Coming up for air

Hi. I'm still here- just haven't had a minute to post anything. I've been running around for the last few days like a chicken with it's head cut off. You know the feeling. Pie is gone again for a while. Beebe and Tyler are trying to get their new house livable. The kids are occupied for a little while, the big ones playing in the shower and Evan in his crib. I'm taking advantage of having my hands free to type because I know it won't last long. I know I'll pay later by having puddles all over the bathroom floor and kids that still aren't washed by the time there is no more hot water, but right this second, that all seems worth it. Just taking a little breather.

Drew's a Great Guy

I'm so glad Karin got me to take the time to think about the things I love about my kids. It's helped me to have a better attitude toward them the last week or so. They are wonderful, I just need to remember that more often. Here are a few of the things I love about Drew:

*He's developed a great sense of humor. He can tell a good joke and he can take a little teasing (a very good thing when Pie is your Daddy!)
*While the other 2 try to help with Evan, Drew really does help. He can change a wet diaper for me, or feed Evan a bowl of mush, or help him stop crying.
*He's smart, and he knows it, but he's not snooty about it.
*He has lots of friends, most of whom I really like to have around.
*He prays out loud every night after I leave the room. He doesn't know that I stand outside his door and listen and smile.
*He's not the best baseball player on his team, but he loves to play and he gets better every year.
*He has lots of fun.

the Dean's List

*Dean is very cuddly. He loves hugs and kisses.
*He is very kind. All the kids in kindergarten think that Dean is their best friend because he is so nice to everyone.
*He can read!
*He's so handsome with his big dark eyes and loooong eyelashes.
*His teacher has nothing but good things to say about him, which is always nice at Parent Teacher Conference time.
*He is very good at sharing. He always tries to send his friends home from a playdate with whatever toy they were playing with. If it were up to Dean, we wouldn't have any toys left!
*He tries his best to help Evan when he cries.
*His best friend is Drew.
*He has a great imagination. In this picture he has built himself some swords and was pretending to be a ninja.

We like Edie, too.

It's Edie's turn for the List of Love. She is, after all, the next cutest.

*She plays with me when nobody else will. (from Dean)
*She knows all the words to the Radio Disney songs and sings along.
*She has great fashion sense.

*She tells total strangers about how she's a big girl now because she wears underpants.
*She is cute. (from Dean)
*She has been planning her birthday party for months, but when we were making out her guest list today, she only has one friend she wants to invite!
*She's tiny. (from Drew)
*She wants to take care of Evan. Yesterday she noticed that he pooped before I did and began changing his diaper by herself!
*She hams it up for the camera.

The things we like about Evan

Karin has inspired me to make lists of things I love about my kids. I'll do one at a time. Today is Evan's turn because he's the cutest. Drew and Dean want to help with the list.

*He is a speed roller these days.
*He reaches out and grabs my face and hair.
*He is the smiley-est baby we've ever had.
*He totally rocks! (from Drew)
*He's so fat, his rolls have rolls.
*Even though he's fat, he can bend himself totally in half. What other chubby guy do you know that can do that??
*He's stinky, in a good way. (from Dean)
*He looks like me. (from Drew)
*He can reach out and grab a handful of spagetti before I can stop him.
*If I'm gone for a little while, I get the biggest, gummiest smile from him when I come back. It's like he's missed me!
*He has big, bright blue, twinklie eyes.

A brief outline of Mother's Day, 2007:

I was instructed by Pie the night before to please stay in bed until 7:00, at least pretending to be asleep, so he could do breakfast in bed with the kids. Not wanting to disappoint the little guys, I did. Evan was cooperative and went back to sleep after eating his breakfast at 6:00, so it all worked out. Every year I get a different version of a smiley face on my breakfast plate. This year it was strawberry eyes, banana smile, scrambled egg ears and a french toast hat. (I couldn't tell on the hat, but that's what I was told!)

We were on time for church, which is lovely for me. The talks were great. The Primary kids were adorable, especially mine. The men came and took over Primary so all the ladies could go to Relief Society. The Young Men came and sang "Mother, I love You" in RS, which made their mamas cry.

All day long, I only had to say "it's Mother's Day!" and my boys did whatever I asked them to the first time! I took a nap when we got home from church and Pie finished cooking dinner. His mom, step-dad and grandma came over to eat it with us. The boys gave me the cute presents they made at school and Pie gave me a case for my new camera.

All in all, it was a lovely and relaxing day.

Entering the Video Era

Pie got me a fancy new camera for my birthday. Not as fancy as Mom's and Beebe's, but quite an upgrade from the one I'd been using. Twice the megapixels in a tiny little thing that fits in my pocket. It even takes video! I took lots of minutes worth of video at the park yesterday, trying to figure everything out. Today I spent lots of time trying to figure out how to edit out all those minutes so you wouldn't be bored out of your minds.

Before you judge my video producing skillz, remember that this is my first attempt:

Who cares that Drew got out at first? I captured that "out" for posterity! YAY for new cameras!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It's baseball season again. With both boys on teams, we spend most of our free time at the baseball field. Pie is coaching both teams, which is a bit time-consuming, but Drew and Dean both love having him out there with them.

Dean is in tee-ball, and has just hit a line drive in this photo. Good running, Dean!


Both Drew and Dean love to be the catcher. They don't do a whole lot of catching, but it requires extra gear, which is always fun.




I think Pie was saying something like "You gotta cover 3rd, Drew!"


Drew had 3 hits today, but I only got a picture of the strike out. Oops.


Edie loves hanging out at the park all day on Saturdays with the other little sisters of the players. She didn't like that I kept taking pictures of the boys and not her!