Every Family Needs an Addysen

Ok, so I am a few days late. This week has been such a blur with sick kids, a migraine for me, taxes, the Blue and Gold Banquet, school projects, WAY too many blowouts (Cambrie and Pampers just don't do well with each other) Greg's long week....blah, blah, blah... SO...I'm slow posting....

BUT, Addysen is now 10 years old....as of Wednesday. WOW. What a fun 10 years it's been! Every family truly needs an Addysen - cute, fun, smart, helpful, caring, responsible...the list goes on and on. Of course, we have plenty of attitude mixed in as well. But, since this is a Happy (belated) Birthday post, we'll save those comments for a "venting" post another day. I'm too tired to go on, and Cambrie thinks she needs to eat...so we'll just post a few pictures of the girl who changed our lives forever. WE LOVE YOU, ADDYSEN!

Yes, That Is Butter

I suppose we were naive to think it was "SAFE" to leave Kenzie in her highchair. That girl can always find something to get into.

Overheard...

"No Kenzie, we aren't playing as ourselves right now. We are different people. We are playing nice people."
~~ Brynnley, age 5

How Pathetic Are Wii?

When Brynnley came downstairs Sunday morning, she was practically in tears. I asked what was wrong and she replied, "My tummy hurts."
I said, "Are you going to be sick?"
"No," she said, "But everything hurts...my arms and legs and tummy."
"Hmmm," I said, followed with my standard, "maybe it's because you are hungry. Why don't you eat breakfast?"

Not long after, Addysen entered the kitchen and said, "Oh, my stomach hurts SO bad."
Puzzled, I said, "Are you going to be sick?"
Just then, Cannon came in and said, "My somach is SO sore...it just hurts."

Suddenly, everything clicked. I knew that we had a "WII EPIDEMIC."

We have a Wii - thanks to the kindness of my parents.
We have a Wii Fit - thanks again to the kindness of my parents.
And, as of Valentine's Day, WE have a WII Outdoor Challenge Game...which the kids played for several hours on Saturday.

Comically, yet oh-so-pathetically -- they were all sore from log jumping, waterfall climbing, barrel racing, mountain boarding, kayaking, etc. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So, I laughed...and as a result, they cried. (It hurt them too much to laugh.)

How is it that a 10, 8 and 5 year old don't get enough exercise...that they are sore from a video game? I don't recall sore muscles from my Pac Man and Donkey Kong days. (Yes, yes, I know...clearly not the same type of game.)

Of course, Greg and I could take all the blame...but it's much less of a parental guilt trip to pass some of the blame on to the school...and the lack of recess that goes on for nearly the entire winter. Case in point: Cannon got "frozen," aka "put in time out" at recess last week (one day out of 5 that they actually went outside) for running. I was so ticked when he told me...I emailed the principal. Since when can't an 8-year-old RUN AT RECESS? (He swears he was only walking fast anyway.)

I got a phone call in response to my inquiry. I guess I am supposed to understand that times have changed. Clearly, as parents, teachers and administrators in the year 2009 we have a responsibility to protect our kids from possible scraped knees,muddy shoes, cold hands, fresh air and exercise. Clearly, I am supposed to understand how damaging those potential situations could be for my child...or for other children.

Enough ranting.

Maybe I should have written Addysen a note excusing her from P.E. (yes, she did ask me too). Afterall, I'd hate for her to have experience anything. PERIOD.

Showin' A Little Love

Yes, this does say:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You're a hot cop
And we love you

Translation: BE OURS

To Mom, Love Cannon

Is There A Baker In the House?

I should have known it wasn't safe to step away from the cookie dough...even if it WAS to feed Cambrie. Good thing we'd tripled the recipe...

By Popular Request...

Look Who's Smiling... This girl's got personality already...check out those expressive eyebrows.

Evolution of Family Life

At different stages of life, we must all say goodbye. Over time, I've parted with the following:

With Marriage:
* Said goodbye to only paying 1/4 of the rent and utilities.
* Said goodbye to being able to walk across my bedroom floor without stepping on socks.
* Said goodbye to only doing a portion of the cleaning...yet still having a relatively spotless house.
* Said goodbye to only being responsible for and accountable to myself.

* Said goodbye to the toilet seat always being in "my" position.

* Said goodbye to always getting to pick the radio station.

With 1 Child:
* Said goodbye to my self-imposed daily and weekly chore chart.
* Said goodbye to leaving the house in 10 minutes or less.
* Said goodbye to ironing Greg's shirts.
* Said goodbye to sleeping in.
* Said goodbye to spontaneous weekend trips and regular eating out.

* Said goodbye to my "6-pack." (ok, ok...you can't say goodbye to something that never really existed)
* Said goodbye to our 2 man tent.
* Said goodbye to hours and hours of leisurely reading.

* Said goodbye to alphabetizing the cd's and videos.

* Said goodbye to my "professional" attire.

With 2 Children:
* Said goodbye to guaranteed daily naps.
* Said goodbye to leaving the house with only 1 bag.
* Said goodbye to to leaving the house in 30 minutes or less.
* Said goodbye to the single stroller.
* Said goodbye to our 4 man tent.
* Said goodbye to reading novels.
* Said goodbye to going to the bathroom by myself.

* Said goodbye to thinking I was a patient person.

With 3 Children:
* Said goodbye to washing each person's clothes separately.
* Said goodbye to walking across the floor in bare feet.
* Said goodbye to running more than 2 errands at a time.
* Said goodbye to my favorite jeans.
* Said goodbye to leaving the house in less than 45 minutes.
* Said goodbye to our 2 door Nissan Sentra.
* Said goodbye to reading magazine articles in one sitting.

* Said goodbye to uninterrupted workouts.

* Said goodbye to talking on the phone.

With 4 Children:
* Said goodbye to sorting light and dark loads of laundry.
* Said goodbye to including the food groups at every meal.
* Said goodbye to keeping my house at 70 degrees.
* Said goodbye to my gym membership.
* Said goodbye to leaving the house in less than 1 hour.
* Said goodbye to any desire to go camping.
* Said goodbye to reading anything that required deep thinking.

* Said goodbye to ever going anywhere by myself.
* Said goodbye to remembering anything that wasn't written down.

With 5 Children: (Although it's only been 6 weeks, I've realized it's happening again...)
* Saying goodbye to daily make-up.
* Saying goodbye to non-air-dried and styled hair.
* Saying goodbye to folding laundry and putting it away. (OK - I've just GIVEN UP!)
* Saying goodbye to matching socks...it takes too long to look for matches in the piles of laundry that don't get folded.
* Saying goodbye to ever having a little extra cash sitting around for a rainy day.
* Wishing I could say goodbye to our Pontiac Montana...
* Saying goodbye to staying up past 11pm...BY CHOICE.
* Saying goodbye to leaving the house...PERIOD.

BUT JUST FOR CLARIFICATION....I would never trade ANY of these things for my beautiful little family. This post was spawned today when I realized that if it's not Sunday, or a day with an appointment...it's just too hard to do my hair and put on make-up. I started thinking of all the things that have gone by the wayside over the years....

A Great Gift Idea

Check out this cool gift idea that my sister makes...totally unique AND affordable!

www.familytrees-mitzi.blogspot.com

Frustration

How do we go from this...   

to THIS... so unbelievably fast??!!

Perhaps it has something to do with this...

and this??

25 Random Things About Me

1. I don't do much with Facebook, and didn't know what it meant to be tagged (even though it happened several times). I had to reread the directions for this thing 3 times...we'll see if I got it right. Sorry if tagged you and you've already done it.

2. I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever accomplish anything again. It's taken me all week to get the floor mopped...

3. I've always wanted to write a book, run a marathon and learn to paint. (Unless my winning Young Authors ("Fiddle the Mouse", 3rd grade and "Bud Luscher Is Missing" 6th grade) entries from elementary school count, I've never done any of the above.)

4. As per number 3, I think I secretly have a crush on Bob Ross...and I love that I found his "Joy of Painting" show on PBS. I tivo it every Saturday afternoon...and my family makes fun of me.

5. When I was 5, I cut my foot with a chainsaw.

6. I've had French, Spanish, Sign Language, Accounting and piano lessons. I can't speak, write, remember or play any of them.

7. I love my Dyson Animal and my Vapor Dragon (steam floor cleaner).

8. My new favorite drink is V8 Fusion - Strawberry Banana. I'm also a hot chocolate junkie and drink it from October-May.

9. I never remember movies, but one of my favorites is "A River Runs Through It."

10. I have great respect for newspaper carriers. Even though they do it all by car these days, I respect them. As a former paper carrier myself, I have experienced the highs (are there any?) and lows of the job...and have terrible circulation in my feet from all those years walking in the snow -- without proper foot attire. I was too embarrassed to wear boots. But, earning $50-60 per month sure made me feel like a rich kid.

11. I didn't wear shorts in 4th grade because I thought my legs were too fat. By 5th grade, I must not have cared.

12. I absolutely LOVE the beach...nothing better than lying on the sand with a good book or taking a nap. Somehow though, the beach was a lot more relaxing and enjoyable prior to children. Being around so many people and that much water is stressful with young children. I could do without the seagulls taking care of their business on my food as well. (Right Dad?)

13. I have lived in 6 states and moved 8 times since getting married. I didn't like living in Oregon, although I did love the sight of Mt. Hood on a clear day. I loved living in Nebraska and Nevada and Utah. Nine years later and the jury is still out on Ohio.

14. My 5-year-old talks back better than any 15-year-old. How do we curb this behavior now? As a matter of fact, all of my kids talk back too much.

15. My house is always overrun with laundry. I can get it washed...but folded and put away? I might as well climb Mt. Rushmore. (My piles of laundry, both clean and dirty are about that high anyway.)

16. I really don't like being a landlord. I dread tax time...and since we're dealing with issues regarding both of those things...perhaps today wasn't the best day for me to be answering these questions.

17. I love to nap.

18. All these years later, and I still worry about my husband and brother as police/SWAT officers. I debate going on a "ride-a-long." Greg would probably hate to have me there. Any news of a police shooting hits way too close to home.

19. I absolutely loved teaching college, however briefly. I was also a waitress for many years and loved it. It was a lot of work, but I really liked the social aspect of the job.

20. I don't have too many "real" talents, but generally, I love people. I've learned to consider that a talent. Oh...and I can pick up things with my toes - which, thankfully are all sized in descending proportion to each other. And speaking of toes...I never, ever, go without polish on them. I'm fairly certain that Greg has never seen my feet without polish. (Unless I had him paint them when I was pregnant and couldn't see/reach.)

20a. I have a tendency to ramble.

21. I miss playing basketball. I love to exercise...and eat junk. I realize how those two actions contradict each other.

22. I think I've gained approximately 190 pounds over the past 10 years. Thank goodness I have 5 beautiful children.

23. I used to "know" music...or at least I thought so. I can't remember the last concert I attended...U2, maybe? R.E.M.? Who knows? I can sing along with Hannah Montana though. Surely that must count for something.

24. I can't stand "The Sweet Life of Zach and Cody."

25. I may be insane...I just agreed to a slumber party for Addysen's 10th birthday in a few weeks.