Icicles

We've had some icicles hanging from the house, which was driving Benji nuts. Finally Daddy broke one off for him.Crunchy treat for Katie

Carolyn is 4!

Today is FINALLY the day....

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Carolyn, Happy Birthday to you!!

Happy 4th Birthday Carolyn! It's so hard to believe that you are 4 years old!

Carolyn Rose

Born on Sunday, January 30, 2005

7:41 pm

8#10 oz 20 1/2"

Proud Big Brother: Benji - 14 1/2 mos

It seems like it was just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. I remember when you were born, we went to the hospital not knowing if you were a boy or a girl. I remember a part of me secretly was hoping you might be a girl, yet either way we would have been perfectly happy. The minute you were born, they said, "its a girl!" I'll never forget the look on your Daddy's face or that feeling I had inside. A precious, perfect, pink baby girl! We had talked about baby names, for a girl we had settled on Laura Esther. The nurse asked us what we were going to name you. I turned to Daddy and asked, "Laura Esther?". He looked over at you and said, "Carolyn Rose". We never talked about that name at all. It just came to him and it seemed perfect. A little rose... and how sweet you've bloomed!

You have grown so fast, and into such a little girl, (or princess as you like to say). So to our little magpie... We love you more than you will ever know. We hope you have lots of fun at your birthday party!

With Lots of love, hugs & kisses,

Daddy, Mommy, Benji, Katie & John




(Excuse the photos, I had to scan them!) Check back later for pictures of the birthday party!! Speaking of bday parties; it was orginally planned for tonight (Friday), but now has been RE-scheduled for Sunday! I'm thinking of having a 'kids party' tomorrow, since all the kiddos have been 'planning' for Friday night for so long! :)

One more day

This is a day early, but thats okay!
Tomrrow Carolyn is "finally" turning 4. She can hardly wait. When she found out it was January, she wondered if it was her birthday. That was New Years Day!

Anyways.. Here's a peek back at the past four years. (I had to scan most of the pictures, so they're not great quality) It seemed like it was yesterday she was just a baby, but as the pictures prove, she has grown up into our little princess. We love you Carolyn, and we can't wait until tomorrow!! Hugs & Kisses!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Castle Cakes

I probably shouldn't show this picture, because when I post pictures of Carolyn's party, my cake will look nothing like this! But this is the cake Carolyn wants me to make! A Castle Cake!!

But mostly I wanted to share the website where I got the idea. Click here for Cute Kid Birthday Cakes. Not all cakes have step by step directions, but they all have a picture. (It's a place where people send in pictures of cakes they've made.) It's not just for kids, they have EVERY kind of cake shapes or theme imaginable. Take a peek!

And wish me luck on Carolyn's castle cake.. I have a feeling I'll need it. It isn't "hard", but it'll take time and patience.. something I don't have an abundance at the moment :)

I'll TRY to take pictures as it goes, and IF it turns out I'll post it here.

And Dad worries when you play with dolls..

Yes....he IS laughing.
Daddy has a hard time watching his boy(s) play with dolls. But when you have 2 sisters, dolls are everywhere. I think Daddy has nothing to worry about. Most of the time when Benji 'plays' with dolls, it goes like the pictures above. Occasionally, he'll be 'friendly' with them, but it certainly is a different kind of 'doll play' than the girls. And we won't go into what John (16 mos) does with the dolls ;) So Daddy.. don't sweat it.. your boys are okay! ;)

Attn. Mom's of little girls..

Click here for a free bow giveaway!

I also found some cute hairstyle blogs and added them to my sidebar.

Uh Oh...

Katie got the camera....

P.S....

• The new blog look is for Carolyn - it's her birthday week. She picked out all by herself (sorta.. I helped a tiny bit ;)
• Tomorrow the kids go to Aunt Heather's, while I do birthday errands among other things.
• Benji informed me at lunch that I should feel sorry for him, and give him a hug..
• " Because you won't let me go to Aunt Heather's TODAY!"
• P.S. to Aunt Heather.. I hope you don't change your mind about sleeping over, because their packing already (yes, its only for ONE night)
• Benji is requesting I write this one - 'Jacob, make sure you find your dinosaurs, because I sure love playing with them!'
• The last place I should be is on here; I have too many things to do before Carolyn's party on Friday.. toodles!
  
  
  

Katie said it

Today is dedicated to the cute, silly things Katie has said recently. Her speech is improving so much, at times it's still a jumble, but we get it, most of the time.

• I asked her if she wanted to lay down for a nap. She said, "no, wanna party like a rock star" I should explain this. At bedtime Daddy asks the kids if they are ready to go to bed, and of course they say, NO. So then he'll say, "What are you want to do, party like a rock star?" And the kids have no idea what that means, but they just smile, happy to prolong the bed time trip!




• Last night I told her it was time for bed. She told me, "No, it will mess up my do!" (that's word for word) She had her hair into a little bun, and was quite proud of it.




• I wish I could capture all her expressions, as they speak so much louder than words (at times) Lately whenever I grab the camera, so goes into 'cheese' mode. squinty eyes, cheesy grin, head way up..




• So many times she isn't doing anything funny. But it makes me laugh and smile when I see her trying so hard to be 'big'. Like when she tries to help herself to food at the table, or gets dressed or tries at least since she's using John's clothes.

Katie will be 3 in April. If you ask her how old she'll be, she shows you three fingers..using her pointer, ring finger and pinkie. I'll have to try to get a picture of it, because its cute!

Popcorn

I forgot I had these pictures, until I was messing around on the computer...

Popcorn is their favorite bedtime snack. They either line up or sit in front of the microwave; watching and waiting for it to stop popping.

Patiently Waiting..."Mother" Carolyn feeding her babies :)

And Katie......
This picture was taken just before I went down to the wood stove. I came back upstairs (just a minute or two had passed), and Katie came over, rubbing her nose, "Ow, OW!". I knew exactly what had happened, but I was hoping I might be wrong. One look with the flashlight, confirmed my fear. She had put a popcorn kernels in each nostril!!!! To make things worse, Daddy wasn't home yet. I tried a few different things, and nothing worked. Katie did very well.. laughing at times because it would tickle her nose when I tried to get it out. I was looking for something to put in her nose, that wouldn't poke her and was small enough;then I could hook the kernels and pull them out... finally I found a little bobby-pin, and was able to get those babies out! Needless to say, she won't be sticking anything in her nose for quite awhile, or at least I hope she won't! Katie bug!!

Cherry Cake?

Does anyone have a Cherry cake recipe?

Carolyn wants a cherry castle cake for her birthday. I don't think she really knows what cherry tastes like. She's just after the pink color! I know there's a cake mix called 'cherry chip', strawberry is pink, or I could just color a white cake. But if anyone has a delicious recipe, I'd love to try it. (Oh, yeah.. I'll be using two 9x13 cakes, and cutting them into a couple pieces, and glue them together with frosting, so I'll need to be able to get the cake out of the pan!!)

If your part of Whats for Supper Mom? you can just post the recipe there, or leave an comment here! I'll try to remember to post of picture of the final castle cake, IF it turns out!!

Bummed Benji

Because of John's deal yesterday, we decided to cancel the cookie decorating day! John is doing better so far today, but we decided to play it safe, since it involves 9 kids. To say Benji is bummed is a huge understatement. So a little attitude is evolving from it. He doesn't understand why Jacob (sorry everyone else) can't come still. John doesn't decorate cookies anyways, so I can just leave John out of the kitchen so he doesn't 'puke' on him and Jacob. He has it all planned out.

Earlier he told me he's going to change his name to something really hard, so then I won't be able to tell him to pick up or 'anything' because I won't be able to remember his name or even say it.

Thankfully he cheered up when I told him we can still decorate cookies, even if no one comes over. Now he's all better; playing cowboys with his sisters. Lunch time is just around the corner, and nap time too??!?!

No more cookies

Benji couldn't wait for the girls to wake up from nap time yesterday. We started rolling out our double batch of sugar cookies. He helped sprinkle (pour) flour on the table, rolled out the dough, and cut out his own cookies. Quite the proud boy. And of course, any time there was 'scrap dough', he had to eat it. The girls helped too, but I didn't get any pictures of that. I was slightly occupied :)This is why we use 'spill-proof' valves in our sippy cups. I was helping the kids roll out their sugar cookies and I heard water... I looked over the table to see John just watching his water pour out of his cup. He looked up, 'uh oh!' Then for good measure, he had to step in it! ;)

Then later, Tubby threw up. I'm hoping it was more of a gag from the cookie dough he snuck. But he acted funny the rest of the evening; tired, whiny, clingy. He just sat on my lap at supper, never once reaching for food. (a sure sign something is up) So sadly I'm thinking our big cookie day is going to be cancelled. He curled up in the chair after we ate supper and promptly fell asleep.

I'm hoping for an uneventful evening. (I'm actually doing this Thursday night, to post bright and early Friday morning!)

UPDATE: We had an uneventful night and morning so far! He seems to be back to normal; climbing, running, getting into mischief! Not too much to eat yet, just bland food (and 1 choc covered pretzel he got from his brother) We'll just keep our fingers crossed that is was the cookie dough, not a bug!

Looking back

I came across my old digital camera the other day. This picture was taken 2-15-08, almost a year ago. It was fun to look back at the 'old' pictures and reminisce. Doesn't seem like this was LAST year, seems just like yesterday. But as we all know, and this picture proves, they grow up too fast.

On today's agenda: firewood, roll out and bake cookies, prep the house for 9 kids. We've thrown in a pile of wood already, now it needs stacked. I'm hoping at least the 3 younger kids nap, so I can go through the toy box without any disputes! If I don't want to get in trouble, I'll have to save the cookies until AFTER nap time.

We're looking forward to tomorrow. My 2 sis-in-laws are coming over with their kids and we're going to decorate sugar cookies! Should be alot of fun with a sugary mess! With 9 kids its always hopping, but the extra work is worth the fun they'll/we'll have!!

Only Carolyn...

Remember the jeans with holes in both knees?..... Well, she wore them again.

This is what she looked like after she came out of the bathroom. At first I thought she tore the holes completely through to the bottom of the jeans, but instead she stuck her legs through the holes......

This is what she looked like afterwards, standing in her princess pose, yanking up her undies :)
P.S. Yes, she does have jeans with no holes in them. We just never take a picture of them, because there not as much fun! ;)

You might be a mom if..

This post is for all the Mom's out there!

We've all heard the famous "you might be a red-neck if..." sayings. Here is something that's closer to home. With help from a few fellow Mom's, here is a list we've started.

You might be a Mom if..

• you can multi task, while nursing
• it takes longer to dress your kids, than it does yourself
• you can now get ready in under 5 minutes
• you cut up your own food into bite size pieces
• before you take a shower, you have to clear all the toys out
• you look in the toy box for your pots, pans and other kitchen utensils
• you ever ate from a Winnie the Pooh or Tonka Truck plates
• you measure how tall your kids are by the hand prints on the window/doors
• you spend more time in the toy section than the grocery section at Walmart
• the same person(s) that creates so much extra work, stress, sleepless nights, is the same person(s) that you would die for, do anything in the world for, and love so much it hurts...YOUR KID(S)!!!!

Amber said...

• you can type just as fast one handed as you can two handed
• you can spend an entire day cleaning and at the end of the day it looks like nothing has been accomplished
• you refer to stomach pain as "my belly hurts real bad"
  

Neisha said...

• you tell your husband that you have to go potty
• Macaroni & cheese w/hamburger becomes your favorite meal
• you just laugh and shake your head when your child comes out wearing just his swim trunks and it's the middle of the winter

Heather said...

• you get used to reheating the same cup of coffee 5 times a day.
• you can recite every word to your kids favorite books.*
• spit-up is your idea of accessorizing.*
• you can change a diaper with your eyes closed.*
• any time you think you smell something nasty you start checking for poop.*
• your idea of a vacation is a twenty minute nap.
  
  

Cheri said...

• you point out every animal or large piece of equipment you see while driving.-
• you find yourself shopping at stores that can outfit the whole family (no more AE!)

What do you think? You might be a Mom if.....................

Helping all the time...

I know this picture is dark, but I still love it. Carolyn is sitting on the window sill, helping me clean. She is washing the windows.....with a wet wipe!! I should have taken a picture of the window, but you can guess what it looked like.

Finally... today is one day closer to her 4th birthday. She knows the days of the week, and knows her birthday is on a Friday, but not this Friday, the next one. You know.. after aaaaaaalllllll this week, then it will be Sunday again, then when it gets to be Friday again.. its her birthday! *That's in her words more or less!* To say she's excited for her birthday is an understatement! I think she's more excited about her castle cake, I'm going to attempt to make, than the presents! I can't believe she's going to be 4!

Rub-a-dub-dub

4 is just too many kids for one tub!They managed to keep a little bit of water in the tub.

Peanut Butter

This is how I found John the other morning, with help from Daddy!How in the world do you get the peanut butter out?...
Hmmm.. It's hard to get this stuff out of here!!

HAHA!!

A day in our lives

We usually try to avoid this situation - John and markers - but I couldn't resist a quick picture first. What you can't hear is him saying, "no,no!" while coloring!If you can't reach the faucet in the bathroom (like Katie can't EVEN with the little stool) you can always use the (water) spray bottle. It doesn't show up in the picture, but the entire counter, faucet, wall, mirror and floor were dripping wet. At least she washed her hands like Mommy asked her to do!

Miss Katie bug is on a clean kick. She washed her hands after lunch, then for about 5 minutes she scrubbed her face. Squeaky clean!

These boots (size 13) are not made for walkin'! But they sure make alot of noise and are fun to wear!

This should have been a video. Daddy is teasing John with a piece of cake. It went something like this...

• Daddy: John, do you want a piece of cake?
• John: (shaking his head) NO! (as he holds his hand out like above)
• Daddy: Okay, no cake for you then.
• John: banged his hand on the highchair, squawking.
• Daddy: Do you want a piece of cake?
• John: shakes his head no, holds out his hand.. 'NO!'
• Daddy: I think you mean yes, can you shake your head yes? (nods yes)
• John: "No!" (then shakes his head yes) UhHuh! (still holding hand out)
• Daddy hands John the piece of cake, which he quickly grabs and devours
• By the way, John's favorite word is NO. It means no and yes. His actions will tell you which one it means. We have too much fun with it, but its cute!
  
  Our favorite place this week. Sitting on top of the wood stove vent. Of all the kids, Carolyn does it the most. She'll pull up her chair and read, or just plops on it until her hinder gets too hot! Brr... will these -25 days ever end? We want to play outside!
  
  
  
  
  

Favorites and then some

I got this as an email, but thought it would be fun to do it on here! Join in the fun! :)

1. What is your occupation: Stay at home mom
2. What color of socks are you wearing: white
3. What are you listening to right now: my husband play guitar
4. What was the last thing that you ate: pigs in a blanket and soup
5. Can you drive a stick shift: not really
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone: my husband
7. How old are you today: 28
8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV: don't really watch sports, ? rodeos?
9. What is your favorite drink: mt. dew
10. Have you ever dyed your hair: no
11. Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
12. What is the last movie you watched: in theater-Walk the Line
13. Favorite day of the year: Anniversary
14. How do you vent anger: talk my husbands ear off
15. What was your favorite toy as a child: my big wheel
16. What is your favorite season: fall (except for hunting week ;)
17. Cherries or Blueberries: Blueberries
18. Living arrangements: house in the country, my husband, 4 kids -2 boys, 2 girls
19. When was the last time you cried: last month
20. What's on the floor in your closet: boxes of clothes too small for John
21. What did you do last night: stayed in the warm house, listening to Benjamin's guitar
22. What are you most afraid of: losing my family
23. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers: cheese
24. Favorite dog breed: golden lab
25. Favorite day of the week: Sunday
26. How many states have you lived in: 2, WI, IA
27. Diamonds or pearls: Diamond
28. What is your favorite flower: Lilac
29. Favorite color: blue
30. What is your favorite type of music: Ben's music aka country music ;)

I need ideas!

I'm looking for ideas for the weekly recipe theme for our Whats for Supper Mom? blog. Awhile back I asked if people wanted to keep the weekly theme or just post any recipe at anytime. It seems alot of people are in favor of keeping the weekly theme, so I'll keep it. However, it will be optional to follow. So you're welcome to post all variety of recipes at your convenience.



But I'd love to hear your suggestions. What kind of recipes are you looking for? Here are some of the requests I've gotten so far:

• Kid recipes - breakfast, dinner, snacks, desserts


• Slow cooker recipes


• 'Healthy' recipes


• Food prep tips


• Freezer Meals


• Meals for 2


• Quick and Easy Meals

You may either comment on this post, or here, or email me at country_rhythm(at)yahoo.com

And then there were 5..

I know what you're thinking, and the answer is NO. We are not expecting another baby. Benjamin is off today, and most likely the rest of the week. So he is my extra kid :) I LOVE having him home, I really do. He used to drive truck OTR (over the road) meaning he would be gone for 1 -2 wks or longer at a time. Now he's home every night, usually in time for supper! He's just like the kids though, only a big kid you can't spank ;) ... you know what I mean? Maybe you don't! But I can't complain, because he took Benji with him (actually dropped him off at Grandma S) and went to cut us some more firewood in this freezing weather. This afternoon will be mellow (IF the girls take a nap).

Giddy up..

If it has ANYTHING to do with horses, Benji has probably already done it, twice. Here is has hitch up his horse to the 'wagon', which he's taking Katie and John to town. Note: John is eating a gingerbread cookie:)

This picture is kinda dark, but Carolyn is also riding in the wagon. The back of the wagon, because she's holding a tiny baby and she doesn't want the horses to scare it!

Did I mention I love listening to them play?

• It's suppose to be frigid cold the rest of the week.



• That is why yesterday afternoon, Benjamin and me did 2 dump truck loads of firewood.



• He dumped the load earlier this winter, but some needed split more, then it all needed thrown in and stacked. So bring on the cold weather.



• I thought I cleaned on Saturday, but looks like we have to do it again.



• Laundry piles up like crazy at our house.



• I'm hoping to do 'crafts' with the kids this week, so neither of us goes nuts.

• Did I mention that its 8:15 and 2 of the kids are still sleeping? This may be a great day after all ;)

A little bit of everything

Benji: Cooking "ham". I'm really hoping he will love to cook when he gets older ;)
John has now graduated to the 'big horse'. He has no trouble climbing up to ride, getting down doesn't always go so good!

Think you're a busy mom? Check out this Mama horse: 5 babies, and sometimes she has 2 more! To say our kids love horses is a HUGE understatement.

Carolyn drew this.

"Mommy with John in her belly and Carolyn is waiting for him to crawl out."

Sending hugs & kisses your way!

Just for you... Hugs & Kisses from

Benji, Carolyn, Katie & John

Have a good Sunday!

• Hey Mom's, you have to check out what Neisha posted!
• FYI.. I did not post this at 7:00 Sunday morning.. I'm flattered at the thought of super mom, but at that time, I was NO where near the computer and most of the kids were still sleeping,... here's my hint.. its called post scheduling ;)

Saturday

• This isn't a typical Saturday, well I guess in some ways it is... Usually the older kids spend Friday nite down at G'pa & G'ma S house. But this weekend, all the kids are here and Benjamin is gone. It's kinda like Neisha's day.
• The kids are feeling better, YEAH!! That means the house is back in full swing: the fun and the messes!
• Speaking of the house, it's begging for attention!
• Despite feeling extremely lazy, we've gotten alot done; caught up on laundry, mopped floors, cleaned bathroom, paid bills, address envelopes for the kids 'yearly' pictures, BUT there's always more to do!
• Today at breakfast Carolyn was telling us about a story, which I can't remember all the details, but someone took something from her, and she told them to give it back, and they didn't. "OHH... that made me so angertated!!!"
• At lunch Benji was growling like a 'sharptooth'. Katie covered her ears "Benji, stop, you're scaring my ears!" And like all big brothers, he did it one more time, even louder! "Benji, stop it... it hurts my eyes when you growl!"

9 things (about me) in 2009

I've seen people do the "100 things about me" (which I don't have time to do) and "ask me anything you want to know about me".. but here's my version "about me". And in honor of 2009.. its 9 things. Maybe it's things you already knew, maybe it's something new...

1. There are 2 of me! My sis-in-law has the exact same name as me: first, middle, last. We both also live in the same lil town! Yes, we were friends before we got married and her father warned us not to marry brothers, or we'd run into trouble! Little did we know! To our husband's family were known as: Joe's Heather or Ben's Heather.
2. We have 4 kids: boy, girl, girl, boy
3. We had 4 kids in under 4 years. The oldest boy turned 4 years old, 2 months after we had our last baby.
4. If I had to do it again, I'd do it the same way. Even thou some days are insane, as our kids get older they are wonderful playmates. Actually, most days are pretty good.
5. Shortly after we were married, we milked cows with Joe & Heather. Quite an experience for a city girl. Did I mention, I was pregnant with Benji that summer?
6. It irriates me when people look at me and say, "ohh.. you're a busy mom; you have your hands full don't you!" Especially when all four kids are quietly, calmly behaving in the grocery store!! Our kids aren't always perfect at home or in the store, but show me a kid that is (and I'll call you a liar ;) I could probably do 100 things about 'things people say that irriate me'!
7. I lived in the same house the entire time growing up. Since being married (6 1/2 years) we've moved 4 times!
8. Staying at home is the best job I've ever had. It's also the hardest, most exhausting and most rewarding job. Most days I LOVE it. Some days... well, I don't love it!
9. My greatest fears are: dying before I'm prepared, and losing my family. My joys: my faith and my family. Without them, my life wouldn't be complete.

So, if you read this list, I 'tag' you, to do the same on your blog (at your leisure)

Year End Pictures

It has been a crazy start to 2009. We started with the stomach flu after New Years. Naturally, when you have 4 kids, they each take their own separate turn at having it. (Not sure if it's better to be hit hard with everyone sick at once or drag it out!) Luckily it wasn't too bad... lasting about 12 hours, but the flu is nasty, no matter how short it is. Then Benji had a reaction/side effect to his shots. He missed out on the flu, so far, but has been miserable, just laying on the couch. He's slowly returning to normal, or I hope anyways.

Meanwhile, life goes on,...even if I don't feel like it ;) We're hoping for a quiet, relaxing weekend to catch up on everything! It's amazing how fast things pile up! Anyways... we're slowly getting around to our year end pictures. I usually try to send out pictures during the year to our immediate family, but the last batch went out Jan 2008! Opps! You can go here to see more of the pictures. These are some of our favorites I made into a collage. Some of you can except to get pictures in the mail shortly!

Benji's 5 yr check up

Benji went to the dr for his 5 year check up this morning.
He is 50" (don't ask me how many feet, its 4'?") and he weighs 42lbs (with clothes). He is literally off the charts for height. At 4 years, he was in the 97%. For weight he's barely in the 50%. Seems like he is taking after Daddy: long and lean. He eats like a pig and runs like a horse!
He got 2 shots today. He did SUPER, no tears, no quivering lip! They put a new numbing lotion on his arms (but the one shot missed the area entirely). After it was done the nurse asked if that hurt. He looked at her, "NNNNOOO! I'm tough like my Daddy! Since mommy was so proud by how he did...........Happy Meals! We met Daddy in town afterwards, and Benji got to ride in the semi for the rest of the day! Two treats in one day!! Lucky Boy!

You know you're a parent when....

Your idea of dinner and a show is this:

A train running around the table, during the entire meal. CHOO CHOO!

This train is just a few days old, but it has brought hours and hours of fun!