Too Bad Chris Isn't A Seahorse...

Okay, so I'm just stopping in real quick because 1) Chris' aunt Tammy is just itching for us to announce this =) and 2) Chris is about to post it on his blog.  I was going to come up with some clever way of announcing it like this:

...but if you're my mom, it would have been completely lost on you altogether =) 

Another thing I started doing once I found out about 5 weeks ago was by putting random titles to my blog posts that didn't mean much unless someone clever was paying attention...these were the captions I had used so far:

A Week After Asher's Birthday This Year...
Something Miraculous...
Is Headed Our Way...

Unfortunately, my lazy butt hadn't gotten any further than that because 1) I've had far too many migraines to even be on the computer much and 2) I am so completely exhausted and out of it that I'm surprised I'm functioning as a mother taking care of the three children I currently have.  As you'll see on Chris' blog...I plum forgot to take Ayris to school this past Friday.  Had Chris not asked about her school, I don't think it EVER would have fazed/phased (sorry, too lazy to look this up) me in the least.  I absolutely feel like I don't know what's going on half of the time.  All I want to do is go crawl into bed...literally about 30 minutes after I get up in the morning.  I'm not sleeping well and must get up about 4 times a night just tossing and turning.  Half the time, I'm pretty sure I'm not listening to what people are saying when they're talking...Ayris just gets mad after the 4th time of my saying "huh?" and finally just yells "nevermind!"  Pretty sure I was never this tired with any of the previous pregnancies.  HAD I gotten my act together, these were going to be the remaining blog titles:

A Joint Effort...
Between Myself and God...
Come October...
It'll Be Another Little One's Birth Day!

But unfortunately, I just don't have the oomph right now to even make an effort with the blog...blame it on the baby, he/she is literally sucking the life out of me right now...AND according to babycenter, it's also taking the majority of the blood that used to be distributed to my brain and has redirected it to the placenta...who knew?  Seriously, I'm still learning different tidbits, even on my 4th. 

Luckily, Chris has been pulling overtime with the kids and has even allowed me two days of staying in bed with my debilitating migraines, which totally blow.  Seriously, I wish Chris was a seahorse for just the next few weeks so he could carry this baby...I could continue taking my migraine drugs and not feel so exhausted...and once we hit that second trimester when all of the great stuff started happening, I would GLADLY take this beautiful baby back.  No such luck though.  I'm not complaining though...I don't think...I'm just stating things as they are.

With all of that said, at some point...probably not anytime soon, I will post some pictures.  I actually have to take some first.  I don't think I've taken but maybe a handful of pictures in February...that's how lame and absolutely lazy I am right now.  I spent a whopping 53 bucks on matching Valentine's Day outfits for the kids and 1) never went to church so they could all wear them and 2) never took pictures of them together in them...so that is on the to do list...before Adler grows out of that 12 month shirt...ugh! 

Chris is having his hip replaced on March 9th though so if I don't get another post done before then, it'll probably be weeks after before I'm on again...we'll be having some family bonding time for a few weeks while he's at home recovering...so thoughts and prayers his way come next Wednesday!

Alright, time to add a little baby ticker to the blog and we're done for the night!

Is Headed Our Way...

So I've been tired and lazy and full of headaches and a cold to top off all of that wonderfulness, which is why I have been neglecting this space...I don't have any pictures...literally, I don't even think I've picked up my camera the past 3 weeks...BUT I was just thinking tonight as I was rocking Adler that it's about that time to do my 25 things for the kids again...although I'm wondering if I can make it to 25 for each kid...I think the more kids I have, the less space I have in my head to come up with 25 current happenings for them...we will see...we'll start with the oldest...(Turns out I'm stopping at 17...I'm sure I could have come up with more but this is going on three days now so...)

17 Things About Ayris...

1. She is currently contemplating marrying a boy named Reed at her school...last year she was going to marry a boy named Jarod...or Leif. But now she's moved on to Reed...honestly, I don't think I even thought about marriage until I met Chris...and I was 24 then...so I think she's starting a little young.
2. She likes to watch Futurama with her dad.
3. Her memory continues to be like a steel trap. Asher had his kindergarten testing this year and she was asking him if they still had such and such glasses and if they made him do such and such test when it's been almost 2 years since she was tested herself...
4. Has a best friend named Tessa, who she wants to live with. She also wants to live with Grandma Molly. I personally wish she could go live with one of them for a week or two so she'd realize that everyone's house becomes boring if you stay there long enough.
5. Is less interested in watching TV these days and is more interested in playing pretend.
6. Is starting to talk more about God these days which makes me happy.
7. In addition to the above, she also says a better prayer over dinner than Chris or I do...Chris and I like to recite the prayers we used when growing up (Me: God is Great, God is Good, Let Us Thank Him For This Food...Chris: Come Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest, And Let These Gifts To Us Be Blessed)...Ayris usually trails on about how much she loves her family and extended family and maybe throws in a couple of things that she's thankful for.
8. Is way into playing doctor. Pretty sure she'd play it all day if she could.
9. She can't wait to ride a bus in the fall.
10. If she had her way, she'd probably take 2 baths a day, everyday...and it wouldn't be a good bath if it didn't end with water all over the floor.
11. She's not a big fan of breakfast in the morning...sometimes she'll wait until lunch time to eat and then the rest of her meals are messed up for the day...she thinks dinner is lunch and then is asking for dinner by about 8 or 9 at night.
12. She is obsessed with Taylor Swifts' song "Mean"
13. She has also recently taken a liking to John Mayer's "Half of my Heart" but she calls it "Half of my Arm"...which is a far more intriguing title.
14. She continues to terrorize the cats on a daily basis, while at the same time counting down the days until she can have a dog...which she has been told she will never have if she doesn't learn to be nice to the cats.
15. She is becoming quite the artist with her big headed, little bodied stick people.
16. Her hair is borderline light brown now...gone is the blonde of yesteryear =(
17. She's about to start kindergarten in the fall...gone is my baby girl as well....double sad face =( =(

17 Things About Asher...

1. He still runs around with his favorite pink white bear but we have lost him a time or two as of late and he hasn't freaked out the few days he's been missing...so I don't think the attachment is quite what it used to be...my baby is growing up =(
2. He is still wearing diapers at night...he doesn't always wake up wet but on those 2 out of 7 days, I still don't feel like cleaning the sheets...cuz I'm lazy like that...so I'd rather spend money on diapers...
3. He has this saying lately that just makes me smile...every time we leave the house...now that some of the snow has melted he says: "Look Mom, the grass is waking up!!"
4. He just recently learned how to put his underwear on...even though he's been trained almost a year and half now??? I never taught him how to put his underwear on...I was just always doing it for him...anyway, Chris said it was time for him to learn...but like everything with Asher, sometimes he's into it and sometimes he's not.
5. Like I was saying about being into it on his own terms...he likes to say his prayers but only some nights. I don't push it because I don't want him to feel forced...and sometimes he'll say, mom, not tonight but we'll do it tomorrow morning...and then he usually wants to pray when we eat...but he thinks that means praying his bedtime prayer over the food.
6. Ash is still my little lover boy. He comes up multiple times a day to tell me how much he loves me...and usually while doing so, he'll rub the top of my head.
7. Although he is still into Spiderman and Batman, Mario and Luigi, along with Donkey Kong have taken over his interests as of late.
8. He just attended Grandma Callie's school twice for some kind of student learning project, and loved going each time...which has reduced a lot of the stress I had associated with him starting preschool in the fall.
9. Asher has a wild imagination and is always bringing us fake cookies to eat or recently has been saying that there is a spot on his face that was stung by a bee (in the winter mind you)...he is truly involved in the telling of his stories.
10. He is still over emotional about a lot of things. It's not uncommon for him to break out crying about something random...that may not even been happening right then.
11. He very rarely wants milk anymore...his drink of choice is water.
12. He can't say the word Really...he says Larry instead. I Larry Love my bear!
13. His favorite foods are still hot dogs and chicken nuggets...with ranch and french fries.
14. At three he apparently already thinks money grows on trees just like I did when I was little...he keeps requesting that I go out and buy him different video games...I keep asking him where his money is...looks like it's time for little man to get a job.
15. Likes feeding way too many cat treats to the cats (like the whole pack at one sitting).
16. Always wants cotton candy out of the dollar section when we go to Target but only ever eats like one bite.
17. Favorite song continues to be "You Spin Me Right Round" AND "Dancing with Myself"
17 Things About Adler...
1. This kid is happy all of the time. I can count on one hand the number of times he's woken up on the wrong side of the bed...and it's usually been when he's sick...but I'll tell you what...he's all the way with whatever mood he's in...he's either REALLY cranky (hardly ever) or he's REALLY happy. He's my little extremist.
2. He still needs his bottle to fall asleep...
3. At night when he's being rocked and fed, right before he's about to fall asleep, he starts playing with his hair...running his fingers through it and pulling on it.
4. Speaking of hair, this kid was born with the best...it's natural oomph and poofiness each day never fails to put a smile on my face.
5. He is our only child so far that already has green eyes. Chris has hazel eyes and I have green. Ayris and Asher have blue. My eye color changed until I was probably 6 or 7 from blue to green to gray dependent upon what I was wearing...so I still have faith that Ayris and Asher's will change...but Adler...he already has them!
6. Adler is also our smallest child. At least he seems like it. He's tall like his siblings but thinner than they were at his age.
7. He's a mover. He's not content to just sit still like Ayris and Asher were...he wants to be on the move at all times.
8. He is obsessed with the cat food dish. I always close off the kitchen gate because he makes a beeline for the cat dish and I don't want him messing with it...well he's just getting over a double ear infection so he was super cranky one night when I decided I'd just put the cat bowl up on the table so he could be in the same room with me while I was cooking...well the dumb cats wouldn't shut up meowing for dinner so I put their wet cat food in the bowl and pushed it way back under the table...Adler apparently has super silent ninja like skills because in the 2 minutes I had my back to him, he'd managed to get it out from under the table and was chowing down on it readily.
9. He's now pulling up on everything...and just like he gravitates towards the cat dish, he always crawls over to this side table that he has, no doubt, hit his head on like 10 times already...but he never learns and just keeps going back for more!
10. When he gets really excited, he screams really loud. Like super loud. So loud it's annoying to me. I'm sure all of you would think it's cute...but seriously, it hurts my ears...so I try to keep a limit on his happiness during the day. I kid, I kid. But seriously, the smile is cute, the shrill shrieking death noise is not.
11. Adler already knows how to drink from sippy cups. Ayris and Asher were nowhere near wanting sippy cups at his age...so he might actually be the first kid to go off the bottle at a decent age.
12. Adler has always been the best medicine taker we've had. Ayris and Asher always threw up whatever I had just given them...worrying me that I needed to give them more each time...Adler was my rockstar at taking medicine until about a week ago...now anything that I try to put in gets spit right back out...he doesn't even bother with throwing it up...he's just not going to let it go down in the first place. Seriously, doctors need to come up with ear infection suppositories...I'm all for the butt route.
13. Adler still wakes up 2-4 times on a good night. He's never up for long...usually just a few minutes with the bottle is all he needs before going back down.
14. Unfortunately, Adler has been waking up around 5 thinking it's time to get up...and I keep thinking about something the pastor said at an Alpha class a few weeks back...about how he wasn't a morning person but that Jesus was a morning person...usually getting up before the dawn...and I just think to myself...if this kid is waking up on Jesus time, can't Jesus entertain him for a few hours so the rest of us non-morning people can get some sleep?
15. Even though Adler still only has 2 teeth, he's a pro at eating french fries, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, goldfish, hamburger pieces, celery, peaches, etc...all cut up of course...except the french fries...I usually give him a full one and he just noshes on it until it has a mashed potato like consistency.
16. He loves baths and showers...and he loves to be sprayed in the mouth with the showerhead. He's also the only kid that has been a great sport about getting water dumped over his head to wash out shampoo...it doesn't seem to bother him.
17. He knows how to clap on his own and he gets really excited when you play patty cake with him.

I have matching Valentine's Day outfits that I have yet to put on the children and snap pictures of...sometime soon...it's unknown whether I'm using Chris' version of "soon" (which could mean forever) or my version of "soon" (which would mean sometime this week).

Something Miraculous...

I had completely forgotten to post this image below until I saw that I had saved it to my desktop...my friend Linda had sent this card for my birthday and honestly I must've looked at it 20 times and smiled...I LOVE it...I love the mess, I love how the random kids are strewn about on the floor, in the cupboards, in the microwave, in the refrigerator...and that the dog is eating leftovers...and lastly, that the mom is pregnant and going to be adding another one into the chaos...on the inside of the card it said: Everyday at your house is a party!  So I guess having lots of kids just means parties everyday! =)




I digress...I think I've mentioned a time or two before that girls are just crazy...I've always known we were...I just didn't think it started at like 3 years of age...so I'm now going on about 2 years worth of drama and craziness with Ayris already...Here is just a small/random example of what I'm talking about:

Chris:  Are you ready to take your shower Ayris?
Ayris:  No, I need to talk to Mommy alone first.

Ayris and I go upstairs...

Ayris:  My life just really isn't going good right now.
Me:  Why not?
Ayris:  Because you yell at me and I get into trouble.
Me:  Wait...what?  Just yesterday when we were taking a bath you told me that I was your favorite person because I played games with you and took baths with you and watched movies with you instead of doing as much of the dirty work (cleaning, laundry, etc) as I used to.  Where is this coming from?  I haven't even yelled at you today...you've been upstairs with Daddy all day long???
Ayris:  Well sometimes you yell at me.
Me:  Yeah, sometimes I do...but that isn't today so why is your life not good right now?  It'd be like me telling you that you were being bad today when, in fact, you weren't but then saying that sometimes you do act badly.
Ayris:  Well I just don't know how to be nice!

Seriously....what the heck?!? We haven't even seen each other most of the day because she's been hanging out with Chris the entire day...and now her life is crap because of the fact that in the past she has gotten into trouble?  Aahhhh!

This blog post really was just intended to be a mishmash so I figured I'd post January's damnyouautocorrect.com's favorites...Chris just the other day was saying that he might like to get a smartphone when his contract was up...I asked him to think about if he'd really use it because if we were going to pay $30 extra a month just to have a smartphone, I wanted it to be worth it...well Verizon just got the Iphone 4 and with the autocorrect feature...just reading some of these have made me think autocorrect musings might be worth it alone! =)  And this first one says Michelle, but it's not me...we don't have these phones...it's just the name of whoever submitted it to the website...and most of these are vulgar...but that's what makes them funny...because the people weren't intending them to be that way...

18 Things Moms Don't Want to Admit...

This article was emailed to me through one of the million baby sites I'm a member of...anyway, some of these rung very true as I was going through them!


1. You Don't Bathe Your Kid Nearly Enough

The pediatrician recommends bathing the baby every few days or so, but a week goes by and the closest you’ve come is wiping the spit-up off his chin with a moist cloth. You tell yourself he’s a lump (albeit an incredibly cute one) who barely moves -- he’s not exactly sweating. Besides, it’s probably been more than a few days since you showered

TRUE.  The older kids seemingly take 1-2 baths a day upon request but the littlest...well I often forget about his need for a bath unless he's had a blowout or throws up all over himself....and those two things don't happen often =)   Although now that I think about it, he takes a shower with me at least once or twice a week.

You Let Her Lay in Her Bed Crying Way Too Long While You Do What You Need To Do

With so little time to get anything done for yourself, those moments when the baby is miraculously occupied by her own fingers and toes are precious. Naturally, you rush to the computer. Just as you’re getting started, she’s already whimpering. You tell yourself it’s not real crying, but she gets louder. You’re determined to get this done now so you can give her your full attention in a sec. But before you can finish, she’s shrieking. Why even bother trying?

I wouldn't say this applies to Adler because I'm not one for listening to a baby scream...it kind of drives me nuts BUT I'm am definitely guilty of tuning out the older kids for a few minutes until I get whatever it is that needs to be accomplished done.

You Lie to Him All the Time

You like the idea of being honest with your child, but sometimes the truth is, if we may borrow Al Gore’s favorite word, inconvenient. So you tell your child the shoe store doesn't have the wheeled shoes that light up in his size when you know they do, that Daddy ate the last brownie (when, clearly, you did), that the toy store is closed, that the shot won’t hurt, that the DVD player is “tired,” and pretty soon you’re lying as often as, well, a politician.

I would not say all of the time.  And is it really lying?  If it were up to Asher he'd play Mario Brothers on the Wii ALL DAY LONG...but I have explained to him that they have to go to bed at night too...so they can rest up for the next day when Asher will be having them defeat Bowser all over again!  I also told Asher that he needed to wear some Luigi gel (chapstick) because he had been licking the underneath of his lip repeatedly and it was getting all red and flaky...so I told him that each night when Luigi went to bed, he put on his Luigi gel because when Asher made him run all day long in the video game, he'd get windburn on his lips (Just like Asher!) and that the Luigi gel would help...those kinds of "lies" totally work and I think personally are helpful!

You Love the Baby More Than the Older Kid

Favoring one kid over the other is something you never imagined you would do, but the baby is such a little love bug. She’s so innocent and unmanipulative, and unlike the big one, she lets you smother her with kisses. Of course you don’t love her more, but sometimes, as hilarious and clever as the older one is, it’s just easier to deal with the less complex kid.

I think the last line sums it up best...sometimes it's just easier to deal with the less complex kid...and in this case...that most definitely is Adler =)

You Think Playing With Your Child Is Really Boring

You’ve just played “teenager” or “doggie” or whatever else you’re kid is obsessed with for the past hour, and he still isn’t sick of it. At this point, you would seriously rather clean the bathroom than go through another round of the game. How can you love your children so much yet be so entirely uninterested in the games they want to play? Here’s something that will get you in the mood: Ten years from now, when they want absolutely nothing do to with you that doesn’t involve you giving them cash, you’ll be begging them to play choo-choos!

False:  I don't find it boring...I just don't make enough time to do it in the first place...with all of the "dirty work" that I have to do...as Ayris calls it...I don't play doggie nearly as much as I should.

You Ignore the Papers they Send Home from School

When your child first started kindergarten, you devoured every morsel of information that came home from school with her. After all, nothing is more important to you than your child’s schooling. But after a couple months of being bombarded with emails about PTO meetings and seemingly endless fundraisers, you start to get involved-parent-fatigue. You feel really guilty about this, but then you realize that you don’t have to be gung-ho about everything school-related. You stay engaged however you can, but don’t beat yourself up for passing on some involvement opportunities. As for homework, we’re all guilty of skipping the optional stuff that comes home with kindergartners. But once the real deal comes, you know to have your game on.

True.  Sort of.  I never, from the get go, devoured every morsel of information...Ayris is normally the one throwing papers at me (to clean out her bag) before going into class the next day...I figure if it's super important, they normally mention it when picking her up =)

You Leave Her Locked in the Car While You Run Into the House to Pee or Get Something You Forgot

It’s cruel to leave a dog locked in a car -- but is it cruel to do so with a child? In your book, running inside the house to grab a forgotten something (especially for the kid!) is appropriate. So is having a quick tinkle. Running into a store? That’s where you draw the line.

True.  It's a good day if I can get into the car with all three kids and not have to run back in for something I've forgotten.

You use TV as a Babysitter Way Too Often

Before you became a parent, you vowed your child wouldn’t watch TV. Now suddenly here you are asking your child why she doesn’t want to watch Curious George and trying to convince her it’s her favorite episode. It’s sad. It really is. But tomorrow is another day -- you can always renew your vows.

Super True!  Although, it doesn't seem like they even watch tv now that Asher is addicted to Mario...he plays that and Ayris plays pretend with her toys...

You Would Rather Sleep, Sometimes Even Work, Than Be With Your Children

Weekends used to be these amazing stretches of time when you didn’t have any obligations. These days, weekends seem almost harder than workdays. Yes, you are excited about having the free time with your children, but you also panic a little about how you are going to fill all of it. And then there is the deep longing for sleep. Saturday morning, your kids are climbing all over you, and you are blatantly ignoring them, allowing yourself to linger just a few more minutes in that haze between sleep and wakefulness. You were having such a good dream before a cute little person kneed you in the back -- that you were single, without kids.

True.  I think this often...that I wish I had time...to sleep in...to clean the house uninterrupted...to read a book or magazine...watch a show...BUT I'll tell you, when I went to the hotel by myself for my birthday...it just wasn't as cool as I thought it'd be.  It's like I want my time back...but honestly I don't know what to do with it when they're gone...even though there are a million things I could be doing!

You Allow Them To Watch Movies/Shows That Are Not Age-Appropriate

You’re not sure how it happened, but suddenly PG is the new G. And even though you know it won't kill them, you find yourself running like mad to turn off the scene where Darth Vader dies and playing dumb when your toddler asks to hear “that song about the lollipop” by 50 Cent. But you do start to question your parenting skills a little when you let Family Guy pass as a cartoon.

TRUE.  PG is the new G or is it G is the new PG13 in our family?  Ayris loves my doctor shows so you can find us watching House, or Grey's or Private Practice or even Off the Map together now...and Asher...well he's been know to watch some of Chris' more grown up video games...as well as Family Guy!  And the Simpsons...which I remember my mother never allowing us to watch growing up...oh how times have changed.

You Give Them Food You'd Never Eat Yourself

You eat grilled chicken strips over a bed of greens. They eat chicken nuggets. You have fresh fruit. They have flat sticky crap that’s rolled up in plastic. You have regular milk. They have chocolate milk. But hey, at least they're eating.

I think they messed up when they wrote this...I eat chicken nuggets and they eat their fruits and vegetables!  I kid, I kid...they eat chicken nuggets too.  We all eat them together.  But they seem to eat healthier than I do.

You Wish You Had the Opposite Gender

As much as you love your own kids, when you’re on your second, third or fourth of the same sex, you can’t help but feel a tug for the other every once and a while. Small things can set you off -- like a group of little girls singing Taylor Swift songs or an adorable little boy dressed up in a pint-sized suit. If you’re done trying, you find yourself getting hit by a familiar wave of reality: You will never have a girl (or a boy). And then you move on, perfectly happy with what you’ve got.

False.  I have each gender so I'm good on that...and whatever kids I may have wanted to have been a girl at the time...I wouldn't change them for anything now!

You Let Her Go Days Without Vegetables You are perfectly aware of how important vegetables are for your kid’s health, but you’ve done all you can -- and the kid still won’t touch them. And honestly, you don’t like them much, either. So, you decide to drop the veggie charade. Heck, life is short, so you’re not going to waste time making everyone miserable. Of course, two days later, there you are again, trying to sneak some broccoli into the marinara.

False.  See above...my children like vegetables more than I do!

You Are The Last To Pick Them Up At Daycare

Combine a last-minute meeting at work with traffic or a stalled train, and you’ve got every mom’s pique of anxiety. Nothing makes you feel more helpless and frustrated than sitting in traffic knowing your child is going to be the last one at the daycare center. You usually make it with just a minute to spare, but you still feel like crying as you walk through the door. You vow it will never happen again, but it does. Don’t beat yourself up -- the baby won’t remember it.

This has happened once and I felt like a loser so it hasn't happened since!  And the author is wrong...perhaps a baby wouldn't remember but two year olds do...hey mom, remember when you left me in the car (he was napping and the garage door was closed...I had unbuckled him but forgot to unbuckle the lap belt so he could come in when he woke up!)...Asher will never let me forget this and it was more than a year ago now!  It's never the good stuff...hey mom, remember when you stayed up with me all night because I was puking all over you and wouldn't let you lay me down in the bed?  Hey mom, remember how you drove over to Grandma's house late one night to get my bear because I wouldn't be able to sleep without it?...No...it's hey mom, do you remember when you left me in the car...I'm sure there are more but that's the only one they repeatedly bring up!  Not only that but I was leaving him in the car because I knew he'd wake up if I brought him in and I figured he needed the sleep...I left the light on and the door open...it was just that darn middle buckle I forgot!

You Let Them Wear Too-Small Shoes For Way Too Long

Your kid complains that her shoes are too small, but this couldn’t possibly be. You just bought her those princess shoes with rhinestones for $35 two weeks ago. She was supposed to wear them for at least three months, and that’s exactly what she’s going to do. A couple weeks later, you give in. You go to the shoe store and they measure her feet all important-like with that special thing they have and they look at you disdainfully. And you leave with another pair of $35 shoes.

False.  I'm kind of going the no shoes or flip flop route...or rain boots...I don't buy a lot of shoe type shoes.

You Hate Breastfeeding (Or Love It A Little Too Much)

Breastfeeding is perhaps the most publicly discussed and emotionally vexing aspect of childrearing. Some moms love it. Some moms do it, but hate it. And some moms push the issue long after it’s clear the child wants nothing to do with her breast. Who’s to say what’s right or wrong? But one thing’s for sure, for your child’s sake, being honest with yourself is key.

Yeah, breastfeeding has never been awesome for me.

You Forget to Put the Kid’s Car-Seat Belt On

Getting out the door with kids always feels like a major accomplishment, so once you’re finally in the car, you want to turn on the ignition and go. That said, every mom jumps the gun at least once. If it hasn’t already happened to you, one day, you just may get to the end of your block, only to hear a familiar little voice scolding you: "Mom! You forgot to buckle me!" OMG! You will urgently pull over, buckle up the kid (who is loving this a little too much), and take a guilty look around to make sure there are no cops waiting to haul you away for being the worst mom ever.

True.  This has happened at least once with every kid I've had.  Matter of fact, it just happened with Asher the other day.  I don't know why it was just he and I in the car but as I was backing out of the driveway, he was like MOM!!!  You didn't buckle me!  That's the first time it ever happened with Asher but I know it's happened with Adler and Ayris before...it makes you sick to your stomach once you realize it though...

A Week After Asher's Birthday This Year...

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks...















I love this kids hair...


Look at that natural volume!








I loved seeing Ayris and Asher head to head playing the Ipod...




Adler having to use Asher's old neb machine...


Adler isn't supposed to be laying down when he drinks his bottle but I walked into the living room and apparently he had gotten tired and just decided to lay down with it...


Ayris' friend Tessa...










I took the kids to a hotel and even though we had two queen beds, they both insisted on sleeping in the pull out couch...funny how you trade comfort as a kid for the "cool things"...


Ayris turns 5!  Along with Shadow...








Look at my dapper little man!










In these next two pictures, for some reason, Ayris looks a little like Dakota Fanning to me...


















Ayris insisted on a picture with her penguin...


And this is pretty much all we see of Adler lately...good thing he has a cute little butt because he's on the move!