Oh no, not again!

Clay is like Bri's little sidekick.  They pretty much spend their days inseparable.  He follows her around and if he isn't right there, Bri goes looking for him.  They love each other and love to play together.  Most of the time it is really great and makes me one happy mama.  The down side to this is that Clay has been present for a lot of Bri's mischievousness.  Clay usually just watches Bri do whatever she is doing.  I don't think I have ever seen him join in on the fun.  So you can imagine how surprised I was to come into the kitchen and see this.

Apparently, he has been paying very close attention, and just couldn't hold back anymore.  Thank goodness he doesn't have any purple jammies!

Hooded Towel Giveaway

Check out the hooded towel giveaway on my Pumpkin Patch Blog.

http://www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.blogspot.com/

Who is that handsome man?

It's Ben...the firefighter.

He joined the volunteer fire department a little while ago.  Unfortunately we were sick when he was finally able to start going on calls.  Once he was well enough to go, there weren't any for over a week.  So, he FINALLY got to go on his first call last night.

He has training on Tuesday nights until November when he will start firefighter school which is on Monday and Thursday nights through April.  He is a probationary officer, but by next October, he will have completed everything and become an official firefighter.  I'm super proud of him for working so hard for us and for finding a way in his crazy busy life to help others.  Am I a lucky woman or what?!

I love how Clay is just standing there staring at his dad.  You should have seen the smile on his face.

The kids think that Dad is the coolest guy in the universe because he is a firefighter.  They love to go to the station to "hang out" and Emma hasn't had anymore nightmares about our house burning down.  Life is good!

2009 Chevrolet Malibu and 1959 Bel Air - Crash Test

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air has been crashed into a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu—in a head-on frontal-offset test, at 40 mph.
The result is a lesson in how far occupant protection has advanced over the years.

Watching the modern Malibu, the hood area deforms significantly but the passenger area looks almost entirely intact. Shift your eyes over to the 1959 Chevy and it’s the stuff of old highway-safety and shock-and-scare films, just melodrama and implied gore. There’s plenty of car gore though, with the Bel Air’s steering column slammed forward into the driver, the A-pillar completely mangled, and the dash pushed back to finish the punch. Trim pieces fly, shards of non-safety-glass fly forward, and…well, that’s probably enough of a spoiler, reports The Car Connection.

In case there’s any doubt based on the description above, according to safety engineers at the scene, the driver of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu would likely have suffered slight knee injury. The driver of the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air would have died instantly.

Ben still has a job!!!

GM just had another round of layoffs.  They let go of 40% of their finance employees this week, and Ben was NOT one of them.  We are thankful for everyones continued concern for our well being and for our Heavenly Father's continued awareness and blessings for us.

Poison Control...come in poison control...do you read me?

Yesterday morning was fantastic!  Yesterday afternoon was not.

Bri and I spent the afternoon/evening in the Emergency Room. You all know that she gets into stuff and loves to make messes. Well, yesterday she found a box of Sudafed 24 hour release tabs and ate one. I have no idea where she found it. I don't keep meds where kids can get them. Besides, we are just getting over being sick, and I searched our entire house for Sudafed because it works so much better than the PE stuff. I couldn't find any.

I asked her if she ate it and she said yes, then I asked her if she spit it out and she said yes. I called poison control and they told me to take her to the emergency room. Of course Emma was getting out of school in about 10 minutes, so I ran up to the school and pulled her out of class, then the kids and I went to the ER. I called Ben on the way and he left work to meet me at the hospital. He took the other kids home while Bri and I stayed to be monitored. They did an EKG, hooked her up to a continuous heart/pulse monitor and blood pressure monitor. They made her drink charcoal to try and absorb anything that was in her stomach, and they watched her for 6 hours. CRAZY. When we first got there she had tachycardia which means an elevated heart rate.  The Dr. said he wasn't really worried, but that he needed to monitor her for a while.  Once she got a few readings of normal, they released us and we got to come home around 9 pm.

I was shaking for almost an hour and feeling like the worst mother in the world. The Dr. and nurses at the ER were fantastic. They were calm, very un-accusing, and very understanding. We talk all the time about not eating things if you don't know what they are, but her curiosity got the best of her.  Now I think I might be ordering those Mr. Yuk stickers and plastering EVERYTHING with them.  She knows what happens now, so hopefully that will deter her in the future.

For anyone who wants/needs to know, the national poison control number is 1-800-222-1222.  It is staffed locally by Doctors and nurses.  I have had to call it a few times, and they have always been very kind.  This is the first time I have had to take a child to the ER, and although I hope it never happens again, it was a "good" experience...if that is possible.

Here is the link to the Mr. Yuk store.  It has lots of great information.  Some of it you can view as a pdf link without having to buy it.  It is worth checking out and making sure you know what things are dangerous and how to safe guard your family...especially your children.

First day of preschool

We started preschool yesterday!  It was AWESOME!!!  It couldn't have gone better.  I was so happy with how the kids did.  There were a couple of kids who had a hard time for the first few minutes, but as soon as we got started, everyone participated and it was wonderful.  We sang songs, talked about our letters and numbers, read some books, colored, did puzzles and made a craft.  It was so fun!

I know every day won't be like yesterday, but it sure did make me feel great!  I am so happy that I decided to do this preschool.  Not only am I offering Bri an opportunity to learn and have fun, but I am offering other little 3 year olds the same opportunity.  I am so excited for this school year.  Here are some pics from yesterday.

Can I ask a favor?

We are still sick and the kids missed their first day of school.  We have a wonderful friend (who is also a Dr.) come and check us all out and we have a nasty virus...probably the flu...AGAIN, but we are mending and no one has any secondary infections, so that is good news.  We also had some friends from church bring us the yummiest chicken noodle soup I think I have ever tasted.  Talk about blessings!

Now on to the favor.  As most of you know, I have a store on etsy.com.  I also have another blog.  I am wondering if you all could look over my other blog and give me some feedback.  What do you think...honestly.  If it needs work, needs a spellcheck, needs more content, needs to be more interesting or needs more pictures, please tell me.  I have put a lot of time into trying to make it a useful resource, and someone else's eyes looking at it will be super helpful.   Thanks in advance!!  http://www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.blogspot.com/

More sickness...

Just in case you were wondering, I am sick now too.  So are Emma and Justice.  Party at our house...anyone want to come?

Hopefully everyone is better before school starts on Tuesday!

Sickness...

Last week I watched a friend's younger kids so she could take her older kids to register for classes. A couple of days later she told me that her younger kids were sick and had high fevers and croup. AWESOME!

It only took another day or so before Clay was sick. When he woke up from his nap he had a high fever and he sounded terrible! I gave him some meds to bring the fever down and then had to give him a nebulizer treatment to help with the wheezing. My boys have had lung issues since each of them was born, so we have owned a nebulizer for 4+ years and the Dr. just keeps me stocked with albuterol. We have been through this so many times that I know what can be handled at hom, what needs a Dr. appt, and what needs an ER visit.

That night was scary! I was up with him most of the night and there are many times when I was minutes away from taking him to the ER. I never ended up taking him, but we did go to the Dr. first thing the next morning. She was very surprised at how quickly things went bad for Clay and how terrible he sounded. She gave him a steroid shot and a treatment in the office and waited to see how he did before letting us go home. She also told me that we were probably going to be on ER watch for another couple of days. Well, a few days have passed since then, and she was right. He has had one heck of a time. We have not needed to take him to the ER, but he is definitely sick! His fever keeps coming and going and his cough is pretty constant. He is feeling much better than he was at first, and I can tell he is starting to come around again.  He'll just have a lingering cough for a while.

Bri got sick too. She isn't near as bad as Clay, but she is pretty miserable. Her throat hurts so bad she won't talk and all I have gotten either of them to eat today is applesauce and water. She also has a fever and cough. Neither of them is sleeping well, so they both have pretty big circles under their eyes. I wonder if I will get sick too.

Woodward Dream Cruise

Every year here in Michigan there is the Woodward Dream Cruise.  Old cars (and their owners) come to show off their cars.  It is really fun.  We found a good place to sit on the side of the road in Birmingham and watched the cars go by.  Enjoy.  (This was just over a week ago, so I am caught up and don't have to feel guilty every time I get on the computer.  Yea Me!)

Marshmallw Fondant Cake

I decided to try my hand at Fondant.  The kids are starting to want me to do more detailed cakes and it is getting harder each birthday to do what they want.  I think birthdays are special days and should be celebrated.  I want to make them whatever kind of cake they want.  So fondant it is.  The problem with fondant is that it tastes disgusting.  So I found a recipe for it that uses marshmallows.  It was pretty easy and it turned out pretty well.  This cake was just to practice and I learned a ton.  I'm excited to make another one.  Anyone need a cake?

Spiderman!!!

Spiderman came to visit the mall by our house.  Of couse we had to take Justice to meet him.  The kids got to meet him and get their faces painted.  It was pretty fun.  Clay wanted nothing to do with it and stayed tucked away in the stroller the whole time.

Bri's 3rd Birthday!

Bri turned 3 on July 18th.  She is the cutest, craziest girl I know.  She can go from making my heart melt to make me want to poke my eyes out in about 3.5 seconds.  She wanted a Hello Kitty and a Ballerina cake for her birthday.  There was no way  I was going to make 2 cakes, so I combined them.  This is what I came up with.  It turned out much cuter than I expected.  Bri was so excited.  We also got her some ballerina clothes and she got some Strawberry Shortcake stuff from my family.  It was a great day for her.

Family Vacation to Nauvoo Illinois

We went to Nauvoo for vacation at the beginning of July. We camped at a place called Camp Nauvoo. It was inexpensive, the owners were really nice, and the had electrical hookups. We would go there again in a heart beat. We were tent camping and it rained 3 of the days we were there. Everythin was either damp or wet the whole week, but it didn't matter. It was the best trip. We had such a good time. There is so much to do there it is unreal. We were there for an entire week and we never got bored. It is very family friendly and we go to see all of the church historical sites while we were there. We also went to the Nauvoo Pageant which was amazing...even in the rain. The temple is so beautiful and we can't wait to go back again. It might become a regular family vacation spot. We highly recommend it and are always up for families to join us...hint, hint! Here are some pictures of the trip.  It really was one of the best trips we have ever done as a family.

Time for some catch up...

Ben's birthday is 3 days after Emma's.  When I asked Ben what kind of cake he wanted he said, "I don't know...Justice what kind of cake do I want?"  Justice yelled, "STAR WARS!!!".  So, Justice and I sat down and looked up Star Wars cakes.  He picked R2D2.  This is my attempt at it.  We got Ben some clothes and a couple of books.  He was happy and the kids were pretty excited about the cake.  So, 4 months later, Happy Birthday love!

Emma and Justice love to play "let's pretend that we are going to the temple and getting married".  These are the outfits they came up with.  So cute.  I especially love the hair flower that Emma put in Justice's collar for a "man flower that you wear on your coat".

Bri loves to draw with chalk and she wanted me to write their names.  I did and she told me it wasn't fancy enough.  So, here are the FANCY names.  I know...I missed my calling in life.  I should have been a sidewalk chalk artist.  I think there's big money in it too.  :)

My kids LOVE blueberries.  I didn't buy them very often because they are crazy expensive, but once we started having Spinach smoothies for breakfast most mornings I started buying them.  Fresh are still crazy expensive, but the big frozen bags from Costco are actually a good price.  My kids want to eat them everyday even though they get them in the mornings in their smoothies.  One day I was doing who knows what and I came into the kitchen to this.  Blueberries anyone?

Here's one of Clay just because he is so stinking cute!

The best Whole Wheat bread EVER!!!

I love to make my own bread. Sure it takes time, but it is soooo good and it makes me feel like I am doing something good for my family. There is just something about grinding my own wheat and turning it into something that my kids beg me for that is so fulfilling!

I thought I'd share the recipe. If you scroll to the bottom, it tells you how much you need to store to be able to make this bread for an entire year. So handy when trying to plan out your food storage! Also, a friend of mine converted the recipe to make 2 5" x 9" loaves. If you want the conversion email me and I'll send it to you. thepalmerfam at hotmail dot com.

I don't know where it came from. A friend passed it along to me. I have tried to find an author, but no luck. So, if you know who created it tell me and I will give them full credit. Until then, thank you person I don't know...

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

2 (8"x4") loaves

3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour

1/3 cup gluten

1 1/4 Tbsp instant yeast

2 1/2 cups steaming hot tap water (120-130 F)

1 Tbsp salt

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey or 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 Tbsp bottled lemon juice

2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Mix together first three ingredients with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. (this will not mix it completely...that's okay) Add salt, oil, honey or sugar, and lemon juice and beat for one minute. Add rest of flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Once the flour is mixed in, beat for about 6-10 more minutes. Until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl and dough "bounces back" a little when you touch it. This makes very soft dough. Pre-heat oven to 350 for 1 minute and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves and place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes (I do it for 15) until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. If you do not have a mixer with a dough hook and are kneading this by hand, gradually add last cup of flour to keep dough from sticking to counter. You will add more flour when kneading by hand than when using a mixer simply to be able to handle this moist dough. With wheat bread, always add the least amount of flour possible to keep bread moist. Knead 10 minutes before shaping into loaves.

**lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhancer which gives bread a fine, light texture. Gluten, a natural protein derived from wheat, provides elasticity and strength and added texture, helps retain moisture, prevents crumbling, and extends the shelf life of the bread. If you do not want to store gluten flour, you may substitute whole wheat flour in it's place.  I buy my gluten from here.

**1/4 Tbsp is = to 3/4 tsp.

** To make a 2 loaf recipe of this bread every other day for 1 year (1 loaf per day), you will need 275 lbs of wheat ground into flour, 4 gallons of oil, 46 lbs of honey or sugar, 8 (1 lb) pkgs yeast, 61 cups of gluten flour, 3 2/3 qts. of lemon juice and 7.3 lbs of salt.

Looking forward to October

I thought it was time that we put a new post up...and reveal the costume I'm wearing this year.

The Price of a Child

As we have all taken turns being sick this week, my emotions are very close to the surface. I don't know why we seem to be the final destination for every germ known to man. I don't know why our little family has been asked to bear so many physical trials over the last few years. I do know that I can't imagine going through all of this without all of them. We are definitely in this together and for that I am immeasurably grateful. I love my husband 1000 times more than I ever thought I could. I love each of my children more today than I did the day they were born. We have definitely had our share of trials, but in it all, we found a way to pull the bonds that tie us together just a little bit tighter. We are all sick, but we are all happy. How could I ask for more than that?

I'm sure this is old, but it meant so much to me today.

THE PRICE OF A CHILD

I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 to be $160,140 for a middle income family.

Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into:
*$8,896.66 a year, or
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is "if you want to be 'rich', don't have children. Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading "The Adventures of Piglet and Pooh" ,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish upon a star. You also get to:
* frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets,

and collect:
* spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas,
* hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and
* cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no bigger bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to witness history:
* her first step,
* his first word,
* her first bra,
* his first date, and
* their first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs called grandchildren and great grandchildren in your obituary.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have the power to:
* heal a boo-boo,
* scare away the monsters under the bed,
* patch a broken heart,
* police a slumber party,
* ground them forever, and
* love them without limits... so that one day they, like you, will love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price!

Love & enjoy your children, grandchildren & great grandchildren

Swine flu anyone???

I know I haven't posted in a while. I have a lot to post about. Ben's birthday, my birthday, the kids, pics of my new bathroom. I'm sure I can think of more. But I'm not going to...not today.

Emma has swine flu. She has had a constant fever, aches, chills, no appetite, and an awesome cough. Her fever has been right around 103 for a couple of days. I hope it breaks soon. Bri and Clay now have fevers too and each of them is developing a pretty nice little cough. So far Justice seems fine. All 4 of them are on Tamiflu, so hopefully it doesn't get too bad. We are in quarantine for 7 days. Emma doesn't get to finish the last few days of school and she is pretty bummed. We are just hunkering down and trying to make this next week as enjoyable as possible. Lots of movies, lots of popcorn, and lots of meds.

Once we emerge from all of this, I will post all of the things I have been neglecting.

We were there (click here)

Click title to see where we were Friday night. You'll want to watch the entire video...watch for the Hi-5. Pretty cool. Our friend, Chris Amare, got the Cabrera HR ball.

Ben still has a job!!!

Yesterday was the day that Ben could have lost his job...he did not lose it. We are so thankful that he is still gainfully employed! Thanks to all of you who have been thinking and praying for us and Thanks to the Lord for helping Ben keep his job. Although we aren't out of danger yet...GM still has a ways to go before they have "turned around", we are very grateful for the many blessings that we have been given from a kind and loving Father in Heaven.

Happy Birthday to Emma!

Emma turned 6 on Monday. HOLY COW MY BABY GIRL IS 6!!!!! We had a family party and it was really fun. She wanted a Tinkerbell cake, so this is what I came up with. She is so happy that she is a big girl now and can't wait until her next birthday. Enjoy the pictures...

HVAC went out

Here is the deal...

I found out I was pregnant with Clay 2 weeks after we moved here. Within 2 weeks I started having morning sickness and for varying reasons, I pretty much felt terrible for the rest of the pregnancy. Clay had reflux and cried and threw up the majority of the time for months. After each of my other kids I have started feeling liky myself again right around the time they turn 9 months old.

This time around it has been way different. I haven't felt well since I got pregnant with him. I have been to dozens of dr. appointments and had more blood drawn than probably everyone reading this combined. I have been told over the course of it all that I *might* have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Narcolepsy, and a few less major things. I have had an MRI of my brain, and a sleep study done. Some of these have been ruled out completely (MS and Lupus). What we do know is that I have a significant vitamin D deficiency, sero-negative arthritis (which means it technically isn't Rheumatoid Arthritis yet, but might be in the future), and hypoglycemia. The sero-negative arthritis and hypoglycemia I just found out about last week. I have to do another sleep study to confirm or rule out narcolepsy, and the rest are still up for grabs. I also have to have a few other things looked at, but won't go into detail on those right now.

Ben works for General Motors. He may or may not loose his job in a couple of weeks. We don't think he will, but it is a possibility. If he does, do you know what he gets? Half a month's pay. HALF A MONTH'S PAY. That will pay or mortgage once, but then what? We have several months of food storage in the basement, so atleast we can eat. We won't be able to sell our house without putting some time and effort into it. It was on the market for a year and a half when we bought it for a reason. We have done alot since we moved in, but there are still a few things that need to be done before we can put it on the market and actually have a chance (however small) to sell it. I know it will sell if that is the Lord's will. If not, I guess we join the Michigan masses in Forclosure.

So, why am I spilling all of this on my blog? Because. Because I am struggling. I know I am supposed to "Come what may and love it." I know I am supposed to endure it well and put my faith and trust in the Lord. I know that other people have it way harder than I do. I know these things. I am not asking for sympathy. I just need to vent! I need to get it all out so I can say, "okay...it is what it is...let's move forward."

So there you go...

Detroit Three Find Hope in Centerfield

BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

When the Tigers open their season this week, fans will look to centerfield at Comerica Park and see the greenery, the flagpoles and the giant fountain. And, as usual, every time there's a Detroit home run, those fountains will erupt. That spot, in the stadium business, is what they call prime real estate. Companies pay big money to have their logo smack dab in the middle, so that every time fans gaze out there, the brand is what they see. For the last few years, General Motors has sponsored that fountain, and paid a substantial fee to do so. This season, with all that has happened in the auto business, GM's folks called the Tigers and said, regretfully, they could no longer afford it. Given the layoffs, the bailouts, the threat of bankruptcy, well, owning centerfield was too great a luxury. GM had to step aside. Which is when Mike Ilitch, the Tigers' owner, stepped in. There were other bidders. Other offers. Who wouldn't want that real estate? A deal of three years worth between $1.5 million and $2 million was on the table.

Ilitch said no thanks. He was going to give it away. Or maybe "give it back" is a better way of putting it. Chalk up an outfield assist "It just seems strange to have the car companies in trouble," he told me this past week. "The Big Three, where would this city be without them? I mean, my father came from the old country and got a job at Ford's. It put food on our table. "It's scary to think that any of those carmakers could go away."

So Ilitch told his people to thank the potential paying customers, but to say that the centerfield fountain this year was spoken for. It would be the feature site for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. For free. No charge. Not one penny. "It's just a small opportunity to respond to what's happening," Ilitch said, embarrassed by the attention. There's nothing small about it. Every business has been affected by the collapsing economy; baseball teams are no exception. Walking away from a couple million dollars is not considered a wise financial move. Who turns away paying customers? In this case, Ilitch did. Because sometimes it's about the where and the who, not just the how much.

A message from the ballclub "I thought for a few weeks before deciding," Ilitch admitted. "I didn't want to offend anybody. I didn't want to put off the foreign carmakers. And I didn't want people to think we couldn't sell the fountain. As a businessman, you do worry about those things. "But I finally said, 'The heck with it.' I want to do something to help." So starting with the home opener this Friday afternoon, the Chrysler, General Motors and Ford logos will be on an equal plane above the fountain. And beneath those logos will be a few new words: "The Detroit Tigers support our automakers." It may be as close to a social statement as centerfield has ever made.

Visitors in Detroit for this weekend's Final Four may think our small, thriving downtown looks a lot like other cities' downtowns. But there is something different beneath the surface. Here, we construct in the face of adversity. We build on hope. Pure investors will tell you a city with rampant unemployment, enormous budget shortfalls, a troubled school system and a laughable city council is not a place to put your money. We do it anyhow. We do it because we love our past and we believe in our future. We do it because the alternative would be to close shop altogether. We do it because last week there were stories about the gleaming new Yankee Stadium, which cost $1.5 billion and has seats as high as $2,625 a game -- and here is Ilitch giving away his fountain for free.

Detroit may be the new home of the bumpy ride, but as the Three Musketeers once discovered, it's a little smoother when you grab hands with others. Think about that the next time a home run sends that fountain shooting up to those logos. Sometimes it really is all for one and one for all.

Play dough

My kids love, love, love to play with play dough. I usually just make it instead of buying it. My kids will play with play dough all afternoon. It can keep them occupied for hours which is VERY nice. However I don't pull it out very often. Why? Because this is what it looks like when they are done playing.

Yes, that is cottage cheese mixed with the play dough...thanks Bri.

SPRING Break...Really?

This is what it looked like in our backyard on February 6, 2009. My kids are so tired of being stuck in the house and I am so tired of GERMS! Can you tell that we are longing for the winter to be over and warmer days to finally be here?

Today was the first official day of Spring Break. We had high hopes for this week since it was actually warm enough last week to play outside without a coat on...sort of. This is what it looked like when we woke up this morning. Looks like we will have to keep waiting...

2010 Camaro

I had to go offsite and my manager was driving a 2010 Camaro, so I made a slight detour on my way to the supplier and stopped off at home. See some of the pix here.

Blog lists and Spaghetti Sauce

First, I finally got around to adding a ton of friends to our blog list. If you see your blog there and want me to remove it please let me know. If you don't see your blog there and would like me to add it, let me know. I am not purposefully adding or not adding people. I just don't know everyone's blogs and/or their feelings about being on ours. Email us at thepalmerfam-at-hotmail-dot-com. Thanks!

Second, I am on the hunt for the BEST Spaghetti Sauce recipe in the whole world. I have tried tons and haven't found "the one" yet. If you have an awesome recipe please pass it on. If I get any responses, I will try them all, and my hubby and kiddos will "judge" them. If you are the lucky winner, you just might get something pretty spectacular in the mail! :) Even if I have no idea who you are and you like to read my blog because it is so amazingly exciting, you are welcome to send a recipe on. Email me at thepalmerfam-at-hotmail-dot-com. Thanks!

Babies, babies everywhere

No, this is not an announcement! I have a TON of friends and family members who have all either recently had babies or are pregnant. I just found out this week that a very good friend of mine is pregnant. She has a 9 month old, so these two will be 18 months apart. I am really excited for her, but I think I am even more excited for myself! Why you ask? Because it isn't me!!!

I have never had a baby as old as Clay (14 months) and not already been into my second trimester with another baby. I know first hand how awesome and how hard it is to have babies that close together...again and again and again. It is so nice to see and hold and adore all of these babies and give them back to their mothers when they cry. I love that I have 3 potty-trained kids and only ONE in diapers...finally!

I wondered if I would be sad when I was done having babies. I have an occasional pang for a newborn, but it is quickly erased by the memories of leaking like a faucet, being up for hours, no weeks, no months on end, changing 12 diapers a day, and WAAAAAY too many visits to the Dr. and/or hospital. I love my kids and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything in the world. I would do it all over again and then some for the blessing and opportunity of being their mother.

I am happy for all of my friends and family and their babies, and I am happy that that part of my life is over. The best is yet to come...

Bri...have I seen this mess before?

A friend of mine has a son who reminds me so much of Bri it is unreal. She just posted a picture of a mess he made while she was in the shower. It reminded me of something that happened over Christmas break that I never blogged about.

I asked Ben to put ceiling fans with lights in all of the bedrooms over Christmas. I was downstairs with the kids when he called for me to come and help for a second. I had to hold the fan up while he was attaching all of the wires. All of the kids came up to see what we were doing and then went back downstairs. About 2 minutes later Emma starts yelling that Bri is making a mess. Awesome! I yell back to her to try and get Bri to stop and help her clean it up. A few minutes later, I hear Emma yelling that Bri is making another mess. I yell back the same thing...to try to get Bri to stop and to try and help her clean it up and that we were almost done. I finish helping Ben and come downstairs. What do I find?

Bri had gotten into the freezer and pulled out my bag of yeast. You know the brick of yeast that you can get from Costco...all over the floor. Mostly on the carpet. Emma thinks you use wipes to clean everything up, so tried to get it up with wipes. All it did was make the yeast get wet and gooey. Instead of stopping, Emma just kept using more wipes...a whole container of them. And all of them were gross and had to go in the trash.

Then Bri decided to get into the fridge and pull out the gallon ziploc bag of shredded cheese and spread it all over the floor too. Emma was out of wipes, so she tried to sweep it, and then finally gave up. This is what it looked like.

Flashback to my childhood...

When I was a kid and we lived in Northern Virginia, we had a house with stairs. My parents had this big black tub that they put shoes in and slid under the bed. Whenever they would leave, my brothers and I would dump out the shoes and ride it down the stairs. It was seriously so fun! Once that got boring, we would ride our sleeping bags down the stairs...it was a little more painful, but way more fun. Once that got boring, we would ride the sleeping bags down the stairs head first...don't know why that was a good idea, but it was exhilarating!!! I don't know if my parents ever had a clue that that is what we did while they were gone.

Now that I am an adult, I realize just how S-T-U-P-I-D that was. (I have to spell things out these days so my kids don't know what I'm saying, and it just seemed fitting to spell it here too.) Any one of us could have broken a bone or gotten a concussion or worse! Luckily, none of us were ever seriously hurt. Why is this a flashback you ask?

Because. My kids were running around the house being wild and crazy. Clay is still not feeling that great, and he is finally sleeping. The bigger kids wouldn't stop yelling and running, so I told the kids to go be crazy in the basement. They went downstairs no problem. About 20 minutes later I hear this thump-thump-thump and major laughing/squealing. I opened the door and what did I see? My kids were taking turns riding a couch cushion down the stairs.

We had to have one of those talks...you know what I'm talking about. The "I know that's really fun, but it is also dangerous" talks. They listened, and for now have decided that they shouldn't ride the cushions down the stairs anymore...we will see how long that lasts.

Clay is okay...

We just got back from the Dr. and Clay has "turned the corner". He got to come home instead of going into the hospital. He is still borderline dehydrated, but she thinks that he will be okay. His chest sounded much clearer, and his oxygen saturation was at 100%! She doesn't think pneumonia is a real concern anymore either. YEAH!

She also said, "Wow, you have cared for him perfectly...you have obviously done this before." Yep--this is the 4th time. I guess I get a gold star for the day.

Thanks for every one's thoughts and prayers.

Sick again

A couple of weeks ago Clay and Bri had really gross coughs. I took them to the Dr. and he said they had croup, gave me some steroids and some more albuterol and sent us on our way. In a couple of days, they were both back to their normal selves. Bri is still fine...she has an occasional dry cough, but I think that is just lingering. Clay on the other had is VERY sick. He started coughing on Sunday, and went downhill quickly after that. I took him to the Dr. yesterday and he has RSV (again) and 2 "flaming red" ear infections. We got antibiotics for his ears, and are doing the albuterol every 4 hours even through the night. I have to take him back in this afternoon so the Dr. can see if he is better or worse. If he is worse, he will go into the hospital. She said he had a 50/50 chance of needing to be hospitalized. He is also on his way to being dehydrated again, so she wants to check that, and his cough has lots of "pops and crackles" which makes the Dr. think he might be on his way to pneumonia too.

Seriously people. Can't we just have a break? I would really like to know what it feels like to not be so tired I am shaking, to not have a seriously ill child every winter, to not feel like junk for the last 2 years. Can't we just have a break?!

Parenting 101

I got this from someone else's blog. I don't know who wrote it...

Thinking of Having Kids?
Do this 15 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast-feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner.)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3 AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons.

How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat everything you have learned at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a preschool child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for atleast two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; an occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt-sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 14 above.

You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

~*~ I seriously laughed so hard when I read this. Some days this is what it really feels like, but when any of them tell me that they love me, or give me a special hug, or color me a beautiful picture, it completely melts my heart and I realize that they are absolutley worth every bit of it!

Am I lucky or what?????

This post isn't supposed to be a pity party for me...read to the bottom, and you will see why I am so lucky.

I have been having problems with my heart for almost 2 years now. It has gotten better since I had Clay, but it hasn't gone away. This past summer I started having problems with my joints. When I wake up in the morning, I can barely use my hands because they are so swollen and hurt so bad. My mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis, so I assumed that I must have it too. I went to my regular doctor and she sent me to a rheumatologist. The RA Dr. has tested me for every possibility she can think of. The cardiologist tested me for a zillion things too. Every test ordered by every Dr. has come back negative. Great news! Frustrating news too! I feel like junk and hurt all of the time, so what is wrong?

I went to a couple of Dr. appts 2 weeks ago and guess what they told me? There is nothing medically wrong with me! Their diagnosis? Extreme Fatigue. Both of them told me that my body has been under a huge amount of physical and emotional stress over the last several years, and it can no longer handle it. My body is telling me that it needs a break NOW or it is just going to shut down. They also told me that it took several years to get this way, so it won't get better quickly. I asked for more clarification and the Dr. said that if I make my health my number one priority, it could still take a couple of years before I am back to 100%. A couple of YEARS! And if I don't? Then I continue to have health problems and it becomes chronic.

So, Ben and I had a very long talk about what to do going forward. My idea was to become Swiss Family Robinson...sort of... I suggested we sell the house, Ben quit his job, and we move to a very inexpensive place. Ben could get a job working 40 hours and paying just enough to pay the bills. Then he would have time to be home more and we could just focus on our family and getting me better. Ben's idea, which I have to say was much more realistic, was for him to tell his boss that I was having some medical problems and that he needed to leave at 5 every day so he could come home and take over for me.

On Monday he told his boss what the plan was, his boss agreed, and Ben left at 5. He has been home by 5:30 every night. While I get dinner on the table, he does a blitz of the downstairs and within 15 minutes, the slew of kid stuff that is spread all over the place is magically whisked away. We have been able to eat dinner as a family every night and I LOVE it. Then I go to bed...before my kids! Ben gets the kids ready for bed, reads story, scriptures, etc with them and puts them to bed. Then he cleans up the kitchen, and if he has any energy left after that, he tackles some other part of the house that needs attention. I hate to admit it, but every part of the house needs attention since I haven't had the energy to do it. He rearranged the furniture in the family room and re-did the book shelf earlier this week. It looks amazing. Last night, he scrubbed the kitchen to a spotless sheen. I have no idea how late he was up, but my kitchen was sparkling when I came down this morning. It didn't even look this good when we moved in. I was so astonished that I had to take pictures.Now do you see why I am so lucky?! Not many husbands would take on what he has agreed to take on in addition to working full-time. Today, my husband is my hero...

The secret is out...

Well, I guess since Ben just mentioned that I started a store, I should mention it as well. Let me give you all a little background first.

I have spent the last 5+ years making and caring for babies, which is a very good thing. However, it took a huge toll on my body and I am now no longer able to have kids. Now that we know they are all here, I am excited to get on to the business of raising them. As Clay approached his first birthday I realized that I have never had a 1 year old and not already been pregnant again. I also realized that for me, my entire identity was wrapped up in creating and caring for young children. I needed some sort of outlet and something that I could do just for me. I think I am a pretty good mom, but all of the other things that I used to consider myself...professional, well-spoken, detail oriented, etc. have taken a back seat to being a mother. I still want to be a good mom, and I think it will be easier for me to be that woman if I take care of the parts of me that are not directly associated with being a mother. So I decided to do something about it.

I started a store on Etsy.com. It is called Pumpkin Patch Designs and I sell hooded bath towels for toddlers and kids, super cute tote bags, mei tai carriers, and crocheted baby blankets. I have had so much fun making each of these things and it has been really rewarding to actually be able to make money on them. I have also been able to contribute to our family financially which I haven't done for a really long time and it feels good. I know that I said I was going to do something that was not directly associated with being a mother, but when I sat down to think about what I could do, all I wanted to do was create stuff for kids. I guess you stick with what you know. :)

I haven't said anything before now for a couple of reasons. First, I don't want any of my family and friends to feel obligated to buy something from me just because I am selling it. If it is something that you like and would buy anyway, then sure...buy it from me. However, if it is not something that you would buy anyway, please don't feel like you have to buy it just to be supportive. Your interest and well wishes are support enough. Second, I am 31 years old and still suffer from teenage insecurities. People that I don't know not liking my stuff is one thing, but people that I love and care about not liking my stuff is completely different. I know it's a lame excuse.

Oh, and how do I find time to be productive? I haven't found any extra time. I am swapping creativity...I am creating things for my store instead of creating a spotless house...which wouldn't happen no matter how hard I work at it anyway. :)

So there you have it. If you would like to see my store, you can check it out at www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.etsy.com. I also have a blog at www.pumpkinpatchdesigns.blogspot.com and email at pumpkinpatchdesigns@hotmail.com.

Ramblings of a tired husband

So I have a great wife that can do anything. She just decides to do something and there you go. She decided to open up her own store and there you have it. She did it, bought raw materials, produced, sold, and now she is at break even with just over a month in the business. Anything from here on out is cream. I think it is funny too that she always gets comments on her hair...the amazing thing about it is she cuts it herself (and you can't tell). She tries to rationalize it away saying that the curly hair hides any misshappen parts, but it's still amazing. I think she looks spectacular. So she continues to kick my butt and some day I may be what she needs me to be until then I'll keep trying. I got her three fans wired and installed this past week. That project way too long and I still need to patch the walls by the light switches where I went wiring fishing. I tried to have Sarah find jumbo switch plates, but they were still a little too small. I may have to go back and patch the wall along with painting those portions again. I put a disclaimer on these comments because it is 12:30am and I should be sleeping if I'm going to wake up in a few hours. Last night I couldn't sleep either. Sarah says I should get a sleep test. So I mention the no sleep as a disclaimer to my comments that are probably not in any order and this post may be deleted in the next few days if I ever get back to the site and read it. This hasn't been too long, but I think I'm going to trying and lay down again. You would think with little ones I was up this late with one of them but Justice only woke up for a second. Sarah has been great through our marriage and has tried to sheild me from crying little ones at night. She usually tries to hop up and get them before I hear anything. Becuase of this I have become a deep sleeper and when I want to wake up at night to give her a break I can't because I dead asleep. She's a saint. If I misspelted (okay that was on porpuse) that is inherent in the disclaimer too. So...HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone.

For those of you that know Nancy my sister please pray for her as she is having surgery on her brain on Thursday. Sarah has all the details, but I will be fasting for here too for those that want to join.

Clay's 1st Birthday!

Clay turned 1 on New Year's Eve...quite a day for a birthday. He has had a tough year, but he came through it with flying colors. He was born 4 weeks early and was in the NICU for a week before he could come home. Then he had severe acid reflux which made him cry and throw up pretty much all day and night...for months. He finally started sleeping through the nights on a somewhat regular basis in May, and he stopped crying and throwing up during the day in October. He stayed on his meds until November, and now he is a happy and healthy little boy.

He has just started saying "Uh Oh!" and when he plays with cars he makes a car sound. He smiles and laughs all of the time now. He is very close to mastering the stairs. He LOVES his siblings and chases them as fast as his little crawl will take him. He just figured out how to walk with a toy walker/scooter and he is almost ready to start walking on his own. He has 2 teeth and a few more almost ready to break through. He also just got his first haircut and he looks so grown up! I can't believe my last baby is already 1. This year has been a tough one, but I am happy to have my little boy, and would do it all over again just to have his happy little spirit in our home.

Our Anniversary

Ben and I had our 8th wedding anniversary on Dec. 29th. We trade off who is in charge...I have even years and Ben has odd years. Last year I was very great with child (Clay was born 2 days later) and in no mood to do anything but have a baby. So this year, I wanted to do something special. It has been a tough year for us in many ways, and I wanted this anniversary to be the beginning of a happy new year in our marriage, family, and home.

This summer I was able to find a 3 day 2 night package (through a 3rd party) to Boyne Mountain which is a resort in northern Michigan. It was a SUPER good deal and I couldn't pass it up. I bought the package and booked it for our anniversary. Then I found a babysitter for the kids...yes, I left all 4 of them! Everything was set, and Ben had no idea. :)

3.5 weeks ago someone (from the 3rd party) called and cancelled it. They said that because of the economy they could no longer offer the discounted prices so they would refund my money if I wanted to. So I spent 2.5 weeks scouring the internet looking for B&B's, cabins for rent, hotels, anyplace that we could go that wouldn't break the bank. I finally settled on a hotel in Livonia, MI (priceline is a beautiful thing) and we left after church on Sunday.

It was heaven! I do love my children, but I have to admit that 2 whole days with no diapers, whining, fighting, or crying was so great! We could sleep when we wanted to, eat when we wanted to (who knew that food could taste so good when it is still hot?!?), go where we wanted to, and just had to worry about ourselves. We came back Tuesday afternoon and the girls who were babysitting did a FANTASTIC job. I couldn't be happier.

I'll admit that I needed the break more than Ben did. He was missing the kids by Monday afternoon and I could have stayed another day or two, but all in all, we got the break we needed, the kids had fun with their favorite babysitters, and we are now ready to enjoy the next 8 years!

Christmas Day

We had a great Christmas! Santa was good to us, and everyone was happy. Emma wanted a Barbie doll, and she got 2. Justice wanted a toy airplane, and he got a little plane, a bigger helicopter, and a really big plane that Daddy made for him. Bri wanted "something" and she got a stuffed animal, and a really cute bag that Santa's helper made for her. Clay didn't want anything, but he got a little teddy bear and a car to go on shelf in their room...we also got some great presents from extended family.

Christmas Eve

During grad school, Ben had several classes with a girl named Heather. She very quickly became a family friend, and the kids now call her Aunt Heather. When we moved to Michigan, we were excited to find out that her parents live about 10 minutes from us. Heather and her family have been very kind to us and we have grown to love them. We spent Christmas Eve with them and had an absolutely wonderful evening. Dan and Leslie, Heather's parents, are kind and thoughtful. They are great with the kids, and whenever we go to their house we feel completely at ease. We never feel like our kids are annoying or a burden. We hope that our future guests will feel as comfortable at our house as we feel at theirs.

We had a delicious dinner and great conversation, and before we knew it, the evening was drawing to a close. Then there was a knock at the door. Santa knew we were going to be at the Swanson's and he left jammies for the kids on the doorstep. He also left a bag of toys. The kids liked their new jammies, but they LOVED their new toys. We changed the kids and let them play for a few minutes...then we came home and got everyone into bed so Santa could come to our house. 3 of the 4 kids went right to sleep. Can you guess who didn't want to go to bed...yep...Bri. Little stinker Bri was up until almost midnight saying "Ho Ho Ho, merry mimas" over and over again. She drives me crazy, cracks me up, and warms my heart all at the same time.

Gingerbread House

On December 20th we had some friends, the Burns family, over for dinner and to make Gingerbread Houses. We made pizza first and while we were eating the pizza we cooked the gingerbread. Between our two families, we have 9 kids who are 5 and under. The funny thing is that our kids' and their kids' birthdays are all within a few weeks of each other. The difference is that they have twin 4 year olds. Anyway, I didn't make enough dough for each family to make their own house, but we still tried to make it work. Ben was the architect, and unfortunately the roof was a little too steep to stay on very well. It didn't help that my frosting wasn't as stiff as it should have been either. It started off looking good though...
Then one side of the roof slid off. We tried to put it back on, but it just kept sliding back off...

Then the second side slid off and we just left it alone...

Hair Cockey

Ben has an ipod touch and he downloaded some free games for it. Last night, before bed, he was taking turns playing some of them with Emma and Justice. Whenever it was Emma's turn, Justice kept asking to play "hair cockey" with dad. I finally figured out that he was trying to say "air hockey". What a funny kid!

What a cute boy!

I took this picture the other day and it is just too cute not to share! Clay will be 1 in 3 weeks, and I can't believe it. I remember how miserable I was this time last year, and I am just so thankful to have him here and to watch him grow. We have awesome kids and we are really lucky.

tons of new stuff...

I think I did 5 or 6 new posts today, so keep reading and you will see what we have been up to these past several months.

Just in case you thought Bri had settled down a bit...

These are only the things that I have pictures of. I can think of several other things that I didn't remember to take a pic until after it was already cleaned up. She is starting to mellow out, but I don't know if she will ever completely stay out of mischief. Ben was giving the boys a bath and ran to get the phone or something and when he came back Bri was washing Clay's hair. She isn't always a stinker...sometimes she can be very cute too!

She thinks that every baby needs to have a diaper on, so she changes them several times a day.

She found my make-up bag and decided to put some on. She kept telling me that she was "so preeeetttttttty". It took 3 baths before all of the pink was off of her. NICE!

Yes, this is what you think it is. She was in the process of being potty-trained and left me this beautiful present. I had to shampoo the carpet after this. I am happy to report that she is now day trained, and hasn't had any accidents in a couple of weeks.

This picture was after she smeared soap all over her body. The bubbles in the water are from that. I did not use extra soap. This happened on her birthday I think.

other random pictures

Here are some other pictures from the last several months.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we went spent with a family from church. Ben and I went to school with 2 of their sons and one of them was coming home, so we got invited. It was a lovely meal and I only had to bring rolls. We also had pie with the Stoddards...Ben's cousins who are also in our ward. It was a good day. I ton' have any pictures of us that day, but I do have pics of our pre-Thanksgiving fundraiser for the boy scouts at church. Our house was a regular bakery for a couple of days prepping for the bake sale and auction. Ben made these super cute Turkey cookies that went for $3.00 each and my bread (2 loaves a week for a month) went for $45.00. We also did chocolate chip cookies ($4 for 1/2 dozen) and pumpkin muffins ($8 for a dozen). I think I should open a bakery!