Girl Power!

Yes, we are having another girl! Power in numbers!

A Knitter's Paradise

Snow Days aren't just good for public schooled kids...Knitters love 'em too. Just look at these pictures of my family...

I made the hats on the Snowman (made by Child #3 and myself) and on the Child himself (the blue hat is the first item I ever knitted. I keep it as a reminder of how far I have come in my knitting skills... it's so ugly!). I didn't make the scarf though. That is a relic from the 80's.

Our Snowman (with his carrot nose and button eyes) caused My Pathetic Doberman to enter into a guarding frenzy when she came outside and saw the intruder. Yes, this is a vicious snowman.


Child #4, pictured on the stairs on the right, is in time-out for playing in the pond again. He is wearing some bright red hand-knit socks. Child #5, not on time-out, is wearing the first sweater I ever made under her snowsuit. This sweater is full of mistakes, but it is sturdy and has been worn as warm play clothes by both boys.

On the left, My Pathetic Doberman is not wearing anything that I knit. But I am wearing an alpaca scarf that I splurged on and finished just in time for the snow. And I also made the mittens.

After all the play (and knitting), Child #5 and I needed a nap. Now you can see the sweater. And I also knit that blanket around my shoulders. As a matter of fact, I just finished it right before I fell asleep.


After dinner, I cast on for my first pair of 8-stitches-to-the-inch, adult-sized, cable knit socks. Like, hello, this is going to be my hardest project yet! My DH said (while in a funk because Child #2 was on the computer when he wanted to be), "Exactly how much time have you spent knitting today?" Some days I just can't keep track. Like Sundays and Snow Days. But now it is Monday and I have work to do...

Snow Angel Found in Backyard

We have snow today! As you can see from the picture, we don't have very much snow. But even a slight powdering will inspire Child #3 to make snow angels- or should we call them dirt angels? The temperature is terribly chilly, especially with the wind, so I am so glad that I finished my alpaca scarf this morning.

In other news... I have become a hopeless addict of C.S.I. You know we don't have cable, so no televisions stations, so I haven't seen any episodes until a friend of Child #1 lent us the first season of C.S.I. on DVD. My DH and I stayed up late last night and watched three episodes in a row. Is it the kids' bedtime yet?

And... in anticipation of the snow, we got our Christmas tree yesterday! For years we have been tree snobs. Only Noble Firs would do for us. But this year we got a Doug, saved $30, and absolutely love it! It is the prettiest tree yet! We spilled only one bucketfull of water in the kitchen and so far no one has knocked the tree over or chewed on the branches (like last year-or was it the year before?). We are going to hang decorations on the tree as soon as the kids and I declutter all the surfaces in the living room. This may take a year or more.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our little 2 year old! The picture to the left is what a two year old girl looks like when she opens her first baby doll that cries when you poke it in the stomach. Now, this Child has a few baby dolls lying around the house that she has never ever paid any attention to, except to throw across the room. I wasn't going to get her any baby doll type presents for her birthday or Christmas because of this. But as we (myself and three youngest) were slowly walking up and down each toy aisle at Target (what kind of a parent am I?), she spotted it. She reached for it. She started poking the baby's tummy and making her cry. And she loved it. So I bought it and wrapped it up for her birthday.

After this sweet little girl opened her presents, we had cake. Normally I don't buy store bought cakes. Why should I? I can make the same thing from a box for $.99! But I was short on time since I decided to have a birthday party just hours before and managed to squeeze a trip to the grocery store in between Taekwondo and swim lessons. The boys picked out a blue and green cake because those are their favorite colors. At least they were thinking of their sister. They did however pick out a sweet little card with My Little Ponies on the front to go along with their gift of My Little Ponies-which she loves.

And to celebrate her being two... Child #5 dressed in her prettiest pink princess dress that her grandma bought for Easter. She ran around as fast as she could, climbed up on the horse and rode it at breakneck speeds, jumped off the horse yelling, " 'uper 'an!" (that means Superman in her language), and turned somersaults on the floor. And of course, by the time I could catch her again, she had ripped a delicate piece of the material of the dress. Darn. I will post the picture of her in the dress with her loving brothers some other time...

Thanksgiving and other news

I haven't posted for awhile. Huh. We got a new door! It is so pretty and the wind doesn't blow in the crack anymore. My Pathetic Doberman barked at it for a whole day until she realized that the door wasn't going to attack us and was here to stay.

We spent our Thanksgiving at our eldest child's other home and had such a lovely time. When Child #4 finished he pie, he held up his plate and said "MORE!" He sounded like a gruff, four year old Oliver Twist.

We spent the rest of the weekend down at Twin Firs, and what a lovely weekend it was... hauling firewood, chopping brush, eating wild huckleberries, listening to the coyotes howling at the full moon... Rustic. We can't wait to get back there.

Child #5 will be two years old this week. I can't wait.

Why we need another child...

My DH is definitely of balance and needs one more to keep him from falling over...

Lollipop Girl

One for you...
And one for me...

What are friends for?

Of course My Pathetic Doberman took this as an invitation to help herself to any lollipop or lollipop stick she found in a kid's mouth or not. It was like stealing candy from a baby. Okay, it was stealing candy from a baby.

R.I.P. Sir Jack

Our Jack Dempsey, Sir Jack, passed away sometime in the night. He has been a member of our clan longer than I have, over six years! He will be missed by us all.

Happy Halloween!

Child #3 is a fruit bat, I am a witch, and Child #4 is a ghost. I made the boys' costumes myself! The ghost was easy; I bought a white sheet from Goodwill for $2 and cut holes for eyes. The fruit bat was so much harder. He insisted he had to be BROWN because fruit bats are brown. If he believed my not-so-convincing argument that Egyptian fruit bats are black, I would have been able to buy something. But, no! I spent two days last week modifying a cape pattern to meet his standards. Thankfully he wasn't too picky about the ears, which make him look more like a kangaroo!

Our first stop was the public library. Who else would go trick-or-treating at the library besides us? We are only on a first name basis with most of the staff...including our Princess Child #1!
The puppy dog is Child #5.


We spent the evening at my friend (and fellow homeschooler)'s house. We went around her neighborhood since we got attacked by a viscous dog in ours last year. We spent that time teaching our kids social skills you don't learn in public school. Like how to walk up a driveway and not across the flower beds. How to ring the doorbell one time. How to say "Happy Halloween" instead of "Trick or Treat." How to say "Thank you" clearly and cheerfully, no matter if you got a small piece of Tootsie Roll or a giant chocolate bar. And most importantly, staying with an adult on the sidewalk instead of running madly down the street to the next candy stop. I told my kids that I would charge them a piece of candy for every time they ran ahead and left the group. I only had to reach into their candy sacks once! Child #3 offered to hold his best friend's hand so he would stop running ahead (Different moms have different rules. I tend to be meaner than the regular mom. Taking their candy right out of their bags. Like, who would do that besides me?).

After the candy part, we went back and watched Scooby Doo and ate cupcakes and brownies. Mini Me (aka Child #5) put on my witchy stuff and posed for the camera. She figured out the Halloween business pretty quickly and was so cute saying, "Appy 'Een!" She also knew that the orange wrapped squares were most likely Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and to put those in her sack. A girl just like her mother!

Family Pics

It's been awhile since I've typed anything due to normal pregnancy exhaustion. Above is the picture of us at The Spaghetti Factory last weekend with my grandma, aunts, uncle, and two of my nine cousins. We had so much fun! It was my kids' first time in a real restaurant (McD's does not count) and they behaved so nicely. I think Child #4 spent more time coloring his place mat than eating.
Here they are all dressed up and ready for church! Really, we don't normally dress like this, even for church. I was having a laundry crisis that I still haven't recovered from and had to pull these crisp white button-up shirts out of the closet with the tags still attached. They are no longer as white as they were and I'm not planning on ironing them, so I guess we will never wear them again!

I took the three little ones to visit my midwife today. We were all excited to hear the heartbeat. Child #4 kept asking if he could hear it again! One month until we get our ultrasound. Any guesses on gender? DH thinks we are having a girl, I think we are having a boy!

Belt Ceremony

Today was the much-anticipated belt ceremony for the boys. Now, little kids make mistakes. Lots of them. But usually it is someone else' kid and its cute! But when it is your own child (or children) making all the mistakes... well, that can be very trying, especially for their dad who is a judge. Here is a list of my favorite bloopers for the day....

1. Child #4 answers "Yes, sir!" to every name that is called for the first three names
2. Child #3 runs to the front of the room when another child of the same name is called and stands there confused until five or six people tell him to sit back down.
3. When belts are handed out to my children, they dash back to their places instead of waiting with the rest of the kids and have to be called back to bow.
4. When the kids turn and bow, Child #4 keeps his back to the class because he is lost in his own mind and has to be physically turned around by one of the teachers.
5. When trophies are handed out (remember how Child #4 felt about his trophy?), the children are told to face their parents and bow. This confuses my children, because their father is the one handing them their trophies from behind the table and they can't see me, so they just kind of do what their class is doing.
6. Child #4 is heading back to his spot with his trophy. He finally spots me, stops in his tracks and says, "Hi Mom! Look, its my trophy! See?" and then he just stands there while everyone snickers at him (because he is cute, not stupid. Remember, he isn't their child). He inches slowly to his spot, as if sleep walking, because the trophy is holding his attention...
7. Both of my children have been sitting for a long time and starting wiggling. Child #4 is sitting sideways. Child #3 starts wrapping his new belt around his trophy. Then he unwraps it. Then he swings his belt around his head like a lasso, hitting the kid sitting behind him. He looks at me, sees the look of death, and freezes from my icy stare.
8. After the ceremony, Child #4 pokes himself in the eye with his trophy. And cries. And here are the pictures...

Here are the boys with their two favorite teachers...

Terrible Two's

Child #5 has been in her terrible two's for quite awhile. This is one of her favorite naughty activites. She does this when she wants to cause trouble because she knows that I will holler at her to pick up the dog food (and make her do it) until she is crying.

My Pathetic Doberman

What a Pathetic Doberman... My very nice neighbors are building a tree house in their yard, very close to the fence line. This dog just can't keep from viciously barking at them any time she goes out. I've had to lock her on the porch when the kids are playing outside. And I never know when she needs to go out for potty purposes or if she just wants to bark! It's making me crazy! I had to go outside barefoot in the rain to haul this monster back in this morning! Grrrr.....

We keep her around for those rare times when homeless people walk by our house with shopping carts or when they are wrapped in blankets screaming at passing cars (that happened the other night-I had to call the cops). Then she is allowed to bark to her heart's content. I just wish she could tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Another Test Complete

The boys had a Taekwondo promotion this afternoon. They passed with flying colors, of course. This was Child #4's first promotion. He has been so excited about earning his five stripes and bringing home a trophy like his older brother's. For those of you who aren't familiar with the five stripe program, over eight weeks the kids have to work to earn five colored stripes on their belts. Red is for coloring a Taekwondo coloring book, blue is for reading five books, black is for doing eight chores per day for 30 days, green is for knowing their techniques, and yellow is for showing good behavior at home. We have had our stripes for about three weeks now, and Child #4 has such a hard time understanding that he has to wait until the promotion ceremony next week to get his trophy. After the test was over today, he started heading into the Master's office where there are several large trophies on display. Trophies for winning sparring tournaments and higher black belts. Trophies taller than a four year old. I asked him where he was going. He looked at me and said, "I'm goin' to get my trophy!"

We celebrated our 100 pounds of apples with learning about Johnny Appleseed, making apple butter, and making "mush pot" hats out of aluminum foil and tag board... I even made a hat for myself! Homeschooling is so fun!

Apple Dumpling and other news...

We picked our 100 pounds of apples yesterday at my favorite u-pick apple orchard yesterday. At only $.30 per pound, 100 pounds is pretty cheap! I'm busy making applesauce and apple butter out of the apples my little helper dumped on the ground while trying to move the wheelbarrow...And in other news.... Child #2 and her boyfriend were nominated for Homecoming Royalty for the junior class! If they win, and they might since the whole football team nominated them, my little lady (who was a grubby tomboy just a few years ago) will have to walk in front of the entire school in a formal dress and heels and hopefully not trip at the homecoming assembly. Remember her? Here she is (safely pictured with Child #1 and #3 a long time ago)...

You can't argue with a wise 4yo

I'm struggling to get Child #4 dressed for a playtime session in one hour. He keeps asking me to button his pants for him, but I won't because he isn't wearing underpants! I insist that he go upstairs and put his underpants on. He replies, "But no one can see under this!" as he pats his pants. Okay, so no one will be able to see that he isn't wearing underpants, but I know and that is enough! I actually won this argument... it is a sign that I will have a good day!

Houston, we have a Heartbeat!

Today I heard one of the sweetest sounds a mother can hear... the heartbeat of the growing child inside her. Yep, I'm pregnant! Child #6 will be arriving in late April. Child #3 (as usual) has had nothing but sweet things to say. Two hundred and ten days is too long to wait for him. He is hugging my tummy, talking to the baby, promising to take care of him or her, and asking for more because he "just loves babies!" He would be happy with ten or a zillion more babies in the house. I wouldn't. Child #4 looked a little confused, asked where his sister was (she was napping), and then asked what the baby's name was. He decided it should be called "Apayo." Does that mean something in a different language?

Apples, apples

This morning I convinced my DH to take us to a local apple orchard I wanted to explore. I've seen their signature variety of apple at the local grocery store for $2.99 a pound (!), so I was hoping we could get them cheaper on site. But, oh. We had so much fun. The owner gave us samples of the different varieties they grow and let us try them again with natural peanut butter they grind themselves! We tried it again with cheese! And then we sampled two blends of their apple cider. We were then invited to go explore their farm; we could go where we wanted! So my DH, DC three, and I hopped into a golf cart and explored the acres of apple trees, the pumpkin patches, and the cows next door. When we got back to the farm store we just had to buy. We bought a 25 pound box of not-so-pretty apples for only $33, two gallons of fresh apple cider, and a caramel apple for my DH, who totally earned it. Child #5 is upstairs right now as I write screaming "Apple! Apple!" at the top of her lungs... proof that we had fun!

Quiet Weekend

My dear husband took the boys and the Pathetic Doberman away for the weekend, leaving me with Child #2 and #5... a girls weekend! I watched so many movies. Rated R movies. And no cartoons (except when my sweet little daughter insisted it was her turn to watch Baby Einstein). I also knitted. And I didn't cook anything. And what I picked up off the floor stayed picked up. I slept in every morning because Child #5 will play on the bed next to me while I sleep and not get into trouble like her brothers did. And I never opened the back door or hollered "OFF!" to the Pathetic Doberman. It has been so quiet around here... I can't wait to get my boys back. No comment on the dog.

My Brain's Full

Today I was informed by Child #3 that he didn't need to do his reading anymore because he was already smart enough to get away from a lion.

He did his reading lesson anyway.

Child #4 stikes again!

This sweet, misunderstood genius of mine is finally using many words to describe his feelings. He has been so frustrating, but now he is so funny! The other day I said to Child #3, "No, you can't get any more games out until you pick up the floor!" Child #4 turns from his coloring and says in his funniest voice, "Pick up the floor? Are you going to carry it around???" and then he laughs madly and turns back to his coloring.

This picture shows Child #4 and a sculpture he created using magnetic letters. Any guesses on what it is? If you guessed "The Digestive System," you are correct. The F is the mouth, the R is the esophagus (with heart next to it), the blue L is the stomach, the red L is the small intestine, the T is the large intestine, and the M is the bottom (it looks like one, upside down, doesn't it?). The upside down seven is the leg. Now, I never would have known what this was if I hadn't overheard him reciting the steps under his breath as he put it together. But how does an almost four year old know such things? Thank The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle. In one episode, the magic school bus shrinks and takes a field trip through Arnold to see what happens to food after one eats it. We love this show. My favorite quote (that Child #3 knows by heart) is "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!"



Oh Oh Oh! This is the best news ever!!! Child #5 is POTTY TRAINED! Yes! I did it! I successfully potty trained three children in three consecutive years! I think I deserve a blue ribbon in parenting for that feat!

First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school for the local school district. Child #2 hopped on the bus in the morning, ready for her junior year. Her comment was, "It feels like no time has passed." I said, "Time goes faster the older you get. You are starting to get old!"

I also started school at home for the younger group of kids. We did some handwriting, some reading, some geography and history, all in about 45 minutes total (interrupted by potty trips and snacks and play). We learned about China: how they read and write, what and how they eat, some interesting landmarks, what their flag looks like, and found the country on the map. We learned about Egyptian hieroglyphics and papyrus. We learned about scribes in the middle ages. We looked at pictures of printing presses. We have a great child-friendly encyclopedia. I saw the elementary school bus go by around 9:00 am, like it always does. Child #3 read about seeds in his science book. He looked at a sprouting bean, tilted his head, and said, "That's a seed? I thought that that was a organ inside my body that helped me pee!" Any guesses on what kind of bean he was looking at? Yep, a KIDNEY bean. We are planting some tomorrow.

Later in the morning, we headed off to gymnastics and happened to pass the local elementary school. I pointed it out and said, "Those poor little souls, trapped in those little rooms." Child #3 asked, "Are we poor little souls?" "Oh, no! We get to play and go places whenever we want. Aren't we going to gymnastics right now? We are already done with school for the day and those kids have to sit there for the rest of the day!" I replied.

It wasn't until that afternoon that I realized that this was the day my sweet Child #3 would have climbed up on that bus and sat in the elementary school all day for his first day of Kindergarten! His FIRST day of KINDERGARTEN! That's like a huge deal in a child's life. And here was my child, playing outside in the dirt with his brother and sister completely unaware that this day was any different than every other day in his life. So of course I ran outside with the camera and took the obligatory "First Day of Kindergarten" picture. Only instead of a backpack, lunch box, and schoolbus, we had a happy little guy sitting "like a blackbelt" next to the giant squash in the garden.



I have What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know on hold at the library, just to make sure I'm not missing any important knowledge this year. But somehow I don't think I'm going to have any problems.

Special Child #4

Yesterday, Child #4 fell off a tractor and sliced his head. Lucky for him he didn't need stitches.

He has this oddity where he needs to ask me if the clothes I just put on him are his and if they are on the right way. I must always answer the way he wants me to answer or he will dissolve into tears. I don't understand him sometimes.

Weeee'rrrrreeeee Baaaaack!

After a long and satisfying vacation, we are back to our secret underground lair. Unfortunately, we also came home to a broken dishwasher. We are now washing by hand to get by until we have enough cash for a new one...after we replace the sliding door and the porch and build a shelter for the lawn mower and... well you get the point. It won't be anytime soon:) But I have the greatest helpers:



I also had to take an emergency trip to Haggen when we got home to get more milk, bananas, etc. Child #3 had to go with me, but was a super-great helper! He unloaded the groceries on to the conveyor belt with such enthusiasm! After he collected his free balloon he was at the top of the world...until he accidently let the balloon go...and it floated so quickly up into the sky... and then my poor child was at the bottom of the deepest pit. I cheered him up by telling him a story about a balloon that dodged all the birds and made it to the moon where a little moonboy was living. He was so happy that an earthboy was so kind to share his balloon with him, for there were no Haggens on the moon. I believe this Child will be letting all his balloons go from now on.

Ants

Can you believe that I found three of my children eating ants in the backyard??? I thought for sure Child #3 would have more sense, but apparently NOT. He told his dad they were crunchy and tasted like french fries.

Wisdom from a 5-Year Old

Me (telling #3 about Heaven): ...and you'll never be hungry in Heaven.
#3: I'm not hungry now. But I will be. In sixteen minutes.

(Four minutes later)

#3: Do you know who George Washington is? I do.
Me: Who?
#3: You know! Tell yourself!
Me: Why don't you tell me and we will see if we have the same answer.
#3: He broke down a cherry tree and told the truth.
Me: Yes, and he grew up to be a brave soldier and the first President of our country!
#3:.....Just like my teddy bear was my first teddy bear?
Me: Ummmm, sure....
#3: And he came down from teddy bear heaven?
Me: .....? Just go upstairs.

(12 minutes later)

#3: Mom? (Looking very pathetic) Can I have some chips?

Do Pools Have Water?

This is the question Child #4 asked on our way out the door. He did fine in lessons, until the teacher asked him to sit on the stairs while she worked with another child at the other end of the pool. Now, this pool is not a standard sized pool; it is located in a hotel, had dimensions of 12 x 15 feet, is 3 feet deep at one end and 5 feet deep on the other. Child #4, being listening-challenged, did not stay sitting on the stairs. He stood up, splashed around, and promptly fell off the stairs into water that was just over his eyes. Needless to say, in a pool where the teacher is at the other end and no life guard on duty, I came home with a wet leg. Good thing I was sitting on the same side of the pool and could haul my child to safety.

God's Purpose for Mothers

Our family celebrated the first official day of summer vacation by...starting the new homeschool curriculum I received over the weekend. Child #3 and I were reading about Martin Luther and how he wasn't sure what his purpose was, but he knew that God had a plan for him. I turned to my much loved (and quoted) child and asked, "Do you know what God's purpose for me is? Do you know what He wants me to do with my life?" to which he answered, "Knitting?"

In other news... Dadad and Child #3 had their Taekwondo ceremony and received their Second Degree Black Belt and Senior White Belt. We are very proud of them.

Child #1 got straight A's this quarter at college!
Child #2 is now on Summer Vacation...and probably can't wait to get back to school. She also got straight A's!
Children#3 and #4 start swim lessons today (Child #4 for the first time...he had a nightmare that he fell into the water last night, so we will see how today goes for him)
And...Child #5 is now sleeping in her own bed...

Okay, Fine!

Fine, dear ole husband you! After you tease me about loving my new Haggen bags and saying I should post it on my blog and then maybe someone will read it! Here is my list of 10 reasons why I love my new Haggen bags:

1. They are Reusable
2. I don't have to throw away a bunch of plastic bags every week
3. They stand up by themselves!
4. They fold flat or hang for storage!
5. They cost $.99 each
6. You get a $.05 discount for each bag you use, every time you use them
7. The handles are long enough to hang over your shoulder
8. They are strong enough to carry two gallons of milk!
9. They are pretty (the dark Haggen green)
10. They don't fall over in the van

And just for everyone's information, two of my friends are going to buy them because of my email! So there! :S-

Jumpin' Baby Bean

Child #5 is still up...an hour past her bedtime. I did find her chewing on a coffee bean. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

WHAT is so FUNNY?

Children #3 and #4 are going through an interesting phase. Everything is funny to them. They will sit at the table during lunch and say, "I'm eating a sandwich." And then the giggling starts. And it doesn't stop. The giggling and strange comments go on and on until I'm about ready to go crazy! "There's a plate on the table." "I see a tomato." "The dog is dumb." I tried separating them...but they could still hear each other giggling in the other room. Child #3 had to sit on time out until he could stop laughing. He sat for 15 minutes.

Most parents have sibling rivalry issues. Their children fight. My kids love each other too much! How can that irritate me? How can I give my kids a time out for LAUGHING and SMILING and LOVING each other?

So now the rule is they can laugh, but if it is so loud that it hurts my ears, it has to stop.

She Speaks!

Child #5 is a late talker, just like her older brother. At 18 months, she should be speaking in two word sentences. I'm just so happy to hear her say, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" What else does she need to say? Of course she can say other boring words like apple, uh-oh, and no. And some fun ones like Flash, Mn, Nn, and Ay-Mm. But nothin' beats Mama.

Child #3 is testing for his first Taekwondo belt this week. Because these kids are so young, the instructors just hope the kids can remember to yell, "Yes Sir!" Forget knowing the Poomses! It is a fast and easy track to Black Belt if you start young I guess.

Bad Timing or Run Away Imagination

Today I took Children 3-5 to the doctor's office for a well-child check up. Only #3 and #5 were actually seen. As I was reassuring the doctor that my child would indeed be properly socialized without the aid of the public school, Child 3 decided that this was a great time to play mouse. He crawled behind the examination table and peeked out a few times before cautiously creeping out and grooming his mousy fur. Right when Doctor asked if I "had any concerns about his behavior," we looked over to see the little mouse sniffing his feet and attempting to scratch under his chin. "Um, well, as you can see he has a great imagination (Get back on the bench where I told you to sit!)..." was all that I could say. Our family doctor has been with us since Children 1 and 2 were little tykes and he likes to reminisce about the time one of them said, "You may call this a butterfly, but I call it Lepidoptera." So he wasn't at all surprised to see the next generation following in their footsteps.

Oh, but Child 3 wasn't done with just a mouse act. Doctor interviewed this child about important safety topics such as bike helmets and how dangerous handgun are and how he should never pick one up. At the end of the appointment, we casually chatted about our summer plans: camping. Doctor asked Child 3 how he could be safe around a campfire. With a straight face, I kid you not, this incredible child of ours said, "Oh, we will bring guns. That will keep us safe."

My Pathetic Doberman was home alone all day and now she is so happy to see us again that she is following me from room to room.

Welcome!

Hi all! I'm going to try to keep a blog running updating friends and family on our adventures in life. We will see if this format works better than that website I had a few years ago...

Security and privacy are important to us, so I won't be referring to us by name and I will try not to reveal the whereabouts of our secret underground lair. The kids will be coded by their birth order and the dog will be... Dodo. I can't post her REAL name of course. I wouldn't want anyone to be eaten alive by my ferocious attack dog.

The title of my blog was inspired by an event that took place in my backyard the other day. Child 3 was swimming underwater and popped up out of the water when he reached the edge. Dodo was taken by surprise and ran away, frightened of the sea monster.

Kids n Pets are a great combination when its all said and done. So get in, sit down, and hold on! We are having a fantastic journey!