to do everything now, crawl, play Wii.

I know in my head that this is absolutely the best thing for him. But I am afraid that he won't be the same Noah. He is such a special part of our lives. I want the very best thing for him. I don't want him to be in pain. The doctors can't give us any indication of what will happen after the surgery. Most likely he'll be limp, somewhat like a noodle, but we just don't know. My parents have gone back and forth about this decision for some time. I can't imagine having to make this kind of decision for one of my children.

So please be in prayer tomorrow. We will be in Grand Rapids for the day to be with them. I'll update as soon as I can.

WE went camping this past week at Fort Custer which was such ablast. The kids love camping! Here are some highlights!

We are home from camping....we had a blast....I love that my bathroom is so close....I love my own bed...I hate the smell of old campfire on my clothes...I will post pictures soon....when I can find the camera...

Once again, I am amazed by my brilliance. I'm sure you all remember when I smacked my legs into some glass and it got stuck there and had to be removed surgically. That was a brill ant moment. Today, my genius struck again. This time, I made sure that I set a fine example for my children.

Last night I had purchased some spoons, as they regularly disappear in this house. This morning, as the children were pouring cereal, I tried to open the package of spoons. There was a small piece of tape that was keeping them together. Looking around for the scissors, I spotted instead a large kitchen knife. (Now don't ruin the ending here....) I proceeded to open the spoons and, as the knife was facing me, proceeded to stab myself in the hand with the knife. The kids were waiting for said spoons so they were all watching. There was an audible gasp as I looked down at the knife sticking out of my hand. Then the panic began...not my panic of course, but rather my children's. Jonah ran for a towel, Molli ushered Sydney out of the room, and Emma sat there with big tears welling up in her eyes. I proceeded to pull the knife out of my hand and asses the damage. It went in about 1/2 an inch. But there was no cut and so no need for stitches or the ER. Thank goodness. However the knife was serrated so it hurt like crazy! My whole hand was throbbing. Jonah and Molli were watching me, waiting to see what I'd do. I calmly looked at them and said, "Children, this is why we do NOT play with knives." See, I will do whatever it takes to teach my children the proper way to handle things :)

P.S. I really am ok...it is sore and I have been informed by the medical profession that I must try not to use it (YEAH RIGHT) and that it will likely hurt for sometime. Gee thanks...here's your $50.

Dear Proprietors of Full Blast, the local water park:

We recently visited your park for the first time. We have lived in Battle Creek for 4 years now and have never crossed the threshold of your facility, although my children have long dreamed of coming. So finally today we arrived, tingling with excitement. The children ran to the pools, squealing with glee. My youngest daughter Sydney was unsure about the yellow water slide, but as we mounted the stairs, her confidence grew. She almost backed out as it was her turn, but a slight push and she was hooked. She spent the next two hours, going up and down, up and down.

Alas, the happiness was not to last as she went up to come down again. With the change of lifeguards, she was disallowed from going down with the claim that she was too short. I went up with her, sure there had been some mistake. The lifeguard assured me that she was too short, making her stand against "the stick". I know you must have standards but my daughter was 1/8 of an inch too short. AND SHE HAD BEEN GOING DOWN THE SLIDE FOR 2 HOURS! I would encourage you to hold fast to your standards. If an 1/8 of an inch is too short to ride the water slide then please make this apparent THE FIRST TIME she attempts to ride down. This makes for a very sad child and grumpy parents.

Sincerely,
A local mother of a very sad little girl

This weekend Matt's brother,his wife and their beautiful son Landon came for a sleepover. We had such a great time. It was a great time to catch up and play. Thomas was thrilled to have a play mate, Landon is just a week younger than he is. Sydney was also in her heaven with 2 little guys to boss around! Saturday we just hung out and played and Sunday we did church and went to the zoo. It was great! Here are some highlights....

I love cool nights in the summer. When it actually feels good to be snuggled under the blankets but when you awake, it's already warm outside. Perfect. Nothing terribly blog worthy to write about so I'll just hit some highlights...

- A wonderful woman at our church gave me strawberry plants...I was planning to invest in some as we have this huge wonderful yard now. I am NOT a gardener but strawberries are hardy and don't need much, if any, work. My kind of gardening :)the kids are so excited for next summer when we'll have berries.

- We found LOTS of blackberries growing alongside our garage. With a little pruning, we'll also have a bumper crop of balckberries next summer! WOO HOO!

- We're going camping in a week. Matt will still have to go to work, but it gets us in a different place and some new things to do. Plus what beats a campfires and sleeping under the stars?

-Jonah starts Music Camp next week. This is for the Boy's Choir. He's a little nervous about it, but I think he'll love it.

-I spent over an hour at the Secretary of State's office yesterday...note to self- DO NOT THROW AWAY DRIVER'S LICENSE EVER AGAIN!

- My plan for peace has been working quite well. Still trying to find a good consequence for the perpetual whining...anyone have any suggestions?

- And finally, the Kurtz's have a Wii!!! We used Matt's bonus money and got one. Man, is it fun. We haven't tried any games except the Wii sports and Wii Play...anyone have any suggestions there either?

Peace. That's what I am longing for. Summer is plugging along and my children seem to be farther and farther from peace as we go along. I sat up last night, crying...trying to think of someway to help them achieve peace. There is just so much bickering, whining, anger....it's out of control.

So here's what I came up with, our Kurtz motto(for now anyway)Take a Deep Breath and count to 10! When one of their siblings bothers them or does something to them, they will take a deep breath, and count to 10. If they can do this and avoid the inevitable yelling fight or physical reaction, they get a white poker chip. For every 5 white chips, they get a red chip. For every 5 red chips they get a blue chip. A blue chip represents getting to do something with Mom or Dad. My hope is that it will just become second nature and the chip earning will cease. Perhaps not. But it's slightly worth it for some peace.

Day 1 - Sydney has one white chip as does Emma. Molli has -2...God helps us!

I have no idea why I am blogging this, but I saw something about it on Kelli's blog and it proved interesting to me.

So I am getting my hair cut the other day. And there are random bits of conversation going on around me and to me. You know how you chat to your hairdresser about all manner of things. We had chatted about the kids (and YES I got the automatic response of "FIVE kids!!!! You have your hands full!) My hairdresser overheard the gal sitting next to me and replied, "Oh, I always do!" Those of you who know me well know that I am INCREDIBLY nosy. So I say, "What do you always do?" She tells me that she always sleeps with a bra on. My jaw dropped. WHAT? I had no idea there were women out there who did this. Not that it's my place to judge, but still! She said she just doesn't feel comfortable letting the girls hang out. Hmmmm....

Ok so here's my question to my blogging friends....do you wear a bra at night? Is this some sort of boob therapy that I missed? Is this the new revolution??

It's Monday. That should mean something, right? Although I am already finding that the days of summer are blurring together and I find myself asking,"What day is today?" I find it hard to believe that the Fourth of July is this week. Time for cookouts and fireworks!!
Matt has Wednesdays off so we have been taking those days to do fun stuff with our family. We've gone to the bird Sanctuary, and just this past Wednesday we went to the Air Zoo. It was really fun and this has been a great way to mark the summer. Since Matt doesn't get any vacation time in the summer, this is our way to do cool things. This coming Wednesday we are heading to the balloon festival. Our kids have never been to a carnival, not sure how that's possible. All they can talk about is the Ferris wheel and cotton candy. If that's not summer, I'm not sure what is!

Since I received no comments on my paginas post :), I decided to fill one of these out today...Aren't you all thrilled....

Do you sleep with socks on or off:
Most of the time, no...unless my feet are REALLY cold

Do you flip your pillow to the cold side?
No

Do you like to hold or be held?
Be held

Do you want a small or big wedding?
I had a small wedding, but I'd love to do it all again and have a blow out party

Have you ever churned Butter?
Yes, when we did re-enactments at Cedar Bend Farms...my kids and I make butter a lot by shaking cream in jars

Are you trusting of new people?
Not with personal stuff, no

What is the most money you would spend on a pair of shoes?
I can't stand to spend more than $20 for shoes...can't imagine how people can spend hundreds of dollars on shoes

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
I HATE this question....

Would you rather help someone out or be helped out?
Depends on what they are helping me with :) But mostly I like to help other's out


If you found out you couldn't have kids, would you adopt?
LOL, well we all know this is NOT a problem for me...but I'd still like to adopt

What woke you up this morning?
Emma asking me to buckle her bike helmet (it was 6:45)

Where are you?
On the computer duh

How was your weekend?
Good, it's almost the weekend again!

Did you kiss or hug anyone today?
Several people, most of them under 4 ft. tall

When was the last time you cried?
Yesterday when there was so much whining in this house that I could have opened a vineyard

What is on your mind RIGHT NOW?
That tomorrow is our family trip day!

Where would you like to live?
Exactly where I am

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Good question, well I've always wanted to be a checker girl at Meijer..such lofty goals

Are you good friends with anyone?
A few people

How often do you log in to myspace?
every day

Do you like candy necklaces?
Gross, no

What was the last thing you drank?
Diet Pepsi Max...my downfall in life

Who do you miss?
My brother and his family

What are you doing this weekend?
Swimming, eating, playing cards, being with the fam

Whats your favorite kind of soda?
Diet Pepsi Max

Last hug?
Two seconds ago when Syd came over to tell me she loved me

How many times have you eaten sushi?
NONE...gross

What do you want to do right now?
Be cool!!!!

Are you listening to music right now?
no, listening to Tom and Jerry on TV

last time u got flowers?
um...Valentine's Day....no Mother's Day

What time is it now?
11:41

Do you think anyone will repost this?
Nah, it's not that good

What pisses you off?
Whining children who cannot get along for two seconds together

What song has alot of meaning to you?
Here I am to worship

What are you wearing?
Shorts and a Doritos t-shirt...wonder where that came from?

This post brought to you by the things children say when they think parents aren't listening....

Sydney (to her sisters): I saw Thomas's bagina today
Girls(in unison): EWWWWWW
Molli(ever the know it all):It's not a bagina Syd, it's called a PENIS.
Moment of silence as Sydney ponders this
Sydney wanders into where I am sitting
Sydney: Mom, did you know Thomas had a Paginas?

This post is lovingly dedicated to my Sydney. I am quickly discovering that this is going to be the "summer of Syd". While I don't think she'll be murdering anyone, it is going to be interesting.

We started with the pool incident which resulted in 5 stitches. She is the first of my children to receive stitches. (Some of you are going, how on EARTH is that possible??) The stitches were removed and we moved on. Then, two days ago, while riding our bikes to my mom's to swim, she hit something with her bike tire and went flying, very supermanish, over her handlebars. I saw all of this in slow motion of course. I rapidly hurried to get my bike with Thomas in the trailer on it off the road and ran back to get her out of the street. I looked over her body rapidly looking for the telltale scrapes I was sure she had. Seeing none, I scooped up her helmet from the street and walked her to the side. I breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't seriously hurt. Until I saw her head. She had slammed the front of her head into the pavement. There was a rather large welt accompanied by road burn. It looked awful! I rapidly tried to decide what to do. I asked her if she thought she could make it to Grandma's or if we should go home. She sniffed and told me we were going to Grandma's. So my trooper girl got back on her little bike and away we went. As we turned the corner to get to my mom's, over she went AGAIN! This time she ripped most of the skin off her right knee. I carried her into my mother's house looking like she'd been in a losing battle. She maintained composure though and got her suit on to swim. We were in the pool for 30 minutes when she was running around the corner and slipped and scraped more skin off of her left thigh and ankle. At this point, I was convinced that she was not going to survive the day, let alone the summer. We have been incident free until last night when she received an accidental elbow to the nose which we had to pinch for 15 minutes to get it to stop bleeding.

I'm so very proud of my tough girl. Now if I could just get her to sleep in her bed all night long.....

1. I've come to realize that my boobs...
have breast fed 5 children and will never be the same


2. I've come to realize that this weekend...
holds family time and swimming


3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving...
I can have 3 different conversations at once and sing along with the radio


4. I've come to realize that I need...
at least 3 kid free hours in my day


5. I've come to realize that I have lost...
my ability to do it all....crap


6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...
people can only talk about themselves forever and ever


7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk...
something bad has happened

8. I've come to realize that money...
dictates my life more than I'd like


9. I've come to realize that certain people...
rub me the wrong way


10. I've come to realize that I'll always be...
noisy and nosy :)


11. I've come to realize that I have a crush on...
not telling...


12. I've come to realize that my mom...
is not perfect, but is always there when I need her


13. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...
I didn't know where Thomas was


14. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep...
My mind wouldn't stop moving


15. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking about...
that Matt better drive fast on his way home because we are ready for the pool!


16. I've come to realize that my dad...
is an amazing man...who again, is not perfect


17. I've come to realize that when I get on myspace...
I read the friend update thing first


18. I've come to realize that today...
is Friday baby! Although that doesn't mean much in the summer :)



19. I've come to realize that tonight...
is pizza and movie night!



20. I've come to realize that tomorrow I will...
get up and start all over again!



21. I've come to realize that I really want to...
learn how to cut hair

Greetings from the land of Kurtz! We are fully entrenched in summer including later bedtimes (sigh) no set schedule and swimming our brains out.

We had a total blast with Tigger and his family. The cousins swam and swam and swam some more. We dodged tornadoes and thunderstorms. My grandma had a huge limb come down on her house, but it did no damage, thank the Lord! During all the swimming escapades, this happened.....










This is my Sydney. She got pushed into the pool before she was quite ready and smashed her chin on the side. Thus she became the very first McGlynn pool injury and the very first Kurtz child to receive stitches. That deserves an award! We took her for stitches where she proceeded to fall asleep during the procedure!! She was a trooper. However, the "no swimming" edict she received from the Dr. was tough. How in the world do you keep an AVID 4 year swimmer from being in the pool???? You don't, is the answer. But no jumping in or swimming underwater. She was content to float around on a tube and jump out from time to time to dry her chin. The stitches were removed yesterday by Aunt Amber, the nurse. So she's good to go again, although now it's 70 degrees and not quite warm enough to swim! There's the rub...

Among other things we have a new member of our family.....






This is Tank, Jonah's new turtle. He was told that he could get a pet at the end of the school year if he dramatically increased his school scores. Well, he did. We thought the choice would be a puppy, but a turtle was chosen instead. I must admit he's very cool and we enjoy sitting and watching him swim around.

Well off to chase children outside while I do dishes!

I'm awake early this morning. Way too early for not having slept well and getting to bed rather late. But as I heard the rain falling outside and I laid there awake, my mind began to turn.

All throughout my house at the moment, there are sleeping children. Nine of them to be exact. The boys are in the living room, all spread out and draped over couches. The girls are upstairs, all the beds have been pushed together to make one large pile of girls. Only tops of heads and miscellaneous hands and feet are visible. As I traveled through these places just now, my eyes filled with tears. How blessed we are to have this family. My children have cousins, cousins that I hope we can make lots of memories with. My mind flies back to my childhood when I spent summers with my cousins. What joy, what angst, what frustration, what memories we made.


Last night, we crowded around my mom's dining room table. I looked around at this "Walton" like clan of mine. Some things never change. My father and Tigger are ever the jokesters, picking on anyone within earshot. Josh is quietly funny and endearing. My mom is observant and beautiful, ready to defend the weak. Grandma seems older, somewhat sad without Grandpa. But her smile is still ever ready. Now there are new characters in our story, all of us are married now, Tigs and I have 10 children between us. So some things do change. But how blessed I am, to be able to sit back and look at these people, my family. God knows they aren't perfect. I wouldn't want them to be.

I've had quite a few of these sappy family posts this spring. I guess with Tigger returning home safely and all of the cousins making forever memories it's made me somewhat nostalgic and sentimental. I am just extremely thankful for all of them.

Well, we have recovered from the wedding madness! It was great fun to have so much family here and make some really great memories. My brother Josh and his wife Amber are wonderful and I'm so excited to have her in our family.

As I'm running behind today, here's a brief synopsis of all that's going on here:

1. Soccer continues for Molli and Emma. They are both doing very well, although I think Molli enjoys it more. It's great to sit on the sidelines and cheer them on, as long as I am not near the rabid parents who think their 5 year old should be playing like Beckham.

2.Sydney graduated from pre-school with a flourish. She was very proud of herself and her certificate. And we all enjoyed hearing every pre-school song known to man, including Down by the Bay (a popular favorite!)

3. Jonah had (I had no idea) an audition with a local music director and has since been invited to participate in the Battle Creek Boys Choir. It's fairly prestigious and by invite only. He is excited about all the traveling they get to do, all over the world. In fact he said to me, "Mom! They go ALL over the world, even TEXAS Mom!" I'm so proud of him and what a great opportunity it will be for him.

4. Thomas continues to give me gray hair by climbing all manner of things and talking more. We have entered the "I'm going to hit you if you tell me something I don't like" phase. It's truly wonderful. I made the greeter at Meijer audibly gasp the other day when Thomas smacked me in the face because I wouldn't let him run through the store and was attempting to put him in the cart. I smacked his little hand and the greeter gasped as if I had bloodied him. It was probably because Thomas has mastered the Kurtz drama face, big lip sticking out and crocodile tears. *eyes rolling* Little does he know that I have done this enough with his sisters that I'm on to it! He's talking more and more and turning into quite the little man.

5. Matt and I are well. It's getting into the busy season for Matt as people are buying more chips. We've decided it's nice to work in a business where you know people will always buy your product! We're doing some yard projects and working on the house as we have time. The camper is out and ready for some adventures this summer, not sure where yet. Mom and Dad have opened the pool and the kids have already been in, I need it to be about 10 degrees warmer and then I'm in too! Summer is just around the corner and the Kurtzs are ready!!

We had an absolute blast this past weekend when my baby brother Josh got married. It was a great time of laughter, happy tears, drinks and family. Here are the highlights...

Today I decided to further my relationship with my neighbors. You remember, the ones who hate us and are waiting to call the police? Yes, those neighbors....here's what happened.

Our dryer is currently broken so I knew today was going to be nice and sunny and knew I needed to get as many loads hung up on the line as possible. As I was out this afternoon doing said task, I felt a bite on my leg. Thinking it was simply a mosquito I swiped my leg as I looked down briefly. I saw the spider as it darted up my leg and into my capris. Now, I'm panicking. I felt it bite my leg again and pure panic settled over me. I started screaming hysterically and ripping my pants off. My underwear came off as well in my haste to rid myself of the spider in my capris. I darted for the house, breifly glancing up. There was my neighbor, standing watering his flowers and looking at me in pure disbelief. I was mortified. I came inside and sat down, recalling the last few moments. I was wearing a fairly long tshirt of Matt's so it's possible that he didn't see anything. However, I was running so who knows what he got a glipmse of. I almost started to cry, wondering what in the world he must think of what just happened. Then, I began to laugh and I laughed until I almost threw up. I called Matt and after his brief mortification that the neighbor saw my goods, he laughed too. After all, I am dedicated to doing whatever it takes to mend fences with the neighbors :)

We've survived the last few days. Thomas has only managed to escape once, but was quickly discovered. I've decided to be extra nice to the neighbors, waving and smiling and calling out hello every time I catch them watching our house. They don't like it much, but too bad for them!

I have another dilemma that I desperately need some feedback on. I am absolutely stumped as to what to do. It's about my Molli. My beautiful, funny, smart, brave Molli. As the weather has gotten warmer, we've broken out the summer clothes. The girls were SO excited to see the shorts and skirts and tank tops. That is until the first time they could wear the clothes to school. All of a sudden, Molli was unwilling to wear shorts or a skirt unless it was very long. She opted twice to wear pants when it was 75 degrees out. Now, my mom's intuition is kicking in, knowing how she'd fly up the driveway after school and rush into shorts. Something was up. Well, after several morning of fighting with her and her crying about wearing shorts, the truth comes out. A boy in her class thinks her legs are fat. WHAT?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! My brave Molli girl will not wear shorts to school because of ONE stupid boy!!!!! And no matter what I tell her, she will not hear me. She continues to be shaped by this boy's opinion of her.So what do I do?? How do I get her to understand that she is BEAUTIFUL and that she shouldn't care what other people think. And this is a concept that I think women especially deal with all the time. So, women in blogger world....HELP!

I was just visiting Angie's website and am hesitant to post this now! Ah well, you all know I'm the mother of the year anyway...

Now that the weather is warmer, we've been spending lots more time outside, naturally. Thomas, who was too little last year to remember being outside, has discovered the joy of playing outdoors. He adores his swing and just being able to go all over the yard. We have discovered however that he can "escape" the house by pushing the back door open or crawling through the slight rip in he sliding screen door. Fortunately we have caught him before any disaster has befallen. Until this morning...

I really had no idea that the back door had been left open. I was starting some laundry and picking up the bathroom when I hear a banging on the door. I darted out and there stands the neighbor lady.....pause the story.....

These neighbors have HATED us since the day we moved in. I've caught the husband WATCHING my house at night more than once. They are retired so they are home all the time and he is a FANATIC about his yard, so he is outside from dawn till dusk. And everytime we go out, he's watching us. He's vocalized more than once that he doesn't like it when we have campfires and ash blows into his yard or the fact that we have a trampoline. Back to the story...

So the neighbor lady yells, "Your kid is outside alone!" I fly into the yard and find him, playing down by the swingset. I run to retrieve him, thanking God with every step that he had gone down into the yard and not down the driveway to the road! As I come back up to the house she is standing there with her hands on her hips. "Thank you so much!", I told her. She looks at me and says, "We have seen this child outside SEVERAL times alone. If we see him out again, we are calling the police." And she huffs off. I came inside trembling. I felt so humiliated and awful. It scared me to death that Thomas had gotten out so quickly and gotten away from the house. And now here was someone telling me that they were watching for it to happen again so they could involve the police! I feel like an awful parent...

I've tried to put myself in their shoes. If I saw my neighbors 18 month old wandering out in the yard, I probably would have gone over to see if the parents knew. I'm glad that she alerted me...it could have been way worse. I just feel like they are out to get us. I've installed locks on the doors so it won't happen again and I will be way more mindful...I just can't let go of the feeling like such a failure as a parent!

Well Spring Break is officially over. I kissed Matt goodbye at 3 AM, sent the kids out to the bus, took Sydney to school and then sent Emma later on. Spring Break was great. Our trip was so fun, full of great new memories. I'm making a slide show that I'll get posted soon.

Spring is in full swing. We are loving the weather, being outside and bike riding. I am proud to announce that my Emma is now riding a two wheeler! She's doing so well, it's great to watch. A little more practice and we'll be able to head out on the road as a family.

Not too much else to report...sorry for the boring post!!

So here we are, on vacation! This is our very first trip with a laptop and Internet at the hotel, YEEHAW! We're in Indianapolis for a few days. The original plan was to come and camp all week. That plan was changed when the campground called and reports that they were under 4+ feet of water. Camping was out. We despaired for a while but then decided to come anyway, find a cheap hotel, and do the major things we had planned, hoped, dreamed for! The hotel is indeed "cheap" maybe even bordering on scary, but, thankfully, the children are unaware of such things, it has a pool! What else matters to children?? Today was our first full day which we spent at the Indianapolis Zoo. Can i just say that it is AMAZING?? We had such a wonderful time. They have dolphins and therefore there was a dolphin show. Now some of you who are seasoned Disney/Sea World travelers are like, Yeah so? Well, my children have never seen a dolphin in real life. So when the show began, everyone else was calm and quiet and my children were cheering and clapping! It was great! More pictures of that to follow! Then we went into the Oceans building. And lo and behold, they have a touch and feel shark tank. Yes, I said SHARK thank. One into which you can place your hands and feel the sharks. After a slight panic, I decided to bite the bullet and show my children that there was nothing to fear. What a rush! They are smooth and cool and it was awesome. Jonah and Molli were the only ones brave enough to try. All in all it was a pretty amazing day.

We then decided tonight to try Chick-fil-A, which until tonight I thought was pronounced Chick filluh. They had a play place, which is the real reason! But it was WONDERFUL! The food was amazing and the place was CLEAN and the staff were warm and friendly. The play structure was clean and well lit and just wonderful. Our children were thrilled and proceeded to conquer the place in their usual LOUD way. At one point we sent Jonah rushing in to save Thomas from Sydney (side note: Notice that the two parents remained seated while sending their nine year old in to care for the young one...no excuse...he's just the 5Th child after all :)) So he bellows, before entering the sound proof room, "ALRIGHT THOMAS! I'M COMING!!!!" People all over the restaurant looked over shocked. Matt looks around too and says, "My goodness! Who does that child belong to anyway?" WE cracked up as did most of the people around us....our kids rock.

Not knowing exactly how to transition from my last post, this will have to do :)


Aside from Driver's Ed, who really taught you how to drive?
My dad and Grandpa, who I tried to kill more than once in his big white station wagon!

What's the one thing you love/miss about your Grandma's cooking?
Well I don't really miss it, since we just ate there...but I love how she makes sure she has something that everyone likes to eat

If you had money to burn, what 3 charities would you donate to?
Compassion International, Heifer International, and World Vision

What "Late Night Radio" song would you request to your man/woman?
"Everything I do" Bryan Adams

What was the last high school/college project you did?
Oh brother, no idea, probably a paper for Wellness


As a kid, who was the first -famous death- you remember hearing about?
hmm,I don't really remember any till Princess Diana


What kind of music did your parent's listen to while u were growing up?
Lots of show music

Name 2 historic events that have happened in your lifetime:
Sept. 11
Watching war...seeing it so vividly on TV and knowing my brother was there


Who taught you to tie your shoes?
Mom

Where did you go on your first official date?
Oh boy, out to eat I think

When you cruised the strip... who were you usually with?
There was no strip in Mancelona, so I didn't cruise till college and then it was Joce and Matt

Who was like your second Mom or second Dad?
Grandma and Grandpa

Who is your Strangest Relative and why?
Hmm, don't want to offend anyone he he, just kidding...we are all very odd


What's your typical ice cream order at Dairy Queen?
Carmel Moolatte


Animal House or Caddyshack?
I've never seen either

Dorito's or Frito Lays?
Well since Matt works for Frito Lay...YES!

Straight-Man or Comic Relief?
huh?

Survivor Man or Man vs Wild?
Man vs. Wild, I love Bear


Casablanca or An Affair To Remember?
Oh both, love them entirely

Princess Grace or Princess Diana?
Grace

Books, Movies or TV?
Tough one, depends on the day

Marilyn Monroe or Anna Nicole Smith?
Marilyn


Playboy or Hustler?
Ok, call me naive but I have never heard of Hustler and I think Playboy is disgusting

Disneyland, Disneyworld, or Universal Studios?
Disney world, although Universal is fun too

Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas, hands down

Leading or Following?
Leading

Planes or Trains?
Planes, I'm too impatient for trains! Although going on one with Mom, Grandma and Aunt Carol was a blast!

Yesterday or Tomorrow?
Tomorrow, every day is fresh with no mistakes in it yet


Painting?
The ballerina one by Van Gogh

Museum Exhibit?
The bubble one at the children's museum

Thing to do when you're sitting home alone and the power goes out?
That is a secret and it depends on whether or not the children are in bed!


Snack/Junk Food?
Sweet stuff, and chips, and pretzels

Pet name for your significant other?
I don't think I have one

Nickname for your best friend?
Min

Revenge tactic?
For what exactly?

Song to sing in the shower?
Hot like me....LOL just kidding


Bill that you have to pay?
Cell phone

Cuss word?
I don't usually swear, but I do say screw a lot which I shouldn't


Era to read about or watch a movie in?
Well we are entrenched in the Felecity books right now so the 1700's

Poet?
e.e. cummings

Villain in a movie?
Tough one, hmmm.....I don't know

If you could know everything one person was thinking, who would it be?
No one, I think there's a reason that we don't have that ability

Topic to gab with your family about?
Church, food, weddings, babies...man just about anything, you never know what topics will come up at family dinners!


If you could have coffee with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
Grandpa(although I can't say it would be coffee, more like brown water!)My brother, and Mother Teresa

And Finally...

If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do?
Sneak into people's houses to see what they are really like when no one is watching!

Two years ago today, we lost this man, my grandfather. He was so many things. I wish that I had written down every memorable thing that he said to me. It hardly seems possible that it has been two years. I look at Thomas, my Thomas Michael, named for this strong,funny, loving man who blessed my life for 27 years. He would have loved to see Thomas at this age. And to rub it in my father's face that we had chosen his name instead of my dad's. It's true that grief eases with time. But there are moments, and today is a good example. Times when that grief feels so raw and new,even though it's been two years. How I wish he could have seen Thomas....seen Jonah's long hair and complain about it, seen Molli reading like a 5th grader, heard Emma and her silly sayings, seen Sydney grow and go to school....so many wishes. And yet I know that he is with our Savior, free of the pain and the compications. That's why, even today, I can grieve with hope...because we will meet again. I love you Grandpa.

It's taken me almost a week to catch my breath, reflect, wipe away tears, and remember how wonderful the last week was with everyone here. So many memories, laughter, tears...it was blessed. It was so great to see the cousins reunite. Molli and Morgan, our fearsome twosome...Jonah and Myca, boys bent on wrestling and sword fighting...Mackenzi and her faithful shadow Sydney....and Emma and her buddy Markus, each doing their own thing! It was truly beautiful to see. I had such flashbacks as I mounted the stairs (NUMEROUS times) to tell the girls it was not time for giggling but time for sleeping...of many many summers ago with my own cousins and my own mother yelling the same words. It brought such a smile to my face. Sitting around the dining room table with ALL of my siblings, each of us so very different and yet so much the same...it was remarkable. My brother Tigger has changed much. I don't think you can face death the way he has and remain unchanged. And yet, he seems changed for the better. He seems to exude love and connection. He sought me out many times just to talk or to hug. But it was THIS moment that really brought tears to my eyes.....






This is huge mass of people is MY family. Some of the faces are new, the new babies and the brother and sister in law we've added....but this is us. Even now, looking back at the picture and remembering the chaos of trying to get all 23 of us to stand still and look at the camera, just makes me laugh. For better or worse, we are stuck with each other. And I, for one, am so very glad.

Popping in to say that we are still here and all is well. We are having a total blast with the family here. Today we are coloring eggs and doing the big egg hunt. Of course we got a foot of snow yesterday so we will be hunting indoors. Have I mentioned that I HATE winter? Here are just a few pics of some family fun!



The girls

















Uncle Josh and Emma bowling
















Thomas decides to help Uncle Josh bowl




















My darling newphew Markus who bowled a 116!!!




















Molli and Morgan AKA Thelma and Louise

Just a quick post to let y'all know that I'll be absent for a few days as my brother and his family are here. This is my brother that is in the Army and was in Iraq for the last 18 months. We haven't seen him or his family in 3 years as they were stationed in Alaska. He has five children as well and they are all almost the same ages as ours. So the cousins are rediscovering each other and having a total balst. I'm clicking pictures like crazy since who knows how long it'll be before we are all together again. Last night, my mom looked around the table as we were finishing dinner and got kind of choked up as she said, "My WHOLE family is around this table right now." It was great.

So the Waltons are reunited and today we are going bowling. Imagine 11 grownups, and 11 children invading the bowling alley....lol. Gotta love family.

Let it be known that this day, March 14, 2008, I, Mandi K, have won the coveted parent of the year award. Here's how the award was won...

Emma, Thomas and I arrived at Sydney's school to pick her up. The girls took off for the car already fighting about who would sit in the front (ok, so no children should be in the front...but that was only the beginning..)By the time I reached the car, they were kicking, screaming, hitting, etc. I broke up the fight and informed them that they would now both sit in the back. Emma launches into "fit" mode. She began screaming and stomping her feet. I scooped her up and placed her in the car. She proceeded to continue the fit. I just ignored her. We pulled into McDonalds so Sydney could use some of her birthday money on a yogurt. The screaming from the back increased as Emma howled that she had wanted to go to Burger King. I informed her that she would write sentences when we got home. She didn't stop. I then warned her that if she didn't stop I would take her lovey(aka her favorite blanket that she cannot sleep without) away for the night. Surprise, surprise..she didn't stop. So, when we arrived home, I scooted inside and removed her blanket from her bed and hid it. Then the fun began....

She threw herself on the kitchen floor and was shrieking and kicking. I hauled her to her room. She was hysterical. I called Matt and he could hear her while I was in the living room. I went upstairs to tell her she needed to get ready for school. She refused, so I dressed her myself. Then I pulled her down stairs and put her coat and boots on. Remember now, that she is still screaming wildly and flailing. I pulled her down the driveway. Meanwhile she has lost her lovey for 2 days now and has been told that she will not be going to the Daddy/Daughter dance tomorrow night. The bus pulls up and she throws herself on the ground and refuses to get on the bus. I carry her onto the bus and put her in a seat. THe bus driver reassures me that it'll be fine but I followed them to school, just to make sure. As the bus pulled away from my driveway, I fell apart. I don't know what in the world would make my beautiful, funny Emma act this way. I felt like the worst parent ever because I clearly had no control. At one point I even considered giving her the stupid blanket back just to get her to stop. BUt I have been trying SOO very hard to be consistent and to follow through with my threats. I'm desperately sad that she can't go to the dance, something she has been looking forward to for weeks. I just felt there had to be serious consequences for her actions today. I know it will start again when she gets home and realizes that she doesn't get her lovey. oh boy....well that's the tale that won me the award!

I'd like to thank....

Before I forget, here's the link to the site for chore charts...http://www.dltk-cards.com/chart/ for those of you who asked.

This weekend was wonderful. My baby sister got married on Saturday. It was lovely. This was just a small ceremony, as her new husband is going into the Navy. They're planning a big hurrah after he gets back from basic and A school.But, my sister looked amazing (as usual)











































Then, Sunday morning, Matt woke up with a stomach bug. We chalked it up to too much to eat and drink at the wedding. Until late Sunday night when I got it, and then ALL the rest of the kids got it. So we spent a fun day yesterday taking turns in the bathroom. It was awful. Thank the Lord though that it's a fast bug and this morning we are all better. I wouldn't wish that on anyone...ick.

Alright off to reclaim my home! Vacation is over.....right.....

This morning was crazy. I knew I had a WIC appointment, Syd needed to get to school and I wanted to work out at the Y before I had to pick Sydney up. Well the car wouldn't start. So I bundled everyone up and decided we would walk Syd to school as it's right up the road. As we are about halfway there, I glance behind me to see Bo (our big chow/retriever joint custody dog) bounding along behind us. So now I am hanging onto this 125 pound dog by his collar and trying to push the stroller. We make it to the school and I stand outside the door wondering what to do. Emma can't hold the dog if I take Sydney in and I can't very well take the dog into the school. Thankfully, at that moment, another mom came out of the building. I asked if she could PLEASE walk Sydney down to her class for me, she was happy to help. So now we have to walk home...I asked Emma to push the stroller so I can hang onto Bo. She does, for a while...then she starts crying that it's too hard. Now Thomas is crying because he wants to suck his thumb but cannot as he has mittens on. (Did I mention it's 16 degrees out?!?!?!?) It was really great. I can't imagine what people thought as they were driving by. My firend Mindy came and jumped the car so I could get my running around done. I blew into the WIC office hoping for an in and out appointment. Yeah right. An HOUR later, we emerged, just in time to fly to Syd's school to pick her up. Funny how the best laid plans can go out the window at a moment's notice!!

Anyway, today was crazy hair day for the kids at school. Here's what they chose as hiar styles...





Jonah channeling Sanjaya



































Molli with many pigtails

The

So March has arrived. The snow is almost completely gone, thank you Jesus! And now of course our yard looks AWFUL. Garbage everywhere, sleds, misc. toys....yikes. Now I understand why my other always made us do a "spring pickup" outside.

This month is BUSY for us....here's why.

1. Sydney turned 4 on the 4th..her golden birthday. It was a great day filled with Diego cake, a new camera and her new bike!

2. My sister gets married this weekend!!!

3. Next Saturday is the Daddy/ daughter dance...my girls are so excited to go with Daddy!

4. My brother and his family arrive near the 20th for their first visit in 3 years! I get to meet my new niece and they get to meet Thomas!

5. Easter...lots going on there, eggs to color, dye to spill, baskets to fill, eggs to find...

Then of course we slam into April where we get to go away for Spring Break...SO looking forward to that. We are going to try and tap some of our maple trees this week and make some syrup..that would be fun.

I also had a small meltdown this past weekend when I asked the children to clean their rooms. Jonah was fairly retiscent and complied with little nudging. The girls, however, whose room was AWFUL, were not so easily convinced. Finally, Matt and I helped them rearrange hoping that would spark some interest in cleaning their space. Um...no such luck. I was on my hands and knees cleaning their room as they are playing around me. I lost it. I informed them that I was done and they were not leaving their room until it was clean, no dinner, no nothing. THat got them moving, but I was so upset. How did my children get so stubborn and so indignant that I would ask them to clean up their own mess? My depression grew as I realized that I was at fault for not every making them do it. I usually just do it myself because it's faster and there's no hassle. After a long talk with Matt (whom I adore because he just let me vent and scream and throw things and then gave me some chill out time before trying to help)we decided that it was time for chores. I mean, there must be an upside to having so many children! Then began the debate as to whether or not an allowance was in order. After much discussion we decided that there were some things that they should just be expected to do without having to be paid. Matt went online and foiund chore charts and we made them up, printed them out, and hung them up. The bigger kids have more, obviously, but even Syd has basic chores. We are on day 3 of the chore chart and I am happy to report that it is going well. The kids have embraced their chores with little to no complaining. Jonah and Molli even do the dishes! I'll keep you posted on how we do!