Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Saturday

Claire has had a dollar bill that's been burning a hole in her pocket. Jason took the three older girls into Dollar Tree. They will remember these little things forever and in their memories they will be big things. I get to sit in the car with a sleeping Nora. I hope my memory will still be functioning twenty years from now so I can recall this image.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Just some rambling

It's a busy week and I'm trying to get ready for a somewhat-spontaneous sleepover that will make the 8-and-under category of girls in this house top out at 8. Most of the preparation is mental.

We are attending a singing school this week. Did I already mention that? I'll try to remember to take some pictures tomorrow so that I have something to post for you other than my boring words.

Eily is staying the night all by herself at Aunt Ashlie and Uncle Adam's house tonight. That's pretty exciting stuff right there, people.

I put Nora down without a pacifier for the first time Monday night. She cried for about a minute and a half. I wondered to myself why I had waited so long and dreaded it so much. I joked to Jason that she must have had a secret stash hidden somewhere in her crib.

Turns out I wasn't joking. Little stinker.

Jason's gone tonight and I'm missing him. I've gotten used to having him around again.

Someone please remind me to bring sherbet and caramel ice cream topping to the Ice Cream Social/End of singing school thing on Friday night.  Everyone is invited, by the way.

To the singing and eating. Not the slumber party.

Monday, July 23, 2012

I don't know why but this totally cracked me up.

What a day.

It's just been one of those days. You know the type. It starts out so well and then just keeps going down until it crashes at the bottom. The good part of it is that after the crash, there's nowhere to go but back up.

The girls are just wild right now. Crazy wild. They are playing some kind of game where you tackle and crush each other but they can't quit laughing. I've almost stopped them several times because it is undoubtedly the kind of a game that eventually ends because of an injury, but they are having so much fun that I keep just leaving them alone and walking away.

We are attending a singing school this week. It meets at night and while I'm very excited about the school, I'm so exhausted that you wouldn't be able to see my excitement by looking at me. I just want to get in bed and I don't think it's because of lack of sleep, I think it's because this day is dragging me down. I've decided to hit the refresh button and start again.

I think I broke my big toe this morning.

That's all I'm going to complain about. Have a great day!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Looking back a little

Remember when we went to Tennessee a few weeks ago? Well, I was a complete dork and didn't take any pictures except the one where Nora's legs were hanging out the crib railing. Thankfully, my mother-in-law has more brain than I do and thought to get out her camera now and then. She sent me the pictures tonight and I want to post them so I'll have them recorded when I turn this year's posts into a book.

Bubba and Nora

Bubba and the girls probably watching The Sword in the Stone

Pa and Nora        The two look-a-likes

Curly locks

Fancy Claire

Solemn Eily

Elaina and Nora in Bebe's playroom

Kaylee (one of the deli girls), Eily and Claire up front at the register

Daddy and Nora in the store

Rocking away

Last breakfast before heading home

Cindy Lou-Who hair

Lotion, anyone?

Bubba and his baby (currently)

About to head home

Sweet Kaylee

Finally getting to be held by Daddy again.

Ready for church

I love her.


Horsin' Around

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Company

1. Nora has a check up today.

2. I had to cook the biscuits twice this morning.

3. We had company so it was a little embarrassing.

4. We still have company but I've gotten over the embarrassment.

5. My house is clean because of the company.

6. The front yard is mowed partly because we have company and partly because it needed it.

7. The backyard hasn't been mowed yet because it was so hot day before yesterday and this is the type of company that won't look in the back yard.

8. I plan on mowing the backyard today in case the company looks out the kitchen window.

9. And because it really needs it.

10. I'm hungry.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Us. We.

I think it's high time for a post about what is going on with each member of the family.

Nora James:



Oh my goodness. She is the funnest thing right now. It's been a lot different with her than with the other girls because they all started talking very early. She babbles all the time and there are a handful of words that she can say, but for the most part she just mimics the syllables and the inflection of our voices. The funniest part, though, is that she totally understands all that we say to her. So I'm so surprised every time she "plays" with me. For example, I picked her up yesterday and told her it was time to night-night. She didn't want to go to sleep so when I got to the part in the routine where I let her flip the light switch off, she lightly placed her finger on it and just sort of wiggled it around and kept her face straight forward but kept peeking at me out of the corner of her eyes. Her little mouth would turn up at the corners and then she would catch her self and go back to a straight face and stare at her finger. I started laughing and then she couldn't hide it anymore and she started laughing, too. It was so cute. She dances all the time and it so funny. This was from a couple of months ago. She's become more expressive since then.

( I had this whole post written and all the sudden everything disappeared. Isn't that the worst? It's so draining to start all over again.)

Eily Edith:



Eily Edith is growing up. She still has baby hair, though, and I comfort myself with that thought when I get all sad and weepy. She's learning how to read and is doing so well that she usually has the word figured out before we've even finished sounding it out. Then she giggles, wrinkles up her nose and we give each other a high five. Every single time. Every single word. She has a lose tooth on the bottom set of her teeth. She channels her inner toddler, though, whenever it's clean up time. She usually runs to the couch with the pretense of needing a nap (she hasn't napped in two years) and after a bit of convincing from Mama, goes to do her assigned chores. We are working on being cheerful while doing said chores. I think we may have a ways to go on that habit. She is cuddly and sweet and full of kisses. Her favorite thing to wear around the house is her underwear. Only.

Rachel Claire:



Oh my. Claire is an interesting child. She is either the most polite, helpful, cheerful child you've ever seen or completely terrible and most difficult. She is very skilled when it comes to her hands. She can make a bed and clean a a floor as well as I can. She can fix her own hair into a ponytail and it usually looks pretty good when she's finished. She has apparently inherited some of her Daddy's artistic genes and is working on copying an entire book, pictures and all, on paper. She is quite determined to finish and I think she's getting near the end. She has a lose tooth on the top of her mouth that is ready to fall out at any moment.

Elaina Ceridwen:



Elaina is wonderfully steady and unchanging. She is, for the most part, extremely agreeable and obedient. I'm always surprised to find out that she's the reason behind an argument. She is hilariously awkward and gangly. I'm sure one day she'll be a graceful swan but right now her appendages are getting the better of her. While I can count on her to clean a room and not get distracted, or take charge of the kids if I need to do something, I can't count on her to carry her plate from the table to the kitchen without spilling it. And that's about seven steps. She starts first grade this fall and I have no doubt she'll do very well. She's a bright one, that girl. She also has a lose tooth. Her seventh, maybe?

James Jason:



Jason is busy, busy. He is traveling all the time and has been doing very well in the competitions he's entered. You can see some of his work here, here, here, here, here,  and here.  He's keeping his face shaved for me (Hooray!) and is just as tall and skinny as he ever was. He's been able to be home this entire month and we've all enjoyed having him around.

Me:



I think you all know how I'm doing because I write about it all the time. If you have any questions, though, I'll be glad to answer them. :)


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Phone pics



Disclaimer: the picture of Claire and Catherine laughing wasn't from our phones.

Monday, July 09, 2012

Ironic

We finally got our air conditioning fixed around six this evening. I was sweating pretty bad by the time the repairman finished because I had been cooking supper and it was the hottest part of the day.
Jason and I were just now sitting on the couch, eating some snacks, watching a show on the computer and enjoying the sound of the rain and the coolness of our home when, BAM!
And now we have no power. Now, even this eyesore would be welcome.

Thankful for rain

We are starting the week with no air conditioning, but a friend from church loaned us an air unit that we have set up in the living room. Between that and the rain, it hasn't been that bad. We all slept comfortably last night and I don't believe anyone is sweating this morning.
I got up early this morning with Nora. We ate breakfast, played and read books. As soon as she went back down, I jumped into my own bed and was out in about three seconds. Jason and the older three girls got up at some point and Nora and I slept on. At 9:30 (!!), Jason came and woke me up and I came into the kitchen to find that the girls had made breakfast and set the table all by themselves. They made toast with butter and jelly with a side of cheerios. Everyone also had a nice, tall glass of iced orange juice. I deem that as a great start to our week.

Yesterday, we celebrated 88 years with my Grandpa Green. Grandma wanted to throw him a card shower and it looked like he received 30+ cards. I haven't heard the actual count yet but I bet my guess it not far from being right.

The house is clean and there is one load of laundry to fold. I'm feeling good about this day. I think I'm going to read a lot, read to the girls a lot, do some banking, do reading lessons with Claire and Eily, do a math lesson with Elaina and maybe do something crafty. I like to be crafty on relaxed days.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Overdue Update

After paying what was left of the bills to pay (hooray!) and figuring up all the traveling expenses (mine and Jason's), my balance for the remaining 28 days of my challenge is:

$368.11

What do you think? Possible? AMAY, I am very interested in cleaning. Just let me know when.

(Also, I was able to put June's insurance money back! Progress!)

Monday, July 02, 2012

You want to know what I don't love?

Sitting in the DMV waiting room for over an hour. *snore*

Lesson learned: always bring a book to this place.