Toothless

I bought this shirt last year hoping it would fit this year, she, like all the rest of the kids, still wouldn't have teeth at this age, and that I'd be able to manage to get a picture.

Woo Hoo!

It fit, she's just now barely had two bottom teeth peek through AND I managed to get a picture...with a ton of help from Stephen. :-)

Winterhaven Lights

Don't you love the symmetry of this fuzzy night picture? I do, symmetry is good, it makes me happy.

Looking at more Christmas lights makes me happy too.

;-D Pretty clever. :-D

Uh, yeah Lincoln's asleep again. You noticing a pattern? It's because he wakes up WAY too early every morning, is sketchy on taking an afternoon nap, and is chronically exhausted and grumpy.

I think this is the coolest lookin' tree ever! I'm pretty sure that even if I had a cool tree like that there is no way I could talk Stephen into lighting it that way.

This was a favorite. The guy who lives here is an engineer and set his entire house and yard to lights and music as the water fountain danced to the rhythm. 

It was fantastic!

These last 3 posts are completely out of order. Why did I do it that way? I have no idea, it would have been just as easy to do it in the right order. We've had a busy break...I'm ready for school to be back in session. My how my tune has changed; I used to live for breaks from school back in the day when I worked in them and didn't have all the yahoos running a muck at home.

Zoo Lights

The Zoo lets you take pictures with Santa for free with your own camera. I thought it was very nice of them. I do have a confession...We were running really late that night. Stephen didn't get home from working till 5:50, 10 minutes before we were supposed to meet up, and I was going a little crazy...oh ok I admit it A LOT crazy. We were meeting with my brother's family. When we finally got there I found them in the Santa line. I knew if we waited in the back of the line we wouldn't get to have any time with the cousins, soooo we slipped in line with them. I know I hate people like that, but I did get my kids through as fast as I could and didn't insist on the "perfect" picture. I checked for super dirty looks and didn't notice any...it was pretty dark though.

Santa: "Whoa! What a worm!"

Yes, she sure is...no calm sweet cuddly baby girl for us. She's every bit as wild as her brothers.

After the very important business of putting in requests to Santa it was time to play with the cousins. 

Aren't they all so cute!

Catching the Snow

I'm told you only want to catch said snow on your hands, NOT your tongue. :-D Ha Ha Ha It was made with some kind of soap mixture.

Then my battery died in the camera so you'll have to trust me that the lights looked cool and the kids had fun.

My dear old camera humored me for one last picture of the whole gang.

Temple Lights

We had planned on getting up to see the lights before Christmas, but you know how plans go.


Lincoln wanted to see the "fireworks" lights first. It was really crowded around the Nativity scene so it was just a quick look for him. I did think it was great that he was so drawn to the light illuminating the reason we celebrate Christmas.


First order of business: Token Family Picture.
After managing to get this picture with the timer due to breaks in the crowds we decided going after Christmas is how we're going to do it every year. There were people, but it wasn't insane. It made for a much more enjoyable visit.

 This little girl was having NOTHING to do with the stroller and was SO SO SO happy walking around.

Garrett All Night: "Mom take a picture of us here."


Proof I was there. Garrett also requested taking a picture here. Stephen had been the one in the picture, but Lincoln wouldn't let go of my hand to go stand in with everyone else.

We also saw the Zoo Lights here in town this year. When the boys went through the lit archway there I told them to be careful in the "lighted tunnel of death". My nieces thought I'd lost my mind and corrected me saying, "No, it's the tunnel of light." 

While we were walking around the Temple Garrett noticed this archway and yelled,  

"Hey it's the Tunnel of Death!" 

That boy remembers way too much. They enjoyed going through this tunnel also.

In the end we had a "Silent Night" after Lincoln was kind enough to fall sound asleep for us. Garrett wanted one last picture by the Nativity before we left. Here it is in all it's glory.

In addition to the crowds being much lighter after Christmas it gave us an opportunity, after all the presents are opened, to reemphasize Christ's birth is the reason we are celebrating the season.

An added perk was they all fell asleep on the way home. Stephen and I were able to just talk and enjoy each other's company...almost like a hot date. :-)

Garrett: "Mom the aliens keep pulling on my belly button."

Me: "Wow that's pretty crazy."

Garrett: "Yeah it hurts."

Me: "Come here so I can check it."

It looked fine but had a little pink spot that must have been bothering him.

Me: "We can put some alien repellant alcohol on it ok?"

The Next Day...

Garrett: "Mom it worked! No aliens pulled on my belly button last night."


Stephen: "Remember, Mommy cleans ears and belly buttons and Daddy cuddles."


Uh huh.

Day Trip to Bisbee

We took an impromptu day trip down to Bisbee.
(Don't know why it's underlining everything and can't get rid of it.)
Day trips will be the only way we visit until some of the in home help that is needed is accepted. It's harsh and I don't care! She thinks she's stubborn...well let me introduce myself...I'm quieter about my stubborn than I used to be, but I'm going to win this one. I'm hopeful that some of the medical concerns we have may get addressed too. Here's to keeping our fingers crossed. Oh how I wish we were in a place to get into a bigger house with a guest house to move them into. It would make life SO much easier and save a ton of gas and time.


My "favorite" conversation of the day went something like this:

Her: That Lincoln sure has blonde hair.
Me: Yeah, I've had people ask if they all have the same father. We were both there when he was born so we know he's ours.
Her: Well, maybe Stephen needs to find out who you've been cheating with.
Me: *Stunned Silence*

(What I wanted to say: I know you can't even begin to fathom what a healthy, happy marriage between two people fiercely in love with each other might be like but is that really something that should be said to a daughter-in-law?)
Surprising I didn't give her a tongue lashing isn't it? Instead I just put it away with all the other hurtful, mean things that have been said to me. I guess that Stephen has had a mellowing influence on me.

On a different note while driving around showing the boys the finer parts of good ol' Bisbee, we found this...

This is an old empty foundation between two buildings that's been empty for as long as I've been visiting the place. I don't why I thought it was HILARIOUS, but I laughed out loud. I guess maybe because Old Bisbee has always had an "occupy" feel to it, it seemed a little redundant to take over an abandoned building foundation and put signs up. It was my laugh of the day.

I Found Myself Unprepared...

to face the one year anniversary of Lynneah's stay in the NICU.

She was such a miserable little lady!



Her first birthday arrived and I was swept back to the insanity of everything we had packed into that Wednesday. (I still haven't written up anything on her birth :-( I need to get that done.) I was happy we had her on her special day, but just like last year, this year was PACKED with so much to do we didn't really do much.


Over the next few days I relived all the memories of her first few days home. I remembered as clear as if it was yesterday the feelings of KNOWING something was wrong, but what? I, again, lost sleep at night remembering all the times I woke up and found her not breathing. She's been sleeping in her crib in another room for quite a while now, but all of a sudden I felt uneasy about putting her to bed every night.

November 2nd
That morning emotional flood gates flew open as the memories of that day came flooding over me. One year ago we tag team voted in the morning so we could leave the sleeping kids in the van. As the day wore on my mind became more and more consumed with remembering. That night the images of our tiny little baby in the ER were just as vivid as ever. The palpable tension that rose when her oxygen level was only at 80%. The feeling that consumed me (and I'm assuming Stephen, although we've never really talked much about that time) as a hoard of medical professionals filled her examination area pushing us completely out. Her sad little cry because she was so desperately hungry. The crazy long list of tests that had been ordered. Some random Dr assuring us that she wouldn't remember the pain after I expressed concern over the spinal tap. Then being led back in to see the x-ray they had taken. They didn't say anything at first just let us look at it. It wasn't right, I knew that much, but what wasn't right? I didn't see it. They explained she had a diaphragmatic hernia. I'd never heard of such a thing, but knew enough human anatomy to know there was a hole where there wasn't supposed to be one. Hearing, "You won't be going home." All the uncomfortable feelings that came back remembering standing in the NICU hall while the nurses debated our "outside" baby. You would've thought we had a 3 headed alien the way the were talking. Finally they looked me straight in the eye and said, "We don't take "outside" babies. They shouldn't have accepted her. That Dr just didn't think when he said she could come here." What do you say to that??
We just stood there...staring.
My first thought was to apologize for intruding and leave, but my baby was slowly suffocating so I knew I couldn't do that. Finally they managed to put an isolation room together for us. Stephen stayed over night with her. I still wonder how I made myself leave her that night.

November 3rd
Her oxygen was maintaining as long as she kept her mouth closed and breathed through her nose. She'd been in such bad shape for so long that panting through an open mouth was a hard habit for her to break. The surgeon came to meet with us. All of my questions were answered with, "We won't know that till we get in there." Unsettling. There was discussion about anatomical development. She was born before we found it, so none of the in-utero developmental issues that are associated with diaphragmatic hernias ever crossed my mind till that moment. As the sun set that day the memories of her blessing swept over me. Our home teacher had had a very busy day, but was able to come down and help Stephen give her a pre-surgery blessing. I was shocked how strongly all the feelings of terror I had felt a year before came back. That was the first time in my life I'd been scared to death to hear a blessing. To this day I have NO idea what was said...I only know what wasn't said. It was my Dad's birthday. I never got a call off to him.

November 4th
I woke up that morning with the burning image of our baby girl's little bassinet being wheeled, surrounded by 5 nurses and doctors, down one hall while we just stood and watched. I hadn't moved. At some point Stephen wrapped his arm around me and started me down the hall we had to go through. I was wound up pretty tight. The images of her coming back in the room after the surgery, wow, those will forever be with me. Her arms were down at her sides. She NEVER had them anywhere but curled up by her chest. It was odd to see here in such a different position. The anesthesiologist pointed out that her lips were still pretty as ever and that the breathing tube thing hadn't messed them up. That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I could hear our conversation as we checked her out and commented on her arms being down instead of curled up. Then the realization of how proportionally different she was settled on us. All of a sudden it made sense. I hadn't been able to figure out why none of her pants would stay on. She was a robust 8+ pound baby, yet even newborn size fell off. The very moment I looked down and saw the baby "frog belly" that had been missing came back. We hadn't noticed how barrel chested she was and abnormally skinny her abdomen was. We were both surprised. We purposely hadn't looked anything up about diaphragmatic hernias. Since she'd come through the surgery ok Stephen looked it up on his phone. I distinctly remember feeling like he was editing what he shared with me. After about 15 minutes he turned it off, put it down, and said, "We know enough now."

November 5th-11thish
These were long, rough days. She was moved into a pod with 3 other babies. Two of the babies had been born at 25 weeks gestation and the third was born at 27 weeks. Heartbreaking! I sat by her side wishing we were still in the quiet, dark isolation room. She was semi-content during the day time; but, would wail for hours every evening till the sun went down and/or they gave her Lorazapam. I tried to hold her, but it was useless. She wanted to eat and I couldn't do anything about it till she pooped. The lights were always on because the other 3 babies kept crashing and the nurses needed to be able to see what they were doing. She did much better in a darker environment. One nurse made a comment about her crying disturbing the preemies. I was annoyed. I didn't ask to be moved. Each time a new nurse came on and read her profile/history they questioned if we really had taken her home. I hadn't done any real research yet to know the severity of having a diaphragmatic hernia. So, I explained that we had indeed had her at home for 13 days before the weird things going on got so bad that I took her to her Pediatrician right away instead of waiting for the scheduled appointment. It was during one of these conversations with a friendly nurse that I was told, "Well, she belongs here in the NICU. The PICU wouldn't have been a good place for her. They're not used to newborns." My gratitude for hearing that comment hasn't lessened one bit in the last year. Acceptance? Validation? I don't know, but it was good for me to hear. We weren't intruders, she was a newborn, and she needed swift intervention. What an emotion filled week that was while I waited for her to poop so she could eat again. It was so hard sitting there all day while the little ones struggled. I still think about those other babies often. I was really unprepared for the wave of emotion associated with them that came. I listened to one get baptized while I was there. I nearly burst into tears when they asked that his sins be forgiven. SINS?!?! What sin could he possibly have committed in the few hours he had been fighting to live? His parents were so very young. I hope they're doing ok. I don't think there was any way he survived based on the conversations about his lung development. The other 25 week baby had parents in TOTAL denial about his precarious state. The Dad asked if he was breathing on his own. Even after the nurse explained that he was on the highest amount of support a baby can get he still didn't get it. I hope that one survived just because his poor parents wouldn't have seen his passing coming. The 27 week kiddo had esophageal perforations from intubation. (I don't know how to spell that) I was able to listen to his name and blessing given by someone from the local Ward. It was a stark contrast to the first one. I wonder about that little guy all the time too. His mother was mentally compromised and didn't seem to have a good support network. My heart aches for all of them. As we passed the one year on her post surgery week all the raw emotion and worry for her and the other babies came back fiercely. I was reeling but didn't know it.

About the time our Stake BBQ and Arianna's birthday party came around again I began to realize the emotional impact of the "1 year anniversay". While at this year's BBQ I was simultaneously reliving last year's. I'd driven over and met up with Stephen. I got to see the boys for a bit but was close enough to get back to the hospital if she pooped. I felt weird last year. I should've been tending to a bundled up newborn, but I wasn't. I hadn't known what to do with my arms. Sounds funny doesn't it? Then it was time for Arianna's birthday party. Last year all the boys were asked to dress up as Lost Boys. We were sent home just before the party and as I looked at the ragged, tattered group of urchins living in my house I knew achieving a "lost" look wouldn't be a problem. I'm not really very good at mothering or wife-ing, but that little glimpse of what would happen if I was gone was sobering. This year was so different. They looked presentable and Lynneah was doing well not just surviving.

After we'd gotten home with my COMPLETELY unrealistic expectations we did the best we could. She was doing alright, but not what I thought she should be doing. We had lots of visits to the Gastroenterologist, Pulmonologist, Physical Therapist, and Speech Pathologist (eating problems not talking problems). She improved...slowly. Then at 10 months she flourished. It was a huge month for her developmentally. We breathed a huge sigh of relief and enjoyed it the best we could. That's probably part of the reason I never saw the emotional semi-truck coming at me. I figured all was well. I've never really dealt with or sorted through all the emotions of that time. I couldn't. Life doesn't pause its self to allow for emotional exploration.

I'm feeling slightly normalish again.
It's surprising how emotionally spent you can feel just getting through the "anniversary" of an ordeal.

SEE!!!
I told ya she was doing well!

Garrett: "Mom, when I went potty I forgot that I had to pull down my underwear.

Hmmmm, think before you respond to this one mom...


As the song "There's a Bug in My Margarita" ended on the radio and we pulled into the driveway Lincoln enlightened me with "There's a BUG in my sandwich!" while I unbuckled him.



During the Campbell's Soup green bean casserole commercial on TV...

Gabriel: "Ugh! Green Beans. Mom let's not make that." (The horrified tone in his voice was hilarious.)

A Day In The Life Of Lincoln!

That's some genuine concern on that face.

"Mommy, I got something stuck on my boogers."

There were lots of boogers, but the paper clip was actually stuck on the inside of his nose...
It was a blood free extraction...I'm please to say.

Steal and try on the 7 year old's helmet; discover it's pretty close to a fit on his big ol' noggin'.

Do this to Mommy's BRAND NEW DEBIT CARD while she's going potty.

I hadn't even gotten a chance to call the number and activate the card yet.
Moral of the story?
HOLD IT!

Fall asleep during our quick errand before we pick the big boys up, ensuring afternoon naps are completely obliterated and a VERY long afternoon is had by all!

Crash!

"Blue" Shots

You know those moms you'd hear bribe their kids....
"If you ________, I'll give you________.

Yeah, those. I'm one of them...now. I didn't used to be because they "could just behave/get over it/do it/etc..."

I don't bribe for everything mind you, just the stuff I don't want to deal with. I so desperately want to avoid THREE in diapers. Lincoln is currently being bribed with candy every time he pees in the potty and still has dry pants. I'm begging and bribing with a sucker (the holy grail of all candy to him) if he poops in the potty.

I relented to the whole bribing idea in dealing with our Gabriel. He was just fine for shots then one day flipped. He's been out of his mind psycho every since. After the day I learned I was no longer strong enough to hog tie him I started bribing with one item from the 99 (hey there's no cents sign anymore) cents store. It worked pretty well as long as Dad was there to keep him in line.

Today I took all four of them, by myself, for "blue" (flu) shots. First Gabriel convinced his teacher that he was supposed to go to the the after school program even though he knows that's only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So I had to hunt him down at the end of school. Then we got to the doctor's office and THREE of the four were asleep. I wanted to cry, if that many were asleep at home I'd have my tired butt in bed too. I told him to get out and carry Lynneah so I could carry a still sleeping Lincoln. He refused. It took over 15 minutes to get him out of the van. By that time BOTH little kids were crying. Grrrrr! He carried Lynneah to the door then refused to go in it. I was ready to lose my mind and hadn't even gotten in the door yet. He finally, reluctantly, went in when I told him she wanted to play with the toys. He crawled under the little corner table while I did all the check in paperwork. I figured he'd cool down and get a grip. NO SUCH LUCK! They called us back, and all the kids went....EXCEPT the psycho under the table. It took another good 10 minutes to get him pried from under there. He was flinging himself around and throwing a complete tantrum. After he got into the room he hid in the corner behind the examination table. The nurse came in and I could hear him crying AGAIN. Lynneah went first; she's a baby and cried for a minute but settled down quickly. Garrett was next. Dang! We're good at distraction, he didn't cry at all. Lincoln was next. Of course he cried but his "bown bankie" and fruit snacks solved the world's problems for him.

Then...

It was Gabriel's turn. He wouldn't come out. So there I am, obviously pregnant, prying my 7 year old out of the corner. RIDICULOUS!! He started scream/crying. That's the type of crying I'm completely intolerant of. It makes me crazy. I grabbed his arm and started pulling him out. He bit me and kicked me. I wanted to...well that's for me to know... Once I got his big ol' gangly body out of the corner he continued to scratch, bite, kick and claw at me. Just to top it all off he started pulling on my shirt. He's lucky he didn't mess it up because it's one of the solid colored ones I can use for work. It took three of us to hog tie him on the bed and get the shot in. I broke a sweat for a 4 second shot. Oh I was fuming mad.

So, what's a bribing mom to do? The rest got to go to the dollar store and pick something while he watched. Then I bought myself a small blizzard. (Dairy Queen is in the same parking lot.) When he questioned why I got ice cream I reminded him that I had behaved and didn't strangle him while he beat the crud out of me. Then I took the two little boys to Sonic for 1.79 kid's meals and let him watch again. He'll be getting peanut butter and jelly with water for dinner.

What lesson can be learned from this?
*Some kids are bribable, others are NOT.
*Empathy, lots of empathy, for the moms struggling with an out of control kid in public. It's embarrassing and makes you feel like an utter parenting failure. I knew I couldn't back down...especially with him...but really wanted to throw in the towel, crawl in a cave and die.
*More importantly I. WILL. N E V E R. DO. SHOTS. WITH. HIM. AGAIN....E V E R R R R! It will be a Dad job from now on.


These little buggers better not get sick after all this...

I Know It's Obvious...

"Giggles" has been on the way for a while now.

She also happens to be a girl.

The ultrasound showed:

*Clearly defined and intact diaphragm with light grey lung tissue above and darker grey bowel below...just like it's supposed to be. Stomach was in the right place and looked fine.

*Four chambered heart pumping strongly and regularly. This was the clearest I've ever seen all four chambers...pretty cool.

*Head developed well with all the structures that should be there and good measurement around the skull.

*Spine aligned well and inside the skin line.

*Nose, lip and chin with no visible cleft.

*It was very clearly a girl.

*All measurements support the due date I've been given of FEBRUARY 29 aka Leap Day.
This is the first time I've actually wanted to make it all the way to the due date because that would be a cool birthday. As long as it's not on Lincoln's birthday. What kid wants to share a birthday with a sibling?!?

In response to the raised eyebrows.

She happened before, wait, let me be more clear on that
*B E F O R E*
Stephen joined the ranks of the 9.1% of Americans currently unemployed. I'm not a fan of cranking out a baby when we can barely scrape by, but they just keep coming. That whole "well at least we have a job" wasn't much comfort a month later when it became a moot point! The female body was not made to crank out three kids in three years; it just wasn't.

Yes, she will be very close in age to Lynneah. I will have 2 months of a newborn and a 16 month old, not old enough to go to nursery yet, at church.

No, I didn't think, "Hey one baby with health problems, a big kid with reading problems, another big kid that doesn't feel loved, and a 2 year old physcho, is a ton of work let's throw another one in the mix." Like I said they just keep coming. I could've really used a break to recover physically, and emotionally.

How are we feeling about it all? Well, I'm married to a good man that is the epitome of self mastery...he's processing well. I, however, do not have any of the self mastery stuff. I have deeply rooted anger, along with a barrage of other overwhelming emotions, that have been carefully suppressed and wrapped in apathy. I will deal with those later when I actually have the time to face them. When I do unwrap a bit of the apathy and take a peek I see clearly what a total and complete wreck I truly am. We had so many issues thrown at us in such rapid succession we couldn't work through and recover from one before another came hurtling at us. Emotions? They will stay suppressed....

Anger will be the hardest...letting it go means condoning it. I DON'T and WON'T excuse it; IT WAS NOT OK! This anger penetrates the depths of my soul. I'm having the angriest dreams I've ever had. Sometimes there's a face to unleash my wrath on sometimes it's just a restless kind of anger...Either way it's deep and oh so very real.

I have been blessed with a job that helped me develop a great ability to smile and present an "everything is ok" facade. I am happy about that. I'm also happy that I have enough earning power to keep things like that pesky mortgage paid. I can't imagine being in this boat and earning minimum wage...that would stink...and require three times the hours I'm putting in now. I miss my Fridays off and working a reasonable number of hours per week. The list of things going by the wayside is extensive because I'm just flat out too tired to care.

They say you won't be given more than you can bear...I have serious doubts about that.

What a bum deal little Giggles is getting!!

Ever Had One of Those Days....

When things just didn't seem to turn out the way you'd expected?


It's a long drop to the other side of that tub. ;-)

Desert Heater

After a fun filled afternoon of drowning bugs and "watering" mom's plants, what's a boy to do?

Strip as close to naked as possible and enjoy the radiating warmth of the pavers. Such a little problem solver...

You can tell it's "Fall" around here because contact with said pavers can be made without 3rd degree burns...

He was shivering like crazy, had bluish lips, and asking to play longer the whole time I was getting his clothes off.

Oh Garrett What Can I Say...

While reviewing for Garrett's KINDERGARTEN test...


(Pointing to 'S') Me: "Say a word that begins with this letter."

Garrett: "SSSSSSEX!"

(Freaking out in my mind) Me: "What word? Say it again." (Thinking he might be trying to say sIx)

Garrett: "SSSSSEX!"

(Still freaking out) Me: "What is that?"

Garrett: "I dunno. Sock! yeah sock!"

Yeah that's better...


OH MY HEAVENS PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT FOR THE REAL TEST! Can you imagine what kind of family they'll think he comes from if that's the word he says?!?

Leapin' Lizards!

The boys found this little gem in the yard. It was so tiny! It's one of the cool kind of lizards with the blue tail that wags. His tail hadn't turned blue yet, but he had developed the distinctive curl at the end.

*Notice Stephen and Garrett look like "Me and Mini-Me" even from the back.*
You could barely find the little guy on the pavers.

Then he JUMPED!!

This is how Lincoln felt about it jumping. We instantly busted up laughing...because we're awesome parents like that.

After recovering from the trauma of being attacked by 1 1/2" lizard it was time to hold it.

Linkers turn.

Gabriel's turn.

Garrett's turn.

Not wanting to miss out on any of the action Lynneah crawled right across the gravel like there was nothin' to it. You would've thought she was on some nice soft grass. Don't be fooled by the sweet bow on her head. This is one tough cookie!! She's got an opinion and some serious determination to get what she wants...should be pretty fun to raise.
;-)
When she got to us she just looked up and waited to get picked up....crazy.

My What a Pretty Girl You Have...

Oh...Wait...That's our BOY.

Antics like this is part of the reason children survive past the age of 2.

He was so proud of himself for getting this thing on his head.

He's Got a Loose Screw!

Or maybe 2...

I have long held that women are entitled to a daily shower. I know, I know just get up and take one before they're up...except I have a couple non-sleepers that are regularly up before 5. I don't want to be showering at 3 am so I can beat them.

I had Lynneah strapped in the swing with a bottle, Lincoln was settled with his blanket, sippy cup and Mickey Mouse, and thought I'll just jump in real quick. I left the bathroom door open so I could see what was going on through the clear shower curtain. I'm a genius and didn't take into account that water spots on a clear curtain make it so you can't see through it.

I got out to Lincoln's nearly silent handy work. He dumped Stephen's entire box out so he could fill his film canister with screws. That's some scary choking hazards all over the floor. He kept saying something about helping Daddy. Stephen had just rebuilt the 30 year old cabinet that exploded off the wall in the kitchen. Lincoln and Lynneah were both SUPER helpful while Stephen was putting it back together. Wish I had a video of it...

Moral of the Story?
Just go to work stinky because apparently women are NOT entitled to a disaster free daily shower.

It's Definitely From Stephen's Side...

Yesterday was busy...all day long. We had kids and grown-ups going in all different directions.

Around 2:30ish we were all home again. Stephen came out and said Garrett had been put to bed in our room (fell asleep in less than 5 minutes), Gabriel was going to draw Angry Birds (his new passion) in his room, Lynneah was asleep, and Lincoln was going to the store with him. Sounded like a good plan to me.

A little while later I got a text telling me Lincoln was playing mosquito and trying to drink Stephen's blood from a scratch on his hand.

That is just disgusting!!

A while after that I got a picture of a squished mosquito.

Apparently this is what a mosquito’s face looks like after you squish it.


Like I said definitely from Stephen’s side!