Right now, I have no sound evidence to support my theory, but I do believe there is a conspiracy going on in my house. I don't know how to prove it, but I am beginning to believe that when our house was built, there were secret alarms installed on every bathroom door. And not just regular alarms, little tiny ones that make sounds only children can hear. When a bathroom door is shut, the alarm somehow alerts every kid within a 10 mile radius that an adult has entered the bathroom and it is now their cue to need something RIGHT NOW. This same alarm triggers something in their brain that needs food right that instant, or makes them suddenly realize they want to fight with each other.
With 2 year olds, the alarm seems to alert them of their desperate need to be by your side every moment, and causes them to lie down outside the bathroom door and wail at the top of their lungs. These are just a few examples. I have more. For instance, yesterday I waited to take a shower until Katie went down for a nap. I knew from the way she smiled at me that she wasn't going to sleep. But, she could at least rest in there. Five minutes later I am just starting to wash my hair when I hear the bathroom door open and Emma say, "Mom, I got Katie out of the crib for you. She was just yelling in there anyway." I can tell from her voice that she's pretty proud of herself and I hear her set Katie down and close the door behind her. I just love taking a shower with a crying little girl pounding on the door. I'm going to remember this when Emma's birthday rolls around..
Every. Single. Time. I shut that bathroom door there are kids on the other side knocking, yelling, or asking me questions. Yesterday I decided to put it to the test. Dinner had been eaten, Dave was home, a movie was going and all seemed peaceful. I didn't have to go to the bathroom, but I went in there and shut the door. BAM! I think it was 30 seconds later I heard a knock. "Mom, I have to go potty so bad!" I gently remind Ben that there is another bathroom he can use. "Oh yeah", he says and stomps away. A minute later I see Katie's fingers poking through the crack by the floor. "Hi momma". Then she sits down and bangs her head against the door.
Do you understand me people? Does this make any sense? Am I right to be paranoid? I would call and talk to my mom about this, but I know what she'll tell me. She'll tell me the story of 3 little girls in the 80's who thought it would be so funny to pick the lock on the bathroom door and scare their mom while she was trying to have some alone time. (Sorry Mom).
The only conclusion I can make is that these silent bathroom door alarms must date back to the late 70's, it's the only explanation for it. To all the other moms out there, good luck going to the bathroom while there are kids in your house.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Merry Christmas
Hi! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We're slowly returning to some kind of normal around here, it's always hard going from FUN FUN FUN to BORING BORING BORING :) Haha..
We had a very fun Christmas, but not without it's challenges. As most of you know, our family has had a bad run with strep throat this year (Grrrrr...). It has hit our family 12 times just this year alone! I'm really hoping we'll make it to 2012 without another one! Our pediatrician suspects we have a carrier...hmmm..makes sense.. About 8 days before Christmas Ben woke up with a sore throat and of course, it was strep. And then 5 days later both of the girls came down with strep throat. Oh. My. Word. Luckily after 2 days they were no longer contagious so we could make the trip down to my moms, but we were like our own mobile pharmacy we had to cart around so much medicine!
Emma bounced back like a rock star, I swear her immune system can kick some butt! But poor Katie girl was hit pretty hard, and had a rough Christmas. She tried to be happy, but didn't even want to open presents..poor thing. Needless to say, I can't wait to find out who our little carrier of strep is :)
Thanks Mom for a wonderful Christmas, and putting up with sickies :) We had a great time!
On Christmas Eve we relaxed all day! Made some pies, watched movies and of course, ate yummy chex mix and treats. That night we lit all the advent candles and remembered the reason we have Christmas! Then we bundled up and Dave drove us around looking at lights, with a stop in the middle for 7/11 icees (I'm thinking this should be a new tradition- nothing says Christmas Eve like gas station slurpees.)
Christmas Day dinner- Kid table and us old adults....
Then, she explained to the kids the tradition of the Yule Log, and how the family would decorate it together.
Getting ready....
...And off they go!
It turned out awesome! They were all pretty stoked with how it looked :)
We did try and get one picture of all the kids with my mom- I'm tellin ya, 6 kids are hard to get 1 good picture of. But, we tried.. here's the best one:
Most of the rest turned out something like this:
And finally, I will leave you with the one good picture I got of Kate. She loves to be fancy, and for Christmas Eve dinner we made nachos. She insisted on wearing her fancy necklaces to eat her chips. Love this little girl!
I would love to hear how everyone's Christmas was! Love to you all!
We had a very fun Christmas, but not without it's challenges. As most of you know, our family has had a bad run with strep throat this year (Grrrrr...). It has hit our family 12 times just this year alone! I'm really hoping we'll make it to 2012 without another one! Our pediatrician suspects we have a carrier...hmmm..makes sense.. About 8 days before Christmas Ben woke up with a sore throat and of course, it was strep. And then 5 days later both of the girls came down with strep throat. Oh. My. Word. Luckily after 2 days they were no longer contagious so we could make the trip down to my moms, but we were like our own mobile pharmacy we had to cart around so much medicine!
Emma bounced back like a rock star, I swear her immune system can kick some butt! But poor Katie girl was hit pretty hard, and had a rough Christmas. She tried to be happy, but didn't even want to open presents..poor thing. Needless to say, I can't wait to find out who our little carrier of strep is :)
Thanks Mom for a wonderful Christmas, and putting up with sickies :) We had a great time!
Cody, Austin and Ben hangin out
And of course, Emma and Austin were crackin me up...
Thanks to technology we got to include my sister in the festivities! She is in Uganda and it was 1am in Africa. She stayed awake so we could skype and she could watch the kids open stockings. So fun! And we got to see the tree that they decorated!
And, thanks to my sister Crystal, we started a brand new tradition this year- The decorating of the Yule Log! This is a christmas tradition from Europe, and if you want to learn more about it, google Buche de Noel. It's very cool, and the kids loved it. Crystal brought a cake shaped like a log in the forest. See pic below...
We did try and get one picture of all the kids with my mom- I'm tellin ya, 6 kids are hard to get 1 good picture of. But, we tried.. here's the best one:
Monday, December 19, 2011
You just never know
Like every other mom out there, I worry about what my kids are saying when they're away from us. It's not like they're bad, but they are kids, and you never know what will come out of there mouths. They basically have no filter, just pure innocence. Like the time I thought it would be cool to wear this pastel striped sweater that had been in the closet for a few months. When I came walking down the hallway Emma (then about 2 1/2) stared at me wide-eyed and said, "Wow, big rainbow coming". Yeah, awesome. Then there was the time at Ikea with my sister when Emma announced, "Wow, your teeth are such a pretty shade of yellow". I could just die... Or the poor teenager with a really bad sunburn and Ben pointed and said, "Why did God make that boy red?" Oh man...
Case in point: Last week I dropped Ben off at school and his teacher caught me in the hallway. She was trying not to laugh, and I thought, "Uh oh, what did he say this time?". So she goes on to tell me that yesterday at story time Ben seemed lost in thought. After the story was over she asked if anybody had questions. Ben raised his hand and asked, "Mrs. Weaver, why do I fart?" Well, needless to say, he caught her off guard. She tried to explain how God made us a certain way, and thats just part of it. He raised his hand again. "But sometimes I fart and I don't even have to go poop at all". Well, she said at this point she tried to change the subject, but he was obviously concerned about it, so maybe I could explain the rest to him? Awesome, I would love to. And I apologized for my son's extreme interest in all things related to gas. So, you never know, folks, what my kids will talk to you about...thats fair warning....
Case in point: Last week I dropped Ben off at school and his teacher caught me in the hallway. She was trying not to laugh, and I thought, "Uh oh, what did he say this time?". So she goes on to tell me that yesterday at story time Ben seemed lost in thought. After the story was over she asked if anybody had questions. Ben raised his hand and asked, "Mrs. Weaver, why do I fart?" Well, needless to say, he caught her off guard. She tried to explain how God made us a certain way, and thats just part of it. He raised his hand again. "But sometimes I fart and I don't even have to go poop at all". Well, she said at this point she tried to change the subject, but he was obviously concerned about it, so maybe I could explain the rest to him? Awesome, I would love to. And I apologized for my son's extreme interest in all things related to gas. So, you never know, folks, what my kids will talk to you about...thats fair warning....
Frosting...
Cookie decorating night- Lots of cookies decorated by the older 4 Hughes family members, Lots of frosting EATEN by the youngest Hughes family member....
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Coming clean about my cooking skills
It's pretty common knowledge around these parts that my hubby is a better cook than me. I've known it since we got married, but I have been in denial for the better part of 8 years. I think it finally hit me 3 years ago when my grandma asked me what DAVE was going to be bringing for a Christmas dessert. And then some months later my mom called wanting help with a recipe and asked to talk to Dave. Hmmmm...I thought, this is suspicious. I started documenting in my head the number of times we each got a cookbook down out of the cupboard in a month. Dave- 5-8 times. Me- A big fat 0. Well, that settled it, I came to terms with the fact that my husband can outcook me.
At first my competitive side was screaming out "No WAY, you can't let him do this!" But in all reality, I really didn't care. And again, in the wise words of my grandma GG, who announced to me one day that "I was so lucky to marry a man that could cook his own food", I decided to be grateful and happy for myself!
Now, don't get my wrong, I have a few yummy dinners I have perfected. I can make a mean sweet and sour chicken (passed down from my mom), stir fry and spaggetti. I know my sisters are grateful for the days when I made them tuna casserole! Haha... But the difference is the attitude. I cook because I have to. It is for the survival of my family that I willingly pull out pots and pans every day and try to fill their bellies. Dave cooks because he wants to. It is fun and relaxing for him, he likes to challenge himself. It is absurd...
So I plug away making the standard tacos, sloppy joes, baked chicken, pancakes and spagetti. The kids like it. But when he decides to cook (which is at least twice a week), he does cornish game hens, jambalaya, steak, Thai food, smokes a turkey, maple syrup glazed Salmon and waffles with all the trimmings. And it is fabulous :)
Which brings me to a couple days ago. He had a day off and we were discussing plans for dinner that night. As always, I was thinking in terms of toast and cereal. Maybe I would challenge myself with some scrambled eggs. But I heard the cupboard open and cookbooks coming down, and knew I could just sit back and watch, because his wheels were in motion. By that night he had all the ingredients to make his own Sushi. Yep, thats the way he rolls folks.
So, without further ado, here is my man with his first sushi attempt, it was yummmy!
Pretty good, right? While he was doing this, I was cooking up something for the kids. Usually they eat what we eat, but I can't even expect my kids to slather the wasabi on and down these scrumptios morsles. So, I whipped up some grilled cheese sandwhiches(turned out ok) and hot dogs (which I burned really bad and nobody would eat them). So, there you have it. Dave made yummy homemade sushi and I burned hot dogs that were given to the dog. What does that tell ya? Oh, here is a pic of my contribution:
If I don't say so myself, it is a perfect golden brown. So, the secrets out. If you need help with a recipe, or want to invite us for dinner, Dave is your go-to man :) Later!
At first my competitive side was screaming out "No WAY, you can't let him do this!" But in all reality, I really didn't care. And again, in the wise words of my grandma GG, who announced to me one day that "I was so lucky to marry a man that could cook his own food", I decided to be grateful and happy for myself!
Now, don't get my wrong, I have a few yummy dinners I have perfected. I can make a mean sweet and sour chicken (passed down from my mom), stir fry and spaggetti. I know my sisters are grateful for the days when I made them tuna casserole! Haha... But the difference is the attitude. I cook because I have to. It is for the survival of my family that I willingly pull out pots and pans every day and try to fill their bellies. Dave cooks because he wants to. It is fun and relaxing for him, he likes to challenge himself. It is absurd...
So I plug away making the standard tacos, sloppy joes, baked chicken, pancakes and spagetti. The kids like it. But when he decides to cook (which is at least twice a week), he does cornish game hens, jambalaya, steak, Thai food, smokes a turkey, maple syrup glazed Salmon and waffles with all the trimmings. And it is fabulous :)
Which brings me to a couple days ago. He had a day off and we were discussing plans for dinner that night. As always, I was thinking in terms of toast and cereal. Maybe I would challenge myself with some scrambled eggs. But I heard the cupboard open and cookbooks coming down, and knew I could just sit back and watch, because his wheels were in motion. By that night he had all the ingredients to make his own Sushi. Yep, thats the way he rolls folks.
So, without further ado, here is my man with his first sushi attempt, it was yummmy!
Pretty good, right? While he was doing this, I was cooking up something for the kids. Usually they eat what we eat, but I can't even expect my kids to slather the wasabi on and down these scrumptios morsles. So, I whipped up some grilled cheese sandwhiches(turned out ok) and hot dogs (which I burned really bad and nobody would eat them). So, there you have it. Dave made yummy homemade sushi and I burned hot dogs that were given to the dog. What does that tell ya? Oh, here is a pic of my contribution:
Friday, December 2, 2011
Toddlers and Pregnant cravings....
I've decided that trying to feed a toddler is like catering to a pregnant woman's cravings. I swear to you, this is driving me crazy. I remember being pregnant with Emma and I sent Dave to the store at 10pm to get blueberry muffins and I always wanted chocolate frosty's from Wendys. With Ben it was chicken nuggets and waffles.. Kate was basically an aversion to everything that had buffet in the name, and the smell of fish or ketchup would totally gross me out.
I feel like I am right back there, but only now I'm dealing with an almost two year old! Some days she eats what I put in front of her, well, half goes on the floor but at least some of it makes her mouth. One week she will scarf down pancakes and the next she gags at the first bite. Some days she refuses all forms of food and walks around saying, "berry milk, please" all day long. Her favorite fruit used to be peaches and now if I DARE set them down in front of her she throws them at her brother.
Yesterday I tried to feed her cereal, yogurt, crackers, and string cheese..she wasn't having any of it. Then she saw the new bowl of pears on the counter and got all excited. Two whole pears later I had to cut her off in fear of what her diaper would look like later. What gives, man?? Is this a conspiracy?
And then today I thought it would be fun to get her a cheeseburger. I thought she loved them...she didn't even want to look at it, in fact I thought she might just toss it out the window. When we got home she ran to the refrigerator and yelled, "fishy please, fishy please" and promptly gobbled up about a pound of smoked salmon.. The only way she will eat cheese right now is if its shredded, and God forbid it should be white. And vegetables?? Don't get me started.
Peas are about the only vegetable she will tolerate right now, unless you include carrots smothered in ranch. But she HAS to eat the peas with a fork, and has to do it HERSELF, so this process takes forever.
I'm pulling my hair out over here. I forgot what it was like to feed a toddler. Our brains do that just like forgetting the pain of childbirth or the sleepless nights, or the big purple dinasour. This temporary amnesia ensures that procreating will continue.
One night I made spagetti (is that how you spell it??) and she ate about 10 meatballs. So, I went and bought a costco sized bag and made some a few days later. She was horrified at the sight of them. Same with cheerios. 2 months of pure bliss she couldn't get enough. The day after Thanksgiving she threw up on me mid-bowl because it grossed her out. Well, folks, I have vented and I feel better. So, for now, I'm going to keep plugging away, because in reality the kid does need to be fed. Onward I charge, and would love to hear how all you other moms and dads of toddlers are managing to fill their picky bellies day in and day out. Later!
I feel like I am right back there, but only now I'm dealing with an almost two year old! Some days she eats what I put in front of her, well, half goes on the floor but at least some of it makes her mouth. One week she will scarf down pancakes and the next she gags at the first bite. Some days she refuses all forms of food and walks around saying, "berry milk, please" all day long. Her favorite fruit used to be peaches and now if I DARE set them down in front of her she throws them at her brother.
Yesterday I tried to feed her cereal, yogurt, crackers, and string cheese..she wasn't having any of it. Then she saw the new bowl of pears on the counter and got all excited. Two whole pears later I had to cut her off in fear of what her diaper would look like later. What gives, man?? Is this a conspiracy?
And then today I thought it would be fun to get her a cheeseburger. I thought she loved them...she didn't even want to look at it, in fact I thought she might just toss it out the window. When we got home she ran to the refrigerator and yelled, "fishy please, fishy please" and promptly gobbled up about a pound of smoked salmon.. The only way she will eat cheese right now is if its shredded, and God forbid it should be white. And vegetables?? Don't get me started.
Peas are about the only vegetable she will tolerate right now, unless you include carrots smothered in ranch. But she HAS to eat the peas with a fork, and has to do it HERSELF, so this process takes forever.
I'm pulling my hair out over here. I forgot what it was like to feed a toddler. Our brains do that just like forgetting the pain of childbirth or the sleepless nights, or the big purple dinasour. This temporary amnesia ensures that procreating will continue.
One night I made spagetti (is that how you spell it??) and she ate about 10 meatballs. So, I went and bought a costco sized bag and made some a few days later. She was horrified at the sight of them. Same with cheerios. 2 months of pure bliss she couldn't get enough. The day after Thanksgiving she threw up on me mid-bowl because it grossed her out. Well, folks, I have vented and I feel better. So, for now, I'm going to keep plugging away, because in reality the kid does need to be fed. Onward I charge, and would love to hear how all you other moms and dads of toddlers are managing to fill their picky bellies day in and day out. Later!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thanksgiving with the Hughes Fam!
We had another great Thanksgiving with Dave's brothers and families! There's nothing like a house full of kids, dogs, food and fun! And we always like spending time in Redmond/Bend, and the weather was awesome! Thanks Mark and Thuy for the fun time, love you guys!
Ok, so before I put pictures on here, I've got to tell you a couple quotes from the kids on here..They never cease to amaze me with what comes out of their mouths :)
A couple hours into the trip Ben suddenly looked up from the movie he was watching with a very concerned look on his face. "Dad, do you think Uncle Mark and Aunt Thuy have free Wi-Fi at their house? I hope so..." Wow, priorities...
The kids had been so excited to see LOTS of snow going over Mt. Hood. Dave and I knew there wasn't gonna be much, it was warm and most of it had melted. But when we were about 3 miles from government camp it started snowing. You would have thought it was Christmas morning they were so excited. Emma just stared out the window and yelled, "See, I knew God would send us some snow!" The faith of a child...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Me and the hubby :)
Kids Table.. ummm Lucas has crazy eyes in this one!
Dave's choice of plates for his dinner! hahaa..
Hughes muscle men
Ben and Brady
Emma and Bella (everyone thinks they're sisters when they're together!)
Dave and Brady chillin at The Old Mill District
Finn and Benjamin
Taking a walk by the Dechutes River before we pigged out!
Love LOVE the Juniper trees!
Ok, so before I put pictures on here, I've got to tell you a couple quotes from the kids on here..They never cease to amaze me with what comes out of their mouths :)
A couple hours into the trip Ben suddenly looked up from the movie he was watching with a very concerned look on his face. "Dad, do you think Uncle Mark and Aunt Thuy have free Wi-Fi at their house? I hope so..." Wow, priorities...
The kids had been so excited to see LOTS of snow going over Mt. Hood. Dave and I knew there wasn't gonna be much, it was warm and most of it had melted. But when we were about 3 miles from government camp it started snowing. You would have thought it was Christmas morning they were so excited. Emma just stared out the window and yelled, "See, I knew God would send us some snow!" The faith of a child...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Me and the hubby :)
Kids Table.. ummm Lucas has crazy eyes in this one!
Dave's choice of plates for his dinner! hahaa..
Hughes muscle men
Ben and Brady
Emma and Bella (everyone thinks they're sisters when they're together!)
Dave and Brady chillin at The Old Mill District
Finn and Benjamin
Taking a walk by the Dechutes River before we pigged out!
Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!
Fall Fun
Wow, I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone. I got a little behind on the blog with so many fun festivities goin on! Here's a quick recap of the last couple weeks:
After Dave raked the leaves, they seemed simply irrisistable to the kiddos...
Scooter Diva
Ben's Thanksgiving feast at school..He was part of the little pilgrims...
Picking apples at Nana's house.. we went down for the weekend for the Apples for Afirica fundraiser and made over 250 caramel apples! Check out more from this on Alicia's blog http://www.godsloveisbigger.blogspot.com/.
Look how many they got from the tree!
Ben with his best buddies Tyler and Lucas at their party
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Cousins- 8 years later!
Our nephew Austin turns 8 tommorrow! I seriously can't believe it...So, this got me going down memory lane, and getting lost in old pictures. Emma and Austin have been awesome friends and cousins and have spent countless hours laughing, playing, singing, conspiring, watching movies and just hanging out. They were the ones to bring our smiles back after our dad passed away, and they continue to amaze us with how awesome they are! So, in honor of Austin's birthday tommorrow, and Emma's in 4 months, here is my trip down memory lane!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Movie Night!
If you take a little of this.....
Add a few of these.....
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Just a little window into my world...
Every day is an adventure being a mom. Every hour, really. I never know what to expect. And once in awhile, I remember to write it down, so I can look back on these crazy, wonderful days and smile (not yet, but I'm sure I will someday). So, here is a glimpse of life in our house, craziness and all.....
This happened TODAY, and I am still shaking my head about it :
So I'm standing in line at Subway today. It's 1pm..I look around and realize there are lots of kids in line. Hmmmm...that's weird, why are so many kids out of school? And then it hits me like a freight train: I TOTALLY forgot to pick up Emma from school! I scooped Katie up and I'm pretty sure I let a swear word slip out as I made a beeline for the door...my apologies to the subway lady that was halfway done making my sandwich..this my friends is an AWESOME mommy moment that I'm sure Emma will NOT let me forget...
This happened last week while Dave was in Spokane and things got a tad bit our of control here with 3 kids against 1:
8:38pm.. I was tired. Done. Exasperated. Verge of tears. So I say, "Why is NO ONE listening to me?"
Emma: "All right I'm going to brush my teeth!"
Ben: (staring at his lego creation) "I WAS listening!"
Me: Then what did I say?"
Ben: (deer caught in the headlights) "Ummm..I wasn't really listening- just tell me again a little slower this time"
Spoken like a true man....
And finally, this was last week too, I think they were taking advantage of a sick mommy :)
Katie came running into the kitchen this morning looking a little bit guilty. It didn't help that she had a blue marker with no lid clenched in her fist. She said, "come, come!". And so with a deep breath I followed her around the corner. And there, on the couch, was her masterpiece. I said, "What did you do??" She just kinda shrugged her shoulders, looked at it, looked at me, and said, "Bummer".
Wow...I think I'm in trouble...
This happened TODAY, and I am still shaking my head about it :
So I'm standing in line at Subway today. It's 1pm..I look around and realize there are lots of kids in line. Hmmmm...that's weird, why are so many kids out of school? And then it hits me like a freight train: I TOTALLY forgot to pick up Emma from school! I scooped Katie up and I'm pretty sure I let a swear word slip out as I made a beeline for the door...my apologies to the subway lady that was halfway done making my sandwich..this my friends is an AWESOME mommy moment that I'm sure Emma will NOT let me forget...
This happened last week while Dave was in Spokane and things got a tad bit our of control here with 3 kids against 1:
8:38pm.. I was tired. Done. Exasperated. Verge of tears. So I say, "Why is NO ONE listening to me?"
Emma: "All right I'm going to brush my teeth!"
Ben: (staring at his lego creation) "I WAS listening!"
Me: Then what did I say?"
Ben: (deer caught in the headlights) "Ummm..I wasn't really listening- just tell me again a little slower this time"
Spoken like a true man....
And finally, this was last week too, I think they were taking advantage of a sick mommy :)
Katie came running into the kitchen this morning looking a little bit guilty. It didn't help that she had a blue marker with no lid clenched in her fist. She said, "come, come!". And so with a deep breath I followed her around the corner. And there, on the couch, was her masterpiece. I said, "What did you do??" She just kinda shrugged her shoulders, looked at it, looked at me, and said, "Bummer".
Wow...I think I'm in trouble...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Daybreak Park Photos!
As I was walking around our house today, avoiding mounds of laundry and dirty dishes, I realized something: Our pictures are pretty outdated. The picture of Katie on our fridge was taken at the hospital, for crying out loud! So, it was decided..a photo shoot was needed- desperately. None of my kids are really good at posing (I blame it on Dave mostly :)). But I did get some good ones today. The weather this week has been awesome! I love fall days like this in the northwest!
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