Five for Friday

FIVE ~ the magic number this week...

1. The number of children that I took with me to the pediatrician's for Nathan's 2 yr check-up on Monday. I promised them a movie when we got home if they were good and they got to watch Nemo (for the billionth time, I'm pretty sure) afterwards.

2. The number of children who tagged along to the polls with me to vote on Tuesday. They were surprisingly well-behaved for the HOUR that we had to stand in line. Only 1 hot chocolate spill....

3. The number of weeks from now when there will be less than 2 weeks left before Christmas. I sat down today and made some lists of things I want to make for gifts. Homemade gifts are better, right? We're trying to save a little money this year.

4. The number of family birthdays we have celebrated in the past month.

5. The number of jumps for joy I did when Mark told me he was coming home on Tuesday night as opposed to Wednesday afternoon . He'd been gone since early Monday morning. :)

Just a quick thank you to all who posted comments on my last post. I never talk politics here ~ maybe I should more often ~ it was the highest number of comments I've ever had on a single post. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me, even when we don't agree.

My only hope and prayer (maybe not the ONLY one, but an important one) is that Obama meant what he said in his victory speech. I pray that he will hear AND LISTEN to the voices of those who did not vote for him. I'm finished now... :)

Five for Friday...on Monday :0

Yeah, yeah....this is the story of my life this past month. I haven't posted in a month for many different reasons which I will elaborate on at some point. For now, here's some photos that will explain (kind of) why I haven't been around much...

1. Aidan Jeffrey McLaughlin

2. Visit with "Old" friends

3. Michael & Kim's Wedding

4. Halloween

5. Monkeys

Five for Friday

1. It's been a while....I guess the craziness of everything starting back up again in September threw me for a loop and this, unfortunately, got lost in the shuffle...my apologies...I've missed being here :) Besides school starting, we've started up with soccer, MOPS, and scooters again. Just when you think life's going to slow down a little, it starts speeding up again.

2. A few weeks ago, I had to run into the store for just a few things and had one of those moster carts where 2 kids can sit in the front together. Well, running into the store for a few things with 3 kids translates into an ordeal. Looking for specific products that you can't find becomes extremely stressful and the lines always move slower. than. you. think. they. should.

By the time I finished up and had all the kids packed back into the car, I was tempted to leave my monster cart rather than truck it to the cart corral. Instead, I saw 2 young high school/college age boys walking toward the store and I asked them if they wouldn't mind taking the cart back for me. Without hesitation, they said, YES, and after thanking them profusely, I sat in the car and thought to myself, "Their moms would be proud!" And then I thought, "I hope my boys would offer to help someone out when they get older..."

3. We've been enjoying some beautiful fall weather. Spending lots of time playing outside and then it's been cool enough for us to have a couple of campfires in the backyard. The kids LOVE this because campfire usually means smores in our house. The last one we had, we had a visitor. The bull from the Amish farm behind our house decided to join us, so of course, I had to run in and grab my camera. It was a little unnerving to think that all that separated us was a measly little wire fence with one little electric pulse running through the top wire. Never had that happen before!

4. We have a little dilemma around here. Nathan will be 2 in less than a month and he only says a handful of words. No, I'm not really worried about that part, though....he is the 3rd born, was a preemie, and I know he'll catch up. The problem is that he's been saying a new word that we can't quite figure out. It sounds like it might be rock or book, because he says it a lot at bedtime when we're in the rocking chair. The real problem is that he's been saying it ALL the time now and it doesn't quite sound like it should. It kind of sounds like a not so nice word that starts with F. Mind you, he does not hear that word EVER, so we know he's not repeating it. However, the general public does not know that and it's a little embarassing when we're at storytime at the library and he just keeps repeating it. Ah, well....the joys of parenthood.


5. Mark thought he had a cold last week. When he was telling me this, Ryan chimed in, "Daddy, is your cold inside or outside?" :)

Five for Friday

1. THIS IS ME:WHEN I SEE THIS:

2. THIS IS ME:

WHEN I SEE THIS [AT 5:00 PM AGAIN!]:

3. THIS IS ME:

WHEN I GET ONE OF THESE:

4. THIS IS ME:

WHEN I SEE GOD'S BEAUTY:

5. THIS IS ME:
WHEN I SEE THIS:

AND THIS:

Five for Friday

1. Apparently when you turn 3, you become the authority on EVERYTHING....

Ryan tells everyone he's 4 years old.

He vehemently claims he has blue eyes [they're brown].

And yesterday while we were watching Michael Phelps win another gold medal, he turned to me and said, "I the fastest swimmer, right, Mommy?"

Right, Ryan.

Gotta pick your battles :)

2. The summer is winding down WAY too quickly for me. We've got one more week at home and one more week at the beach and then Evan starts kindergarten! We found out his teacher's a man, so that's pretty exciting for us. Aren't many male teachers at the elementary level where they're so needed, so I'm happy Evan's first "real-school" experience will be with Mr. B.

3. I've decided I have a new pet peeve. Not really that new, but I'm finally writing about it - been bothering me for a while now. You know that Bath & Body Works pump hand soap?

Well, I love it. I've got it by every sink in my house.

What I don't love is how everyone who uses it [everyone except me, apparently] uses a full pump to wash their hands.

What a waste!!!!!!! Not only does that use up my soap - which isn't cheap - but it also leaves gross clumps of it in the sink that I inevitably have to clean out [another pet peeve which maybe I'll get to another time :)]

PEOPLE, all you need is about a 1/4 squirt of soap, about the size of a pea, to get your hands completely washed. As my grandmother says, "A little dab'll do you." {Isn't she cute ~ here with the boys this past week}

I'll get off my soapbox now... :)

Moving on....

4. Went to a playdate yesterday with the ladies from our church home group. We are quite prolific in this group btw...7 couples with 17 kids + 1 on the way. Did I mention they're all under the age of 7?

Anyway, Nathan was the bully. He kept stealing toys from other kids. And when he got bored, he would just go up and push them down. LOVELY...

I guess that's to be expected from an almost 2 year old with 2 older brothers, but I'm not prepared to deal with it. He's just too darn cute to spank, especially when he puts his head down and lifts up his big brown puppy dog eyes at me like, "Who? Me?"

Here we go....AGAIN~

5. Lately, I've had a case of so much to do and so little time. I've got all these creative ideas for things I want to make and set up an Etsy shop, but haven't had the time to do it.

Hoping that will change and soon.

I was able to get this scrapbook layout done this week while watching the Olympics, though.

This was the first time I "rolled" the paper. This is the perfect technique for someone like me who is both indecisive and loves paper. You don't know which side of the 2 sided patterned paper to use, so you get to show a little of both sides. I like how it turned out, but I'm going to keep trying it to make it look better. Have a wonderful week!

Five for Friday

1. I've had an overdose of Ryan these last 2 weeks. The child has figured out how to climb out of his crib so that's what he does instead of sleeping. :) Fighting the nap, not conking out until after 9, and here's the icing on the cake...waking up betwen 6 and 6:30!! Needless to say, I'm a little tired and frustrated. Hoping that the new allergy medicine will work wonders :) I love him dearly, but I definitely need a little non-Ryan time in my day...

2. [chant to the tune of cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha] "We're going on vacation...we're going on vacation..." We leave tomorrow for the outer banks - I can't wait!!!! Maybe I can...still have a lot to get ready...no, I definitely can't wait! :)

3. My first baby graduated from preschool Wednesday night! The little ceremony was so cute - they even wore robes. Adorable! Here's some shots of Evan with his buddies. Yeah, my child would be the goof in both pics!!

4. Been making more cards lately. A lot cheaper than buying them and I figure I've got plenty of supplies - tee, hee! :) Here's some thank you notes I made for the Moppets workers at our MOPS group. The pic's not that great. I thought of taking it at the last minute when we were on our way in - the car definitely does not have the best lighting ;)

5. Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Don't forget to remember the soldiers, both past and present, who have fought for our country. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have the freedoms that we so enjoy and often take for granted. I'm so proud of my grandfathers for serving in WWII.

Five for Friday

1. Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you mommas out there in blogland! Wanted to send those wishes LAST Friday, prior to the big day, it just didn't happen. Hopefully, you got to spend time with those you love and who love you :) I did!

2. May 3rd was National Scrapbooking Day - I know...those of you who don't scrapbook can pick yourselves up off the floor and stop laughing :) I got to spend the day scrapping with about 10 other lovely ladies from the Creating Keepsakes Message Board. It was our first time meeting and scrapping together and it was lots of fun! Here's one of the layouts that I got finished there:

3. Got my hair cut last week and went back to my natural color which looks REALLY dark to me. What do you think? I like the cut and am getting used to the color - now I need to work on the tired eyes - tee, hee!

4. Thought I'd share my favorite project that I completed a few months back. I'll be teaching how to make it at my LSS - HA! - I mean, Joann's. It's a mini-album in an altoids tin that is all about me. You can find out how to make it at http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/. Now, most of the time I'm scrapbooking the kids and their exploits, so this was a lot of fun to sit down and think about what I wanted to say about myself. I reallylike the way it turned out.

5. Isn't he a cutie? Gotta love the t-shirt, too - it says "cruising" and there's a pic of a big wheel :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Five for Friday

1. We had chicken pox this week. Two nights in a row. :) This is what Ryan calls these yummy chicken pockets that I made for dinner. He asks for them by name - "Can we have chicken pox, Mommy?" Too funny - and I love when he asks for them because then I have an excuse to make them. They are delish!
2. I was playing around with the macro setting on my point and shoot digital camera last week. The boys were on a bughunt in the grass. Still have a lot to learn, but it's fun to play around with...
3. Evan is the SOUNDEST sleeper in the world. I'm serious - a bomb could go off and this child would still be sleeping. This is how we found him the other night when Mark and I checked on them before bed. He had surrounded himself with all his stuffed animals. He didn't even flinch when we took about 5 pics of him with the flash.

4. Check out this outfit :) This is how Ryan headed out last Saturday morning. He LOVES his camo boots and uses every opportunity to wear them. I think they're 2 sizes too small, but he doesn't care. Oh, and for anyone who wanted to know - he's wearing his Spiderman sunglasses.

5. Couldn't resist pulling over and taking this shot this week. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen gas posted over $4/gallon around here. Too bad that's going to be the norm once the summer hits. The crazy thing is the "small print" under the sign reads "Cash price posted. Add 10 cents/gallon for credit." INSANE!

Have a great weekend!

5 for Friday

I've been thinking about some of these *IDEAS* for a while now. Just some handy inventions that I could really use -thought it'd be a perfect addition for today...

1. The Voice-Activated Claw - you know, like the one in Toy Story. The one that travels along a track, zips down, and picks something up, travels back and deposits it in the dispenser. Why don't they make these for family vehicles?? It'd be perfect in an SUV or a mini-van. Do you know how many times I could have used this?? Driving down the road and someone calls from the backseat they dropped their ________ [fill in the blank - binky, blanket, cup, toy, book , etc] If I had the VAC, all I'd have to do is say, 'Binky,' and the VAC would do its thing, depositing in the rightful owner's lap. No crying, no pulling over, no reckless driving while trying to fetch said objects [I, of course, don't do that].

2. While we're on the car thing, why don't family vehicles come with an optional soundproof window between the front and back seats? Like the kind they have in police cars or cabs. It is VERY distracting to be driving with a screaming kid in the backseat. Just push a button, the soundproof window is up, and all is well.

3. High-chair Bubble - this one is a collaboration of our church homegroup. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some kind of half dome surrounding the seat of the high chair to collect all the lovely projectiles that fly off the tray?

4. If we can't have the High Chair Bubble, then at least, could somebody PLEASE invent a self-cleaning kitchen floor??? How hard can it be? Haven't we had self-cleaning ovens for like 50 years now??

5. This last one is not an idea. Ran out of them :) But I did want to share my latest scrapbook page - you know, the one that I worked on 2 weeks ago when I said that I was feeling the creative urge? Yeah, it's taken me this long to finally post it. You can call me Queen of Procrastination.

Five for Friday

1. I cannot believe that I didn't find time to blog this week. Well, I shouldn't really say that. I attempted 2 times earlier in the week and our internet was acting screwy. Actually, my husband swears it's me - that I have some kind of electrical thing going on that makes electronics act goofy. I must admit, sometimes I wonder if he's right. The internet won't work for me but as soon as I leave the room and he tries, it's fine. I reenter the room and it's wacky again. My cell phone drops calls ALL the time, but not my husband's - and we have the same service. Who knows? It's just very frustrating!

2. All Evan wanted for his birthday was a goldfish, so we went out and got him our very first pet on Tuesday. He was SO excited! When I asked him what he was going to name him, he said, "Goldfish" followed by "Buddy" followed by "I love you Buddy." He's so darn cute!

3. Said goldfish died last night. :(
"Look, Dad, the fish is sleeping on his side this morning."
"Yep, don't wake him up."
My wonderful hubby spent 1 1/2 hours and $5 in gas this morning hunting down 3 10 cent goldfish to replace our loss :)

4. I had 3 nights out this week - lucky me, huh? :) Monday, I had a dinner with my women's Bible study, Wednesday, I had a MOPS steering team meeting, and last night, I had dinner out with 3 of my best friends from high school. I was thinking today how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends. Even though each night was spent with different women, they were all full of laughter and sharing and understanding. I am so thankful for these relationships. And I am extremely blessed to have a hubby that loves me enough to allow me to nurture my friendships. :) :) :)

5. I registered my baby boy for kindergarten today :( I cannot believe that my little guy will be going to school every day in the fall. Time sure does fly...

Five for Friday

Thought it'd be nice to start a weekly post where I blog 5 thoughts or events or photos or a combination of any of the three each Friday. Hoping this makes me a better blogger :)

OK, I know, it's Saturday afternoon already, but I've always been late :) Here goes:

1) My baby boy turns 5 TODAY!!! I can't believe that 5 years ago, we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of our little [or should I say BIG -he was over 10 pounds!] bundle of JOY! This time 5 years ago, our lives were about to change FOREVER, and we didn't even realize - nor would we change - the magnitude of ways that this little man has enriched our lives.

2) We celebrated Evan's birthday at the local moonbounce place with some friends from school and church, family friends, and all his cousins last night. The kids had a blast and it was SO nice to just leave when it was over and not have to worry about cleaning anything up! BONUS!

3) Signs of spring are everywhere around here FINALLY!! We have buds on the trees and some bulbs coming up. Not holding my breath, though - I'm sure we're in for another snow before the end of April. It actually snowed the day we brought Evan home from the hospital.

4) We have survived our first 5 days of "OFFICIAL" potty training with Ryan. By "OFFICIAL," I mean we've got the potty chart for his stickers that he earns and he's all about getting the M & M after going. Even moonbouncing last night - NO ACCIDENTS!! YIPPEEEE!!

5) I have been a serious slacker in my scrapbooking lately - too much time spent on the computer. Feeling the urge to be creative - hopefully, I'll find time to scrap this weekend and post some things that I finish.

6) I'm already breaking the rules, I know....but I promised some Easter pics...

The boys waiting patiently to begin following their trails of Easter eggs to their Easter baskets. Yes, Ryan's jammies are on backwards - Uncle Sean and his girlfriend, Angel, babysat the night before :)

Nathan in his Easter finery.

Evan all dressed up.

Ryan looking so handsome!

Nathan and Cousin Ava looking adorable together.

Love this pic!

Evan, Ryan, and Cousins Abby & Chris on the starting line of the egg hunt...