farmer's market...

When we were making the decision to move to Cali, finding a place to live became my responsibility. I told the Lord that if I was going to have to leave my family to move across the country with 4 little kids, then finding a house needed to be easy. Otherwise I would take it as a sign that we weren't supposed to move(even though I knew we were) and plant my behind firmly in southeast Texas! The Lord was merciful with my insolence and the perfect place just about fell into our laps. Seriously I keep finding out reasons we are lucky to be were we are. 1. We have a huge fenced in backyard. The biggest one that I have seen in our price range. 2. We live by so many parks...and in a place with weather where you can play outside year round. 3. There is a super Target 3 blocks from our house. It has been closed for renovations the whole time we have lived here, but no more...Grand Opening is TOMORROW! I am so excited! 4. There is a farmers market every Saturday...3 blocks from our house! Seriously! We live in such a cool place. Today was my first time to visit. I didn't get a lot of pictures of the stalls of produce, and indian food, and handicrafts....But we did run into this guy:
























It was kind of a tough sell at first...



















But with a little balloon flatulence he won them over...


















...especially Atticus, who laughed so hard he got blue in the face and I was sure he was going to pass out.


















We ended up popping most of our balloons before we even paid for them, but the kids were laughing so hard they didn't care.






























Stuffing our faces with fresh grapes and organic apples, while laughing at balloon gas = the recipe for a perfect Saturday morning.

Happy Saturday to you!

On matters of music....

There are some slight differences of opinion when it comes to what music should be played in the van....

The kids seem to think that the soundtrack from "The Nightmare Before Christmas," should be on repeat...all.the.time. I'll admit, I like that music too, but there has to be a limit...when not just Gavin, but the 2 year olds know all the words(and even the baby chimes in every once in a while) you might have listened to a song in excess.

So I have instituted what I call 'mandatory taste enhancement...'a.k.a. something I haven't heard 500 times in the past 2 days.

The girls are more flexible, they can be suckered in if they see me singing a long. The boys....well, they are a tougher sell....

may the force be with you...

Left over glow sticks from Halloween, some really cool music, darkness = another successful FHE activity.



Can you hear Atticus singing in the background. The "Theme From Star Wars" is in his key, and like his daddy...if it is in his key, then he has to sing it at the top of his lungs!

kiddie conversations...

out and about in the van....

Jane:(0ff in la la land)"Choo-choo!"
Gavin: "JANE! We don't say potty talk(pretty sure he thought she was saying poo poo)! You gotta go to the bathroom to say potty talk!(can you tell that he has gotten in trouble for inappropriate conversations lately?)"
Jane: : (oblivious)"Choo-choo!"
Gavin: "No Jane! No potty talk!"
Jane: (completely, utterly oblivious)
Atticus: (chiming in from the next seat up)"No...not potty talk. A joke!"

Annie's world...

20 months ago I got the news. First, I recognized the nausea...the last time was too recent for me not to recognize morning sickness. I'll be honest. I cried. A lot. I didn't think I was ready...but she knew better. She wasn't willing to wait till I was ready. The party was NOW and she is an important part of it. Oh is she ever an important part of it.


Weeny Witch...Isn't she aDORABLE! She is at the stage where her physical and verbal skills are exploding, and she is so proud of herself. She is the cats meow.









































This picture makes me laugh because of the story behind it.


















I heard her screaming in the middle of the night...and not her 'I am feeling peckish, let's nurse mommy' wail. This was a hard core angry yell. I stumble thru the darkness of her room and pick her up. The first thing I notice is the squishy wetness that meets my grasp. She is totally soaked. Her bedding is totally soaked. I am dumbfounded at the catastrophic failure of her diaper....until I lay her down on my bed and realize that she is not wearing a diaper. Have I mentioned that she has learned how to take her diaper off? Well, she has. And that night she did. And then after she fell asleep 'someone' had the gall to go and pee all over her. Boy was she ticked...and still half asleep. That is why I laugh when I see this picture. This is her after I got her in a diaper and pants. She fell back asleep immediately, but she still looked angry.


Have I mentioned she can climb?

She can climb....


Into the toybox....



















Into the cabinets...




































Of course she doesn't just confine her self to climbing "into" the cabinets...she also spends a good part of everyday to disgorging the cabinets.




































...and finding things on the cabinets to continue the destruction.



















Oh, and she can climb on to the table....(but not off =)






























I wonder who she learned that from?






















"Are we taking pictures?"






























"I'm sure you just forgot to send me the memo mommy..."































"Alright...I am ready for my close-up..."































Get distracted while you're making the lunch pb&j's?



















The pitter patter of little feet sprinting away? That's cause waiting is for the little people...oh wait, I mean the big people.






























And how 'bout some dessert?






















She is a bundle of energy. She is in the thick of any fray, grabbing toys and squealing. Her imagination is starting to blossom. Every animal is a "goggy." and they all roar. All vehicles say "beep beep," and "too too." It would melt your heart to hear her say "Daddy!" when Kenneth gets home from work. She is opinionated, and bossy. She is sweet and snuggly. I revel in her babyhood.


She is Annie. Big Fannie Annie.



















And we LOVE her!

poor, poor Atticus...

sitting bull-ogna...

It was "I" week at Gavin's pre-school. They built igloo's and talked about imagination, and had so much fun with the letter "I." Unfortunately Gavin had his heart set on riding home in the red car(a.k.a. with his friend) that he was pretty non cooperative for the indian photo shoot. The tube he is holding up is his rain stick. It made fun noise as it was full of beans...unfortunately it was not securely fastened at the ends and soon was spread all over the floor. This was around the same time the twins got to the letter "G" in their pre-school co op and brought home cups of dirt with grass seeds planted for their "garden." Lets just say that my vacuum cleaner got a lot of use this past week.

daughter v. sister

Gavin: "Hey Jane, You wanna go to the hardware store?"
Jane:(jumps up and down) "Yeah!"
Gavin: "Well, you can't."
Kenneth: "GAVIN! My daughters are very special to me..."
Gavin: "Well my sisters just take things away."

emergency training...

Gavin: "Mom, if you get a spider on your head you need to call 9-1-1 immediately....and then...then you should call your mom and dad. You have a mom and dad, right?"

transformers....

This car is usually parked down the road from Kenneth's office. The kids have decided that it is Bumblebee from "Transformers," and I drive by it on purpose some days because they enjoy it so much. This morning as we drove past Gavin yelled, "Bumblebee! Hey Bumblebee! Transform! Bumblebee, transform! BUMBLEBEE! MOMMY! Why won't he transform?"

The day after his birthday Gavin informed me that his name was, Underdog-speed-Gavintron. Just so you know.

4 years...

Her horns finally poked thru...

...a.k.a. her first pig tails =).

Anne

"Mooom! You're ruining my life!"






























"All I want is this apple! Is that so much to ask?"






























"Ohhh, Thank you , thank you, thank you! I promise you won't regret it!"






























Oh yeah? I already do.

Conversation with Atticus...

A: "Mommy, I hungry."
Me: "Well, we are going to eat soon."
A: "Mommy, I hungry."
Me: "Yes, I know."
A: "MOMMY, I hungry."
A: "Mommy, I HUNGRY.
A: "Mommy, I hungry...for chocolate."
Me: "Oh really?"
A: "Yes mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: "Hmmm, I think we should eat something else."
A: "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate.
Me: "No Atticus."
A: "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: walking away...
A: following me... "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: ignoring.
A: grabbing my leg. "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: disentangling my leg and walking away again.
A: following me..."Mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: starting to change Anne's diaper.
A: climbing up my back and sticking his face in mine. "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: handing him the dirty diaper, "Will you put this in the trash baby?"
A: big grin. "Yes mommy." throws diaper away. runs back. "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate."
Me: "Go away Atticus."
A: "Mommy, I hungry for chocolate.
repeat x's 30. Finally he gets distracted by a toy. 10 minutes later he comes up to me.
A: "Mommy, I hungry for...an apple."
repeat x's 45....in the time it takes me to cut up the apple!

Home dude has a one track mind. Once he thinks it, he stays on it...and on it...and on it.

the diva says...

"Are you going to give me your cell phone? Or do I have to keep screaming?"

How to eat a pb&j. By Jane

1. Pull the pieces of bread apart. Carefully lick all the jelly off of both pieces of bread.
2. Put a piece of bread on either side of you. Place each hand gently on top of the bread. Massage your fingers through the peanut butter. To really experience it to its fullest, close your eyes.
3. Carefully lick all the peanut butter off of your hands.
4. Delicately pick off tiny pieces of bread at random, and eat them with relish. Take time to savor every bite. Make sure that as you do this it causes the bread to slowly disintegrate into a crumbly, peanut buttery mess.
5. When you have maximum bread disintegration carefully wipe your hands on your shirt, and walk away.

Bon Apetit!

what did YOU do for family home evening...

...we worked on our ability to cross our eyes.

Anne's attempt, ok, so she didn't really get what was going on, but she sure is cute!



















First try for Atticus...hmmm.





















There you go! Well, kind of...


















Jane's pretty much a pro.




















First attempt:





















Sure he's doing it =) even after he saw the picture! Oh, the innocence of the young!























First runner up! Woo hoo...but I've got nothing on the grand prize winner...*drum roll*
























oops wrong one...this one is just Kenneth trying to look normal.



















Here he is, the grand champ of eye crossing. I love you any way honey =).

i love you Jane!

Tonight I am overwhelmed with love for my daughter Jane. Kenneth and the boys are at a friends house, and Anne turned in early. That left Jane and I with a "girls night..." meaning we ate chocolate and watched Hannah Montana. As we snuggled, I got to revel in the feeling of her baby cheeks against mine. And we danced. and danced. and danced. I loved dancing with her, fast or slow. I loved watching her applaud any time there was applause in the movie, and watching her experience the excitement. She is so innocent and so wonderful. I remember a night a long time ago, when my dad was out with my brothers on a father/son camp out, and my mom and I had a girls night. We watched movies and survived a roach invasion(since there were no men folk to kill them). We still talk and laugh about that night...and my mom is one of my very best friends. It is mind boggling to me that I am the mom now. I love you Jane!

in case you didn't notice...

...Jane got her haircut.