If you give Kelly Christmas, she's going to reorganize the entire house....

One of our favorite books or series of books for the kids are the If You Give a Moose a Muffin books:
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give Kelly Christmas

So you've never heard of the last one, but I'm telling you it's going to be the next in the series. 

It goes a little something like this:

If you give Kelly Christmas, she's going to want to put the new presents away.  She'll realize there's no room, so she'll put some of the old toys away.  When she puts the old toys away, she'll realize that the storage room needs to be cleaned out, so she'll move everything out into the living room.
Once everything is out, she'll realize how much room some new shelves would create so she'll ask her husband to build her some. 
After the shelves are up she'll see the other shelf that can come out of storage and be fitted on a desk to add to the office area, but she'll have to switch desks from the sewing room to the office.  So she'll switch the desks around.  Once the desks are set up she'll realize the back half of the old office desk isn't finished and is now exposed, so she'll ask her husband to make a back for it.  He'll sigh.  Then he'll make the backing. 
Now Kelly will eat a cookie and keep going.
Kelly will now put everything back into the storage room in an effort to clean up her huge mess.  Once that's done she'll start moving all her sewing stuff from the new office desk to her new sewing desk, but she'll realize that she downgraded herself of space, so she'll need to go to Target and buy new shelves and drawers.  When she's at Target she'll see a shoe organizer and think how great that would be in the girls' closet and she'll pick that up too, because she obviously doesn't have enough projects on her plate now. 
So she'll get the shelves and put them together and realize she doesn't have enough room in her sewing room for them, so she'll have to reorganize her sewing room.  Once that's reorganized she'll look back on the last month and shake her head that this all started because a few toys needed to be put away. 
And those toys?....still aren't put away.

A night at the movies....

 I believe every young couple has to start with humble beginnings.  I have stories from my parents of surviving on bread and peach jelly...or something like that.  If you don't start from these humble beginnings, you don't learn to appreciate what you have when you're a millionaire in silk pajamas.  That being said...we have 3 kids and a gigantic machine in the garage that is even more "needy" than children.  So instead of paying $50 in babysitting and $20 for a movie, we take advantage of Netflix instant movies.  And instead of paying $200 for a Wii so we can watch the movie on the tv, we watch it on our actual computer. 

So why does our computer look like this?  Because we have children.  Apparently an LCD laptop screen cannot withstand the bending and twisting that happens when one child wants the laptop open and the other child wants it closed.  Love.  Them.

So our fantastically mobile laptop is strapped down to our decade old monitor and attached to two leftover speakers.  Now, let's watch a movie. 

First, you have to start with back support...

I prefer the ladybug bean bag and Tim likes the Elmo couch.  Although he usually needs another couch cushion for a long movie.  The chairs help prevent sliding and give a platform for future equipment.

Equipment such as our speakers.  One speaker behind each head with the cord running between us and up to the computer.  Needless to say, if you're feeling that "drive-in" vibe to make out with your husband, you're either going to end up with the speaker landing on your head or you're going to pull the laptop off the desk.  Careful there.  Careful, careful.

Next grab some couch cushions for bum support and a blanket.

Finally, a coaster and a beverage.  Jack and Coke for Tim and Bailey's on the rocks for me.

Time for some movie magic...

Humble beginnings.  It's no bread and peach jelly, but it keeps us thankful...

Snow Day!!

Tuesday the Wichita School District closed school for our first snow day of the year.  Payton was so excited to have the day off and I was so excited to not have to run around and corral all the kids for school. 
Payton immediately started asking for his "movies on the computer."  He's addicted to YouTube.  Turns out there are lots of kids just like him that are obsessed with garage doors and hangar doors and he watches all of their movies.  It's thrilling.  Ella and Maddie were playing princess over their pajamas which was really too cute.  I had to put some effort into Ella hair because I couldn't stand to look at her mullet anymore.  If you hadn't heard, she cut her own hair the other day.  It's...special. 

We stayed in pajamas as long as we could. 





I love Ella's dressing combinations....

She always has her tongue sticking out...don't know why.  She'll need to tuck that in if she goes outside.  Hey what a great idea!!  Let's go outside and play in the snow for our snow day.  Let's spend 35 minutes cramming 3 kids into multiple layers of clothes and send them outside to play in the snow when it's 14 degrees outside and gusty.  Good plan.  The dressing did not go well.  It was a lot of looking in bins of hand-me-downs and bags of out-grown clothes to find all the appropriate attire. 

These were Bean and Abby's old snow boots, but the girls lost the laces for me so we had to improvise...

Say CHEESE!!!....You're going to FREEZE!!!

Out the door!

Ella loved it.  She understood the concept that she needed to keep moving to stay warm.  She made some serious tracks out there.  A pink streak of lightning.

Maddie did pretty well.  She's not too graceful to begin with, and then with the burden of Payton's old snow boots and a couple pairs of socks and a hat that kept covering her eyes...well she fell down a lot. 

Payton wanted to throw snow.  Shocking.  If his arm and obsession with throwing don't pay off with a major league pitching contract, I'll be very put out.

Ella was very determined to make the Tonka truck drive in the snow. 

Maddie set off to clear off the sandbox.  I love this picture!  It's sweet.

The reason I knit. 

So the magic lasted about 5 minutes.  Maybe 7 minutes, but that's being optimistic.  The crying and begging to go inside started in quickly.  Maddie was fine, but the other two weren't too happy.  Frozen cheeks. 

I tried to convince them that they just needed to run around to get warmer, but convincing them to do so just made me feel like I'd taken the PE whistle and was making them run laps.  So we gave up. 

Then the magic was not only gone, but the experience turned from wholesome moment to abusive mother.  Making them play in the snow...how dare I. 

They hated me.  They cried and screamed as I tried to tear the wet, snowy clothes from them.  First I force them into the elements, then I take them to the garage and strip them of their clothes?!  SRS.

So after convincing them that the only way to feel better was new clothes they settled down into passive anger.

And I got my place of honor back by suggesting we read books.  ...and let Payton watch his "movies" again. 

There's a snow day again today and we're Big Fat Staying Inside.

I really am a morning person...

I discovered something about myself this morning while I was lying in bed staring at the clock.  I really am a morning person.  I love the morning time when the sun is a soft yellow and the clouds are light colors and haven't burned off yet.  I love laying in bed and stretching and thinking about all that could be done during my day.  I could get up early and bike down to the farmer's market to get some fresh fruits and bread for breakfast(in the summertime of course).  I could grab my favorite quilt and go curl up on the couch and read peacefully to myself.  I could go eat a lovely breakfast on the veranda (in the summertime again, and not really on the veranda so much as my front porch.) 

But if you ask my husband how I feel about morning, he'll just nervously giggle and back away slowly.  Now why is that?  How can such as happy morning person not come across as being a morning person?  And why don't I ever eat my breakfast quietly on the veranda? 

I found the answer this morning laying in bed.  I may be a morning person, but I'm damn sure not a transitional person.  I don't like change.  In the mornings my feet are a perfect 98.6 temperature if not warmer.  My blankets have created such a coccoon of warmth that no matter where I move, I only experience cozyness and snuggliness.  The mattress has been worked over for 8 hours to become the exact shape and fit of my body so that every bone and fiber of hair is perfectly supported.  Now the farmers market sounds just really fantastic, but I just can't seem to justify jerking my body out of my perfect environment for some stinkin fruit and a gorgous sunrise.  I can lay in bed and fantasize about a gorgous sunrise and fresh fruit right?! 

Why devestate my body like that.  It's effortlessly warm and I have to climb out and shock it into adjusting to 65 degrees...what a strain.  I have to shed clothes that are the same temperature as my skin to put on clothes that are room temperature...I don't think so. 

No I'll just lay in bed and stare at the clock until the very last possible second that I can get up, get dressed, and get my children out the door in enough time to keep my kid out of the school's office.  Then I'll rush home and down some warm coffee in an effort to help my poor innards adjust.  Then I'll stay up later than I should because it seems that the transition from the bed to the world is just as hard as the tranisition from the world to the bed.  What the heck?

Best of 2010...a year in pics

The best of the best starts here with our Annual Tea with the Queen.  The Queen of course being my mom.  Requirements:  goofy hats and cucumber sandwiches...and tea.  You must also go by your royal name:  Queen Mum, Princess Consuela, Lady Abby of Boz, Countess Kelly of the House of Richmond, ect.  This year tea is on Feb 5th...can't wait.  And of course we'll be there for the wedding.  We just can't miss the royal wedding.

So then we had the unsettling discovery that Payton couldn't hear.  That was unfortunate.  He had moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.  But then we met some incredible people such as Dr.Pop, the district's audiologist and Dr.Mary with Children's Miracle Network.  Turns out Payton's hearing aids met their criteria and they picked up the bill for him.  Hearing aids for 0 dollars.  What a miracle.  Now he can hear better (although he doesn't listen better).  School is going a lot better for him and he's now a leader in his class.  

His first music performance.  Xylophone extraordinaire. 

In the spring we went up to Salina to see Uncle Chris (Maddie Godfather) run his train.  They were doing test runs before the summer began and they start giving rides.

It's a really neat scene and such a cool sound.  I love that we're able to give our kids all these cool experiences. 

Finally summer came and we spent all day outside riding bikes and going for walks...and racing tricycles.

And going to Grandma's for swimming pool time and eating dinner outside.  Best ever.

We also headed to Spencer, Missouri for some Route 66 fun.  Every summer Payton gets to ride his bike up and down the Route while Tim and I fish for the world's smallest fish off the bridge next to the filling station.  How lucky are we!?  We spent the day at Table Rock too...have to do that again this year. 

We're also lucky enough to have family close by that will watch our kids so Tim and I can take off and go to Grand Lake, Colorado.  Our mornings were transformed from kids yelling at us to fix breakfast and changing dirty morning diapers to waking up peacefully on a cool Colorado morning and heading out for a morning canoeing on the lake.  It didn't suck and that's all I should really say.

We took drives through Rocky Mountain National Park and saw caribou on the ridge and took walks to see moose hiding in fields.  Definately didn't suck. 

Then we came home to our kids and normal life and set to getting rid of the damn pacifiers.  We had the Great Paci Roundup and threw them in the trash.  Yea...that's not how we should have gone about that.  The girls were devestated and I felt like the world's worst mother.  But at least they're gone.

In August we were blessed with the birth of a new nephew, Tucker.  Tim uses Tucker to keep my baby needs at bay. 

Ella is quite smitten with him.  Every baby in this house is now called baby Tucker.  Even the girl babies...well whatever.



Ella and Maddie had their birthdays.  It was an awesome evening with crab boil, whoopie pies, and giant cupcakes. 

Finally fall came.  It's my favorite season...favorite favorite favorite.

We went to a football game to see Granddad's band and had Apple Day.  Maddie was a mad apple picker.

And Halloween fun.  I love this blurred picture....it's my nieces Abby and Bean running in their Snow White and Belle princess dresses. 

Hang in there...we're almost done.  I'm tired just writing this blog....I must be exhausted from living it. And here we go to CHRISTMAS!! 

Quiet moments where my children peacefully coexisted.  It had to be documented.  I didn't move for an hour for fear that I'd disturb it.

Finally we finished with Christmas at my folks house on New Year's Eve. 

We had Jesus' birthday cake which quickly started being called Jesus cake.  Again...well whatever.

How freakin' beautiful is this picture?!

Payton got a scrapbook of garage doors, hanger doors, and crossing signals.  His Aunty Erin knows him very well.  It was such a peaceful evening...until...

The dart board came out.

Okay now hold the board and let the two 6-year-old's throw darts at you.  Yea...just like that.

Then things settled down again...until....

The dart gun came out.

Then it just was never the same.

And the Jesus cake....was served on "big" 80's plates and Sweet Sixteen plates.  My sister and I haven't been 16 in...well...awhile.

Thank you mom for always making us smile.

So that's our year in a nut shell...or the world's longest blog full of picutres you've probably already seen.  But it was nice going back on what a great year it's been. 

I do have one warning for this next year however....a new blogger has been born and she has TONS to say...