THIRD GRADER TOUGH

I was having a conversation with Parker the other day that I wanted to share. I just love recording stuff like this, because someday he will enjoy hearing what he had to say.

Parker: I am Quinten's body guard at school.
Mom: Why does he need a body guard?
Parker: Because kids mess with him.
Mom: Why are you his body guard?
Parker: 'Cause I am the second toughest kid in the third grade.
Mom: How do you know that you are tough?
Parker: Well, I used to mess with people.
Mom: Who is the toughest?
Parker: A kid named Josh.
Mom: Then, you are next?
Parker: I like to look at my muscles....I blow up my thumb and then flex my muscles...it looks like my muscles are growing!
Mom: Do you flex your muscles a lot?
Parker: Um, yeah...everyday at lunch time. We try to see who's arm is widest.
Mom: What else do you do?
Parker: Arm wrestle people. That is how I know I am tough.

I think I should mention that this conversation was done on a very serious note. So there you have it...he is a tough guy.

POOR TINY

The tonsils and adenoids are out!! It has been a long week! Everett has been a real trooper. He has felt poorly for several days. It has been difficult to keep him hydrated. After the surgery on Monday, he was sooo nauseated. The post-op nurse gave him several doses of medicine in his IV to help him not throw up. They released us on Tuesday and when we got home, he acted like he felt good. By that night, he was feeling poorly again. Wednesday was a day of vomiting and sore throat. More of the same on Thursday, with a call to the doctor because he couldn't keep anything down. Today, he feels much better and even ate a little bit. I think he has probably lost about 5 pounds. We keep telling him that he needs to fatten up. This tiny is just tooo skinny. We are so proud of him! We are all glad that it is over and hopefully he is on the mend. We love you tiny!!

THE BEST CHEERLEADER EVER

Kamarin has been getting a lot of blog airtime lately...but, I promised to share her award with all of you. We squeezed in her awards night right before we left to Disneyland...and boy are we glad that we did. She was recognized along with all of the other girls with a certificate and a pin. Then they awarded 3 different trophies for different achievements. Kamarin received the best of the group award!! She was sooo excited! We are proud of her!

ATTACK OF THE DRYWALL!!

I wish I had taken a pix of the "before" stage of this project!! The overhang on our back patio had some water damage. Between the kids spraying the paint with the hose and a sprinkler going haywire, it was coming off in strips. Branden decided to handyman it himself. He had to scrape off the old and retape, putty and sand the new. This is what he looked like after a session of sanding. What a mess!!

SCHOOL PROJECT

Kamarin works very hard at school. She has great study habits and always finishes her homework! This was a fun project for one of her classes. She drew out the flag and then painted it red, white and blue. Her attention to detail paid off...she got 100%!!

LAST MEET OF THE SEASON!

Well, cheer has finally come to an end...Kamarin loved her experience! She learned a lot and made many friends. Her coach said that she really appreciated Kamarin and her hard work! These pix come from the final tournament and her school took second overall!

DISNEYLAND!!!!

We went to Disneyland! We left right after Kamarin's award night on Thursday (I will blog about that in a bit.)With a car full of sleeping kids, we rolled into the hotel about midnight. We unloaded and got a pretty good night sleep. The kids were up bright (Kamarin not so bright) and early ready to head to the park! Everett was dieing to go on the Dumbo ride, so after a quick stop at the Matterhorn....no lines yet...he got his wish! He took turns riding with Branden and I. We gave a little more freedom to the older two. As long as they stayed together and called to check in, then they got to run around the park on their own. This was much simpler than trying to constantly wait for each other. They had a blast...and got along most of the time!



We can not go on a vacation with out some kind of challenge. The second morning Branden got up to go buy milk at the store. The dome light had been left on in the car and the battery was dead. Thank goodness for roadside assistance!! They were there in about 30 minutes. I took the kids into the park and he waited for the battery to charge. We all met up a bit later and had a great time. I hate to buy food in the park...it isn't very good and is very expensive. We took snacks and lots of fruit. But, strangely enough my family still got hungry. We did pretty good though and everyone ate surprisingly well!



My kids are a bit spoiled when it comes to waiting in lines. If the line was longer than 10 minutes long, all we heard was complaining. By getting there early in the morning, right when Disneyland opened, we could jump on any ride with out waiting. By lunch time, the park really starts to fill up. We learned to Fastpass and when Disneyland got too busy, we went over to California Adventure. We walked and walked and walked! Our soles are bruised and a few of us have blisters, but it was worth it!

ASTHMA SUCKS!

I realize that this exclamation is not very eloquent. But, it does! Asthma sucks! I have been looking back through pix of the kids. Sadly, I can find a picture of Everett with the breathing machine every month for the past year. That sucks! He is such a sweet boy and we really have been following his maintenance plan. Fortunately, he gets his tonsils out in 2 weeks! The ENT tells me that we should see a 70% improvement right away. I hope so!! I just had to write about this, because he is home again today. We got to go to the ER yesterday, because he couldn't stop wheezing and coughing! He was actually pleased, because he got to leave church early.

I love this picture because you can see his "me-me" (binkie) under his mask.

NO TREATS!!

So, Rachel and I have a new...shall we say....competition going. Since swimsuit season is right around the corner and neither of us feels quite swimsuit worthy, we decided to go NO TREATS! (echo, echo, echo!) Branden, who is a lover of all things salty and crunchy, might think, "hey, what's the big deal?" But, for Rachel (a self-proclaimed batter bowl licker) and myself (oh, just one more cookie can't hurt); this will prove to be one of life's great challenges. We started our journey last Tuesday and have both proven to be up to the task.
What constitutes a treat you ask? Well, obviously...cookies, cake, brownies, ice cream, candy, etc. Baking banana bread with chocolate chips is a treat, but not if you pick out the chocolate chips (Rachel's rule!) How are we getting through the day without even a piece of chocolate to the lips? Well, oranges and nuts are delicious! I have been amazed at how many times a day my brain says..."get a treat!" It has been a real eye-opener!
We are undecided about how to reward ourselves when all is done. Rachel says that she can go forever without a treat. And, my competitive side says...bring it on! So, what do all of you out there in blogger land think we should give to the "winner"?

Shall it be a reward to the winner? Or, a punishment to the first to fall? Let me know what you think. Who knows, we just may look like supermodels yet!

FOOTBALL FUN!

I love that my boys play great together...well, most of the time anyway! This is their new favorite football. Everett has kicked it over the fence accidentally, too many times. The neighbors are nice enough to return it though. They are both getting really good at throwing spirals and making a catch. Good job boys!

SHE GOT LAYERS!!

Kamarin has been talking about putting layers in her hair for months now. I had always thought that if she cut them, that it would make her hair really poofy. But, after talking to Sommer (the cute girl who does my hair)...she said that it would take some of the weight off. So, I agreed and Kamarin bugged me for 3 days to call Sommer and schedule the date. All while the haircut was taking place, Kamarin kept saying...."oooooh, I am sooo nervous!" Well, it turned out great and she looks fantastic!!