My week in Pictures

I realized I hadn't had any pictures of Delaney recently, so we'll start there. We have been having bedtime issues with that one. She won't go to sleep before 10pm, and now she roams out of her room and keeps the other kids awake as well. Not good. I cut out her nap and that helped- but only on those days that she did not fall asleep in the late afternoon!

This is the little pickle NOT going to bed. I went to see what the ruckus was and I found her happily playing in this bag. She was delighted to see me. I snickered and grabbed the camera. And then I put her in her room and shut the door and she wasn't happy anymore.

Nakey and with no ponytails in.... add the peanut butter on her face, and I think this must be right after breakfast on a lazy day! This week we did not have to rush in the mornings like we usually have to. Mostly because getting up was almost too much work, and with an unhappy Rylee, I wasn't going anywhere first thing in the morning.

Yep, look at her hammin' it up for the camera! Delaney loves having her picture taken. She always wants a video taken as well. Now when the girls sneak off with the camera, I find really long and confusing videos on it. They think it is hysterical and want to watch them over and over.

She's giving me "the Laaaaaazy Eye" now! She is such a fun kid.

This is what I spent most of the week doing. Rylee is in the process of growing some teeth, and she's got a little bit of a cold. Its enough to make her unhappy unless she's being cuddled, and she's fairly pleasant as long as she is being held. Specifically, she wants Mommy to hold her. None of this Dad stuff right now. The first part of the week was rough, but it got better.

Look at that face- Drooly chin and runny nose. But smiley and happy if you interact with her. She has slept better since the all-nighter on Tuesday. And getting up every 2 hours is a significant improvement over every 20 minutes!

And today is quite exciting. Not so much for me. I had planned to get out all by myself, but it is snowing. I may brave it anyway, but it is accumulating and our road is unplowed. The kids are delighted with it though and currently, Dan is out at the park with everyone but me and Rylee! He didn't want to take the camera, so no sledding pictures for you. All I have is prep pictures.

Delaney was actually the first one up and out in the snow! She played by herself for a while and then came in. She was ready to go back out when the big kids were though.

Marian cracks me up. She loves to wear a hat and it is so hard to get her to pull it up enough to see her face. She likes to have it hang over her eyes.

Joshua was all ready, but he needed a scarf. It was funny to watch him try to get it around, after he's already put on his gloves and zipped up his jacket. I did take pity on him and I helped him get it on. And then they all left with the sleds to play on the sledding hill at the park. Yay!

Grump

I'm tired. Really tired. And grumpy. When I'm tired, this tired, I get mad at the world, because I'm so stinking tired I could cry, but that won't help either. Rylee is teething and now she has a bit of a cold. Just enough of a cold to have a runny nose so that she must be constantly held, and she can't sleep. No sleep for Rylee means no sleep for Mommy. So Mommy is tired. And grumpy.

And I'm done posting my crankiness.

Smiles, Sillys and Tummy Time

Somehow Delaney has managed to escape the camera for the last 2 weeks. Other than the 2 video clips Callie took of her, that is. And trust me, they are something else! I'll have to get to work and sneak some shots of her. In the meantime, I have to share the cute kids I did get pictures of recently!

Rylee loves the walker. she likes to sit up and see what's going on. And boy does she give big smiles when she's happy!

Callie and Marian were wrestling on the couch. I got a shot of Callie before the not-fun and the crying part occurred.

This is Marian during the wrestling match. She's sitting on Callie here. That's why she's so happy!

Here is Joshua in one of his losing rounds of "Put your hand in front of the camera before Mom can take the picture".

Guess who is 4 months old today?! That's right! It's Rylee!

Check out that smile!

Rylee is happy to hang out on her tummy, but she wants company.

When she has an audience, she does this! (When no one pays attention to her she tries to eat the carpet and cries.)

I love a happy girl!

Mommy Thoughts

Today Rylee took a nap during the time I could actually take one as well. This made me very happy. Then the kids came home from school and I lay in bed debating whether or not I should get up. I ran through all the things I could be doing instead of sleeping: making sure Delaney woke up, starting on dinner, blogging, making the doctor's appointments I've been delaying, paying the bills, balancing the checkbook, cleaning the house, folding laundry, washing the blankets Delaney peed on last night, exercising....

I realized that I have too many things I NEED to do and too many things I WANT to do, and that means the things I OUGHT to do don't get done. For example, the kids need to be fed and dressed every day, although for some of them the dressed part my be optional. I need to do laundry on occasion, but the folding sometimes is in the ought to category.

There are lots of things I want to do, and I definitely would rather do them than the things I ought to do. For example, I ought to clean the counters, but I'm blogging. I can justify it because I am also nursing Rylee right now. So yes, I am writing this with one hand! Anyway, the problem is that if I have a free moment, I'd rather spend it doing something for me. I have a book that normally would take me 2-3 hours to read if I were to sit down and read it through. I've had it for 5 days and I have 20 pages to go. That means in 5 days I have spent less than 2 hours solely on myself (because given time to do whatever I want, I choose to read.)

As I thought about it, I realized that house cleaning is in the ought to category. The problem with that is, if I were to only do the needs and ought to things, I'd still never get it all done. There is just too much. And who wants to be the mom who never had time to play with her kids because she was too busy scrubbing the floor? If there are no roaches and I'd pass a health inspector visit, is a messy kitchen really that bad? If the kids pick their laundry up from the pile of clean clothes, its better than grabbing them from a pile of dirty clothes, right? I decided I am okay with not being perfect. I can live without having all the things done that I'd like to be done. I have a more important job here. I am a mother. My most important job is making sure my children are loved, taught and tended.

.... And speaking of the children, I have pictures!

Delaney is wearing Callie's footie pjs and is in Rylee's bouncy seat.

Callieis making silly faces for the camera.

One of the very few pix of Marian looking cute and herself. She loves to hold Rylee and does a really good job.

My adorable girls being sweet sisters. (And I love that color on her!)

Its Joshua's first Pinewood Derby and he finished his car last night. He calls it "The Golden Blur". I don't have high hopes since it pulls to the right.... excessively.

He is pleased with it and I think he did a good job. Plus, there aren't a lot of scouts, so he could still win! (And I love his Logo Man's goggles!)

Blogs and Blogging

Let us begin with a gratuitous picture of the girls. I left them in the bath too long unattended and they poured half a bottle of shampoo in there with them.

And now, my thoughts on blogs and blogging....

Dan doesn't really get the whole blogging thing. I'm not sure I do either, but I have this compulsion to do it, and an even bigger compulsion to read them. I love reading about other people's lives. Its really that simple. That's why I love to watch "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race". I am always surprised to see people thinking and doing things differently than I would.

I know in my head that people are different, but it still amazes me to see them reacting differently or thinking in a different way than I would. I feel like I must investigate further to try to understand. I, naturally, feel that my way is the best, most efficient, most logical way to do things, and I can't understand why someone would do it another way. In addition, I am fascinated by other people's lives. The people who are similar to me, I like to read about because their life may be like mine. There are people who may have some similarities, but they have very different challenges in their lives, and I am compelled to read about how they deal with things. And then there are people who are so very different from me that I must read because I do not get them at all. Of course, there are some blogs I read because they are so darn entertaining, or educational. Egocentric as I am, I think maybe some of them are equally interested in my life.

You may notice on my blogroll that I have my family's blogs. I read those because I love them and I am always interested to read about their lives. Plus, I love to see their pictures. I have friends who I like to read about as well. Being in the military, I meet a lot of people. Some of them I really like and I want to know what they are up to without having to actually pick up the phone and call them. Thus, the blog is a wonderful thing. Its like people-watching, without having to leave your house!

There are also blogs that I stalk, or lurk on. Some are great for information- The Pioneer Woman and My Food Storage Deals are great for that. Some are entertaining- Cake Wrecks makes me laugh and Mormon Bachelor Pad is amusing. (But don't read the comments. Ug. Some people need more of a life and I refuse to stoop to such a level as blog bullying.) Good News is great for a spiritual pick-me-up or for good insights. Other blogs I read because I find their life fascinating, amazing, sad, challenging and/or gripping and I want to know how it is going. Some I visit regularly, but do not list on my blog because I may not want you to know I go there!

So, this is my confession as to why I am semi-addicted to reading blogs, both by those I know and those I do not! Why do I, myself, bog? Well, I do it mostly for me. I know that my life is not that interesting to anyone other than my family, and maybe some friends. Since my family is so far away, I mainly blog to keep in touch with them and to post pictures so they can see my lovely little ones grow up. I also blog because I need to put my thoughts on paper sometimes to sort them out. Sometimes I'm not sure how I feel about something till I write it down, and apparently I have to feel like someone else may read it as well. Okay, I admit that occasionally I use it as a venting medium. I have to spew it out somewhere and I figure no one is being forced to read this. So if they are bored, they'll go away. I am really just writing for me. And my mom. And my sisters. And my brothers who may actually pop in every now and then. And my in laws who might come to see pictures of the children.....

And now I am just rambling for no reason other than Dan is holding the baby and if I quit blogging, he'll give her back to me!

She is so my child!

Before we get to the real reason for this post, I wanted to share some other pictures:

Joshua set this up and took this picture. The children were all giggling hysterically and I came to see why. They thought Rylee in sunglasses was soooooo funny!

This is Delaney 5 minutes ago. She is suppose to be in bed. She is not. Right now she is crying because I closed her door and locked it. (Thank you Kirsten for locks on the outside of the bedroom doors!)

This was Callie in her bed, but not sleeping. She's mad because I just sent her back to her bed. with dire (and aparently ineffective) threats.

This one is teething and cranky. She's also sopping wet from all the drool. And now onto why this is so my child....

Kid quotes

It seems like other people's kids say much funnier things than my own. Then I thought perhaps their parents just pay better attention than I do. So I've tried harder to listen to them (when they are not talking to me!) and I have actually gotten out a notebook to write things down the second they are said, so I do not forget them. I know Delaney said the funniest thing in the car about her favorite color no longer being pink (it's now blue), but I can't recall what was so hilarious about it because I didn't write it down and now its gone. Here are my current favorite comments from the kids:

Joshua: "I didn't know Daddy was a captain. It would be cooler if he was, like, a Bazooka Trooper!"

Marian (talking to Rylee): Rylee Pants, you have a big head. That's why you are not cute. You have a big brain in there."

Callie: "I just tooted, but I didn't lift my butt up to do it!" (potty talk is quite popular in our house... not with me, just with the kids!)

Delaney (looking in the mirror): "Its me! I'm beautiful. I have hair!"

Road Trip with my girls!

I took a road trip with my girls. Okay, with half my girls. There was a wedding reception in Havelock, where we use to live, and I wanted to go. Dan said I should, so he stayed home with the other kids and sent me off. I took Callie, because she is the most needy right now, and I took Rylee, because well, Dan lacks the means to feed her. It was fun to spend time with Callie without having to break up fights or monitor teasing. She is a funny kid and she makes up the funniest songs.

Here we are, after a nearly 7 hour drive. It went shockingly well, by the way. We stayed on the base quarters, which were fantastic. Rylee was cooperative and slept well for me both nights.

Here are my girls, all dressed and ready to go out Saturday morning! Callie got to choose where we ate. I'm going to say now that McDonald's should not be eaten twice in a 24 hour period!

Callie wanted to go bowling. So we went. Here is her sad face when I told her that there was no arcade area at this bowling alley.

She still had fun bowling, although I bowled half her sets when she got tired of it.

Callie wanted Rylee to bowl too!

Our scores.... I am a dreadful bowler. Callie beat me with only one bumper (the other wouldn't come up!).

Saturday night was the wedding reception. This is what Callie ate. Since it was also dinner, you can see that she had a nutritiously balanced meal last night.

Rylee was very popular and I didn't hold her at all! I was happy with that, but Callie was quite concerned that other people were going to steal "her" baby. All my reassurances were for naught, when Bro M was holding Rylee and informed Callie that he was going to keep the baby.

Oops, out of order. This was the peaceful 3 hours that Rylee slept on the drive home. It came before the 2 hours of screaming. (Which were twice as awful when coupled with Callie's singing.)

This was why I took my trip. And yes, 6 hours of driving each way, to go to a wedding reception, and to see old friends.... totally worth it! To see one of my YW, married in the right place, at the right time, to the right guy, was a wonderful thing. Coming home to a clean house and a sweet husband who spent the next hour holding Rylee was also a wonderful thing! Life is good.

This kid!

This kid is quite cute.

This kid is still eating every 2 hours, day and night. Well, not quite true. I got a bonus hour last night. She fell asleep at 11 and then woke up at 2am, 4am, 6am, and then at 8am. Ug.

This kid has been gnawing on everything and drooling like a St Bernard. She is still quite cute though. Just wet.

This kid is learning to grab stuff and maneuver it to her mouth. Unfortunately, the only thing she can consistently get there is her own little paw.

This kid now weighs over 13 pounds. According to the Wii (which seems to be more accurate than our scale) she has gained 1.8 pounds in the last 4 days. I believe it!

Healthier cooking

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1-2 cups cubed potato

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can corn, or cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded cheese

4 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

salt and pepper

1 pie crust- uncooked

Cook carrots, potatoes and onion in broth till done. Add corn and peas. Blrnd flour and milk and stir into broth and veggies. Stir in cheese , chicken and seasonings. Spoon into casserole dish. Cover with pie crust and seal edges. Make several slits in the crust. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes

** To freeze, cover with foil and seran wrap to seal and freeze. Defrost 48 hours and cook as above.

I have been working on healthier meals. I decided that if we were going to consume empty calories, then they should be spent on good stuff like chocolate, cookies, and all that stuff you already know isn't good for you. Thus, I have been working on making our meals more beneficial for our bodies. Yes, I know lower calories is suppose to be good. However, if a whole wheat waffle and a donut have the same number of calories, the waffle is still a lot better for you.

I really like this pot pie recipe. I think I got it from Sharon. It is great for a couple of reasons. First, it tastes delicious! We had it for dinner last night. There are no leftovers at this moment. Second, it makes a lot. If you are a little family, you could put it in 2 pie pans and freeze one. That moves us to number 3; it freezes really well! Last of all is my favorite reason- no condensed soup required! I make my own chicken broth/stock, so there is pretty much nothing processed in this dish. And did I mention that it is really yummy?!

Jinxed

This is my sweet Rylee. See how she sleeps. She was such a good sleeper. She didn't go to bed very early, but once asleep at night, she was fantastic. I wrote about it in her journal 2 days ago. I commented on how she slept so nicely at night. Since then, she has been rotten. She has awoken every 2 hours and fussed. She ate and then fussed some more, rather than falling right back to sleep. What happened to my perfect sleeper who only woke to eat once between midnight and 7 am? I liked that baby! This new baby is no fun at all.