Funny Quotes

Ashley : I was a cool kid.

Tyler: The leaves are blowing off the tree.  We need to get more!

Aiden:  I want to go see the baby happy-lina.  (javalina)

Isaiah to "Pop" who was eating a cookie:  Put you hands up.  Now.  Good.  Give me you cookie.  Now.  (gets cookie)  Thank you.

Christmas Day! Hip Hip Hooray!

I will simply sip my machiatto, and let the pictures do the "talking"!

My prayer for you is that you have a blessed New Year!

If you don't know my family...
this post might be boring for you...
no witty insight into life...
no lessons to learn...
just random family shots that I'm willing to share...
because...
we have lots of family that lives far away...
and the boys are adopted and their biomoms like to see them grow up and do fun things...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The boys coming down the hall to spy what Santa brought them!

This is the spy plane from Cars 2.  I had no idea it shot missiles...

Well, it used to shoot missiles...

Perhaps I should have gotten him a hair brush to go with his tooth brush...

The teenager!  She wakes!

(and is promptly put to the task of assembling the first toy!)

When she FIRST began looking at colleges...

she tracked the distance to the nearest Trader Joe's...

I've since explained that there will be plenty of good stuff wherever she decides to go.

Plus she got a gift card to RoadRunner Sports...

She can run to wherever!

Hey Kid!  Now that you have your own Angry Birds game ~ LEAVE MY PHONE ALONE!

These two have had a long night!  Neither one stayed awake through present opening...

Jesey (the Queensland Heeler) found their gifts two days early and spent the rest of the week eating them!

2012 Baby!  The year she graduates!

Tour books for our European Mommy/Daughter Backpack trip across Europe!

Shelby got toe socks and clothes!

Aiden got TWO MONIES!

This kid is a money freak!  He would rather have money than a gift.

He also got a "Cars" hat.

OK - enough gloating!

Ashley does this guessing thing before she opens any gift.  They guessed the gift correctly ~

a power inverter for her cigarette lighter in her truck.

Seriously?  How do you guess something like that?

I have no words...

when these two are together...

anything can (and usually does) happen!

Tim was so excited that he got a box from Victoria's Secret!  LOL!

We have matching SNAP Fitness memberships.  I know ~ we are adorable...

Look what my awesome daughter bought me!

A copper bowl fireplace!  LOVE IT!

Tyler made me Christmas Tree ornaments!

These are so much fun!

Christmas Morning, 2011!

Shelby (15), Ashley (17)

Tyler (5), Isaiah (3), Aiden (3)

Dog pile on Dad!

Christmas morning relax time!  Just chillin with the raisins, popcorn, and toys!

 

Christmas Eve at the Roth House!

All the little creatures were snuggled...

into one bed...

in hopes that Dear Santa...

would not scare them dead!

Yep.  Sometimes.  There just are no words...not even from me...well, I guess a few!

Aiden slept through the last half of Christmas Eve service and was a little disoriented and crabby by the time we got home, delivered Reindeer Dust to grandma's, and then sprinkled (dumped) Reindeer Dust at our house...He was just not in the mood to do anything but snuggle with mom.  Mom, however, had other "things" that needed to be dealt with.  (Daddy was at work, and the teenagers...well, you will see.  Teenagers are teenagers!  Consider the source!)

Me:  "Ashley...wrap this for me please."

Ashley:  "Ok.  Whose name do you want on the tag?

Me: "um...Let me get my list."

<waiting for her to finish wrapping...>

Me:  "It's for you!"

Ashley:  <Snarl Face!>

Marco and Ashley

Marco decided to "decorate" Ashley's box to make up for her having to wrap her own gift.

He's so nice!

He's so groovy!

Here is Shelby!

And then the human wrapping began....

Ninja Shelby!

I didn't know Ninja's smiled.

Arabian Princess Shelby...

Now I'm just confused!...

This is what I have to deal with on Christmas Eve....

I love every minute of it...

kinda...

till 2:am hits...

then I'm toast!

Reindeer Dust

This year, we decided to make "Reindeer Dust" to guide Santa and the reindeer to our home.

Where we live in the country we have random critters run through our yard.

Many recipes call for glitter, and if we lived in the city, that would be great, but we don't and I didn't want the rabbits, birds, javalina, or any other nocturnal critter eating the glitter and getting sick.

We used barley, magic reindeer dust (sugar colored with food dye), sunflower seeds, and rolled oats.

I gave each of the boys a spoon, and said, "Fill up your containers!"

Fill away they did!

The reindeer dust was very popular...

OK ~ This is grossing me out!

Mary Poppins would get along great with this kid..."Just a spoonful of sugar..."

Love this kid!  He has his container packed tight!

 

Off to Grandma's house...for a quick "dusting"...then back home to "dust" our yard!

 

Yep, these are classy kids!

Aiden with one croc and one untied shoe, Tyler looking like a grandpa with white knee high socks and slippers, and Isaiah...well, we never know what he will show up in.  Tonight he actually looks pretty good!

Aiden is DONE!  He has had it!  He just wants to go in!

Aiden in a pouty/whiney voice: "Why haf leave dust?  I no wanna."

Me:  "Because you made it.  Now let me take a picture and you can dump it on the ground for all I care."

Do I hear "Mom of the Year"?  NOT!

This kid already dumped his! 

Tyler sprinkled the entire yard!

The little critters were very happy with his "dusting"!

Off to bed to wait for Santa!

A Random Shot of Tim and I...

In October, we traveled to Indianapolis, IN for a Mr. Rooter Reunion.  There was a formal dinner...and...here we are!

The Family Photoshoot!

Each year, I want a picture Christmas card.  Each year, I get...

ugghh...

I'm not available then...

Just Photoshop me in...

WaY too many excuses to make this mommy happy.

When it got down to the last minute, I pulled out the big guns...

GUILT!

Now, this has to be played just right...

otherwise...

it backfires.

This year...

it almost backfired.

Ashley didn't care.  She doesn't like to be in pictures, and Tim HATES to have anything to do with a camera!

So, while on our way to Grandma's for Sunday night dinner...

we detoured to the local park...

I was armed with my tripod and a friend of Ashley's.

I figured I would set up the photo, and all Marco had to do was "shoot"!

Here is what we came up with...

This one is cute...

I can work with the shadows...

however...

do you see the kid in the front?

Seriously?  I FINALLY get my time with the family, and "goofy" shows up.

Now, we are talking!  Picture #4, and I'm feeling pretty good. 

See ~ now that wasn't so bad, right?

By now, Tim decided we had a good one and we should go home...

I had other ideas.  I like choices.  I wanted a water shot!  Down to the creek we go!

Between Aiden's hand placement and Tyler's cheesie smile...

this was a No!

Isaiah was being a goof ball and trying to "fall" into the water.

The thing about having multiple children...

is getting ALL of them looking at the camera at the same time, all smiling at the same time, and all cooperating at the same time! 

When you get a man who is "pacifying" his wife, a moody teenager, and three "cRaZY" little boys...

there will be funny moments. 

I'm so glad we had Marco to go with us and grab a few of the poses that I "set up"!

Ugghhh....what is Tyler looking at?

The kids are getting grumpy...

Dad is beyond ready to leave...

but Mommy isn't done!

Grumpy Aiden had BETTER turn that frown upside down!

I kinda like this one, but I wasn't sure...

There was one more spot on the way to the truck that I wanted to try out.

(Maybe this is why they don't like taking family photos...I'm picky!)

...and then...

we get a good one!

A little tweaking...

and that is the one hanging on our wall!

Enjoy a few random shots from the 30 minutes that we were at the park!

Ashley & Isaiah

Dad & Aiden

Marco ~ My "shoot" man!

Since he is wearing Ashley's letterman jacket...

we decided to say the "M" stands for Marco...

not Mingus!  (His high school rival...)

My boys!

Ashley & Marco

The Kids!

There is this really amazing tree that I tried to climb this summer when I had the kids at the park for the Spring/Father's Day photoshoot.  Tim, being a much better climber than I, went right up the tree to take the kid pict.  I love these kinds of pictures.

Here is Tim!

I snapped a photo of him while he was on his way down from the tree...

itsn't this a great tree?

I love my crazy family...

even when I'm fighting with them to take a good picture!