What I'm Learning (and Need to learn)

1. How to correctly deal with frustration

2. How to be patient

3. How to show love and kindness, even when.....

4. How to enjoy my kids and cherish them every stage

5. How to be patient (yes, I need extra doses of that)

6. How to rest

7. How to encourage each child as they need to be encouraged

8. How to forgive and seek forgiveness

"Now your attitudes and thoughts must be constantly changing for the
better..... be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, .... follow God's example in everything you do just as much loved child imitates his father. Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins." Eph 4:23, 32, 5:1

Dear Lord, thank you for continuing to teach me, even through tough weeks.... You are what I desire, for myself and my family.

Little Hands at-Work

How busy the hands? How big the messes they are capable of making are? How sweet this stage... their hands are getting older. How I will miss these "baby" hands?

Revenge of the Mum

Sorry, I couldn't resist some "gardening humor" especially when I first saw how HUGE this mum plant had gotten. I planted it LAST fall and it just exploded after some of the rain this late summer. This is my orange mum, the yellow ones bloomed all summer and have buds ready for the fall...... someone before us must have really used good soil:)


But here is just a taste of what the bush will look like in a couple of weeks:

Potty Charts

So our first few days of potty training I was using another mom's method... it was good, but didn't totally fit my un-motivated little man!!

Yesterday was the first day of potty training our way (with the foundation of the first 3 days). So for that it means dragging out the "potty charts". For the first day I made a really, really simple chart that had him put stickers in three circles with the prize listed at the top. So I would remind him of the prize when he would sit on the potty and then he could put a sticker on the chart when his was successful. Many times throughout the day, I'd sit him on the potty and he wouldn't do anything..... but the whole day we had 2 accidents!!!

Today he was able to redeem his "prize"..... a trip with Daddy to see the town's fire trucks and Mr Fred's puppies. Christopher came back just as excited as he left but Brian informed me that they had seen neither....but he went with Daddy which he had been hoping to do ALL week (but had been stuck at home potty training).

Today, I pulled out the "big dogs"...... that is the super chart!!! So now we can work on all the aspects of potty training..... trying, success, handwashing and having a "happy heart" through it all.

Our plan for today has been to "try" to potty every hour.....I'm really ready for Christopher to take the initiative and want to potty in the potty on his own! But he has yet to go to the potty himself....I am initiating it and encouraging him.... and now reminding him that we can put a check in the "happy heart" column when he "tries" with a happy heart. So far we've only had two accidents today..... I'm sure we would have had MORE had I not been attempting to bring him.

Any ideas of how to motivate a little boy???? I've got the chart (which he does enjoy seeing his check marks and smiles from Mommy), I've got the candy,and we've called Grandma????

Some may be wondering about Lydia...... she is the perfect "pull-ups" baby. She tells us she needs to potty when her diapers are on. So in the morning I've continued to put BGP on her. She wears them until she wets in them and then I put on diapers.....during the day I am taking off her diaper (and all her clothes) when we wants to potty.

Since I had BM problems with Christopher and Anna, I am determined NOT to try any intensive potty training with Lydia until we have a successful BMs in the potty. Then that aspect of potty training won't be a roadblock, like they've been with Anna and Christopher. Until then I will be attempting to get a BM in the potty and letting her potty when she wants to:)

Happy 4th Caleb!!!

Happy Early Birthday, Caleb!!

Thanks for letting us celebrate your 4th birthday with you!!! We can't wait to see what your fourth year holds and how much fun we'll be having together!! Love, Anna, Christopher and Lydia

The Red Car

These little red buggies are always a hit with the little guys (and the bigger ones we in it too)!!

Another Funny Boy Shirt

Walmart has done it again....



We found this one this evening at Walmart. Anyway, I picked one up for next summer so that we'd have a whole season to enjoy it:)

Sick of Potty Training Yet??

I was looking over the titles of some of my last posts and all have been about potty training... ha ahaa... it's the season right now:)

I was thinking about the verses in Eccles. 3!

There is an appointed time foe everything
There is a time for every event under heaven-
A time to give birth, a time to die:
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted;
......
a time to weep; a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw stones, a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing;
a time to search, and a time to give up as lost...."

For the last 4 years I have been learning to be content in the stages of life that I find myself. The small town life, the young mommy, the young family trying to use their resources wisely, the very preggo mommy with young children and now the potty training coach!!

And I've learned that each stage holds it's own CHALLENGES and JOYS!! Each stage calls me to rely on the ONE who is the constant sustainer of my faith and sanity. And that I should always been thankful for all the blessings that I do have and be focused on Him and those blessings versus all that I want to change.

So my goal today is to be content and joyful in THIS season (hoping it's SHORT)!! TO be pleased with every success and encouarging with every accident:)(Which I have been on the outside....but feeling overwhelmed by all the training on the inside.)

A Little Disappointed

Needless to say, I'm a little disappointed about where Christopher and i are with potty training. I was hoping I'd go to bed rejoicing over being diaper-free and ready for our new day tomorrow free of diapers and potty training.....

but looks like I'm in for the lONG haul:) We ran into a road block and lost some of our momentum! But maybe the rash will clear up and we'll be ready to start again. Anyway, tomorrow I pull out the chart and stickers!!

We have a B-day party tomorrow in the evening.... so maybe we'll get to the point where we can go out some.... a break might even give us momentum until the end.

Look Who.....

.... decided to join the FUN!!!

Lydia has been asking to get "big girl pants" (BGP) on for the last three days!!! She'll say "stinky, stinky" and run to the potty and stand there until I strip her down...everything has to be OFF....and then she'll do her business and run into her room and attempt to get on her BGP!! And she'll fuss and fuss if I get out a diaper, but...

really, for my sanity....training both is too much right now. I'm letting Lydia do BGP until one accident and then I insist on diapers. The problem is that Christopher isn't consistent enough for my attention to be divided between him and Lydia. Once yesterday and today as I was tending Lydia (on and off the potty) CHristopher found the opportunity to get away from me and mess in his BBP.

But Lydia is NEXT and SOON....she's just as consistent (maybe more than) Chris!! And she thinks it'sd fun to sit on the potty....it's still a fun game to her.....I'm really thinking the sooner the better with her, to capitalize on her willingness.

Christopher Day#3 UPDATE: He seems to be loosing interest. He held his bladder for hours and hours this morning....even reminders didn't help. But then let it all go.... so today sometime it's supposed to CLICK for him! The good think about him holding it was that we went through LESS BBP. The afternoons seem to be challenging for us....maybe his little bladder will be tired of holding everything and maybe I can push the drinks more.....

OK, I have a little one that woke a little too early from her nap and is determined to snuggle in my lap with the laptop:) Snuggle time (while brother sleeps)!!

We Call her Banana

Since she was tiny (maybe even in utero) we've called Anna "Banana"....

The other day I was coming inside and Anna asked if she could help with lunch. I asked her to help me get the plates for everyone. Then I quickly clarified, "just get the picnic plates for the kids". I helped the two little ones with their shoes and came strolling into the kitchen....

And there is Anna on top of the counter getting plates for everyone!! This was totally her doing..... the "kids picnic plates" are in a cupboard on her level so I was NOT asking her to climb. Anyway, she's a thinker and now a climber! And it shows her willingness to attempt to please us!

BTW... I always remember climbing on counters as a kid....I've just always been short!!

Day #2 DONE!!!

Well we had a similar day as yesterday with finally catching on in the late morning, a dry nap and then a rough late afternoon/evening. Tonight was rough because he was trying to "hold" a stinky and was just getting very upset.... but he didn't want to make it in his pants and he tried to make it on the potty NUMEROUS times. It was emotional for him and challenging for us (being needed in the bathroom every 5-10 minutes while trying to plan/prepare/eat dinner).

One comic event was an attempt on my part to ward off constipation.... I heard somewhere that a good dose of sugary sweetness might do the trick. So I told Christopher that I had something that would help...so we headed off into the kitchen to make Kool-Aid...or in our case "poopie juice". Anyway, that lightened the mood and we got some giggles especially when they first tried it not knowing what to expect.

Eventually we did have some success and for a "treat" we brought down an "old" fire truck that was too big for him when he received it. We put in new batteries and he was loving it....we were left thinking "why, oh why did we bring that back down...it's soo loud"!!

Today was very challenging besides the potty training, the normal behavior training has been soo very draining (I feel like a Dr Suess book with all the rhymes). Anna bucked her way through reading, Lydia fussed at every direction, and they all tested rules where ever they could.....

But it's good I've had this "down time" to get back into a normal schedule for us and to have a period of training and re-training. Even though it can driving me a little "crazy". That's why naptime was highly anticipated today and I snuck out to check the mail and chat with a friend.... totally needed today.... and she's a veteran, so she remembers!!

I should also mention that after naps we had a good time playing cards.... I found these cute decks of cards the other day. One was Go Fish...but you had to pair the uppercase and lowercase letters. And the other was one of my little brother's favorite called Crazy Eights.... a little kid version of Uno!! Anna really liked it and I was actually surprised by Christopher's participation...he sat through one whole game!!!

Into Day #2

Well for all those who care......

The night went well I woke Christoher before I went to bed to give him a chance to potty, but he didn't go. We had a very, very quiet night. At 5am I woke up and just couldn't sleep...... I was anxious as to whether I should wake Christopher to let him potty, or just let him wake if he wets himself????

Well I finally got to sleep and rolled out of bed before 7 to check on him. He was just a tad wet but a very cool, damp....so it was "old". I asked if he wanted to get up to potty and he gladly did and did a lot:) And then I bathed him since he had slept in some pee-pee and changed his sheets since he had rolled off the HUGE mat sometime in the night:) Sure it was more than i wanted to think about at 7am, but not bad:)

We've had a couple accidents and a couple successes this morning. But the good news is that he's started to fall into a time pattern so I know when to start looking for accidents. And he is starting to CARE that he's messy or wet.

As for the girls, Anna is learning some basic morning chores this week (putting away folded clothes, making bed, dressing and putting night clothes away). And I'm also attempting to have Anna read everyday to get her ready for structure and obeying instructions. Lydia wants to potty with Christopher. We're trying to help her to obey without fussing,clean-up when she's done with toys and keeping markers,crayons,pencils at the table.

Day#1 Done, Night #1 to Come:)

Well Chris woke up dry from his first nap!!! YAY!!

But pretty much the rest of the evening was changing underpants and cleaning up pee-pee:) I'm not sure why it finally stuck this morning and then why he lost momentum in the late afternoon/evening. But he did....

To put him to bed, we had him potty twice..... once he wanted to impress Daddy and then the final time before bed he raced Anna. The racing Anna worked very well.... both happily used the potty before bed:)

I had a sweet blog-reading neighbor bring over a waterproof pad (baby lap pad) to lay in Christopher's bed to possibly help me from changing sheets during the night.....THANKS, Susie!! Anyway, I dug through the baby stuff that I'm backing up and found another.....WHY hadn't I thought of using those????

Day #1 hasn't been too bad.... I think it seemed harder just because I was sick and exhausted from the busy weekend and the kids just seemed pretty hyper!! I hope to pull out some preschool games I have recently bought and maybe some painting...

And as I tried to stay in the same room as the kids, I really noticed some of the dynamics of their relationships that I had been missing and their lack of immediate obedience. So this is good that I see that NOW before we try to start a little more structured schedule next week to give Anna some preschool time.

Successes, Little Boys

After many attempts to keep his britches dry, Christopher finally got some pee-pee in the potty..... he was soooo EXCITED!!! And we really encouraged him and high-fived and all the other stuff that builds up little boys (fruit snacks). Then he got to call Grandma to share the good news:)

Before nap he saw Anna using the potty and said that he wanted to go too.... I had a line at the potty!! Anyway, he tried and was successful again. And yes, he is now napping with BB pants on....I now it sounds crazy, but my ears are listening and I've totally mentally prepared myself for the possibility of having to wash his sheets numerous times in the next few days (but hopefully I won't have too).

I haven't blog my recent struggle with Christopher..... I know he is a little boy, but he is constantly having toys (recorders, toy screwdrivers, blocks, spoons) act as guns and swords. We are VERY careful about what the kids watch, but where else would he pick up on violent stuff and shouting, "kill"!

Well some of his knowledge might come from Old Testament stories or even the Ressurrection account when there were shouts against Jesus at his "trial". And maybe Chris was been influenced by watching older kids at the park..... or from the news??

As I was reading one of my "new" books this afternoon during some "alone time", I got to a place where Cynthia Sumner (a MOPS lady)talks about the difference between her own boy and girl. Much of the "threatening" behavior I see in Chris she had in her own son. And this weekend I was able to chat with a sweet Christian mom about her "little boy experience" (and she's had plenty of boy-experience) and she just shrugged and said ,"it's boys". Anyway, this was a funny account from Sumner's child-rearing days that "comforted" me:

"The first playgroup I attended consistent of my son, four or five little girls, and their respective moms. It didn't take long for me to realize that my son and I were the "odd men out", to coin a phrase. For the most part, the little girls played together quietly and peaceably. They did not chase each
other around menacingly, waving the hammer from the pounding bench..... Thank
goodness one mom in the group had an older preschooler boy. She affirmed that my
son was normal and behaved just as other little boys do - or I could have come
away from that experience thinking there was something seriously wrong with
him."

-Sumner, Mommy's Locked in the Bathroom

So at least he's normal... haa ha ha ha... I already knew that. But how do I make my house "safe" for little boys and girls??? I have Christopher repeat his offense from one our rules and then have him repeat what he can do with his hands like "play, hug, help". There are swift consequences!! And I do try to let him have something to hit.... so that's why when he's outside he is usually hitting trees, pine cones and playgrounds with sticks.... it's good for him to have an outlet...that's not a "sister"!!

Other than those ways, I try to relax a little and enjoy my little boy..... I was just tickled to death with him yesterday. He sat through the Sunday AM and PM services very nicely. Before and after church he was very pleased to answer questions about his "battle wound" and anything else they wanted to ask:) He's always soo animated when he talks.... it's just too cute and reminds me of how quickly he is growing up:)

The First 15 Minutes

Well today is Christopher's first day of potty training....the plan was to wake before him, shower and be ready to train the rest of the day:)

I woke at 6:45 ready for a shower when Christopher came lurking from his room saying he was wet.... yep pee-peed through his diaper! So the training started a little earlier than expected. I got him cleaned up, in "big boy" (BB) pants and sent him to lay down with Daddy while I showered.

As I am heading into the shower Christopher comes into the bathroom and starts playing with the toilet...I gently remind him that he has on BB pants and should not play with the potty unless he has to go. So he stands on the carpet in front of the shower and then gives me this "oh,no" face and looks down..... yep, he peed on the carpet and his first pair of BB pants....all in my first 15 minutes of being awake:)

And between the sheets, clothing, BB pants, carpet mat..... I'm pretty sure I already have a load of laundry:) And we got him some cute BB pants yesterday... I'll have to get a picture of him in some:)

Bye Grammie and Chris' BIG day

This afternoon my momma headed out!!! She'll be close over the blog and e-mail for the next few months:)


She called from the airport to say "goodbye". Anna was being a little shy so Christopher jumped on the phone. He told her about getting his stitches out and then asked her, "you going to Canada?" He made a face (probably her saying no). And then we hear him say, "You going to S_____ ?" Which was a hoot! We'd never heard him say that country before.... but he knows.... he knows a lot more than I think:)


Well, Mr Smarty Pants is changing his pants tomorrow..... we're jumping to Potty Training using a method from an e-Book!!! I was very skeptical but after reading the materials I am really looking forward to the next 3 PT days:) I'm sure I'll try to sneak some blog time in.... in between potty times and scrubbing underpants:) EWWW....


The method really, really advocates having the PTer next to me at all times and to use the days to play and teach them new stuff. So I'm looking forward to playing with the kids all day and having Christopher close. I think he is totally ready just lacking the motivation......maybe he'll be easy????


I'll keep you "posted" until then......
Mom, have a good trip!! E-mail me when you get "home"!

****The photo was taken in Canada by Ginny, a college student at our church, who was were blessed to have on the trip. And she's obviously a budding photographer:)

The Birthday and the Beef-Eater

Well today we were treated out to dinner after church for my birthday! What a blessing since I was tired from our busy weekend and still fighting my cold. No planning, no cooking, no cleaning:)

We all really enjoyed our meal..... but Lydia really was the buffet machine!! She's at the "picky eater" stage but we've learned from experience: "When she eats, she puts it DOWN!" And this afternoon she feasted on beef tips....really.... I gave her a toddler serving, and another, and gave her Anna's serving (that Anna didn't eat) and then she asked for more, so I made a trip to the buffet! I think little tykes eat free at this restaurant..... but today Lydia should have paid!! How do you think she keeps her girlie figure and chubby cheeks???

I wanted to get some pictures of my birthday meal.... so here I am eating my favorite "chocolate delight" dessert..... definitely need to start that workout plan in the morning:)

As you can see I look exhausted that's from too many late nights, busy days and fighting a cold...although I DON'T think I really feel as bad as I look in that picture.... and it's my husband's photography he's a one shot guy:)

Oh, and I must thank the "sisters in Crime" for their "Happy Birthday" which silenced the dining area and totally embarrased me..... although walking out a gentleman asked Anna if it was her birthday:) Gotta watch those retired teachers especially when they're together!! Love you, Susie and Lynn! And thanks Bill and Susie for the birthday lunch!

And for those interested in my age....let's just say I'm still in my 20's...though not for long:)

A Beautiful Saturday

Thank you to Robbie and Kathryn and their sweet family for allowing us to spend it with them and enjoying their beautiful "vacation" home :) (AKA - Robbie's parents' house)

Diving for Gold

Here's for all those Olympic Diving Fans:

And her Daddy gave her a GOLD.... of course!!
The form was perfect!

A Ball Game

So I've been under-the-weather and busy:)

Friday night we went to a minor league baseball game with our Sunday School class. We met with some folks there and were blessed to learn about and be apartof their ministry (as a family)!!

Here is our little man enjoying and learning the game from Mr John!!



Boo-Boo Update: Christopher got his stitches out before the game!!! I didn't go in but Brian said that Chris didn't even whimper when the doctor took them out. The doctor just touched his forehead a couple of times without drawing any attention to himself and the stitches were OUT!!

My Big Girls

I think with all of the traveling and sleeping in "big beds" got little Lydia ready for the BIG change. She was asking to sleep in Anna's bed at naptime.... so I thought to myself, "Why not?" It was totally unplanned although we knew it was coming soon:) She still looks soo small in the BIG bed....


Here is Anna- the beaming "big sister"!! She voluntarily gave up the guard rails off of her bed. She told me, "Mom, she can have BOTH rails because I don't need them any more. I won't fall out of my bed!"


I really thought I would have to purchase some more bedrails....which have been GREAT! But we'll see... Anna was determined to pass them down to her little sister!!! We'll see what happens tonight:)

Collage of our Wednesday Adventures

Wednesday we spent most of the day with Grammie and Pey. We decided to take the ferry to the Children's Museum.....what fun!

I thought Anna would be a little hesitant, but she didn't have any concerns:)And the children's museum was PACKED b/c of a couple different schools visiting the museum (year-round school). But we had plenty to do and the kids really liked it and got to explore new things.....

I thought it was funny that during the Planterium show we all fell asleep...I must have been tired falling asleep during a show with TWO kiddies on my lap:) But it gave us all a little cat nap which kept us, especially the kids, from getting too grumpy.

My parents tried to convince me to stay the night and help send off Pey this afternoon.....but I had woken with a sore throat and was starting to feel a cold coming on.... after a runny nose

night and having a "head" cold this morning....it was a good decision to have already made the short trip home.

But Pey will leave today and my mom will be leaving Sunday.... we won't see them again until early December :( But at least they're connected with the Internet. And when Mom visits she can stay for a couple weeks at a time (Dad's schedule isn't as flexible).

We were worried that the kids wouldn't get to know Pey. But with pictures and talking about Grammie and Pey, they do pretty well with only seeing him 2x a year!! Anna was Pey's shadow yesterday afternoon :)

The Sisters were there Too...

Lydia, cute as a button as she protests "floaties"

(AKA arm bands that help them float and not sink)

Anna splashing into the water!

And here's my sister and her husband with my "nephew" Ricco.

Karate Kid's Day at the Pool

Gotta LOVE water proof Band-ades and Cling Wrap:)

Figured Out the Screams!!!!

I mentioned in the previous post that Christopher's screams were heard today in the waiting room. Well now we know why....

This evening we had a friend come over to check on Christopher. He asked Christopher what the doctor did and Christopher said, "He checked me..... he cut my hair." Yes, he thought the doctor had cut his hair.....think the stitches being right at his forehead.... he saw scissors!!

And we know how much Christopher likes hair cuts.

The Battle Wounded Kid

Here are the stats..... 2 stitches and no swimming. And Mike, the brave soul who went with Brian, said he could hear Christopher screaming from the waiting room. I'm not sure why my kids are petrified of the doctor.... of course this didn't help the fear, I'm sure!!!

Wounded and Tenderhearted

What a day....where to start.....

This is our memory verse for the week:

Be kind to eachother,
tenderhearted,

forgiving one another,

just as God through Christ has forgiven you

Ephesians 4:32

So yesterday in nursery when I introduced the verse to the kids....they struggled to know what tenderhearted meant. I tried my heardest to explain and give examples. I think they walked out with a practical meaning!! But since yesterday, I've been trying to figure out how to better explain it....how do you teach a 4-yr old compassion? I think it is to demonstrate it or point to examples when we see other demonstrating it.

Well back to today, Christopher has had a hard day.... he's compaining, not obeying, chasing his sisters with recorders and other long objects like swords, not listening and his blanket had to be washed..... too much for a 2.5 yr old to bear in one day!!!

Finally about 10:00am or so the kids disappeared into their bedrooms and played (AKA destroyed their rooms). But they played nicely with one another and were very content to let me tend the house without many interruptions.

Lunch passed without too much drama and we we're just tidying the kitchen and talking of what books to read before naptime when we heard it....... the END to our "perfectly planned" quiet and uneventful afternoon. BANG!!!! And then we heard the cries.....Christopher running as fast as he can with his head down (like a defensive football player) hit a corner of the wall . When we got to him (milli-seconds later) he had blood streaming down his face. In the kitchen he had blood all over his arms, face,etc.....

So this is where being tenderhearted comes in...... Anna was in the kitchen just watching as Brian and I tended to Christopher....holding cloths to his head, cleaning him up a bit, arranging schedules that would allow Brian to take him to the hospital (if he needed to go). I think seeing all the bloood made her worry even more, but she was just in tears as the boys climbed into the van. She was just soo worried about Christopher and that he was going to have to go to the doctor (something she dreads).

After they left and I got Lydia down for her nap, I was just struck with how tender Anna's little heart is, especially concerning her younger brother and sister. She was worried for him and wanted him to be well. I finally got her to smile a bit when I told her that Daddy had to go to the doctor as a boy and has a scar in his forehead from hitting a pole....

I'll try to get a picture of the "battle wound" this evening. For those interested the wall is fine....not even a dent.
And I'm guessing this will affect his swimming tomorrow with Grammie and Pey :(

*** 1st picture was from the mall playground on Thursday. 2nd picture was last night after church:)

More Reactions

So Jenny was right.... the reason Christopher has been getting a very mild reaction at the table is because he's been enjoying some of the cucumbers from our garden.....

As you can see in the pic, his reaction is just a reddish blotches where the cucumber or cucumber juice has touched his skin. He didn't say anything about his mouth or throat.... no Benadryl needed this time...

And this is the "guessing game" people have to play with food allergies..... is cucumber the problem? Do we continue to feed him cucumbers since his reaction is sooo minor? Or do we avoid it in the hopes of him outgrowing it? What else can he be allergic to?

UPDATE- as I'm writing Christopher wakes from his nap with a runny nose ? I really didn't think anything of the nose but then as I fix him a quick snack I look at his lower cheek and it's red and covered in hives.... why??

Then he sneezes and his nose is running so he lifts his arm and wipes his nose with his wrist. I look at his wrist and it's red and really covered in hives..... BENADRYL time!!

So this is my theory... he had a mild outer reaction to the cucumber. But the cucumber is ingested and causes his nose to run. The cheek reaction is from his saliva (drool when he was sleeping) and the wrist reaction is from his snot.

So to answer an earlier question, it looks like he'll not be enjoying anymore cucumber soon!!The worst thing about this happening with Christopher is that he LOVES to try new foods!!!

Ok, ok I'll CAVE

I've been tagged a couple of times.... but I just never get around to doing it...

So I was tagged by Andrea

1. If you could inherit a comfortable home in any city in the world that you could use but not sell, where would you want it to be?

If gas and flying weren't so expensive I'd easy live in cities in Taiwain, or Paris,France, or Austria.... we've been blessed to be able to travel to some of these places and I LOVE the culture and the people.

2. If you could be instantly fluent in one other language that you currently do not read or speak, which would it be?
Spanish... there are soo many Spanish speakers in our area...I'd LOVE to communicate better with them..... then after Spanish I want to learn Mandarin!!

3. If you were given an hour to spend an unlimited amount of money in any store in the world where would it be?
I'm not sure.... but it would probably be Walmart or Target since I already frequent them on a limited budget :)

4. If you had to give your children to the care of someone famous, whom would you pick?
Super Nanny, so they would be well taken care of and trained!!!! Or the Duggar Family!!!

5. If you could cast an actor now alive to play you in a new film, what kind of film would it be and whom would you choose?
Since I'm currrently engrossed in reading Pride and Prejudice, I'd totally love to be in a new film that resembled some of Jane Austin's works...clean, old English, romance-ish. And so then I'd like to be played by Jennifer Ehle... hahaa... we don't resembled eachother at all!!

6. If you could have an elegant dinner alone with anyone presently alive, whether you know them or not, who would you want it to be?
Hmmmm, .... I'm not sure why I'd want to be alone but I've always thought it would be awesome to dine at the White House with the Bushs!!! I'ms ure Brian would want to come, too, though...

7. If you could resolve any single dispute, anywhere in the world what would you solve?
Why loving and stable families have to pay sooo much to adopt and care for a child in a foreign country that has little food, no family and no ability to be educated, loved and comforted.

8. If you were instantly able to play one musical instrument perfectly that you have never played before, what would it be?

The piano. I used to play a couple of instruments, but piano would teach me much, much more about music that I've never learned....plus I could accompany Anna who wants to sing while I play piano:)

And I tag Jenn.

I was tagged in Canada, by purplemommy....

I have to list 6 Random Things about myself...

1. I sucked my thumb until I was in middle school.... so I am soo thankful my kids like their paci's, at least they can be taken away!!!

2.I constanly crave pickles and cheese....it really doesn't matter if I'm preggo or not

3. I enjoy being kept up-to-date on politics and world news. If I wasn't married and with kids I think I'd be a lot more politicaly active than I am....maybe when the kiddies get older.

4. I LOVE school, or maybe I should say I love learning and teaching. I went to college to be a teacher and I taught one summer school session.... and LOVED IT!!! So I do enjoy teaching my children and watching them learn:)

5. My pinkie toe is much shorter than the others....like half the size of the fourth toe. And my husband forever jokes be about it. None of my kiddies have my toes, or my dimples:(

6. As cool as I want to think I am.....I'm a big NERD!! So if my kids are a little "nerdy" you'll know why:)

The Visitor in the Garage

And thanks to Grandma for the shots of the garage and Christopher and I!! She caught me in action.... and she commented yesterday how "science" oriented I am....I totally didn't think I was, but maybe I have a little in me...at leaset with nature and animals and I LOVED physics in High school.