A Weeked Ago

{I started writing this half a week ago, but I'm finishing it tonight--so everything happened two weeks ago now, instead of the "week ago" I mention in the post}

Over a week ago, it was my and my husband's turn to babysit the co-op kids. We decided it'd be fun if we had both sets of kids over the same night. And it was fun! I think in a few years (hopefully we're still doing the rotation co-op thing then) it'll be even more fun with all of the kids up running around. In all, the children outnumbered the adults 6:1. We had 12 children ages 6, three--5yr olds, a 4 yr old, two almost 4yr olds, and almost 3yr old, a 19month old, my Scrunchie who was almost 1 at the time, a 6 month old, and a four month old. I was amazed at how well they all behaved--and so thankful, too. Having 12 kids--three of them babies--was enough work--so I'm so glad they were all eager to have fun!

We made hotdogs for dinner. They colored, danced to a dance party game on the Wii, made fruit pizzas, and as the night was wearing down they cuddled under blankets and watched a movie. The night was really easy, relatively speaking of course. The sheer number of kiddos under our care was busy, but their behavior was super! What a bunch of fun kids--I was impressed with how well they all played together. Especially since P was the only boy (C is a boy too, but he is the 4 month old so he didn't play much) and princess dress-up was everywhere.

I didn't have to work this particular weekend, and it was great to finally feel like we kind of caught up around the house. Things really slack around here (we're beyond surviving) with chores, and it has been driving me super nuts and up the wall.


We also watched the KU/MU game. For those of you who are unfamiliar--this is more than a rivalry. It is deeply rooted hate, unfortunately. If you need me to do some more 'splainin...

I think that about covers it! This is quite possibly the last game we'll play with them in our "house." So it was very important that we win...and WIN WE DID! The game could not have been any more intense. I was running around the house like a mad woman. When all was said and done, we had little Scrunchie wave "bye-bye" to Mizzou since they're moving over to the SEC. We say to the SEC, "Enjoy our leftovers!"

Enough on the hating...

That night, my mom watched the girls while we went on a date. She offered to watch the girls and pay for a dinner out as our Valentine's gift. So we happily went out.

We did a little shopping before we headed to dinner at our favorite upscale, local restaurant. It is quaint, historic, and they cook with such fresh ingredients. I always love their menu and enjoy their food. Matt's only complaint ever is that he wants more food!


Later that weekend I just prepped for the week with all the fun chores I love to save until Sunday!

More catch up posts to come.

V-day

 So I'm finally getting to our Valentine's Day. We started with a special breakfast.

 And wouldn't you know, they didn't really care for what I made. I put my heart into this special meal (which if you know me, I'm soooo not a morning or breakfast person), and I was really hoping they'd enjoy it.

 So instead of fried eggs, asparagus, tomatoes, turkey bacon, homemade hash browns, fresh fruit, hollandaise sauce, and whole-wheat Englsih muffins, I should've served pancakes, waffles, strawberries and juice. I did get the juice and fruit in there. I was trying to open up their taste buds--this was one of my fav breakfasts as a child. I wanted it to be passed on.

 But they did try it. And I love them for it. They're rockstars like that!

 This one ate just about everything--at least everything we put on her tray!

 Contemplating that green stuff on her plate.

 I believe she may have been picking at her egg. She only likes certain parts--the whites. 

 Turkey bacon makes her smile.

 I like the green stuff--and the toast, bacon, yellow and red stuff. Such yum stuff!

 We went on about our day and then came home to do our little presents. They all got to share the Zingo numbers game. I made a little book full of family pictures that relate to something special they did for each of the three big girls. 

 Peach got her Minnesota book (a vacation we took last summer), skittles and a Starbucks cake pop. The older four all got skittles and a cake pop too. 

 I made them wait in the basement while I set out the gifts. 

 Checking it all out. 

 It appears Boushka was playing dress up in the basement. And we didn't leave Scrunchie out. I think she stole somebody's cake pop! So totally Scrunchie!

 She loved her book!

 I didn't make her a book this year, but this girl lives and breathes and dreams Mickey Mouse. Her second thing she lives, breathes and dreams is blank paper to color on.

 Brownie and Bug each got a Nutcracker book to commemorate their first performance. They, too, loved starring in their own book. 

 

Matt brought roses home for me. I thought I got a picture of them, but I can't find it. They were 12 beautiful red roses! I wrote a message in a card and got him some of his fav candy--Hot Tamales! He was happy. 

And that was about it. Love is all around us all the time--with seven people running all over the place, it's kind of hard to not feel it everyday!

My Baby is One!

My beautiful Scrunchie, you are one whole year old! I'm just in awe that you've grown up so much right before my very eyes in the last 365 days. You are quite the silly little thing with a sweet spirit and a cuddly side (that I tell myself you save just for me, though I'm sure I'm just in denial).

You are truly a sweet blessing to this family full of girls. You are the baby of five. You will always be my baby (just as your sisters will too). You are spunky, funky, stinky, sneaky (yes, you sneak up the stairs constantly), sweet and sassy, all while being the most perfect you there could ever be.

I love the way you snuggle into me as I rock you.

I love how your feet are forever stinky.

I love how your four teeth peek through your smile.

I love the way you clap and wave on command.

I love the way your hair falls on your neck.

I love your two ticklish spots on the sides of your back.

And oh, how I love that laugh. The full-of-heart chuckle that comes from your belly.

You are easy to entertain--you love it when Brownie pushes you on the "motorcycle." You sit on it like you were made to ride bikes.

You are starting to appreciate milk and the sippy cup. You've never been a big fan of the sippy, but you are a big fan of whole milk--so it works.

You still love food. Your favorite activity is, I'm sure, EATING! You tried black beans and quinoa with peppers today. Mmmmm....

You like to scratch and hit when you're tired/being ornery. I'm not sure what this is, but your older sister also did this around age one. I'm hoping it'll just disappear like Boushka's bad habit did.

You still like to get up at night. Don't ask me why... I'm too tired to determine. Though I think it has something to do with Daddy and cuddling.

You took a few steps today. Your first steps without holding on to anything. I tried to capture it all on video but no luck!

And you can now point to your nose when we say "Touch your nose!" YAY for you.

You are a size four shoe
size four diaper
wearing 18 month clothes (your 12 month jeans have been too tight for quite some time)

You weigh around 20 pounds (I'll know official stats the end of next week)
I don't know how long you are (but we'll know soon enough)

You still say "da-da," "dah" for dog and that's about it. I thought you had four words a couple months ago, but these are the two that really stuck around. Though, you do understand so much of what we say. Since you've been mobile (about 5 or so months now), you've understood "hand that to mama," since I'm always catching you about to put stuff in your mouth. Of course you know your name, your sisters' names, pets' names, commands to clap, touch nose, and wave. You know baba, eat, bye-bye, and so much more. I'm sure I'm missing several.

Sweet Scrunch, I can't wait to see where this next year will take us. There will be some big things happening around here--walking, talking, maybe some more snuggling. On preschool days, you'll be the only one in my care for a while. What on earth will we do with all that time? I'm sure we'll find plenty to do.

Mama loves ya!

Ooops, This One Ended Up Lengthy

I have a Valentine's post and pictures to share once I have time. Time that I can spend on the computer without the distraction of grading papers or answer/writing work emails. But who knows when that will roll around, and since I feel like I really should post something V-day related, well... this will have to do.

Love is all around. Perhaps that is why I have more than the average number of offspring--to surround myself with love. Or maybe it's because I "don't know how it keeps happening." That has to be the most annoying comment to say to somebody with more than 2.4 children. Anyway, back to the things I love...

patients (the character quality)
honesty
milk shakes
my daughters
chocolate after dinner
hot coffee on a cold morning
bright colors
mountains
salad
loyalty
celebrating birthdays
the Jayhawks
SNL
writing
farmer's markets
boneless chicken in wing sauce
alone time whilst slumbering in my bed
fur babies rolling over for belly rubs
back massages from my girls
goodnight kisses
baby laughter
MOPS
the moment I first lay eyes on my child
dates with my husband
farms
crafting
cooking new recipes
journaling
taking pictures
Christmas Eve
Thanksgiving Eve
organizational tools
blues, jazz, 90's alt, a little pop, alotta soul, maybe some disco, definitely60's music, some reggae
Spring rain
the sound of a neighbor's mower on Saturday (mid) morning
watching old cowboy movies with Matt
reading with my kindergartner
cheese, really good cheese
really good wine
pinterest
laughing with friends
packing for vacation
reading non-fiction
Brownie's passion for the arts
big laundry rooms
watching a couple trashy reality tv shows
lighting candles
opening my windows
driving with the radio up
being curious
Bug's helpfulness
my carbon monoxide detector
the smell of onions and peppers cooking
baby breath
baby feet
baby hiney
The way Boushka describes crying ("Dere's wata toming outta my eyes.")
history
bright skies
(don't laugh) Olivia, the pig (on Nick Jr.)
Christmas movies
vacation
lunch with my mom
soccer games (that my children play)
dancing in my living room
Chevy Chase movies
comfy socks
my husband's willingness to help
Doris Day movies
tomato and chips (thanks, mom)
linguistics
cards
WWII era
outdoor concerts
vanilla coke
running
being home
redbox movies
grocery shopping (only sometimes though)
reminiscing with my sister
watching family/friends love my children
comedy before going to sleep (I prep for sweet dreams)
my college days
riding horses
"Amazing Grace"
staying up late (when I can sleep in)
beaches
bowling
baby sleeping on my chest
spacious bedrooms with spacious closets
holiday decor
parties with awesome appetizers
parties with awesome people
cruise ships
pizza
breadsticks--just about any kind
relaxing family time
cleaning house by myself (or with Matt's help)
authentic cuisines
baby-naming
Scrunchie's energy
coffee shops
dates with my babies
going to the movies
spell-check
wood floors
my memory foam pillow
stand-up comedy
aprons
going to the library
recipe books, mags, websites, etc.
reading blogs
reading old letters between my grandparents
genealogy
Chipotle
vinegar
hugs
cuddles
reading to the kids
hearing/reading about the Dust Bowl
exercising my right to vote
old photographs
living room picnics
back-to-school shopping
maternity jeans
my grandmother's house
peppermint mochas
hiking
breweries
church family


I should say these items are not listed in any particular order. I probably left several things, or even people (sorry if it's you) off the list, but I'm only human. And I love being human--simply because I don't have to be perfect!! I LOVE a good excuse (SMILE)!

Catch Up

I only have a few minutes to write--I promised myself an hour ago that I'd go to bed 30 minutes ago... OOPS! I'm not the best manager of time, I suppose. But I'm striving to keep a balance (of sorts) in all areas of life. There's too many jobs for me to do and not enough time for me to have fun. So a quick update on Copeland things was due.

I really don't know what I thought I'd write about, but I always worry that if I go too long without a post I'll be confused years down the road when I look back at our blog. So, here's a short list of the highlights!

-Work is still there. Papers are due tonight so we all know what I'll be doing the next 72 hours of my life.
-My husband put together the treat bags for Peach's Valentines. I don't have a picture handy, but I decided to put a doughnut hole in cute themed bags. I then attached a note that reads, "Do-nut" doubt my love for you." HA! I am not too creative, I know!
- The girls baked several Valentine themed cupcakes with my mom yesterday. They dressed up for the occasion--which makes me laugh. They look for any excuse to dress up--which is so the opposite of how I've always been.
-Soccer practice starts this week
-We finally got snow last night and today. I'm talkin' a few inches.
-Brownie built two snowmen today.
-Peach is really starting to read well. We go through her early reader books a few times a week, and she knows so much more than I originally thought. She's even remembering little phonics lessons I'm teaching her on my own.
-Poor Scrunch has a little cough. I just noticed yesterday that she is (maybe) wheezing and a little rattly.
-My little Bug is the best eater in the whole family. She almost always eats what is put in front of her--which is a rarity among my offspring.
-Boushka is so going to be a lawyer someday. It scares me. And at this age, it just flat out wears me out!
-I asked Matt what he got me for Valentine's Day. Since we don't usually do much for the occasion, I honestly said this as a joke. But apparently he's got something up his sleeve. I do like surprises!
-Which is why I'm not sharing what I did/got for him!
-Because I did realize that he actually reads the blog.
-My baby is about to turn one... I'm happy/sad. I will cherish the little positive things that come with having a toddler/older baby. I can honestly say I don't miss nursing, getting up a lot at night, or changing 12 diapers a day. I am enjoying bottle-feeding and playing with her hands as she eats, sleeping a little more that I did six months ago, and changing about half the amount of diapers I used to. But I will certainly miss the cuddles that come with a little baby. And I already miss her not being mobile! She's my most mobile baby yet!

That's it for now. I'm out of details. Until we meet again...