Lake Powell

Here are some pictures of our Lake Powell trip.



Here is the water trampoline the kids get to jump on and the surrounding scenery:






Here is the houseboat!



And some of my crazy kids!




Emma trying to ski:


Kenna on the knee board before she fell off and refused to get back on:


Emma knee boarding:


FUN TIMES!

Random Pics

Just a few pictures I've taken the last week or so:

Spencer blowing bubbles at the table:


The kids sitting with Grandma Pulsipher last week during her quickie visit:


The monkeys piling up on daddy:


Emma and Dodger taking a nap one day:

Nickelodeon......

Mackenna has been making weird comments all day - like telling me I needed some of that Kaboom cleaner or whatever it is that the oxy clean guy does commercials for ('it makes clean-up easy, mom'). Just now when I was putting Spencer in a diaper for night time she comes up to me and says, "Mom, he needs Cruisers......they're comfort flex." When I started laughing at her she said, 'What?! They're Pampers!" I think it's safe to say that me sleeping in while they watch Nickelodeon could be potentially damaging. Who knows what ELSE they're seeing?

Hobby Lobby

Just a couple pictures I snapped today - the girls were playing in their room and when I went in to check on them they showed me their latest creation:


Seriously, where do they come up with this stuff?

Sean is home today and it is nice to have him home after his being gone to scout camp for a couple days. We took the kids to swim lessons (he most obligingly took Spencer to his parent and child class today, so I could have a break). Then we came home and I got this one of Kenna & Daddy:


Lastly, I have been feeling like I wanted to try a new hobby lately. My favorite one is going to Walmart, but it is also one I am trying to kick - and it seems like all my other hobbies cost money too. So, when I used up all my scrap fabric making skirts I decided to try something I did in college again. (Okay, that sounds really bad.) I did a sketch from one of my baby pictures for an experimental psyche class. So the other day I drove to a park by myself and started my new project. Here is the picture I drew it from:


And here is my drawing:


I'm not completely happy with it, (especially the me part), but it's something I can do while the tv's on, and paper and pencils are pretty cheap! I know, I should be cleaning or organizing cupboards, or maybe even tackling the heaps of laundry lying around the house. But I firmly believe that we all deserve one outlet that makes us happy every day.

POSITIVES

I'm feeling a bit negative today, so I thought I should list some positives:

1. Spencer is doing awesome potty training - woke up dry this morning AND after nap, and hasn't had an accident all day. He is really getting it.

2. NO MORE BUYING DIAPERS!

3. I got to take a nap with the kids today.

4. I read Harry Potter to the kids today.

5. I made breakfast today.

6. My children were fed and watered and taken care of all day.

7. Sean has a job.

8. I get to stay home with the kids. (this could possibly be construed as a negative, but I'll call it positive today).

9. Mackenna hasn't had any accidents in quite a while.

10. I'm halfway through laundry.

11. I'm married to an understanding and considerate guy (don't comment that it didn't make in until #11 or I'll kill you, Sean.)

12. We have a house to live in and food to eat.

13. It's 6:55, and bedtime is in an hour.

But WHY?

Today I made all my kids nap with me. The girls woke up before any of us, and I asked them to go do something quietly while the rest of us were still sleeping. I love hearing their conversations when they don't think I'm listening. They were talking about things like why the bees quit making honey in The Bee Movie, why they liked one Care Bear more than the other, etc. Then the following dialogue ensued:

(Kenna): "Emma, why does it snow?"
(Emma): "Because we NEED snow, Kenna. It's important."
(Kenna): "But WHY is snow important?"
(Emma): "Snow is important because.....without it we couldn't have.....Christmas."

I love it. Here I was thinking she would say something like our crops would die or the land would be dried out. Nope, she knows the real deal.

BIG CHANGES.....

Today we started potty training.....officially. I think Spencer has been ready for a while, but I haven't :). I don't know why today is different than any other day, but he has done a good job. He sits on the potty and pushes with all his might, produces a drop or two of urine and a little rabbit pellet of the other - we go dump it and wash hands, and he wants to do it again. Back and forth to the potty all morning. But it is good. Tomorrow we will go buy him some 'big boy' underwear.

Also, since that is one big milestone, we decided to take down his crib too. He kind of has to be able to get out by himself to go potty, so we put up his toddler bed. Hopefully we don't have a horribly long night since he loves his bed and he hasn't had a nap at all today!

Last thing - look at this shiner. He fell off a an empty cooler and clipped his chin on the corner of a shoe shelf. OUCH.

I swear, the kid has no sense of balance - or maybe his equalibrium is just off. He's constantly knocking his head into something. Then again, if my body was in the 5th percentile and my head was in the 90th, I would feel top heavy too.