Happy Valentines Day

I am not really a big celebrator of Valentines Day.  However it is fun to do special things with the kids.  This year we made a heart pizza, it was very tasty!

And we got 6 more chickens.  They are about 4 weeks old.  So in about 4 to 6 months we will have an abundance of fresh eggs that we would like to sell... so we can pay for their food.

The kids love the new little chicks, and I am grateful that we didn't get a puppy or a kitty.  I am always amazed at how they are so self reliant.  We just give them food water and a heat lamp and they take care of themselves.  I don't have to wake up with them during the night or anything.  Great pets to have.  -Ma

Update

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but when one hasn't blogged/journalized in a while it just feels like you don't know where you want to start.

CHRISTMAS:  We had a really good Christmas.  Pa and the kids were all sick with vomit and other stuff.  So we were not able to have our family come for the dinner that we had planned for. We are however very grateful that Katie was able to take over and have dinner and the family at her house.  All of the places we planned to go to they came to us.  That was a fun change.  I was actually able to clean up the "Christmas mess".

DAVID TURNED 5:  Christmas day David turned 5.  That was the day that he was most sick.  It was funny because he opened his stocking I think it was something like 4 am.  He was wide awake and he wouldn't let me or Pa sleep.  But then when it was time to open presents later that day he was so out of it.  He didn't even know what he got.  It was a few days later that he started noticing new stuff, and he would get so excited, "Look what I got!" he would say.

JACOB GOT FROSTNIP:  He was eating a popsicle and his finger was touching it for too long. He came to me screaming.  I could tell that he was in pain but didn't know it was that sever.  I took the popsicle away, washed his hand off and the skin was a bright red.  He wouldn't let me touch it.  So I put him down and didn't think much of it.  However he got a blister.  Shocked that this happened I had to find out if he had frostbite or something of that sort.  I turned to a really good book that my Mom had gotten me, Healthwise Handbook A Self-Care Guide For You By Yavapai Regional Medical Center.  This is what it said, "First degree ("frostnip"):  Skin is Whitish or Red and tingling or burning, but there is little likelihood of blistering if it is rewarmed promptly."  Who would have thought?  A popsicle???  Crazy!!

PA TOOK A TWO WEEK BREAK FROM WORK:  This is always fun, I love it when he is home. It is however a little nerve wracking to take time off because of the times.  It feels like one has to prove themselves at work just to keep their job.

WE WENT TO SHOOTING IN THE DESERT:  Poor kids loved being in the desert but didn't like the sound of the gun.  Pa loves to get out though.  We would have loved going camping however it is too cold at night especially for kids.

Kids playing with bubbles

HAD FUN AT THE PARK:  I don't know what happened but I am now in underline mode and I don't know how to fix it.

Feeding the ducks

I know there is more that has happened, but life is calling, I need to be a Mom now.

Till later. -Ma

Because They Are Famiwy

After putting the nativity set out.  The kids love to look and touch.  I don't know what kid wouldn't because the set is from Dreamsicles and they have the cutest faces.  If they weren't breakable I would let the kids play with them.  I remember when I was little and my mom would put out the nativity set I loved to take Jesus out and just hold him, I felt closer to Jesus when I did this.  So I try not to get mad when they are touching.

Back to the story...

Abby climbed up on a little table up to the shelf with the nativity set.  I noticed her up there as I was passing by and I stated, "You can look but please don't touch."

Later I was passing by again and Abby was still on the table looking at the set.  However the set was now clustered together in a tight circle.

I said, "Abby, I asked you not to touch."

Abby said, "I not touching Mommy, I just looking."

Me, "Abby, they moved and I asked you not to touch."

Abby, "I not touching Mommy, I just looking."

Me, "Abby, if you're not touching, how did they move?"

Abby, "Because they are Famiwy.  They are together."

-Ma

You are Unique

I love to go to Costco... most of the time just to get the fun food.  What better thing to do than walk around a LARGE busy store and get food along the way?

Okay so more than the food I love the cute little lady's that hand out the food.  Some are grouchy... but that is another story!  And some are so nice.  Pa and I went to Costco on Veterans Day and they were passing out yummies.  We talked with two ladies, one about soy milk.  And the other about how the world is and what it was.  She was passing out cottage cheese with blue berries, we talked about what it was like in her time.  If you have moldy cottage cheese scrap off the top and eat the rest, don't let it go to waste.  We talked of how I was taught to scrape the inside of the egg when you crack it (don't waste anything).  We talk of how there was no room for wants in her time.  We talked of flat screen T.V.'s.  Then we talked of our tiny house and how it is squishy but we are happy that we have each other.  She spoke of how couples need to hold on to each other to make it.  How it is more important to have a family, children.

Then she looked at our cute and unruly children, we were in the refrigerated isle and they were walking on the ledge by the doors.   She said, "You are unique.  It is nice that you are able to put your family first and not the world."

I am very thankful for a great family, we might not have a house that fits our family by the worlds standards.  Or a two car garage that can hold our unneeded stuff.  Or two full sized bathrooms.  Or even a flat screen T.V..  But we do have each other and a lot of love that goes around and I am so thankful for that.  I will take being unique. -Ma

Happy Halloween

Emma was a beautiful TIGER!!  Grandma Maggie found a dress at a garage sale. We then put a tail on and made some cute ears.

Poor David always gets the short end of the stick. First he wanted to be an elf. Then he changed his mind, he wanted to be a tiger because Grandma Maggie also found a tiger costume that probably fits up to a size 3. It could have worked but he felt uncomfortable. so we went to a friends house and borrowed a couple of costumes. A dragon and Nemo the fish. Dragon he wore to the library for story time and the parade through the library. Dragon was too small also and he was very uncomfortable. So fish... that fit except for the sleeves were too short and tight. So, I thought we could make up a pirates costume how cute would that be??? We went to target to find a red bandana... went past the halloween stuff and found that everything was 30% off. We then found a costume... THE WHITE POWER RANGER!

Abigail went as a CARE BEAR.  Costume fits sizes 3 to 12 months.

Jacob was the cutest TURTLE ever!

Ma and Pa went as Ma and Pa.

Thank you Maggie and Diana for letting us use the costumes.  

We had tons of fun this halloween, we went to the trunk or treat at church.  Ate chili and hot dogs, played games, and got too much candy of course!

Jacob was fun, very independent.  He had his own agenda the whole night, walking everywhere and of course climbing on the chairs.

As we were trunk or treating, we were walking as a family, and I think Emma got tired of waiting for everyone, so she went ahead probably about 8 cars ahead.  (Anyone that knows me knows that I am a spaz when it comes to keeping a close eye on my kids.)  When I caught up with her, she said, "Mom, I wasn't scared.  I felt very brave going all by myself."  I know she is 6 and she is perfectly capable of doing this on her own especially when I can see her the whole time.  Another thing I need to work on... letting go.  -Ma

Independence Day Family Portraits

Link to more family portraits