Happy Birthday Andrea

29 things I love about Andrea, for her 29th B-day.

I love Her:
1.    blog about our family (This is my 2nd post...ever...on it)
2.    care for our kids
3.    digital scrapbook skills
4.    awesome cooking skills
5.    Anna hair designs
6.    decorating talent
7.    desire to do what is right
8.    example
9.    smile
10.    care for family and friends
11.    decision to put our family before herself
12.    taste in restaurants & food
13.    chocolate that she hides from me
14.    effort and ownership she puts in her calling
15.    because she's put up with me for 11 1/2 years
16.    patience with my crazy travel schedule
17.    desire to run a 5k
18.    chocolate peanut butter cupcakes
19.    help she gives the kids, daily, with their schooling
20.    Settlers of Catan skills
21.    because she didn't make me see Twilight with her
22.    testimony
23.    missionary efforts
24.    beauty
25.    style
26.    fun, adventurous spirit
27.    spontaneity
28.    other stuff I probably shouldn't mention on a public blog
29.    because she never gives up

Oh yeah! I have a blog!

And a ton of pictures to take off my camera.

I guess you can say that we have been busy...kind of, sort of.

I found this gem first...Let's hope Dad was around when this was taken (by looking at what she is wearing, my guess is he was right there)!

We have just wrapped up 3 months of solid baseball.  It kept us VERY busy, but I don't regret it.  In fact, I enjoyed it (yes, even though I complained about it often).  It gave us a reason to spend tons of time together as a family and say "no" to all of the other things that keep us apart as a family.

Here's a shot of Tyler as the pitcher!  He was worried about playing on a kid pitch team and DID NOT want to ever pitch, but he ended up pitching almost every game and doing quite well at it (meaning the innings that he pitched didn't last forrreeeevvveeerrr). 

Best purchase for summertime entertainment was the $35 Target pool found on our back deck providing endless days of waterlogged fun.  Evan photographs well in water!  Such a ham!

At our house, one sure sign that school is nearing to an end...Jared's hair turned into a MOP!!  It got so bad that Rob couldn't even handle it anymore and took the clippers to him! In my defense, I didn't think I should be taking Jared to get a hair cut when he had a strep infection all over his body.  The hairstylist wouldn't have been too happy with me!  Buzzed pictures hopefully coming soon.  And Rob gets an A+ for saving us $36.  All three boys were buzzed.  I had to draw the line at Anna, much to her chagrin.

Father's Day was filled with extra little house guests.  Rob was a trooper because he didn't get the day off that he would have liked and well deserved, so we turned the day into a party...baseball style of course...from Peanuts and Cracker Jacks to the Sandlot.  And we couldn't forget the cupcakes either.  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.  Yeah, yum!  So Father's Day turned into Load All Eight Kids Up With Sugar Day.  Thankfully, they all went to sleep early that night, and Rob and I collapsed into a heap once they all did!

Now bring on Summer Vacation!!

Ewwwww (consider that your warning)

Today we're practicing for summer vacation.


I have all 4 kids home and finally everyone seems to be in good spirits and health (kind of)!


What we've learned over the past two weeks is this...


Poison Ivy

Can you identify poison ivy?  Quiz 1 and Quiz 2

plus

some itching by an antsy almost 8 year old and an almost perfect attempt of not itching by an anxious 10 year old

plus

Group A Streptococcus (Group A strep usually causes relatively mild illnesses, such as streptococcal sore throat (strep throat) and streptococcal skin infections (impetigo). Group A strep can also cause more serious illnesses such as scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, postpartum fever, wound infections, and pneumonia.)

equals

Grossness (I decided not to show photos...but if you're brave...impetigo looks like this.  Jared's nose looks kind of like that, but blocking his nostrils.  And his arms, legs and hands look like this but worse and less hairy. Tyler's hand looks like Jared's body, but just his hand ,and it is swollen like this)

plus

several days off of school

plus

lots of medication (how grateful are we for modern day medication!!!!!)

plus

gratitude that it wasn't worse (because it could always be worse, right?!)

Class Clown

Evan has officially graduated from Preschool!

I didn't know if he would make it.

There were days that I thought he was going to get kicked out of school.

At the beginning of the year, I was thrilled that Evan would have Mrs. B as his teacher.  She had a reputation of being stern (in a good preschool kind of way).  Evan definitely needed this...someone who wouldn't put up with all of his shenanigans.

But something crazy happened.  

Evan broke past Mrs. B's stern exterior.

Evan could do no wrong.  It was always someone elses fault (minus that minor peeing incident. She did however think it was funny but couldn't let on in front of the other children).

I'm fearful for Kindergarten.

Those poor teachers don't know what's coming!!

 Shaking the living daylights out of Mrs. B while receiving his diploma!

I had to threaten Evan to get this picture.  In all of the previous ones Evan was bear hugging Mrs. B to the point that neither of them were recognizable.