We Won!

I was a lucky winner on Lana Sews! Here is the I-Spy we received. It can with perfect timing; on the day I had 7 kids!

This is the rascal it was intended for! He tried his hardest to 'squeeze' the toys out. Finally he gave up and tossed it aside. The older kids quickly scooped it up; keeping them entertained for ages; then John wanted it back :) Thank You Lana!

For Aunt Jessica

Happy Birthday Aunt Jessica!



Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Aunt Jess, Happy Birthday to you!




We LOVE You!

~ Hugs & Kisses ~

Benji, Carolyn, Katie, and John

Who are you?

I'm curious to see who all reads my blog. There is a handful of you that leave comments regularly, so I know who are. But my counter has jumped over 1000 hits in just a short amount of time. I know G'pa and G'ma check it often, but I don't think it's that often!

Whether you are a dedicated reader, a blog hopper, or just happened upon us here, we'd love to know who you are...and/or where you are from. (Comments are also anonymous)

We do this blog to keep family and friends up to date, but we also love hearing from you too... meaning leave a comment once in awhile! I know it can be a hassle to leave comments, but they really do make this blog worthwhile. You like to see updated pictures... and we like to see your comments and thoughts! :)

A picture is worth 1000 words

John caught in one of his mischievous moments!

Zipping + Unzipping= hours of fun!
"I'm not suppose to be up here, I'm not!"
Benji is 'scratching' (or as most people call it STRETCHING)

30 seconds earlier she told me she wasn't tired!

Rubbermaid tubs!

One 'static-ie' doggie!Two boys in a tub!

A day with Daddy

Daddy was home for a few days last week (and yesterday). It sure was fun, except Mom couldn't get much cleaning done! Although we did MUCH more than this, here are a few things we did with Daddy..

Katie flying...

Camping out

Double Party

Sunday we had a joint party for Heather (who turned 30) and Linda. Here are a few pictures from then. (Tanya & Charles were sick, so they missed out, again!!!) :( It was a rather low-key 30 party; no gag gifts, no tricks, just 30 decorations! And Heather, just so you know, I WOULD have done so much more, if only I could have ;) But either way, big party or not, it was a fun evening. G'ma with all her grandkids; minus Larissa & Wyatt.

I like this picture because all 7 kids are doing something completely different. None are really smiling AT the camera! :)

Helping Aunt Heather blow out ALL her candles! P.S. Check out Emily; she's ready to blow 'em all out ;)

John: ready to snag a bite when G'ma isn't looking!

Little miss Meri - patiently waiting for piece of cake & ice cream!

Happy Birthday G'ma

Happy Birthday G'ma Linda!
(thats right, the day after Heather turned 30!)

We hope your birthday is special, just like you are to us. We love you as a mom, mother-in-law and Grandma! Thanks for all you do, it means so much to all of us. We love you!

Happy birthday!

Love,
Benji, Carolyn, Katie & Tubby

Heather is 30!

Aunt Heather turns 30 today! Don't forget to wish her a Happy Birthday, because we are!!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Aunt Heather... Happy Birthday to you!

We love you Aunt Heather!
XO - Benji, Carolyn, Katie & John

More Winter!

We got more snow Tuesday night into Wednesday. The kids were thrilled; their parents not so much! Right after breakfast the kids had to go out. Benji should have been an Eskimo: he'd live out there if we'd let him.

Benji took to shoveling the driveway right away. 'I have to clear the driveway for Xmas, so all our friends can come and celebrate with us!'

Checking his path....

Well, I guess I'll have to pick up my friends in the van - better start clearing it off! Friends, beware, Benji is on his way to pick you up! :-)
(Yes, he is using a mop to wipe off the windows. It's the one Daddy uses to wash the semi with!)

Blowing bubbles! Need I say more!

Now off to catch up on everything I left slide while being sick! Daddy is home again today, which makes things better & worse all at the same time! :)

John Henry: 17 mos

"OHH!"A classic "John" moment caught on film! (Thank you G'ma Linda)

I'm a few days late, but Tubby; aka John was 17 mos on Valentines Day! Where has our baby gone?

His latest craze, which I've decided NOT to post a picture off; is going to the bathroom, well sorta!

Thanks to his older brother for NOT shutting the door when he goes the bathroom; John will follow him in and stand there and watch! The other day I was walking by the bathroom and saw this: John standing belly up to the toilet, he lifted the lid, pulled up his shirt, stuck his belly out, and laughed! He likes to sit on the potty chair (that Katie refuses to use; only the 'big potty' will do for her!) The things he picks up!

Chapped Lips?

Typical of girls, ours LOVE chapstick! So I got them each their own; which disappeared much too fast! I couldn't see Katie in the living room, so I asked her where she was. She promptly responded: "Over here Mom! I got chap-a-stick!" She was so proud that she climbed up on the changing table, opened the wipe container that holds our diaper ointment and applied it all by herself. I noticed for a change, she didn't lick it off :)

Sick & Tired

These pictures are from last Sunday when Joe, Heather & kids came for supper.

*Emily & Carolyn, er.. that's Princess Carolyn, and their ponies. (Meri & Katie escaped the camera, but they were playing too)*Jacob & Benji: A days work for 2 eagles

One by one every animal was lifted up by the mighty eagles to the 'pile'. I didn't realize eagles were so strong, they could lift things about 5 times as big as themselves. But Jacob & Benji don't just play with 'ordinary' eagles! :)

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!! ARGGH! It started last week; one by one the kids would wake up with a fever and headache, by the next day they'd be fine, or almost 'back to normal'. My turn came with Katie on Saturday, with the worst of it yesterday. Today is slightly better, but now Benjamin has it. And yes, we had a romantic Valentine's weekend (sarcasm).. between a funeral and getting sick! This most likely will be the last post for a few days. We have a 'joint' birthday party at our house on Sunday; so once we are healthy, we have a long list of things to do :)

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day from our kids to yours (and you!)

We hope your day is full of love. This year won't be a 'traditional' Valentines Day, as we will be attending the funeral of Benjamin's Grandpa today. Yet we will be surrounded by family, the ones we love, and this is really all that matters.

Katie Bug

I love profile shots of little kids. I remember back in school, we did one. I've been wanting to do them with our kids, not sure why we haven't. Oh, wait- they have to sit still long enough for you to trace their profile... yeah, that's why we haven't done it yet! Poor lil girl, there's no denying she is her mother's daughter!

Weekend in Pictures

We (Mom, Jess and Me) literally had over a 100 pictures from this past weekend. I just took a 'few' to give you a glimpse of the fun we had! Unfortunately, I'm in a hurry and didn't take the time to edit them (red-eye, etc).. you you'll get the point!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What do you do when you have to scratch your head?

Weekend in Words

Another Birthday weekend is over! It was full of fun, family & food! Friday night came quickly; that late afternoon nap for Benji AND Carolyn was so nice! Carolyn opened her presents as soon as they reached the floor (the other kids each got a little something too) Doll house, Baby's (that cry/laugh and move their arms/legs), DINOSAURS, constructions vehicles, a HUGE bucket of Play-doh, and more!!

Saturday was GORGEOUS! Sunny, Warm, (well, high 30's-low 40's) so they literally spent all day outside. When the kids were inside they spent the time reading books, playing play-doh, snuggling and wearing out G'pa, G'ma & Jess.

After a lazy Sunday, they headed back home late afternoon. We had tons of left overs so we invited Joe, Heather & kids over for supper. The kids had a blast playing together with all the new toys, and the big kids... well :) we always have a good time!

I have over 100 pictures from the weekend, no joke! So after I sort through them, I'll put some up, probably in a slide show!

We're having a 'Monday'. We woke up to the news that Benjamin's Grandpa past away, at the age of 93. It's cloudy and drizzly, the house needs a major 'clean-over' from the weekend, the kids are over-tired from all the excitement and full days... But we'll survive!! Oh, yes, I also got stuck for a moment in Heather's driveway this morning.. ;0 This is the last place I should be right now, but I'm taking a much needed break! Not sure what the week will hold; but I promise I will get pictures up from this weekend at some point!

Today's the Day!

It's finally Friday! In a few more hours, our kids will FINALLY stop asking when G'pa, G'ma & Aunt Jess are coming. Every day since Monday we went through this:

• Is today Friday?
• Yes!
• Oh, is G'pa here?
• No, he is coming after work.
• Well, is G'ma here yet?
• No, G'ma and Jess will ride in the car with G'pa after everyone is done working.
• Oh
• After we eat supper, you can call G'ma and see where they are.
• Yeah, I WILL. It sure takes them a loong time to work.
• So now they keep saying; after it gets dark, we'll eat supper, call G'pa & G'ma, then they will come in the house.

Yes, they are slightly excited! We're having a party for Carolyn this weekend with them. (yes another castle cake- this time I'm not sure how it will work. A little mouse, (Katie) took a huge chunk off of the cake while it was cooling! I think we'll have a much smaller castle than planned) The weather is suppose to be great too! 30's, maybe 40's! I realize for some reading this, that may not sound too great. But after a month of below zeros temps.. this is a heat wave! I have a feeling we'll be outside most of the weekend, hope G'pa, G'ma & Jess remember their snow clothes :)

Here are some pics to hold you over until next week!

I found a princess dress clearanced out at Walmart; not sure why, but I didn't stop to ask.

Katie: princess dress, black 'harley' boots, riding 4-wheeler with her baby frog!

Two lil princess Mommies

Busted!! This is how we found John the other night. Wedged between the chair and magazine rack, eating an Oreo!

Our Prince.... and his Bride; don't ask! You really can't see the 'brides attire'; princess skirt, Mom's brown shirt, barbie doll dress for her 'sleeve', princess veil, and slippers.

A bit of Benji

Ahh, Benji! First of all, this is his favorite shirt. In case you can't read it; it says "I'm definitely up to something!" He asked for it this morning: "Mom, wheres my I'm definitely up to something shirt?" And yes, it fits him to a T!

Second: the band-aid. He had a 'tiny, barely visible spot' that was hurting him so bad. He desperately needed a band-aid (had to be curious george) and lotion aka neosporn(?). He can barely contain his smile, and shortly after the picture flashed, he laughed and ran out to play. Silly Boy.
Jacob & Emily ended up staying over Sunday night after Carolyn's party. I didn't get pictures of the girls, but Benji & Jacob spent ALOT of time with the train.

Benji was eating a piece of cake in the chair. John was playing, but as soon as he saw Benji had food, he climbed up and grabbed his fork.

Meet Mr. Frog! He is a chair with a sleeping bag stuff inside his zippered mouth! After a hard days work (play) Benji loves to snuggle inside!

P.S. One more day till Friday!! Monday night the kids overheard that G'pa, G'ma and Aunt Jess were coming on Friday to celebrate Carolyn's birthday! It's better they DON'T know until much later in the week, like Thursday, otherwise we have a loooong week of waiting! On Friday we are watching Larissa & Wyatt in the morning, then its finally time for G'pa, G'ma & Aunt Jess! So this will be our last post for the week. Check back next week for pictures!

Happy Birthday Great G'ma M!

Happy 87th Birthday Great G'ma! We hope your day is as special as you are! Sending you lots of Hugs & Kisses!

Love You,

Benji, Carolyn, Katie & John

(Daddy & Mommy too)

Ohh.. likey!!

Check out AllThingsRibbon for a GREAT giveway! An adorable dress, PLUS a matching bow!

Party Overload!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Just to hold you over:

Carolyn's birthday was a blast! Jacob & Emily spent the night, so I won't spend too much time on the computer today. Charles & Tanya were sick, so they missed out on the fun! Check back later for more pictures.

The cake was a hit with the kids! Anything with sugar is a sure bet :)Their favorite present! A Barbie Doll head! Although, the princess dress-up outfits were a close second, not to mention the color books, hair things, outfits and the list goes on..... Definitely a princess party!