Fun with Kids

My children make me laugh.  Not always, but often enough I don't mind keeping them.  Today we're going to explore some of their delightful antics and I have thoughtfully provided pictures for your visual enjoyment.....

It poured rain yesterday.  It started just before I had to go somewhere and the girls were most upset that I wouldn't let them go play in the rain.  I promised them they could do that when we got home.  Callie was furious when it stopped raining as we drove home.   Oops.  She was in luck though and the deluge began again just as we arrived home.  It was really coming down too!  I was drenched,  just in the time it took me to run from the van to the front door! 

The girls did play and they did have a marvelous time!

Check out that pouring rain!   The kids have taken the bricks that line the yard and made a dam to stop the water in the gutter.  (I'll have them put back Kirsten!)

Delaney thought it was so fun to splash through the puddles.  I watched through the window with a big grin on my face.  Oh, to be young and not care about getting drenched!

Callie had some birthday money burning a hole in her pocket and I had to return something to Target, so off we went.  The girls were so funny!  They loved the Fur-Real pets and Callie acquired a baby lamb.  Watching her and Delaney mother this little lamb was the cutest darn thing!

Delaney and Callie have enjoyed the little pool a lot.  Joshua and Marian finally decided to give it a try. I had about 30 minutes of utter peace and quiet before the big kids splashed too much and Delaney got her feelings hurt, and then there was crying and drama.  Until then though......

They were so cute and had such a good time, and warmed the cockles of my heart.  I love it when they play together and get along! 

On Sunday after Church, they pulled the cushions off the couch and played.  There was a little trouble as Delaney got in the way of their fort making.  Then they decided to make a kid-sandwich and all was laughs and giggles.  They were a hoot and made me laugh too.  They begged for a picture and how could I resist?!

How to be the Coolest Kid in School

Joshua got to go to a birthday party today.  Not only did he get to go have fun, he got to go there in a Hummer Limousine!  Yeah, how cool is that?! Apparently a Laser Tag place here offers that as part of their Party Package.  So us moms only had to drive to the school to drop off the kids, and 3 hours later we showed up and picked them up. I was definitely glad I did not have to drive through traffic to take him to the laser tag place.  And he had a great time. Great time?  I mean he had the BEST time ever. 

Here is the cool limo.  Joshua ran over to take this shot before the boys all piled in.

I snapped a quick picture as Joshua jumped in.  The boys were all quite impressed.  As were us grown ups!

I am not the coolest mom, although I think maybe I did have a fairly successful Activity Day today.  I seem to make the same error over and over though. I think the girls can do more than they really can and I do not realize that 8+ girls is maybe more than I really can deal with by myself!  

Today we made Caramel Biscuits, and that was our refreshment.  We also made The Pioneer Woman's amazing Apple Dumplings.  I honestly did not expect to have so many girls, and it was pretty chaotic.  I didn't expect them all to be chatting at the top of their lungs all at once throughout the entire thing either.  And I can't add, and ended up short on some rolls, which left Lauren with incomplete dumplings.  Sigh. I did expect my kids to be underfoot (since Dan is out of town and I'm single-parenting it for another week.), but they actually did better than I expected, till the last 15 minutes, when they saw food being eaten.  It was wild and crazy, but I think the girls had fun. And it was a fairly easy clean up.  The girls just prepped the dumplings and then took a pan of dumplings with them to cook and consume at home. 

I am now exhausted  from it all and very, very grateful for Tasha's mom, who stayed and was a huge help.  Sometimes I don't think these things all the way through, or I don't quite expect the outcome I get!  Thank goodness the girls just seem to need to get together and the actual activity is not very important. It was a good time for all!

And now, on to what Callie and Delaney have been spending as much time as possible doing... swimming!

I have set this pool up so many times in the last 2 weeks!  I have to move it every few days because it kills the grass if it sits in one place too long.  The girls LOVE having the slide into the pool and they have played out there for hours.  Heck, that's what they are doing right now!

Silly Callie!  She went down this slide every possible way- head first, feet first, on her belly, on her back.... you name it, she did it.

And anything Callie did, Delaney did too!

These girls crack me up!  They put on their suits and go outside and I hear screaming and giggling and they just have a ball.  It makes me so happy to see them play together so well.  They really have a good time.  Then, of course, they come dripping in and out, in and out and then they cry when I make them stay in. But what a great way to wear them out!

Discouraged

My usual dinner philosophy is the kids eat (or don't) what I offer. I don't make them their own special meal. They have what's on the table and that's it. I do try to make sure there is at least one thing they like. For example, if I make Cornbread Casserole, I would offer corn and mandarin oranges as sides, because I know they'll eat those. I try to have a veggie and fruit at dinner and I let the kids pick those out, so I know they will like at least one thing. Its still a little discouraging to make food and have them reject it. Especially if its something I know they like or would have sworn they would eat.

Dan left yesterday for his travels and I won't see him again till next Thursday. I thought it would be nice to have an easy dinner tonight that the kids would like. So we had breakfast for dinner- eggs, bacon and biscuits (the good biscuits!). Suddenly none of them like bacon. None of them except Delaney wanted eggs, and even Joshua only ate half a biscuit. Okay, Marian ate 2 biscuits, but that was all she had. So frustrating! Whenever I make bacon for carbonara, I have to hold them off with a spatula so they don't steal my bacon. If I make myself eggs they beg for bites. When we have biscuits and gravy they snub the gravy and just want biscuits. So I KNOW they like everything. I think they do it on purpose, but darned if I know why!

It makes me wonder why I bother. Why not just serve them cereal for dinner? I know other moms do that, I just can't make myself fall that far. Sigh. I'm just really frustrated and discouraged and feeling unloved and unappreciated. At least when Dan is home I know one person will eat and enjoy and thank me. I'm going to go feel grumpy and take some satisfaction in the fact that I will have dessert after they are all in bed and they will all get nothing!

Picnics & Birthdays

Marian's class was going to have a Field Day and Luau Picnic this week.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature refused to cooperate and it poured rain the day before and the day of the event.  The Field Day got cancelled, but the Luau Picnic was still on.... it was just held in the classroom.  

My silly Marian, enjoying her lunch.  I was excited to meet her friend who she talks a lot about.  She doesn't talk about anyone else, and does not like anyone else or consider them her friends.  Except for this one boy.  So it was nice to see who she chatters about.  He was a cute kid and I can see why she'd be friends with him.

Making a face for me.  She was pleased to have us all there to show off for.  It was a little crazy in the room, with so many parents and kids and excitement.  But it was a good time.

Callie and Delaney had a blast checking out the different centers in the room.  I do not remember this much cool stuff when I was in kindergarten!!

Delaney loved this baby.  She was so cute, rocking it and feeding it and holding it.

And here is Marian getting her certificate.   Let me mention that I love her teacher.  She has had a wonderful teacher and aid this year.  I have been really impressed with them.

And now today Callie and I celebrated our birthdays.  Dan leaves tomorrow, so we figured we better get in the cake and ice cream before he left.  So we did.  Callie decided we needed to open presents first though!

Callie said everyone could help her open her gifts, and her brother and sisters were happy to help out.  (Callie is happy to have a new blanket that's big enough to cover her now!)

They were all enthralled by Callie's gifts, and for the last hour they have alternated between playing very nicely with them and fighting over them.   I think the cutest thing was watching Joshua comb the Dora the Explorer doll's hair!

And gasp!  Dan actually took pictures, so here I am!  He did not get a shot of my new serving platter, but I can tell you I was beyond happy with it!   I must have company soon so I can use it and show it off!  (Thanks Terry!)

A name, what's in a name?

Well, I  had been hearing a lot of different things from the kids, in terms of what we could name the baby.  This was all encouraged by Dan who loves to ask their opinion on it. I think that's a bad idea.  They think that if they offer an opinion, then it should be taken, and I don't want them to be disappointed.  Still, he keeps asking and they keep coming up with stuff.  So, I finally had them sit down for FHE this week and I wrote down all their names.  

The problem we have is that Dan and I only felt really strongly about one name.  Only one were we willing to fight the other on, despite the lack of enthusiasm from them.  Marian was mine, and Callie was Dan's.  Delaney was the last girl name we both kind of liked.  Pretty much all of Dan's names I do not like, and vice versa.  And the only names left seem to be ones we kind of like, but are not strongly attached to.  Well, that or they are already taken.  Emily is already on both sides of the family, and Catherine and Ashley are taken as well.  Dan hates double names (things like Anna-Kate or Mary-Alice), which I kind of like.  He also is against androgynous names, which I like.  Not so much for boys; tough being a boy with a name that a girl could also have.  But for girls, I think its okay.  Dan does not.  Plus, some of my favorite names were names of girls Dan or his brother dated, and that puts them out of the running.  Thus you may begin to see our situation.  So, here are the names that Dan and the kids came up with:

Alice

Isabella (We have an Isabelle already in the family)

Madison  (already Delaney's middle name- no comments Megan!)

Lauren

Elizabeth

Anna

Alexis (this came off my list when Joshua chanted "Sexy-Lexi" after Dan put this down.)

Camryn

China

Samantha

Sally

Sparkelot (Callie's choice)

Lucy  (Dan's dog's name)

So few are actually in the running, but we were getting all the names out and starting our list.  I'm sure more names will be added and crossed off.  Dan and I both LIKE more traditional names, but feel like we need something less popular, since we have such a common last name. Neither of us like weird spellings or things a kid will have to explain every year on the first day of school, so there actually is some common ground!