lazy mom.

Metta was in dire need of a bath this evening- but I had no desire to deal with the tub.  Kent is just finishing a run of nights and I'm pretty sick of the nighttime routine.

  So we improvised.  She's way too big for this!! but loved that she could simultaneously eat out of that big bowl of honeydew while she bathed :)

 Her hair is pretty long- but I don't know how to put a pony tail in it?!  the top? the side?  I don't like the antenna look so I may have to wait a little longer to try it.

A lot of friends here in Dayton have had baby girls in the past year- and we've been wanting to take a picture for some time now!  We finally got together to get it done this last week.  Metta is the oldest.  and was the hardest to keep contained!  thus the cheeto in her mouth!  so many bows.  and we didn't even have all of the girlies here!!

Metta has the best personality.  She loves everyone.  she loves to wave to Zeb's bus driver.  At church she stands on the pew and searches for all of her familiar faces and then waves and squeals at them.  She is best pals with her childwatch workers at the YMCA.   The only people she'll ever grimmace at are Zeb and Ike!! and it's only because they LOVE to tease her.  Ike thinks it's hilarious to steal her blanket and pretend to sleep on it. It makes her MAD.    She really is my happiest kid.

random.

all of my kiddos have become attached to a special blanket.  I love it.  it makes bed time easier. and road trips, too.    Although Metta's blanket gets mighty dirty crazy fast.  and finding a good time to clean it is pretty impossible.  I love this picture of her (I love all pictures of her).  Sometimes she'll just plop down where she is and put her head down on the ground on top of it- give a little smile- and then get up and go on her way.

the past few days we've had hellish weather. hot and humid.   I need at least two months where I don't have to turn on my a/c OR heater!    Kent has had a few days off while he is transitioning from PICU to nights.  (The worst two rotations EVER!!  ahhhhhhhhhhhh!  oh well- we'll get through them).

We've been trying to have some fun with the days he's off and yesterday we got 50 cent kites. We went up to the green space just above our house- and invited our neighbors to join us in the fun.

Our kites were terrible.  we lost one in the trees right away because it got to the end of the string and just flew away!!! and the other got tangled.  Our pals from up the street came with us though- and they let us have some fun flying their kite.  It was a dollar and apparently far superior.

all of the boys trying to get their kites flying.  our neighbors are the greatest!

metta's first time in flip flops :)

Kent took the boys to sonic for happy hour.  I'm on a seven day processed sugar fast - so I opted out.  I went sugar CRAZY over the past month or so (birthday, easter, etc) so I'm trying to detox.  I'm an addict.  truly.  So this week I'm going CRAZY for fruit.  and these amazing cookies- happy trails cookies.  Date paste instead of sugar to make them sweet.  pumpkin seeds and craisins, too. they really are super tasty.  But I am having withdrawals from sugar- so anything remotely sweet tastes divine :)

Metta is trying to participate, too :)  she loves all food.  and is such a good eater.  I'm trying so so hard to make her a lover of many foods- esp veggies.  so far so good.  She eats almost strictly fruits and veggies and whole grains 100% of the time.  I'm cutting back on dairy - but she does get some.   She loves broccoli!!  and pumpkin seeds!  and cucumbers obviously.  I made so many mistakes with the boys when it comes to healthy eating and it's still a battle sometimes so I am determined to make metta better :)

Our general conference tradition.  Metta had no desire to let them rise.

When they finally were finished- she scarfed them down.   I love these pictures of her :)

 The boys had their fair share as well- but chose to go frostingless.  Who wants cinammon rolls without the frosting?!  the boys are nuts.  they like to unroll them and then eat them.

spring break '13- dayton style

 Our plans for spring break weren't grandiose considering Kent is on PICU- his most exhausting rotation.  I don't even think the hours are that atrocious- he's just mentally/physically/emotionally spent at the end of his shifts.

So everyday this week we've tried to do something a little different than usual. My spring break goal was to make sure my kids didn't just hear my 'mom' voice.  I've realized lately that the majority of my talking to my kiddos is done in that voice.  It's the less patient, more snappy, and pretty annoying voice.  I don't like hearing it so I'm assuming nobody else does either.  I really have been working SO HARD this week on not using it! and we've had a lot of success.

I tried finding activities where I could talk a lot and give positive feedback a lot.  We read a lot of books. We did a lot of 'fun' worksheets. And we played a lot of games.

Zeb's numero uno request this week was going to the buffet at the 'Pizza Dive'.  Zeb is OBSESSED with this place.  He talks about it daily.  He begs to go way too often.  In his defense- kiddos are only 1.99 on buffet nights!  adults are 6.  and the pizza is DIVINE.  plus- the owners know us now- and are so friendly.  I gave them a fabulous review on urbanspoon and then we got a free pizza and now we are facebook buddies and so on :)

The pizza is outrageous.  and they have games at the tables and coloring pages.

usually kent and I are stringently opposed to taking our children out to eat. waste of money. no fun. really messy. super obnoxious.

 but this place is different.  we all have a good time.

my favorite thing about the buffet is the outrageous pizza flavors I'd never buy otherwise.  the cheeseburger pizza is so tasty.  ketchup and mustard!!

 the BLT is one of the most popular.  We love it.  Fresh tomatoes and salad on pizza. delish.  and the bread bites. and pretzel bites.  they put a sugary buttery garlic sauce on their crusts.  I could lick it off.

Metta is at that place where she canNOT sit still. unless she's eating- and luckily she loves the food here.  But really- she's a terror for the most part.

 and she can't be easily placated now that she's so mobile.  She sees the world under her toes and she just wants to GO GO GO.   she stands at the back sliding doors and bangs and shrieks to get out.   And then she falls on sticks and trips over rocks and shrieks some more.  Oh- it's tough to be a kid.

the past month or so Zeb has been telling us he'd really like to be a photgrapher when he grows up.  I'm sure it has a lot to do with my incessant picture taking so I'll take it as a compliment that he wants to be more like me.

He's been asking to take pictures of everything- so on Wednesday I sent he and Ike outside on a picture taking scavenger hunt.  Having a child who reads well makes activities a lot easier to come up with!  I sent Zeb and Ike out with a list and a camera all by themselves and off they went.

I took this picture through our front window so they wouldn't see me.  I think it's adorable.  and Zeb did a really great job with the picture taking. I was impressed.

 Here's the actual shot he took.  I have no idea why Ike looks so grumpy.  They had to find a dead tree branch.  and check out the neighbor's purple mystery van in the background.  I love it.

a garbage can.

a live animal.

I snapped this one of them finding a purple flower!  I love Ike's little hand showing it off for the picture.

and then finally today- for a last big spring break hooray- we had a preschool party for Ike and his pals.  It's finally spring and we can just send the kids outside while the moms chat!  

One more day and then a fabulous general conference weekend to look forward to!  and kent is even off for one of the days!  I love general conference.

easter explosion.

We celebrated Easter weekend with COUSINS. definitely the best way to celebrate.

The Hawes family made the trek from Buffalo.  Kent was on call (a 30 hr shift) on Easter Sunday into Monday- so I was very grateful to have family come and visit!

Saturday we played a lot.  

went to the gym.

had our own easter egg hunt.

went out to eat kiddless.  

it was all lovely.

(minus the bloody noses, crying kids, ubiquitous chaos, giant messes, and all of the other things that ensue with a full house!)

Here the kiddos are all lined up for the hunt.  We lucked out with a perfectly weathered Saturday afternoon.

I found Zeb licking his lips while checking out his goods.  I love easter candy.

Ike and Kent love the kit kats the most so Ike was pretty pleased to see that Kent had chosen the candy for the day.

Metta still just chews on wrapped candy.

metta is at the outrageously cute stage where she squeals with delight at every swing push.  I love her smiling at Zeb here.

and her hair blowing in the breeze.  she is so so funny.

Milly goat and her piggies.

Metta loves sticks.  so delicious.

Kent and Taylor were going to have a horse race- but Taylor doesn't really fit on playground equipment.

this strange piece of equipment is ridiculously tall.  Taylor standing here seems to make it shrink.  He's 6'7"

Easter Sunday was a little crazy- but wonderful all the same.  Metta had her worst Sunday ever at church.  She was EVERYWHERE.  and LOUD.  It must have been the bird we stuck on her head :)

Luckily Taylor took her while I taught Sunday School.  The lesson in gospel principles lined up perfectly and I got to teach about the Atonement.  It was a great study topic for the week of Easter.  I found this quote by Elder Ballard (a modern day apostle) that has brought some self reflection and application:

"At the heart of the English word atonement is the word one. If all mankind understood this, there would never be anyone with whom we would not be concerned. We would strive to emulate the Savior and would never be unkind, indifferent, disrespectful, or insensitive to others.
The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time."


After church we made a giant Easter feast and had the missionaries over- along with a new friend we met through them. She brought with her several plates of Haitian food.  We all finished the day STUFFED to the brim.   Ham, funeral potatoes, brussell sprouts, broccoli, carrot cake, homemade rolls, deviled eggs, and all the dishes from our Haitian friend!  I should have gotten a picture.  It was wonderful.

The only bummer was missing Kent.  I kept expecting him to come home any minute forgetting he was on call.  He had an especially rough shift in the PICU with a family having to say goodbye to their two month old.  It really makes the Atonement and Resurrection come into perspective.  I'm grateful I know that families are forever and that we'll all live again!


Five kids five and under was quite the houseful.  and were impossible to take pictures of.

I won zeb's tie in an online contest :)

and Ike's is from the 1 dollar bin at target. what a steal!

Laney made the bird nests on the girlies heads.  We considered eggs in the nest for the first half of church and making the switch to birds for the second half- but that was too much work :)

It was a quick trip - but buckets of fun.  It's our turn to head to buffalo now!