My 6yr old says some of the sweetest things some times.  He is often quite a rascal and by the time he was a year old, earned himself the nickname "Ryan the Destroyer".  But just when you think you are getting angry with him, he says something that just stops you in your tracks. Last night I told him I had to kiss the top of his head goodnight because I'm sick and don't want him to get sick.  He said he didn't mind getting sick as much as he minds seeing me feel sick....but tha...

As you can see, the holidays were exhausting at our house.  They were wonderful, happy and healthy yet I am a bit relieved they are over.  My kids don't go back to school until the 8th but the pressure of keeping everyone healthy, keeping the house clean and holiday ready, and making sure it is a Christmas to remember is over with. Santa was good to everyone at our house.  We had lots of yummy food, plenty of thoughtful gifts and lots of enjoyable visits.  It was one ...

Well, it was time to do the annual "deocrate a bzillion Christmas cookies".  My mom made about 2/3 bzillion and I made the rest with the help of the boys and they and my niece frosted and sprinkled for about an hour straight while Ashley looked on from her high chair.

Many of you have requested to see a more recent picture of our baby girl.  This is my first time attempting to post a picture.  Usually I rely on Brad for this sort of thing but he has been very busy lately.   

Many of you know that our own dharmagrl is making a kick ass baby blanket for my baby girl.  She also received a hula outfit from Texas Wahine.  She has a great grandma and great aunt who are quilting for her, a grandma who is knitting for her and today her nana delivered a special crocheted blanket.  Lucky girl! The blanket from nana is special not only because nana finished crocheting it but a dear friend, my sister's MIL, started crocheting it years ago.  That dear lady...

My 6yr old, Ryan, can be such a sweetheart.  He's a stinker a lot of the time but he is truly sweet most of the time.  The other day we were just sitting on the couch and out of the blue he said "Mommy, you know why I like my lips when you kiss me?  Because then your kiss goes down to my heart."  Isn't that sweet?  I love the way he sees things.  He has a way of expressing things that are so different.  It sure beats getting my kisses wiped off!

I don't take my kids to McD's very often but I used to take them far more often than I should have.  We have an overabundance of the toys to prove it.  Of course they never want to part with any of them. My new deal with the kids is if we go to McD's and they want a happy meal, they have to throw out two of the old toys.  It is kind of a two steps forward, one step back program.  We have already managed to wean them of expecting pop when we go out to eat.  They b...

This weekend my mom called to deliver the shocking news that my cousin/aunt was found hanged in her home.  To clarify, cousin/aunt means she is my uncle's daughter but she got taken away from him and my grandparents then adopted her making her legally my aunt (and to make things really confusing, legally her father is her brother).  Yes, I'm a hick.  There are a few "uncle, daddy, Bob" situations in my mom's side of the family. My poor cousin's life got off to a rotten start be...

Today has been a very relaxing day.  They kids woke up around 9:30 and went straight to playing with each other so I stayed in bed for a while.  It wasn't until about 11 when Alex came in and told me he was starting to get hungry. We all had a nice brunch together and boys took their dishes to the sink like the good boys they are.  Then it was back to playing.  They drew me some pictures and explained the stories that went with them.  Ryan still likes to sit on my lap...

My kindergartner, Ryan, got his first loose tooth this morning.  Just as I was seeing his brother off to school he came up and said "Mommy, I have a wiggle tooth".  When he smiled I could see one of his front bottom teeth jutting forward in an unnatural position.  He was beaming! His brother was good about letting me give his teeth a little tug when they wouldn't come out on their own.  Knowing this guy, he will probably yank them himself.  I think the tooth fairy wil...

We are fixing up the bigger of the boys' bedrooms for them to share so we can make the other into the nursery.  They picked out the paint color, fabric for curtains and the bunkbeds!  The bunkbeds arrived today and they are soooo cool! It is actually a loft bed with an area for a bed underneath.  There are shelves and cubbies on one end and a desk on the other.  The headboard underneath has its own corkboards to display artwork created at the attached desk.  I think B...

My 5yr old is such a sweetie. We were talking the other day about where things come from and why. He knows that mommy has a baby growing in her tummy. He believes in God and that God made everything. He asked me "Do you know how God makes people?" I told him I really didn't but asked what he thought. He said "I think maybe the Tooth Fairy takes our teeth to God and he uses them to make new people when somebody dies." I thought that was a clever and imaginitive theory that I had ne...

Our 5yr old son, Ryan, is so much like his daddy.  It is kind of spooky sometimes.  As he gets older we see more and more similarities. We started calling him Brad's mini-me at an early age because he looks so much like him physically.  His hands, feet, and build are almost identical.  There are pictures of Brad when he was 4 or 5 that you would be hard pressed to be able to discern from some pictures of Ryan. The spooky part is the mannerisms.  Ry chews exactly li...

My 3rd grade son Alex went to a "slumber" party last night.  I have never seen that kid that tired in his life!  Apparently the other boys were pulling pranks on the ones who fell asleep so Alex refused to give them the chance to pull anything on him.  He was not a happy camper when I picked him up at noon. He is one of those kids, like most of us, who gets very wobbly and clumsy when they are over tired.  Apparently the boys all went outside to play after breakfast and Al...

I have talked to a lot of friends about their mothers.  Relationships range from being totally estranged to being like best friends.  I find it fascinating how parental relationships affect how people mature and evolve. I am extremely fortunate in the parent department.  Don't get me wrong, my parents certainly have flaws but doling out unconditional love and acceptance has not been one of them.  My parents always made me feel loved and valued.  I never had to worry a...