First Decade

Ben had his 10th birthday party at the bowling/laser tag place by our house. After the laser tag, we had cake and presents, followed by at least 20 minutes of deconstructing the laser tag game - who was what player, who had the most hits, blah, blah , blah. At least the boys enjoyed it.

Dirt Cake

Ben made this "Dirt Cake" for February's cubscout den meeting. It's not really a cake - it's a layered mixture of crushed Oreos, vanilla pudding and cream cheese. We put it in a flower pot, added some gummi worms and served it with a garden trowel. Can you say sugar overload?

Pinewood Derby

  

Snaggletooth

Ellie lost one of her front teeth a while back. I love the 6 year old toothless grin, and the lisp that goes with it.

How smart are you?

Try out this game. Maddie and I got 24 of them together, Dave figured out 17 on his own.

Intelligence Test

Mid-week update

No picture today, just me apologizing for being such a lame blogger. I've gotten caught up in a bunch of work stuff lately, in addition to planning various upcoming vacations and trying to keep our house from falling down around us. We keep bouncing around between unlivable disaster and barely acceptable. This weekend we need to buckle down and get things straightened up.

I need to hurry and get a picture of Ellie - she lost her front tooth a few weeks ago, and the snaggle tooth look is just precious. The kids are on Spring Break this week and Ellie is going to school with Sammy. Today was pajama day, so she went decked out in her silky cloud print pajamas, unicorn slippers and a herd of small stuffed dogs to share with her newfound friends. Six year old girls are just one of the cutest things around. The older kids are lounging around the house, playing way too much Runescape. Tomorrow, I'll be home until noon, so I need to come up with something constructive and non-computer related for them to do.

February Photo Blog-Along

These pictures are for a Photo Blog-Along. There are other entries here, down on the right side.
The theme this month was LOVE. I like these pictures because they show the love my older kids have for their younger siblings. As an adult, my sisters have been my closest friends, because we have a shared history and relationship that spans time and distance. I hope my children have this too when they are adults.

New Links

You may have noticed my new links on the right side. I've added links to my sister's blogs and the blog of my best friend from childhood, who's just like a sister. I go months without talking to her too. :)

Anyway, if you're reading this blog and your own blog is listed to the right - UPDATE! Now I understand the pain of checking back to a blog to find that it's just like last time. It's like finding out that last week's episode of Desperate Housewives was a repeat, after I've TiVoed it, and put the kids to bed early last night so I could enjoy some trash TV. Not that that's ever happened to me.

Musical test

I took this test on the web today, that tests musical perception. I got a 28 out of 30 - it was kind of interesting, and I thought whatever readers I have might enjoy it.

Musical Perception Test

Princess Party

I'm really liking the ability to link in the short movies I take with my camera.

Ellie went to a party this afternoon where all the girls dressed up like princesses (Ellie wore her Tinkerbell costume), got their hair fixed, nails done and some makeup put on. Then they played funky music, danced and had a little fashion show. She had a lot of fun.

Not Your Birthday

I found a place that will host my short videos - let's see if this link works.

It's a video of Sammy blowing out the candles on his fourth birthday. The child on the right side of the picture is his friend Ethan, who developed an uncontrollable need to sneeze, and accidentally blow out the candles while we were singing. I laugh every time I watch this.

Braceface

Maddie got her braces today - top and bottom. I took a picture before and after, for posterity.

Don't try this at home

This weekend we rented a house with some friends by Lake Livingston. Our four kids and their four kids had a great time riding bikes, playing games and fishing. Here they are all getting ready to ride to the marina - IN THE BACK OF A PICKUP TRUCK. For sheltered, suburban kids, this is a treat.

Batteries Not Included

Share Video at DropShots.com

I swear that Sammy doesn't watch that much TV (and even less commercials, since we DVR everything). However, he's a sponge and soaks up everything he comes across.

Christmas Card Picture

In mid-December, I herded all the kids outside for a Christmas picture to insert in our cards. They are watching our inflatable bear fill up. We ended up using the inside photo, so I'm sure Mr. Bear felt left out.