Happy New Year!!

More sledding pictures...

Sledding!

We took the boys sledding yesterday morning on our fresh snow. Roz stayed home with a napping JD so I could go too. The big boys had a blast! Eli took a wrong turn into a small tree (a bush really) a couple times but he wasn't hurt. Wesley really liked it and pretty much could do it himself which was nice.

Hayden LOVED going down the hill but pretty much cried whenever he wasn't on the way down yelling "wheeeeeee!". Each time on the way back up the hill and waiting his turn to go down he cried. It was actually kind of funny. We just couldn't get back up fast enough for him. It's definitely good exercise walking uphill in the snow with your boots on pulling a child on a sled! I wish we there were more hills close by, it got kind of busy and we decided to head home. Jerry's boss drove up with his son as we were loading the boys in the van. So we left just in time! :)

That's some load!

Hayden and Justus ready to go!

JD's first bath in the BIG tub

JD had his first bath in the big tub last night. He is quickly outgrowing the baby tub. I think JD is about the size of Hayden when he was almost one! JD didn't seem to mind the big tub. I think he likes the warm water. Wesley had the honors of assisting (from inside the tub!). Normally, Jerry is in charge of bath time, but I always do the babies. So I swooped in washed my guy and got out of the way. Here are a few shots:

Christmas Fun!

Christmas Eve we all went to church at 5pm. The boys were so good. After a small upset because I didn't let Justus unzip his own jacket, they sat nicely the whole time. Hayden was the only one who was restless since he is used to being in the nursery. But a steady supply of cheerios worked to keep him in line. At the very end of the service they had everyone hold a lit candle. So for the last verse of Silent Night we let Eli and Justus hold them. They were so proud of themselves.

Here are a few shots of the Shown family on Christmas morning. The boys slept in! We ended up waking them up about 7:15. Justus came down still asleep in Jerry's arms. He finally roused when we started opening the gifts. They enjoyed everything. Despite the "late" start we had breakfast and were ready in time for Roz, Wesley, and I to keep with tradition and go to the 10:30 service with the DeCleene family.

Jerry, Hayden, Wesley, and Justus

Roz

Eli checks out his new scooter (Hurry, Spring!)

JD ready to go to Grandma's

After a quick lunch and early nap for Hayden we headed up to Grandma Linda and Pa's. There was a TON of food and it was nice to visit with everyone. That side of the family is almost all adults now with only Jake and Saige remaining in high school. Several of the cousins had there boyfriends or girlfriends there. My cousin Amber's boyfriend was here all the way from England!

The big boys enjoyed grazing on chips and cookies and playing with the cousins. JD was a little crabby but I am sure he was wondering why all these new faces were holding him! Everyone did fall asleep in the van on the way home (again!) but we had them in their jammies and took them right up to bed. Despite the fact they did wake up when we got home they went back to sleep with out too much trouble.

Since we were at Grandma's for Christmas, we did the last day of the Jesse Tree yesterday (26th). I highly recommend it! The boys really enjoyed it and it was a good review for the rest of us as well. I think the boys were a little disappointed to have it end. If you want to do it and need the links or information let me know. You only have 338 days until December 1, 2008!

Merry Christmas!

Jesse Tree Reading: Luke 2: 6-21
Symbol: star
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar!

Jesse Tree Reading: Luke 2: 1-5
Symbol: sandals
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

As you may (or may not) know I love to do genealogy when I have time. Which isn't often these days with six kids! I haven't done much in recent years but a few months ago I posted my family tree on a website called Ancestry.com. I have been pleasantly surprised that several people have contacted me about the various branches of my family tree.

In early December, I got an email from a Jozef DeCleene in Antwerp, Belgium. It ended up he is a distant cousin. When my branch of the family tree came to "Amerika", his stayed. He had some information that I did not so it has been a lot of fun to email back and forth with him. He apologized for his English skills, which I thought was funny since his English is much better than my Flemish! I have looked up a bit about Belgium and originally thought they spoke Dutch but Jozef informed me he speaks Flemish, a Dutch dialect. He also apologized for not being able to go back any farther in the family tree than 1660!

Yesterday, he sent me an e-card that I couldn't read! (Now I know how Wesley feels sometimes...just a bunch of letters on a page that should mean something but don't!) It had a picture of St. Nick so I'm assuming it said Merry Christmas! When I went to email him back I wanted to say Merry Christmas in Flemish. I have a translator on the computer but unfortunately Flemish is not one of the languages included. It took a bit of searching to find what I was looking for...so I thought I would share with you all...Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And the weather outside was...

Jesse Tree Reading: Matthew 1: 18-25
Symbol: tools
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

...frightful. I wish I could say the fire was delightful, but we don't have fireplace! For you AZ friends and family, we had some real winter like weather today. The morning started out about 45 degrees but quickly dropped to the teens. It was snowing and very windy (gusts in the 40-50mph range). At times it looked like the snow was coming down sideways!

After some discussion we finally decided to just go ahead and go to church. They were having a breakfast potluck and the boys love to eat at church. I thought we might be the only ones there but we weren't. There was plenty of food and people to eat with. The boys enjoyed it and I'm glad we braved the roads. Actually, the roads weren't too bad on the way to church but on the way home they were worse. We got home and with the exception of running Roz to work we stayed home the rest of the day. I wish I would have had my camera along to take a few photos of the drifting and snow blowing across the highway. Looks like it will be a bit nicer tomorrow and thankfully we'll have a white Christmas!

C is for Cookie!

Jesse Tree Reading: Luke 1: 26-38
Symbol: heart
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

This morning we all worked together to decorate the Christmas cut-out cookies. Even Jerry and Roz helped. Many hands make light work, right? Just like with the pretzels, Hayden ate his...he didn't even bother to wait for the frosting. After three cookies he couldn't figure out why we wouldn't let him have any more. Justus didn't put enough frosting on so he had trouble getting his sprinkles to stick. I think Eli worked on the same two cookies the whole time. By the time he was done with his second one we just let him eat it since no one else would be able to anyway. It was pretty much a pile of crumbs. But all had fun and I guess that's what matters!

Tonight we were looking at old pictures and Wesley all of a sudden says "What does miscreant mean?" I told him. Then a few minutes later when he saw a picture of Roz (who was lying on a bench at the park) he said, "She is such a sloth!" He's on an Ice Age and Ice Age 2 kick these days so that's where he heard both those words.

Speaking of funny things these boys say, Hayden is our little parrot these days. He'll say anything he hears...which can be good or bad! Yesterday, Buck was trying to sneak something off his tray at dinner and he yelled: "Down Buck! Geez man!"

December 21

Jesse Tree Reading: Matthew 3: 1-6
Symbol: sea shell
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

December 20

Jesse Tree Reading: Luke 1: 5-25
Symbol: man and woman
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

December 19

Jesse Tree Reading: Habbakuk 2: 1-4
Symbol: watchtower
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Sweet House

Jesse Tree Reading: Micah 5: 1-5a
Symbol: city
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Tonight at AWANA Wesley made this sweet creation:
He was worried it wouldn't make it home in one piece and asked every 2 minutes on the drive home how it was holding up. As you can see his little "gingerbread" house made it home just fine. He said he's going to eat it tomorrow.

Are you done yet?

Jesse Tree Reading: Jonah 1: 11-17
Symbol: whale
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

New poll! Take a second and vote. I'm almost done. Just one more small thing for Roz that I'm hoping to get tomorrow night during my weekly AWANA shopping trip. How about you?

Cousins at Christmas

Jesse Tree Reading: Isaiah 11:6-9

Symbol: wolf and lamb
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Yesterday we headed up to Grandma Linda and Pa's for a Christmas get together. We had a good time and some great dinner...prime rib! The boys were pretty good despite missing naps. We didn't pay the price for those missing naps until we got home later in the evening. Everyone fell asleep on the way home and started crying when we walked in our door. I thought we'd be up with them half the night but they shocked me and went right back to sleep once we got them in their jammies and into bed. Well, except for JD...he was up past his usual bedtime but he wasn't crabby or crying just wide awake. Speaking of JD, here is a picture I took of him yesterday morning:

Below is a shot of the cousins except for Roz and JD:

December 15

Jesse Tree Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7
Symbol: rose
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

First Official Day of Work

Jesse Tree Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-5
Symbol: crown
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Here is a picture of Roz heading off to her first official day of work at Piggly Wiggly. She will be bagging for now. If you are there shopping and see her be sure and say hi! She told me if I go there to shop while she is working I shouldn't talk to her! So I'll let the rest of you embarrass her! I told her to give me a daily report on the weirdest shopping order each day. You know those people you are behind sometimes and you look at what they are buying and wonder....

The Candy Makers

Jesse Tree Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Symbol: horn of oil
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Every morning the boys ask me: "What are we going to do for fun?" So today I had them work assembly line style to make chocolate covered pretzels and other Christmas treats. They had a blast! They didn't even know they were working! Hayden ate so much he wasn't hungry for lunch. I set him up with a "station" like the rest of the boys but anything you put on his tray was considered his personal snack.

After making chocolate covered pretzels we moved on to chocolate covered Ritz and peanut butter "sandwiches". If you've never tried them they are good! We did have to halt the assembly line once when the workers were caught licking their knives! I had to get fresh knives for everyone and take those sandwiches off the line. The boys were good and didn't lick them again but Eli starting using napkins to wipe his knife instead of licking it and I had to put an end to that before he used them all up. Then it was on to chocolate covered peanuts clusters. After all that Wesley had the nerve to ask when we were going to make the cut out cookies to decorate. Not today! Soon though since those are my favorite!Here is a picture of what the Jesse Tree is looking like these days. It is getting full! The boys are really enjoying it and ask each night what the next ornament will be. They are getting better about sitting still and listening. Just when you think they aren't paying attention they say something that proves they were listening after all. Last night, Hayden had us all laughing when we were talking about Ruth and Naomi. The devotion mentioned that back in Bible days most women couldn't get jobs. Hayden yelled "JOBS!?!" really loud for no apparent reason and cracked the rest of us up. He is so funny!

December 12

Jesse Tree Reading: Ruth 1:15 - 2:3
Symbol: wheat
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Do you have your own blog or website? Want to share it? Email the link to me and I'll add to the new "Friends and Family" section on the left side.

JD's new habit

Jesse Tree Reading: Joshua 2: 1-21
Symbol: rope
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Look what JD has started. We've never had a thumb or finger sucker before. Just in the last week or so JD has been doing this. Usually it's his thumb as you can see above but occasionally he'll suck two fingers. He doesn't like the pacifier at all anymore. I'm not sure if it will last or not but it has been kind of handy for him to sooth himself.

Christmas Potpourri

Jesse Tree Reading: Deuteronomy 5: 1-22
Symbol: tablets
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

It is really starting to feel like winter with all the snow on the ground and chilly temps. I thought I'd put this potpourri recipe on here to share in case anyone wants to give it a try. It will make your house smell like Christmas and it's super easy! Let me know what you think if you give it a try...

One orange, cut up
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. whole cloves
water
If you have a potpourri simmering pot just put the above in there with water to cover it
but it also works if you just put it in a small pot (with about 2-3 cups of water)
on the stove burner set to low.
Keep an eye one it and refill the water as needed.

December 9

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 37: 1-36, 50: 15-21
Symbol: coat
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Here are some more shots of our tree trimming yesterday...

Wesley

Justus

Roz

Eli and Justus

Tree Trimming

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 28: 10-22
Symbol: ladder
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

We decorated the tree today. Eli has been asking every day to get the "big" tree out. Last year they tipped it over and broke the stand once so I wasn't in any hurry this year. Well, it's up and I'm curious to see how long it will be until we have some kind of mishap. (Notice I didn't say if!)
It is Roz's job to put the tree together. Since we are using the little one it didn't take her long. We (Roz and I) do the lights and garland together. Then everyone helps hang the ornaments. Wesley did the honors of the angel on top. We decided (wisely) last year to use only non-breakable ornaments. We made most of them from foam. I made a few angels and snowmen from wooden clothes pins too. (Maybe I'll post some pictures of those later since they would make a cute craft project.)
You can tell the boys did most of the decorating since some branches had 5 ornaments and some had none. The lower half of the tree was full and the top half was pretty bare except on the side where the boys could stand on the couch to reach higher. Eli took the trimming very seriously as you can see above. Wesley and Justus were more jolly decorators. We did this all why Hayden was napping. He came down stairs and started "un-decorating" the tree right away. Then he got mad when I told him NO. He got over it quickly though.

Dec 7

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 22: 1-14
Symbol: ram
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Dentist Appt. and Snow Cocoa

Jesse Tree Reading: 21: 1-17
Symbol: cradle
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

The twins had their first ever dentist appointment last night. They were so good. Eli was a little nervous when he got in the chair but was okay once things got going. Justus was a chatterbox the whole time. Telling our hygienist Maureen all sorts of stories. No cavities for either! I was a little worried about Justus' teeth since his two front top teeth are a little discolored but the dentist said that can happen if you get sick as an infant, even one really high fever could do it. It could have been that Group B strep that sent him back to the hospital but I guess we'll never know for sure. It shouldn't affect his permanent teeth so that's good.

Everyone was excited to see that St. Nick had stopped by last night to pick up the artwork we colored for him. And they were even more excited to find the candy and Christmas coloring book that he left in their stockings. When I told Hayden to put his candy in a ziploc bag for later he told me, "NO WAY!". Each boy was allowed one small piece of chocolate but the rest was put away for later. Roz loved her mini bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider that I found her...umm, I mean that St. Nick left. She said she doesn't want to drink it! I thought it would be funny to take it in her lunch one of these days!

Tonight is the Mother's of Multiples Christmas Party. I am bringing what I brought last year..."Snow" Cocoa. It's a white hot chocolate. And it is so good! The low last night was -6 and the high today is only going to be 23. Sounds like good hot chocolate weather to me! If you want to give it a try here is the recipe:

Snow Cocoa
2 cups whipping cream
6 cups milk (I use 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 oz. white chocolate chips
Put in crockpot and heat on low for 2 hours. Stir well to blend.
Garnish with marshmallows if desired.

The hardest part about making it is getting it to the party. Carrying a crockpot full of hot liquid over an icy driveway out to the van, driving with it sloshing around, and carrying it in to the meeting is almost dangerous!

One last bit of exciting Shown Family news...Roz is starting work today. Piggly Wiggly still isn't open but she starts her training this afternoon. She is just going to walk there right after school. She was filling out her W2 form at 10 o'clock last night. When she had a question about it Jerry started to explain and in a typical teenage voice she said: "Dad, just tell me which box to check. I don't care about how it all works!"

St. Nick Ramblings

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 12: 1-7
Symbol: Tent and camel
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Don't forget to put out your stocking (or shoe!) tonight for St. Nick. Maybe if you were good you'll get a little treat. When we lived in Arizona we were part of the very lonely few who celebrated St. Nick's Day. Last night I did my usual grocery shopping while the boys were at AWANA and there were "Don't forget St. Nick's Day Dec. 5!" all over the stores. I didn't say anything to the boys about it but Wesley got in the van and asked about it right away since someone at church had mentioned it. Wesley even remembered that last year I let him eat a piece of candy before breakfast.

The year we moved here Roz was so surprised when other kids got to school on Dec. 6th and actually talked about St. Nick leaving them a little something. Some here make it almost a second Christmas with several gifts. I think it's interesting how different parts of the country and different families celebrate this simple little tradition. When I was little St. Nick's Day was how we got our list to Santa. I did that with Roz but with the boys I want to tone down the "gimmee" attitude so they don't make a list, instead they color a picture to leave for St. Nick and in return he leaves some candy. (They also get an ornament from Mom and Dad.) Some use stockings, some use wooden shoes, some just get candy, some get expensive gifts, some have never even heard about it at all...

So do you celebrate St. Nick's Day? Take the poll and then leave a comment about what if anything you do...

Dec 4

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 6: 11-14, 7: 17-8:3, and 9: 8-13
Symbol: Ark and rainbow
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Dec 3

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 2: 1-19
Symbol: Apple with serpent
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

Snow!!

Jesse Tree Reading: Genesis 1: 26-31

Symbol: Earth
What's a Jesse Tree? Click here.

The boys have been waiting and waiting...after a few flurries to tease them last week we finally got enough snow to go out and play in! We let the twins stay up from nap and sent them outside instead. It took 6 mittens, 6 boots, 3 pairs of snow pants, 3 hats, 3 jackets, 3 boys, 1 mom, and about 2o minutes to get them out the door! But it was time well spent since they were out there almost 2 hours. They had fun and didn't want to come in! Dad joined them for part of the time and supervised the making of a snowman. Justus said he made a snow angel too. It was pretty warm and the snow was getting slushy, so they came in soaking wet. The clothesline in the basement if full of hats and mittens hanging to dry.

Ready to head out!

Out in the snow...finally!

We had an open house today (in case you were wondering...no one came) so after church we went out to Chinese Buffet for lunch. The boys were really good and a lady (who had 5 kids herself) stopped by to say how nice it was to see a large family. She just had to check to see if we had a girl in the baby carseat. Nope, 5 boys and a girl. She must have thought we left our girl somewhere else because she thought Roz was our "helper"! We all chuckled at that. When we were getting settled in to our seats Eli asked for a "Jeopardy cookie". It took us a minute to follow his train of thought but we eventually figured out he meant fortune cookie. We go to Chinese Buffet quite a bit and somewhere along the line we started calling fortune cookies "Wheel of Fortune cookies". Well, what is on before Wheel of Fortune? Why Jeopardy, of course! Hence...Jeopardy Cookies!

Countdown to Christmas

This year we are trying something a little different to countdown to Christmas. We are going to have a Jesse Tree and do a short devotional each day leading up to the birth of Jesus. Today's symbol is a tree stump with a branch and today's verse is:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD
Isaiah 11:1-2

Wesley is also coloring a star each day on a little Advent manger scene that I found online here. He loves that kind of stuff! If you are looking for other fun activities to countdown to Christmas check out this Advent website...there are coloring pages, cookie recipes, and all sorts of fun things to keep you busy each day until Christmas!

Where are these boys going?

So where do you think these boys are going????

a) a punk rock concert
b) the grocery store
c) church

If you guessed "c" church...you're right! Tuesday was crazy hair night at AWANA. Having boys is definitely a disadvantage for crazy hair options if you ask me! Jerry used half a bottle of hairspray to get them looking like this. When we got to church one of the gals said, "That's not crazy, that's cute!" When they woke up this morning their hair still had a little "craziness" left! Speaking of AWANA, if you took the challenge to learn the books of the New Testament...times up! Wesley knows them all. In order. Beginning to end. I still don't though so don't feel too bad about it.

As an added bonus for today here is a riddle Jerry told me to put on the blog:
Can a man in California marry his widow's sister?
First person to put the answer in the 'comments' wins!

Happy Birthday Hayden Part 2

During the Thanksgiving festivities yesterday we took a minute out to sing "Happy Birthday" to Hayden...again! He did much better this time. And he blew out the candle!

Here is a picture of his real birthday cake. (The one on Tuesday was actually pumpkin bars.) I thought since he loves cars I'd make him a race car cake. I made the race track with Oreo crumbs. The little cars are actually chocolates from Seroogy's. I tried to make the frosting around the outside look like grass. Then I put Cheerios (that I dyed black...don't ask it was a disaster!) tires around the inside edge of the race track. I wish I would have thought to make or find little checkered flags...

Hayden liked it but got mad when I showed it to him but wouldn't let him have the little cars off the cake. After we sang and I let him have the little cars he was pushing them around on the floor. I think he was pretty surprised when someone opened it for him and it was chocolate inside. He popped the whole thing in his mouth! Yum!

Happy Birthday Hayden!

[I started typing this on Tuesday but didn't have time to finish it and load the pictures until today.]

Hayden is two today! Wesley has been counting down for him for a couple weeks now. He has been practicing blowing out candles too. He was pretty excited to see the kitchen decorated when he got up from nap. He kept saying: "Whoa! Balloons!" We are just having a little family party (I think there are enough of us to call it a party!) and his real party will be added to the Thanksgiving festivities on Thursday.

Jerry asked him what he wanted for dinner and he said "pizza". I don't think he really understood but we decided to have that today anyway! So Jerry brought home a few pizzas and after we ate we got out the cake (actually pumpkin bars). Hayden didn't really like the candle on his cake. He started to cry as soon as I lit it. But then instead of blowing it out he touched it. It was so quick (and I was holding the cake) that I couldn't stop him. It didn't hurt him really but then he really didn't like it when I re-lit it so we could sing. He cried through the whole "Happy Birthday" song.

Gift opening went much better! Although his brothers were a little too helpful and we had to keep moving them back. He enjoyed his gifts (as did his brothers!). Wesley and the twins kept asking how long until they have a birthday!

Cake time...not a big hit!

Stopping to read his new Cars book!

Cha-ching!

You can take the cash register...but the coins are MINE!


And in case you don't remember what he looked like two years ago today...

Sunday, Sunday...

Today was a well deserved NICE, RELAXING day. I cannot think of one thing that went wrong! We started out the day with a nice, clean house and all the laundry done since we had a showing Saturday morning. We went to church (with everyone riding legally in the new van). We came home and had a nice lunch. We watched the Packers win on TV. Had a nice visit with the Perry family from Madison, who came up to visit with their sweet twin girls Josen and Finn. [We met through Milkshare and I have been donating breastmilk to them. The girls very first feeding when they were born 5 weeks ago was milk from me! They came to pick up what will probably be my last donation since JD is now breastfeeding so well.] The boys were well behaved during the visit (except when Eli misdirected a sneeze onto one of the babies!).


While we were visiting the boys got out the trains and tracks. When Hayden woke up from nap he started playing trains too. He played with those trains from 3pm until he got in his pajamas at 7:45pm (with a short break for dinner). He is such a good boy! Long after the older boys were done he continued to play and play and play. I can't believe he is going to be two on Tuesday! I'll have to write another post all about him one of these days...maybe for his birthday. He says the funniest (and sweetest) things!

In the end, I guess it was a good day not only because of what happened but because of what didn't happen! This week if anyone asks me what I am thankful for...I am going to say...days like today!

She's a...

beauty? big one? behemoth?

Here is the new van! Who wants to go for a ride? Oh, I see lots of hands raised...don't worry there is plenty of room for everyone! After a year or so of thinking about it and shopping around we finally got a 15 passenger van. It is a 2001 Chevy Express 3500. I think we got a pretty good deal on it. It was the cheapest one with decent miles we have seen in our year of looking. We had to drive down to Manitowoc to get it Saturday afternoon after Jerry had driven down in the morning to negotiate the deal.

When Jerry pulled into the driveway Eli looked out the window and said, "Whoa, that is big!" Believe it or not the boys were fighting over who gets to sit in the way back (Roz knew better). A few bumpy roads in the future and I think they'll change their minds! We drove down to Abby's to show her after dinner. We'll have John take a look at it sometime in the next week or two to make sure everything looks good. The exterior is in good shape except for one dent in the bumper. But John kindly informed me he's sure I'll be getting more of those backing the van up. Hope he's wrong there! The interior is a little more "used" but not too bad. It has been a rental for the last few years at the dealership where we bought it. So it has a good maintenance record. And we were shocked to find out it just might fit in the garage! [It will be tight and we'll have to take the inside pull handle off the garage door.] We will be able to drive our whole family, Abby, John, Carter, and Grandma up to my mom's for Thanksgiving on Thursday and still have room for 3 more!

I'll be getting plenty of exercise since I now have to park in Timbuktu and I'll never be lost in a parking lot looking for where I parked the car ever again! I'm not normally one for bumper stickers but I want to put a little "No, we're not!" sticker on the back. (So AZ family and friends if you see one get it for me.) Although around here it will mean "no" we're not Catholic. But it can also mean "no" we're not: Mormon, crazy, a daycare, a school group, a prison work crew, or just about anything else people may think we are driving around in that monster!

Two for the price of one

OR
Justus and his radial head subluxation--Part II with Eli bonus!

Well, we were back at the doctor's office this afternoon with Justus. He was very protective of his arm all evening and then all morning. If I manipulated it he didn't cry but would whimper. So we took him back in. This time to see our doctor (who was off yesterday). She did her little trick and we all heard it pop. Now he really is good as new. I had her show me how to do it so if it happens again I can just do it myself. We are glad it worked the second time otherwise they mentioned having to take him to the ortho doctor so they could numb it or put him out to get it back in place. I'm thankful we didn't have to deal with that!

As if we didn't have enough going on while I was on the phone making the appointment, Eli fell down the basement stairs. Roz got to him first since she was down there cleaning. By the time she carried him to the top of the stairs he had a HUGE blood filled goose egg on the right side of his forehead. I got out an ice pack and got it on there right away. He cried a bit but not as much as I would have! He was acting normal and didn't have any other symptoms of a concussion. I called Jerry to tell him he had to come home for the 3:30pm doctor appointment (only one car...remember!) and then called the doctor back to add Eli to the patient list for the appointment. His head looked quite a bit better by the time Jerry got home and he checked out fine.

We stopped to get a pizza on the way home. You didn't expect me to come home and cook did you? I didn't have time anyway...I had to have Buck to the vet for a 6pm appointment. Nothing is wrong with him, it was just his yearly exam. By the time I got home both twins were feeling great. We gave them some Tylenol for good measure and put them bed.

I do NOT get paid enough for this...can I have a day off??

Justus and his radial head subluxation

This morning for the second time in his little life of under 4 years Justus "dislocated" his elbow. Let me rephrase that, for the second time his elbow was dislocated...this time by Wesley. It was an accident, of course. Wesley was trying to pull Justus up onto the bar (where they're not supposed to be climbing) and pulled his arm wrong. It was his left arm, which is the same one he dislocated two years ago. The doctor said once it happens there is an increased risk of repeated dislocation. The condition is called radial head subluxation or nursemaid elbow (click to read all about it).

The doctor was able to reduce it or as he told Jer "pop it back in" with no problem. Jerry did get a lecture about lifting children by the trunk not the arms even though he wasn't even home when it happened. Since Justus is prone to this we'll have to be extra careful with him, especially since it is his left arm and he is left handed. The poor boy could hardly eat his yogurt at lunch with only one hand. He is still favoring it but should get over it shortly. I am a little concerned since he isn't feeling better already (the last time immediately after it was reduced he felt better) but the x-ray showed no fractures of the lower arm. They didn't take any x-rays of the upper arm or shoulder so if it still bothering him tomorrow I'll take him back in.

Where is the nearest looney bin? I think I might have to pick Jerry up there later...nevermind, I can't...I don't have a car!

Reading with Daddy

Here is a shot of our book worms reading with Dad. Hayden was just a little bit off to the side on the couch (where you can't see him) reading a book by himself. I took the 3 big boys to the library on Saturday afternoon. They had a blast.

Of course, the twins had to check out the bathroom while we were there...but thankfully only once! Since they have never been in public restrooms until now they have to check out every single one we come across. The library bathroom was the first time the twins ever saw an automatic flushing toilet. Eli didn't appreciate it because half of the fun for him is flushing!

Wesley finally got his very own library card. I told him he had to wait until he could write his name nicely. He has been able to write his name for awhile now but we just didn't get down there to fill out the application.

I should have taken a video instead of a still photo. The story Jerry was reading was The Three Billy Goats Gruff with a Jamaican twist. Roz and I were laughing at his faux Jamaican accent, which was pretty good I must say. "Hey Man! Who's dat crossin' me bridge?"

JD, Roz, and Buck

Here is a new picture of my little chubby cheeked baby. He is breastfeeding all but one feeding a day now and obviously doing well with it! He was 13 pounds when I took him in to get his ears rechecked last week. He'll have his 4 month check up the end of the month and I wouldn't be surprised if he was over 15 pounds by then!

Roz is excited to announce she is now officially employed! I took her down to Piggly Wiggly on Saturday to turn in an application and they interviewed and hired her on the spot! She was pretty excited and so were we! They gave her $5 to get a work permit and a slip to get her PW (uniform) shirt. The manager told her she will be a cashier and work about 12 hours a week. She has to go through orientation first and they are waiting until they hire a few more people to have that so I don't think she'll start until after Thanksgiving. So, all you social security collectors can give Roz a big hug the next time you see her!

We had a short notice showing of the house yesterday at 4:30pm. So we cleaned up and at 4:15pm Jer took the boys to the park while Roz, JD, and I headed to Grandma's. We parked the van in Grandma's driveway and stuck Buck in there. When we were heading back across the street Roz asked if she should grab Buck and I said not to worry about it we had to come back and get the van anyway. Well, at about 9:45pm when I was getting ready for bed I went to let Buck out. It was then I noticed he was missing! Ooops! Poor dog sat out there in the van all evening! Thankfully it wasn't colder and I didn't leave him out there all night! He was good and didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to in the van. He did get into the trash a few times once he got home. I suppose he was punishing me for leaving him out there. I felt really bad but he seems no worse for the wear this morning!

Say cheese!

On Thursday I had to take JD in to get his ear re-checked. (It is fine!) When I made the appointment I thought I'd kill five birds with one stone and get the other boys their flu shot as well. It ended up Grandma Linda and Pa were coming into town for a doctor appointment of their own so they came along and helped us out. The boys did great. Hardly even cried...well, except for Hayden. He got really upset when we took the sticker basket away. He was so upset about that I don't even think he noticed he got a shot!

When we go out and about I like to have the boys match and looking their best. Since they were already dressed nicely, I took some individual photos of each boy that I will be making into wallets. (Maybe I'll post those later...I'm adding some effects to those.) Here is a shot I took of the four big boys before we headed out to the doctor's office:

Argh! Pirates!

This past Tuesday was "pirate night" at AWANA. So pictured below are three of the meanest pirates I've ever met! Next week is affliction night...you have to come with some type of injury. I'm thinking really hard on that one... I might put Wesley's cast back on his arm (if it will still fit!). If you have any other creative ideas let me know. (Chicken pox dots? Crutches? What does someone with scurvy look like? Just kidding!)
Who wants to come help us rake? There is grass under there somewhere! Actually, it doesn't look like that now...our kind neighbor (Dennis) used his big leaf sucking machine to vacuum them up for us. The pile by the curb is much bigger now though!

JD's New Toy

Here are a few pictures of JD with his new toy. Grandma Linda got him an early Christmas present. The twins had one of these little baby "gyms" but it broke. Hayden survived without one but JD seems to really enjoy it. As you can see, he really tries to focus on the little hanging toys. This is a new, improved model as well and it plays music which I am sure JD will appreciate. Eli has checked out the musical features already and given his official stamp of approval. JD doesn't reach for the toys yet but it's not too far off. Occasionally he will accidentally bump one of the toys with his hand though. He is getting so big and has such a sweet smile. He won't smile for just anyone though...usually just Mommy and Wesley. Wesley read him a book yesterday and JD rewarded him with a big smile!

I should have taken a picture of JD today. He had on a new little outfit and when Wesley saw him laying on my bed in it he said, "OOOOOOhhh! Isn't he just SO cute!?" I hope Wesley grows up and had lots of babies of his own someday!

Go Patriots?!?

Tonight while we were eating dinner Jerry was watching football. Hayden likes football and usually says "Go Packers!" when he sees a game on TV...even if it isn't the Packers playing. I asked Jer who he was rooting for he said the Patriots. So I said to Hayden: " Say Go Go Patriots!" and he did! It was so cute I went and got the camera to see if he would say it again. I got him to say it one more time before the lure of tater tots pulled him away...



As you can see at the end our little class clown had to get in on the action as well!

Lions and Cats and Pigs...oh my!

Last night at AWANA they had a little carnival. The kids were allowed to dress up as animals or Bible characters. Since we don't go out trick or treating the boys didn't really have costumes to wear. Wesley really wanted to wear something so I went online and printed off some animal masks to color. Monday morning they colored them and then I glued the paper to cardboard for extra sturdiness. I added a rubber band to hold them on and VOILA!

I also made little paper tails to pin on their back sides. The whole way to church they were saying "Aaaah! There's a lion/pig/cat in the van!" Once at the carnival they had to go from station to station playing games and getting candy. Wesley had a blast but since the teachers were working the booths the twins kind of wandered aimlessly here and there. I had left and ran to the grocery store [which is the new routine to kill to birds with one stone]. I finished early and helped them go to a few more game stations. In the end, they were all happy with their little bags of candy prizes.

Do you know who's who?

This morning we all worked together to make dessert for dinner. We made Triple Fudge Brownies. They are super easy and really good. Perfect for beginning bakers! Even Hayden helped. Since it was his first time to help he was kind of fascinated by the whole process. He caught on real fast though and as you can see in the picture was not too happy when Eli was trying to help him stir. He could do it himself thank you very much!

Here's the recipe if you want to give them a try:

1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (18 1/4 oz.) pkg. devil's food cake mix
2 c. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions (with milk). Stir in cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch (jelly roll) baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 28-35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
[Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.]