Brianna's Room Makeover

Brianna's main birthday present this year was a bedroom makeover. It took me a week longer than I had expected, but she says it was worth the wait. I hadn't calculated all the interruptions that five children would create : )

I gave her walls a fresh coat of "apple-green" paint.

I spray painted 12 in. wooden letters and decorated them with vinyl wall stickers.

To create a reading bench, I moved her foot bench behind her head board and made the red and white cushions. Adhesive velcro was a must- have for this project.

Her "custom" bulletin board was the most elaborate project. I bought a roll of cork then cut strips of colored foam and arranged them so they would match the opposite side of her comforter.

I arranged vinyl stickers on her wall to mimic the patterns of her new comforter.

Omelet Underwear and a Black Eye

I've been busier than usual since the kids are out of school, so I haven't had as much time to update our blog.  Here is a collage of some of the events from the past month:

 Omelet Underwear - When Mason and I were sharing an omelet, half way through eating, he pointed out that it looked like his underwear.  And it does, well the shape of it that is : )

Black Eye - Gage slipped in the tub and got his first shiner.
Lap Time - Gabe has been working really long hours this month, so when he came home both little boys didn't want to wait a turn, so they shared his lap. 
Birthday- Brianna turned eleven on May 29th, I used fondant for the first time on her cake and it turned out great (if you don't look too close).
Firetruck - For a preschool activity the kids were given a box to make a vehicle, I may have gone a little overboard, but it beat doing the dishes!  Pretzels - My boys love pretzel rods, it's a main staple at our house.
Everyone Duck - Gabe took the kids camping the first weekend in June and they also got to do some target shooting.

 These black and white photos are of the boys from their camping trip

That's a top ramen noodle dangling off of Tucker's hat

First bloom

         Three years ago my mom bought this lilac bush for our backyard.  It has survived multiple transplants, numerous collisions from kids and being chewed down to almost nothing by our fleeting ownership of a black lab puppy. This bush has thrived despite, or perhaps because of the challenges life has presented to it. This Spring it bloomed for the first time! I am amazed at this plants vitality and persistence to grow.

         It may seem silly, but I have learned a valuable lesson from my lilac bush. Now when I pass it by, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes, "That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Operation: Get Well Catherine

For family night yesterday, the kids helped make a Get Well Video for Catherine.  Hopefully this will raise her spirits a bit, but if laughing is counter productive to her health, then we probably just made things worse... but you can decide for yourself.

Happy Mother's Day!

The only thing I really want on Mother's Day, is to be able to sleep in without kids banging on my door every 30 seconds and to not have to clean anything all day : )

For my mom, I love you and am so excited to see you in 2 months!  Enjoy this slide show made just for you.

Thirty-five!!!

In honor of turning 35 and his fascination with fire, I made Gabe a creative cake for his birthday. Two of his favorite things are zombies and camping, but for me it wasn't much of a toss up in deciding what type of cake to make. I had to deviate from the original directions and was worried it wouldn't turn out as I had envisioned, but it actually worked out better.

Campfire Cake

I was able to bring in the zombie theme with an altered version of "Don't Eat Pete".
(But I have to give credit it to Elizabeth for making it for me, thanks!)

Gage especially enjoyed playing the game, but we bent the rules a little and let him eat Zombie Pete.

Goblin Valley

Gabe took the 4 older kids camping last weekend to Goblin Valley.  They had a lot of fun, got really dirty (the inside of our van is covered in a film of red dust), and made lots of good memories.

Young Imaginations

Gage is 13 months old now and has started doing imaginary play.  My older boys didn't start until they were 3, so I'm not sure if this is typical, but as doting parents we think he's brilliant : )

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Mason has a very creative imagination and with two older brothers he has a lot of material to draw from. When the older kids are at school Mason rules the roost and can play without being disturbed. Which equates to less screaming and fewer headaches for Mommy.

Masonisms

March 3, 2011 - I was working in the kitchen and Mason was sitting behind me at the table.  He was talking to me and I was listening, but I had my back to him.  He said my name a few times, then exclaimed, "Mommy, look at my eyes!"  I turned around a little confused, then realized that he was saying exactly what I say to our boys when I want to make sure they are listening to me, "Look at my eyes".

March 19, 2011 -  Mason had come in from playing in the sandbox and was quite dirty, so I helped him take off all his clothes in our down stairs bathroom, then told him to run up stairs quick.  He replied, "quick?".  I answered, "yes, quick. You are naked so you need to run upstairs fast so you can hop in the tub". He stubbornly retorted, "NO, I not naked!". I countered, "yes you are". He again insisted, "NO. I not naked!". "Mason", I explained, "you don't have any clothes on, so you are naked". With a look that read 'as a matter of fact', he replied "No, I not naked", then pointing down to his feet said, "I have socks"!

A Whale of a Tale

This is the kids reenactment of the story of Jonah.  They came up with most of the dialogue themselves, apart from borrowing some lyrics from Veggie Tales