5 Little Monkey's Jumpin On The Bed...

One fell off and bumped his head! I have been waiting to use these costumes since last Halloween. They were perfect for us this year. I mean, I feel like a real zookeeper all the time, and they are like wild monkeys.

On Saturday we got dressed up and packed into the van. We made our scheduled stops and the kids did pretty good. I am looking forward to the day when we aren't in car seats anymore. That was a chore to load and unload them about 10 times. They enjoyed it this year. They figured out that people were giving them candy at each stop. So, when we had to collect it from them before we got back into the van, we had five screaming, kicking, flailing monkeys. It was great fun, let tell ya. They wanted to eat all the candy as soon as it was handed to them. Lots of candy had to be thrown away because they chewed it up while it was still in the wrapper. It was a little stressful this year, but worth it.

I am already thinking about our costumes for next year. If you have any good ideas leave me a comment!

Elmo's Potty Time!

Well, we haven't gotten past Veggie Tales yet. I have to say, Veggie Tales is burned into my brain. What is even worse, Rob knows them frontwards and backwards too. That tells you how bad it is for me because he is only here about 20% of the time. So, I see it 5x more than he does. In any random conversation he will insert a phrase from one of the shows. I told him I feel sorry for him because he has all these random weird sayings in his head and busts them out at any given time. It's pretty funny when he does the impressions.

I went on Veggie Tales strike the other day. I told them we weren't going to watch it today and they begged and begged. So, I put in Elmo's Potty Time. They liked it. Hopefully that will plant a seed and maybe we will be able to start potty training soon. Right now they don't get it. Syd is the closest and she still doesn't really get it. That is one battle I will NOT fight. I am not going to stress myself out if they aren't ready. So, I guess we will be in diapers for a while longer.

The Best Gadget I've Found!

Well, I can't say that I'm big into gadgets. I admire them and wish I had an endless supply of money so I could try them all out. When push comes to shove, I can't justify myself spending money on something that I don't technically need.

I have been on a mission for a few weeks now. Ethan has this obsession with light switches. It drives me CRAZY!! He also has an obsession with opening and closing doors, but that is another post I will have to do. Anyway, I was desperate to find something to keep him from messing with the lights. I finally found it!
I ordered 5 of them in case they didn't work. The down side, they cost $6.50. They work great and I have won the Battle!! Now if I could only keep him away from the doors.
You push that little button on the side when you push the switch up or down. It automatically locks. Easy for adults to use, impossible for toddlers!

Savor It!

When I think about it my heart starts to beat faster, my palms start to sweat, I breath quicker breaths and my throat tightens. I think it is a mini panic attack. I can't help it! As positive as I try to be I just don't see anything good with what is coming. Just the thought of winter makes me want to curl into a ball and dream it all away. Can you blame me? I mean, do you want to spend the next 5 months cooped up in the house with five 2 1/2 year old kids? I sure don't!

So, I am doing my very best to see something positive. Right now we are going to savor every moment of nice weather. We will admire God's awesomeness in the trees. We will jump and play in the leaves, dig in the dirt, and ride our toys in the driveway. I love it when the leaves show their true colors. So, I am savoring everything I can. Storing it away in my mind and heart and praying it will be enough to get me through this winter.

In an attempt to enjoy the last days of feeling the sun's warmth shining down on us, we went to the park. I am trying to remember everything they are doing so I can be blown away by how much they change over this winter. They next time we go to this park they will be 3 years old and into a new phase of life. As much as I look forward to their growing, I want to bottle this up and never forget how special they all are.

5 Kids + No Nap =

Exhausted!! That would be the perfect way to describe poor Landon. I was in the kitchen preparing for dinner and when I walked into the living room this is what I saw. Poor guy! He was out like a light. I felt bad for him so I gently leaned him over.

Thank you God, it's Friday!!! Not that it matters much, but daddy will be home tomorrow!!! It has been a rough week. Lots has happened so I'll start with Monday.

We took our first trip to the zoo. I have to say, anyone in the Evansville, area should get a season pass. It is $8.50/person each trip to the zoo. But!! If you get a family pass you can go for free for a year plus get great discounts all around the U.S. It only costs $59 for your entire family! We will be spending a lot of time at the zoo for the next year. Jenna had a crash and burn while we were there. She fell right on her forehead. Now she has this big scab on her head.

After we had seen everything we ate lunch. We went and sat at the entrance and unpacked our lunches. I have never seen so many bees in my life. They were everywhere. They were landing on all of us. Luckily they weren't stinging anyone.

Tuesday morning I was up bright and early to take Jenna to her 9:15am appointment at the feeding clinic in Evansville. When we got home Peyton and Sydney went to grandma's house to spend the night.

Wednesday we stayed home for the day. It has been so yucky and cold outside that I didn't want to get out. I did get a few closets cleaned and organized.

Thursday morning we started out kinda rough. Jenna's head was scabbing over from Monday and she decided to try on a plethora of hats. I was in the kitchen when she walked in with blood all over her forehead. The quarter sized scab was pulled off and sticking in her hair. So, she has this big huge band aid on her head. While I was doing that the other kids were downstairs. When I got down there Peyton and Sydney were completely naked and had peed all over the couch. I was so Mad!!! So, I spanked them, put them in bed for a couple minutes, then put them in time-out. They were pretty upset with the consequences. Right before we were about to leave to go to my moms house Ethan came to me and showed me where Landon bit him. Yes, I said bit!! So, he got his mouth smacked and put in time-out.

Today was pretty rough too. Syd and Peytie stripped down again. They both got the same punishment again. Without a nap today we needed to go to bed early. So, 7:00 rolled around and they were out in about 5 minutes. Thank the Lord!!!

Good Night Moon!

We have a little cardboard book called, "Good Night Moon." This book is loved by everyone in this house. It is the book we read a hundred times a day. They talk about it and apply it to our everyday lives. A few weeks ago they started noticing the moon. They get so excited when they see it. They even spot it in the morning when it's still in the sky.

I love how their minds are starting to work. Occasionally we are out late and when we get home everyone jumps out of the van. They go running into the driveway and search for the moon. As soon as they see it everyone is yelling and shouting, " da Moon!" They are celebrating this silly round thing in the sky. But really, they see the moon for what it was meant to be seen as. It is an amazing part of God's creation.

Peyton, our most wild and adventuresome kiddo is probably the most awe struck by the moon. He loves everything about those few minutes outside celebrating God's awesomeness. After a few seconds he looks at me with excited eyes and says, "I wanna touch it!" He begs and begs to just get one little touch. How sweet and innocent they are. These are the little things I hold onto and never want to forget. I have looked forward to this age for quite some time. The age when they can communicate what is going on in those little heads of theirs. I can't wait for all the funny conversations they have with each other. Times when I can melt into the background and listen. Times like these make the rough times worth it.

Guess Who Did This!!

I was in the kitchen when I heard a real cry from Ethan. I say that because Ethan is always whining and throwing tantrums. I know immediately he was in pain. So, I went into the living room and found Ethan laying on his back on the floor with Peyton sitting beside him. He wouldn't tell me what Peyton did so I stood him up to examine him. I found my cell phone beside him and knew that was the source of the fight. I turned him around and saw a wet teeth ring on the back of his shirt. I lifted up his shirt and was horrified. This is by far the worst bite we have had. So, I reacted pretty strongly. I smacked my sweet Peytie in the mouth, put him in bed for 2 min, then put him in time-out for 2 min. I also gave him a HUGE guilt trip. We talked about how he hurt his bubby and made him cry. We also talked about how we do NOT bite in this house. We also talked about it throughout the evening.

I was so furious when I realized what he had done. I showed daddy and grandma. Each time I showed them I made sure Peytie was right there. When they saw it and asked what happened he would say that he bit Ethan then ,"No biting!" I know he got the picture. I'm glad he got it. Thankfully, we haven't had biting problems. Hopefully it will stay that way.