A few funny things the kids have done this week- I gotta write them down or I'll never remember them. This is what makes life interesting and fun in the midst of the chaos!!



The kids and I were driving home the other day when we passed Starbucks.

Ben: "I want to get Starbucks! I'm soooo thirsty...PLEASE!!"

Me: "Nope, we're going home, we've got drinks there."

Ben: But I need a drink NOW... I'm sooo thirsty right now! It's NOT FAIR!"

At this point I am taking deep breaths trying to remain calm and not use my
mean mommy voice...

Emma: Ben, it's not all about you all the time. You're not the only one in
the world. You know there are kids that don't have anything to eat or drink
ever. Think about that..

I just smile and think to myself, "wow, they do listen to me..and she's gonna love being a mommy someday..



A few nights ago Ben came into our room and said he had a bad dream. I carried him back to bed and talked to him about his dream. I asked him what would help him forget his dream and go back to sleep? Maybe a prayer? Rub his back? Drink of water? He just looked at me and said, "Chocolate candy always makes me forget my bad dreams. I think you should get me a couple of those."



We were in Fred Meyer and passed one of those coin cashing in machines. I had told the kids they could pick out a treat after we were done shopping. Emma ran over to the machine, all excited, and said, "Mom, instead of a treat, I think i'll just get some of this cash out of this machine!"

I really wish life worked that way.....



.

Benjamin turns 4 years old!!

I can't believe Ben is 4! He had a fun birthday week: he celebrated at preschool, we had a little party for him, and then went and saw a Winterhawks hockey game! Benjamin is such an amazing kid, it's so fun to see him grow up. He is so thoughtful of others, so loving,energetic and imaginative. He still loves to cook and bake, do crafts, watch airplanes and build legos. His new favorite things are learning about tornadoes, space and sea lions. He makes us laugh every day, and gives the best hugs ever! Happy Birthday Buddy!

Dave found these Seahawks Jerseys at GoodWill for himself and Ben. Ben thinks its so cool that they match!


Our birthday party at home...cupcakes from Battle Ground Bakery, Ben's favorite!





Winterhawks hockey game!


Emma got to have her picture taken with some of the Rosebud cheerleaders..made her night!

Happy New Year!

It was a very quiet New Years at our house. Dave had to work the holiday weekend so we barely made it until midnight :) We went out for dinner, and then came home and played some games with the kids and did a few fireworks. I'm very excited about what this year is going to bring!!

Christmas!

I didn't take a lot of photos at Christmas, but here's a few. Dave and I don't have much time to sit around now that Katie is ALL OVER THE PLACE :) So, Pictures are a little more scarce. I can see now why the youngest kids in the family don't have as many pictures as the oldest ones :) We had a very fun Christmas both at our house and my mom's. Lots of good memories!

Full Circle

Well, I swore to myself that this would never happen. Before I had kids I had all the answers. I knew what kind of mom I would be. I piously watched other moms lose control in the grocery store and I knew I would never do that. I told myself I would never go out in public with vomit stains or snot everywhere. I would lose the sweatpants and embrace the kacki’s. My kids would look clean. I would remain calm. I would never stoop to bribery. My kids would never throw temper tantrums. I would always shower and be dressed for the morning drop off (are all my mom friends smirking right about now?). I would never let my kids drink pop and they would embrace all kinds of food. I would keep my toenails painted and for crying out loud I would pluck my eyebrows! My kids would sit quietly in restaurants. I would never be that mom that has to drag her kicking and screaming child from the playground when its time to leave. I would be in control.
This fairytale image I had painted in my mind came crashing to a halt the day we brought Emma home from the hospital. I’m not sure I’ve been in control since. I have broken every preconceived image I had of being a mom many times over. And I’ve loved the journey. But when a day happens where you’ve broken every rule in your own book, it requires some kind of pondering.
Yesterday morning I rushed Emma to school in my pajamas stained with snot and hair out of control. And no, my toenails were not painted. By 11 the house was still a mess and I gave Ben his halloween candy bag so I could take a shower in peace(YES, bribery). After my shower I spent the next two hours running after a three year old who had just had 15 minutes of unsupervised candy time….and he took advantage of it. No clean laundry so the kids wore dirty clothes J. I did manage to get the dishes and vacuuming done, but also had to call poison control. It wouldn’t be a great day without that, right?
After picking Emma up from school I drove to a craft store to get a few Christmas decorations. Ben said he didn’t feel good (all the sudden) so I carried him and Katie under each arm like footballs and got two carts. Just upon entering the store Emma announces she has to go #2. Uggggggg….So 10 minutes later we’re still waiting for her in the hallway, Katie is standing up in the basket (which I also swore I’d never let my kids do), Ben is moaning that he wants to go home and I hear Emma singing in the bathroom “This land is your land”. I decide to cut the trip short and we get back in the car. On the drive home I decide to stop at Subway to get dinner. I pull Katie out of her carseat to find a major blowout…yes, through her clothes and all. I thought about giving up right then and there. Just sitting down in the parking lot, staring up at the sky. But I’m the mom, I can do this, right? So here’s the climax of this crazy day. We bravely walk into Subway. Katie wrapped in a blanket wearing only a diaper. Benjamin dirty and whining. Emma still singing patriotic songs way too loud and practicing her cheerleading moves. And me? Well, I did pluck my eyebrows this morning, but that’s about it.
I catch the eye of a pregnant lady calmly sitting by herself in a booth and two things go through my mind at the same time : she has no idea what she’s in for and Oh my word she feels sorry for me and is swearing to herself that she will never let her kids act like that! Life has come full circle. And tomorrow is another day. And I really do love being a mom and the rollercoaster ride I’m on. I think I’ll go put some make up on now.

Thanksgiving

We had an awesome trip over to Redmond for Thanksgiving! Dave's brothers and their families were there, and the kids all had a blast playing together. The trip over Mt. Hood was an adventure too. So much snow, we had to chain up and it took a long time to get over to the other side..So beautiful though, it was totally worth it! Thanks Mark and Thuy for letting us all invade your house!!

Snow Angels!

Right after I took this he pelted me with it :)


Cousin Brady- man he's a cutie!

"Grown-up" table...HAHA :)

Kid table...babies were sleeping (YEAH!)

Uncle Mark, Lucas and Emma (who was never very far from the pumpkin full of M&Ms..

Brady and Katie hanging out

LOL...this picture cracks me up..Uncle Brian must sleep very hard...all the kids piled toys on top of him while he was sleeping...

Emma's prayer

Last night we ordered delivery pizza for dinner. We put the pizzas on the table and sat down to eat. Dave asked Emma to pray and she bowed her head. "Dear Lord, thank you for this day, and please help us to get full on pizza because apparently thats all we're having. Amen."

Huh?

The other day Emma, Ben and I were hanging out on the trampoline looking for cloud shapes. Here's the conversation that left me with a headache :)

Me: That one looks like a frog..

Ben: No, it kinda looks like a Obaly..

Me: What's an Obaly?

Ben: You know, a supersnap. Thats what it is.

Me: Hmmm..I don't know what a supersnap is either.

Ben: Mom, it's like one of those Goma Dinosaurs..a supersnap!

Me: Ok, i think I'm in the twilight zone right now...

Ben: You mean where you do flips?

Emma: No Ben, the twilight zone is where you dance by the light of the moon!

Me: Ummm..i don't know what we're talking about anymore..mommy needs some tylenol :)

She's on the loose!

Crime scene: Bathroom....Crime: Legos in the toilet... Witness: Emma Hughes... Suspect Description: white bald female, 2' 4", 19lbs, speaks giberish...Weapons: lots of drool and a stinky diaper....WARNING: she will decieve you with those awesome smiles..BEWARE!

trampoline picks

The weather here the last couple of weeks has been pretty weird for this time of year. Rainy a couple days, then hot and sticky, then cold and rainy, and then hot and humid again. It definately hasn't felt like fall, and I'm not sure it feels like the northwest :) But, the kids have been enjoying some hot days, and we even brought the sprinkler back out yesterday! It was a great time to take some pics of the kids doing their tricks on the trampoline... Emma is getting really good at flips, and she can get pretty high..she's fearless :) Ben is a little more cautious, but he's working on flips too.. he can't let his sister out-do him right?? As you can see in one picture, his flips sometimes don't quite work out, and he ends up landing on his head, which scares me to death...we're gonna enjoy it, beacuse the cold weather will be here soon enough!

9 months!

Katie had her 9 month appt. last week! I can't believe in 3 months she will be a year old...amazing...she is still such a happy little girl, and makes us laugh all the time. She has the best smiles, and loves to cuddle. Emma is like her 2nd mommy, and Katie loves to be with her..she loves Ben, and especially likes to get under his skin. She will try and take his drinks, his cars, his legos, his food, and generally try and get a reaction out of him :)When he gets mad, she thinks its hilarious. We already see that he will have to have a lot of patience with his little sister..haha..She loves applesauce, cheerios, cut up peaches and pears, and corn. she doesn't like sweet potatoes or bananas. She loves roscoe. She thinks its funny when daddy tells her no..she loves to crawl on the trampoline. Her tummy is very ticklish. She likes to dance with mommy. she likes to go grocery shopping. She likes to eat crumbs off the floor..she hates the vaccum cleaner..I could go on and on. I am trying to treasure every minute with her...its going way to fast!

Emma and her cheerleading team!

Emma started cheerleading about 3 weeks ago, and absolutely LOVES it! Our church has an awesome ministry called Upward Sports, where kids can play football or cheerleading. Her first game was on Saturday, and she cheered on the 1st and 2nd grade boys football team.. My mom thinks it is REALLY funny that I have a daughter who is a cheerleader :) I was definately a total tomboy growing up...I am having so much fun watching Emma grow into a beautiful young lady, and its awesome to see her doing things she loves!