Avery's Birthday in Pictures

Avery's birthday was AWESOME this year!!!  Well, not like it wasn't awesome last year, but it was definitely more fun this year. 

There were so many great memories made that day. Like when Shaun and Nathan both won the "hot potato with Avery" game to determine who would help her blow out the candles. The music stopped with her perfectly held by both as they were passing from one to the other. Or when Jonathan asked if the beak on the cake was a cheeseburger. Or when Avery finally caught the cake and leaned over and licked it. Or when Shaun, when Susan awoke him off the couch to go home, asked in his delirious state, "Where's Brent? Did he go home?" Um...yeah, Brent (my other brother) is in Colorado.

First, we went to the pool, with cool slides that the girls loved, a fun kid area, a zipline, and diving board for the big boys.  It was awesome.  We got home around 7:20 to start dinner.  We ate about 8:30, after Nathan got back from Cross Country practice.  Around 9:30, we did games and cake, then presents.  Finally, the birthday girl was in bed a little after 10, exhausted.  We all were.

But it was SO fun and I'm so glad we got to do it with S&S and Co.  Thanks guys!

Happy birthday Goose!

Of course the cake had to be a Goose!

The Camera Fairy is At it Again!

Apparently, I need to keep better track of my camera.  I swore I'd keep it away from Nathan, and I'm failing.  Obviously, he's employed cohorts in crime since a couple were definitely not taken by him.  At the same time, I think its hilarious to find these random pics on my camera!  And I am appreciating those random moments pics that are actually precious.  Thanks for the entertainment Camera Fairy! 

Mrs. McTwitter...

You know the poem...

"Mrs. McTwitter, the babysitter,
I think she's a little bit crazy.
She thinks the babysitter
is supposed to sit upon the baby."

-Shel Silverstein

Babysitters are the bane of my existence.  I mean, I was an awesome babysitter.  I loved doing it, I loved the kids, I played with them, fed them, bathed them, dressed them, put them to bed, cleaned up after them...the whole nine yards.

But now, being a parent hiring babysitters, I'm finding most of them are total duds.  I know a lot of my friends only care that their children are alive when they get home.  But I really do expect more than that.  If I'm going to pay these kids around minimum wage for their work, then they'd better do a good job.  If they got a real job and did a crummy job of it, they would not longer have a real job.  So I don't want to pay them for doing nothing, even if it meant just keeping my kids alive.  I expect more than that from them.

I expect them to take care of my kids and play with them.  Follow my instructions, including putting them in pajamas for bed.  I expect my kids to be in their room with the light off when I get home.  Sure, it'd be great if they were all asleep, but you can't force a kid to sleep.  So at least in their room, lights off, jammies on.  I expect that if you fed them dinner, clean up dinner.  If the kids made a mess, clean it up.  If I made the mess, I would LOVE it if you helped with that, but you don't HAVE to.  But if you made it, please, clean it up.  I expect you to play with my kids and not just plop them in front of a movie the whole time.  Especially not 3 movies.  And please don't let them consume 64 ounces of juice at dinner.  If I say no TV, please don't turn on the TV for them.  Please don't finish my Christmas presents for me.  Please don't spend the whole time on the phone.  Please don't call and ask, on your first time babysitting for me, if you can bring a friend. 

That being said, if I come home and find the house a mess, dinner still on the table, and you on the computer or watching TV, I am going to reduce the amount I pay you.  And don't look at me like that when you count it in front of me only to find it is less that you hoped.  If you want to get paid for work, then actually work.

I know that's harsh, but after going thru dozens of babysitters and only finding 3 that are actually worth paying, I'm tired of searching for a great babysitter.  I love it when mom's train their kids.  When they really teach their daughters how to babysit.  I love those babysitters.  But the rest...??

How do you feel about babysitters?

Welcome to the Ice Cream Parlor

Braden's favorite part of our ice cream store was creating new flavors (oh, and eating it!).  Since closing the store, we've had a hard time eating store bought ice cream because, lets face it, it is gross.  Sure its good unless you've been pampered and have tried the greatest ice cream on the planet. 

The only thing that can possibly come close is homemade ice cream.  But I've had a lot of homemade ice cream that really isn't that great.  Plus, once you make homemade ice cream, it is super soft so you have to put it in the freezer.  Once there, it proceeds to become brick hard.  And icy.  Not quite what we are going for.

Well, we are ice cream people, and we want ice cream.  Now that we live in the state with the second highest ice cream consumption per capita, we needed to figure out how to have good ice cream at home.  We started experimenting and finally figured out the/a secret to soft homemade ice cream that will stay soft in the freezer for weeks.  I would say months, but it never lasts that long, so we can't support that claim.

We've experimented with about 5 different variations of recipes and have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Since Memorial Day, we have made:

*Cinnamon Vanilla with brownies and marshmallow creme
*Peanut butter with brownies and bananas
*Oreo and banana
*Plain vanilla
*Coconut with pineapple, coconut, and bananas
*Strawberry
*Rocky Road (which I am enjoying as I type this...hence my inspiration behind this post)

The girls love ice cream for dessert, especially if we have cones.  So now we have a steady supply of both in our house.  If you're in the mood for ice cream, stop on by!

(I know you were all hoping to find out the secret...but then it wouldn't be a secret, would it?!?  If you ask super nicely, we MAY share....)

Comparison

I was looking at Avery's picture that I took this morning and thought she looks the youngest of all my one year olds.  So I started looking for Keara and Taryn's pictures from their first birthdays.  What do you think?

Happy Birthday! How Do You Feel?

I'm sure we've all been asked (or been the one doing the asking) the dumb question "Do you feel a year older?" on our birthday.  Of course you don't feel a year older.  You're only a day older.  But apparently, Keara believed that Avery would undergo some sort of transformation by turning one. 

When I brought Avery out of her bedroom this morning, Keara asked, "Is she one right now?"  To which I responded that she was.  Then Keara took a good, long look at her and said, "But she doesn't LOOK like she's one!"

It's only 10 in the morning, and yet we've had to discuss a few times how she doesn't magically change.  "But mom!  One year olds can walk!"  "But mom!  One year olds are bigger!"  "But mom!..."

I love seeing the way kids' minds work! 

Happy Birthday Baby Goose!

Remember When?

Remember when you were little and you would put your hair in the water, then flip it over to look like a pioneer?  Definite Emma Smith goin' on. 

Keara has overcome her fear of putting her face in the water and has now discovered the same joy that I know my sisters and I partook of when we were little too.

My Baby!

On Thursday, Avery will turn one.  I can't believe it.  Where has the time gone?  She looks so little, yet is SO grown up! 

*She loves to talk and repeat what we say.  She'll repeat mama, dada, bubba (much to Taryn's absolute delight!), baby, and taya (what Taryn calls Keara). 

*She will offer "What?!" and "Yeah..." on her own. 

*She also signs "all done" and "more" and is working on "eat", "please", "sorry", "drink", and "milk".

*In the meantime, she offers up one heck of an ear piercing scream to get our attention.  It works. 

*She'll sometimes say "amen" at the end of prayers and is always silent while we pray. 

*She joins us for morning prayers and kneels on her knees. It is so cute. 

*She can't really fold her arms yet but will some times put her hands on her chest when we ask her to fold her arms. 

*She can climb the stairs but is afraid to go down them.  So she'll sit at the top and scream until we come and coax her backwards.  Taryn did the same thing.  Once we help her, she knows what to do, but she's afraid to tackle the first step. 

*I am moving her into 12 month clothes just because I'm tired of looking at the same 3-9 month clothes that she's been wearing.  Everything is too big, but I think she's adorable in the furries!

*She LOVES to be with her sisters.  While they often make her cry, she can spend an hour playing with Taryn or slightly less time being Keara's pretend baby.  Keara begs every day to have Avery in her quiet time for the first 15 minutes. I know Keara loves it more than Avery does, but Avery is happy to oblige.  

*She's started climbing onto things.   Though she shows little progress in the walking department, she is starting to push off of things and stand, even for a second.  Of course, she is cruising, and standing against anything she can.

*She is weaning.  We're down to once a day.  It was twice, but now that lasts about 30 seconds, so I think we're done with that.  I'm not exactly sure how I feel about being done, but I can't do much about it now.

*She is the sweetest thing ever.  I don't think any child has ever been more adored than this one.  She is just the greatest joy to us.  (well, her and her sisters, of course)  We can't imagine life without her!  And we can't wait to see the wonderful kid she will become.

She's sporting a tiny mohawk.  She hardly has any hair.  (and for those in the Moore family...she looks just like Jake in this picture to us)

I am so grateful these girls have sisters!

Keara wanted to take pictures of us.  This was the only one where we were all in the frame.

I love my girls.  They are such great friends to me and to each other.

She is SO cute!!

and she knows it!

 I love you Avery Goose!!!

Floods, Bubbles, Mold, and...Mice?

That's right folks!  We have mice.  As you know, we got rid of the dead one.  But then we found a couple of the girls' stuffed animals had been nibbled, so we knew we had more to deal with.  One day, I saw a mouse in the laundry room scurry down a hole, so I told Braden about it.  He got some mouse traps and set them up.  In a matter of one night we got:

That's great and all until Braden noticed that the little brown one had, um, milking capabilities. A momma mouse. Oh no.  We hoped that maybe she was just pregnant? 

A couple days later, as I was going into the laundry room, I saw a little ball of fur on the floor and had to get really close to realize that it was this:

I tell you, I have never seen something cuter in all the animal kingdom.  It was adorable!  Keara and I loved holding it and trying to give it milk (rice milk), and to keep it from dying.  But I had to keep reminding myself that it was indeed still a mouse and we could not keep it.  Regardless, it died by the night time.  It needed its mommy.  Who knows how many more are dying under the laundry room as we speak.  So sad!

So, anyone want to come over? 

Sunday Happenings

Last Sunday, we had my brother's family over for dinner.  You'd think we'd get together more often, living just 4 miles apart.  But we have to beg, steal, and borrow time.  This particular Sunday, we got them for an hour and a half before they had to run off to the next thing, but at least it was an hour and a half.

Apparently, someone got ahold of my camera.  But I didn't know that until I popped the card into the computer.  Judging from which one looks like someone taking a picture of themself...I think I'm going to keep my camera away from Nathan from now on.  These are NOT flattering pictures!!!

Gardening 101

Do you know anything about gardening?  Could you help me with my precious pumpkin plants?

Here's the deal.  These are two pumpkin plants (of 3-4 shoots each).  They grew beautifully for a long time.  But then they started getting what looked like powdery mildew on the leaves.  So I got an organic fungicide and sprayed them.  Nothing changed.  Then, the leaves closest to the roots started turning yellow and brown.  So I checked them for bacterial wilt by breaking off a stem and seeing if the sap (or whatever it is called) was yellow and sticky.  Nope.  Now the "powdery mildew" is spreading and the yellowing is increasing.  I thought maybe it was from over watering, so I stopped watering as often.  It rains every few days anyway, so even when I do water, it gets more water from the rain. 

There have been TONS of male flowers, but I have only found one or two female flowers with fruit.  A friend told me these plants should be setting their fruit, but they don't seem to be doing that.  Any hints?  Tips?  Advice?  These are the only plants I truly, truly care about (such high hopes for homemade pies and canned pumpkin...) and I am SO sad that I may not get any harvest from them.

If you know anything about what I've described or what you see in the pics...help!

Here Comes Gunny Bag!

When we were little, my mom had the "Gunny Bag"...which was more like a laundry basket, trash bag, pillow case, or whatever she could find when she had HAD it with all the toys and mess we made.  She'd go around picking up everything on the floor that wasn't put away and the gunny bag would keep it until she felt like giving it back (or until we emptied the gunny bag and actually put everything away). 

I've been feeling lately that my girls are just not accountable enough for their messes and the upkeep of our house.  We've been WAY too lax on chores, so we decided to do something about it.  I made a new chore chart to help them remember the little things (make your bed, put your clothes in the dirty clothes, clear your plates, etc) and then I sat them down and told them about the new person coming to our home: Gunny Bag. 

I taught them the song "Here Comes Gunny Bag" as sung by my niece and nephew on youtube:
Here come Gunny Bag!
Yum, Yum, Yummy!
He eats leftover toys
And puts them in his tummy.

So keep your toys
Nice and neat
So Gunny won't have
A thing to eat!

I explained that after dinner, they would have a chance to run thru the house and put away all their playthings.  After a few minutes, Gunny Bag would come and see what he could find.  If he found anything, he would eat it and keep it in his tummy until he was ready to give it back.

I guess that was the WRONG choice.  They have been TERRIFIED of Gunny Bag all day.  I don't think they've talked about much besides Gunny Bag.  In fact, two minutes ago, Keara yelled up from her nap "Mom!  I'm afraid of Gunny BAG!!!"  I think they think its a REAL person.  Hopefully after dinner tonight, they will understand better.  I wasn't meaning to freak them out, but I did.

Anyway, I googled Gunny Bag and found this awesome blog (I Am Momma Hear Me Roar) that had a post about her version of the Gunny Bag.  I loved it, I made it.  Here's mine.  I just used what i had lying around, so don't mind the clashing colors.

Check out her post here that has her tutorial.  It's so simple and can be done in a matter of a half hour or so.  Sorry about the smudge in the middle of my lens and the fact that my battery is SO dead that the lighting is pathetic.

My favorite parts about this design:
1. It hangs.  So I can put it in the closet, out of sight.
2. The toys go IN the mouth!  How cool is that!?
3. There's a bigger opening in the back for bigger toys.




LOVE IT! Make your own...just don't freak out the kids!

Welcome Home

It's sure been a while since I posted anything.  We just got back from a family reunion in Colorado.  It was AWESOME and definitely way too short.  More on that later.

But I thought I'd at least throw something up on my blog.  We walked in around 3 am on Wednesday morning from the airport and found our home was overtaken by flies.  Well, maybe not overtaken.  But there were a lot of them.  And they were BIG.  Like almost an inch long.  Gross.  In the first 15 minutes of being home, Braden killed about 20 of them.  Throughout the course of that day and onto Thursday, he killed another dozen more or so. 

I did a lot of reading to find out what these were and where they were coming from.  I learned they are called flesh flies.  That was enough to turn my stomach.  But then when I read they were flies the thrive off the decomposing flesh of dead animals, I wanted to run and...you know.  They had to originate in the house which meant there was a dead animal in the house.  The only cure for them was to locate said animal and remove it.  We went on a little search and found a dead mouse under the AC/heater in the basement.

Braden got rid of it, but not before mentioning the MAGGOTS crawling all over it.  And then he added, "But a few got away."  GROSS!  Maggots and flesh flies.  What a night.  Can we go back to CO now?