Time an Frustration

Blogging Sucks!

I blog on another site, and tonight, when time is so precious, I posted my new hair post on my other weight loss site. Dang it! Now I have to start all over again.

Later, after exercising and laundry... then it's bed. Ok, maybe tomorrow...

Story Time

Tyler is so good when it comes to reading to his brothers, but they tend to ask too many questions and he gets frustrated.

Check out Isaiah's belly! Remember back in October when he and Aiden had the belly discussion? If I connect it correctly, you can review it here. Then scroll down to "Traditions" Nov. 2 or 3...
What's this?


What's that?

What's this?

This one too...

(Can you see Tyler's frustration?)I think he has resigned himself to questions, questions, questions.

Why? Why? Why? What? What? What?

Got Cilantro?

Ashley planted two rows of cilantro in her garden this year. Wow, did we have a bumper crop of cilantro. I wasn't sure what to do with all of it so I gave away 2 gallon sized ziploc baggies filled with it, and froze the rest. I'll give you our cilantro recipes as we begin cooking.

Worked at the fruit/veggie co-op today. Lots of great foods. Started salsa, pickles, and chopping the fresh herbs that were delivered. I still have a partial case of apples leftover that HAS TO BE canned TODAY! Tim took Tyler to the Crawdad Festival so I will get busy as soon as the twins take their afternoon nap ~ if they take their afternoon nap...

Four-Wheel Drive Friday

Ohh! What's happening?

Ha Ha! Stay in Aiden. I'll get you.

Tyler is getting his exercise today!

Normally, it is Aiden who is pushing his brothers in the car. Today, he was able to get a brother to push him. Good thing they have four-wheel drive!

Tyler is such a photo hound! He is always saying, "Take picture me, mom!"

Who can resist those dimples?

Because I Don't Twitter....

80 Characters or Less? Isn't that the twitter thing?

OK - lets give it a try...

Isaiah hit his head on our slate coffee table.

Robyn rushed him to the doctor's office 40 minutes away.

7 Stitches were sewn into Isaiah's forehead.

Robyn had to sit down to avoid passing out.

Isaiah came home and tackled Aiden then bit him. (Guess Isaiah is feeling better.)

Robyn gets to wake Isaiah every 45 minutes.

This is going to be a fun night.

I don't think I made it...

I Have No Words...

OK, lets get this straight... I do have words. Lots of them. However, I'm not sure what to say when I see this.

It should be saved for Wordless Wednesday, but I feel compelled to briefly discuss Mongolian Spots. (at the end of this post)

Aiden is always busy. He seldom stops for anything. This particular day he was rushing from one side of the patio to the other hammering anything he could. My knee was in hammer's reach therefore, I received a reflex test. Yep, they work. Here is the thing ~ he was simply using his diaper as a pocket. This is why, 90% of the time, my children are fully clothed!

Boys are Weird!

A little about Mongolian Spots:

A couple of years ago, when we first met Tyler, I saw marks on his back and was concerned. I was immediately informed that they were Mongolian spots and that they would fade. Hmm... ok. I then never thought about them again. (He is now three, and although he still does have a few spots, they are considerably lighter.) Then, last year when the twins were born, I came into contact with Mongolian spots again. Only this time, I was a little frightened. (I had forgotten about Tyler's spots ~ he wasn't living with us yet.) The twins were brought directly to me at birth. Of course I opened up the blanket and examined every little detail. The nurses very calmly said that the marks were Mongolian spots and that many Hispanic babies are born with them. My pediatrician said that although it is no big deal, with the babies being adopted, I needed to educate myself, my family, and anyone who would be in contact with the boys. She documented all of the marks, and she checks them at every visit. Here is what I found out about Mongolian Spots...

(by the way, I don't usually even notice their spots. It wasn't until I saw these photos that I went, Hmmm.... who else doesn't know about Mongolian spots?)

What is it?

Mongolian spots (also known as "slate grey patches") are nothing more than dense collections of melanocytes, the skin cells which contain melanin, the normal pigment of the skin. When the melanocytes are close to the surface, they look deep brown. The deeper they are in the skin, the more bluish they look. Either way, they are not related to bruises or any other medical condition. They do not predispose to skin cancer or any other problem.
Who gets it?

At least one Mongolian spot is present on the great majority of babies of Native American, African, Asian, or Hispanic descent. They are also present in about one in ten fair-skinned infants. Despite the name, Mongolian spots have no known anthropologic significance, except for being more common in darker-skinned infants.
What are the symptoms?

These flat birthmarks can be deep brown, slate gray, or blue-black in color. They do sometimes look like bruises. The edges are often, but not always, indistinct. They are most common on the lower back and buttocks, but are often found on the legs, back, sides, and shoulders. They vary from the size of a pinhead to six inches or more across. A child may have one or several.
How long does it last?

Mongolian spots are present at birth, and most of them fade (at least somewhat) by age two. Most have completely disappeared by age five. If Mongolian spots remain at puberty, they are likely to be permanent. Fewer than five percent of children with Mongolian spots still have any by the time they reach adulthood. Those who do tend to be the ones with multiple, widespread spots, or with spots in unusual locations.

from:http://www.drgreene.com/21_1143.html

Wordless Wednesday

Caution: Do Not Drive Faster Than Your Flinstone Feet

I Have No Idea What To Title This Post...

I'm tired.
I'm incredibly tired. (Could be the contraband wine I'm drinking. Tim doesn't drink alcohol anymore so I hide a bottle in the back of the fridge, and when he is at a meeting, I have a glass. Only one ~ ok, only a half. I'm a lightweight.)

Tim is at yet ~ another ~ school board meeting. (Monday night was the Crawdad Festival Meeting. Yep, he's the chairmen of that. Nope, he's not busy.)
The boys are sleeping.
Ashley is camping. With boys. (And chaperones.) In the White Mountains. We've had rain the last 3 days ~ I bet she has had snow. Silly girl didn't pack her heavy jacket. Oh the lessons we learn as teenagers...
The house is blissfully quiet.

Why am I so enjoying this peace? Because:
a. I have three boys. (Did I mention that they are all three and under?)
b. My three boys have loud voices. (OK - only 2 of them are loud, but the 3rd just screams.)
c. Construction has started!

So, the footings have been dug, the stem walls poured, the wall chiseled out. Tim says by August we will be moving furniture and kids around. Does anyone want to start a betting pool on when the addition will actually be finished? I want in!

The addition will add three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a new and improved laundry room, and a family room. Before you get all excited ~ yes, it is cool that we are doing this, but it isn't HUGE! The bedrooms are average sized, and the family room is slightly smaller than my master bedroom. (Although, my master bedroom is pretty big.) I'm mostly excited because by adding a laundry room to the back of the house, I can enlarge my kitchen by knocking down two walls. Yippee! The kitchen phase isn't scheduled for another year or so though. OK - and the state of the economy will play a role in that phase as well. Tim works construction. Off time is good ~ in short spurts. It means he can work on the house, but with all good things there comes a bad. No construction jobs means limited income. You do the math.

I do have construction photos. I'll try to get them posted.
Later though.
I'm going to enjoy this blissfully sinful glass (1/2 glass) of red wine. I know I have a few pieces of dark chocolate around here somewhere...

I Have 2251 New Email Messages

Did you send me an email during the last few weeks?
Did you want a response back?
Hmmm....
I'll see what I can do about that.
Was the message you sent urgent?
Call my cell phone.

Is my blog current?
Why should my emails be current?

Be patient.
I don't have any real legitimate reason.

Spring Fever. That's it.

Fair Week ~ Thursday

Gramps with the Littles. I think we must have been in between shows.

Thursday was the Heifer Show.

This is T. entering the show ring with his heifer. (I don't think he names his cows.) He and Ashley have been competing against each other for a long time. He is the one who gave her the nickname, Little Roth. She still goes by that... They get a little competitive with each other. It is all in good competition though ~ they respect each other's animals.

Coral usually likes to make an entrance. Could be because she spent the last three days in a pen with little kids looking at her. Nice shirt Ashley. Guess we need to buy you a longer one that will stay tucked in.

"Judge, This is your class."

Ashley took Coral, her big, fat cow. She doesn't have her own baby, but she loves her nephew, Whisper. Coral HATES children ~ especially small children in strollers. Coral bent panels last year attempting to attack a child. Why do we still haul this "Big Mama" to the fair? Well, honestly, Ashley LOVES her, and she loves Ashley. Coral does AWESOME in the show ring. Secretly, I think she is too fat, but she is definitely a beauty of a cow.

Can you read her mind?

"When will this be over? I'm hot and tired."

Setting up the cow...

Talking to the judge...

The judge will ask a series of questions to determine the knowledge that the showman has. Ashley has a lot of knowledge about cows.

"Ideally, how old should a heifer be when she delivers her first calf?"

"Why is this heifer so fat, and without a calf at her side?"

Only one of these questions was a legitimate question...the other was rhetorical.

"Come on judge. Is that all you have?"

We also hauled Breezy (Sister) and her bull calf, Whisper, to the fair. Judges love to see that your breeding projects are actually breeding and producing. Breezy and Whisper did so well. Whisper was a little freaked out by the show ring, but seemed to like the people. Breezy, who has done well in previous years in the ring, was a little nervous this year.

Chey brought in Whisper for Ashley.

Ashley took first place for Breeding Showmanship.

Congrats, Ashley!

Fair Week ~ Wednesday

Here is our lovely, Ashley, sitting in the bleachers talking with friends and fellow showmen. I always take pictures of her wearing her show number. I don't know why. I love the look on her face here. She is happy. She also looks a little mischievous.

"I hate being couped up! Let me out!"

This is Henrietta. Isn't she so glossy looking? She is really soft.

The fair was a happenin' place last week ~ week before ~ whenever. Yippee...

Wednesday was kicked off with the poultry show! If you are a "city slicker", that translates into..."carry a chicken/rooster/hen into a show ring and pretend you know what you are doing." OK - that was lame...

Ashley showed one of her hens at the fair this year. She has never, in her nine years of showing, showed a hen. (Actually, this is the first year she has even owned a hen.) When she told me she paid her entry fee for this species my first question was, "How do you show a hen?"
Her reply: "I don't know, but I figure I should do something with them."

Translated Meaning: They should earn their keep. For everything there is a reason...

Hmmm...

I'll let the photos speak for themselves. I don't honestly know what she is doing...

She has a number for each species that she shows. Here she is in the Small Stock Barn getting ready to go show. That is her hen, Matilda, in the cage to her left.

There is just something about watching the kids from behind while they contain (attempt to contain) their animals. The kids have to carry their animals to the bleachers to sit and wait until it is their turn to show. This lovely lady, Clementine, escaped a minimum of three times while we were waiting to get started. The kids quietly joke with each other ~ they are suppose to be watching the other classes, but...when you are a senior and you've shown animals...you tend to lose focus. Since Ashley was showing her hen, Clarice, for the first time, she showed as a novice, therefore she showed last.

Good thing Gramps was around. He had a bottle of water and happily shared his drink with Henrietta. She was a thirsty little hen. She drank four capfuls before she was satisfied.

OK - the truth.

1. Ashley hasn't named ANY of her hens.

2. I name her hens to irritate her. It's a "Mom Thing."

3. She would never name her hens any of the names that I randomly selected here. (Did any of you catch on to the fact that this chicken/hen has multiple names?)

I wonder how long it will take before she reads this post and figures out what I have done. Shhhh....no one tell her.

Thursday Night... Migraine and All

Thursday nights are usually my night off. No cooking, no kid responsibilities, and I can go do whatever. My goal for last night was to go to a sewing class.

I recently found out about a group of ladies who gather on Thursday nights at a local church in town, and I thought I would join them.

Sadly/tragically/unfortunately, I had a killer migraine, and after taking four Advil plus my prescription migraine meds ~ I was wiped out. I went straight to bed.

When I went to check my camera this morning, (meeting a friend for lunch with the kiddos ~ want to be sure camera has an empty card) I found the following images on the card. Ashley must have been busy helping dad. Check out her fun evening. These images are Straight Out Of the Camera...

She also helped cook dinner. I think they had chicken and rice. They did good!

I love my family!

They totally ROCK!