Bases Loaded with One on Deck

Extreme Example

Kent wanted Mexican food for Father's Day, so we headed to the next town over to check out a restaurant there.  The parking lot was on the side of the strip of stores and we ended up in a slot facing the local tattoo and body piercing parlor. Shops like this are not something we come across very often so naturally the boys were curious.   Matthew asked, "Hey Mom, what's body piercing?"

My answer at the time was, "Something you better never tell me you did!"  and when we got home I showed them this:

                            

It's my subtle way of making sure it doesn't appear glamorous or cool in anyway.  Let's just hope this little lesson doesn't backfire on me in the future!

A Jar Full of Dough

Yesterday the boys (and Catherine) received a package in the mail from GG (their great-grandma).  In the package were banks for their coins.  It's the kind where you push your change through the slot and it keeps track of the amount you have put in.  The boys were enthralled by this, especially John, who wasted no time in securing the last 2 AA batteries in the house to put in his lid.  He then proceeded to collect every last bit of change laying around, including the jar of coins he and his brothers have been saving, and the coin stash in Kent's closet.  John then spent the next hour filling his bank with money, even got his brothers to help him.  The higher the count went up the faster they shoved it in.  When all was said and done the totals stood at John - $86.05, the brothers and Catherine - $0. 

              

At some point in this whole process Michael and Matthew actually questioned why the money was only going into John's bank.  The eight year old eased the worries of the 10 and 13 year old by assuring them, "I realize not all this money is mine, but we're just going to put it all in my bank."

10 and 13 year old to the 8 year old, "OK!"  shove, shove, shove, shove, shove........

So easily convinced!  I wonder if they'd be interested in some ocean front property in Arizona?

 

 

Smitten!

To say that the boys just absolutely adore their little sister would be the understatement of the year.  Never has a child been so doted over like our sweet little Catherine has over these past few weeks.   They are all constantly hovering over her, cooing at her, kissing her face and holding her hands.  There are daily fights over who gets to hold her first or next and who gets to sit by her in the car or at church.

Matthew got a camera for his birthday, and I fear Catherine will go blind from the hundreds of times a day the flash goes off in her face.  If she doesn't go blind she will certainly become deaf if James doesn't stop talking so loudly to her, for some reason he thinks babies are hard of hearing.

Catherine is certainly the boys new favorite thing.  They run to her bedside at the littlest peep to see if she's waking up, they line up at the kitchen counter to watch her at bath time, and they narrate her every possible thought that might run through her head as her big blue  eyes move around the room discovering the world around her.  Even when she's sleeping she has a constant audience.

Yes, no doubt about it, Catherine is loved and adored by four amazing boys which makes her one truly blessed little girl!

Check Your Pockets!!!!!!

Kids are expensive!  I'm an expert on this fact because I have 4.  My sister who has 10 can't even remember what money looks like!  There's baseball, archery, target shooting, sports camps and lessons of different sorts.  There's also the food bill (especially when it comes to eating out), school books, clothing, field trips, and on and on and on!   Today there was the $180 service bill for the washing machine repair guy, and apparently I got off cheap!

Over the past little bit our washer (only a year and a half old) has not been draining quite as well as it should.  When the service guy drained it today we found out why.  The culprits (those things that got sucked in between the wall of the washer tub and drain) are as follows:

• 2 quarters
• 1 dime
• 2 keys that you keep above the doors in your house to unlock the bathroom and bedroom doors.
• a Playmobil cowboy hat
• Princess Leah's Lego hair
• A clone trooper Lego mask
• A Lego light saber
• A few other miscellaneous Lego pieces
• A wrapper to some Diego fruit snacks
• A silver ball that belongs to the boys Mega Magz set

The new house rules are as follows:

• You must check your pockets and empty them before heading up to bed for the night, or before you place you pants/shorts in the laundry bin.  I will be checking pockets before I do wash.  If I find something in your pockets you will be charged $1 that will go into a laundry fund.  If this should happen again and the laundry fund does not cover the bill, each of you will be deducted 1/2 your allowances until the remainder of the bill is paid!

Hours of Fun!

The Book:

The Builders:

The Hanger:

The Pilots:

The Testing Field:

The Crash Site: