Keeping Tabs

Halloween!

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

At long last, I am posting about Halloween. The celebrations started with a parade that when right down the street passed our house! It was so fun to sit out on our curb and watch. The boys played football with Dad while we waited.Um, Tab, you better watch out. Benton is coming for you and that kid is a bulldozer. They spent a fair amount of time jumping in the leaf piles.Waiting....waiting....waiting....Finally, the parade came. There was plenty of candy to start off the stash.Benton and Tab both had parades and parties at their schools. I forgot my camera at Benton's party. Bad mommy. But I remembered for Tab. He was thrilled that he got to lead his class in his parade with his teacher.Tab with his class.Next up was trick-or-treating. Poor things were freezing...Did I mention that it snowed a few hours after they got back. I suppose that is for another post. Then was the ward party. They had some fun activities for the kids. Here is Benton playing pin the face on the pumpkin. The end result.Tab also had a go at it. The kids were all lined up for a parade.Hobbes was a good sport.We finally got a family shot. Jason handed out candy from the Tee Pee during the trunk or treating.And close ups of the costumes. Every year I get a little bit more over the top. I do believe that this is the last year for this. Next year my mantra is going to be SIMPLIFY.

Tab and Benton. I used a pattern for their pants and tops. Then they each have moccasin like shoe covers, headdresses, chokers, chest plate type things (Tab took his off before the pictures.) quivers and bows and waist pouches used for "gathering". Daddy made their bows. No arrows, much to their dismay. I thought that would get a little dangerous. And the quivers...Paisley- I didn't use a pattern for her. She has her dress, choker, headband and feathers in her little braids.Hobbes- Doesn't he make the cutest Indian EVER? He just had a little headdress and his papoose. I love how the papoose turned out. It was so nice and cozy. I had wanted to make a cradle board but ran out of time. I can't imagine why! Then Jason. I used a pair of scrubs as a reference for making his costume. I worked out pretty well. He also had a choker, waist pouch,quiver and headband. He did NOT want feathers...lol.The quiver.
And finally, my costume. Again, I just used clothes I had as a reference for making a pattern for my costume. I had a necklace and headband, which I apparently took off before the pictures. No comments on how wide I look ok...I was a week postpartum. Just be happy I'm sharing at all.

Date Night...IN

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

We haven't really had very much opportunity to go OUT on dates as we just can't muster up the strength to pay for a babysitter. So we've been trying to have date nights IN after the kids are in bed. It isn't nearly as nice as going out but we get to spend some time together and we usually end up doing something enjoyable.

This time we decided to make some tortillas. We had been talking about trying it FOREVER, yet we just hadn't taken the time. SO we thought this was the perfect subject for our most recent date night. I had the job of rolling out the dough.Jason cooked them up.
Sorry, no finished product pictures. Apparently I'm slacking lately. They turned out pretty good. At first I thought that they were too stiff to use as a typical tortilla for burritos and such. But the next morning they were perfectly soft so I made breakfast burritos for everyone and they were divine. I would love to make all of our tortillas as they aren't super cheap and we use A LOT of them. Perhaps I should invest in a tortilla press? Anyone have experience with one?

More Soccer

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jason does such a good job capturing great pictures of Tab's soccer games. I just had to share more soccer pictures as that is what we spent every Saturday morning this passed Fall doing.

Tab's team, The Cheetahs, weren't exactly very good. They spent most of the time fighting each other for the ball. Tab loved to be the one kicking the ball in.He is such a silly boy. If he was standing in front of someone and wanted them to pass the ball to him, he would put his hands up in the air. I'm not exactly sure what that was about.He is not what you would call aggressive. He is quite fast and would easily get in front of the other kids running down the field and would be in a good position to stop the other team from making breakaway goals. However, he would get it front of them and then doing nothing and let them make their goal. Sigh...maybe next year he'll be more aggressive. So this shot is a rare one. He had the ball and was moving forward with it.On one of the occasions when his team happened to score a goal, they all took the opportunity to celebrate with high-fives and such. Jason caught Tab with the classic "yes, score" move. Notice his right arm in this picture...And here. Can you see the clenched fist and then the elbow drop. Classic...

Benton didn't mind the games too much.But Paisley got kind of sick of going to games. And she usually ended up getting in trouble.Then giving dad the stink eye.

Baseball With Dad

2011-11-30T08:00:00.003-05:00

There is nothing that the boys love more than playing with their dad outside.And this time it took place in the form of some good ole' catch.I have to be honest though. It is kind of scary to be on the receiving end when Benny is throwing.
Tab... well Tab is just a goober.But at least he is a goober whose aim is getting better and can catch the ball.

Huricane Irene...Perfect Time to do some Canning.

2011-11-29T14:14:00.000-05:00

In late August, Hurricane Irene hit the area that we live in. As we had previously had issues with lesser storms putting water in our basements, Jason took what little time he had at home to prepare for the storm. He built barricades of a sort to channel the water away from the foundation of the house.It totally looks trashy but it was only temporary until he could really fix it. And let me tell you it worked beautifully. Good job,Hubby!He also dug a little ditch that ran to our back yard that is more downhill to catch all of the water that comes from our neighbor's yard which is uphill from us. This also worked wonderfully.Prior to the news that a hurricane would be headed our way, my mom had planned to come up to help me do some canning. My sister later informed me that you are supposed to put up your stores prior to the storm and not during it. Yes, thank you, Alissa. Alas, it worked out well. We lost power and as luck would have it we were planning to do most of our canning and such outside on my mom's propane canning/camp stove. Oh, how nice it would be to have one of these.

We started with Peach Jam. Yum!It was so nice for cleanup and everything being able to do it outside. Let me tell you it is the way to go. I just hosed off my deck when we were all done.After the peach jam we made Salsa. How else do you make salsa but in a massive tub? Tab really enjoyed stirring it.Then we moved on to making Dilly Beans. Oh how I love my dilly beans.The end product!

Rainy Summer Days

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

We are now going to backtrack and catch up... as usual.

We had quite the rainy summer. And one particularly sunny yet rainy summer afternoon, the kids were driving me nuts. So I kicked them out to the back yard to play.I do believe they were as happy to be outside as I was to have them outside.Even if there was a bit of this.

A New Baby!

2011-11-16T12:57:00.007-05:00

Three weeks later...

If you don't want to hear the lovely details (I left out the icky parts)...skip to the pictures.

Tuesday evening, the 25th, I had an ultrasound appointment to make sure the amniotic fluid levels were still good and the baby was looking good since I was 3 days overdue. Everything looked good. The doctor checked me and I hadn't really changed much. I was still barely 2 cm and +2 station but had effaced to 70%. So with it looking like I may not go into labor on my own, we scheduled an induction for the following Monday morning, which happened to be Halloween, gag. Feeling crushed we headed home.

We put the kids to bed, watched some Scrubs, and went to bed. I woke having a contraction that was more intense than any I had had before. I had a few more but they weren't super close. So I decided to get up and get in the shower to see if they stopped or got worse. When I got out of the shower I decided that I was sadly headed back to bed and things seemed to have slowed down immensely. As I started to get dressed things started full force. By the time I made it back upstairs to our bedroom to let Jason know, contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I figured I still had plenty of time as my body had not been cooperating thus far. As I was getting some school clothes for the kids, as we were going to have to take them to a friends house at 5 AM, I dropped everything and yelled for Jason, and told him to hurry up and finish because I was suddenly feeling a lot of "pressure". At which point he cursed at me, I believe for not telling him just how far along in labor I was. For the record, I was really shocked. So we threw everything in the car and ran the kids two streets over to a friend's house at which point I had no time in between contractions. I have never felt so out of control when in Labor. Paisley's labor seemed almost tranquil but this seemed chaotic and I felt like I was definitely not in control. I am not a loud laborer and I was grunting and cursing at Jason to hurry the you know what up. He proceeded to drive about 90 mph to the hospital. We parked right in front, he wheeled me up and which point they told me I was dilated to 9 cm. They decided that there wasn't time for an IV, even though I was GBS positive. They wheeled the bed from triage to the delivery room (thank you for not torturing me by making me get back into the wheelchair and then onto another bed as I was trying not to push. I got into the delivery room, they broke down the bed and we had a baby a few minutes later. The thing I remember most is the Dr. laughing at me because when I was settled in the delivery room and after giving my first push, laid back onto the bed and said, "ahhhh, that felt so good to push." Seriously it was such a relief from the contractions to push.

Hobbes Emerson Crellin joined our family somewhat unexpectedly on October 26, 2011 at 5:28 AM., approximately 10-15 minutes after arriving to the hospital. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 20 1/2" long. When he was first born he was the spitting image of his oldest brother. I do believe that is the first thing that I said when I held him.With Mom!Weighing in.
Meeting Dad.Hello, Tab....er...I mean Hobbes.Getting his first bath in the hospital.Lucky for us, my Mom was headed up that morning anyway, so she brought the kids over after school for a visit to meet their new brother. Thanks for everything mom! Tab was so stinking excited for this little baby to join our family. He begged me for weeks to have the baby. He just didn't get that it doesn't quite work that way.Benton was thrilled also.Though it doesn't look like it, Paisley was pretty happy to be holding her baby brother too.
Check him out. I am always amazed at just how perfect they are.I mean, look at those feet. Even stained from the footprint "stuff", they are just perfect.Here he is all dressed and ready to go home. I made his little sweater, hat and booties. He is wearing the same onsie that each of the other kids wore home from the hospital. It says, "Party in my crib, 2 AM!" Buckled up and ready to hit the road.
Home at last!
Daddy, happy to see his little boy when he got home from work.Daddy, wasn't the only one happy to see him.

Ward Campout

2011-09-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Our ward held their first campout right before school started for the year. Jason worked but I decided to brave it alone with the kiddos. It really wasn't to terrible. It was a bit hard to keep track of them as it got dark, but we all survived intact.

They instructed all of the kids to bring light sabers. We don't own any, much to the boy's dismay and much to my pleasure, but we own enough swords to supply a small army. So the boy's brought swords. And there was a mighty battle.The battle carried on all night and the next morning. It looks as though Tab got himself surrounded. We'll have to work on his combat skills.
Benton was lucky enough to have a little boy who brought extras, loan him one of his light sabers for a little while.
There was a lake nearby, so we wandered down.It was beyond beautiful. There was a bit more fighting action.But mostly, they threw rocks. I mean who doesn't love throwing rocks into water?And of course we enjoyed some time around the fire.

Blankie Kids

2011-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

My kids have all been blankie kids. I recently was pulling out quilts that were made for my kids when they were babies to measure them in order to try to decide how big to make the blanket for the baby. Tab was watching and asking about them. I showed him one and told him that his grandma in the pink shirt made it for him. He asked if he was allowed to have it. I said sure and gave it to him. They have been inseparable ever since. (The crime is that when my mom made him this quilt I was of the mindset that he would ruin it and thus he never used it. It hung in his room for a while, but that is it. By the time I had Paisley I understood the true value of a handmade gift was in that it be used and loved not set aside to look at or just keep. Thus Paisley's quilts have been washed and used countless times. Tab's is now getting the loving attention that has been neglected it.) Benton woke up from his nap and wanted to know if he had one. So I pulled his out and gave it to him. They now have their baby quilts in rotation that both of their grandma's lovingly made for them.

Soccer

2011-09-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tab started play soccer in August. This was his first practice. Kicking the ball back and forth.Um, buddy...about kicking... it typically works better when you go straight at it.
That's more like it.
He is really getting a lot better and is LOVING it. This is a vast improvement from last year when he took a hockey class. Though he loved the class he wasn't the least bit aggressive or competitive. He now is quite the go getter, until he gets distracted because he sees a stick or something. But he is only 6 after all.

I love my Reader

2011-09-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

I know I've mentioned a million times that Tab is such a great reader but it always makes me proud when I see him reading to his brother or sister.He loves the Frog and Toad books and has read the Frog and Toad treasury about a dozen or so times.

Slaying the Dragon

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

The boy's recently scored some knight outfits at a yard sale for a quarter and they have loved playing knights. And what else to knights do but protect the castle and save the princess from the evil dragon?

Here they are protecting the castle. (Side note: Don't you love the play house? Best addition to our back yard! Thank you Sam's Club for randomly putting it on clearance for 1/2 price.)And protecting the princess. Tab was fighting off the dragon while Benton hurried Paisley back into the castle. They had a little bit of a hard time keeping her locked up in the castle. She didn't understand that it was only to keep her safe.

Paisley, What a Character

2011-09-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Paisley is a funny girl. Somehow with two older brothers she managed to be ALL girl. We tried and tried to avoid the princess thing, alas. As a matter of fact we have done a nearly 180 and except it fully. She is regularly dressed in some sort of princess dress or carrying a purse or reading a princess book or talking about princesses and how pretty they are. What a silly girl.

Here she is riding the "McQueen car" around all decked out.She had to try to make McQueen seem girly somehow...She is just an all around silly girl. She loves to wear hats.
And recently Jason's parents came to visit and brought a set of great grandparents with them. Paisley made them wear her new sunglasses that Grandpa brought with him. They were good sports.

Community Day at the park

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that I love our neighborhood? It pretty much rocks. It is quiet and safe and the park right down the street hosts all sorts of activities and such all summer long. Recently they held community days there. There were stands from a lot of the local businesses and such. They also had a little car show. The boys could have cared less about any other car that they saw after they laid eyes on the baby.I mean really can you blame them. It is pretty rockin'.A little later they had a bike show. And daddy showed up home from work just in time.At least Paisley sat with me temporarily.She was quite mesmerized by the bike show. I have to admit it was pretty awesome.They were doing some pretty high jumping.But this little picture sequence describes the best part.I think they liked it.

Cowboys and Indians

2011-09-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

We recently read the book "The Indian in the Cupboard" to the boys. They LOVED it. We have two of the other books in the series and just haven't gotten around to starting them yet. (I have this annoying problem that when I sit down to read to the boys, I fall asleep while mumbling.) Anyway....the have shifted their interest only slightly from Pirates to Indians. Although the pirate phase I fear is long from over, it is kind of nice to see other types of play going on round these parts. As we don't have any Indian costumes (can you guess what is in store for Halloween this year?), Tab decided that he could pretend to be Boone (the cowboy from the book).Stick 'em up! I am proud to say that I have taught my boys to play cowboys and Indians in a very politically incorrect manner. I taught them to run around while patting their hands over their mouths while they they "howl". You know what I mean right? And they know all about scalping. Yeah, that's right, I'm totally awesome.

Little Girl Hair

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

So I've been dying for Paisley's hair to get "long enough" and "thick enough" to "do". I have given up waiting. After scouring the internet looking at hair blogs, I decided that I should just try something and see if it works. Some do, some don't. But I am having fun. Here are just a few of the things we've tried.

In this one it is tied in a knot at the top and then pulled back into another piggy. It kind of looks funny from this angle but it is really cute.This one is my favorite way to do her hair. I do it a little differently so that it ends in one piggy in the center, perfect for adding a single bow. (I need to get on making her sets of bows.) It works so well for keeping her hair out of her face and stays in really well, even after naps...the true test.
She does pretty good at sitting still for this one too. It is actually harder to get her to sit still just to put 2 piggies in her hair than for this, go figure.

Benton's Birthday!

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

So we are caught up on birthday's for the year. We actually managed to celebrate Benton's birthday on his birthday! Jason had the day off, so we went for it. He insisted on having the pirate ship cake that I had made for Tab several years ago and then made for Benton last year, only out of rice crispies... I googled a bunch of different ideas for cakes and cupcakes and showed them all to Benton, but he would not be deterred from having his pirate ship cake. So, what does a "good" mother do? She gives in...Then the opening of presents. The anticipation.Score... his very own umbrella with pirate paraphernalia all over it. Jason and I brought this back from Spain, as we had also given one to Tab for his birthday. He was quite pleased and has put it too good use.And a pirate island to add on to their Playmobile pirate sets. Gotta love Playmobile

Dancing

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Paisley loves to dance. She has recently discovered this ability within herself and insists very regularly that I put music on for her. Sometimes she requests specific songs by name. Her current favorite is "We will rock and roll" aka.. Queen's "We will rock you". Gotta love a girl with good taste in music.

Tab was dancing with her on one such occasion. More like he was swinging her back and forth.
She didn't mind one bit. I find it funny how she won't let go of her purse to save her life.

Belly Pics

2011-09-15T12:25:00.003-04:00

These are probably the only belly pics I will have from this pregnancy. Tab took these for me so you'll just have to deal with the angle and such. Jason isn't really home to take pictures so, this is the best I could do.

So here I am at about 30 weeks. So yeah, I'm posting these 4 weeks later..whatever. (So there to all of my Grand Rapids friends who didn't believe me when I say I get fat. Just look at those puffy cheeks. Gag...they are even worse now.I took the wrap off since it was kind of blocking the view. Wow, maybe I'll have to try to get Tab to take another picture, I think I've doubled in size since these were taken...sigh.
And no, this little boy does not have a name yet. Any suggestions?

First Day of School!

2011-09-06T19:02:00.007-04:00

School started today...finally. This year we have two in school Tab started first grade.And here he is headed into school with dad. (Jason raced home from his overnight shift at the hospital in order to accompany him to school.) He was excited to see me at the end of the day and then seconds later completely melted because supposedly I am to send a snack with him every day. However nowhere in any paperwork did it state this. Apparently, according to him he was the only one without a snack. I felt like a schmuck. I feel like I should have known even though there is no way I could have known. Sigh...Benton started preschool today! It is only 3 hours 3 days a week but I think it is going to be good for him. He was excited about going, though his face in the picture looks more questioning.It is about at this point that he realized that we weren't in fact staying with him at school. (Will someone please teach my child to look at the camera.) He did really well according to his teacher. I guess he was a little nervous about playing with the other kids which is so NOT Benton. Alas, I'm sure he will adjust.
As some may recall last year I decorated/covered up logos on a book bag that we already had for Tab. Because we are cheap, I did the same thing this year for Benton. I took a book bag we had from storage and decked it out in pirate "stuff" per Benton's request. Pretty much the only difference between his and Tab's was that he wanted a hook on his instead of a skull and crossbones.
It had a sword wrapping around the top.And I made him a luggage tag and covered the straps with cool pirate fabric.Tab still has his book bag from last year but he did have to have an art smock for school. It was suggested that and old adult shirt would suffice but you know me. And I was sick of his long sleeve shirts getting ruined last year because they stick out, etc. So I made one. I just took one of Paisley's Ikea bibs and made a pattern that I enlarged to fit of course.
And the back is secured with a strip of velcro.
I put cuffs on the sleeves so that they would stay tight-ish around his wrists. Again with the pirates.And I stitched his name on it.

Summer Fun

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

It has been a wicked hot summer and I have absolutely loved our porch for this reason. I fill up the baby pool on the back porch and throw the kids outside in their skinnies and some sunblock. The best part which you can't see is that there is an awning above his head that I use a nice little remote control to put out and retract. It is fabulous for getting the kids outside when they complain that it's too hot outside and I want them out of my hair.

Extended 4th of July celebrations!

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

So, the little town we live in didn't do it's 4th of July Celebrations until the 16th of July. I'm not really sure why but it was nice to have some activities later in the month. The Fire Department which is a few blocks from our home holds a little carnival at the park down the street from us. Luckily Jason had one evening off so we took the kids down.They rode a few rides.We walked around a bit but since we are cheap, they didn't really get to play a lot of games and such so we headed home. We lit up the fire pit for some s'mores.And the kids wrestled. Really is it playing outside without slamming your brother to the ground? Paisley has learned to participate as well. Though she typically tries to be in a position where she can quickly escape.
And would it really be playing outside with boys if they didn't feel the need to relieve themselves? Apparently going inside to the bathroom was too far.

So Proud!

2011-08-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

Poor Jason is going to have to put up with a proud wife for a moment. A while back Jason received his medical license. It has been a long road for him but I dare say it has been worth it and is beginning to pay off. It is funny how I am surprised every other Friday when we get a deposit into our account! Holy cow, I forgot what it was like to get regular paycheck. So proud of you dear!

So Pretty!

2011-08-21T14:25:00.001-04:00

So, while we were in Spain we picked up these tiles to spell our name. It seems like everything is written in tile there. Street names are in tile on the sides of the buildings vs. have street signs (this is very annoying when you are driving). House numbers are in tile on the homes/buildings. A lot of people name their homes and those are in tile on their gates, etc. So we picked up some tile in a little shop to bring home. During a trip to my parent's house, Jason used my dad's tools along with some of his expertise to build this frame thingy for the tiles. I love love love it. It currently resides in our kitchen!

Happy Birthday Paisley

2011-08-20T10:31:00.005-04:00

We celebrated Paisley's birthday in July...only about a month late and I am posting this only about a month later...sigh. We have good reasons. We've been busy ok.

In the move we lost the battery charger for our camera and so all of these pictures are from Jason's Iphone, thus the crappy quality. It is really hard to get the kids to hold still enough to get a good picture and it is hard to get Jason to hold his hand steady enough for the same purpose...so forgive the quality.

First came the cake. Paisley has been obsessed with M&M's lately so when I saw this cake somewhere on the internet, I knew that I had to make it. Lucky for me it was the easiest birthday cake I've ever made for one of the kids! Then came presents. Teasing her a little bit.
I made her a bunch of different princess dresses. I love this picture even if it is blurry. She loved them so much she was snuggling it!And I made her this little boa.There were bracelets.
She was all decked out. The dresses are a little too big, just perfect for growing into.The only disappointment expressed by her and her brothers (who were rapidly changing her into the various dresses) was that there wasn't a crown. Bad mommy, didn't I know that every princess deserves a crown. Sigh...

Our First "House Project"

2011-08-16T22:23:00.002-04:00

A little while back we set to work on our first house project. We decided that the front room needed to be painted in a bad bad way. It was beyond ugly in my opinion. See.So Jason and I set to work to transform this room with a little paint. Well, a little turned into a lot, which turned into, I hate painting and hope to never ever EVER do it again. Hello, do you see all of the freaking molding in that room. Crown molding, chair rail, windows, floor and, and, AND there was molding on the freaking corners too. Sigh...Finishing up... I was putting the face plate back on the light switch. Ignore the little bum who was supposed to be getting in the bathtub. (And we have since decided to paint the wood stained trim on the doors white too. I just don't have it in me right now. Anyone want to come do it for me. I'll make you yummy food or something.More of the room. And the stinker.And some stinkers dancing.
These brushes served us well, but if I never had to touch them again, I would be a happy woman.

Bubble Bath

2011-08-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Jason recently gave the kids a bubble bath in an effort to keep them out of my hair while I was painting the hallway outside of their room right before bedtime.

It was pretty enjoyable for them and for us. Benton is always good for a laugh. He is hands down our silliest kid.Tab had a good beard going.Even Paisley gladly joined in. So serious in the bubble application process.
Ta da!

Quiet Time

2011-08-11T19:08:00.002-04:00

While Benton and Paisley nap, Tab is required to have quiet time. This is usually how he spends at least an hour of it. He is such a good reader. The only problem is that now he is trying to read faster than he can and tries to skip words or will just look at the beginning sounds of a word and guess the rest so that he can move on rather than take the time to read the word. We have to force him to back up and read the words and tell us about what he is reading so that he will slow down. I don't know why he thinks he needs to be in such a stinking hurry.

First Sewing Project

2011-08-09T12:23:00.004-04:00

On a recent trip to my parents house I was working feverishly at my mother's serger so that I could make some princess dresses for Paisley for her Birthday. Tab kept asking if he could sew something. Finally I gave in and said yes. He decided that he wanted to sew a blanket out of "soft fabric". So grandma gave him some fleece from her stash and we took it home with us. After a few days of non-stop pestering we started to make his blanket.

First we cut out a million and one squares. I tried to convince him that we could just cut out two big squares and sew them together. But that wasn't good enough. He wanted it to be like a quilt. So we set to it. Then we began sewing all of the squares together.He got it down pretty quickly. Backstitch... sew....backstitch...The only problem was that he insisted that my machine stay set at the slowest setting. It made me kind of nuts. It was WICKED slow.But eventually, we finished.
And a closeup.
Benton couldn't be left out. He needed to show off his "blankie". We did not however make his. His was made by Jason's Cousin's wife, Harmony for Tab. Benton just adopted it as his own.

Helping Out!

2011-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

The kids have really been trying to take advantage of the time when daddy is home. Jason was out mowing the lawn and Benton just wanted to help.Jason was patient enough to let Benton mow the entire front and side lawn with him. Benny absolutely adored him for it.

Ain't Much Sweeter...

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

... than a daddy snuggling his girl. As I've mentioned Paisley is quite the daddy's girl. Well, Jason had been working 2 PM - Midnight shifts so he leaves while Paisley is napping and she doesn't get to say goodnight to him. This is pretty much killer for her. So she was particularly sad on morning. Than daddy came in and climbed right into bed with her. I'm pretty sure it made her day!

Banana Splits!

2011-07-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

For some reason Tab got it in his head that we needed to have banana splits. So after a few days of persistence, we obliged. And for some reason, everything is more special when you get to do it on the living room carpet. I'm not quite sure why we allowed this, but they were very happy about it. At least Jason put the Beach mat down underneath them. Gratefully, there were no spills or disasters to report.

Big Brother!

2011-07-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Though Tab gets in his fair share of trouble for being too rough with his siblings or for teasing them, he is a good brother. Tab went in to get Paisley up from her nap. He was taking a bit too long so I decided to check out what was going on. This is what I found.Apparently she was a little grouchy and just needed some loves. So he took it upon himself to deliver. What a good stinkin' kid.

Big Girl!

2011-07-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Paisley has finally been upgraded to a big girl bed. She was so excited for her bed.She laid right down and was ready for her nap! She hasn't given us any trouble with the transition. I think having the rails on the bed make her think that she is somewhat still trapped though. We shall see. It has been about a month and she hasn't gotten out of bed yet. Knock on wood.

Ahoy thar!

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Just some more of your every day run of the mill, pirates. I just happen to think that they are extra cute pirates.This one is especially cute and absolutely loves when her brothers include her. Good thing she is getting princess dresses when we finally get around to celebrating her birthday. I think the pink cowboy boots are what make the outfit... lol.

Backyard T-ball!

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

There's not much better than a family game of backyard T-ball. Tab is getting pretty good.Though he doesn't quite get the idea of a base. Everything to him is a home run!Jason had a lot of run chasing them around with the ball.Tab was going in to tag Benton. I think we forgot to mention that T-ball isn't exactly a full contact sport.Jason, Paisley and I participated as well, but as I was the one taking pictures...well, you know how it goes...

Remind You of Anyone?

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Jason just had to snap this picture of Paisley right after waking up. As I mentioned previously that perhaps I would have a child who looked like me after all... Well now rather than be excited, I feel a bit sad for her. I would post a picture for comparison, but I'll try to keep my crazy pictures to a minimum, thank you very much. Froofy fuzzy morning hair is just the beginning sweetheart. I'm so sorry.

Fishing with Dad

2011-07-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Jason loves to fish. It just so happens that a few miles from our house they have a wonderful little spot to take kids fishing. So Jason got a fishing license and he and Tab got up early and headed out. Tab loved going all by himself to spend time with dad.Casting his rod in. I think the only thing he enjoyed more than spending time with his dad was catching lots of "seaweed". Apparently in a well stocked pond it is possible to only catch the grasses.
Tab has been bugging Jason ever since that he needs to take Benton to have his turn fishing. I'm not sure if this is because he really wants his brother to be able to enjoy fishing too or if it is because he knows that it isn't his turn again until Benton goes.

Personal Space

2011-07-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

While visiting my parents, my mom and I went to some community yard sales that were going on. We were done for the day and heading home when I saw these right on the curb at a yard sale and made my mom stop. I have wanted one of these for the boys for the longest time and so I asked how much the lady wanted for them, knowing it would be more than I would want to spend. She said $15 each. I was shocked. Whenever I had seen them it was always more like $60. All I had was a $20, so I was thinking, ok, I'll buy one of them and went to look at what else she had. When I walked away from them, she said, but it is really negotiable. So I had to ask if she would take $20 for both. She said yes! I was in 7th heaven. So I packed them home!

They are in amazing shape and the boys are now in 7th heaven. They love having their own desks to read and write at. At they love having their own space to store stuff that nobody is allowed to get into. The only problem now is that Paisley is terribly jealous.

Movie Night!

2011-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of the boys favorite things to do is to have a movie night. They love getting treated to a movie and usually popcorn and soda or juice. They typically only get to watch one show or movie a week. I know, I'm such a mean mom. So it is a real treat to have a movie night!Paisley pretty much always claims the same seat, right on top of Daddy's chest. (Note again that she is only in her skinnies. I wish this one could be blamed on how hot it is. But honestly, this girl just likes to be naked.) So he occasionally gets a glimpse of the movie.

Grandma and Grandpa "in the Pink Shirt"

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

My kids distinguish between their sets of grandparents my calling Jason's parents Grandma and Grandpa in the blue shirt and calling my parents Grandma and Grandpa in the pink shirt. Tab started this years ago I assume by a recollection of the color shirt each respective grandma had been wearing at some point in time. For the record my dad corrects them each time they call him Grandpa in the pink shirt. He claims he never wears pink and let's them know that he is currently wearing a green shirt or what have you. They just shrug it off and continue to call him grandpa in the pink shirt. I suppose one day one of them will have to give in.

Anway, we recently were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in the Pink shirt. The kids had a blast playing outside with all of their lawn toys and water and mostly with grandma's baby chicks. Tab was quite the helper with them. (I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of them with the chicks, which Paisley refused to call chicks and would only call birdies.)Paisley spent a fair amount of time in just her skinnies. Who needs clothes when it is so hot. She really enjoys swinging and so grandma indulged her quite regularly.

Curls

2011-07-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Before moving from Michigan I had an inkling that perhaps Paisley's hair might get some curl as she got older. Apparently it was just waiting for the Pennsylvania humidity to do its work.Maybe I will have one kid that looks like me in the end after all. If only it stayed that neatly curled. She has also been cursed with another problem I have...humidity=friz. So 90% of the time the curl gets combed out and her hair gets put in "piggies", as she calls them, in order to contain it.

4th of July!

2011-07-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

We didn't really do a lot of celebrating over the 4th of July. We did a lot, don't get me wrong, just not a lot of celebrating. So on the 4th we decided to do at least SOMETHING. So we broke out the fire pit that we had just purchased and sat around it for a bit.

The boys were enjoying the cap guns that daddy bought for them. Once the fire settled down a bit, we enjoyed some s'mores. Jason had purchased the jumbo campfire marshmallows. It was quite humorous. Tab was the first to try out a s'more. The first bite spit the guts out into his hand.So he worked on those.And he worked some more and some more until he had it kind of under control.By this time, Benny's s'more was ready. Having seen what happened to Tab he looked thoughtfully before he attacked.Then he got a bit excited at the thought of shoving that thing into his mouth.He finally just went for it.He wasn't super pleased with the results. Or perhaps it was the fact that it took him about 20 minutes to eat his s'more that didn't please him. hmmm....Of course, I had to dig in too, with fairly similar results. Though I quite enjoyed the mess.Paisley was content to nibble on mine.Jason indulged too, minus the chocolate of course.

Opps!

2011-07-12T22:19:00.002-04:00

Tab was walking into the bathroom recently and happened to kick the container of "hair things" that was sitting on the floor. (Thank you Paisley for getting them out to play with in the first place.) The result.I just love his expression that Jason caught.
At least none of the "clippies" landed in the toilet.

How to make a grouchy girl happy

2011-07-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

Paisley occasionally wakes up from her naps in extremely grouchy moods. What can I say, she is my child. In an effort to ease her grouchiness, we sat down and I painted her finger and toenails, one of her favorite things.

When this hadn't quite done the trick and she wanted to paint my nails, I consented. I know, call me crazy.
It made her happy though and it wasn't anything a little nailpolish remover wouldn't fix.
Ok, so maybe a lot of nailpolish remover.

Woo Hoo...er...Ye-haw?

2011-07-02T21:52:00.002-04:00

Paisley regularly rides this rocking horse. She gets pretty out of control on it actually. I'm sure she will be "thrown from her horse" at some point if she doesn't chill out.
All the while as she rides, she hollars, woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo. Someone needs to teach that little girl that you are supposed to say Ye-haw.

Spain Lighthouses

2011-06-26T21:18:00.010-04:00

For those of you that don't know, Jenny and I kind of have a thing for lighthouses. Here are some of the lighthouses that we visited during our trip.

Lighthouse at entrance to harbor at San Sebastian.

Lighthouse at mouth of harbor at Santa Pola.

Lighthouse at Cabo de Palos near Cartagena, Spain.

Lighthouse on the Isla de Tabarca, Spain.

Lighthouse on Spanish Coast Gaurd Building in Getxo, Spain.

Lighthouse near Benidorm, Spain.

The Santa Pola lighthouse at night and at day.

Spain I Alicante and vicinity

2011-06-26T08:11:00.048-04:00

The first stop on our trip took us to Alicante. We stayed in a house that some friends were gracious enough to let us use. It was located in Gran Alacant, a city about 10 minutes from Alicante proper. It was the perfect place to stay, hang out a bit, and wind down after a long day of running around in the Mediterranean sun.

When we first arrived in Alicante after the loooong flight, we discovered that our luggage didn't make our connection in Madrid. It took until late the following morning to arrive. So, after about 2 days without clean clothes and a shower, we got cleaned up and ready to take on the town. Here is Jenny on the main Paseo (pedestrian area with shops and park-like atmosphere) sporting a scarf that I bought from a street-side Arabic shop.

Here is a glimpse down the paseo.

Here is a view of Alicante from a hill beneath the castle. Most of what is seen is the old part of the city.

Another view of the old part of the city. In the distance is the Basilica with the blue domed roof. All of the churches (well... most of them) have this blue-domes roof motif and is very pretty against the Mediterranean sun.

This is the City hall in Alicante.

This is a Dali statue in the City hall lobby.

One of the highlights of the city was the ENORMOUS CASTLE on the hill overlooking the city and the harbor.

Here is a picture of the castle from below.

This is the main square inside the castle with the surrounding gardens.

A view of the harbor through the crosshairs of one of the cannons.

The tourists on the castle overlooking Alicante.

Alicante from the castle. (again)

Jenny and I thought this was awesome. This woman was making pottery by hand within the confines of the castle. Of course she was selling them after firing them. We picked one up as a souvenir.

More castle.

Me on the lookout tower.

Me manning a guard post near the base of the castle. My task was to intimidate potential intruders. I was minimally successful at best...

These cactus trees were awesome. They grow and harden as they grow and die. The dead parts form a trunk for the remainder of the plant. They also had really pretty flowers.

Museum of modern archeology. One of several museums that we visited because it (unlike EVERYTHING ELSE) was open during siesta time.

We strolled back near the main paseo and found a great street-side cafe where we could sit and enjoy the Spanish favorite... paella. Jenny (with her stubborn unwillingness to try seafood) stuck with chicken paella.

I, on the other hand, had a delish paella with squid, octopus, and clam.

It was sooo delish that only a few grains of rice survived (and the stringy things from the squid... I think that it was the spine/central nervous system thing in the creatures... a little too much like eating fish bones...)

The old parts of the city offer incredible visual pearls. I love looking down short alleys like this and seeing the simple beauty and colors.

"Aserrin asseran los maderos de San Juan... triqui triqui tran triqui triqui tran..." This is one of the songs associated with the Festival of San Juan de las hogueras. During this festival, the population makes ornate sculptures of styrafoam and paper mache and decorates the city. We were told that each year hundreds of sculptures are put on display. There is music and feasting and dancing in the streets. (of course... because it is Spain... everyone is also intoxicated 24-7 and NOBODY WORKS... it is... after all, another excuse to avoid work) The whole city votes for the best sculpture on display and the winner is saved from the hoguera, or "bonfire." Essentially, they take all of the hundreds of losing sculptures and BURN THEM. Too bad we missed that festival by a couple of weeks... What do you do, right?

The next few photos are of sculptures that won, and were hence "saved" in the past:

Besides being party animals and alcoholics in denial, Spaniards really are connoisseurs of fine pastries. The Napolitana was Jenny's favorite. One is pictured in the following image. Jenny's favorite, however, had an egg-based vanilla cream inside. She would get excited every time we walked past a pasteleria (pastry shop) and we would stop.

One day we decided to take a short trip to the Island of Tabarca near the Mediterranean coast. Tabarca is about 1/3 mile wide by 1.5 miles long with a small town, lighthouse, and beaches. We boarded the ferry in Santa Pola.

The smokestack in the background was the only one we could find that had sufficient capacity to handle Jenny's exhaust. There was a group of school kids taking a field trip. 3-4 of the puked all over on the inside of the ship from seasickness. It was really safer outside... exhaust and all...

A cathedral on the Island of Tabarca.

A huge mansion/castle on the Isle of Tabarca.

Me at the mansion door. Nobody's home...

They wouldn't even open up for Jenny.

One side of the island had rocks that we could scramble around on between the waves crashing. It made for some beautiful sights and sounds.

That type of cactus mentioned earlier on was all over the island and was in full bloom.

A shot of the town on the island. Very quaint.

The mainland seen from the ferry heading back from the island.

We returned to Santa Pola just in time for mediodia (siesta time) where everything is closed. So we grabbed a bite, called the kids, and took a look around.

We landed at the main plaza in town and Jenny couldn't help but catch a quick wink.

After a bit she woke up and we found an uber cheap museum open (hey... it was something when EVERYTHING is closed!) We found the following pieces of "fine" art within... after seeing the exhibit, we wished that the arrow had landed about 6 inches lower than it actually did...

Jenny was particularly fond of this one... apples...

One day we decided to take a train to several pueblos and cities that were a moderate distance away from Alicante. We rode the Renfe Cercanias train to our destinations...

Destination #1 was Elx (Elche). This beautiful city was dominated for many years by the moors and had a heavy Moorish influence in its vibrant, green gardens .

I thought this water fountain was particularly nice.

In the basement of one of the ancient churches was a Moorish bath house. (Per the guide the church used it for storing grain.) Apparently there was a nearby source of geothermal energy that kept the place nice and steamy. The Moors would come in on different days to both bathe and perform ceremonial rituals. (Men and women on different days.) This is a skylight through the rock ceiling into the bath chamber.

This is the bath area proper. This area was filled with water and had seats where people could sit and hang out while cleaning their gluteal clefts.

This was a small castle in Elx near the cathedral.

The Elx cathedral. Again, note the beautiful blue dome typical of the region.

This was Jenny's favorite, the bustling Saturday outdoor market in Elx. People were scurrying around and bartering for goods. More common goods included pastries, meat, produce, shoes (Elx is a major shoe manufacturing center in Spain), fish, cloth, & clothes. It was a great glimpse of what "real" Spanish life is like and was fun for both of us to participate in.

I mentioned Jenny's borderline addiction with pastries... well... here we go again. Great selection and great flavors.

Another thing that Elx is famous for is its immaculate tropical palm tree gardens. The most famous is the Huerta del Cura. These flowers grew abundantly in the garden.

Foliage-a-plenty for shade and a bench... priceless in the hot Mediterranean sun.

Palm trees, palm trees, and more palm trees. Apparently the majority of the palm trees that the Catholic church uses for Palm Sunday come from here. They tie strings around the bases of the palm fronds to bleach them and then they harvest them annually.

Jenny enjoying a rocking tortilla de patatas sandwich in Elx while waiting for the next train.

Then we caught the train and jumped to the next town on the line, Orihuela. It was mediodia and most things were closed. We did, however, thoroughly enjoy the old part of the town.

Cathedral in Orihuela. Inspiration for a painting that I commissioned (well... I asked a street painter to make a rendition on the cheap...) during our stay.

More Orihuela in the old part.

Later we headed back to Alicante. This is the Plaza de Toros (Bullfighting rink) and Bullfighting academy. Unfortunately, bullfighting season has yet to begin this year.

A bullfighting sculpture in front of the Plaza de Toros.

Jenny and I again in Alicante. The city is in the backdrop and the HUGE castle there is on the horizon.

Next on the hit list was Guadalest de Segura to see the castle and town there. Here is the castle as seen from the town below.

Jenny and I thought that this was cool. There was a miniature sculpture museum in Guadalest. The following 3 naked ladies were carved ornately into the lead of a pencil. retty cool.

Again, the tower of the Castel of Guadalest perched above the valley and town.

The entry was into the castle and the town within the castle.

The town below the castle from the castle.

A view of the 2 towers from the top of the castle with the 2 little love birds in the foreground...

The towers from a farther part of teh castle overlooking the valley below and the ocean off in the distance.
The town within the castle confines from the castle walls above.

Another view of the pueblo within the castle confines.

And, yet another view of the pueblo within the castle from below. The walls above the city are the castle itself.

This view was incredible. This is looking from the castle/city down to the valley on the back side of the castle. The greens and grays of the cliffs and valleys below were beautifully contrasted with the brilliant blue waters of the river and lakes below.

A night light within the city.

The main Bell tower in the city.

Near Guadalest there were these awesome springs that were originally used thousands of years ago by the Moors to build aqueduct systems to water their crops. They were beautiful.

We came across this pueblo at sundown and decided to stop. It was incredibly tranquil and beautiful.

Someone was getting as tired of having her photo taken as I am of typing at the moment.

With all of the citrus trees around (Not just on farms but also on the streets and in the wild), we were both in the mood for an orange so I scurried down this hill to grab a couple. Jenny thought is was amusing.

The next day we took our LOOOONG DRIVE TRIP. We first went up to see the beautiful cliffs along the coast north of Benidorm.

This was another beautiful blue-domed church we came across on the way.

As we were heading towards our next destination on this 2 lane freeway, the car in front of us was nailed head-on by an oncoming car. They were both going around 50 mph. I felt obligated to stop. Both women ended up being ok. I recruited some help to stabilize C spine and evaluated both drivers. One had a tib-fib fracture and the other one was fine. Definitely the beginning of an exciting day that only got better!!! (Jenny snapped this pic from the car inconspicuously). EMS could use some work in Europe. That's all I have to say about that...

This next pic has been censored for minors:

(_(_)

Yes... that's right... those are indeed bum cheeks... About 1/2 mile or so after seeing the accident, Jenny and I were driving (in the middle of freaking nowhere, mind you) and we saw a bottom that was bronzed like nothing that you had ever seen before. We stared at a distance and I snidely remarked something along the lines of, "Classy... walking with a thong on the side of the road." When we drove past Jenny turned around and shockedly remarked, "nothing but pubic hair there... Yes... she's bottomless!" Hello prostitute alley with ~10 prostitutes dressed in nothing to less than nothing and hello police officers driving past. We got so busy laughing in shock about all of the prostitutes that we missed our turn and had to make a second pass by one. We were told by locals that prostitutes actually save Spanish marriages, to which I replied, " Yes indeed. 1 Case of chlamydia at a time..." Next topic.

Lemons in an orchard along our route.

The route along this Valley was absolutely beautiful.

A small pueblo nestled in the hills in the valley.

A small watering hole in the valley.

More lemons.

Another pueblo in the Gallineras Valley .

Olive orchard in the Gallineras Valley

More fruit. (I don't know what it is.)

Another pueblo in the Gallineras Valley

Another pueblo in the Gallineras Valley

Some castle ruins in Another pueblo in the Gallineras Valley

We found food to be super pricey there so we made and carried our own. Jenny made this awesome pasta salad and we stopped on the roadside to eat it. Good times... noodle salad.

Our last stop along our route through the Gallinera Valley was Xativa. It has a HUUUGE CASTLE and was well of the beaten path, giving another great glimpse of real day-to-day Spaniard life in a family-friendly city.

We decided to take the a trolley to the top of the hill and castle instead of walking. Jenny couldn't resist getting some shut-eye.

Inside the castle there were all kinds of fun toys. I loved the cannons and swords.

The castle also had huge gardens. Very pretty.

Here we are on a pavilion in the castle overlooking the other half of the castle. It was easily 3/4 of a mile long.

Here is a scale model of the castle. HUGE.

These are bathrooms in the upper part of the castle. As you can see, it is a 2 seater with 2 holes that "release" waste out the back of the cliff onto the enemy storming the castle.

Hole through the toilet seat to the outside and down the cliffs. Splat.

Here I am checking out these stone chairs for the soldiers. They were surprisingly comfortable!

The castle from the far side.

A view of the city from through the notches in the wall.

another view of the castle.

Another pastry shop that Jenny wanted to stop in and see. Great pastries and EXCELLENT BREAD. We already miss the freshly baked bread... (both the tastes and the smells...)

Spain Part II Cartagena through Bizkaia

2011-06-25T12:54:00.034-04:00

Since blogger is giving me a hard time, I will have to do this in 2 posts as well as post it all in reverse so that it posts chronologically so that I can remember exactly what each place is... (part 1 consisting of the rest of the Alicante area will follow in another post)

One of our last days in Alicante we took a short trip to Cartagena. We in NO WAY did this city justice with our 1/2 day visit. It was beautiful (anyway... it was after we managed to get "unlost" and meander out of the less-than-desirable part of town). Below are photos of the garden around the Main castle in Cartagena.

This watchtower was out in the main area in front of the castle.

The castle was surrounded by these trees that grew branches towards the ground that eventually became roots. Jenny and I thought that these were pretty cool.
No trip to Europe could be complete without stopping to eat lunch at a cafe/bar alongside the main pedestrian area of town.
Here we are at the table (which was conveniently cut out by our confident photographer.)
A little drink served European style (small volume. One... never 2 ice cubes. Stirred not shaken...lol)
And just like no trip to Europe could ever be complete without stopping at a curbside cafe/bar, no trip to Espana could be complete without the tortilla paisana sandwich (Pamplona chorizo, peas, potatoes, onion, jamon serrano, salt, egg, and... LOTS OF OLIVE OIL). Jenny fell in love.
After lunch and taking a paseo around Cartagena for a little while (and, perhaps getting a little frustrated with the Spanish mediodia with everything closed when we were on a short timetable... but we won't go there... it's a love-hate thing) we headed east to the coast. We found the perfect little route down the cliffs to the shoreline and decided to do some exploring.
We were greeted with the most wonderful sea life like the following jellyfish Then we saw this red-jelly blob thing...
We meandered around and found another nice area. There were crabs (no... not the contagious kind... well... not here anyway... we have already discussed those...) and other abundant sea life here. Here is a hermit crab.

Here is the route that we used to get down the cliff.
We stopped by this mill-house in the outskirts of Santa Pola on the way back to Alicante.
Jenny totally lucked out... in the evening I decided to back off a bit which allowed her to "get a real vacation" and read a couple (yes...2) books.
Our last day in Alicante we stopped here at the Main Market in Alicante. These are her favorite. All of the fresh meat and veggies and other homemade goods made her go crazy. My interest was also piqued when I found out that this building was 1 of 2 areas that Generalisimo Franco allowed Hitler to bomb to allow him to prepare for the bombing of the UK.
So the next day we left Alicante for a few days in Bilbao. I had been excited to get to Spain and we had a great time in the south, but I have had an indescribable longing to return to Basque country in the north where I was a missionary for 2 years about 11 years ago. Not to get all mushy-gushy but there is a part of me that has become irreversibly connected with the area and the people there. I love it. Anyway... upon arrival, I ran Jenny over to the Butron castle. This castle used to have a tour for visitors and was one of the most impressive castles inside and out that I had seen in Spain. Unfortunately, instead of tour guides we were greeted by these sheep and their shepherd and several keep out signs. Apparently there are no longer tours of the castle...
Here it is... the Butron Castle. Big and majestic.
The bridge across the moat was a bit overgrown but still offered a glimpse of life in a different era.
After hitting up the castle, we ran up to the Artxanda Funicular Park overlooking the city of Bilbao, Spain. Just behind Jenny the Guggenheim Museum can be seen.
This stained glass window at the Bilbao train station was one of my favorites in Spain. It goes a long way towards displaying the rich culture and heritage of the Basque people.
Below is the Guggenheim museum and the infamous sculpture of "Puppy." (Pronounced "Poopy" for those who need some educomation)
Our Hotel just outside of Bilbao in Sondika, Spain.
These benches (and the residual stains of puddles beneath them) are the famous benches that my mother and grandmother Ogden were sitting on for 1-2 hours impatiently awaiting my arrival at the end of my 2 year mission in Spain. It is kind of funny how places can bring back those emotions of being re-united after a long time. It really seems just like it was yesterday.

The view off the balcony of our hotel. 1800's and agrarian.
The following morning we started our tour of Basque country. The first place on our list (which should be the first place on everyone's list!!!!!!!) Was San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. (the "tx" is pronounced like "ch"). THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES ON EARTH. NO EXAGGERATION. We were duped into taking the "long route" consisting of a several mile (well... several horizontal miles and a vertical mile) hike. Here was the trail head...

Here she is... isn't she beautiful??? After another 20 minutes of hiking we were here... Jenny and I were alone, the morning sun was slowly working its was up in the eastern sky. The rhythmic pulsing whoosh of the waves on both sides of the peninsular walkway gave way to white mists as the waves crashed into the towering rocks. The cool breeze carried the vapors of the soaring mists onto our faces invigorating us... or something like that... maybe... kinda... sorta...Words really can't describe the serene beauty there... LOVE IT.

After hiking up the ~250 stairs... "Welcome"
A charitable contribution placard for the congregation.
The eastern facade of the chapel.
Had to tell Jenny not to drink this water...
Remember that morning sun bit earlier? Here is a photo of the sun peeking through the clouds over the bay.
"Ring my bell..."
Here I am pulling on the bell rope.
Jenny needed to take a pit stop at the "W.C."
Inside the "W.C." was a hole that went through the floor and out the side of the cliff into the sea. Yes... on the right that is toilet paper tied to the sturdy squatting support bars. I have no idea how Jenny managed to use this but the proof is in the hole... a wad of paper and a surprise... I'm just kidding about that whole Jenny story but really this is the bathroom and it really drops off the cliff into the sea... nice...
This must be San Juan's footprint... It says so in the concrete anyway...
Remember that waves crashing against the rocks thing... there you go...
The hike back down the 250 stairs off the peninsula.
Beautiful vineyard near the San Juan trailhead. Too bad Mr all thumbs decided to fingerprint-up the camera lens...
There's the better half who was "walking for 2" getting some refreshment after our strenuous hike. She was really a sport.
Has anybody ever felt like this before? Does anyone else have children? We were in a small Basque pueblo and saw this guy using this ass to pull a large tire. It refused. He whipped it a few times. It backed up a bit. He whipped in again. It backed up again. Finally things got moving again. Jenny and I thought the whole encounter was rather enjoyable.
Jenny might very well photoshop my face on this picture and post it in a separate post before you finish reading this post... (This was another donkey in a small Basque pueblo. Again, agrarian. 1800's. Beautiful.
This monument is in Gernika, Spain. The tree contained in the monument is what was left after Gernika was bombed by Hitler (like Alicante) with Generalisimo Franco's permission to practice for the UK bombing campaign.
Provincial office seal in Gernika, Bizkaia, Spain.
This is for the Chambers. While cruising from pueblo to pueblo we happened on a bicycle race. It must have been the "tour de something or other." Traffic was frequently stopped and we got stuck behind riders (with police and team vehicles and the Red Cross) in many areas during the day.
The harbor at Leikito, Spain.
Pretty pink building in Leikito.
Signage in the Basque language. Rustic.
Our travels took us over to San Sebastian, or as the locals call it Donostia. Below is one of the lighthouses that marks the entrance to the bay.
Cool sculpture at the point of entrance to the bay.
Below is part of the Castle overlooking San Sebastian. The flag that is flying proudly is the Basque flag.
While traveling with a pregnant female, you become adept at finding prompt bathroom access. Usually this involves finding a bathroom in a bar which hopefully has toilet paper or can flush. In San Sebastian we lucked out. These babies are free and seal themselves and steam clean after each use. They also dry themselves. They are 100% stainless steel and come with an optional entertainment system (maybe not the entertainment system...) They are perfect for the pregnant peanut bladder.
The old part of San Sebastian was very enjoyable. It was like taking a step back in time. Clean, beautiful, and ornate.
This is "La Concha," the main beach in San Sebastian. We couldn't zoom in too close or the images might become offensive... It was a beautiful beach.

On Sunday I really gave in to a guilty pleasure... We took off for Logrono to see some familiar faces and places. I lived here for 4.5 months during that 2 year stretch. We loved seeing friends in Logrono and seeing the city. With time comes a tendency to picture things in a static state. How they changed. How the people had changed. Mostly for the better too. The old part of town was and still is a jewel. Family friendly, busy, & serene. Even on a Sunday afternoon.

Logrono.
Plaza in Logrono.
Yes... she is threatening me... She even delivered a punch or 2. 100% unprovoked. Nobody in their right mind would ever consider a loving "good game" or 12 in public with a spectator or 2 around grounds for a punch. I'm the victim here... Truth be told... I love the fight in her and I enjoy provoking it sometimes... ok... often.
Of course Logrono is in La Rioja which is famous for its vineyards and wine. We were driving through these vineyards when a violent storm ran through. The contrasting colors were beautiful.
On our last day in Spain we were a little worse for the wear but we were determined to make the most of things. We headed back to the coast to Armintza, Spain.
There were abundant tide pools with beautiful green vegetation and abundant crustacean life.
The outer walls of the harbor give way to the cliffs above.
A 1-clawed crab that we found scurrying sideways along the way near the tide pools. There were thousands of crabs each clicking their claws as they ran around.
My boatE.
Jenny's Hair Salon Franchise. Thanks for being a sport and posing dear...
Got lost while looking for a lighthouse and found this stable.
This picture of a solitary elderly man sitting on a bench in the park is one of the many images that I carry in my minds eye of Spain.
A quaint gate to a patio in a small pueblo.
A little Basque separatist bit for the rebel in all of us...
Modern pedestrian bridge in Plentzia.
Mmmmm.... chorizo de Pamplona sandwich with manchego cheese
A fronton where the men play handball, a traditional basque game.
No trip to Spain would ever be complete without pastries. Here is a chocolate-covered palmier (palmera) for Jenny.
Here is a rice pudding pastry for me. This is a traditional Basque pastry.
A lighthouse in Getxo.
Old mansions along the bay in Getxo. (One of dozens...)
The Puente Colgante (hanging bridge) connecting Getxo to Las Arenas (I think). This is where Jenny almost lost her lunch. She started getting sick around the lighthouse 2 photos ago (and 30 minutes ago by this time). Belly pain and nausea. No vomiting. The rest of the day was a long one for her. She was a trooper, however, and kept up with her demanding, slave-driver husband.

The following morning we began the long trip back to reality. We were both ready to leave. Oddly enough, however, I will still miss the place. Hasta entonces, agur.

Graduation!

2011-06-23T07:52:00.007-04:00

At long last...both graduation and the post!

For the first night of our stay in Kirksville we had the joy of having our best friends, the Guymon's staying in the neighboring room. Which meant we probably made a LOT of noise and had a LOT of fun hanging out. Paisley and Keturah have became great friends. (Sarah, Paisley still is asking where her ka-sarah is. As a matter of fact she is sitting on my lap right now looking at the picture and crying about it.) They had a lot of fun knocking on the door.And there were plenty of shared hugs.One afternoon we met a bunch of friends at the park for old times sake. It was like they and we had never been apart.These three had fun loading up the little shelf with mulch and clearing it off again. Ahhh, the simple things.
At the SAA Sr. Banquet we reunited again. There were various awards, and I was lucky enough to have people think that I had done something to deserve on of them. In case you were wondering, it was an award for Service. A picture of the "Board" my second year, minus a few ladies who were from different years or pregnant with triplets and thought that a good reason not to travel. Sigh....Jason grabbed this picture as the guys all had the cameras on us ladies. This is for you Mel! I love how Brad fits perfectly under Matt's arm. Although the situation could have almost as easily been reversed had Jason been the one standing there... Outside of the Banquet with Lori Haxton, the SAA advisor. She totally rocks.And with Janae', one of the most amazing ladies EVER. And yes, I apparently need to work on not looking so dumb in photos. But for the record, I'm not the only one with issues. Let's just say that it is a miracle Janae's eyes are open...lol. Love you Janae'.Here I am with a bunch of the ladies at the Sr. Awards Banquet for the students.With Jason's parents.Just us.Besties again. The male version.For the record, after graduation, we went to lunch and after lunch I lost it and balled like a freaking baby in the car the entire way back to the hotel as I know I won't see them again for quite some time as we were moving. We will miss spending the 4th of July and Thanksgiving with you guys and every other time we could come up with an excuse to visit! Filing in for graduation.Receiving his diploma.Being "hooded".MY doctor man.
And again.A bunch of the guys.A bunch of the ladies that made med school ROCK! After the fact, in the Hotel, Tab found Jason's cap and was trying it on for size.I love the look we caught before he realized we were watching him. He looks pretty happy with himself. Time to start saving for college I guess.Then Benny wanted to join in.Silly kid.

Tab's First Concert

2011-06-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

In the spring, Tab's school puts on a little concert. Tab is in the front in the green sweater.
The music teacher had them all wave to their parents to get it out of their systems.I have a super cute video but blogger is being lame and won't let me upload it.

Home Depot Day!

2011-06-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I have posted about a home depot day, so why not? Tab is becoming quite independent with his projects. He's pretty good except for the times when he is spastic.Benton is pretty good with the hammer now too.And honestly, other than the fact that she can't swing the hammer hard enough to do much, Paisley has pretty good aim.
They loved picking out the flowers for their planters.

The Impending Move

2011-06-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tab had a really hard time leading up to the move. He was really upset about leaving his friends, school and all of the familiar places. He had very regular meltdowns regarding the move and just about everything else for that matter. One night at bed time we had to have a little heart to heart.

Happy Birthday Tab

2011-06-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

Tab recently turned 6! I can't believe I have a six year old. I'm pretty sure I say that every year about how old he is but seriously, in my head I'm still 23 and not nearly old enough for a six year old. Sigh.... Well, for Tab's birthday cake, big surprise, he wanted a pirate cake. Not just any pirate cake, but him as a pirate. Well seeing as 99% of my kitchen stuff had been packed, and a severe lacking in time to put into said cake, his cake was quite pathetic. But it was exactly what he had asked for even if it was sloppy.After cake we took him outside to "open" his birthday present.
Ta Da!
He was very pleased.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

We went to visit our friends/family in St. Joseph for an Easter Egg Hunt/Feast. It was a blast.

Paisley was crazy about hunting eggs.Tab finding some eggs.Benton doing the same.And he couldn't be more pleased with his success.Enjoying the spoils.The loot.While all of the other kids were running around and playing on the swing set, Paisley noticed an opportunity.For the record it didn't take long before Benton realized that Paisley was in the process of stealing all of his eggs. He promptly ran over to her and full force pushed her right over and started reloading his basket with a few extra of his sister's just for payment for the pain and suffering.

More Michigan Lighthouses

2011-06-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Before we could leave Michigan we had to get in just a few more lighthouses. Weird obsession? Perhaps, but we enjoy them. Note the crazy fog and bundled children. This is the one thing that I won't miss about Michigan. These pictures were taken at the very end of April and it was freaking cold.

Lighthouse #1 (Jason will have to come back and name these because I can't remember which is which)We walked out to admire it. The kids were less than happy about how windy it was there. And would someone please tell that child he will be warmer if he just zips his coat, heaven knows I've told him. Lighthouse #2:Isn't she beautiful?I think this was my favorite of the day. But it is a tough decision.Lighthouse #3: I believe this one is St. Joseph, MIThe boys were enjoying themselves.And Paisley enjoyed watching.Gorgeous!And both in one shot.This is probably the best laugh of the day. Daddy when around down to the end to get the previous picture while I headed back with the kids. We decided to tease daddy about leaving him there because he was taking so long so we started to run when we saw him come around the lighthouse.Opps, Tab tripped.So being a good mom, I stop to help him up and brush him off. Do you see the funny part coming?There it is, Benny ran square into my backside and fell over. I personally like the look on both of our faces. Mine, what the heck Benton, did you seriously just run into me. And Benton, what the heck mom, why did you just get in my way and totally knock me off my feet? I can't believe you just did that to me.
And of course, Daddy to the rescue. Don't laugh dear.

Survival!

2011-06-13T13:21:00.003-04:00

We are officially living in Pennsylvania and have survived the move. We are unpacked! We still have pictures to hang and some other random organization to be considered "done" but things are starting to relax or should I say I am.

We had the most amazing ward in Grand Rapids. We had so many people show up to help with the kids and loading the truck that there were actually too many people! I have never heard of having that problem before.
I am going to play the catch up game again just a bit and then we will be current. So check back soon!

Look Out World

2011-04-06T10:46:00.003-04:00

Baby Crellin #4 is on it's way. Yep you heard me right, I'm knocked up. Due Oct. 22nd. And yeah, yeah , yeah, make all the wise cracks you want about us not being able to move without being pregnant. But for the record I have never once moved while being pregnant, SO THERE. I have simply had a newborn twice while moving.

May I have this dance?

2011-04-06T10:15:00.002-04:00

Jason had some music on recently and the kids were dancing around. A slower song came on and Jason decided to teach Benton how to be a gentleman. I'm not sure if Paisley is going for a kiss hear or is hoping that Benton will share his sucker.They quite enjoyed their dance. Tab was hoping to cut in.

For the Love of Reading!

2011-04-06T10:14:00.002-04:00

Tab has become an excellent reader. And now and again he likes to share those skills with his brother and sister. This particular afternoon Tab spent quite a bit of time reading to Benton. All the while, Benton picked his nose...

Kalamazoo Air Zoo

2011-04-05T16:35:00.003-04:00

For our little preschool playgroup recently, we went to the Air Zoo. The kids loved it.Benton has asked several times to go back. He keeps going back and forth about which plane was his favorite.

That's what Dad's are for, right?

2011-04-05T16:31:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to figure out why Tab is the one wearing holes in his pants.
These kids sure are a huge fan of their dad. That is one thing, I know for sure.

Pirate Play

2011-04-05T16:25:00.002-04:00

Big surprise, there is more pirate play going on in our house. The kids regularly attack our living room with blankets and pillows. This is of course a life sized pirate ship. Paisley has fully joined the crew in the pirate play as well. If she is anywhere and sees a blanket on the floor, she plops down on top of it and repeated says pirate ship, pirate ship, pirate ship. She could be more happy about being included by her brothers as part of the crew.

The many faces of Paisley

2011-04-05T16:13:00.004-04:00

Oh, you know, just your typical day crawling through the tunnel without her shirt on. You know.
Sleeping with mom. A rare occurrence.Paisley had a mad obsession with books. She would rather have someone sit and read to her than do most anything else. She decided to share her passion with a little boy I was babysitting. She was "reading" him Brown Bear, Brown Bear which is her favorite and she has memorized. She loves her graham crackers and frosting, but really, who doesn't?And she decided to strip her self for one reason or another and read. Apparently those two things go together well?These are my personal favorites. We call this one the gangsta look.
Apparently one of her brothers put their jacket on her and she decided she needed a hat to top off her look. I personally think the facial expression makes the outfit.Here she is trying to play little miss innocent gangsta.

A Dinner In!

2011-04-05T15:57:00.005-04:00

In February, we went to visit our rocking friends, the Guymons. I'm sure that you are all familiar with them by now. Sarah and I decided that since we were getting together we would put the kids down and make a super yummy dinner for just the adults. We did this about a year ago as well. It was good fun. Sarah and I enjoy hanging out in the kitchen together. Our husbands don't like this part of the meal so much.But they suffer through and enjoy the fruits of our labors.We had a super yummy carrot soup. I still need that recipe Sarah.And some marinated pork chops, that the men grilled up for us, as well as some orzo risotto and yummy bread.Also while we were there for the weekend, Sarah and skipped out to lunch with a bunch of the lady's from med school that live around Michigan.
And this picture is from outside of the restaurant. Sarah and I got soaked just for this silly picture. Yeah we are goons. All I can think when I look at this picture is that it is probably good that we didn't know each other when we were in high school and were more prone to doing stupid things.We also had a lot of fun playing with the kids. Here Keturah, Paisley, and Michael were lending their bellies to Jason drum playing skills. It was quite hilarious. I videoed it, but I'm not sure where that is at the moment. We had plans to include all of the kids in the band but the older ones were too chicken.
We are going to miss you guys terribly when we move. Seriously trying not to cry right now at the thought of it.

So Smart

2011-04-05T08:04:00.002-04:00

So this is another oldie, but Tab received his first report card from kindergarten. We couldn't have been prouder. He is one smart cookie. In our recent parent teacher conference, the teacher told us that he is one of about 5 kids in his class that are heads above the rest. She said she usually worries about those kids being disruptive, but she said that Tab will just sit patiently while other kids finish their work/project. I just wish he could demonstrate those traits at home...lol. We are so proud of him.

Time Out

2011-04-05T08:01:00.003-04:00

Paisley has learned from her brothers that when she gets in trouble, you are supposed to have a time-out and you are supposed to cry while you are in said time-out.

It is so funny to see her when you yell at her for something or other or just get after her because she is being cranky or clingy. She will look at you and say "time-out" and then proceed to go stick her nose in the corner and fake cry for about 15 seconds. Then she will run over to you or Benton if she hit him or whatever, and smoother you with hugs and say sorry. I could keep this girl forever, she is just too cute.

Tab's Big "Thing"

2011-04-05T07:56:00.002-04:00

Tab's current obsession which has been growing and growing since Christmas, is making paper airplanes. Grandma and Grandpa got him this book for Christmas.Ever since then he has been a non-stop paper airplane making machine. He has even started developing his own designs. All of which he must name, as the ones in the book are named.
We have recently restricted him to making 2 paper airplanes per day. This make seem silly, but it has gotten completely out of control. I should have taken pictures of all of the discarded airplanes that littered our house regularly. It is out of control I tell you. he turns every scrap of paper, even if it is only 1" x 1" in an airplane, I kid you not.

Official Report

2011-04-05T07:42:00.002-04:00

Paisley is potty trained! Actually she has been for a few months, but I stink at this whole blogging thing. It is so funny to see that tiny little thing of a girl sitting on the potty.It is so funny to see that cute bum as we went with the no underwear thing for a few days as it is pretty much impossible to find underwear that small. LOL.

Our New House

2011-03-13T21:41:00.002-04:00

Per several requests, I am finally posting pictures of the house that we are in the process of buying! Go HERE to see the house!

Snow Days!

2011-02-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

We've had a "bit" of snow this winter. One evening after Jason got home from work, we took the kids out to do some sledding behind the house. Paisley didn't really seem to care to much.Benton loved giving pushes.I even enjoyed a few runs.Benton really struggled climbing back up the hill.But Tab was an awesome brother and helped to push him up.Paisley opted to be pulled around.Jason decided that he didn't need a sled.Paisley wasn't too sure about the whole snow angel thing.Overall, they had fun.

The Match Results are in!

2011-02-15T21:58:00.002-05:00

We are headed to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Jason matched to Lehigh Valley Health Network in Emergency Medicine. It was our #1 pick. We are very excited that the match is over, but not so excited about moving AGAIN.

Christmas, at long last!

2011-02-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

I should really check my blog more often. I wrote up this post and than never posted it. Opps. Sorry for the mega delay!

Christmas was a blast. It all started right after Thanksgiving as we went to pick out a Christmas tree. We went intending to cut down our own but even the puny ones were $50. No Thanks. We ended up buying a precut. Oh well. The ride was fun anyway.We decorated the tree.And because of this one, we redecorated the tree many many many times.We talked a lot about the real meaning of Christmas. Tab and Benton became obsessed with creating a "manger" out of one of my baskets and Benton pretended he was baby Jesus and Tab tended to him. And yes, Benton does have his entire body squished into that basket with the pillow. We had fun making a few different Christmas crafts. Tab made me these reindeer antlers and glued a bunch of glitter to them because everything is better with glitter, right? I opened them on Christmas morning and he insisted I wear them the rest of the day.Of course the kids saw Santa. Tab can never seem to remember what he wants when he gets to sit with Santa.Benton was sure to let him know that all he wanted was REX. We searched for months for this guy for a decent price and finally found him two days before Christmas. Phew...
Paisley even willingly sat on Santa. All she had to say was "ho ho ho" "ho ho ho" She knew just who he was.Tab again requested that we make Gingerbread houses. This time I didn't feel like spending as much time as last year making the Gingerbread and he wasn't pleased. It took some convincing to get him to believe you could still make a gingerbread house with graham crackers.Benny and Dad teamed up.Tab said his was an elves' workshop.Benny's was a barn for the reindeer.And of course, the best moments of all. Christmas morning.Trying to get them to look at the camera. All I could get was their faces, their eyes were glued on the good.I think this expression is "OH YEAH!"Here is Paisley opening up he doll's baby blanket I made that matches her baby blanket. She was thrilled.She had to put it to immediate use along with her new baby bottle.She was also a big fan of this fuzzy guy. She screams if anyone thinks of touching it.There was some baby love this Christmas, can you tell?Later in the day, she just couldn't bare to part with anything. She is laying on top of her baby blanket and then has her doll blanket on top of her baby.Tab was a big fan of his remote control car!Both of the boys got Nerf guns. Benton opened his first. His brother was SO jealous for about 15 minutes.To make an already great Christmas awesome we met up with our besties, the Guymons. And no Sarah, I don't think it is possible for us to get sick of spending time together. We went to JJ Ranch where they have an awesome indoor waterpark.Benton loved the tubes.
They had some awesome slides where they had a four person tube. We had 2 adults and 4 kids on it. It was awesome.
Paisley LOVED the little fountains.
Tab was a huge fan of the little kid area. Probably because he could drink the nasty water.
They had a sweet walkway thing.
The kids had a lot more fun than me walking across it. That thing hurt my feet.

Awwww!

2011-01-27T13:13:00.001-05:00

I don't think that I can say this enough. There's nothing like a little girl who loves her daddy.

Children's Museum

2011-01-11T12:40:00.004-05:00

We have some friend's through Tab's school who have memberships to the local children's museum. They used their free passes to take us over the holiday's. The kids had a blast playing make believe and exploring all of the fun contraptions that they have. Paisley Liked the airplane. I think she mostly just loved to sit on the stool.There was a lot of time spent playing dress up with the fireman outfits and firetruck.Everywhere that Benton and Isaac went they were holding hands. They were cute.We had a lot of fun building at the light table.The best part was watching Paisley try to walk through this triangular mirror tube. She just loved the baby that followed her around.

Hockey Game

2011-01-10T12:34:00.002-05:00

Over the Holidays we took the family to see a hockey game with free tickets the boys earned from the library this summer. We had a blast. Dad even bought soda and popcorn!Tab spent a lot more time watching the game and asking questions about what was going on than he had previously. All questions of course were deferred to Jason. They had a table set up for the kids to make posters. Tab wrote "Go, Griffins, Go" and drew a hockey puck. Then Jason helped him draw a hockey stick and a goal. He was so proud. Periodically throughout the game or whenever they would score a goal he would yell, "my sign, my sign, I need my sign." I would hand it over and he would hold it up and yell, "Go, Griffins, Go". It was so cute. I should have taken a picture of the sign.Paisley even joined us. She did pretty good considering it was WAY past bed time. I'm guessing the popcorn helped.The best part of the game was when they were shooting t-shirts into the stands out of those little hand held cannon type things and I caught it for Tab. He insisted on wearing it immediately and wears it frequently. We have had to insist that he is only allowed to wear it to bed. As you can see in the picture it is huge! It is an adult XL.

Ice Skating

2011-01-07T11:32:00.003-05:00

Over Christmas Break we took the kids downtown to an outdoor ice rink. It is $1/person including the skate rental. You can't go wrong. The boys loved skating. They even had those awesome "walkers" for the kids to use to skate around. Benton went one time around with the walker and then decided he could do it without it. And he was right. He just held Jason's hand and went right along with a little slip here and there. Tab wasn't nearly as skilled. I think he was just too spastic. Poor kid wants to play ice hockey but is a bit to spastic to ice skate. Those two don't go well together. Paisley enjoyed walking around the ice with us.
I on the other time didn't have such a great time. The skates I had hurt my feet SOOOO badly. And they felt like the blade had never been sharpened. It was awful trying to skate on those. I looked ridiculous.Here is a video of the kids for your enjoyment.

Box Heaven

2011-01-02T19:38:00.002-05:00

Jason recently decided that since the boys love boxes so much that he would make them a box car.I think he did an awesome job. And they love it.Crashes and all.

A Toast

2011-01-02T19:34:00.002-05:00

These kids never cease to make me laugh. They love to combine toy genres when they play. So one afternoon, this is what they came up with. Yummy, dinosaur cocktails.

My Dress

2011-01-02T19:22:00.002-05:00

My mom is an amazing seamstress. Someday I hope to have her knowledge and skill. She made me this dress when I was one. Aren't I cute?Ok, ok, so that was Paisley but I thought I could pass myself off for cute once in my life. Didn't my mom mom do an amazing job. She even did the little embroidery on the top. The Top of the dress is a pinafore and then under it is a flowery "froofy" dress. She wore it to church a few weeks ago and I got so many comments on it. I had to tell everyone that my mom made it for me.

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T10:14:00.002-05:00

AKA, let the serial posting begin! I am attempting to get up to date on my blog in order to institute my New Year's Resolution to stay on top of this blog and perhaps be a little bit more regular than every 6 months on my recipe blog. So over the next few days there will be a TON of new posts. I may end up going back and posting them date wise where they belong but for now...enjoy.

Michigan Lighthouses

2011-01-01T08:00:00.019-05:00

We have fallen in love with lighthouses since moving to Michigan, so on one of the last reasonable weekends we took a little trip to see 3 different lighthouses. It was an awesome day.

We started out at the Pentwater lighthouse which was kind of a joke.But the area was very pretty.This is my favorite picture because even though we are blurry in the picture the contrast in colors between the river water joining the lake water and the sky is amazing.We got to teach the boys about driftwood.
The kids had fun walking along the water.
Paisley was "eh" about the whole thing.Then we went to Little Sable. It was absolutely gorgeous.I think this one was the favorite for the boys because the sidewalks were drifted over with sand by this point in the season, so they got to tromp through it.It was just amazing to take it.Last but not least we went to the White River Light Station.This one reminded me of Pete's Dragon because of the little house attached to it.Tab got caught in the action of relieving himself.

I love these kids

2011-01-01T08:00:00.018-05:00

This picture may seem like nothing, but it says so much to me.

1. It says that Paisley loves hanging with her brothers when they are watching a movie on the computer.

2. Benton was getting every one graham crackers for a snack.

3. Paisley is such a goober. She always pulls out all of her bibs to put on all of her stuffed animals and babies.

4. We have an awesome family with awesome kids.

Thanksgiving Turkey

2011-01-01T08:00:00.017-05:00

Tab's teacher sent home a poster board with a turkey traced on it with instructions to as a family project cut it out and decorate it however we wanted. So of course I suggested fabric. Tab didn't really care as long as it had a lot of colors and glitter. He helped a lot with the gluing. He loved getting to use the spray adhesive.He also helped to string the beads onto the wire and did all of the glitter. It is hard to see but the wattle is covered in glitter and the edges of the beak and the feet are covered in glitter.
He was very proud to bring his turkey to school.

Our Little Sweetheart

2011-01-01T08:00:00.015-05:00

Paisley sure knows how to win people's affections. Benton was laying on the ground kind of pouting about something or other and Paisley gave right over to him, pulled his shirt up and started rubbing his back.She knew exactly how to make her brother happy and win his heart, as if she hadn't already.