Dessert!!

Most days the only way I can get all of my kids to actually eat all of their lunch is to bribe them with dessert. Normally I just do some yogurt with some fruit and they are perfectly happy with that but there are days when I feel like spoiling them. Today was one of those day! As they were finishing up their lunch I whipped up some marshmallows dipped in chocolate!! Have you ever tried to NOT eat something so delicious? Not possible....I snuck one but there are lots more sitting on my counter and I WILL NOT sneak anymore!! I promise!!

I loved watching how each of them enjoyed the deliciousness differently. Glad I didn't take a picture of myself :) I just crammed it all in in one bite!

Sweet sweet kids!!

Cup of Coffee

This morning my day started at 5:45, like most mornings. I got up and ran 3 miles then got home just in time to change clothes and make a pot of coffee before my kids started showing up! By 7:10 I had four extra kids! My boys, including John, all got up around 7:30 and I made us eggs and toast. I kissed my man good bye (something about my hardworking man leaving the house with food in his tummy as he goes out to work his butt off for us makes me feel so blessed) and our day began!! The 3 big kids got mud clothes on, sunscreen slimmed on and headed out to play in the mud. I absolutely love the little giggles that I hear through the windows open and the fresh air blowing through the house. At about 9:00 I laid down the 3 babies and cleaned up from breakfast, fed chickens, broke up fights outside, got the mail, did a load of laundry, mopped the floor, broke up more fights and then it was only 10:30!!! One of "my" other kids showed up and she joined the big kids out in the mud. Man how I love the mud!!! Pretty soon the babies woke up and were hungry!!!! I put them all in high chairs give them some chicken and rice casserole and some oranges to munch on while I make the big kids some pasta with sauce and cheese and a side of grapes. The weather was so nice we couldn't pass up having a little picnic out on the cute little picnic table my love bought at an auction last summer. So as I was setting their plates on the table and they start chowing down I see John turning the corner to come home for lunch. Right then is when I get the "I failed" feeling in my stomach. If it is one thing I absolutely don't like is when I feel like I am not serving my husband as well as I could be :( He works so hard to provide for us. I hate that I didn't have any lunch ready for him. Poor guy had to warm up himself some chicken and rice casserole, which is NOT one of his favorite meals. I know it doesn't bother him as much as it bothers me. He still loves me :) By then the kids where all done eating lunch and were back at it in the mud, the babies were playing and I was finding some food to scarf before the next step began. NAP TIME!!!! I gave each of the babies a bottle or sippy cup. One of them has breastmilk, one has whole milk and one has formula!!! Phew, that is just a chore right there keeping up with who gets what in what cup! One by one the babies lay down and pass out. I hear some fighting and arguing and screaming going on with the big kids which means they are TIRED!!! I lined them all up on the grass, rinsed off all the mud and dirt, brought them in the house and put warm dry clothes on all four of them then laid them all on the couches for rests and a movie. Within minutes they are all fast asleep. Oh no, my job is not done! I hurried to the kitchen to unload and load the dishwasher, cleaned out nasty food from the fridge and fed it to the chickens, wiped down high chairs, washed random dishes and swept the floor. Ok, now are you ready for this????? By this time of the day I am ready for a minute to myself and A CUP OF COFFEE!!!!! I warmed up a cup from the pot I made this morning just like I do everyday around this time after doing the same crazy thing every single day. I put a whole scoop of sugar and some half and half in it swirled it around and took a sip of that heaven in a cup!!! For the next 30 minutes I am going to savor every sip of this cup of coffee and enjoy peaking at all SEVEN of the sweet little blessings that are napping in my house!!! I am truly blessed to be a part of all of these little lives! The smiles and giggles and whining and crying are all such a blessing. I can't wait until they all wake up and I get to give each of them a big fat hug and tell them I love them!! But for now I am sitting here enjoying my cup of coffee!!

Buzz Lightyear

Blake's best friend Jakoby has a "really cool Buzz with wings"! I can't tell you how often Blake asks to go to Jakoby's house so he can play with Buzz. Well Kellyn, Jakoby's mommy, asked last Friday if Blake could go play. So he spent the afternoon at Jakoby's house and when he came home guess what Jakoby lent him?!?! BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!! That silly toy went everywhere with Blake! I warned Blake all weekend that when Miss Kellyn came to pick Jakoby up on Monday that Buzz had to go home with her. It didn't make the separation any easier :( His heart was completely broken. Almost made me cry! I think I might have to buy a Buzz Lightyear for Blake!

This is Buzz all snuggled up with my sweet boy! 

EASTER!!!!!

The Thursday before Easter I was supposed to have a house full of 3 year olds! Like 4 of them!! Yikes! I had to call in help so we could make some yummy Easter cookies. Of course I called my mom, Mama Bobbie! Turns out I only had 2 little boys (besides the 3 babies that were napping). Blake and his best buddy Jakoby had a lot of fun and a lot of sugar while we made cookies! I tell ya, boys are so funny when it comes to certain things. Cookies being one of them. All they could think about was cutting, squishing, throwing, biting, and licking the dough. Mom and I had some good giggles while hanging with the boys.

Mom was getting after Blake for eating too much dough :)

While the cookies were baking the boys had to kill some things that were just sneaking around my house.

On to frosting the cookies.

As soon as he put a blob of frosting on his first cookie he decided he better taste test it.....

"Just one more taste!" for the 20th time!!!

On Saturday night we had a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt. I bought some little glow sticks and eggs at the dollar store and stuffed the eggs. We invited a bunch of friends, made a pot of super yummy soup and had a blast. Even though my house is so tiny I love packing it full of friends and family and having a good time. I didn't get any pictures of the actual egg hunt for 2 reasons. I have a hard time adjusting my camera settings to take good pictures in the dark and also the hunt lasted a whole 6-7 minutes!  

Blake was all "peeped up"!

I made this super yummy cake for the party!

The boys (men) were microwaving peeps to watch them get HUGE!!!

Trying to get a picture of this many kids is hard work!

He was so excited after the glow in the dark hunt. I think mostly because it was 9:00 at night and he was allowed to have chocolate!!

Coloring eggs here always turns into John drawing all over the eggs with crayons and Blake getting bored and me just sitting and watching! I am too OCD to color eggs....I get so frustrated that they aren't as perfect as ones you see in magazines! Stupid I know!

Meet John Jr! "Don't take my picture!!!"

Doing his crayon magic.

See the HUGE eggs? Those are our duck eggs from or pretty white ducks. We were curious if they would dye the same as chicken eggs. In conclusion, our farm chicken and duck eggs didn't take dye as well as the store bought white eggs.

I woke up Easter morning at 6:00 remembering that I needed to fill the boys' baskets and that the ties that I made them still needing a couple stitches in them. Every time I do last minute things like that it makes me think of my mom and how much moms do behind the scenes of any occasion. I love all the behind the scenes work and wouldn't trade it for anything in the whole world!!

Trever man and his first Easter basket!

This picture turned out really weird!

Love these two! What am I going to do when they don't fit on my lap at the same time?!?! Gosh darn time, would you please slow down!!!

It just dawned on me now after looking at this picture that Blake was eating candy! Well no wonder he wouldn't sit still one bit during church!!

If Blake would have been looking this picture would have been perfect! Blake was too concerned about Buzz Lightyear. I will do another post about that later!!!

After church we went to John's Uncle Keith and Aunt Laurie's house for some Easter ham and other delish food!! Blake played with some cousins and rode his bike. It was a nice relaxing day. We eventually made our way home and took naps. Then we headed to my parents for some more Easter food and family!

YUMMY JELLO!!!

After Easter lunch I snuggled this sweet little man for a nice long nap!

HE IS RISEN!!!!!!

Fresh Mountain Air

A couple Sundays ago we decided to get out of Dodge and go visit the mountains! We live soooo close to them but hardly get to enjoy them together as a family. My parents were headed up to my Dad's childhood friends cabin above the Rio Grande Reservoir so Mom asked if we wanted to tag along! Of course we did. It might we one of the prettiest, calmest, happiest places around! When I was a little kiddo my parents used to take us up there all the time and we would ride horses, hike, bbq, camp, ride bikes, do puzzles, read books, and use the outhouses! hehe Funny the things you remember from childhood! It was so nice to get out and just BREATH!!

I love to watch him think and drive :)

We were walking the creek and saw this bear hair stuck to a branch!

Teachin' em young!

We were trying to take a picture by the river and looked down and Blake was getting ready to pee off the cliff! SERIOUSLY!?!? He thinks he needs to pee EVERYWHERE!!!

"Awe, much better!" got that taken care of now Trever can't keep his eyes off the river!

Trev fell asleep in the sling so Blake wanted to take a picture.

This was in our friends cabin way up in the beauty of the mountains!! If we could John would move up to some place like this and never be seen again!

Even the dog knew where to sit and just take it all in!

I can't wait to go back up there in the summer time and see it all green!!