Thankful

I am very thankful for hand me downs. Some friends just dropped off 3 bags full of clothes for my kids. What a wonderful blessing.

and for friends. i feel very blessed to have friends who listen, support, love us. So, Thanks everyone. We love you.

Giving Thanks

It is getting so close to Thanksgiving, and I thought it might be a good thing to express somethings I am thankful for.
First and Most, I am so greatful for my husband. He works so hard, and has been working so much more so we could take a family vacation. He is working day and night. It is such a great blessing that he is so talented in so many things. He is able to work his normal job, and also have side jobs going on. He is a great dad. He is also very creative,full of ideas and full of humor. If it weren't for all his many talents life would be so boring. Thanks honey, You are awesome.

and another little thing I am thankful for...

Cute little boy shoes. They make me smile. I love seeing my little baby in cute little shoes.

Hope your having a great day, full of many things to be thankful for.

Ratatouille

Mmmm Mmmm Good.

Inspired by the new Disney/Pixar movie "Ratatouille", we made ratatouille for dinner tonight. Thanks to the Better Homes and Garden cookbook we had a yummy veggie side dish. I made it as a side dish because 1. I had never had it before, not sure we would like it. 2. It has just veggies in it and I figured we wouldn't be satisfied with just that.
It was so good. I will be making it again. We had a 5 out of 7 mouths fed at dinner that liked it. Austin and Gage wouldn't try it, so they had no vote. and if you can believe this-Tanner loved it. He had two helpings.
If you need a good side dish, try it.

a little spill (really, really LONG)

Friday, November 2nd, 8:30 am, Tanner and Kathryn collided on the their bikes. She was going down to leave for school and Tanner was going back up to see where she was. And the result, a head on collision, a trip to the dr. and x-rays. The dr. didn't see anything on the xray, so he sent her home with a sling, and she has been wearing ever since. and told us to come back in a week for a recheck, if she wasn't better. So Thursday afternoon I call and get an appt for 8 am Friday, November 9th. I take the 3 little boys and Kathryn to see Phil, our very nice and competent Nurse Practitioner. He examines her arm and sends us to the hospital for more x-rays. After waiting for almost an hour we get the x-rays done. I race to take the 2 smallest boys to a friends, Kathryn to school and Logan and I go to preschool. ( I am supposed to be helping, and I was LATE) After an hour at preschool I keep getting call after call on my cell phone, which I am not answering because I am in the middle of helping the kids paint these really cute Indian shirts. I finally answer one of the calls. Its Jared telling me to leave school, go get Kathryn, and take her to the Orthopedic dr. She has a fracture near her elbow and because it has been a week already, they want us in right away to take care of it. GREAT! I am not only late making it to preschool but am now having to leave over an hour early. I get that squared away, call Jared back and tell him to pick up Logan when he gets into town from work. I run to get Kathryn, and we race to the dr. When we get there we end up waiting over an hour to see him. So much for needing to be there NOW. He shows us the x-ray and tells us that surgery is needed to put the bone back where it is supposed to be. So we head over to the hospital again, and this time go to Surgery Services. After sitting for just a few minutes they call us back, we get a weight, and height, blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels. After that Kathryn gets changed into a gown. We are all settled, and have all the paper work, and questions done. They then tell us that the wait is going to be 2 hours, TWO HOURS. YIKES. We just sat and watched tv, we aren't able to eat anything because she is going to be sedated and is not allowed to eat anything. So we sat there, and waited and watched some dumb shows on tv. Then at about 4:45 pm the nurse, anesthesiologist, and dr. come in. They are finally ready. They give her some funny medicine, and take her back. She goes in about 5 and is out by 5:30.

The dr. didn't have any problem putting the bone back, and he didn't have to cut her open or anything. So he was out soon. It was a lot faster than I thought it was going to be. They put a full arm cast on her. I was back with her by 6, and we hung out, watching tv and drinking apple juice. We were home by 7:15 pm. She had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia and cried a lot. But she is doing fine today. I had to wake her every couple hours through the night. It kinda sucked, but it was all to make sure she didn't have some reaction to the drugs.

The fixed arm x-ray /the broken arm xrays.

The happy patient

costumes galore

The greeter at Wal-mart gave each of the boys a candy on the way out Halloween morning. Gage held the kit kat for awhile, then by the time we got home he had bit the wrapper open and had eaten some of the chocolate and had it all over himself in the car-seat. I grabbed him out, and turned his back to me, so I wouldn't get any chocolate on me, then sat him in the high chair so I could snap a picture. What a funny kid.

Gage was going to be dressed up as a dog,

but he didn't like the head of the costume,

so he ended up wearing a lightening mcqueen jacket,

a charlie brown shirt, and doggy pants.

Cori and Sydney were Pajama models,

Cori ended up painting her face for the

trunk or treat at the park, but then when

we went trick or treating later, she had washed it off.

Logan was Obi Wan Kanobi,

(Jared made this costume. Awesome job Honey.

I heard Tanner tell one lady he was a

Chinese Black Ninja-where does he come

up with that stuff.

Kathyrn was a business woman

Austin loves CARS, so Jared

made him an awesome Lightening

McQueen Car to wear,
but this is what he ended up wearing.

We had a trunk or treat (its where people brought their cars to the park, and handed out candy from their trunks, or side doors. The kids walked from car to car and said trick or treat. There were also games in the park. Face Painting, bean bag toss, tractor pull to name a few.

After that was over, we went to the neighbors for "rat meatloaf" "deviled eyes" "ghostly rolls" and monster mash potatoes.

We did take the kids trick or treating, until the little ones couldn't walk anymore.

Its about time

Gage loved being outside,


Logan thought the gooey
pumpkin guts were cool.

Pumpkin carving is one of
Jared's favorite things.

I am so behind, and its about time I get caught up. I have some pictures and news to post. I guess I will start with pumpkins. We had a great time carving and decorating them this year. Only one casuality. Gage picked up a little pokey... (Those yucky stickers that get caught in your socks and hurt you.) in his mouth. First it was stuck on his tongue and then on the roof of his mouth. Not fun. But other than that, here are the finished products.

We're home...

from Disneyland. We had a great time. It was so relaxing, and fun to run from ride to ride. We really did run some of the time. We rode every ride, and saw every show that we wanted to. We slept the whole night without kids interrupting. I almost didn't know what to do with myself the first morning when we were eating breakfast. I ate, and just sat there while Jared finished. Kinda twittling my thumbs. Not sure what to do. Didn't need to help anyone or tell anyone to keep eating. It was so nice. and I got used to that way too quick. :) Can't wait to go somewhere else with no one but Jared. I am glad to be home, and be back to normal. Hope all is well with you. The kids all survived and so did our wonderful friends who took care of our tribe while we were away.

Request

I have a special request of all of you...

A sweet friend of mine, who I do not know, is really sick and could use all the prayers, and thoughts we can give her.
This special friend of mine is named Ashley. She is two years old and is the sweetest baby girl. If you would like to meet her, check out her blog at http://www.ashleysstory.org/ She has had a rough life. Her parents are amazing to me at how they have handled this wonderful, but crazy challenge.
Thank You for your help. And Please, please send all you know, that maybe willing to help, over to Ashley's Story.

Thanks.

taking me away

They're coming to take me away, ha ha. They're coming to take me away ho ho. he he, ha ha to the funny farm.

Just kidding. a week from Monday Jared and I are taking a vacation. No kids, just us two. We are heading to Disneyland for a week to use our season passes one more time before they expire. I am so excited, so ready, a bit worried. So my question (s) to you is...

Do you do anything special for your kids when you leave them with someone? Is it easier to leave before they get up? Or better in the long run to say goodbye? do you call and check in or just wait for them to call you? Ideas, Advice. Do you remember your parents leaving you? Did you get anything special?
I know they will all be okay, and even have a great time. Our great friends that are watching them are very cool and very fun.
We appreciate you Tim and Des. Thank You!!