Catching up...

Today's post is all about catching up.  I have a bunch of pictures that haven't made it to the blog yet...sooooo....ENJOY!!

The twins bought Daddy a kite for Father's day last year, and they finally got to fly it with him....

You may laugh at me for these pictures....I am a pretty big recycler, and I love to recycle other people's garbage....especially because these are the things we have picked up lately...and yes, I have gone and asked people "are you really throwing this away?"....CRAZY PEOPLE!!

Battery operated cars for the twins (just need a charger cord according to the people who threw it out)

and one for Elli too - hers works, we just have to teach the twins and Elli how to steer - hahaha... 

This table and chairs had a sweet matching kitchen....however, I couldn't fit it all in my van at one time, and when I went back to get the kitchen the garbage truck was crunching it up into little pieces - I KID YOU NOT!!!

This beautiful toy box bench was sitting out in the rain and had garbage piled on it.  We cleaned it up and look how beautiful it is!!!  It matches Elli's crib and dresser perfectly - a match set!!! 

Why would someone throw this out?  Chris asked me the same thing - the safety hinge in broken.  So we are going to take a trip to Lowes and buy one!!!  Jason and Reagan love the bench - even though it is in Elli's room ;)... 

Grandma Pauline went to Hawaii on vacation.  Grandma's never forget their grandchildren...even when on vacation....we got a huge box with all kinds of treaties for the kids.

Elli got a sweet red Hawaiian print dress....

With bloomers.... 

The twins got ukuleles....(notice how Reagan is holding his).... 

Elli also got a hula skirt.... 

The older boys all got pocket knives, and Chris and I each got Hawaiian attire.  Thank you Grandma Pauline you totally spoil us - and we love it ;)!!

As you recall from my post on 2/15/2011 - "Derby Time" - Joshua and the twins participated in the Cub scout Pinewood Derby and each one won 1st place for their age group, and Joshua won 3rd place all around.  Well....we finally got the trophies.... 

What we didn't know is that they also won awards for their great car designs.  Joshua won "Most Awesome" for his $100 car.... 

The twins won "Most Lovable" for their Valentine car....(yes, they spelled lovable wrong...see Joshua, spelling is important ;)!)....

And now we come to my last batch of photos.  Elli was combing her hair, watching me blow dry mine, when she got bored and fell asleep.... 

This may be it for a while.  I may get some Easter Egg coloring photos posted, but we leave on Monday, the day after Easter, for New Hampshire, for Spring Break and Brandon's CAP Regional Color Guard Championship.  We will be staying on a cattle ranch where Chris' cousin Glenn works - which should be soooo fun, and we are going to see my Aunt and Uncle.  I haven't seen them in 16 years, and I have never met their children, so I am pretty excited.  I will post Easter pictures, Spring Break pictures, and pictures from the Color Guard competition when we get back.  Until then, I hope everyone has an incredible Resurrection Sunday!!

Springtacular Storytime at Borders....

On Saturday, Chris and I took the kids (all except Brandon, who was at Fort Dix this past weekend) to Borders Books for Story time.  Before the story was read, each child received a pair of rabbit ears to wear - Trevor and Joshua declined the offer, and Elli carried her ears.  

(I am going to apologize here for the quality of these pictures, they were taken with my cell phone : / ) 

It wasn't too long after Story time began that Jason and Reagan were left to enjoy Story time with Mommy and Elli.... 

It wasn't too long after that, that Elli got up and began to explore the area around us....

After the story was read, each child was given a paper plate, some crayons, some tape, a straw, and some streamers, and they were instructed on how to make their own kite to wave.... 

With all the kites made, the children enjoyed strawberry smoothies and cookies, supplied by Starbucks....

(I think this was the best part;)) 

I love Jason's face in this picture...

After snack time, it was time to parade around Borders, waving their kites, and wishing everyone a Happy Springtacular (I am guessing Happy Easter is a politically incorrect phrase to use at Borders?)....

Chris had fun running from aisle to aisle cheering the twins on ~ at the end of the parade, Jason's cheeks were as red as the parade leader's sweater.... 

After the parade, Story time was officially over, and each child was then given a coloring book and a packet of tomato seeds to plant at home.... 

The twins had a blast!!!  Thanks Borders!!!

Funny thing...I told my boys they could hold the reigns of my blog for a while....I am totally preoccupied with a multitude of other things and am brain dead to blogging lately....so instead of just posting something interesting, they hijack the blog and totally change it.  So, I tell them to change it back, and because they were so excited about re-doing my blog, I tell them, go ahead and create your own blog.  So...they did....it is called A Band Of Brothers (in a couple years, Elli may have something to say about that :)).  Yesterday, their post was about how they cannot think of anything to write about - HAHAHA - today, Daddy was a guest and posted for them - Funny!!!  I truly hope they think of something because their blog looks awesome, and it would be great to see some great writing there too!!!!

As for me...no great writing today....just great pictures....

Correction...

Sorry everybody, there was a misunderstanding. In my Mom's words, "she gave me the keys to the blog and I hijacked it." She's having blogger's block, so I am alloewd to "drive the blog." I'm not allowed to "pimp my ride", if you catch my drift:)

Under New Management

Hey, everybody, it's Brandon. You may have noticed a few changes around here. Mom has writer's block, so she has put me in charge of the blog for a little while. It's really going to be all us boys posting every once in a while. BTW, don't forget to check out the post below about my awesome cousin Jason, his wife Naomi, and their adoption fund. Enjoy.

A Very Special Post!!

The giveaway at...A Baby Sent From the Stars Giveaway! ...ends tomorrow night!!  You have an awesome chance of winning some great gifts so don't forget to check it out and donate to an amazing couple who will make awesome parents!!!

My Nephew and his wife are trying to raise money to adopt a baby, here is their story (taken from their site)...
Dear Friends,
My husband and I met in church almost 16 years ago, when we were 7 years old. We played together as children, and as our families became extremely close, we had the opportunity to get to know each other... and eventually became best friends.

Over the years that friendship turned to love, and at age 18 and 17 we began dating.
When I was 17 I began having some concerns that led to an ultrasound...doctors told my family that I would need surgery to repair a blocked uterus. What they discovered through surgery was that the doctor who read the ultrasound was mistaken; in fact, I was born without a uterus.  I still remember when I awoke in a hospital bed with my dad gently running his fingers through my hair. I knew then that something was wrong. Everyone around me had tears in their eyes and that was when the doctor told me the news. I would never have children. I was only a junior in high school and my dreams of being a mother were shattered.  This August we will have been married 3 years. We have been doing foster care for 6 months for two beautiful babies who call us Mommy and Daddy. Friday April 1st, these children go home to their mom. We have to confess we are heart-broken, and ready to move into another arena.

We have been praying and planning to adopt from the moment we knew a baby would come to us another way...a baby sent from the stars. We are blanketing our state with letters to every adoption attorney, teen pregnancy center, crisis pregnancy center and pastor we can think of, to get the word out that we are looking for a baby to adopt. We have submitted an application to an agency, Journeys of the Heart, and we have been accepted. We are in the process of being approved for a homestudy, and will continue to do foster care in hopes of also pursuing an adoption through the state some day. At the moment we haven't signed on the dotted line with the agency...after much prayer we are keeping avenues open to a private adoption before we fully commit to that very expensive route. 

Patti Rice, is hosting this Baby Sent From The Stars Giveaway to raise funds for our adoption...we have a ChipIn set up on my sidebar as well as on Patti's blog www.babynumber10.blogspot.com, and we have some fabulous prizes to give away!!
Details on how to enter are below, and here are the prizes...

Apple iPad 2 MC769LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, Black)

NEWEST MODEL Apple's newest generation of iPads. 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology. 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor. Forward facing and rear facing cameras. Apple's iOS 4 and access to Apple's app store.
*since these are still on back order at the Apple store online, it will take several weeks to ship.
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NOOK ebook reader (WiFi + 3G)

Enjoy digital books on the go with this reader that features 2GB of storage space and supports microSD memory cards for expanded storage. The built-in 3G and Wi-Fi wireless networking allows you to download books in seconds.
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Henri Bendel Rare Mimosa body cream African Shea Butter and Sweet Almond Oil to soothe, soften and deeply hydrate.$75
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Stella and Dot

Together Forever necklace Intertwined 14kt gold vermeil and sterling silver circles on a sterling silver chain. $44
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Brighton Bright Heart Nightlight

Silver pierced and raised detailed design, ivory on/off sensor, 110 voltage, 4 watt bulb included, approximate weight 4 ounces $29
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Rumba Pink Vandam watch

Fun, lightweight,VanDam digital watch by Rumba has a band made with silicone rubber and stretches to fit. water resistant to 99 feet. $16
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Studio Calico Scrapbooking Kit Singin' in the Rain

Studio Calico’s April kit will brighten your grayest days. Singin’ in the Rain is filled with sunny new releases from Crate Paper, Webster’s Pages and Pink Paislee. In addition to the Studio Calico exclusive papers, there are label stickers and patterned papers designed just for us by Cosmo Cricket. $34

There you have it...over a thousand dollars worth of prizes. Random.org will choose the winners next Tuesday, April 12th (last chance to enter Monday night at midnight), and there a four ways to enter (leave a comment here for each entry):

1. Make a donation to our adoption fund through ChipIn. Any amount is welcome, but PayPal really eats up smaller donations, so we are suggesting ten dollars as a minimum.

2. Post the link to this giveaway on Facebook.

3. Blog about this giveaway.

4. Tweet this giveaway. Patti Rice is on Twitter as @APerfectLily. Please follow her and if you tweet this, send it to her so we know.  Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry and PLEASE leave your comments on this post only.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all have been praying for us, and for all the sweet words of encouragement sent our way. We are so blessed to have so many kind friends, and I really would appreciate your continued prayers. If you know anyone who is looking for a loving Christian couple to adopt their baby, please feel free to share our story and our web address.
Love,
Jason & Naomi

Happy April Fools Day....

This morning I woke all of my children and my husband up early, under the guise that I had gone and gotten donuts for a special April Fools Day breakfast...

Hahahahaha.....I had the Dunkin Donuts people laughing so hard when I asked for free empty boxes.....they LOVED the idea... 

Reagan ate one of the seeds (a Cheerio), and after I declared my concern over him growing a donut in his belly, and him looking a little worried, he thought a moment and said "That wasn't a doughnut seed!"  Sooooo cute!!!

There have been other tricks played this morning....underwear strung up on the banisters, tape stretched across the stairways, things hidden in people's shoes, Chris called his boss and told him he got into an accident with his work car and that he would be in to fill out the paperwork, I am still waiting for the plastic spider to make it's appearance somewhere, AND someone rubber banded the sprayer on my faucet, so that when I came home from dropping the boys off and went to wash the breakfast dishes the sprayer went on and, literally, soaked the kitchen.  I have to say that looking back on this prank....it was a good one....but at the time, I had just gotten home from dropping the boys off at school, and on the return trip Elli threw up in the car, all over me, and all over herself...so...at the time the sprayer went off tears did come to my eyes.  But while wiping up the plethora of water all over the floor, cabinet doors, and, yes, the inside of the cabinets, I started thinking what a great prank it was.  So...while my poor Elli is sick and resting today, I will be very busy devising a great prank to get back at Trevor and Brandon...not sure which one of them did the prank, but they are both going to pay.  You may ask, what if Joshua did it...I can tell you he didn't by how angry he was when it happened.  Joshua, being home schooled, was here to see how upset his mother was with the throw-up, and he was busy helping me with that situation and doing his schoolwork when the sprayer went off...then he helped me clean it up.  Although, he could just be pretending so that he gets to help play pranks on his brothers....hmmmmm?  Tell me what you think....

1)Who is guilty? and 2)Got any good pranks?

Happy Pranking!!!