I won't get very wet mom............

Those were Jack's famous words before he headed out to play in the sprinkler with the neighbor kids. He didn't want to put on his swimsuit and I didn't make him. He usually doesn't get too wet. But, tonight, they brought out the big guns....dollar store squirters! We had about 8 last summer, but ended with only 1 in full working condition. The neighbors restocked for this summer. Looks like we'll have to also. Who can say no when 1 dollar provides so much entertainment? Jack somehow ended up with the only malfunctioning squirter and everytime he'd go to squirt the top would come off. The others saw this as a gift from heaven and teamed up against him. Poor kid.

That is until he picked up the entire sprinkler in retaliation.

The kids had such a great time!
The night ended with a few tears from those caught in the crossfire (Landon), chattering teeth, warm cozy baths, library books on the couch eating honeycomb, and then off to blissful sleep. Mom and Dad included.

A little B-Ball before T-Ball

Kennedy is playing t-ball this year, and I have yet to take a picture of her in action! However, tuesday night was team pictures. We waited 1 hour and 10 minutes to actually get them taken. Yes, you heard correctly. 1 hour and 10 minutes waiting with 4 kids in the hall of the YMCA. Luckily, Shawn was with us for the first 30 minutes and volunteered to watch the kids playing in the gym while I held our place in line. The ball cage had all kinds of rubber and basketballs for the kids to run around with. Landon tried to perfect his jump shot. I love these pictures of him shooting because his feet are GIGANTIC and so are those that play basketball best. Let's just hope he grows into those babies.......

How high do I need to shoot this thing??

Am I using proper form?

Not too bad for a beginner!

I can do it myself!!

Well, that's what he's probably thinking anyway. He actually just grunts and points at the spoon, and I know what he means. Talking is so unimportant when you can nod your head yes, shake it no, and grunt while pointing at what you need. Unfortunately it's so effective I might never hear what an actual word sounds like coming from his mouth. He obviously thinks he's a big boy and doesn't need my help to eat anymore. My kitchen floor wishes he still let me feed him. And sometimes my walls do too. Last night at dinner I even sat him in a booster seat at the actual table instead of his highchair. Well, apparently that wasn't good enough. He climbed down. When Jack left to go to the bathroom, he climbed up onto Jack's boosterless seat and proceeded to eat what Jack had deemed unimportant. Of course the unimportant becomes important when someone else desires it, so chaos ensued. Does anyone else wonder why Shawn has chronic heartburn?

My turn.....

Most of my posts will be about my kids, and what we do for fun. I thought I'd do a post all about me because I can and it's my turn to be in the spotlight. So, I'm not very entertaining, and pretty much what you see is what you get, but there are a few things that a lot of you probably don't know about me. I decided to make a list of some things. I would do them all but you all have lives outside of reading this blog, so I'll spare you some time. Here goes!

1. There is a small percentage of "black" in my lineage, which probably explains my ease at turning brown in the sun.
2. I don't like being told what to do, but don't mind being asked.
3. My mood can be directly related to two things: the scale, or how clean my house is.
4. I'm VERY insecure about my weight/body size but make it a joke so nobody knows how serious I really am.
5. I want to be a library "story lady" one day, with or without pay, I'd love to do it.
6. My dreams at night always seem so real to me that if Shawn does something to make me mad in my dream I'm irritated at him the entire next day.
7. Shawn is my very best friend in the universe and I couldn't function properly without him.
8. I LOVE a night out with the girls---------it rejuvinates me mentally, physically, spiritually. I need more of them.
9. Chaos and me don't go well together.
10. I'm lazy.
11. Some people intimidate me, but nobody ever believes me when I say that.
12. I thought one day I'd be a famous writer, until I took a creative writing class at BYU and realized there are a lot of really great writers out there.
13. My kids manage to irritate me and crack me up at the same time.
14. I love the peacefulness of my house after the kids are asleep and the lights are dim.
15. I love a clean kitchen with the dishwasher running.
16. I love to hear kids laugh----the good hard belly laugh kind.
17. I love to laugh---the good hard belly laugh kind when tears run down my cheeks.
18. I exercise only to be thin, not for health reasons. (not yet anyway)
19. I think I have pretty toes.
20. I would make a horrible judge because I tend to believe all sides and give everyone the benefit of being honest.
21. I love reading a good book and then having someone else enjoy it as much as I did.
22. Sometimes I replay conversations in my mind wishing I would've or wouldn't have said what I did or didn't say. (most often it's what I've said)
23. I talk to myself in the mirror.
24. I love spring sunshine after a good hard rain.
25. Listening to my kids having conversations with each other makes me glad I had 4, and makes me miss my siblings.
26. I'm a baked-goods-aholic. Cookies, cake, brownies, I love to bake and eat them.
27. Clutter freaks me out, but all my closets are horrendously unorganized. (I can shut the door and what I don't see doesn't seem to bother me)
28. I value other people's opinions too much.
29. I love to teach school and am sad it's probably too political to ever do it again.
30. I'm sad for people who constantly talk bad about everyone behind their backs and tell all because I'll never share a secret or something personal with them out of fear.
31. Constant pessimism wears me down.
32. I love to put on fresh, brand new clothes. I feel so new in them.
33. I have serious OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) tendencies. (so much that I have to end with #35, not 33)
34. I love the smell of fresh cut grass.
35. This blog is a great outlet for me. When I type stuff here, I actually sometimes forget that people might read it.

It's all about Good Times.......

Today was graduation for the medical school's class of 2007. Wednesday Courtney and Josh and their two kids rolled into town to spend the week's festivities previous to the ceremony, and we were lucky enough to have them stay at our house. You never really know someone until you live with them, and I just have to say that I LOVE JOSH AND COURTNEY!! By this morning I felt as comfortable with them as I would any one of my siblings. I laughed almost the entire time they were with us! Courtney made us her world famous (not really, but it should be ) jumbalaya thursday night and it was incredible. What an easy houseguest. But, the best part of this entire week was last night. We got a babysitter for all 6 kids (she was very competent, and brave) and headed to the Pear Tree. You know, the fancy little (emphasis on little) restaurant in the quaint little town southwest of here. The food was good (and pricey) but the company was hysterical! We were joined by the Sorensons, the Flinders, and the Davis'. I was actually laughing so hard at one point I lost the ability to breathe. So, thanks Court and Josh for the great week. Josh---you rock the intern world with those big guns of yours, and Court----just keep strokin' the ego! I'll never look at a 'toot'sie roll the same way again..........

Kids.....

Thursday the neighborhood was out after serious torrential rainfall. This time the gathering took place on our porch eating popsicles. This actually only represents half of the kids.........Fun huh?!

A day at the beach..........

Tuesday was the perfect day to spend at the beach. (Okay, it's really just a lake, but remember we're in Missouri). It wasn't too hot, kind of overcast actually, but still quite warm. We packed up our sand toys, life jackets, beach towels, cooler full of snacks, and loaded into the van. Once we got to the beach it actually only took one trip from the van because everyone is now old enough to carry all the paraphernalia required for fun-in-the-sun activities! Yeah for me not having to make 3 trips alone! We just laid out the sun mat in the sand and had a great afternoon! Kennedy and Ethan put on life jackets and swam out to the dock where they could jump in. Jackson dug in the sand along with Landon most of the time. They ate snacks and played with friends. It was the perfect beach day.

Before we left Landon started playing on the stairs. I had to take video because his ingenuity cracked me up! We obviously spend a lot of time at the park for him to think of this activity!