The Big 30

That's right, as of today Thad is old. Even though we are there, and we don't feel old, 30 still sounds old. Weird. We had a big family dinner on Sunday to celebrate. 16 adults and 9 children. Those of you who have been to our house know that it was quite a feet to get all those people in. We've done it before, but we always eat outside. Over 100 degrees though makes that a little uncomfortable. So we banished the kids to a table outside and all the adults got to stay in.

Today, the kids decided that since it was Daddy's real birthday he needed balloons. So we picked some up and took them to work, which as you can imagine, he loved. And since he was in a meeting when we stopped by he had to carry them back to his meeting with him. Even more awesome.

I feel like I kinda failed at making this a big special birthday, but I'm hoping his favorite foods for dinner, and costco cupcakes for dessert will help. We(the children and I) love Thad and are grateful for all he does to provide for and entertain us. I'm sure the kids appreciate that I am able to stay home with them, but the highlight of their day is when Daddy comes home. They get to play rough, and get tickled and tortured till they scream, and they love it. Happy Birthday Honey!

Picture Update!

Thad was able to revive the camera enough to get our pictures off. We can't take pictures with it, but hopefully he's found a place to get it repaired. Anyway, here are some picture from the first two days of our trip and some randomness at home as well.

Here are the children chasing/tormenting Tenille's duck. Aunt Tenille's house might be the coolest place ever because she has all kinds of pets.

They were super excited about bunkbeds in the cabin. Too bad we didn't get to stay in that cabin due to skunk funk. 

Tara & Jacob brought some great blow up toys that we all enjoyed all week long.

Sammy actually slept like this on our drive, and Andi just wanted to be in the picture.

These are from home. The kids are getting better at finding good hiding spots, so Thad has been taking pictured of them in their tight squeezes.

Family Vaca 2011

We just got back from a lovely vacation with Thads family at Lake Siskiyou in N. Cal. All of his siblings, parents, and both sets of grandparents were able to come.24 of us in all. Sadly I have zero pictures. But it's not because we were lazy this time. We took Thads water camera with us and the first day in the water, either one of the seals went bad, or the battery compartment got opened while submerged. Either way it  means the camera is dead. So any pictures we did take are stuck, and we were out of a camera the rest of the week. Boo.
But we had tons of fun without documentation. We started the trek a day early so we could visit Tenille & Matt and see their cute house, and tow their boat to the lake. Once we got to the lake we had a bit of a fiasco getting settled, but once everything was resolved we had a great week. Lot's of swimming in the lake,building sand castles, fishing trips in the boats, walking in the pooky borrest(sam for: spooky forrest), campfires, crafts, and even a talent show. We ate way too much great food, stayed up late every night, and laughed a lot. We saw deer right behind the cabin, and had a nightly visit from a brown bear, which was caught on Billy's trail camera.
I learned some interesting things about my kids this trip. First, on the way up the DVD player wouldn't work. I did not pack any toys in the car because I just thought they'd veg and snack and sleep. So 30 minutes out of town I go to start a movie and panick a little when I realize we had 5.5 hours to go without entertainment. But they were fine. They sang songs, and played with each other and we only had to stop once for the potty. Then at Tenilles they were sharing a bed for the first time ever. I put them down fully expecting it to be a marathon night of putting them back to bed over and over and telling them to stop playing and go to sleep. I was shocked when they went right to bed and stayed there till morning. This new discover opens up a whole new world of travel possibilities with them. We also learned that we should never take them lake fishing again. Andi kept asking if there was a fish on her line about every 10 seconds, and Sammy just kept saying faster because he wanted the boat to get going again. We also found that Andi is insanely afraid of bugs. After a few freak outs that almost tipped the boat I had to hide her under towels so the mosquitoes wouldn't "suck all her blood out" and the dragon flies couldn't get her. Thanks Billy for putting up with them!
All in all it was a great way to end the summer.

Imagination is Overrated

At least I feel like it is at our house. Because imagination makes HUGE messes, or semi-life threatening situations. The kids like to pretend to be puppies. They take turns, one is a puppy the other is the owner. Of course the puppy needs to be walked so they need a collar and leash, which Andi fashioned out of a stretchy headband and ribbons. Ingenious, until it is used as a choke chain and becomes a tripping hazard all at the same time.

Yesterday Andi was the puppy and made it clear to Sammy that she was a thirsty puppy. Instead of grabbing a tea cup or any of the play dishes in Andi's room, he went to his room and grabbed his fireman's hat and filled it with water for a dog water dish. The problem was he promptly dumped it on the bathroom floor. Being a puppy(Andi does not break character) Andi could not tell me what he did, but proceeded to bark at me and wave her hand for me to see what was going on. By the time I got to the bathroom the hat was completely refilled, and almost dumped on the floor again.

So we had a flood. And I know it's just water, and no one has been seriously injured by the collar and chain choking/tripping. But I'm pretty sure one day their imaginations are going to cause some real permanent damage. I'm pretty sure it's already damaged me because I was trying to figure out how to permanently fasten the cushions to the couch so they could no longer be used to build forts and houses. My couch cushions spend more time on the floor than actually on the couch.