trouble

Mom!!!  Come get me!!  Mom!!   Mom!!!   I'm stuck!!!

Casey turns 8

Anticipated as usual, this kid loves his birthday.  Casey celebrated his eighth birthday and proclaimed it, "The best birthday ever."  Love him tons.  

So, here are eight reasons we love this eight year old.

1.  Casey shows his emotions very clearly on his face.  He may not want to say anything at all, but his face tells you everything.

2.  Casey still love star wars and who couldn't love someone who knows everything there is to know about just about every star wars character ever imagined.

3.  Piano.  You just have to melt as you watch him struggle to learn a new song.  He usually starts out by  using his right hand to press down the fingers of his left hand.  But, after a while, he gets it, has it memorized and is ready for the next challenge.  I love watching Casey turn his weaknesses into strengths.

4.  His quiet nature.  Oh, how we love him for that.  In a house full of loud, aggressive (I mean that in the nicest way), competitive kids, it sure is nice to have a quiet one amid the storm.

5.  Casey is a listener.  Without anyone else knowing, Casey knows what is going on in a room.  Because he is quiet, he can be part of something without anyone else knowing and then use that to his advantage. 

6.  We love Casey because he loves to play.  And, he loves to play anything and has the greatest imagination.  Many a day we have full battle scenes with heroes and heroines scooching across the floor. 

7.  We love Casey because he loves his little sisters.  He is a HUGE help and usually chooses to "be in charge" of one of them when Ron and I are going out.  I know I can trust him and the little one who is his "buddy" is the lucky duck of the day.

8.  I know I have said it before, but Casey is VERY loyal.  Once a friend, always a friend and I couldn't ask for a better friend in the world.  

Love you, Casey, and Happy Birthday!!

Anna's big day

 Anna's big day.  Although everyday is a big day with Anna.

5:55 - Wakes up with a smile and running

6:15 - pancakes with syrup.  syrup spilled on table.  doesn't faze her. just continues to dip pancakes in syrup

6:16 - 6:30 up and down from the table dripping syrup as she goes.  eating 2 bites at each sitting

6:40 - takes sam to school with me after being washed up

7:10 - dumps books out of basket to find her favorite ones for the day. discards those she isn't in the mood for.

7:12 - requests Pinkalicious to be read.  and she means now.

7:20 - starts making her "preschool lunch" which consists of chips, granola bar, applesauce, caprisun, and cookies. super healthy.  all wrapped up in a walmart sack

7:30 -Pulls the play kitchen over to the closet and coaxes Jill into climbing up and getting down the bucket of babies.

7:35 - dumps the baby bucket searching for Susie

 7:38 - starts to eat her "preschool lunch".  first up, chips

7:45 - pulls all of her clothes out of her drawer to search for an acceptable outfit. tutu, inside out, with a pink shirt.  tries to put leggings on from last fall.  too small for her new "preschool lunch" body.

7:55 - goes to wash her chip fingers in the bathroom sink.  leaves the water on.

8:00 - takes Jill and Casey to school with me.  asks where Anna's preschool class is and when does it start. requests playing with the ducks in Mrs. Cawvey's room.

8:30 - back home, starts on the granola bar and searches for something that is still unknown in the toy buckets.  three buckets later, it is still not found, but every other toy is now on the floor.

9:00 settles into a little Max and Ruby time

9:14 - brings me a diaper and wipes informing me that it is time to change her.  do you think it is time to potty train.  she says it is. 

9:45 ices her legs with the bags of ice from the freezer

9:46 done icing

9:50 begs to take a shower

10:00 helps dump clothes into the washer.  white, green, socks, navy blue.  it doesn't matter

10: 15 - runs to walmart with me.  brings her "preschool cookies," smearing crumbs and chocolate everywhere.  I use a dry wipe to get off the big chunks and lick my finger to get off the rest.  she then hangs onto the front of the basket as we zoom along to be done in time to get Jill.

10:30-11:00 begs for fruit snacks for her preschool lunch.  or maybe some candy too.

11:15 - gets Jill with me.  so excited.

11:18 - scratches Jill's cheek because it is still her turn to plays mom's phone.

11:30 - runs into my bed and gets hurt "so bad."

11:45 - plays babies with Jill, but won't let Jill play with Susie.

12:00 - eats the rest of the preschool lunch, spilling applesauce on the carpet.

12:15 - runs into the laundry room to tell me there is a snake in the mudroom.

12:16 - I investigate to find the rubber snake on the floor.  Must have been what she was looking for earlier.

12:25 - sopping wet from giving the snake a bath.  change of clothes.  this time chosen by me.

1240 - plays outside with Jill, spreading petals from the roses all over the rocks to make a birdbath.  water gets turned on and another change of clothes is needed.

1:00 -  nap time

3:00 - wakes up ready for a snack.  nothing left in "preschool lunch".  maybe another granola bar?

3:30 - picks kids up from school.  sings "small potato" over and over for 45 minutes while we drive all around town.

4:30 - locks herself in the car with the keys.  fifteen minutes of instructing her through the window which button to push.  finally pushes the button with her elbow.  lots of tears and lots of hugs to mom when she gets out.

5:00 - goes with us to watch kids at gym so sam can have a much needed nap.  walks the beam.  falls off the beam.  it hurt "so bad."  cries, but brave.  always brave.  spills a water bottle on the floor.  washes her hands three times, with soap.  gets a stamp from Miss Veda.  smears the ink all over her face.  washes her hands and face, with soap.  again.

6:00   eats some pizza for dinner, a few watermelon pieces, and oranges.  yeah.  completed the food guide pyramid.

6:30 - colors in her Care Bears book and spreads crayons from here to there.

6:45 - plays with Zach. plays with Casey.  Maggie reads her a book.  bath.

7:00 - sings Popcorn Popping for family home evening.

7:15 - crawls all over the couch, distracting even the best of us

7:45 - gets out her "scrippies" to take her turn during scriptures

8:00 - bedtime.  after three songs, kissed good night by me

8:02 - calls for dad to come and check on her

8:03 -  three songs by dad

8:07 - says, "mom I need you."

8:10 - mom checks on her again to lay down the law

8:12 - one last kiss and a sigh by the mom.

8:15 - sleeping.  and she really is lovely.

Isaac

Welcome rainy day schedule.  Isaac is on its way.  

The first drops fell today after school.  Three minutes later, the kids were out "singing in the rain."  We are lucky to not have the extreme forces of the full-blown hurricane, but, for us in these parts, the rain is a blessing. We have been closely watching the weather channel all week, anticipating some severe weather.  It must have put Jill on edge because yesterday she and Anna got on their snow coats -with the hoods- to be ready for the "hurricane." Wish I had a picture of them out in the humid, hot wearing their snow coats.

park

All the way to St. Louis and we stopped at a park.  What?  Right next to the temple is a little park that the kids can't see without stopping.  So, with cupcakes in hand we quickly crammed in a little obstacle course run designed by the kids and some swing time for Anna.  

She would sit in the swing for hours, if we had hours to swing.  

Fritz's fizzled

Should we?  Should we not?  With three sleeping kids, we were waffling about skipping a stop at Fritz's Rootbeer.  We finally decided to give it a try.  Well, it wasn't quite as cool as expected.  After waking the three sleepers, we marched ourselves in, hoping to experience as icon.  Yes, there were giant floats.  Yes, we got to watch a little bit of bottling in action.  But, at the end of a long day, it was less than satisfying.  There were tears, screaming, arguments, pinching, major messes, and a little refreshment in between. 

Modeling?

 Nana mentioned Anna's love of modeling for the camera in one of her comments.  I literally laughed out loud.  Oh, if only it were as easy to point the camera and say cheese.  Our dear, sweet, little one is anything but still enough for even a click of a camera to capture.  It takes lots of patience and tons of pictures to 

come up with the few that I share here on the blog.  It would be a ton easier if I didn't have a digital dinosaur that only allows me to take a picture every 10 seconds, if fully charged.  A nice new one that took pictures in succession with one push would be heaven. - this was an unashamed hint.

So, to prove my point, here are just a few outtakes of Anna and her ice cream.