And Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...

Harley has been praying at bedtime lately. This night we were letting her finish her Popsicle while I read to her. I started reading her book with little prayers in it and when I looked up she was trying to pray and eat the Popsicle at the same time. So cute!!!

Ant, ant and more ants...

Drew got an ant farm this year from Garcias. It is a new kind in some sort of gel that the ants actually eat so you don't have to feed them. Well the ants came and he found out you could connect your ant farm to another one. So he took his target gift card from Nathan and Stacie and we hooked up another ant farm. This has been no end of entertainment from the youngest to the oldest in our household. It is amazing what you can be mesmerized by.

Ouch!!!

We had a staff meeting at the beach on Saturday and I sat with my back to the sun for a few hours. I burned my back worse than I have in many many years. Finally today I can lean against a chair without wincing in pain!

Kids Say the Darndest Things... well mostly Joe this time!

Our kids really crack us up. It is a shame we don't write down the things they say, because then we tend to forget. So I am going to attempt to record a few of them here.

One morning Joe walks into the kitchen and says to Jeff's dad, "How 'bout you make me some pancakes 'Big guy'!"

We had some friends over on my birthday. Peter and Autumn. Joe thought her name was 'bottom' instead of Autumn. The kids were playing on the trampoline. Jeff did an 'atom bomb'. Joe said he could do an 'autumn bottom' too!

(Jeff did something hilarious on the trampoline that I only wish I could have gotten on video for you... The trampoline is set up on our lawn between a wall that leads up to our old house, and on the other side a drop off at the edge of the lawn. OK, so he runs and jumps from up where the house is to the trampoline. He makes his landing, but can't stick it. He is pitched right over the other edge off into the hillside and weeds. :)



Jeff's dad asked Joe if he was going to help when the new baby came. Joe said 'No' very emphatically. We ask why not and he says, "I'm not a Doctor!"

Joe thinks he is VERY smart, and he is. But we have to remind him that mommy and daddy are still smarter than he is, AND we are still in charge. Wow that boy likes to be in charge.

Je suis enceinte

Well I guess since others have announced for me, and Jeff has already blogged about it, it is time I officially announce we are joining the world of large families. We are excited to have number four on the way. We are currently 12 weeks along. I will post photos as that becomes appropriate.I will only accept positive comments on this particular blog! All other comments will be incinerated.

PS The boys have transitioned to bunk beds. The necessity of large families!!!

I Dream of Jeannie

When we switched houses with Harley and MaryLou, we inherited their bedroom decorations. (Bedspread, pillows and curtains.) It is so rich in color and comfort. When I look at this photo it makes me think of the I Dream of Jeannie bottle. It always looked so comfortable and fun in there! Well I am not trapped in a bottle, but throw me your wishes, and I'll see what I can do. :)

Safari Time

Drew turned Six on Thursday and today was his party. It was just right. We read the Beranstein Book called Too Much Birthday this week. It is the one where sister gets overwhelmed at her HUGE party and starts to cry. That happened to Drew when he turned four. And since then I have tired to give him a really fun, but small party. He LOVES to party, but he is an introvert and it really wears him out. He accidentally hurt one of his friends at the party today, getting carried away with a rope swing. And tonight when I was praying with him and tucking him in, he said, 'Mom, I have been hurting people a lot lately and I don't want to do that anymore.' He felt so bad that his friend had left his party sad, nine hours earlier. He has such a soft spirit. This was an accident, but we talked about when he gets angry and hurts people too. So we prayed that God would help him learn how to be more careful, and to know what to do when he is angry.



At the party Jeff took the kids on a Safari to look for plastic animals he had hidden. IT was really cute and fun. And I managed to make the Martha Stewart Lion cake. Joe gave the party a big compliment tonight when he said, for his party he wanted, 'the same pinata, and cake and everything just like Drew's party.' I need to do a whole blog on things Joe says. There have been some really good ones lately.