Size 11 Slim

I find that every so often I will hear or see something that makes me stop and realize how fast my kids are growing up. Lately it has been Taylor and lately it has been his jeans.

Once or twice a week while I am folding laundry I will pull a pair of jeans out of the basket. After I shake the wrinkles out of them there is a split second of confusion while I try to figure out who they belong to. My first thought is that they are mine, simply because they are too long to be any of the boys. "None of them could possibly fit into jeans this long" I say to myself. A split second later I realize they are a little short for me and it all of a sudden hits me that they are Taylors. How can it be that his legs fit into this size of pant that are so close to mine? It is simply not possible. But in fact it is and he is growing up right before my eyes.

Good Activity

Try making a duct tape wallet with your kids. A bit sticky, but easy, cheap and fun to do. And hey, if you have a girl kiddo they also have instructions for a purse!



Did you know duct tape comes in all sorts of colors? I had no idea until I watched this video. Of course we have to announce who we cheer for in our house.


There are a ton of instructional videos out there. This is just the one I picked.
http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=33424178386

Me...The Ringmaster

This is how a lot of my afternoons go. About 3:25 a boy named Max calls on the phone. He very politely tells me who he is (I already know because I have caller ID and because I expect his phone call at this time) and then very politely asks me if he may speak to Bennett. I then very politely tell him that Bennett is not home yet and I will be absolutely sure to have him call him back when he gets home in 20 minutes. He is calling to see if Bennett can play before anyone else does.

The boys arrive home 20 minutes later and I brace myself. After the message is relayed to Bennett the phone again begins to ring and ring and ring. I half expect it to vibrate off its base because it is ringing so much. Toshi, David, J.T., Ryan, Carter and Ethan to name a few. All these boys are calling wanting to play with my boys.

That is when my job as ringmaster begins. "Now who is coming over?"...."Where are you going and when are you coming home?"....."Wait, I need to pick you up? When?"...."Who is Jacob?"

The ringing of the phone is replaced by the ringing of the doorbell. But they don't all choose to come through the front. Some enjoy the back door and the side door. Do you know that boys come in packs? Very similar to a pack of dogs now that I think about it. They smell and eat that way too as a matter of fact.

It is not uncommon for a group of them to breeze into my house and down the stairs before I can even say hello. And it is not uncommon to see an unfamiliar face as well. "Who's that kid?" You see they like to bring their friends and cousins and neighbors along.

And while I am comparing my boys to dogs, do you know that boys also like to roam? Generally they are not satisfied at playing at one house. They like to go to multiple houses in one afternoon to partake of the entertainment everywhere. My job as ringmaster is constantly changing. One kid comes, 2 leave, and then another comes..... All the while I am trying to keep track in my head who is at my house at one given time. I would hate to have a mother call asking for her boy and me have no idea if he is here or not.


I really should take advantage of this opportunity and upgrade my boy's shoes.

I hear a lot of muffled yelling and screaming and the occasional cry from our playroom. This is the only time I go down and assess the injury other than making sure everyone is playing fairly. The games they come up with are quite remarkable. Football, soccer, acrobatics, dodge ball, something with murder in the name, and others I will not mention for fear that mothers out there will cringe. Hey they are boys and they need an outlet.



After awhile they decide they are hungry and thirsty so up they come...in a pack... to drink and devour anything that I offer them. I am a big fan of popcorn. Very cheap and will feed a lot of kids. The only downside is the mess, which I threaten and tell them I will give them a job for each kernel I find on the ground. They make a mess anyway.





Down they go again to play until about 5:30 or so when it is time to go home. I take a deep sigh as they leave and say "See you tomorrow." My job as ringmaster is over for the day.

The Wahl

Years ago, before I had this many boys I decided to buy a razor and cut Scott and Taylor's hair as a way to save money. I went to Walmart and bought a $20 Wahl. 4 boys and the same husband later I am still cutting. Every 2 or 3 months I line them up. Same haircut, because frankly I really don't know what I am doing. But with a lot of trial and error and a lot of "oops" the finished cut doesn't look that bad.

Taylor is the easiest. He just likes his buzzed as short as possible. Chase I buzz as well. That 2 minutes is as long as he will sit still. Scott and Owen are fairly easy because their hair has some curl to it. I have learned that curl is much more forgiving of mistakes with the scissors. Which takes us to Bennett. He is not a big fan of buzzed hair, so I cut it with a combination of the buzzers and scissors. Like his mom, he has thick, straight hair. Very unforgiving of the mistakes. It is his head that I usually cringe at when I am done. But I have learned that the difference between a respectable cut and a bad one is just 1 week. We paid for that Wahl within a few haircuts. A great purchase all around.

Brrrr It's Cold Outside!

The bitter wind hasn't stopped blowing in two days. Yesterday I decided to go out and try to shovel a path to the front door. I stopped after about 5 minutes when I realized there was a layer of ice underneath the snow. There was no way I was shoveling unless I had an ice pick. So I took a picture instead.



An on a similar vein. Back in October on a whim I planted these 3 pots with pansies and decorative kale, thinking they would last a month or two and then die. They survived a few major windstorms and some pretty cold weather. I was impressed.

About a month ago I decided for some reason that I would try to keep them alive as long as I could. I moved them to the balmy, wind-protected south side of our house and have brought them into our well lit insulated garage when it gets below 15 outside. As soon as it warms up a bit, out they go again. I am crazy I know. They don't look that great. But seriously. I have flowers in January!

Chase

A.K.A. Chasey, Chasey love, love, little love, cub

~Loves trains and will ask to watch the train show (Thomas the train.)
~Loves scoopers and diggers. Points them out when we are driving in the car.
~Happy-go-lucky.
~Sleeps 11 hours at night. Likes to have his bug blanket between him and the mattress and then his construction vehicle blanket on top.
~Needs at least one "clean" sock to suck on every time he goes to bed or takes a nap.
~Yes, he still sucks on socks. This habit doesn't appear to be going away on its own. Luckily, he does all of his sucking in the house.
~Also likes to take 1 or 2 toys to bed with him as well. I guess to keep him company.
~Leaves wet, sucked on socks on the floor everywhere.
~In the morning he goes around and collects all the previously sucked on socks from the previous day and carries them around.
~Takes a 1-2 hour nap every afternoon.
~When he is finished with his nap I hear him yelling from his crib "Mom! Get out!"
~Loves nursery.
~Likes when babysitters come over and has no problem with me and Scott leaving.
~Does not like to wear soft pants and will throw a fit if you try and put them on.
~Loves to wear his trackhoe shirt.
~Has no interest in potty training yet.
~Will eat most anything that is put in front of him.
~Likes to tell Bennett what to bring him when he is in his crib.
~Has a definite preference for Scott right now.
~When offered a sucker he will always say "No! A blue one!" even though he has no idea what color blue actually is. All you have to do is tell him that it is blue and then he will accept it, no matter what color it is.
~Likes to read train, construction and dinosaur books with Scott.
~Has gotten into the habit of spitting on the floor. Hmmm I wonder where he learned that from?
~His vocabulary is quickly expanding. Just about speaking in full sentences.
~Makes us laugh every day with his cute phrases and behaviors.
~Likes to play with scoopers in the sand.
~Does not like to ride in the grocery cart.
~Has stick straight hair that never quite lays down.

Owen

A.K.A. Owen, fatso katso, Owen bowen pudding n pie

~My most energetic child.
~He has 2 modes. Full power and off. No in between.
~The family comedian.
~Gives very good hugs.
~Is very particular about his clothes. This winter he has insisted on wearing 2 shirts at once. He also likes his pants touching the floor. He tries to get away with wearing his older brother's clothes. And the cuffs on his shirts can't be too tight. It is a miracle he gets dressed in the morning.
~Has no inside voice...ever. All yell, all the time.
~Likes to play Legos with Bennett
~Likes to play with his friends...a lot.
~Has been giving gifts to people lately. He wraps them up in paper and tapes them together. Pine cones, feathers, suckers etc.
~Has a love/hate relationship with Bennett
~Is so full of energy some days I think he is going to explode.
~Likes to repeat questions over and over without giving me a second to respond.
~He likes full and complete answers to his questions. If he is not happy with the answer he will say "Mom tell me more about it."
~Has a chipped front tooth.
~Our little hoarder.
~Headstrong.
~Knows the entire alphabet and is doing well at learning to read.
~Likes watching the Berenstein Bears and Dragon Tales.
~Doesn't like wearing a coat when it is cold outside. He tells me it is warm.
~Likes to color and paint.
~Has a hard time listening and sitting still.
~Likes helping me bake cookies.
~Is popular with the ladies. He likes to flirt.
~Holds nothing back. Is very good at pointing out people's body parts.
~Is a very good helper when he puts his mind to it. He can stick with a task for quite awhile.
~Decides what is acceptable to eat by watching his brothers. If they hate it, he hates it too.
~Likes to sleep with a light on in his room.
~Comes into our bedroom at night to tell us he needs to use the bathroom.
~Likes his special blanket covering his pillow before he goes to bed.
~Makes a clicking noise with his mouth just for fun that Mom hopes will stop soon.
~Hair is curly when he lets me grow it out.
~Love this kid!