Date Night with my hero

Nothing beats rootbeer floats with Batman in March.

What's The Rule About NOT Slamming Doors?

Brian's finger got pinched in the hinge side of the door Sunday morning. We did not end up having to make a mad dash to the ER. He is not one to manage his pain well, so it was difficult to tell at first if he really was dying even though there was no blood. But I was ready as every mother of boys, I know the closest friends to drop off the other kids wit (Adelia...congratulations) on the way to the hospital in the quickest route.


After a splint and some pain medication he is now jumping on the trampoline.


He was so sweet though this morning. After the accident and he had calmed down he ate some heart shaped pancakes. He started to pick up his plate and I told him, "Honey, I'll get it." He tells me, "mom, it's not like I broke all 10 fingers and then he continued to help me pick up the entire table."


Thank you Lord for a sweetness in their spirits just when I need it most. Thank you for protecting his little finger from worse.

Birthday Boy's Cakes and Gifts

Wyatt's turned 3 and as you can see, I was not joking about the cake disaster. My prayer for this kid this next month is to get him potty trained, which I'm paying the kids to do. I have been buying diapers for almost 10 years!

Some friends had us to their home the night of Brian's birthday and I took the cake that was designed by the 7th year old himself.

What a wonderful hostess we had, not only did she call ahead of time to find out Brian's favorite meal, but she had ice cream, party plates and the family had gifts for him. It really made him feel special. Although his favorite part of the night was hanging out in the basement with his new found friend playing the Wii racing game.

And yes, all 10 kids belong to just our two families. :)

Aunt Gina sent Brian the gift he has been asking for and now we all are getting it! We know that when we hear "It's Nerf or Nothin'" that we had better take cover. And they do sting!

I love you boys.

That's My Boy

Brian is a constant source of entertainment for us.When we were at my folks for the 4th of the July, this kid wore me out. My mom had given him a can of red spray paint to paint a chair outside. Red looks like blood so since it was the 4th, and his friend Manix was over, he sprayed Manix's tummy to look like they got hurt. These two boys together were just a stew of trouble waiting to be discovered. Brian would hand Manix a firecracker and light it and Manix would throw it. Then the other boys uncle came and picked them up and said he heard something in the back seat and turned around in time to catch Manix and Brian trying to light a fire cracker in the back seat of the pickup. They were going to through it out the window. Thank you LORD for protecting those two.

One day my dad watched Brian for me, for just a little while for me to run to the store. When I got home my dad asked, "Did you get any green paint?" I told him, "No. Was I suppose to?" Then it hit me, "Whyyyyy? What happened?" My dad informed me, "Brian came and asked me if he could trick out my tractor and he had a small wretch in his hand and figured he couldn't do anything too bad, then all of a sudden I smelled something funny and I go over to check on him and he spray painted red flames on my John Deere."

In Brian's defense, he did ask and he told papa he wanted to "trick it out."

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We had a puppy show up Tuesday that we would have kept if she didn't run away on Thursday. She must not have liked her food or pan I bought her. But Brian brings her inside and tells me, "Mom, look how good a dog she is, you can pull her tail and she won't even bite you or bark."

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"Mommmmmm! Wyatt's jumping on the trampoline. Naked. With the dog.

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"Mommmmm! Wyatt's naked peeing on the kitchen floor! (I think we have a streaker)

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Brian wiped out on some wet floor in the kitchen (not pee). "Brian, you OK? Are you suppose to be running in the house?" He corrects me, "I wasn't running, I was jogging."

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And my favorite. Last night we had fish for supper and Allen was looking in the frig and asked, "Do we have any tartar sauce?" And without missing a beat Brian pipes up, "Nope, but we have some retarter sauce for you."

Brian O Brian

Since Brian is my incessant talker and incessant busy body. He gives me plenty of things to get frustrated with and laugh at.

At supper we were talking about our weekly achievements and goals for the next week and I was sharing that I was sorry that I had been so on edge and quick to snap and that it was my goal to get back on track and be gentle with my words and no yelling. And Brian asks, "Like Matthew's mom?". I smiled and said, "Yes." He added, "GOOD!"

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Brian: Have you even seen me while I'm sleeping? I'm telling you, I'm like an angel.

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As Brian was showing off his "skills" as he calls them, showing us how he knows karate, kicking, punching etc, he slipped and fell. He jumps to his feet and says, "Did you see that? That was my falling down skills."

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Dancing with the Stars was on last night. I don't know what I even stopped to watch the couple dance, other than it was Steve O and was curious if he could dance and if he was taking it seriously. Anyhoo,
I said: "Wow, she is really pretty." And by that time they were showing all the girls in the competition, and I quickly realized why we don't watch this show and turned off the TV. But it was too late. They had been spotted.
Brian pipes in: "they are ALL pretty."
Me: Like me!
Brian: Yep. And they are skinny too.
Me: Like Me! (Obviously joking)
Brian: Umm, not really. And the girl in the red (Holly the Playboy Bunny wearing a 2 piece red outfit and outflowing out of the top) is sexy!
(Oh great!)
Brian: Mom, you're not even a little tiny bit sexy.
Me: So is it good or bad that she is so sexy Brian? (thinking I'm about to have a sit down discussion with all the kids on the topic of modesty stemming from my at my temporary lack of sanity at even turning the TV show on.)
Brian: Bad. Sexy girls don't love Jesus do they.
So I left it at that for the time being and realized that we'll have to come back to the topic of judgementalness.


Ahh....I've never said that, but the power of relational assumptions. We have often talked about choosing to dress in a modest way and while we not doting all dresses and hair coverings, we aren't letting our girls leave the house in midriffs and mini skirts. I don't want my girls to be viewed that way or be a temptation for sin for other young boys and men.

If you might be a mom of boys if...

you clean out the frig and find a jar of rollie pollies.

What about you?

My Hero!

Here is Brian and his BFF, just a couple of weeks ago, not Halloween. Grandma has blessed him with 6 Spiderman and 1 Hulk outfits she picked up at a sale. It has been a great thing and almost a uniform of sorts for him. I can't help but wonder what passerbyers and the neighbor's think of the people who live "there" with the kid always in the Spiderman outfit.

(Don't be frightened by the dishes in the background, they are part of the kitchen's decorations)

And here they go, trekking to the front yard to save the world.

Brian came into the house rubbing his hands together, "My hands are just sticky enough that I can climb clear to the top of the van! Just like Spiderman!"

Luckily, he later washed the van...using my mop.

hmmm....blank

I didn't know what to title this:
Sometimes you have to laugh so you don't cry
- or -
A child left to himself disgraces his mother -
- or -
No body wants buddy!
- or -
"Guess what Brian's doing now?"

So today has just been one of those days with Brian. He is just...a boy?... He instantly started in by stirring up strife with the sisters...he loves to hear them scream. He was then assigned to stay by my side, with in sight. Then during chore time his buddy for the day was Gabby. Being buddy to Brian is a rather exhausting job. Gabby was mad several times for him not doing as she told him and then she comes, "Guess what Brian's doing?" He was pinching her bottom when she would bend over to make the bed.

As exhausting as it is for everyone else, Brian was the one to fall asleep during school time.

When we were all tired of keeping a hawks eye on the little man and he wanted one more chance, I was weak and let him go upstairs by himself...with the only task to bring me his dirty laundry. I hear a loud clunking sound... followed by, "Guess what Brian's doing?!" He was sticking pieces of his train track into the window fan. I shut my eyes and count to 3 before summoning him.

He dropped the entire yogurt container that was just opened (I have 4 kids I'm not talking about the little 4 oz servings, this was a family size container) on my floor, I cleaned it up and committed to mop during outside play time.

This afternoon during outside playtime, all was well, they were playing in our new massive sand pit where there used to be a pool, building castles, motes, volcanos. I wanted to mop while they were entertained, however found my mop bucket was full of wet sand.

Then I hear..."Guess what Brian's doing?" He was spray painting daddy's boat. Good news...it was at least with the clear coat spray paint that I use to set the chalk art.

Inside for more closely watched supervision.

Outside for less closely hearing of the sibling rivalry.

Here comes Gabby again..."Guess what Brian just did?" He had peed in his mote to make sure no Barbie's crossed over to his castle. Peeing outside...I'm fine with it. Peeing outside when we live in town with no fence and about 100 people walking through our yard today measuring for the fence and the grand opening and training for the new Boys and Girls Club...I'm NOT fine with!

Lord give me patience or give me Prozac!

What's That Smell?

At Leanne's during the yard sale last weekend, her brother started a little fire out back to burn some brush in the fire pit.

Brian was beyond excited when he found out the plan. "I LOVE fire!"

Each time I looked out Brian was helping Neal stir the ashes and fire with his long stick.

When he came in to tell me all the details, I noticed a distinct smell. As he turned his head, the entire side of his hair was cinged on the ends, all fragile and curly. Nice.

Why Would You Need to Promise That?

Brian: Mom can I go outside and play?
Me: That's fine.
Brian: I pinky promise that I won't pull my pants down when I'm outside.

Mr. Roboto

So I really watched my tone yesterday...until right before supper. I have to admit that when 4 o'clock comes around this is my hardest part of the day. I'm getting worn out and tired. we've had a full day, Brian chased Gabby with a robe, found one of Allen's hunting knifes (don't ask) and started taking the bark off the tree, he messed up Gabby's bed after she made it, but that was Makensie's fault for hiding his candy under the sheets. Brian showed me his little collection of tools he's been stashing away that he's picked up from the construction site behind us if the guys leave their stuff laying close by, (this should really impress them as we had to go over and make things right just 2 days ago when they poured concrete in the ditch and when it was all smooth and finished Brian stabbed a giant stick in the middle). Wyatt loves to be held and I do love toting him, but I'm afraid I'll become a freak of nature with one muscular arm. Someone drank all the coffee, did I do that? Makensie's birthday is coming up so every conversation starts with "At my party..." And we have a conversation every 3 minutes. We had 3 movies that we checked out at the library and couldn't find them anywhere, tore the house apart looking for them me stressing the rule the whole time about no one takes anything out of the library bag, and following every lead the kids gave me, "I think I took them upstairs and had it on my desk" "I think it fell behind my bed" I finally gave up called the library to apologize and although they are on my library receipt, they do not show on the library computer and they say I never checked them out. I'm adding this to my insanity pleading. Makensie made some kind of magic potion outside and had to turn on the hose for water, only for Brian to pick it up and hose the girls down with it. some men stopped by because they only had a couple more pieces of steak to sell for the day out of the back of a truck. Sounds sanitary. Told them we had a 1/2 beef in the chest and then started to try to sell the pork....luckily I pointed to Sweetheart and told them that she was in line next. she's not, but I wish you could have seen his face.

So by 5 O'clock and making supper I try to head the kids outside except the kiddo of the day who is helping cook. However, last night they all wanted to help or at least be in the kitchen. Wyatt in the playpen fussing to be set free, Gabby singing loudly some silly song then laughing at herself, Makensie grating up the cheese for the burritos and somehow managed to knock the thing over and apart 3 times now, and Brian - the unmanageable boy - walking by stealing pieces of cheese and Makensie whining about it and his dirty hands. I responded kindly to each trip 1: "Brian, wait til supper" 2:"Brian, leave the cheese alone", 3: "Brian, quit taking the cheese" I should have dealt with him after #2, but I was now trying to carry wyatt and finish up supper and the Gabby was now setting the table and getting out the side items and cold stuff and asking lots of questions. Then Makensie lets me know again, "MOM! Brian took another piece of the cheese!" Mind you it is shredded - it is just the fact that he is only doing it to annoy Makensie. So I yell this time, "BRIAN! Go outside and leave the cheese alone!" He spins around and with does this little drama skit of bulging eyes and starts shivering like he's really scared and shocked then walks to the door mimicking a robot and in his best little robot voice says over and over, "Uh, Oh. Bad attitude alert, bad attitude alert, uh oh, bad attitude alert."

Thank goodness I started reading Bringing Up Boys otherwise tomorrow I might only have girls in the house. What boy? I don't have a boy?