Happy November . . .

I love fall . . .




. . . especially when it feels like summer . . .

Carra . . .

turned 7 years old . . .

. . . shall we pause for a moment to reflect on that day 7 years ago . . .

I have vivid birthing memories of a Chinese medical intern hopping on one foot at the end of my hospital bed (trying to get the sterile footies over her shoes . . . I think . . . sorry about the lack of details . . . I was a bit preoccupied . . .) and giving me futile, yet desperate, commands in her thick Chinese accent.

It was a wonderful day.

Seems like it was just yesterday . . . sniff, sniff, . . . where does the time go???

Okay. I'm done.

So, Carra is 7. She and her cousin Elaine single handedly planned a party for her. I took all of their suggestions, considered them, and then changed every last one of them. We painted rocks instead of faces. We stayed home instead of going to Chuck E. Cheese. We never did get cake . . . And yet . . . they had fun. Especially Kailyn . . .



Since Carra loves, Loves, LOVES caramel apples, we decorated them instead of having cupcakes or a big fancy cake. There was a bit of strategy there . . . less work. Less work = happier mom.

Looking at her purple eyes . . . guess what she got for her birthday?


And the cousins came . . .

and decorated too. (Kailyn is missing . . . sorry about that . . . I think she made up for it in the group picture.)



They also made their own pet rocks. Six out of seven of them went home with a mouse . . . because you know how it goes with 6 & 7 year old girls . . . when someone throws out a great idea . . . it's great for EVERYBODY. I was very impressed with the one party attender that stuck with her tiger idea to the end. Besides, an orange mouse would have just been odd. About as odd as the 2 purple, 1 blue and 2 multicolored mice that left the house that day . . .

Here is Carra's mouse, Bob E. - He's the one on the left.



He looks just like our current mouse resident, Jack, he's the one on the right . . . that we pay actual money to feed and keep alive . . .

except for the green ears . . .



and the really big eyes . . .


and the red nose . . .


And the orange tail . . .


and the size . . .


But otherwise . . . they are nearly identical.

Nearly.

Happy Birthday, Carra . . . thanks for being you . . . except when you are mad at Brice . . . then thanks for just letting him live.

We love you!!

The things they say . . .

Owen again . . .

Buff was preaching away this morning and Owen was sitting quietly (no, that's not the funny part) next to me.

Buff states, "If you choose Jesus, Jesus is not safe**!"

Owen calmly turns to me and whispers, "Yeah, and hell isn't safe either."

They always pick the most inopportune times to make me giggle.

Oh, and by the way . . . they really are listening . . .






** for further explanation you can listen to his sermon by following the links on the website. The sermon was October 25th. It may not be put on the website for a few days . . .

Happy Wednesday . . .

Wishing you a great hair day . . .

Photo op . . .

"Okay, kids, let's all get a picture with our new missionary friend Mr. Kennedy Dick to remember him forever and ever . . ."

"Everybody, say CHEESE!"


"Owen . . ."
"OWEN . . ."
"O W E N !!!!"
"OOOO WWWW EEEE NNNN!!!!"

"KENNEDY!"

"AARON! "

"I give up . . . "

"Oooooooowen . . ."
"Thank You!"

"Okay, now the family . . . and spiderman."


"I'm wondering who will be remembering who?

Can anyone forget Owen?"

Here's Emma . . .

Ready for school!

Guess who skipped ahead to fourth grade?

THIS GIRL . . . that's who!

Way to go, Emma!

New desk in FOURTH GRADE!

Show'n her recess moves.

Catching up to her Old Man.

Favorite place: ZAO Noodles

Talking to Grandma Hawk . . .

Did you ever hear the story . . .

of the lady and her chickens?

Once upon a time there were some box elder bugs . . .


Well, "some" isn't an accurate count . . .

Once upon a time there were A LOT of box elder bugs and they were everywhere. There were so many that they drove the lady kinda crazy . . .

She came up with a plan . . . that included a very innocent looking shop vac . . .



and a bunch of chickens.

You see, the bunch of chickens LOVE to eat the little bugs. It's like candy to them. Such a treat. Since the lady loves her chickens . . . she vacuums up as many bugs that she can find . . . and she spoils those chickens by feeding them the little nuisances . . . I mean bugs. It makes both of them very, very happy . . .

. . . well, happy until she carries the innocent looking shop vac filled with bugs into the chicken pen.

Here is where the story gets a little fuzzy.

The lady claims she just carried the vacuum into the pen . . . but the chickens tell a different story. They squawked and fussed at the sight of that shop vac entering the pen - it was terrifying - and so they went right over the fence . . .



I think I overheard one of those chickens claiming that the lady had the vacuum over her head and was going . . . blllttttllllblttttt . . . as she came into the pen.

I just don't know who to believe . . .

But now there's a problem . . . the chickens are on the wrong side of the fence . . . and the lady ain't too happy anymore . . .

She called in reinforcements . . .

Be vewy, vewy quiet . . . I'm hunting chickens . . .

armed herself with her professional chicken catching tools . . .


and went chicken hunting.

Oh, how I wish I had video . . . to watch 3 grown men (Buff and his dad were in on it too), a grown woman (armed with a laundry basket), and a 10 year old boy get outsmarted by a chicken . . . I bet it would have won me money on AFV.

Unfortunately, I was being shadowed by this guy who turned out to be terrified of cockleburrs. Talk about a chicken . . .



and so I missed a lot of pictures of the chicken running through the woods this way . . .

and this way . . . (I know it's the same way . . . but that's what made her so tricky to catch.)



but in the end . . .

The hunt was successful and everyone is back on the right side of the fence.




The moral of the story . . .

Don't count your chickens . . . before you feed them box elder bugs from a shop vac.


Kerry: This post is for you . . . the chicken sitter. How much are they paying you?

Mmmm....Ice Cream!!!

As I was going through our pictures I noticed a repeating theme. I'm just glad we don't have the camera out every time we have this little treat.

Can you follow this conversation?

Do you remember when you were little and you had that one friend that seemed to bring out all the silliness in you. Alex is silly enough on his own, but when Lincoln is around they both turn it up a few notches....can you tell?

Summer is over . . .

I miss you guys. I miss telling you guys about our insane life.

So . . . I think I am going to ignore the fact that I have a house guest coming in 10 hours and that I will have a whole house full of people tomorrow (to come hang out with the house guest). Instead I am going to sit and talk to you for a while.

Of course, I am going to do what no gracious hostess should do . . . and go on and on about my life and my kids . . . but I'll never know if you click that exit button up in the corner . . . so feel free . . .

Summer. It finally arrived in Wisconsin - now that it is September and it's time to get back to school. Not that I'm complaining . . . I loved the cool nights and comfortable days. My garden complained quite a bit . . . but that might have been the gardeners fault . . . but she's blaming it on the weather.

It was a good summer to be busy . . .

Owen played t-ball . . .



and had the time of his life . . .



his energy level was amazing . . .

he had an absolute blast . . .

Yes, I believe she is doing what you think she is doing. He didn't even know her name.

Like I said . . . he had an absolute blast.


Carra got to play soccer . . .

And she was the star of the team . . .

Here she is keeping the grass warm . . .


Guarding the goal . . .


And holding up the goal post . . .

I don't know what they would have done without her.


In case you were wondering, this is what she would look like if her head were a ball . . .


And this is the only proof I have that she touched a ball . . .


Mikayla was in a play during summer school . . .

She LOVES the drama . . .

She is supposed to look scared here, but saw me lift my camera and is actually saying to the girl behind her, "Oh, great, my mom is taking a picture of me . . ."

I think she missed the class on staying in character.


And then there was Brice . . .

He did summer school too.

He built rockets. Something he was NOT at all excited about.


Rocket 1 . . . had to be built exactly as instructed. They could paint it and name it whatever they wanted.


The Black Knight . . .

Blastoff in 3, 2, 1 . . .

Guess what he is doing while waiting for launch . . . yep, he was jumping - and the countdown started at 3.


Blastoff!Success!

Rocket 2 . . .

This one they could build anyway they could imagine . . .


The before rocket . . . The Silver Dollar . . .

The after rocket . . . all the kids in the class thought Brice's was the best and he was soooo lucky . . . because his caught on fire!

I fear for our future flight programs if these kids are left in charge.



And so now summer is over . . . and we move on. Thanks for sitting and listening to me ramble on about my kids. I'll be back eventually . . .

August Revisited

August was a busy month, but, looking back, was full of some exciting things:

Like paint projects

Sweet Corn

Happy siblings

Happy Dancers

Home Projects

Back To School

Big Smiles

Happy Brothers

Annoyed Brothers

Rainbows

Self Entertainment

Tree Climbing

Power Naps

Pretend Roller Coasters

Barefoot Bike Riding gone bad ....

What was your August like?

The things they say . . .

Jonny was over for the afternoon. As he walked through the room, I noticed an unpleasant odor following him, so I asked, "Jonny, are you stinky?"

Owen was nearby and came to the rescue, "I'll check, Mom."

He leans over, sniffs Jonny's backside and states, "Oh yeah, Jonny stepped on a duck."


Moral of the story: Watch where you step . . .

They must be homeschooled . . .

I have accumulated quite a collection of highly intellectual tidbits from my kids lately . . .

***
One child was watching Bugs Bunny. Bugs is tunneling along and pops up into the screen and is bewildered about where he is. Come to find out he should have taken a right turn at Albuquerque . . . but that is beside the point. He looks around and spots a few familiar sights such as the Eiffel Tower and various French road signs. He perks up and begins to munch a carrot as he states, "Oh, I must be in Paris!"

My child turns to me and remarks, "What? I thought the Eiffel Tower was in France?"

***
Carra wants to know why everyone in our family is white . . . but Owen is tan . . .

***
A child was looking for a specific book in the "For Dummies" series and went to search the library catalog. This child returned without a book, so I asked what happened.

This child stated, "I gave up. I couldn't spell the word 'dummies'."

I'm still giggling.

***
Carra peeled an onion and stuffed it in her pocket. (No, I don't know why.) She came to me a bit disturbed because she didn't know why her eyes kept watering.

***
We were reading a book together and a discussion about the Queen of England came up. The kids began to speculate about where she is from originally (too many Princess Diaries type movies - I'm wondering if they think all royalty is just "discovered"). One child pipes up excitedly . . . "Oh, I know where she is from. She is from Kentucky."

Seriously, of all the places to choose . . .

(In this child's defense, we had recently watched a PBS documentary on the Queen's visit to the U.S. and it briefly described her attendance to the Kentucky Derby while she was here. That was the only part of the documentary in which the child was listening . . . which is ironic because I stopped listening to the child explain this because I was giggling so hard.)

***
And as every cultured child should, Owen has learned a little poetry . . .




Yeah, they're homeschooled . . .

Chicago . . .

We LOVE Chicago.

Our friends are nice too.

But we LOVE Chicago.

Recently we went down to visit our nice friends . . . and being the nice friends that they are . . . they help us to enjoy Chicago without the extra hassles of parking and getting lost.

Okay. We LOVE our friends too.

The first place they took us was the"Bean."

Here is our family photo under the "Bean." I think I'm going to use it for this year's Christmas card. It was a good hair day and everyone was smiling.


Apparently . . .they glued the thing down because Brice and Owen just couldn't budge the thing.


In case you were wondering . . .

I was there too . . .

And there were lots of kiddos. I have no idea who those other kids are, but they were so happy to get their picture taken with my kids that I just couldn't say no.

Actually, they belong to the nice people who made this day possible. Don't you love the Chicago skyline in the "Bean"?

Brice pulled the usual Powers stunt . . . .

and landed safely . . .

Sometimes I wonder who is the bigger idiot. The one jumping or the one snapping pictures of it . . . must be genetic . . .

We then found a fun area for the kids to splash around . . .




and we were exposed to true Chicago culture . . .

Just so you know . . .
This . . .
is . . .
art . . .

We waited around and watched a guy's face twitch and smirk at us . . . and then act like he was spitting on us.

You just can't dream up memories like this . . .

And that's why we LOVE Chicago . . .

The Things They Say

It is true. We have more than one child, but Aaron has been on a roll lately. Over the weekend, we were hardpressed with several projects around the house. Weeding, rototilling, splitting wood, priming, painting, cleaning .... etc. (I think you get the point, since most of you were there.) Aaron is a workaholic.... as long as he's working with dad. If there's a job to do, and he can work by daddy's side, he'll put in as many hours as necessary. He helped split wood, stack wood, prime walls, paint walls, clean his room, the basement, the garage, the yard. He worked hard. On Sunday, as Aaron and I were painting, I asked him:

"Aaron, you're a great helper. Are you a good worker?"

Response (spoken matter of factly):

"Nope, I'm a fun worker."

A bloggable life . . .

As life happens around here, I always picture in my head how I would blog it. I think in blog format. I plan for blog format. I just rarely blog in blog format. Ironically, it is because of that thing called life that is always happening around here.

I am always taking pictures. The camera sits on my counter . . . just in case something "bloggable" runs through the kitchen. Like the day I was having a serious conversation on the phone. The woman on the other end was crying and pouring out her heart to me . . . and Owen and Carra raced through the kitchen . . . with underwear on their heads.

I totally missed it.

I just couldn't figure out how to put the poor woman on hold so I could photograph our crazy life that was running through the kitchen - at the worst possible moment.

You would have loved that post . . . just imagine . . . Buzz Lightyear . . . and two ready-made eyeholes . . .

But . . . I did manage to get this . . .

As the story goes . . .

Carra and Owen play very well together (well . . . most of the time). On this particular day, the older kids were gone all day so Carra and Owen were left to entertain themselves.

Carra decided that it would make the day more interesting if she and Owen traded identities. You know, she would become Owen and he would become her. Brilliant.

So, they traded clothes and practiced answering to each other's names. To complete the deal and make it "official" . . . she spit in his mouth . . . so he would become her - and he totally went along with it. Not so brilliant. It worked for a while until Owen wanted to be Owen again, so he spit back at her.


She was no longer in control . . . . and that irritated her . . . so she gave him a mohawk.

There is a green stamp on his head too. I think it was part of the initiation . . . little green giraffes. Makes total sense - cuz Carra always has one of those on her head.

By the way, the greasy look to her hair is gel. They really tried to give her a mohawk too . . . but quickly realized it just wasn't going to work.

Yes, that night became bath night.

This is the kind of stuff that makes up my life. I have so much more I want to say, but so little time to share . . . but stay tuned . . . just in case I have another spare minute . . . because my camera is full again.

Aaron Takes Off

Just when he was starting to outgrow his toddler years, Aaron has discovered that he's faster on two wheels than he is on two legs. Yesterday, Ruth dropped the kids off at some friend's house while she was occupied. When she returned to pick up them up, Aaron was two-wheeling by himself in the driveway. Just up and figured it out, I guess. So, today, with a little encouragement from his brother, Aaron showed us how to do it!

Way to go Buddy!

A bike trick update . . .

Recently I mentioned Carra and Owen's amazing bike feats . . .

Well, things have advanced since then . . .

Owen is now doing tricks on his bike . . .

Impressive . . .

But then he discovered the bike ramp . . .

I know what your thinking . . . the kid is only four!

I don't think we have much to worry about yet . . .

He doesn't get too much air . . . I'm okay with that now - because I'm sure there will be a day . . .


Carra got a little bored with her one handed bike riding tricks and decided to go for no feet instead . . . at least she is sticking with the pink part . . .

(Sorry about the blurry faces - explanation - I still have no idea how to operate that camera . . .)

BUT then she progressed quickly from here.

We brought Brice along for this little ride in the park. (Blurry face again . . . oops) He realized that he could finally ride with no hands . . .

He gets very excited about his lifelong dreams and accomplishments. It is fun to watch. It is my lifelong dream though that his dreams get bigger . . . and he amounts to more than being able to say he rode his bike with NO hands.

Oh, I think I am in luck . . . it seems his new dream may get him a stint in the circus . . . whew, at least he'll be moving out someday . . .

. . . and hopefully he'll be taking her with him . . .

. . . seeing he has taught her all he knows!

Well, all but the pink part . . .

A Walk in the Park

Do you remember the little things we did as a family?

Sunday lunches at the hospital,

Summer vacations to grandparents in Michigan,

really bad haircuts ...

need I go on?

This Saturday, we decided to enjoy the beautiful humid, mosquito infested summer air and Wisconsin weather with a walk in the park. The plan: summer stroll, bike ride, back to the house for ice cream and baths, off to bed. It was nearly perfect. It began as a quasi-bike ride/short stroll. Daddy recommended a new park in town. One that is fairly secluded, minimal traffic, and perfect for a walk/bike ride. All it is, is an oval around a man made pond ... What could possibly go wrong?

The air was clear

The smiles were abundant

The bikes were fast

Sweetness filled the air

The water was calm

A duck, swims unassumingly

The setting was serene

Ahhhh. We all remember a day of skipping stones ...

.... and little boys?

Ahhhhh yes, a quiet serene evening, cut short by the screaming panic sounds of a two year old boy, dunked completely.

The Things They Say ....

Ahhhh ....
The trend continues:

We spent yesterday afternoon visiting a restaurant in town called B-52's. That fact is fairly irrelevant save for the fact that they have really good gyro sandwiches. Anyway, as we are sitting there, Aaron strikes up a friendly conversation with the girl in the booth next to us because Jonny, clearly enamored by the fact that other people exist, was staring blankly at her.


Aaron: That's my brother. His name is Jonny

Girl in Booth: Oh really?! And what's your name

Aaron: Aaron ... and that's Awaine, and that's mommy, and that's my daddy, and that's my Annie

Girl in Booth: How old are you?

Aaron: I'm dis many ... (holds up a very awkward four fingers, looking at it to ensure that it's really 4)

Girl in Booth: Wow that's a lot!

Aaron: And Jonny is 2, and 'waine is .... (looks at daddy)

Daddy: 8

Aaron: Awaine is 8 ... and Annie's gonna be 1, right mommy?

Mommy: Yes, almost one

Aaron: And my mommy and daddy are old too

Girl in Booth: Really? How old?

Aaron: They have t.v. in their bedroom!

Words cannot express . . .

. . . what only this face can . . .

We can all feel her pain . . . wooooo hoooo that was sour!

The fourth, the feet and the faces . . .

The firecrackers I got to hang out with on the Fourth . . .

. . . yes, you . . .

Parenting advice 101 . . .

Buff and I had the privilege of having the oldest grandchild for both sides of the family. We have felt for a long time that this privilege comes with an enormous responsibility to set a good parenting example for all of our siblings following along behind us . . .

So let us share some of our wisdom with you . . .

(I know you didn't ask for our input, but I'll bet you're going to keep reading because you're curious . . . )

One area that we desire to instill in our children is hard work. When there is a job to be done, you do your best, work your hardest and don't quit until the job is done. (I know, I know. I can sense you oooing and aahing at our amazing wisdom. It's deep.)

Last week was a turning point in our home. We have stressed. We have taught. We have disciplined. So we put our boys to work.

The tasks:

Owen - clean off the stairs.

Brice - clean your room.

Sounded reasonable enough.

Like any good parent - you inspect what you expect. I came around the corner to check on Owen and his amazing progress. Imagine my beaming face when I found this . . .

(Zzzzzz . . . . snore . . . . zzzzzz . . . . snore . . . .)

Okay, okay, we still have work to do . . . but he is only four . . .

Brice. He's ten. I'm sure he is setting a better example for his brother and sisters . . . . He's a good son - working diligently on the task set before him . . . .


Brice. Ahem, Brice . . . I'm talking about you . . . at least get up and wash your feet . . .

(Zzzzzz . . . . snore . . . . zzzzzz . . . . snore . . . .)

Sooo, that is about all the wisdom we have to share. Shall I put all this in book form for all of you so that you can have kids that turn out just like mine? Just act surprised at Christmas . . . I'll even put it in a similar format so you can just add it to the Hawk family cookbook Kerry put together last year.

Your Welcome . . .

There he goes . . .

This news is actually a few weeks old . . . but . . . well, nonetheless, here it is . . .

Owen is 4 years old and we didn't have a bike for him to ride this summer. He had outgrown his tricycle and in spite a of an amazing collection of bikes accumulating in our garage - we didn't have any with training wheels.

We hemmed and hawed about going to get him a bike but just never got around to it.

So Owen decided to just try the big bike while he was waiting for his parents to get their act together. He asked Buff to get him started one day. He got on and did this . . . first try.


It was very exciting. These kind of events rank right up there with learning to crawl or walk. I'm even known to shed a tear or two . . . my baby is growing up . . . (sniffle, sniffle)

And for those of you who were wondering about his ability to multi -task . . . yes, he can still talk and ride a bike at the same time. He is an amazing child . . . he must get that from his dad. He just keeps talking . . . ;0)


And because I do not want to show any favoritism . . . Carra realized she can do this . . .


One handed bike riding while dressed completely in pink . . . yeah, she gets that from her mom. . . the pink part. Extraordinary.


And like any good blog post should end, we leave you with Owen riding off into the sunset -or a tree - or the broad side of a barn . . .

Way to go, Owen!

Oompa Loompa Sighting

Waterloo isn't usually that exciting of a place... unless it's Weiner and Kraut Day, of course. ( I know, I know, you are all wondering why I've never mentioned THAT before... another day. ) Well, this weekend there were several oompa loompa sightings reported in our thriving metropolis. Kristen and Kailyn were among them.

They participated in Waterloo's Community Theatre which produced the musical "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I think their really is a genetic drama gene. I always loved speech and drama and now they do too. Usually it just manifests itself in rather large dramatic expressions (and outbursts) at home... this time it was channeled and people paid money to come and see it. I may just be on to something here.... hmmmm.

Like I've already hinted, they were oompa-loompas. Here are some pictures and a video of their great performance.

Kailyn singing in the children's chorus (before they became oompa-loompas). Kristen was in the back row and so there are really no performance pictures of her, unfortunately.

In the picture above... that's Kailyn in the front and center w/ the green suit and purple hair... don't you just love it!!

Here they both are post performance. They had 3 performances in total.

The video below was one of at least 6 songs (which you can still hear me humming at any given moment on any given day, by the way... *eye twitches*) that they participated in. This was the only one I could get both girls in since Kristen was in the back... you get the idea. Kristen's wearing a blue shirt (still not sure WHY when everyone else was wearing white...) and is the oompa-loompa at the end who "mistakenly" goes the wrong way.

The things they say . . .

Owen again . . .

. . .that is mostly because he does most of the talking around this house . . . and because whenever the older ones say something funny, they tend to get mortified. They also have a better understanding of how a blog works and how many people could be laughing . . .

So we'll stick with getting our laughs from Owen . . .

These were this morning on our way to summer school.

Note: It might help if you read aloud to get the double meanings . . .

Conversation #1:

I have noticed with this child that if he adds "head" to the end of another word - he thinks he has said something absolutely hilarious . . . either that or he feels he is borderline cussing.

"Mom, how old are you?"

"37"

"Oh, so you're a 37 - head."

"Brice, how old are you?"

"Ten."

"So you're a ten-head."

"Carra, how old are you?"

"Six."

"Okay, you're a six-head."

"Mikayla, how old are you?"

"Twelve."

"That makes you a twelve-head."

Mikayla pipes in, "So, Owen how old are you?"

"Four." And then pointing to the area right above his eyes . . . "That means I am a four-head!"

Conversation #2:

Summer school for the entire village of Sussex takes place at the high school, so little ol' Sussex gets their own version of a traffic jam at 8:30 every morning as the entire village tries to stuff itself into a single parking lot.

As I am pulling out of the parking lot, I start to think out loud as to which way I will turn to avoid the traffic jam. Owen glances out the window and pipes in . . .

"Yeah, Mom, look at that jam traffic . . ."

He put the emphasis on the /j/ in "jam".

It was a totally innocent switching of the words, but I'm thinking I might have to consider addressing all this borderline cussing . . . .

A few tips . . .

for frog gigging . . .

In case you ever find yourself with the privilege of hunting for tadpoles or frogs at your local pond, here are a few pointers to take with you . . .

You can't go wrong with . . .















A good pair of rubber boots. How I wish I would have invested in these years ago . . .





















When wearing the boots, it is always a plus when you get to make a fashion statement. Wearing your shirt backwards is a sure way to gain extra attention. Well, at least the frogs won't know if your coming or going . . .




















If you are a little leery of the whole ordeal . . . a beer always helps.






















Of course, if you prefer coffee, that will calm the nerves too . . . hunting for frogs can make one jumpy.

Sorry. I couldn't resist.















A good selection of songs helps to pass the time. Personal favorites are "Oh, Tom the Toad" , "Dive", and maybe even "Skip to my Lou . . . "





















Be ready to jump at a moments notice . . .




















It always helps to be aware of your surroundings. Look up and out as well as down. I truly don't know what he is looking for . . . but apparently the hand helps.














And in the end, this may be all you go home with.

Ahhhh, time well spent.

And this is just in case you miss dandelion season . . .




















they would be almost pretty . . . if there wasn't so many of them - and they didn't make our neighbors shake their heads and mutter to themselves every time they glanced over at our yard. We had quite a collection this year - even though we sprayed. I think we've got mutant weeds who feed off poison. It sounds just like the kind of thing that would be growing in my yard.

Happy frog gigging . . .

The Things They Say ...

I'm usually conscious of these things in the moment, but, unfortunately as time lapses, I quickly forget the content and context of about 99% of what the kids do and say. However, the other day over dinner, Aaron delighted us with this little nugget that apparently was so adorable, we've as of yet to forget it, and made it a point to post it.

Elaine, ever being the knowledge absorbing 2nd, actually now 3rd, grader that she is, has become quite the little speller. So, the other day at dinner, she began to speak to us in cryptic form.

Elaine:

"Mom. Dad. I have an idea. Do you think that after dinner and everything is all picked up, you can call, and I can go to R-A-C-H-E-L-S ?"

Aaron :

"Yeah! And I can go to Owen's house. T-E-A-F"

We're baaaack . . . .

Because I'm sure you missed us . . .

I just downloaded my camera and realized I had 228 pictures - which have so many stories that go with them. My computer is old and slow so this is quite an undertaking . . . but I'll try to fill you in on the life at the Powers . . . but not all at once. That would take all day and I wasted yesterday just getting them onto my computer and editing them . . . I don't have another day to waste. . . until tomorrow . . .

Today, I will just take you on the 25 cent tour of the Powers' ever changing menagerie.

Please remain seated and keep your hands and feet to yourself.

And I mean it. You don't want to see my "don't-make-me-stop-this-blog-and-come-over-there" look. (And all the Powers' children said, "Amen.")

* * *

Our first stop is the story of Gary. Gary came home with Brice because all the other mothers said "No!" to their boys, but Brice's mother wasn't there to defend herself . . . and so Gary became Gary Powers.

Snakes don't bother me as a general rule. The thought of one slithering through my house though doesn't thrill me.





















Gary had no idea what love was until he met Brice. That boy carried him everywhere with him. If you want to see Brice truly, truly happy - put a slimy creature in his hand . . . it's pure bliss.














But honestly, I don't think Gary appreciated all the loving . . .















It was just TOO much . . .

Because when Brice set him on the stool (because we all know how well snakes sit) in front of the dishwasher . . . Gary had had enough. He found the vent on the front of the dishwasher - and crawled inside.

Yep. I had to unscrew the front of the dishwasher to rescue poor Gary.

And then Brice had a brilliant thought. Using the limited logic of a 10 year old, he assumed that Gary couldn't climb stairs - so he would be safe on the stairway landing for a few seconds while he ran upstairs to grab something. His mother would never know . . . until he came back . . . and Gary was gone. Gone - gone. You know, search-for-3-hours-and-don't-stop-to-eat-or-pee gone.

We went to bed that night with a garden snake loose in the house . . . the things I do for love.

At 5:30 the next morning, Buff caught him slithering off the bottom step in the direction of the kitchen.

I think he was heading for the dishwasher . . .

From then on Gary was banished to the outdoors - if he is going to escape, he can hide under a rock - NOT under my bed.

So Brice brought this guy home instead . . .















He is one of several frogs living among us. (Several being defined as = I lost count . . .)

He's a bullfrog - named Big Boy Blue.

Yeah, I think he's color blind too - either that or the letter G is harder to alliterate into a frog name.















He was a big boy though - I'll give him that!















And this is how he escaped. Apparently frogs can hop. I suspect he is now living under the deck.
















With this guy . . .















And this guy . . .

And the dozen or so other frogs I never thought to take a picture of.

* * *

Now if everyone will remove their hats and have a moment of silence for Cory.






















(Silence)

(And that is about all the silence you'll get around here.)

He was a baby robin who fell out of his nest and died the next day. I threw him in the trash, but he was rescued by the family members with compassionate hearts and I found a little memorial for him out by the garden.

R.I.P. Cory.

It's a lot quieter out there . . .

* * *

And last but not least . . . meet Bob.















He was loved like no other inch worm.

Well, at least he got a name.

I'm wondering what's up with all the people names for such slimy creatures. If you have any of the above mentioned names - there is no intended connection . . . unless your name is "Big Boy Blue" - then I am just sorry for you.

* * *

And that ends this portion of your 25 cent tour. For another 25 cents I could go on and on about the crayfish and hundreds of tadpoles still living in tanks on the back porch. Owen would even add a few tidbits about his June bug collection, but I'm sure you have one of your own. But I bet you don't "wuv, wuv da beetles" like he does.

I am keeping in mind that it is only June. I'm sure there will be many more creatures following my children home this summer.

I am okay with it as long as none of them end up in the dishwasher . . .

The things they say . . .

Owen is heading to the table to eat his lunch . . . .

"Hey, Owen, did you wash your hands after you touched those frogs?"

"Yeah, I sucked them clean."

So my question is, do I NOW make him go wash with soap and water or has the damage already been done?

What are the chances this kid actually survives his childhood??????

What are the chances that I survive his childhood?????

The things they say . . .

Carra just walked into the room and stated to me . . .

"I think I know now why you are my mom."

"Oh, really? Why?"

"Because every time you have to go pee - so do I."

(sniffle) I am so proud. (sniffle) I never thought this day would come. (sniffle)

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma! II

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma!

We Love You!
Thank You for all you do!

The Hawk family

These are interview questions I borrowed (from the borrower) and altered (somewhat) accordingly to be fitting for Grandma . . .

Code:

The first initial of the kids.
E (Elaine) = 8 yrs.

A (Aaron) = 4 yrs.

J (Jonny) = 2 yrs.

An (Annie) = 7 mo.

R (Ryan)

1. What is something Grandma always says to you?

"I love you." (E)

"She loves me." (A)

"This is something she says all the time that I think is cool. 'I thank the Lord all the time for you kids.'" (R)

2. What makes Grandma happy?

"Things that she can sew with." (E)

"Me!" (A)

"Being in the garden." (R)

3. What makes Grandma sad?

"Grandma is never sad." (E)

"When Grandpa leaves." (A)

"Being away from her family... and dirty kitchen floors." (R)

This is NOT Grandma's kitchen!

4. What makes Grandma laugh?

"When all the parents talk about something funny." (E)

"Me!" (A)

"The grandkids." (R)

5. What was Grandma like as a child?

"Like Aunt Tina when she was little." (E)

"Just be little like me." (A)

"I don't know." (R)

6. How old is Grandma?

"54" (E)

"2" (A)

"2" (J) This is the only time he pipes in by the way!!

"66" (R) Good job Ryan!

7. How tall is your Grandma?

"2 yards and1 inch ." (E) I wonder what she's been learning about?

"Like that." (holding up his arm as high as he could.) (A)

"5 ft. 5 in." (R)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

"Sew." (E)

"Watch TV." (A)

"Gardening and sewing clothes for her grandkids." (R)

Somewhere in the background are pajamas grandma made for the girls.
Somewhere in the foreground is a little boy still waiting for his.

9. What does your Grandma do when you're not around?

"Sews." (E)

"She wants to be alone and by herself... and watch TV." (A) Guess what he wanted to be doing?

10. If your Grandma becomes famous, what will it be for?

"Sewing!" (E)

"She makes 2 pudding pies really good." (A)

"Her quilts and her dry turkey." (R)

11. What is Grandma really good at?

"Sewing." (E) Do you sense a theme?

"Juggling." (A)

"Sewing, quilting, gardening." (R)

12. What is Grandma not very good at?

"Fishing." (E) Although Ryan would disagree.

"With orange juice." (A)

"Dunking a basketball." (R)

13. What does Grandma do for her job?

"Stay home! - Remember when she retired and got off of work?." (E)

"Making pies." (A)

14. What is Grandma's favorite food?

"Ice cream." (E)

"Dinner!!!" (A)

"Butter-pecan ice cream." (R)

15. What makes you proud of Grandma?

"Sewing." (E)

Blank stare (A)

"Her humility in her recent salvation." (R)

16. If Grandma were a cartoon character, who would she be?

"Fairy God-Mother from Cinderella." (E)

"Mices."(A)

"The grand-mother on Sylvester and Tweety." (R)

17. What do you and Grandma do together?

"Pull weeds." (E)

"I make pies." (A)

"Garden and talk." (R)

18. How are you and Grandma the same?

"We're both girls... and not boys," (E) "I'm not the same." (A) "Gardening." (R)

80% of our garden came from Grandma's garden. What a talent!

19. How are you and Grandma different?

"She's taller then me." (E)

"I am pokey." (A)

"I'm the tallest, she's the shortest." (R)

20. How do you know Grandma loves you?

"She hugs me and kisses me." (E)

"She makes me a cake." (A)

"We always hug and kiss when we leave." (R)

21. Where is Grandma's favorite place to go?

"Our house." (E)

"Aaron's house." (A)

"The garden." (R)


Okay, so Annie didn't say anything, but she was asleep for most of the interview.

Happy Mother' Day! We love you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma!

We Love You!
Thank You for all you do!

The Powers family

These are interview questions I borrowed and altered accordingly to be fitting for Grandma . . .

Code:

The first initial of the kids.
M = 12 yrs.

B= 10 yrs.

C = 6 yrs.

O = 4 yrs.

1. What is something Grandma always says to you?

"Your getting tall." (M)
"Come out to the garden with me." (B)
"Chew with your mouth full." (O)

2. What makes Grandma happy?

"When we say something funny." (M)

"Gardening." (B)

"When we love her." (C)

"Scooby Doo." "Grandpa cutting down trees." (O)

3. What makes Grandma sad?

"When people die." (C)

"Seeing snakes." (O)

4. What makes Grandma laugh?

"When we tell her funny stories." (M)

"Owen." (B)

"A joke." (C)

"Scooby Doo." (O)

5. What was Grandma like as a child?

"She liked to be outside." (M)

"She played doctor with her dolls." (B)

"She liked to help her mom plant flowers." (C)

"She played with her toys." (O)

6. How old is Grandma?

"65" (M)

"50" (B)

"56" (C)

"44" (O)

7. How tall is your Grandma?

"5 ft. 4 in." (M)

"5 ft. 2 in." (B)

"3 ft." (C)

"2 ft." (O)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

"Garden." (M & B)

"Sew." (C)

"Cut down trees." (O)

9. What does your Grandma do when you're not around?

"Gardens." (M & B)
"Sews." (C)
"Cooks." (O)

10. If your Grandma becomes famous, what will it be for?

"World's biggest watermelon." (M)

"World's biggest quilt." (B)

"Winning a race." (C)

11. What is Grandma really good at?

"Cooking." (M)
"Being a good Grandma." (B)
"Sewing." (C)
"Brownies." (O)

12. What is Grandma not very good at?

"Running." (B)

"Climbing trees." (C)

"Drinking soda. She always spills." (O)

13. What does Grandma do for her job?

"Taking care of Grandpa." (M)
"She doesn't have one." (B)
"Being a doctor." (C)
"Cooks." (O)

14. What is Grandma's favorite food?

"Meat. She always has some in the house to cook." (M)

"Broccoli." (C)

"Pizza." (O)

15. What makes you proud of Grandma?

"She's understanding." (M)

"'Cuz she's my Grandma." (B)

C & O - had no idea what the question meant . . .

16. If Grandma were a cartoon character, who would she be?

"Boo-Boo (on Yogi) - Because she is always aware of stuff." (B)

"Martha the Talking Dog." (From PBS Kids - her name is Martha after all . . .) "(C)

"Scooby Doo."

17. What do you and Grandma do together?

"Sew." (M)
"Garden." (B)
"Pick Pumpkins."(C)
"Clean up the house." (O)

18. How are you and Grandma the same?

"We like to garden." (M & B)
"We like to play with dollies." (C)
"If I get a white wig, I'll look like her." (O)

19. How are you and Grandma different?

"She's a girl and I'm a boy." (B)
"She doesn't change her clothes as much." (C)
"I like to play with trucks." (O)

20. How do you know Grandma loves you?

"She always helps me." (M)

"She always hugs me when she sees me." (B)

"We get to go to her house." (C) (She always invites us back - that is love!)

"She hugs me." (O)

21. Where is Grandma's favorite place to go?

"Jo-Ann Fabrics." (M)
"The garden." (B)
"George Webb." (C)
"Pizza Hut." (O)

Happy Birthday, Kerry

Here's what I have to say about it all!

The knight in cardboard armor . . .

I found my knight in shining armor, and he rescued this damsel in distress. We married and then produced this . . .



I think there was a kink in the genes somewhere . . .


But - they say there could be someone out there for everyone, so there could be a simple cardboard damsel dreaming of this guy coming to rescue her . . . you just never know.

I hope she likes soda . . . (and chocolate milk).

No Wonder Parenting is so Hard...

Karissa comes to me today and says,

"Mom, I want you to tie this exactly like you did before except different"

Most of my parenting struggles would dissolve if I could just bridge the language barrier. Half the time I don't know what they are talking about!!

The things they say . . .

He's starting young . . .

Owen (age 4) stated to my 28 year old friend who stopped by . . .

"Hey, how about we leave my mom and dad here with the kids and just you and me go out on a date."

You know age won't matter so much when she's 92 and he's 68 . . . it won't seem quite so odd then . . . umm, on second thought - yeah, it will . . .

Easter As I Saw It

It's a race to the hiding spot! And Brice wins!

What grin? This is my naturally happy face!

The Birthday Pie!

The "Stare" .... sooooo photogenic

.... and yet refused to get in the picture of the rest of the girls

"Grandpa! Why are you so tired?"

Ohhhhhhhhh! I See!

Kaylin counting her loot!

Elaine points to where she thinks the grand prize might be ...

5 seconds later, Kaylin finds the grand prize.

Kristen ... STOP GROWING!

Volpe with the side arm delivery!

Better your hands than your face!

In his former college life ... Buff was thin

Elaine, using her 2nd grade education, counting her stash!

Laura, the biggest kid of all!

" Carra! These are fingers. You can count with them. Use them to count to 24!"

Grandma and Jonny in step on the hunt! ... Precious!

Brice either met his ultimate tree match,

or is so overthinking where the location of the egg might be!

The look pretty much sums it up ... It was a good day!

The gang's all lined up for the big hunt!

CHOW TIME!

more Easter . . .

The local Hawk family members got together at Ryan and Ruth's new house to celebrate 5 birthdays, search for Easter eggs, cut down trees and eat lots of food.

Buff is explaining the rules - find 24 eggs each -
and giving the heart-broken Kerry the news that she is too old to participate this year.

Buff explaining again that they only get 24 eggs - and there is one super egg with $5 in it . . . and just as a reminder . . . they only get 24 eggs.

What you can't see here is Grandma requiring a posed pre-hunt photo
while re-explaining that they ONLY get 24 eggs each.

Carra and Owen with their loot.
Carra had . . . 29 eggs.
She wasn't listening and messed up the whole system . . . Either that or she can't count.
(I'm sure this will be coming up at her next parent-teacher conference . . . ).

Then they played an exciting round of "pin-the -tail-on-the-bunny."

But Brice decided to make it more exciting
and played "pin-the-tail-on-the-entertainment-center."
Obviously, Carra and Elaine were quite amused. . .

Elaine got another Webkinz horse for her birthday.
We were all relieved to hear that the two horses are now officially married
since they will be living together.
This is the official wedding kiss that Elaine requested I put on the blog.
Congratulations.

And the highlight of the day was when the Easter giraffe showed up.
We were trying to start a new Easter tradition . . .

But I'm not so sure I want to believe in this guy either . . .

Ryan or Kerry? Anything else to share?

Ruth, have you recovered from the shock?

Easter eggs

In an attempt to redeem my failing "mother-of-the-year" status, I agreed to decorate eggs with my kids this year. I honestly believe it is the first time in my 12 year mothering career that I have done this . . . now you can see why this "mother-of-the-year" award is so fleeting. Young children, permanent egg stain & eggs just never seemed like a good combination to me. Besides nobody likes to eat boiled eggs except me (and occasionally Carra if armed with a full bottle of ranch dressing).

(An interesting story could be inserted here about an unwritten pre-nuptial agreement and boiled eggs - but that would be a rabbit trail - no Easter pun intended . . . )

I decided to go ahead and fight the fight upfront and not boil the eggs. I figured the kids won't eat them, but the kids will treasure them, the eggs will rot, the eggs will stink, the mom will throw the eggs away, the kids will cry, the mom will roll her eyes and never do this again.

So we didn't boil.

We blew.

(Can you see the vein popping out in his forehead??)

We dipped.



We spilled.


We drew.



We dunked.



We created.


And I survived.

I don't know if I'll get "mother-of-the-year" but in the end I did get happy kids, fun memories and a big mess . . . what more could a mother ask for (other than a maid)???

Fire!

It seemed to be a trend I've noticed in this family. You should have had this guy come and put out the fire. Alex at his friend's birthday party at the fire station!

More @ the Domes

A Day @ The Domes

We took the kids to the Mitchell Park Domes to see the Lego trains

about a week ago!

Long time, no see!

Almost sitting up on her own!

Aaron is most content when he can sit and hug his baby sister

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

(note the amusement in Elaine)

The Hawk Family @ our new house!

Monterey Trip

Monterey Trip

Monterey Trip

Monterey Bay

Monterey Trip

Hanging out with friends

At the Beach!

FIRE!!!!!!

Well, it seems it has been a while since we've had a good adventure story come from the Powers' house . . . let me take care of that little detail.

Kerry told her story about how the firemen came to her house . . .

Here is my story about the fire that came to our house . . .

1. He lit a match. (I know what you are thinking . . . He's 10 - he can reach them no matter where we put them. Kids are "in training" - not "trained.")

2. He blew out the match. (Good boy.)

3. He threw the match into the trash can. (Uh-oh.)

4. The hot match lit the surrounding kleenex on fire. (Oh, junk . . . no pun intended)

5. The boy panicked.

6. He shut the door. (Maybe nobody will notice . . .)

7. He ran outside. (Yes, he left the rest of us to die without him . . . )

8. He continued to panic - but gained enough common sense (and courage) to come and warn us.

9. He told his mother - with the condition that she wouldn't get mad . . . (Now really, why would I get mad???)

10. His mother didn't get mad - but she did move very fast.

11. His mother screamed for his father - who came and saved the day. (My hero.)

12. There was absolutely no damage done - outside of a melted trash can. It happened on a tile floor - away from the walls and cabinets. It still stinks in there though - and there was ash everywhere.

13. The fire alarms never went off. (Now I am mad.) We are working on that. A grace gift of sorts to find out now - while we are still alive.

14. We are buying fire extinguishers too . . .

15. It all counts as school. Fire safety - home-school style . . . (I don't recommend the curriculum though . . .)

16. He was mortified - but is now laughing with the rest of us. It was an accident - but he is investing in a new trash can. Talk about learning your lesson the hard way!

Here is all that remains of the trash can . . .


Each adventure seems to be a bit more dramatic than the last. They are getting a bit to exciting for my blood.

Oh, wait, did I mention blood????

Thinking spring . . .

I love spring because it is warm(er) . . .

He loves spring because there is . . . MUD!!!!