Tonight, we girls are missing...

Because they are out doing boy things!

So We had a girls night with...

Ice Cream!

And...

At G's request of course! She can't get enough of it! What an adventurous girl! Nothing like hanging out with the gals!

Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night!

A little thought...

"The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere more pleasant-and let the air out of the tires..." -Dorothy Parker

Pillsbury called and they want their dough back!

Their beauty is astounding!

A little humor goes a long way!

Just reflecting on the finer thing in life...such as being dressed up as a lobster!

It's a joy being royal!

Have a ghastly Halloween! (belated of course due to a crashing computer!)

The life of a lobster is a hard one!

When your computer crashes...one must make up for lost time. So, this picture is a few months old...but better late than never. This was T's 9th birthday party. He had a mini war-complete with fort building, air soft wars, and a tank cake. He had a blast, and so did his friends! It's hard to believe he's this old!

I'll have the life special, please...with a side of chaos!

So, life with three children is a little crazy at times...a bit like a comedy. I just wonder what people looking from the outside must think when they see this obviously unnaturally blonde with three kids taking the city by storm. When we go out in public, we're like a force of nature with all of our chaos. So, here is how the day played out-We met JR for lunch-tons of fun! After words we went to City Hall to get our passports for Mexico at Christmas time (hooray and hallelujah!) and that is where the trouble began a brewin! E started flipping the minute we hit the line and the wonderful ladies at the passport station just tried everything, but she was hungry, had a wet diaper, exhausted and would have none of it. The other two were trying so hard to help her. Then we had to walk back to the parking lot (several blocks down) and just two blocks shy of the parking structure (but two blocks too many for tiny toes) G biffed it hard and went a' flyin-as did her shoes and unbeknownst to me her little toy dog. Well, carrying her in one arm and my chubbo baby in the other, we finally made it to the car. Just minutes from home after finally getting out of the city, she realized she dropped precious ballet dog. Flip the car around and head back to the city, for heaven sakes doggy is gone! And, as I turn to dry a tear (yes, while driving) WHAM! Hello mr. news van in front of me. Yes, I hit it! But, thank my stars that van was MUCH taller than my volvo and somehow totally unharmed. I am not much worse for the wear, yet somehow I have the urge to go ballistic. We still haven't found ballet dog. But, do you know what? Couldn't get much worse, right? I'm still pretty blessed.

It's not always easy being someone's sidekick!

Though she may not always appreciate it, she's at the mercy of four people who think she's positively adorable in every way...and just tons of fun to play with! G and T appreciate having a living baby doll that they can dress up!

Somehow the Tarsier's eyes remind me of my kid's eyes!?

Have you ever seen a Tarsier? Neither had we until we visited the zoo this Saturday! Tons of fun...I'd highly recommend looking at pictures of those little creatures, as they are hilariously funny...or if you can't find one...just look at the picture of my little dude's big eyes. It's a pretty close match!

Who let the dogs out?

G is such a dog lover...we had to have a puppy party this year, even if it was two months late. With a new baby and travels, September was the time to have one! We had lots of fun eating out of dog dishes and playing Red Rover, Doggy Doggy where's my bone, etc. Only trouble with this cake is...most the kids vetoed the marshmallows....go figure?!

Yum yum to our tums!

Though we're not having his actual party for
a few weeks, we always love to have a good
celebration for a birthday! T's ninth
was loads of fun!

Birthday fun...

We had a blast swimming at an indoor pool (equipt with giant slide, whirlpool, and a fountain system)!

T is 9 today!!!!!!!!!!!!

T is 9 today at exactly 9:44 am. This gives me pause. WHen did this happen? I can hardly believe that 9 years ago today, I was so afraid I couldn't give him the life he needed, but I was determined to try. And, here he is-a finer little man than I could have hoped for. I should have had a bucket to catch all the tears I shed when he entered fourth grade, but not just because he's getting older and I can see his rapid changes, but because I'm so amazed by him. I can't believe his bravery. He marched into his new school with no fears, just confidence. He made three new friends on the first day. He had a girlfriend by the second. He has already won an award for great behavior. He has already helped someone who needed a friend. I don't know why he is mine, but I know that there are big plans for him on this earth, because he posesses a sweetness and maturity that rarely touches a child of his age. So, today, I'm just so glad to be his mom that I can't stop crying...I'm such a baby-he's more mature than me!

First Day of school for my little ones!

It's a little scary to realize that four years came and went in the blink of an eye, and no less scary to realize I am now no longer the only "teacher" in G's life (besides J, of course). Who knew that having children could make a person so vunerable. I had a brief moment of tears-shoot-I haven't taught her to tie her shoes yet (to which J would say-Kim she has velcro shoes, you're ok) shoot I wish I had spent more time playing rather than cleaning the house (to which J would say-you spend all day with her actually) shoot, I hope she knows that she is a good girl and I love her (which I actually know she believes since she told me she is fantabulous and probably going to get married today). I guess in the end, I know that she feels lovable and capable and those two things will take her far. Still, I can't believe it went this fast!

Eventually all things merge into one...and a river runs through it...

Robert Redford

Look out all you roadsters!

T hit the road many times

with Grandpa Gill while we

visited Idaho!

A glimpse into the future?

Don't we always want to know what will occur in the future? What if we had a crystal ball...could this be E's look?

Check out my Slide Show!

We went on a lovely little walk today, along with our "move in" neighbor to the corner market for sweets. I feel slightly like we're in a Leave it to Beaver segment in this old school city (of course with a few more motor homes and toothless wonders!). As we were returning home, I kept saying "move it or lose it kiddos" due to their snail's pace. They were gleefully eating their newly purchased treats and sampling each others' candy, which caused them to be VERY slow. Needless to say, a five minute walk turned into a twenty five minute walk. But, it got me thinking-that's one of the many things I truly love about my kids and children in general. They force you to see that it is the journey and not just the conclusion we should be relishing. There truly is something to be said for noticing that there are dinosaur shapes in the clouds, dozens of ants forging their way through the cracks in our sidewalk, and that little rocks make great amunition! I guess it really is all about the details.

YEAH FOR PHONICS!!!!!!!!!

I am enormously happy tonight! G and I were reading a bed time story and she asked what one of the words said. I told her she should sound it out and not only did she sound out that one, but three other words!!!! I screamed to JR to come up right away to witness her new skill. I was so excited because I am a major lover of books and now I know a whole new, exciting world will open up to her.
T just finished the fifth Harry Potter tonight! I still have yet to catch up to him. He's a voracious reader and I love that about him. He's been filling me in on all the details so I don't miss a thing! He's in a race to get to the last book. Long live J.K. Rowling.

Tanner Creek park

So many cooks in the kitchen!

I swear- I'm not on a cooking vacation, but my

cute kids have been so into making breakfast lately! Every morning they wake up ready to create and it has been fun to teach them new tricks. T and G are becoming quite the cooks, and E-well, she still just enjoys drinking milk (all day long! Sometimes for three hour stretches as she did at church on Sunday!) My kids are also enjoying placing our little "service heart" wherever they do a good deed for each other, so it has been fun to find it in little places all over our home. Thank heavens some FHE lessons stick! So, this morning on the counter where they helped to make pancakes, our shiny red service heart sat!

There is nothing better than a baby in a sink bath! It's the absolute perfect size for my little tiny baby girl! E is becoming really alert. She stares at me for long stretches and has given me some treasured smiles. I adore her more than I can say. While I gave her a bath, my two sweethearts, T and G actually unloaded the whole dishwasher and loaded all the dirty dishes! What a sweet surprise. They were so excited to show me and I couldn't have been more thankful. One less thing to do one handed!

Three's a crowd...but a good one!

Sassy Massey and Fancy Nancy visit E!

All you need is LOVE!

It's hard to believe that JR and I have been married for almost 10 years! It makes me feel like I'm getting old. Can you have a mid-life crisis at my age? And, if so, what does that say about my shelf life? Yikes...I think I haven't been getting enough sleep! That's what I think!

Check out my Slide Show!

I can't stop asking myself why...

People at Winco always wear spandex. Seriously, Spandex is a priviledge...not a right and it is just far too overused at discount grocery stores. I'm thinking it's a little Richard Simmons and it really perplexes me.

Late nights are my sanctuary!

Nightfall is here again, and my strange eye twitch has settled in again due to lack of sleep. I should realistically force myself to sleep, but it's just too difficult. I finally have a minute all my own and that is just too precious to pass up. So, I blog. And, I stare at my three babies sprawled out in my bed (yes, I said my bed-weekends are for sleepovers!) and I marvel at the fragility of it all. It's all so quickly fleeting...so I take a deep breath, thank the heavens I made it through the day in my own dysfunctionally functioning way and that I am blessed enough to have the existence that I know.