We can't be the only ones..

who lounge about on a Saturday afternoon playing DS,

 

in a pack and play filled with balls.

Right?

My poor little garden..

is under attack.

Creatures of all kind keep pilfering my strawberries.

Which is sad because they are amazing this summer.

Just ask Sarah.

Hardcore Homeschool

goes down here.

Poor kid.

1st grade had clearly stressed him out.

731 days of my life...

spent watching this little person..

become this.

She is completely amazing,

 totally funny,

 and officially two.

Sarah knows no fear,

still doesn't really sleep through the night,

wears boots to bed, 

(which, perhaps is connected to the sleeping?),

thinks she is 6 and

loves her family.

I love watching my kids grow up.

I love watching them play together.

I love that maybe, perhaps in the next year, 

I may get to sleep through the night and we will survive our last journey through the "terrible twos".

(Which really aren't terrible.  The 3's, however....)

 

On her own terms..

she may nap.

But if we dare suggest it.


If I dare to try to get her to lay down.


Never. 

My Blog Absence

has robbed myself of the opportunity to preserve all that is absolutely INSANE awesome about our 3rd born.

She is beautiful, and funny, and bright and absolutely, completely wildly...

NUTS.

She knows no bounds.  She has a locked on, never miss radar for destruction.
We  call her Sar-icane.  I've decided the best way to cope is to keep a tally. 
We will subtract her grand total from her college education fund.

 

Her total to this point:

*acer netbook:  $299
*Samsung Gravity Cell Phone:  $175
*Ikea Chaise Cover: $99

and the best yet, the most delicious bit of irony.

While I was actually out buying a replacement battery for our cordless phone, literally AT the store..

she managed to find the handset and drop it into a glass of water.  Complete submersion.  Total destruction.

So..

*Uniden cordless phone: $49

At this rate, she is going to be lucky if she can swing an online trade school.

Good thing she is incredibly cute.

Because she may well kill me.

15 seconds of awesome in my day

me: at the mall food court with 3 kids running laps around me screaming-ish for their lunch

old lady behind me:  "Oh my, I don't think I'd EVER get desperate enough to go to the mall that I'd take 3 WHOLE children with me."

me:  Well.. if I left their bottom halves, they'd still be screaming and if I left their top halves, they'd still be running.

Sky

Photo a Day #2

May 2nd

Sky

Further proof of a few things:

*I'm not a photographer.

*April's showers are a week beyond their welcome.

*This picture would be way better if I lived at the beach.

*And maybe if I did more than lean out the office window.

Peace

May 1st

Photo a Day #1:  Peace

11:59
3 children are asleep,
1 will be awake in about 4.5 hours,
the house is sort of clean,
David Nevue is playing on the iPod,
I'll be so tired tomorrow I'll want to cry, but for tonight, for a few rare moments...

Peace

397 days...

is a bit ridiculous.

But I'm attempting some blog CPR.

Because I kind of miss it.

And because I feel like after an insanely overwhelming few months.. um, year, I sort of have the time and desire to carve out some blogging.

Sadly, in addition to not blogging, I've been not photo taking, thus there is little proof that in the last year:

Sarah turned one.  And is now almost two.  She likes to hang from chandeliers, leap off tables with no abandon and wear dress shoes to bed.  She may be the one that sends me over the edge.  She is beyond cute, but insane.

Josh turned 7.  And loves to read.  And loves all things ocean related.  He hates all things math and history related and has declared that he doesn't really want to homeschool OR go to real school.  He'd just like to stay in PJs and play Wii.  Heh. 

Leah turned 4 and just about 5.  She loves Josh.  And me.  And Al.  And sometimes Sarah.  And the idea of homeschool, but not so much the listening of homeschool.

Josh finished kindergarten and is just about wrapping up 1st grade.  And I can't believe that I have a cart full of 2nd grade curriculum.  For a 2nd grader.  Living in my house! 

Leah is about to finish her first and last "real" preschool experience.  She loved it.  I dislike schedules and having to be places when we'd rather be flitting about the zoo or musuems, which is why she'll do PK at home next year.

We renovated.  Which felt like it lasted a 397 THOUSAND days, but was actually just 6 weeks.  To show for my sacrifice of washing dishes in the tub for a month, I have a beautiful new (still tiny) kitchen and a dream homeschool room.

We traveled.  Mostly to beaches because we're bums.  2 vacations and I think I have 3 pictures to show for it, probably still on my camera.  You can just trust me that it was lovely.

We ran half marathons.  Twice.  Well, I did 2.  The husband did one.  All together we did 3, which sounds impressive.  The children did none.  One was fantastic with great friends and family and new personal records and lovely sunshine and rainbows and unicorns.  The other was horrible with real-deal rain for every blessed step, and sickness, and a disappointing finish time and made me want to run into the closest stranger's living room and never, EVER run again.  I'm almost over it. 

I switched to MAC.  Which is nice, but seems like it is a REALLY big deal to many people.   There seems to be some sort of "club" which I haven't figured out.  But, we're a MAC family now.  Which is why my blog header is so un-header.  For now.  Until the 17yo at the APPLE store with the  know-how and incredibly creepy knowledge about the details of our life just by scanning my eye with his weird handheld device teaches me how to do things.

I'm on pinterest.  I find it the most fascinating time suck of all time.  If i cooked even 25% of what I've pinned, I'd be the next contestant on Biggest Loser.  If I did 10% of the activities in my "homeschool" board, my kids would be Doogie Howser.

I think that about covers it. 


And, in order to make myself blog, I've decided to do a 30 day challenge.

1 picture, 1 post every day for May.

I have 1 minute before I've already blown the first day.

For Pete's sake...

Give Leah a little of this..

and three minutes unsupervised..



and you get a lot of this.




You also get 231 pictures of "people" sprawled across the kitchen table.

Sleep...

is sporadic around here.

But sometimes it is the most precious ten minutes of the day.

It is madness...

No, not the fact that I haven't blogged in months.

No, not the fact that both girls have colds. Again.
And that in this picture Leah is actually trying to lick the snot off her face.
PUKE.

No, not the fact that in the background of these pictures is five baskets of laundry waiting to be folded.
Or knocked over.
Or pillaged until they empty themselves and I need to wash it all again.

The madness?

The fact that Sarah Annabeth is rapidly approaching TEN MONTHS OLD and does this kind of non-sense all the live long day.

I'm here!

Well.. not there.



Josh and Leah are there.
In the wintry mess.
In the care of their fantastic Grandmom and Pop-Pop.

Al Sarah and I, on the other hand, are here.


In California. San Diego to be exact.
Celebrating a big milestone in a friend's career and taking advantage of an opportunity to bask in sun, warmth and the Pacific.

Random blahging on the week so far:

1. My husband grew up with some wonderful people, who picked a wonderful place to live and work.
2. After weeks and weeks of horrific cold and relentless snow, sun and warmth can literally make me weep.
3. Baby Sarah travels as well as Baby Leah. Timezones may confuse her, but she is hanging in there like a champ.
4. Tourists are easy to pick out. We are the ones walking around in shorts and flip flops while everyone else is wearing coats and scarves.
5. If I remembered the photo cable this post might be interesting.

What *I* thought would be..

the darkest day in our family,

turned out to be pretty much one of the most amazing.

Happy birthday, Sweet Gwyneth!
Love,
Your Uncle, Aunt and cousins.
I would put cute pictures of my kids in pink and brown today,
but since we spent the day in the PJ's,
well...
I don't have any.

Oh, and...

GOOD LUCK, Nate and Tric!
Love,
Al & Megan,

who assure you "terrible two's" has nothing on "THREE!"

Bwhahahah!!

Why Santa just isn't a big issue..

I know parents who tell their kids straight up about "Santa".

I know parents who work hard to encourage "Santa".

In our house it is moot.

Because according to my children he might as well be a chainsaw wielding, child eating monster.

When he drove down the street on the firetruck this Christmas eve, Leah hid under the kitchen table.

When I tucked her into bed she was darn near panicking about him sneaking in and really, truly didn't believe me when I told her I was putting gifts under the tree.

When "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town" came on the radio and I started singing to the kids, "he sees you when you're sleeping" Josh burst into tears of terror.

When he dropped by our family party, Josh dove under Al's chair and Leah completely lost her mind.

So.
Thankfully, we don't have to worry about what to do about Santa.
We'll just have to find other ways to completely distort our kid's view of reality. ;)

A vague familiarity...

2005

2010



2005



2010



And apparently wrapping paper has timeless appeal.

It isn't hard to see..

which of our children clearly needs to get her hands OUT of the Christmas (crack) cookie jar.



1. Yes she is only wearing tights and a diaper.
I'm not really sure why.
2. Yes she is screaming something about "I LOVE THAT SNOW!" and did it for about five more minutes after the camera went off.
We are officially out of ibuprofen. And kiddie Valium.
3. Yes it is snowing here.
Cold. Wet. Keeping us confined.
4. Yes I still LOATHE snow.
Even on Christmas.
5. Yes she eventually fell asleep.
I found a valium.
6. Yes we got a new Flip camera for Christmas and my blog will now become that much more obnoxious.
My kids will now be moving, noise making posts instead of peaceful, quiet stills. WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!

My labor of love...

11 pieces of 2x4
stack of felt
a few hours of my time
a glue gun
(read: several puke-inducing burns, clearly I'm NOT called to be a crafter)
a few splinters
=
My Block Nativity set for the little people
Thank you Pioneer Woman for the idea, clearly there is a bit of creative divide..



Leah used it to make steps for her dollhouse..

Josh used it as targets for his new nerf gun.

Sigh.

I'm holding out hope for Sarah.

Because it isn't really about the tree.
Or the perfectly iced cookies.
Or the presents that make the children act like they're on crack.
Or spending time with family.
Or wonderful music.
Or the house being clean and decorated.
Or the firetruck with Santa.
Or the delicious dinner.
Or the stockings hung on a mantle.

Because it is simply about The Plan.

The Plan that started the moment the earth was spoken into existence.

The Plan that the one True God would send his only Son to earth, in the form of a baby, who would grow into a man that would save all of humanity.

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Among my most favorite Christmas songs,

and Third Day is certainly easy on the ears!

Merry Christmas!!