Vacations over :(

Thanks to our friends over at Joyful Noise, we were able to go on vacation in the Wisconsin Dells last week. They got a 3bd townhouse for 6 days and invited us to go with them. So we packed up the kids who did could leave and we left! Cody stayed home to watch the dogs, Devon and Kaytlin couldn't leave school. So, Trinity, Sam, Nicole and Drew's fiance, Jannessa came along with us.

The resort had a great kiddie pool area with a toddler slide and an older kids slide for the kids to enjoy. Sam loved the frog slide. He even enjoyed the big slide when Nicole forced him to go on it while Jannessa was at the bottom to catch him. However, later he decided to try it when noone was there, and I had to run and rescue him as he came out the bottom. I just missed him by a split second and had to fish him out of the water. He was NOT liking slides after that, lol.

The resort had lots of activities for the kids to do at the clubhouse every day. One day we went and decorated cookies. The kids really enjoyed eating them! Then we went off to the playground.

The playground didn't go so well. Sam walked in front of the swings and got kicked face first into the wood chips. "I HATE swings!"

Another day they went to do a coloring contest. Jannessa won for the adult category and let Sam pick out some bubbles for a prize.


Donnie and Dan took the kids out to fly kites. They loved it!

On Wednesday we took the kids to Mt. Olympus for a few hours. Jannessa took Sam on a slide off the pirate ship. That was it for him, he got his face drenched, so he wouldn't do the slides anymore.

Later we forced him to go on one of the huge tube slides with the girls and he loved it. So Jannessa and I took him down it again. However, Jannessa and I are too much weight together to stay on the tube at the bottom and we flipped, nearly drowning Sam, and hobbling my foot, lol. Needless to say, Sam never did another water slide.

One of the nights we went out to eat, just us parents. That was nice, except the guys ended up picking some barbeque joint, which is a story in itself.

The older girls did so much to help us through the week with babysitting, playing with the kids, and cooking that we wanted to give them a special treat. So Donnie took them horseback riding.

Trinity wasn't ready to leave on the last day. She wanted one more fun thing to do. So we drove around town and nothing was open in the off season. So we took them to a candy store and she was satisfied. So we were able to head back home.

I have lots more stories and pics that I will post here and there, but this is our trip in a nutshell!

The new EA Active game's first injury

I got the sweet opportunity to get to be a part of a test group of people using the new game EA Active. I am doing the 30 day challenge. I also am throwing a house party to show the game to people.

I even got to give one away to a friend who has a Wii!

So last night, after hearing from both Anna, who I gave my extra game to, and Sarah, who also is doing the house party and got two games, that it is an amazing exercise program, I had the kids try it. You bet, I am making them do it first.

Hope-Anne did it, but I wasn't watching. She got Kaytlin intrigued with it. Kaytlin did it on the highest intensity. She was dripping sweat! Her legs turned to jello. But she had a good workout.

So I decided to give it a try.......... on easy, of course. It stinks! I burned and sweated and it hurt. But it was actually a pretty good workout. You would run and just when you think you can't do it, it is over and switches to an arm work out. It goes back and forth so that you work out everything a few times, but always get a break so you don't die.

Devon, our sport fanatic tried it next. He put it on medium, but he got bored and quit. He doesn't like wimpy workouts.

So, Cody got on it, I think he put it on intense, too. The whole time we were all working out, Trinity and Sam were playing along. Sam loved boxing with us. Part of the game is rollerblading down a steep, windy hill, and sometimes doing jumps. Depending on where you jump, you'll do turns and kicks or a flip. Trinity was copying along with Cody doing the jumps.

Apparently she got a little too into the game because she jumped and landed flat on her nose! There was blood everywhere! Thankfully the bleeding stopped fast, but we were worried about her.

I was loving her up while everyone was running around getting tissues and ice and she looks at me while crying and says "Did you see what I did? I jumped super high!" I said "yes, but you aren't so good at landing, huh?" and she said "Nope." She was proud of how high she could jump, though, lol.

We were concerned that she broke her nose, but there isn't anything you can do if she did, so we didn't take her in. Her nose is swollen and a tad discolored this morning, but it doesn't seem to hurt her. She says it feels weird when she touches it, but no pain.

Last day of Trinity's Playschool

Today is Trinity's last day of playschool. I'm sad because she loves it. But I am so glad because I am not fond of leaving my house, and I have to leave 4 times to get her there and home from both sessions.
It was so cute, they held a little graduation ceremony this morning. Donnie, Grandma P and I were all there. She was so excited!
When I got home, somehow all the pics were deleted from the camera. Nice.
However, since there is an afternoon session I can retake them! She was just so proud, and so happy!
She is learning so much right now, I don't know why I would want her to miss it next year. We have really enjoyed watching her learn to express her individuality this last week. Like sticking her tongue out at us when she doesn't want to obey. She even learned to do it when we aren't looking. (she has siblings to rat her out.) She learned that if she doesn't like it she can tell us not to do it, like spank her. Or tell her no.

Hopefully I will be able to get pictures in the afternoon session that stay on my camera.

The Car Killers strike again!

Oh, yes. So, Donnie gets the Geo working this morning by replacing the battery. No problem! He went all out and bought a great quality one, even, against all tight-waddishness I have in me.
I head to the school to get Trinity and he heads off to work in his good, working car. The school is roughly 4 blocks down our street.
Trinity LOVED play school again, she didn't even want to leave, so I was glad I was going to go pick up grandma and go shopping so she had something to look forward to.
Then, it happened. The Geo wouldn't start. I was stuck at the school. I could walk home, but I didn't bring my coat for such a short trip in and out of the car. UGHH!

I called Donnie, who was almost 2 towns away, about 18 miles. He decided to take the day off of work and fix the cars, so he told me to stay put. While sitting there I read through the Geo owners manual. Well, what else would I do? Clean out my purse? Not!
So I started thinking about how the car was turning over no problem but was making an airy puffing noise. I wondered if it was the air filter.
It was! So Donnie replaced that and it is good to go! He decided to go ahead and get the tire replaced and is also replacing the muffler and the windshield wipers while he is at it.
Wooohooo! We're back to two cars for the 11 of us!

I took Sam to the chiropractor. That was great, I am so glad that I did. She works wonders on Devon, and I wouldn't have any need to try anyone else. She figured out Sam wasn't "eliminating" correctly, he's a bit backed up, just by touching him! She did a bunch of adjusting, which Sam ate up! We sat in the waiting room for the whole thing. She just followed Sam around and did this and that on his time and he had a blast, he really enjoyed some of it and would stand there like "Oh, yeah, that's the spot!" It was funny! He didn't care for the neck adjustment, but basically he just whimpered a bit, then went on to play.
I'm taking him back on Friday and she thinks we'll see big improvement in his sleeping after that.
His ears are not that bad to explain the night issues and no day issues at all. If she gets him to sleep at night, we'll be going back when ever she wants him. And Donnie said he'd even be sold on chiropractic and start going.

First day of play school!

Here are some pics from Play School!
Trinity and Isaac are doing the chicken dance here. They really did have fun, even though they look kind of bored in this picture.
Jonah quit about the time I walked in the room. I am not sure he enjoyed it, but I didn't get to talk to him much, I had to hurry and get to an appointment.

And this is what happened on the way to our appointment. At first she fell asleep while eating her parfait, but soon she completely tipped over and started snoring REALLY loudly.

Sam and Trinity both had to not only get woken up from this sound sleep, but then get their fingers pricked. Poor kids! But neither of them cried at all. So I let them share a Sprite. And all was happy!

I think Trinity is going to sleep really, really well tonight. She can't wait to go back to "school" tomorrow. I hope the boys are as excited as she is. I know Jack, the older brother of the twins, had a great time!

Monster Cookies

Last week I was getting the boys from their house to babysit them and on the way to my house Isaac, the first in this pic, stuck his foot toward me and said "My toe a monster cookie." What? Your toe is a monster cookie? "Yes!" and Jonah chimed in and they got all excited about it and then I hear this noise behind me coming from their seats "Arrrmmmarrrr-aaarrrrghhh" "Oh!! You guys are being COOKIE MONSTER!" "Yes! arrmm yumm armm" They were being Cookie Monsters! LOL Gotta love it!
Today, these three little monsters are at play school at the high school. The child development class is studying them at play all week. You can bet their mom and I are taking advantage of that!
Trinity went this morning from 8:15-9:10 and had a blast, then the next session is from 11:30-1:30, and all of them are at that one.
Trinity didn't even look back. She went right in and stared shyly at the teens, but didn't want me to stay. And when I got there she was talking to them and having fun. I can't wait to see how it goes this second session today. Trinity is TIRED. She only got maybe 8 hours of sleep. And as soon as play school is done we have to book it a couple towns away for an appointment. She needs to get her finger pricked, ouch!

Update on Sam! He ate an entire McDonald's hamburger by himself! Not that McD's is healthy, but he ATE a BUNCH!

Three Little Monkeys

Snorgtees.com

snorgtees.com and fuelmyblog are having a contest for $500! Check out the competition page for details.

I am a big deal blogger and deserve to win this funny t-shirt and win $500 because no one else is willing to amuse you and entertain you and horrify you like I am with just my daily life as a parent. It is funny to you, because you are not the ones dealing with these things.
I lived through the 2 years Trinity would play with her poop. Painting her crib daily, finger painting her sheets and walls with poop. "White washing" her doll house fence with poo. She even made little poop figures to decorate my staircase with. I survived that. Just those years alone should qualify me to win that $500, or at least a t-shirt, but it didn't end there.
Now I have Sam. This is Sam. After his trip to the litter box. Yes, that is cat litter stuck to the snot on his upper lip. Why, yes, he does enjoy eating cat poop.

And lest you think I am kidding, click on this picture and you will see the litter inside his mouth. I know, he seems to be such a cute kid, but really, he's a disgusting monster.

Don't believe me? This is the SAME night. That is not cat poop. That is HIS poop. And yes, it IS on his mouth. He decorated the chair, the carpet, his sister's toy AND ate it.

But he sure cleans up good!

So, who else is willing to not only admit that their kid does this, but also post pics of it to amuse and horrify you? That's right, only me.

So, since I need that $500 to help us fix all the things that have decided to die around here recently (furnace, van, car, dryer, washer, fridge/freezer, to name the biggies) I would appreciate it if you would all show me the love and go vote for me and put me in the top 100.

I promise you, if I am elected the winner of the $500 I will end the posting pics of my child eating poop. I will bring you more entertaining stories of my life with 7 kids. And I will even make a cake.

Please go vote! You do have to register and confirm your email, but after that it is easy to do, I promise! Remember, if I get in the top 100, I will never post another poop picture on my blog again!

Trinity and Sam pictures

My Reversal Miracles!Little hams!

Aren't they cute?

Spiderman!