Ladybugs & Stinkbugs

First of all, sorry it's been so long since I've written!  It's been a crazy week, and I've just now gotten caught up on my regular stuff.

 

I have so many pictures to show you guys!! Hope you don't O.D. on my cuties!! These first pictures are my Rock-N-Roll Kiddos. They have a blast singing and playing fun songs in their "band". They want to be like their cousin Brandon and be a rock band. =) Here are some photos, as well as video of them singing:

 

Annie is the lead singer...when she can keep the mic away from Drew...

 

 

 

Drew is lead guitar (or, as he says, "kitar")

 

 

Matthew's on drums...

 

And Jake is the backup singer.

 

Do you want to sing, too?

 

This is just because he's cute!

 

 

 

 

So here's a video of our up-and-coming rock stars. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Here's Andrew rockin' out:

 

And here's Jakey:

I'm so excited about the start of the holidays!! This is my favorite time of year. Here's wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving, and a wonderful start to the holiday season!

FlyLady Water Bottle


Fly Lady Timer

Ted Dekker Books:








I will edit this post frequently with updates!!

Okay, so my kids are geniuses, if I do say so. =)

Andrew is three, and he came in today and told me that he knew my phone number. He pulled out a toy "cell phone" and punched in all 7 digits of my phone number. Now...I have NEVER told him my phone number, so I'm not sure how he has picked this up (I could guess one or two little guys who might have told him...), and he was so excited that he had gotten it right!

Then, later, Mom was discussing what she wanted to eat for dinner. She asked us, "How does chicken sound?"

Andrew says:


Baaak Baaak!!! (making chicken sounds)



I was laughing hysterically - literally "rofl". He never did get why it was funny.



Then, tonight Matthew is staying at Mom's. He came down her stairs and told her that he had turned off the TV upstairs because he didn't want to get addicted to it. (He's too smart for his own good.) So, he sat down next to Mom downstairs and watched HER TV for another hour. (Evidently, only certain TV's contain dangerous, addictive elements. Others are perfectly safe.)


Aren't they funny? They make momma laugh anyway.

Okay, when I first started watching this, I thought it was incredibly stupid. But the longer I watched the more awesome I thought it was. It is incredibly impressive - let me know what you think!




Incidentally, when I originally watched this, I was watching YOUTUBE on my TIVO. TiVo rocks!!! Right now, we can sit on our couch (I know, we're lazy-bums), order pizza, browse and order movie tickets, watch YouTube videos, rent movies from Amazon, and soon we will be able to watch Netflix Watch Instant movies, too! I'm sorry, I know this is silly, but it's so much fun! =) lol

I have to apologize to all of my loyal reads (both of you!) - I've been sick and haven't done much blogging. I do have a couple of photos and videos waiting in the wings, and I hope to get those up soon. Be patient with me!! =)

So laundry is an ever-present part of my life. When Jeremy was working at MCDonald's, we always made the rule that whatever I found in the dryer I got to keep. This was really nice when Jeremy would carry cash around - it sure gave me extra spending money.

Never did I expect that one day I would do laundry, and THIS would be my reward:




Life sure surprises you, eh?

So I had a good start to the morning, and felt really good about the day. I expected we would even be able to start school by 9:30am (which is EXTRAORDINARY for us)!



And then........





My children...........




Happened.



You know what I mean. When their sheer PRESENCE just overwhelms the situation to the extreme that MESS just explodes everywhere!! It's bad enough when this happens inside, and it is toys, etc that can be cleaned up rather easily (and usually by the mess-maker).



But this was a different KIND of mess. It was an outside-muddy-day-let's-get-dirty- and-while-we're-at-it-let's-throw-mud-on-the-house-type mess. You know the kind?

Still, I'm proud of myself. In the middle of all of this, I was able to remember my mother's mantra ("This won't last forever") and realize that it was actually kind of funny. Wanna see? I thought you would...so I took pictures!

First, here's what they did to the house (don't freak, Jeremy - I've already cleaned it up):






Then, here's what they did to THEMSELVES:






Doesn't he look so innocent? "What did I do?"



So, a main part of this post is just to remind myself that life can be pretty funny - and very unexpected with four children. The OTHER part of this post is to remind JEREMY that I don't just sit around the house all day (ahem) - I usually am relatively busy - if, by "busy", you mean "having so much to do that it is impossible to have a quiet minute and I don't even get to go to the BATHROOM by myself" (sorry that may be too much information).

Anyway, here's hoping that your day is as exciting as mine!

Saturday morning, we got up relatively early (for a Saturday), and headed out of the hotel. We walked to the football stadium, and got there about 1 1/2 hours early. As we were walking, it was hilarious - all of these people started POURING out of the parking garages on every side of the street - and at least 90% of them had on burnt orange. They were all kinds of people parked with tents set up and BBQ pits, other foods & drinks, and all kinds of stuff.

We got to the ball park, bought some food, and then bought presents for the kids. Then we walked up...and up...and up...seriously - we went up to almost the HIGHEST story - we couldn't have gotten much further up. We could see great, even though we were far away, and it really was awesome. I actually got to SEE the marching band's half-time show (which they NEVER show) on TV, and that was my favorite part. =)

It really was a neat day. Jeremy's phone died, so I only have these two pictures of the actual game:

From our Seats:


It's Me!



It's been a long time since I've just gone (as a grown-up) somewhere just to HAVE FUN. It really was a neat couple of days!


Remember, you can see all the pictures here, and my post from yesterday here.

Jeremy & took a trip this past weekend - a getaway for JUST THE TWO OF US. It was exactly what we needed. It has been exactly ONE YEAR since I have slept all the way through the night (thanks, Jakey), and it was really nice to be able to relax for a couple of days without anyone needing anything from me.

We dropped the kids off at Jeremy's parents at around noon on Friday. I just want to send out a public THANK YOU to Danny & Donna for watching the kids overnight. What a treat! The kids were as happy as larks to stay with Ma and Pa - even Jacob. I'd never left him before overnight, so that was pretty hard. But when we got on the road...and the van was completely quiet...it was a very peaceful, albeit surreal, feeling! (You never truly appreciate quiet until you have four children - and their friends - singing as loudly as possible on the way to church.)

So we got in to Austin at a pretty decent time, checked into the hotel, and then left to find something to eat. We drove about two blocks and realized there would be NOWHERE to park (without paying), so we went BACK to the hotel, dropped the van off, and walked back to 6th St. (aka Party City) to eat. Jeremy treated me to a VERY fancy dinner (best steak I ever had), and then we walked around town for a while. On our way back to the hotel, we passed the Capitol building, and went in. It was awesome!

Jeremy on the hill:



Beautiful view:


From the bottom, looking up at the dome on the inside:


More pictures here

We ended up getting back to the hotel around 10pm, and went to sleep!! (Early night...slept the WHOLE NIGHT LONG...it was a miracle!)

The next day was UT vs. Baylor - more about that later!!!

After a rocky start, Andrew is really getting into Cubbies. Here is a video of their special song - I tried to get one from the front, but as soon as Andrew saw me he got completely distracted. They all have their backs turned, but he's the one closest to me in the back.

Matthew loves taking pictures with the camera. Here are a few of his favorites:















More here

My curre​nt life in 90 quest​ions

1.What was the highl​ight of your week?​
Watching Annie dance in ballet class

2. Whose​ car were you in last?​
Mine

3. When is the next time you will kiss someo​ne?​
Um...a few hours?

4. What color​ shirt​ are you weari​ng?​
Black and white and green

5.How long is your hair?​
Long

6.Are you good looki​ng?​
Totally

7.Last movie​ you watch​ed?​
KINDERGARTEN COP!!​

8. Who were you with?​
Jeremy

9.Last thing​ you ate?
Fajitas - last night

10.Last thing​ you drank​?​
Dr Peppe​r

11.When was the last time you had your heart​ broke​n?​
When Matthew didn't want me to kiss him in front of his friends

12. Who came over last?​
Annie's friend to spend the night

13. Are you happy​ right​ now?
Yeah - I get to go to the grocery store ALL ALONE - and maybe even to the mall!

14. What did you say last?​
Bye, Jeremy

15. Where​ is your phone​?​
On the table

16. What color​ are your eyes?​
Hazel

17.Are you left-​hande​d?​
No way!

18.Spell​ your name witho​ut vowel​s:​
lndsy (is y a vowel?)

19. Do you have any pets?​
One big dog, and one pretend cat that annie thinks is real!

20. Favor​ite Vacat​ion?​
Colorado, baby!!!

21. What do you disli​ke curre​ntly?​
Good Morning America

22. What are you liste​ning to?
The kids play the Wii


23.If you could​ have one thing​ right​ now what would​ it be?
My Tivo back!!!

24. What is your favor​ite scent​?​
Um...Lysol? lol

25. Who makes​ you happi​est?​
My Father and Savior...and my babies

26. What were you doing​ at midni​ght last night​?​
Trying to get Jeremy to stop talking so I could fall asleep!

27.When is your birth​day?​
September


28.Who has the same phone​ as you?
Jeremy

29.Last time you went swimm​ing in a pool?​
When we were evacuated for "Hurricane" Gustav

30.Do you read your horos​cope?​
No

31.Where​ was the last place​ you bough​t somet​hing?​
Walgreens - meds for the sick baby

32.How do you feel about​ your hair right​ now?
I like it!

33.Do you bite your nails​?​
Only when they get too long

34.Do you have any expen​sive jewel​ery?​
A couple of pieces

35.Do you have any expen​sive jewel​ery?​
Do you ha​ve short​ term memor​y loss?​ :)

36.Myspa​ce or faceb​ook?​
Um..both?

37.How fast have you drive​n a car?
80?

38.Have you ever smoke​d?​
Nope​

39.What was or is your favor​ite subje​ct in schoo​l?​
English and Algebra


40.Do you have Veriz​on?​
Yup

41.What type of boy or girl do you usual​ly fall for?
?

42.Do you have any hidde​n talen​ts?​
No - my talents are not hidden!

43.Favor​ite Song?​
My Savior My God

44.Do you like to sing at all?
Yes!

45.Dream​ Job?
I have it

46.Where​ does most of your famil​y live?​
next to us - but there are a few spread out - Colorado, KY, etc.

47.Are you an only child​ or do you have sibli​ngs?​
siblings. many siblings

48.Would​ you consi​der yours​elf to be spoil​ed?​
Definitely

49.What was the first​ thing​ you thoug​ht when you woke up?
I don't wanna get up!

50.Do you drink​?​
Drink what?

51.Know any other​ langu​ages?​
Learning Spanish

52.Ever write​ a coded​ messa​ge?​
Um, no?

53.Have you ever been IN a weddi​ng?​
Yes

54.Do you have any child​ren?​
4

55.Did you take a nap today​?​
I'm trying...

Here are some videos of the kids birthday party. If you want to see more (and more than you would EVER want to see, lol), you can see them at:

Photobucket November- Birthday Parties

We had Annie and Jacob's birthday party Monday night. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed watching Jacob open all of his presents - and thrive in all the attention he got from his family. He's a total ham!! As long as people would laugh at him, he would dance and be silly. It fills up my heart watching him - he's so wonderful!

Annie had an outstanding time as well. As soon as she woke up Monday morning, she put on her "party dress" and all her jewelry and told me she was Cinderella, and she was ready for her party. She was so excited, she spent the entire day (literally) asking what time it was. She thrives on having everyone here; she's very social and definitely loves all of her family. Here are a few pictures - you can see the COMPLETE birthday party album at:
Take Me There!

My brother-in-law Chad and my niece Madi:



Mom, Dad, and Katie




Ma & Jakey




Took Jake FOREVER




But Not Annie




Annie's new art easel




Video coming later!!!!

And, finally, here is Annie's 2007 birthday...when she turned 5.




It was so hard for me to believe that she was only turning 5. I think because she followed Matthew around for so long, she learned just about everything that she did. I would have to remind myself "She's only four" over and over again because she seemed so much older. I think these ages (5, 6, 7) have a lot in common, so it's nice that she and Matthew have a lot of the same interests. That does make it hard, though, with Andrew - because he's TOTALLY out of the loop. But, then, that's a different story.

Here's a couple of pictures from Annie's birthday in 2006, when she turned 4.

Seriously.

Everybody. (Except Jeremy.)

We started with Jacob...running fever and a cough. Then Drew started running 104+ fever, and his cough got worse and worse...he's having trouble breathing. (Matthew and Annie are running slight fevers, but not feeling terribly puny...yet.) We went ahead and started Jake on breathing treatments, too, so he doesn't GET bad. He doesn't love it, though, as evidenced by:

I'm sorry, I know you are probably getting incredibly tired of all of these pictures of Jacob, but I just can't help myself.

Bathtime pictures are some of my favorites, and Jake LOVES taking baths. It's usually Jeremy's job, and they both love it!