Happy birthday

We had a fun weekend- celebrating a birthday-

Go Go Diego style.

My oldest son- was very helpful... he created an obstical course...

where rescue hero's had to go around under- in and out... to rescue a stuffed animal at the top of the slide...

then slide down

and the next Rescue Hero starts the course.

We're BACK!

Since the kids were gone Christmas vacation- and since
hockey hasn't started yet..
they wanted to invite a few friends over.

(well- actually I don't know if they invited them over or not... )

I just woke up Saturday morning with a house FULL of kids!

We had a XBOX kinect- Sports challenge/Pancake morning...



and then...
as quickly as they came...
I looked up
while washing dishes
and
they were GONE!

Onto another house no doubt....
probably
trying to score another breakfast-- from a different mom.

It's never too late

Here is my adorable IRON MAN- Today he was saying he wanted to go Trick or Treating again.
I tried to explain- it was a ONCE a YEAR kind of treat.

Well- he and his friends went out to prove me wrong.
They came running back 10 min later... with candy...
"Mom we trick or treat again!"

Looks like-- if you are 4 you can trick or treat even into Nov!



I took this picture and then - noticed my living room floor.

I know- Last post I said I was a flybaby... and look
at this conflicting photographic evidence!






But this is the culprit-
why my floor is never clean.


I pick them up- and then he just dumps them back out.

They need to be out and about- you never know when you are going to want to make ships and such.


It's funny because after I clean them up...
he comes back in ...
and sighs a big frustration....
as if to say...
"who keeps putting these away! I always have to dump them out!"





Here is our pumpkin..
and his pumpkin face....

Play of the Dawn Treader highlights

I've got to run---
but I wanted to post some pictures of our
AMAZING
Play in a Week
Production of
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
(a Narnia story)


My youngest was a "Sea Warrior"
(My husband was opposed to the term mermen.)







Second son-- one of Caspian's sailors

the only Sailor who didn't wear the right color pants.
(what a flaky mom! How did I NOT read the email I wrote and sent out... about costumes!?!?)


















Another one of my youngest...
he practiced
all week-
and then
when it came down to performing... he had no interest!
(dang- stubborn 4 year olds!)

But he was the cutest Sea Warrior of all...




and then the last picture is of a friend of ours...

actually
Anjeny's son..
He was Aslan.



He helped create his costume... that is just cut brown butcher paper/ brown paper bag.. type stuff..

more details to come..
like I said..
I gotsta run!


Oh- Oldest son was the head of a Sea Monster
and third son was a slave...

It was a fun- exhausting week.

We had a birthday this month!

All my son wanted for his birthday was this skateboard.so... we ordered it a few weeks before his birthday - so he could have it in time.
Then a few days before his birthday-
he was playing soccer... and goofed up his foot.

On crutches for a week...
Just so happens-- the week of his birthday! Here he is going off to school ... poor, poor birthday boy.

Poor guy has waited months for his skateboard...and had to wait a few more days before he could use it. Isn't that how life always happens?

Family Tradition:

Birthday boys always get to pick dinner and dessert.

It was a fun- low/key/family birthday of board games and pizza with chocolate chip cookies.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Long Awaited Puppy Pictures!

We've had Bauer for 3 weeks now.

Here is my son... exhausted from me trying to get a cute photo of Bauer...

I was not exaggerating.

This is a non-photogenic pup.

Here my son is-- waking up early to walk the dog.

What a good son.

Over- all... Bauer is adorable.

He can sit and lay down... (if we have a treat)

He is great on walks...

he is a hesitant running companion...

(he's still young)

He is friendly and good with other dogs and kids...

He'll fetch for two throws.. and then he wises up and wont chase the ball.

(He just lays down and rolls over... and gives me a look like, "I know all you are going to do is throw it again- once I get it. So what's the point?")

He's so cute.

So far... so good.

Homework Blues....

It's only August and we are already back to school... my kids are suffering a little from the "homework blues".

I can tell because besides the usual side effects my kids have added an extra
complaint to homework...

"He's looking at me!"

"Stop Looking at me! "

and " He's started it!"

I didn't know how distracting that could be ... when trying to write spelling words or while working on a math sheet... but the gaze of a brother has some kind of drilling effect that burrows into the brain and causes all kinds of confusion... so to keep the peace and my sanity.. I made some dividers out of file folders.

I simply snipped off the tabs of one folder... and glued two together to get a nice tri-fold.

I even added pockets that can hold weekly spelling lists... or flash cards of multiplication facts...

Honestly- it has worked out nicely.

It's still new... so we'll see if it is a long term solution...

but for this week... it has helped.

And lets face it- I am working day-by-day.