Funny Z stories

Today Jason was asking Z to sit up in his chair and when he didn't comply quickly Jason said, "Sit up in your seat or I will have to kick your behind." Z turned and looked at Jason and said, "No you don't HAVE to."
We started this a long time ago, we "throw" our children in bed. It is a great deal of fun for us and the kids. Jason gets their hands and I get their feet and then we swing them back and forth three times until they land ever so gently in their beds. This has become one of Z's favorite things, he searches for us at night and keeps asking, "You throw me? or You bounce me off the ceiling?" My new favorite thing to do is to ask him to give me his feet first. Jason and I get a really good laugh at watching him try to figure out how to get both of his feet up into the air while still standing! I love our two year old!!

My kids

My friends, Kierstyn, challenged all of us mommy's out there, who are also the official recorders of angelic faces on Kodak quality paper, to actually get on the other side of the camera.
So here it is (several months later), my kids & I!

Ha, ha - I'm in this picture! :) We got a little silly toward the end of this photo-shoot.

Can you see my issue with patterns? Z sat down with A and I then I had to have B&K together in the next one, it was only right....

As I said, we started getting pretty silly during this photo-shoot, these two were too good not share.

Swimming

I promised you pictures of my little smiley faced cork - here he is:

This is Z's new friend, Emma. Her mom & I have become walking buddies.

Big sisters, who needs them?

This is what happens to your 2 year old when they have a big sister!
I had to take these pictures!!

Riding your horse, um I mean lion side saddle. Hey Erin want to get one of those knight costumes for Z this year? :)

Silliness

I love this face!

The other day I "caught" my boys playing and enjoying each other's company. Although Z always loves to be in B's company that isn't always the case for B... he would like some alone time every once in a while. But as you can see on this day they were having a great time together.

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Randomness

I was tagged by my friend Kierstyn, I am supposed to write 8 random things about each of us!
So here is our randomness.

B randomness

1.) Detests pizza (has for a long time)

2.) Gets up at 5:15 three days a week to swim

3.) I call him Bo Benden or Bo for short (from the name game song)

4.) Wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up

5.) Can remember the time I hit the "big truck" when I was pregnant with K

6.) Has big sausage fingers like his G'pa John (TTG)

7.) He hears EVERYTHING!

8.) Is a super athlete. Likes to snow ski, run, bike ride, swim and climb.

K randomness

1.) She likes to take hour long showers

2.) She loves to wear clothes as soon as she gets them

3.) I call her Kessie Ro Who – she used to look so much like Susie Lo Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas

4.) Does not like tomatoes (are we sure she’s my child?)

5.) Wants to be a ballerina/engineer when she grows up

6.) Loves to hug and be hugged

7.) When asked about her day she says, "It was good." EVERY day!!

8.) Thought the music in hip-hop class was too loud and it gave her a headache

Z randomness

1.) Rolls like a crazy man in his sleep

2.) Loves to be “thrown” into bed

3.) Loves it when Daddy pops his head off (see Jason’s randomness), he laughs so hard

4.) Can smile in a way that melts your heart and makes you forget he just dumped the dog’s water all over the floor

5.) Sometimes yells for no apparent reason

6.) Z wants to be a big man when he grows up, I asked

7.) He's my only child that called me Momma

8.) His new favorite thing to say to me is, "MOM!" Long and drawn out like I just did something really bad

A randomness

1.) Likes to hold my finger or shirt when she’s nursing

2.) Always looks to the right (reminds me of that Dr. Suess book, The Things You Can Think of…)

3.) Has only found her right foot

4.) Laughs hysterically when her sister jumps up and says, “I love you this much!”

5.) Likes to grab/feel the rocking chair fabric

6.) Her smile always reaches her eyes and they twinkle

7.) Sleeps through anything (doorbell, dog barking, Z screaming)

8.) Yells when she wakes up in the morning, doesn't cry

Jason randomness

1.) Pops his head off for Z, by making a popping noise and sticking his head in his shirt

2.) Could talk about work all night

3.) Dreams up solutions to problems (for work and when he was in school) – and sometimes they solve the problem

4.) Calls me every night to tell me he’s coming home

5.) Is reclusive, but not unfriendly

6.) Wants to get old and sit on his porch and say, “Get off my grass!”

7.) Doesn't ever fix his own food anymore (and likes that)

8.) Won't touch clothe diapers

Sherry randomness

1.) I love to find number patterns

2.) Multiples of 2 and 3 are my favorites

3.) I worry a lot – about lots!

4.) My house always has clutter, it will never be a show house

5.) I played basketball in jr. high – I wasn’t very good

6.) Some of my friends thought I would have ten children – I guess I showed them (of course that would make a family of twelve which is a multiple of 2 and 3… hmm that is something to think about)

7.) I love to read Dr. Suess books to my kids

8.) Deep Enough to Dream by Chris Rice is my all time favorite song.

Who Knew?

From A
Who knew about these incredibly fun wiggly things my momma has been calling my feet. I have just recently found this new exciting treasure, I'm so enthralled with touching them and then watching them slip from my grasp!


All is well here in the good 'ole hot south, but to you people in MA and MO could you send us some cool weather?

Our Circus

I have determined that our family has a certain amount of circus quality. Yesterday we went to get the boys haircuts and then went out for lunch. While we were at the hair salon I came to my circus realization, approximately at the same time we realized that K's flip flops had developed a terrible malodorous scent. I don't know when the whole circus thing happened, I didn't notice it as much when we were a family of five (probably because Z is so much younger than the other two), but now that A has joined the fray I can't help but laugh when we go out to eat or when we get out of the van. Here's what I saw yesterday (as I attempted to see our family from an outsiders eyes), we were at Culver's ordering frozen custard (our own personal demon), B was trying to tiptoe across the floor on the smallest stones (arms flailing), Z was just zipping around in a sporadic two year old I'm-going-to-get-frozen-custard kind of way, A was sitting quietly and leisurely in her car seat unaware of the injustice of the situation and K was wandering around pondering the realization that her feet were stinky. I know that I always appreciate a good laugh, so I'm glad that we can be comic relief for those around us.

Oh yea - the stinky flip flops were thrown away in the outside trash can at Culver's they were SO bad we couldn't allow them in the van again! K has requested that you all know that it was her flip flops that were stinky not her!!

Today we went to the pool and Z showed his daddy his new found talent. Here's the best visual image I can provide of Z in his seal floating in the pool. He looks like a cork with a smiley face. I'll get some pictures next time we go.

Finally, here's some pictures I took this week of Z playing with A. He was having a great time trying to hide her then running around her laughing. A thought this was quite fun too. I got some video of it but I'm having some difficulty with capturing my video to my computer, when I solve that problem you will be besieged with video shots of my four sweet children. I am so very blessed!

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Sort of Sad

I finished Harry Potter #7 (The Deathly Hallows) last night. It was a good book, for the most part I really enjoyed it and I have to say that I think all good things must end (so I'm not disappointed that was the last book) but there is a little part of me that is sad because the series is over now. I have to find some new books. I can't imagine that I will find any that create such a strong desire to get to the next book. Since #7 came out I have re-read #5 & #6 and it was so thrilling to finally get to read #7! Oh well, just think of the things I will be able to get done now in my "spare time" - my house will be clean again, dishes done, laundry, diapers and maybe I can get to some of my extra-curricular activities, pictures, kids videos and my blog. :)

So while I've been reading I've neglected telling you all some stuff:
1.) Jason had a minor car boo-boo, a piece of something flew out from under the car in front of him on the way home and put an ugly dent in the hood of his car. Praise God that it hit the hood and not his window.
2.) Z is now swimming in the big pool in his floaty - we call it his seal. He reminds me so much of B when he's out there, smiling and bobbing around like a little cork. (I will try to get a picture this weekend, we have to take Jason out and let him see)
3.) A has been introduced to sweet potatoes, I'm not sure if she was not a fan or just not hungry, we'll have to try again because she wasn't into eating them.
4.) I followed a recipe! Bonnie's corn casserole - um yum!
5.) K is a spelling maniac, she's gotten a 100 on her last three spelling tests! We are very proud of her. Get this, I don't make her study all night long either, just each word once through each day - and sometimes we miss a night (can you believe that?!). Sorry had to throw a little sarcasm in there.
6.) My house is a mess. So I will write again at the end of the weekend and give you our weekend post if I can find my way out from behind the stack of dirty dishes and find some stuff to write about.

A Day in My Life

They say that you can't complain unless you walk a mile in someone else's moccasin. So not to make you jealous but here's what my day looked like today. :)
4:00am A is yelling
4:15am I give up and feed her
4:35am A back to bed
4:45am A needs pacifer
5:00am Jason gets up (that is my cue to get up and fix his breakfast - I do this willingly.)
5:15am wake B and walk him to the pool for swim practice
5:45am return home help Jason make his lunch, read a few emails and wish him a good day
6:00am fix kids lunches, write a few emails, eat a waffle
6:30am get other 3 kids up and drive to pick up B at pool
6:50am fix kids breakfast
7:10am walk big kids to school & walk back home
7:30am shower, fix hair & I put on some make-up (not my norm anymore)
8:25am clean kitchen
9:00am relax with A (aka feed her)
9:45am play with Z
10:15am go to story time at the library
10:55am come home and have Emma over to play with Z
12:25pm say goodbye to Emma & fix lunch
12:45pm quiet time for Z & feed A
1:oopm eat lunch & watch part of Little House on the Prairie
1:30pm read a little Harry Potter (only about a chapter - A was fussing and I was afraid she'd wake Z) - side note: I'm on HP#7 & all I have to say is, I think it's kind of scary! I'm a wimp.
2:20pm get kids up to go get big kids
3:00pm return home, begin homework

The rest of the evening will be spent making dinner, finishing homework, giving A&K baths, going to community group and finally getting sweet kids to bed.
Today was an especially crazy schedule, most days aren't this jam packed but I thought you might enjoy seeing what some of my days are like. Can you believe people out there ask questions like, "A stay at home mom, huh? What do you do with yourself all day?"

The Problem with Jason...

Nah - just kidding! I think he's great & just in case you are up in arms about his post. I asked him to write it. We get such a laugh at my inability to follow a recipe. As he said, it isn't that I'm not trying I just always seem to encounter some sort of misfortune in my attempt. My guess is that I just can't get the special ed out of me (since I used to teach special ed kids) and I must modify! Modifications, where would be without them? :) I know where Jason would be - Hungry. hee hee

A went to the dr. yesterday. She celebrated her four month birthday with a shot for each of the months she's been in this crazy world. Poor little munchkin! But now for what you all have been waiting for.
A's current stats:
Length: 25 inches (80th percentile)
Head: 16 3/4 inches (85th percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs 6 oz (95th percentile)
She's healthy, happy and growing! We couldn't ask for anything more. I feel compelled to say right here that A has been such a blessing to our family. We all love her so much and she is just wonderful.

Since both babies are napping my to do list must be addressed! I will write more as it happens. :)

The Problem with Sherry...

Did that title get your attention? This is Jason - as in Sherry's husband for those who may have never met me (I'm kind of reclusive). I've decided to attempt my first blog. Go easy on me.

I love my wife. I really do. One of the things I really love about her is her ability to cook. I always have good home-cooked meals when I get home from work. Fajitas, baked fish, chicken pot pie, lots of good stuff. She cooks most of her meals without looking at a recipe. I find that fascinating. Now, when I see a recipe and think to myself "Self, that sounds good. I would like my wife to make that for me," I give the recipe to my wife and expect her to follow it. It sounds so good the way it is printed on the paper. That is how I want to try it.

The problem with Sherry is that she can't follow a written recipe to save her life. I don't understand how this can be. The ingredients, measurements, instructions, temperatures, and cooking times are all printed out - right there to be referred to if need be. The funny thing is that most of time she is really trying to follow the recipe. She'll forget to buy an ingredient and have to improvise, or she will buy the wrong size of the ingredient and use it (either too much or too little). The food is usually still edible and most of the time it even tastes good. But every single time (honestly, I mean every time!), a series of events transpires which prevents her from successfully executing the recipe. I think she was hypnotized by the Soviets back in the late '70s as part of a sleeper cell and she is dutifully performing her Pinko-Commie programming in an attempt to tear apart the fabric of the American lifestyle.

Don't worry though, I won't turn her over to Senator McCarthy. I still love her too much.

Nonsense

Uncle Mark really wants to be in my blog. Here's my proof - he fixed up this picture of what he calls my little warrior princess - apparently he thinks her name is Zena!


Here's another bonus of the bumbo - A can sit with us when we eat dinner. Too funny!

Uncle Scoot

Uh - I mean Uncle Scott. Let me tell you all about Uncle Scotty Watty Poopy Potty (as he's known around here), he's our very own absent-minded professor. Uncle Scott is funny, energetic, intellegent and incredibly fun to be around. I found out this weekend that I've neglected my brother, Scott & he's been hoping to be in our blog. I realized that I had mentioned going to Barton Springs, but I did not actually put the event in our infamous blog. So I am going back in time to show you what a blast we had when we went to Barton Springs in Zilker Park.

Uncle Scott is the one with the pink goggles on. :)

Here's the Gallant Uncle Scott carrying K with her terribly gruesome stubbed toe (just kidding it wasn't bad at all). :)

Here's a cute one of Daddy & Z at Barton Springs too.

FYI: Barton Springs Pool is a pool fed from under ground springs that is an average of 68 degrees year round.

Hey Uncle Mark - want to be in my blog? :) You should come meet our little warrior princess. hee hee

Bumbo

Who knew?! Here's A in her borrowed Bumbo. These things are really pretty cool!


Z thought it was a potty chair, we had to do a lot of explaining to convince him otherwise. Don't worry Christi - he didn't potty in it. :)

4 Months & Relaxing

Yesterday was A's 4 month birthday. This picture was taken especially for Jumping Jeremiah since he helped pick out this adorable froggy outfit.


As some of you know Z had a little fever virus he was fighting for the last two days. He's feeling much better and has been relaxing in his "thinking chair" watching his favorite show, Blue's Clues.


Today I must earn my keep and clean the house (hee hee). Love you all!

Fun stuff this weekend

#1 A had her first solids. We gave her some rice cereal... very exciting. She took it just fine and seemed to like it.



#2 Z moved into his own bedroom, which he will eventually share with A. But for now to make nap time easier we have moved A in with K and Z into his own room (sounds like I'm talking about alphabet soup). Today we put up a curtain rod in his room (as you know if you are a faithful reader of Jason's Clan that this helps my poor mislead two year old take better naps) and put K's curtains (pink) in Z's room. This is a temporary solution until we can get Z's curtains ordered. He was running around after helping Jason put up the curtains saying, "Daddy or I did it again (put up curtains)!" Or and -what's the difference.

#3 B had his swim-a-thon. He swam 133 laps and with the help of family and friends earned over $166 for his swim team. We were really proud of his swimming, he stayed strong through the whole thing. I helped keep count and it was so exciting to see him doing something he loves to help his team. He thinks that we should have swim-a-thon every 6 weeks, not for money... just for the fun of swimming 133 laps! Crazy kid! I love that kind of passion.

#4 Today we were invited to have lunch after church. Our new friends David & Renee (and their three children) treated our clan to McD's. I am so excited about this community. Even though our stay with ComChurch was short I believe that what I learned there about making myself available to meet & let others get to know me has helped me to be more open at this church. I am looking forward to having a new home church like we had with Joy and ComChurch.

#5 B saved our lives this evening. At least according to him he did. We were getting out of the van in the garage (Z with no shoes on) and suddenly B shouts, "What's that? Hey there's a scorpion." K & I immediately turned around and there is an inch long scorpion between the cars. I have to admit that I was torn between stomping on the little critter and running into the house to get a camera (My mother-in-law would be proud). I opted for the first option and gave the stinging, scary scorpion The Killer Flip-Flop Blow of Death. You'll just have to take BK & my word for it, I'm not taking a picture of the flattened carcass of said scary critter. UGH! I couldn't believe I actually saw one - don't they keep this type of thing in the zoo, preferably behind glass?!

Side note for my dear brothers: Thankfully my house is not sitting on a sink hole. I took the picture (as shown in Homeowner Pride) while doing the bare-foot-asphalt-two-step. I am afraid that I may have taken the picture in the middle of my patented hot foot double lutz as I was trying to keep from losing the skin of my delicate peds. Thanks for your concern!

The things kids say

This afternoon we did some running around. We had told the kids that we would stop at Culver's on the way home and get "ice cream" (we know it is frozen custard but that is difficult to explain to a 2 year old). We were trying to encourage Z to stay awake reminding him that we were going to have ice cream and Jason said, "Yea for ice cream, can you say yea for ice cream Z?" Z looked at us and said, "I didn't get ice cream yet." I suppose he had a good point, no reason to say yea yet when it hasn't arrived! He's far too smart for us!

Notes About Nothing

Well not really nothing, just nothing in particular. These are just things that have been on my mind and I've been wanting to share them with you all - my friends & family.

Z has a ball pit and he loves to jump into it - spreading the balls everywhere in the living room, I'm sure my dad will be happy to hear that (he thinks I need a job!). Well I love it when Z tells us he's getting ready to jump because it sounds like this, "I jump in my pulpit!" This sends me into fits of laughter every time.

Here's a mystery for you. 2 months ago the stopper for my sink disappeared. I looked everywhere and had decided that I must have thrown it away, even though that seemed odd. Well the other day I found it! Where you ask? In Z's spill-proof bubble bucket! I opened it up to add more bubbles and low and behold there sat my sink stopper. Jason and I just laughed and laughed. I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to do that!

Finally, here's something kind of sad but sometimes you just have to laugh at these things. Yesterday (Thursday) I decided that I should take the kids to the pool. (Right here let me interject why I did this, the kids work hard at school all week, we don't have activities on Thursday night, we have access to a pool and we have the rest of the evening to get homework done. Also Friday can be kind of crazy at the pool and I want Z to have the opportunity to have fun without being splashed or jumped on by other kids.) Back to my story.... K asked me if she could call and tell her friend that we are going, so that perhaps she can come too. I allowed her to call and soon after she got on the phone she handed the phone to me. Here is what awaited me on the other side, "I'm sorry but my children do their homework when they get home from school." Oh, so I assured this friends mother that I understood but that I was trying to give them a little break. This elicited this response, "Well we have our break on Fridays." Again I apologized and explained that K would enjoy playing with her daughter and that we'd be open to a phone call when she wanted to call us. I think I was very polite (don't want to burn any bridges) but I couldn't help but get my little feathers ruffled a tad. I mean really, I was a teacher and education is VERY important. Oh well, like I said sometimes you have to laugh these things off. We now have a no phone call/no friend rule during the week. We will continue to go to the pool on Thursdays and they can tell their friends but then it is up to them to communicate to their parents about it we are forever more staying off of that slippery dangerous slope.

Teeth?!

My youngest off-spring has decided that she's ready for steak. HA! A has her two bottom teeth. People keep asking me if she's teething since she ALWAYS has her hands in her mouth, well today I was talking to a friend and she commented that it seemed like A had something in her mouth that was bothering her, so I laid A back on my lap and ran my finger along her bottom gum - Whoa! She has two teeth! I will have to look back at the baby books but I don't remember the others getting their teeth so early, I do remember B getting them in twos like this though. Poor sweet A! I guess that is what she was yelling at Jason about last night.

On a side note:
Z was helping me entertain A this morning, check out this picture.



I love a picture Jason with any one/all of his kids.
This is what happens to A when Jason starts talking about work. :)

Just some fun

I've always wanted to say this:

"B, it's a refrigerator not a library, shut the door!"





K had a lot of fun trying on her Aunt Erin's old clothes. The blue dress was made by her great-grandmother Lorine.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Homeowner Pride

I like to mow the lawn. I admit it. I enjoy seeing the job get done, knowing I can't really mess it up and I feel good after I am done, like I've worked out. This weekend Jason and I mowed and trimmed the lawn, we trimmed our shrubbery and put down mulch. Here is how good our house looks now. :)

Remember what it looked like when we moved in?

Nature

With me life is one big nature hike. I love to look for bugs and creatures when I go for a walk (that is when I'm not scouring the ground for stray coins... hee hee). With that said I am not a fan of actually touching or getting very close to God's creatures, I'm just a looking kind of gal. Since this week we've done a LOT of walking, BKZA & I have had a lot of fun looking for green anoles, cicadas, spiders and snails. Today B found a live cicada in our backyard, yippee. This is fun stuff. As you can see from these pictures my boys don't have the same philosophy about getting close to God's creatures.




No Z isn't trying to step on the cicada. His foot is waving hello. Too funny!


I love to just start snapping pictures of Z because these expressions are priceless.