New Blog

I've decided to start a new blog to ring in the new year.  It's called Sunshine & Rain, and you can find it by clicking on the name.  See you there!

Starkey Singers

Okay, I am going to post about Disney World (it was AMAZING!), but the OCD in my personality wants to do it in order, and I'm still editing and downloading all of our pictures.  But rest assured - I have a LOT to say!

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Nathanael had his Starkey Singers concert.  It was so neat, I thought that I'd post one of the videos.

Nathanael is on the top row, on the left side.  He isn't wearing his Santa hat because one of the girls forgot hers and was sad about it - so he gave her his.  My nieces, Cassie and Ashlynn, are also singing.  Cassie's in front of Nathanael and Ashlynn is standing right next to him.

Still thankful - really

Well, life has been crazy.  And insane.  And crazy again.  We have concerts and practices and bench marks and homework and PTO meetings and Blessings in a Backpack and on and on and on.  So, there's been very little time to blog.  BUT, I am still very thankful.  So!

Today, I am thankful for Christmas tree's and Betty Crocker, Lego's and Angry Birds (especially Star Wars Angry Birds).  I'm thankful for beautiful music, family, and Thanksgiving!  I'm thankful for sisters (that I miss) and nieces and nephews and brothers in law (who I miss, too) and my parents, and all the rest of my family.

And I'm thankful for fairy tales!  And imagination.

For yesterday and today

Yesterday we took the kids to see Wreck it Ralph (which is hilarious), and afterwards I started feeling pretty awful.  On Wednesday my dr put me on a medicine that is making me really sick, so I wasn't able to blog yesterday.  So yesterday, (and probably today, too) I was thankful for cool washcloths and a husband who will rub my head until I fall asleep.

Today I am thankful for my amazing children, pre-teen girls, and slumber parties.  Right now Carlye has 3 of her friends spending the night.  So far we have done "Tinkerbell" and "Taylor Swift" makeup, chocolate face masks, and painted nails.  And, of course, they are making video's of everything as they go.  My favorite part - when the girls were asked to pick a movie they picked the new Tinkerbell movie.  I am so thankful that they aren't growing up too fast - I want them to be little girls for just a little while longer!

And

Today I am thankful for all of my nieces and nephews whom I love and miss so very, very much!  Happy 2nd Birthday Mrs. Mally Mo!

Gracias

Today I am thankful for warm, relaxing baths and books - ALL books.

Thankful

Today I am thankful for the wonderful privilege and opportunity to vote, and for the San Antonio Spurs.  Go Spurs Go!

Thankful

My mom is blogging about the things that she is thankful for, and I realized that I would like to do that again this year as well.  It's really more for my own heart than for anything else, because I need to be reminded daily of my many, many blessings.  Since it's already November 4th I will list four things that I am thankful for.  Then, every day (yes - EVERY day) until Thanksgiving I will post what I am thankful for.

1) I am thankful for indoor plumbing!  Long story short, I truly appreciate getting to take a long, hot bath at the end of the day!

2) I am thankful that we are blessed with food!  On Fridays I pick up the food at HEB and pack the bags for Blessings in a Backpack at our school.  Every week it brings me to tears that there are 35 children at our school who may not eat on the weekends if we didn't send food home with them.  It reminds me that the poor and needy aren't just in other countries - they are at our front door.

3) I am thankful for my family.  No one can make me smile the way my husband and kids can - especially when I've had a bad day.  Getting a hug from Carl is the best solution to most of my problems.

4) I am thankful for football.  Wether I'm watching a game or just sitting next to Carl reading a book while he watches the game, I love football - listening to it, watching it, and having it play in the background.  Football means fall, and I love them both!

October

Here's a handful of pics from the Pumpkin parade and fall festival.

Nathanael was Hawkeye, Carlye was a Sock Monkey and Noah was Obi Wan (yes, again).  I know that their pumpkins are hard to seen, but Nathanael's was the Bomb Angry bird, Carlye carved hers by herself, and Noah's was Darth Vader.

Yep

I had a birthday.  I'm older now.  It's true.

I was given amazing gifts by friends and family (Thank You!) and I felt very loved!

Carl spoiled me (like he always does) and took me away for the weekend.  We had a wonderful time together, and when we came home I was so happy to see my kiddos.  It's amazing how much I miss my kids after just 2 nights away!  Nathanael made me a beautiful birthday card that he hid under my pillow, but that wasn't my favorite gift.

No, my favorite gift was what happened after we got home.  Carlye and Nathanael had stayed with different people, so when we came home on Saturday night they had been apart for several days.  I was coming down the stairs, and heard something in the bathroom.  Being the nosy good mom that I am, I stopped at the door to listen.  Nathanael was in the bath, and had pulled the curtain closed.  Carlye was sitting on the stairs, and the two of them were just talking and talking and talking and talking.  I sat there for a good 15 minutes, and the two of them never ran out of anything to say.  They talked about their weekends, what they did, what they ate, and all the silly little things in between.  I learned more during that conversation than I did during all of their conversations with me.

And I learned that, even though they fight (OFTEN), they love each other.  But more importantly, they have a relationship with each other.  And that, I love.

Happy Birthday, Noah!

Yesterday my baby boy turned 8 years old!  For his birthday he wanted to watch The Avengers on a big screen in the yard.  We worked for weeks preparing the lawn, getting rid of stickers and bugs and getting everything ready.  

And then it rained.

He was devastated!  We watched it inside the house, though, on a giant sheet.  We had S'mores Krispy Treats (instead of a cake!), caramel and cheese and butter popcorn, and movie theater candy.  Everyone had a lot of fun, especially Noah.  Carlye gave him an Iron Man costume for his birthday, and he wore it too the party!  He looked adorable.  I know I only have a couple more years where he'll want to do that, and we are going to enjoy every one of them!

Happy Birthday, Noah!!!

I'm trying to upload pictures, but it's not working (are we surprised?).  I'm going to try to upload them from Carl's computer.

It's Official!

We're going to Disney World!!!!!!!

On Wednesday our tickets were purchased and confirmed.  Our church blessed us with a trip to Walt Disney World as a thank you for all that we have done.  While I don't think we deserved it, we are VERY thankful for it.  The Saturday after Thanksgiving we are flying into Orlando, and staying for 8 days and 7 nights at the Art of Animation hotel in the Lion King Family Suite.  Carl's mom is going with us so that we have one adult for every kid.  I am so excited!  I have dreamed my whole life of going, and can't wait to get there.  I will probably be that crazy person who cries when they arrive, but that's ok - I'll own up to being a total Disney sap!  We are planning like crazy and counting down the days.  So, now I'm asking for it - any and all advice you have, we want to hear it!  My friend Kristi's information has been priceless in our planning!  The week we are going is supposed to be one of the slowest times of year (except for the first two days, they are some of the busiest!) so we plan on really enjoying ourselves.  And as an added bonus, Disney is running a special so all of our dining plan is free the entire time we are there!

42 days and counting...............

My arms hurt!

This morning Noah came into my room bawling hysterically.  "My arms hurt!  They really, really hurt!  Ow, ow, ow, owwwwwwww," he cried while trying to grab both of his arms at the same time.  Baffled, I hugged him, prayed over him and talked to him.  He kept insisting that he couldn't go to school because his arms hurt.  I told him that he couldn't not go just because of that, and since he didn't have a fever he needed to get dressed and get ready for school.

We left the house at 7 so that Nathanael could make it in time to do the marathon club at school.  Noah's "arms still hurt", so he rode with me to the Credit Union to cash a check.  As we were turning into the school at 7:45 Noah turned and said, "Mommy, I don't feel good.  MOMMY, I'M GONNA THROW UP!"  As he said this he leaned in towards his breakfast bowl (we brought his breakfast with us because he didn't feel like eating when we left the house - in retrospect I should've known then......) and started throwing up everywhere.  It went in between the front passenger side seat and the middle console (you know, the place of no return that only a two year olds arm can fit in), all over his seat and his booster seat, onto my purse, my makeup bag, and, of course, all over Noah and I.

I drove straight through the car pool lane, and pulled over on the side of the road across from the school to clean him up.  Thank heavens we'd already dropped off Nathanael!  He tends to get "sympathy sickness" if someone else gets sick.  I hurried around the car and opened the passenger side door to clean him up.  Noah looked up at me pitifully and said, "I told you my arms hurt."

Carlye

I love having my daughter home with me all of the time - and she won't admit it, but she does, too!  K12 has been a great fit for our first year of homeschooling, and I love that she is still getting a good education.  It's amazing how easily learning comes to young people!

She has almost finished her Suzuki Viola Book One.  I love listening to her play, and her first concert with the HCYO is next Monday.  She makes me laugh because if I turn classical music on in the car (which happens frequently!) she tells me she doesn't like it.

????????

Apparently, she really likes playing the viola, but doesn't like listening to it.

Really?

Calcium

On Thursday Noah fell really from the monkey bars at school.  It was high enough and hard enough and he reacted strongly enough that it scared everyone - including the school nurse.  She told Carl and I privately that she couldn't believe he hadn't cracked a rib.  She checked his lungs 3 times during the day, but said he seemed fine, all things considered.  He came home and took a long, hot bath and went straight to bed after dinner.

Friday morning when Noah woke up he said it hurt to breathe and walk.  The nurse checked him out, and told me that she thought he was fine, but to go ahead and call our doctor.  They (of course) wanted to do an x-ray, so we obliged.

The final diagnosis was nothing broken, but very bruised.  And apparently bruised ribs can really hurt.  Noah's favorite part, though, was looking at the calcium in his bones.  He thought that it was really cool that you could actually see the calcium.  He was very proud of his bones, and told the x-ray technician that the reason he doesn't break his bones is because he drinks lots of milk.  That's why there's calcium in his bones, from the milk.  And the deer meat.

The Grasslands

Nathanael has been learning about the grasslands in school.  Each class was divided up into small groups, and each group had to do a report on what they learned.  Nathanael's job was to create a slide show.  This is the end result.  I was not allowed to give my opinions or input at all, and when I did he would tell me witheringly that it was his report.  I thought he did a great job with it - and I LOVED the music that he picked!  

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da......

Hmmm, where on earth do I start?  Carlye's homeschooling is going really, really well.  She and I LOVE having our days together, and she is doing well with her schooling - and enjoying it.  Last week was her first rehearsal with the Hill Country Youth Orchestra (HCYO), and it's so funny because my old art teacher's grand daughter is in class with Carlye.  She still adores her viola (thankfully), and her only complaint is that she misses her friends.  I don't know that it's a legitimate complaint, though.  On Tuesday's when I'm at Bible Study she is with several of her best friends, Tate (7th grade), Mason (6th grade) and her friend Olive (9 yrs) who are all home schooled as well.  On Wednesdays at church she see's all of her friends, and we have had many children spending the night.  I don't think that I'm too worried about her. :)

Nathanael is doing great and going strong.  He started playing the violin, and enjoys it more than the guitar - which makes him feel guilty (I don't know why!).  He's running for student council (voting is this week, so keep him in your prayers!), and has started Starkey Strollers again.  He and one of his best friends, Ian, have decided to run together and tie for first place this year.  Haha!  Tuesday night he will start First Lego League.  It is a science and robotics program geared towards 4th - 8th graders.  Nathanael will be a part of a team that builds Lego Robots, using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology. The will take their robots and compete against other teams in San Antonio.  He is so excited about it he can hardly stand it!  I have to admit - I am too!!

Noah is enjoying his life - as always.  He loves his teacher and she loves him.  Everything is fun, and everything is an adventure.  He thinks it's funny because after he and Nathanael took their reading tests for the beginning of the school year Noah achieved a higher reading level than Nathanael.  Apparently, (from what we understand), Nathanael reads on a 6th-7th grade level and Noah is reading on an 8th grade level.  He's still my little scifi crony - and we watch Star Wars and any super hero movies we can find with relish.

All three of the kids are taking tennis lessons now, and the boys love it while Carlye hates it.  We won't let her quit right now, though, because it's really good exercise for her.  All of us go on Thursday nights to their lessons, and four of us play doubles while the other one takes their lesson.  We love it - it is great family time and a lot of fun.  Okay, Carlye doesn't love it because sweating and running are gross.  Which, of course, is precisely why she needs to do it!

So, since this blog is already way to long I'll fill you in on other stuff later.

Hard days

Some days can be hard, and some days can be very hard.  It is difficult when we are reminded of our mortality and what a fleeting time we have on this earth.  It is difficult to watch people dealing with pain or anguish.  It is so hard to watch friends deal with sick children or sick spouses.  Loss is hard, and the threat of loss is hard as well.  I am so very blessed and thankful for my healthy husband and children.  When I get sad because my baby is turning 8 years old, I remember how thankful we all were when my friends son lived to see his 8th birthday.  When I'm mad at my husband or frustrated with my children, or feeling sorry for myself and my life, I remember that a dear friend and a high school senior are dealing with a daddy/husband with Stage 4 cancer.  And then I do my best to be thankful.  To appreciate these mercies that I do not deserve, and to cherish every moment that I have with those I love.  And then to roll my shoulder's back, dry my tears, and do all I can to be there for them.  To pray for them, listen to them, step in and carry the load when possible.  Because isn't that the whole point?

Week 2

Now that we are smack in the middle of Week 2 in our back to school routine, I have come to a few conclusions.

1) I LOVE home schooling

2) I also - at the very same time - DESPISE home schooling

3) Carlye, thankfully, adores it (except for Geometry and Algebra)

4) Nathanael & Noah are desperately jealous of Carlye, and have been FULL of reasons as to why they should home school, too :)

5) Carlye is completely - did I say completely? - unmotivated in math

6) Nathanael loves playing the violin, and has reminded us how lovely the sounds of a new musician can be

7) Noah sings about anything and everything.  All the time.  Even if he doesn't know the words.  And he sings whether he is happy or sad.  Coincidentally, back to school songs can also be happy or sad.  And involve exhortations regarding children not being sent to school so that they can spend time with their family.

8) Bottle feeding baby kittens every couple of hours is really hard.  And it makes home schooling, which is already hard, even harder.

9) Having three children involved in three different things can make you VERY busy (and our life is tame compared to so many people we know!  All we have is Orchestra, Piano and Tennis! 1 per kid.  Some people have all of those - and then some - for each kid.  No wonder our society is falling apart)

10) Nap time is completely under rated, and should be a mandatory part of everyone's day

By the way, Kahn Academy features tutorials specifically for the K12 curriculum!  Thank you Jared and Annie for the tip!!!

Family

We were able to have lunch with family today, and it was so wonderful!  Annemarie and Aunt Marianne are here, and so we went over to Jared & Julianna's house to see everyone.  Thomas is such a sweetie, and we all LOVED sitting and visiting and just being together.  It's amazing how much it means to spend time with family!

Crazy Cat People

We are now the crazy cat people.  I know - it is truly as exciting as it sounds.  A couple of weeks ago we had exactly one cat - Carlye's cat, Petunia.  Then, some very odd things began to happen.  First came Shelly (short for Sheldon).  A stray cat that showed up on our porch one day.  She was skittish and looked like a skeleton with kitty fur draped over the top of it.  We began feeding her, and now she is getting healthy and happy - and has, of course, chosen to say.  FYI: Her name is Sheldon because she laps her milk the way Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory knocks on doors.  Lap-lap, Meow.  Lap-lap, Meow.

Then, on Wednesday Uncle Michael came in and told Carlye that when the rock guys dumped out their load of rocks a litter of 9 kittens was dumped out, too.  7 of them were crushed and killed, but these two survived.  Since they had no mother, and we couldn't just leave them, Carlye rescued them.  Their names are King Tut (the black one) and Tom (the orange one).  For those of you who were wondering, she named him King Tut because they found him under a pile of rocks.  Obviously he was the runt.  Maybe he'll grow into his name!

Tom was injured, but the vet said it was superficial.  King Tut has a broken leg.  We have to feed them every 2 to 3 hours with a mixture of kitten milk and nutritious food since they are only 4 weeks old and incredibly malnourished.  It is AMAZINGLY time consuming.  Have I mentioned yet that I don't like cats?  'Cause I really fancy myself more of a dog person.......

 Well, that may not be entirely true.

Meet MingMing.  (Wonder where I got that name!)

In July, my 15 year old Siamese cat, Molly, died.  Carl immediately began looking for another one, and found a litter of long haired Siamese (obviously not pure bred - she said a Himalayan got in there).  They weren't ready yet, so he's been waiting to pick her up.  She came home today.

Emmaline thinks she's the cat's meow.  

Okay, sorry for that one.

She's a spunky little thing, with sweetness and attitude all tied together.  

So, I was wondering - in 2 to 3 weeks will anyone be interested in an adorable black or orange kitty?

Oh, and my pictures are still doing crazy things, but at least the subjects within these pictures are visible......

First Day of School

I've been trying all week to upload this photo so that I could blog about the first day of school - but every time I upload it, it looks like this.  :(  When I load them on Carl's computer they are great.  Sorry, I don't know what the issue is!  And since I have a lot to say this week, you're getting it this way!

First day of school was WONDERFUL for the kids!  Not so much for me.  Nathanael and Noah have amazing teachers, and we are truly blessed again by the instructors that have been put in our children's lives.  Carlye LOVES her teacher as well (hehe), although I can't say that she's being a model student.  We have a few kinks to work out.

At the boys school on Monday morning I was in charge of the Boohoo/Yeehaw breakfast for all of the parents.  I baked muffins, made adorable little fruit cups filled with tiny grapes, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, I had donut holes, fresh fruit, orange juice, etc.  We arrived early to the school, and both of the boys were helping me carry things in.  While we were walking into the school, the bottom fell out of my fruit tray, and all of the fruit and cups went flying all over the very, very busy parking lot.

I looked up, and my precious, sweet little boys were walking as fast as they could away from me and into the school.  By the time I had gathered together all of the trash and dumped it in my tray and actually made it into the school Nathanael was already with his class, having placed all of the items he was carrying in for me on the sign in table.  I began looking for Noah, and caught a brief glimpse of him as he handed everything he was carrying to the principal with the words, "These are for the BooHoo breakfast."  I immediately had to start setting up, so I wasn't able to walk either of the boys to class.  After school I asked both of them about it and Noah said, "Mo-om, I'm in 2nd grade!  Your not supposed to walk me to my class!"

Home schooling is proving to be incredibly rewarding and incredibly challenging.  I should have thought a little more carefully about the fact that I didn't even take Geometry in middle school, so how on earth am I going to teach it to Carlye!!!!  Everything else is a breeze, though, so I'll take this minor headache with joy - and learn some Geometry while I'm at it.  Thank heavens for her online teacher!!

Tomorrow I have an exciting post about cats and kittens, so stay tuned!

More Pictures

Family Reunion

Better late than never!  My sisters and I each had our own color growing up, so for this cousin picture we dressed our kiddos in the appropriate colors.  Mine are in yellow, Heather's are in blue, Heidi's are in red and Pammy's are in green.  Then we lined them up in birth order and snapped away.  This is one of my favorite pictures from our family reunion.  I had thought that Heather would post some, but I know she's busy - so here's one of ours.  I'm sure that they aren't as good as hers, but  I LOVE this picture!!!

Imagination

The kids had some friends spend the night Sunday night - 3 to be exact, so there were 6 energetic and incredibly imaginative kids running rampant through the house.  We would have told them to go outside to play, but it was 102 outside, and we didn't think the other parents would want their kids suffering from heat stroke.  Of course, because our children don't just sit and rot their brains in front of the TV there were a lot of games being played.  Hide and seek, Nerf wars, Cops and Robbers......

While playing Cops and Robbers the kids made Carl's office upstairs the jail cell.

This is when things went very, very wrong.

Sadly, my children seem to have become caught up in the moment, and forgot that this is a HOUSE and not the set of an action movie.  Nathanael was trapped in the loft (12 feet off the ground) and couldn't get passed the other kids without getting tagged.  In that moment he decided to jump - yes, jump - from the railing on the loft and onto the love seat down below.  When Carlye and Tate saw that he did it successfully and without getting hurt they decided to try it, too.

Total # of jumps onto our $2,000 leather love seat - 7

Total # of jumps per child - 4 for Nathanael, 2 for Carlye, 1 for Tate

Total # of broken bones - 0 (thank heavens!)

Total # of torn cushions - 2

Total # of creaks and sways - innumerable!, happens every time you sit down now

Total # of days grounded from EVERYTHING (no TV, iPods, video games, etc) - 5 days per child

Unfortunately for our oldest 2 children, the back cushions were torn from the back of the couch.  The leather has come completely apart from the back.  It also creaks and sways EVERY time you try to sit on it.  

Even though I was VERY upset with my kids, I have to say that I was impressed with their imagination and their bravery, especially since no one was hurt (that would have been a game changer right there).  Carl, however, isn't there yet.  He's still in the VERY upset stage.   And I don't know if he's gonna move past that point any time soon........

I'm sorry for the lack of posts, lately!  It's not for lack of things to share because, trust me - there is PLENTY to share!  I'll try my best to get some more up - and I wanna hear from y'all too!!  I love reading all of your blogs!

Chick Fil A

Yesterday we went to Chick Fil A for some yumalicious chicken nuggets and to show our support!  Carlye used my phone to take this picture of herself while they were sitting in front of the restaurant waiting for me to come out with our order.  The picture below is of our friend Hank's son, Justin, posing with a nun.  It was amazing to see how many people showed up yesterday in support of traditional marriage and freedom of speech.  I don't think I've ever been in a place that packed full of people where people were actually nice to each other!  It was great for our kids to be a part of and to see people standing up for what they believe in!

Nathanael

Instead of doing lots of little posts I decided to just do one big post about what's been going on with Nathanael lately.  On Thursday he had his very first tennis lesson - and he LOVED it.  His coach was teaching him to do everything with his right hand (because Nathanael told him that he writes with his left hand but throws a football with his right), and was really impressed with how well he was doing.  I finally interrupted and let him know that Nathanael does most things with his left hand.  So, they decided to give his left hand a try.  He did not miss a volley or overhand volley once.  His coach said that this created an interesting problem.  There's not a pro out there that is ambidextrous.  So, they are going to focus on his left hand (because he really did better with it), and still let him use his right occasionally.  I think we finally found a sport (other than running) that he is going to really love!

For his birthday, we bought him a bow.  He is so cute when he shoots it - he looks JUST like his daddy in this picture.  I can't believe how similar the two are.  The way they stand, the way they hold their arms after they've shot the arrow - all of it is identical!  He's practicing every day so that he will be strong enough to shoot a deer in the fall.

Today was his friend birthday party.  It was NERF themed, and everyone had so much fun!  No girls were allowed, so they stayed inside and watched the movie until the very end, when they came running out with guns and crashed the party.  I tried to take pictures of my cake balls, cupcakes and s'mores crispy treats (thank you Pinterest! Golden Grahams, marshmallows and chocolate chips) but they keep uploading like this:

I don't know why.  My pictures have been uploading like this for weeks.  We did everything with yellow, orange and black decorations, served pizza and yellow & orange Gatorade, "fire"crackers (another yummy Pinterest find - tiny saltines, cheez it's, 1/2 c canola oil, 1 pkg ranch dressing mix and a few shakes of red pepper flakes), and all of the aforementioned goodies.  Party favors were easy - Silly string (orange, yellow or black of course) and candies that stuck with our color theme such as Reese's Pieces, Heath Bars, Milk Duds, Rolos, etc.

It's been a great week!  11 more days until we are in Utah for the family reunion!  The kids are SO excited!

Girls Day!

Every one who knows me knows how much I love my nieces and nephews, and that I especially love it when I have excuses to spoil them!  In May, Victoria turned 6 and Cassie just recently turned 9, so what better excuse for a girls day!  

We started our day at 10:30 in the morning at the salon, and left two hours later with pink streaks in our hair.  Don't worry, the girls are washable!  After that we went to Queen Bee's for our favorite lunch!  Cassie and Victoria had the Princess plate with PB&J and all three girls devoured the Tomato Basil Soup. Carlye and I had their delectable egg salad sandwiches, and I sampled their Mushroom soup and it was absolutely divine.  Of course, all of our meals came with scones with clotted cream and jam, and a plethora of fruit accompanied by tiny little 'dainties' for dessert.

After lunch we headed to the spa for pedicures.  Aren't these little Princess thrones for the younger girls adorable?  I love them!

Matching dresses, ice cream and 'Sisters at Heart' necklaces completed our day out, with the grand finale at our house - playing with the kittens!!

Aren't they beautiful?!?

Family Party

Happy Birthday Dutchie!  See you soon!!!

and Happy Independence Day!!  Thank you to all the soldiers and their families who work so hard to keep us free!  

I've been trying to post this since Sunday.  It will not allow me to add pictures, I don't know why!!!  It really is a dumb post without pics, but oh well.

 Today we had Nathanael and Cassie's Birthday party up at Nani's.  Nathanael loves chocolate, and Cassie loves strawberry, so everything ended up being pink and brown.  I made yummy cake balls and cup cakes, and we had Strawberry Oreos, Birthday Cake Oreos, Choc "twinkies" and Strawberry "twinkies", Strawberry and Chocolate Whoppers, and Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade and Sparkling Grape Juice.  

It rained, so we couldn't go outside to do the piñata.  Carl came up with the idea of holding the piñata while the kids punched it until it fell apart.  I know, our family is some kind of special!

Happy Birthday, kids!

Molly

I was too sad to blog about this yesterday, but while we were gone on vacation my cat, Molly, died.

Carl gave me Molly the October after we were married.  Her mother had been hit by a car, and professor at the University found her and her three kitten siblings, so his wife bottle fed and cared for them until they could eat solid kitten food.  I fell in love with Molly, and we've had her ever since.  She would have been 16 this fall.

I think the reason I fell in love with her was that she had so much Siamese in her.  When I lived with my aunt and uncle they had siamese cats - maybe they were even breeding them?  I don't remember, but I do know that's why I loved our little cross eyed Molly so much.

It's funny, because I didn't know how much I loved her, and what a huge part of our family she was, until she was gone.

Shopping

My boys flipped their lids yesterday. Seriously, they turned into someone else's children entirely! I took them shopping at JCPenny because Noah has hit a growth spurt and only owns 2 pair of shorts. He's not quite big enough to fit into Nathanael's hand me downs yet. I also needed to take Carlye to buy her very first item that I'm not allowed to tell anybody about because if I do she will die. I was thrilled to discover that everything was on sale! I didn't pay more than $5 for anything. I was incredibly unthrilled to discover that my children were acting like they had lost their marbles. I was talking to my mom, and then my sister, and during that period of time my kids kept trying to talk me into purchasing clothing out of my price range, fighting with each other, closing each other into dressing rooms and holding the door knob so they couldn't get out, and my youngest climbed (yes, you read that right) the inside of the dressing room door so that he could get out. Of course, the back talk at the register sealed their fate. My children were grounded from their new clothes, grounded to their rooms, had to confess to daddy :), and today they get to go grocery shopping with me. That's right, they didn't win. I win, by torturing them with aisles of junk food that they are not allowed to buy. Don't mess with mom.

Nathanael's Birthday, Family Reunion and Brave

On Monday my baby boy turned 10 years old!  Happy Birthday, Nathanael!  (I now have two children in the double digits - sigh)

For his birthday we were at the Hyatt for my mom-in-law's family reunion.  It really was a lot of fun, and Nathanael loved sharing his birthday with everyone.  His gift from Mommy, Daddy, Carlye and Noah is a compound bow.  He is so excited.  Before I know it he'll be going on hunting trips right alongside his daddy!

We were at the Hyatt from Sunday to today, and it was wonderful.  I turned off my cell phone on Sunday (we still had Carl's for emergencies) and simply enjoyed being with my family - and no, I'm not turning it on until tomorrow.  We floated in the lazy river practically non stop the entire time.  We watched movie's on the lawn while munching on popcorn (Ice Age 2 and The Incredibles), and over all just really enjoyed being together.  It was fun seeing Carl's cousins and their kids as well.  It was a nice week.

Today on the way home we took all of the kids and Victoria to see the new Pixar movie, Brave.  I don't know what I was expecting - and I really did like the movie - but somehow I left feeling just a little bit disappointed.  I really can't pinpoint why, though.  Maybe after a little more thought and contemplation I'll be able to figure it out.  Overall I really enjoyed the movie, and I loved the personality of the Princess!  Of course, so did Carlye.  She's Carlye's favorite princess so far!

Mother Daughter Moments

Carlye has been working incredibly hard on perfecting a new skill.  It's called "listen to only half of what Mommy and Daddy say and then roll your eyes when they get on to you because you didn't listen, after you blame everything on your little brothers."

Today, after several instances - one which resulted in the complete ruination (yes, I said ruination) of a pair of shorts - I talked to her about it.  She said that I treat her like a kid, I reminded her that she is a kid.  She said that she's more responsible than I give her credit for.  I told her that if she acted more responsible I would give her credit for it.  She told me that I'm not fair and I never listen to her.  I told her life's not fair and she never listens to me.

Basically, if there was a bad movie cliche', we used it.  I managed to stay calm throughout the entire conversation, and was congratulating myself on keeping my cool when she said, "Mom, what's wrong with you?  Do you need a nap or something? 'Cause you are completely over-reacting."

It was in that moment that I understood Heavenly Father's good and perfect plan of a Mommy and a Daddy.  Because then Daddy can handle it so that Mommy doesn't completely over react.

I am so looking forward to the next 7 years.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Tonight Carl and I went on a date - yippee!  It's the first one we've been on since school let out.  We couldn't decide which movie to go see (yes, we are movie fiends), and finally decided on Snow White and the Huntsman because of the time - although we REALLY want to see Men In Black 3 as well.

I LOVED IT!

Carl hated it!

He said that there were several moments when he thought of asking me if I just wanted to leave because he was so incredibly bored.  I'm absolutely baffled as to why he felt that way, and even after he explained it to me I was still confused.  We've never disagreed this strongly on a movie, and I think it's kind of funny!

Of course, it didn't help that the three most obnoxious people in the world came in and sat down next to us during the last preview- just seconds before the movie started.  We were actually duped for a moment into believing that we were going to watch a peaceful, un-interrupted movie.  We were very, very wrong.  Seriously, they couldn't have been more annoying if we had special ordered them from a catalog.  They shared the largest order of nachos known to man, chomped down on each chip with their mouth open and then sucked the cheese off of their fingers.  When the nacho's were finally gone the daughter started tapping her foot loudly on the bar in front of her, and then a little while later the teenage boy started slapping his empty water bottle against his stomach, which made a horrifically loud noise.  Today reminded us of a very important lesson that we have learned - and REALLY need to remember.

IT IS BETTER TO BUY A NICE TV AND WATCH THE MOVIE AT HOME THAN TRY TO SURVIVE WATCHING A MOVIE IN THE THEATER WITH INCREDIBLY ANNOYING PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ANY MANNERS.

I'm just sayin' is all........

Clue

Tonight we were all playing the game of Clue together as a family.  Carl's sister, Ashley, and her husband, Ben, have a niece named Blake and she was spending the night as well.  I learned several things.

If you don't watch him carefully, Nathanael will win everything - almost every time.

Noah comes incredibly close to winning, even though he is oblivious to everything that is going on around him.  He also renames EVERYTHING - and not in an effort to be silly.  He truly forgets what the correct names are.  Colonel Mustard became Mr. Mayonnaise.  Professor Plum was Mr. Plumpy (think Candyland), and the knife was a sword.  He also doesn't look at his cards, so you never really know if he has what you are guessing or not.

Carlye is really more about enjoying being with family than playing the game, and sometimes acts so silly that if you actually enjoy the game it can be frustrating.  Once she gets into it she focuses, and is actually pretty good.

I do know that playing any games that involve marbles or leaving your pieces on the board are bad ideas.  The games Sorry, Monopoly, Scrabble - if my children can knock the board and lose everyone's spots they WILL do it - so card games really are much better.

Meanwhile, Petunia has moved all of her kittens into the garden.  I guess that's what happens when you name all of your kittens after flowers!

Tech people

Today, I had to deal with some tech people on a program that I use with my computer.  I know that I'm not a genius, but I understand computers pretty well and use them frequently.  While talking to this woman on the phone, I could tell that she was getting really frustrated with me.  She kept giving me the same answers, even if they didn't go with my questions.  I continued to press her for answers, and asked if I could PLEASE have an explanation as to why this was happening - which she wouldn't give.  Finally she told me that "this is simply too complicated for you to understand."  I'm pretty sure that nothing could offend me more than that.  My response to her was "I can tell that I am frustrating you, and I am so sorry for that.  Could I please talk to some one who is capable of explaining this to me in words that I'll understand."

I may not be a rocket scientist, but I will NEVER appreciate being called stupid!

Summer

Summer is officially here.  It was thrilling to know that with it came all of the wonderful behaviors that Carl and I so thoroughly enjoy.  I also truly appreciate the cliche's that have been used in abundance.

I'm bored.

There's nothing to do.

It's summer - I'm supposed to be having fun.

Why do I have to clean my room?

Mo-om!  They're being mean to me!

This is the worstest day ever!

Stop touching me!

And - my all time favorite (of course, you must picture a child stomping and punching their fists down while saying it.)

THAT'S.  NOT.  FAIR.!!

Meanwhile, everyone is finally feeling better.  Petunia's kittens have all been named: Clover, Daisy, Marigold, Flower and the 'twins' Honey & Suckle.  The kids are reading, playing and having an amazing summer, and in spite of it all, I LOVE having them home.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ummm, Week

This week has been awful!

One of the kittens died on Monday, and that was so sad!  It was the runt, and the poor thing really hadn't been doing well since the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck for so long.

Carl's mom fell on a slippery floor in Lowe's and fractured her shoulder in two places.  Saw the dr, and she'll be fine - no surgery needed or anything, she just has to keep it in a sling for a few weeks.

Nathanael has a really severe case of strep, complete with a fever, a rash and an awful sore throat that keeps him from even wanting to eat.

The Spurs lost.  THREE times.  In a row.

I can't wait for next week.

Hello, Good-Bye

Recently Carl noticed that his transmission was catching on his truck.  Immediately after noticing that he realized his engine was knocking as well.  In an ideal world we were hoping to hold on to his truck for one more year so that we will have had it for 10 years.  However, in a world where you have to haul trailers and actually use your truck to make a living that's not always possible.

So, Carl bought a new truck.  It really is beautiful.  It cracks me up, though, because it looks almost exactly like his old one.  It even has tan leather seats! :)

The kids, however, don't really like it.  They like daddy's old truck better.  Carl bought it and surprised the kids, and Carlye was so upset that she didn't get to say good-bye to our old truck that she cried.  We've had that truck for all their lives, and none of the kids can remember a day without it.  There are a lot of memories in that old truck - we even brought both of the boys home from the hospital in that baby.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that it makes me sad, too!

A few thousand words

Our week in pictures:

There are 7 kittens.  Four of them were stuck together in a ball and we couldn't figure out why.  Then we realized that the umbilical cord was still attached to all 4, and it was wrapped around the neck of the runt.  I've never seen that happen before. Carl had to untangle them, and I held them while he cut the cords.  I was scared to death that we were accidentally going to cut their stomach's open and kill them.  Thankfully we didn't, and they all survived and are nursing well now.

Carlye graduating.  She is wearing her Super 6 Shirt, which has the names of all of the kids who have been there for 6 years listed on the back.  The picture below is her receiving the Orchestra Award.  She was the only 5th grader to receive one.  The other's were in 4th grade or receiving a music award.  On the way out of the school yesterday Carlye started to cry, she had given all of her teacher's gifts, the librarian Mrs. Hopkins, and finally the principal, who hugged her and told her how proud she is of her.  It's hard to know that she will never climb those steps again as a student.

The picture above is of Nathanael getting his Perfect Attendance award.  He has always wanted to earn this award, and finally accomplished it.  I always think it's so funny that this award is so important to him.  The other one that he has worked so hard for is the Starkey Stroller award.   Below he is receiving his first place trophy for the 3rd grade.  He was 1 mile behind the boys who tied for 1st place overall, and it made him so sad!  He had 69 miles overall, and they had 70 each (they were both 50 graders)!  On top of this,  Carlye, Nathanael and Noah made straight A's for the 6 weeks - yes, Mommy is bragging on her babies!

This is a picture of the house that Carl is working on right now.  The back has a BEAUTIFUL view!  I don't share pictures of his homes very often and I wanted to.  Oh - and he broke his toe this week as well! He woke up the other morning, and went to walk down our stairs and fell down them instead.  It's his second toe, and boy does it look awful.  He said that matches the way it feels.  I do have a picture of it, but I'll spare you the gory details!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow my baby graduates from elementary school. I am so proud, happy and sad that I can hardly stand it! She brought home a t shirt with the names of all of the kids who have been there since kindergarten listed on the back, and it made me cry. I still remember that first day of school. I cried so hard after I dropped her off! And now, we start a new chapter in our lives as I begin to home school her. If we both make it out of the first week unscathed we will be doin' good!

Kittens

Most everyone knows that I'm a total sucker.  I fall for almost anything, and my children are experts at manipulating me to agree to things that I should know better than to agree to.  On top of that, I usually think that it's my idea.  Sadly, when this happens things don't usually go well.  Such as right now.  Let me explain.

Last spring Carlye's cat - Sleeping Beauty - was hit by a car and killed.  Carlye had found her abandoned as a kitten, bottle fed her and mothered her and she become a strong, beautiful cat.  She was really sad when this happened, and her Aunt Jodi just so happened to have an adorable little kitten just waiting for us to adopt.  Carl said no originally because he didn't want to listen to it whine and cry as it was getting used to a new house.  However, since that seemed to be his only objection (he says it wasn't, but it was the only one I could remember) when he went out of town we decided to bring home the kitten.  Carlye named her Petunia.

At Christmas time I brought Petunia to be 'fixed' but was told that she was too young.  By Easter we were expecting kittens.  She had 3 and we were easily able to give them all away.  I was supposed to take her back the vet, but I got busy and I forgot.  Here come's litter #2.  We only found two kittens from that litter, one died and she rejected the other one.  Carlye bottle fed her (and so did Anneke) and they loved her, but she died, too.  Thinking I had a week or two before Petunia got pregnant again, I was COMPLETELY shocked when she became pregnant right away.  Now, I know that vet's will 'fix' cats while they are pregnant, but I feel like that sends the wrong message to my kids.

So here comes litter #3.

And, wonderfully enough, it looks as though this is going to be an unusually large litter.  Seriously, she is as big as a barn, and I'm thinking there are 5-7 kittens in there.

Needless to say, Carl is just thrilled.  He can't wait for there to be even MORE kittens.  And, obviously, he is super happy with me since I'm the one who brought the cat home to begin with - without his permission!

The kids, especially Carlye, are waiting on pins and needles for them to be born.  They have never seen her have her kittens, and Carlye is determined not to miss this one.  She has done exhaustive research on the labor and delivery of cats, and has now deemed herself an expert.  Obviously, school and sleep are throwing a serious wrench in her plans, but it is what it is.  Poor Petunia is traumatized because she is never left alone.  I think it's making her nervous to have someone constantly staring at her.

I'll let you know when they joyous day arrives.

Oh - and anyone want a kitten?

Tomorrow

Tomorrow my children will begin the last week of the school year.  Summer fever has set in and we do NOT want to wake up in the morning!  They have fun things to do every day, with their AR picnic tomorrow, Reading Celebration on Wednesday and then graduation and awards ceremony on Thursday, so at least there is some incentive to wake up in the morning.  At least, for them.  Personally, I would just rather skip it all and be home!

And if Nathanael didn't have perfect attendance I might actually consider it.

Yay for summer!

Catch Up

I haven't been blogging a lot lately because life has been so busy.  But then when I want to blog I realize that it won't make sense to anybody because I haven't blogged in such a long time.  Plus I don't really feel like any one is reading them anyway.  BUT - then I realized that I have always blogged for me.  It's always been a way to chronicle my bizarre life with my spectacular family.  I love to write, and this is really the only time I do it.  I don't care if people are reading or not, I enjoy writing about my life and my family.  So I'm hoping to be able to do it more.  Just for me.

Now, on to the update:

Carlye -
She graduates from 5th grade this week (I'm SO sad), and is going to be home schooled next year.  We are scared and excited all at the same time.  She is playing the viola and LOVES it, and her teacher said that she has a lot of natural ability.  I love listening to her play (and trust me, that hasn't always been the case!).  She's reading me out of house and home, and is still my little animal girl.  She feels completely neglected and abused because we won't let her get chickens right now.  She is in the Hill Country Youth Orchestra, and she is going to be very busy with camps, workshops, performances and rehearsals, but it's worth it.  Turning into a tween is translating into lots of attitude and is also relatively expensive.  Have I mentioned that she's getting braces this summer?

Nathanael -
On the last day of school he is being awarded with perfect attendance for the year, and 3rd place in the Starkey Stroller's marathon club.  He ran 68 miles this year, and only lost by a mile to two 5th graders who tied for 1st!  He's also earned straight A's all year.  He's still taking guitar lessons, and it is FINALLY starting to sound like music.  He signed up for orchestra next year, and will start to learn the violin in the fall.  He wants to move up to the bass after that.  It should be incredibly inexpensive and easy to carry around, so I'm really looking forward to it.  (If we can get Lili on the cello and Abigail on the violin we could have our own string quartet!).  He still loves wood-working, fishing and being outside, and is currently lobbying his dad to give him a puppy for his birthday.  To prove that he's responsible he's been taking excellent care of Carlye's dog and both of his guinea pigs.  For my part, I think he totally deserves it, and really wouldn't mind getting him one, but I can't get Carl to agree.  AND HE IS NOT ALLERGIC TO GLUTEN!!!  Of course, now we don't know what causes his tummy aches, but.......

Noah -
He is still taking piano lessons, and really starting to enjoy playing.  Nothing in life is as amazing as Star Wars or video games, but reading comes close.  He loves the Magic Tree House series right now, but reads other things as he picks them up.  He loves life, loves school, and loves to have fun - which often translates to pure chaos at home.  His creativity is endless, and he is really enjoying art.  He created the most beautiful picture of fish using chalk, and I LOVE it.  He loves being outdoors as much as his siblings, and loves to learn about caterpillars and butterflies, go fishing, hiking and exploring, and nothing can beat going swimming!

Carl -
He is finishing up a custom home and getting ready to start some spec homes.  He's planning for his fall bow hunting trip, and is exercising like crazy to make sure that he gets in shape.  He plays football or baseball every day after school with the kids in the yard, and just returned from his birthday fishing trip and stocked my freezer with lots of yummy fresh fish!  He makes sure to take me on a date every week, and we both love that time together.

Me -
I am still doing yoga for my back, and I LOVE it.  I re-injured it several weeks ago, and had to drop out of spin classes until it heals, but I hope to go back in the next week or so.  I've been adapting a Lacto-Paleo diet into my lifestyle, and I've found that I feel so much better when I follow it.  I still miss running, but hope to get my back strong enough that I can start running again at some point. I spend a lot of time gardening, and I was thrilled when my roses, gladiola's and lily's started to bloom.  I finally have a somewhat established garden, and I really enjoy just sitting outside and looking at the flowers.  I still read non stop, and play the piano ALL of the time, but my absolute favorite thing is spending time with my family.  I am thrilled that school is almost out and I will have the kids home for the summer!

Auditions for the Hill Country Youth Orchestra

The director for the Hill Country Youth Orchestra (and Carlye's orchestra teacher) emailed me last week and asked me if Carlye could audition.  We weren't sure what to expect, but Carlye really wanted to do it, so we went this evening before her viola lesson so that she could.  There were several children already waiting, and as they finished Mrs. Lee would walk out, tell their parents that they did a great job and would be in touch with them later on to let them know if they made it.

During Carlye's audition her private teacher, Mrs. Britt, stood outside the door and listened.  When it was over, Carlye ran out, gave us a silly look, and went straight to re-case her viola.  Mrs. Britt and I were baffled, but within a few moments Mrs. Lee came running out and said, "She's in!  She did amazing.  We put her in the 2nd orchestra (Allegretto)."  (The first orchestra is the Twinkle orchestra, as in Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - think Suzuki method)

So my baby girl made it.  And did REALLY well.  We are all so proud of her, and she is on the moon she is so happy!

This video clip is from her solo concert a few weeks ago.  She hit two flat notes, but knew it and wrinkled her nose when it happened.  Enjoy!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers day to all the amazing moms in my life - my mom, mother in law, Aunt Marianne, my sisters and cousins,Grandma Doreen and my best friends. What an honor and a privelage to celebrate such a day and to carry such a burden! May your days be filled with sticky kisses and happy smiles and hugs in abundance! Enjoy every minute of this chapter in your life, for it will soon give way to another. And as they grow we will know that, even though it goes fast, we didn't miss a moment. And that will make all the difference in who our children are and who they become. So enjoy this mothers day! Your little one may spit up on you, or your grown child may come and hug you - china may get broken, and Sunday clothes torn or stained, but aren't we so glad for it all?

If you give a mom a Book Fair

(written from Nathanael's point of view in the format of the book "If You Give a Dog a Donut")

If you give a mom a Book Fair
She will get very excited and force you to help her set up.

While you are helping her set up,
Your sister will say she doesn't feel good.

When your sister says she isn't feeling good
Your mom will take her temperature.
When she doesn't have a fever,
Your mom will make her go to school anyway.

When you are walking into school with your mom so she can work the Book Fair
Your sister will hand her a paper.
When your mom reads the paper
She will find out that your sister has an orchestra concert.
After school.
And has to wear black and white.

 This will not make your mother happy.

While your mom is working the Book Fair
Another mom will tell her that you have an orchestra meeting.
BEFORE your sisters concert.
She will call and tell your dad.

He will not be happy.

They will feel the need to lecture you on communication.
You may or may not listen.

When your mom is working Book Fair
The teacher will send your sister to look at your mom.
When your sister looks pathetic
Your mom will keep her home from school.

While your mom is working Book Fair
Your dad will miss 2 days of work.
He will take your sister to the doctor.

When your dad takes your sister to the dr,
They will want to give her a shot.
When they try to give her a shot
She will forget she is 11 and act like she's 2.
When she acts like she's 2, your dad will ground her until she's 50.

Then he'll call your mom. 

After he calls your mom
He will climb up on the roof
When he's on the roof,
He will fix the leak that soaked their bedroom
During the rainstorm
While mom was at Book Fair

When your mom comes home
Your dad will break out in hives all over his body
When he breaks out in hives all over his body, he'll call the dr.
Then he will take medicine and maybe have to go to the hospital.

When your mom works the Book Fair
And your sister is sick
No one will come to your GT presentation.
When no one comes you will be sad.

When your mom sees you are sad, she will run and look at your GT presentation in the hallway.
When she runs and looks at your GT presentation in the hallway,
You will feel better.

When your mom works the Book Fair,
She will buy you lots of books.
But some of them you won't like.
And she'll make you read them anyway.

When your mom works the Book Fair,
Your brother will forget his backpack in the library.
Your mom will make you wake up early to go get it so he can finish his homework before school.

When you go to school early
You will get to take your AR tests
When you take your AR tests,
You will get 100 reading points.

When you get 100 reading points
You will get an AR shirt.
When you get an AR shirt,
They will say your name on the announcements.

Get an AR shirt. Let your mom work the Book Fair!





* Okay, for those of you who made it through that entire thing, everyone is fine.  Carl had an allergic reaction to Oak Pollen, Carlye had strep throat, and yes - Nathanael is playing the violin next year (yay!)

Nathanael

Tonight was Nathanael's GT (gifted & talented) presentation at school.  Carl and I both missed it, though, because Carlye was home sick with her daddy and I was working book fair.  I thought I had until 7 to see it, and at 6 Nathanael came running into the book fair with tears in his eyes, telling me that Ellie (his partner) was going home and that I had missed it.  I ran out and caught her before they left and they both showed me their business presentation.  The premise for their business is that they were immigrants from Afghanistan selling marionette puppets (ok - the puppet part is creepy).  In class they would discuss different issues, but their teacher would never give an opinion or say if they were right or wrong.  They would discuss everything on their own.  I love the things they came up with!  Especially their opinions!  And they didn't always agree, which I loved, too.  Nathanael and Ellie established a real business, with all the rules and regulations.  You should have seen their presentation board!  As people walked by they would ask them questions about their businesses.  Here are half of the questions they asked.  I'll blog the rest tomorrow - otherwise it would be WAY too long: (all answers are in his exact words)

1) Is scarcity good or bad for the owner of a business?  Why? (he said both, but then said his teacher doesn't allow them to be on the fence.  However, scarcity can drive up the prices which will improve your business or cause a run on the product making it impossible to buy and sell, so I can't pick one or the other)
2) What kind of business can you start that doesn't have a big risk? (he said being a house cleaner.  The people you clean the house for will provide the cleaning supplies so you won't have any overhead, and they simply pay you for your performance)
3) What is your opinion on taxes?  Why? (he said that he prefers the part to whole tax, where everyone pays a percentage.  That's the most fair.  You don't pay the same amount, but you still pay the same part.  One kid in his class preferred the Robin Hood tax, but Nathanael said that will just keep making the rich poor and the poor rich and doesn't have any real stability.  He also doesn't think the Fiesta Texas tax is fair, which makes everyone pay the same amount because that will make poor people poorer)
4) When is unit production better than an assembly line? (he said it's when you're creating something like a painting.  Who wants a painting where one person painted the eye and another person painted the nose? Especially if they aren't good at painting the nose?  And what if the eye painter got sick and someone had to fill in for them on the assembly line?  They might not be any good and then you have an ugly painting)
5) When is a good time to take risk in business? (he says when you have been medium established.  If you're too new you don't have enough money to take a risk, and if you're too old you could lose all your money to bankruptcy.  Medium is just right.)

Okay, we'll do the other half tomorrow.  Just had to share what I could before I went to bed!

My Carlye

This past weekend Carlye had her very first solo viola concert.  She performed Allegro, and did an amazing job!  We were so proud of her!  I video taped it, and as soon as I can figure out how to upload it I will.  She did phenomenally well - especially since she's only been taking private lessons for 8 weeks.  The Saturday before Mother's Day she'll have her group concert, and they will be performing Go Tell Aunt Rhody, May Song, Perpetual Motion, and a few others - and she will play the harmony for the younger ones when they play their Twinkle Variations.  

Meanwhile, Jodi took these fabulous pictures of my little girl with her viola.  The balloons are from her Aunt Heidi in honor of her concert.  Carlye thought that it was so neat to get them - although they scared her half out of her mind that night when they floated over to her bed!  

Happy Birthday, baby!

Yesterday was my husbands 35th birthday, and my nephews 1st birthday.  Happy Birthday, baby Dane! And yes, in case you were wondering, that is me giving Dane his bottle in the 2nd picture.

Here are some beautiful pictures of my husband posing like a male model while hiding Easter eggs on Easter Sunday.  Notice his Easter shirt had already been taken off because it was 'too hot.'

In honor of Carl's 35th birthday I thought that I would write 3 things that I love about him and 5 things that he does that make me laugh.

3 things I Love:

1) I love his extreme love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the Bible

2) I love how much he loves me and the kids

3) I love what an amazing man of God and hard worker he is, and the integrity that he radiates inside and out as a result.

5 things that make me Laugh:

1) His 'uniform' shirt.  Jodi and I laugh because Carl can't stand to be hot, so he always wears Under Armour shirts - button ups, t-shirts, it doesn't matter, as long as it 'wicks' away the moisture and heat and keeps him cool he'll wear it.  He has a different one for every day of the week - and every occasion.

2) His jokes - especially his sarcastic humor

3) His dancing - specifically when he's playing Just Dance on the Wii with the kids

4) His and David's hunting and fishing stories - seriously, if they didn't have video proof of so many of them I don't know if we'd believe them all

5) His inability to handle messy things - rooms, children, dishes - if it's messy, he panics.  And that is so hilarious to watch.  Especially if it's a baby that just ate some spaghetti!