We just finished watching the VidAngel version of Notting Hill (completely edited). Q-dawg and I were excited to watch it again without all the swearing, etc. but either our tastes have changed drastically or the swearing took out all the funny parts...hmmmm. The older kids gathered round, excited to watch this "hilarious" film that their parents had enjoyed so much. Unfortunately, editing doesn't get rid of really lame and immoral story lines. Sigh. Another old favorite down the drain!
"You guys must not have watched very many funny movies," said the Goob after we finished it.
"It was funny...kind of." Lek was just being kind.
Oh well!
******************
Avot has officially posted up a board with all the guesses she has received on facebook of where she is going on her mission and it is colorful! She officially finished her last day of work last Friday and is now working on her online college classes at BYU-I while she waits for her mission call. She has a bunch of projects she has wanted to work on and I am frankly excited to have her home in the evenings again!
We are hopefully going to get going on a more regular walking/exercise schedule with the rest of the family, since our twice-three times a week basketball games aren't quite enough for me. I have been having back pains quite a bit lately and have turned to exercise and yoga to try and relieve the discomfort.
Holding a big fat baby probably doesn't help :). Zsa-man is getting heavier and heavier. He loves solids, is moving his way around more and more, and has the most adorable lean into a person to draw them closer with his "death-star tractor beam" gaze. His favorite trick is to catch a person with his gaze and not let go. Many of the kids will be "stuck" in a room with Zsa-man looking at them.
But not Spooner. Zsa-man thinks it is hilarious to whack Spooner. In Spooner's three year old world, that is not okay. Sigh. Hopefully they will work that out. On second thought, I won't count on it. Lek and the Goob do it regularly, as though it is part of their "manly mantra." Someone told me that men (and boys) like to begin and end their day in combat or doing something manly. Spooner definitely wakes up with a war cry!
******************
Chugger-dude and I went on a hot date today: to the grocery store. You know, back in the day, that was one of my favorite things to do with my mom and Chugger-dude seemed to have a great time. I tried to plan out all the meals for a month and the ingredients (except for perishables) and two shopping carts and $500 later we were set!
Up and down the aisles, balancing groceries, blocking other customers, we loaded up all the goods...and then approached the check-stand. "We are the people that no one wants to be behind in the checkout line," I told Chugger-dude. About half-way through unloading, as we started into Chugger-dude's cart, a man showed up behind us. He had one gallon of milk.
"Ummm...if I hadn't already started..." I began to apologize.
"Oh, that's no problem," he smiled. I think he was waiting to see how we balanced it all out of the store, considering we shop at the place where you bag your own groceries. Fortunately we had a checker who actually thought about where she put the items in the cart so I didn't have to do any emergency search and rescue for tomatoes or bread put into the bottom of the cart as at other times!
We had stock-piled some boxes around the store to use for quick-packing so we were able to gather all our cereal boxes and bread into boxes that we perched precariously on top of our mounded carts as we headed for the parking lot. As Chugger-dude started to zoom ahead, Q-dawg style, (you know, where you zoom the cart and then jump on to coast along?) I had to put a stop to it with visions of scattered groceries all over the parking lot.
The good news? Juice again! My kids love when I come home from grocery trips!
*************************
Liliputian and I had a great date just walking to the library and back. We talked about friends, parties and growing up while Papaya and Spooner traipsed along beside us. The temperature was dropping pretty fast but that didn't seem to phase them. I finally had them jump into the stroller we were sloshing around in the snow so that we could pick up the pace and make it to the library before it closed.
Liliputian has a .04 fine. Yes, that is four cents. We haven't paid it yet. Hopefully it doesn't accrue interest but knowing libraries it just might.
Spooner made a beeline for the toys in the kids' section while Papaya and I sorted out a few movies to watch over the weekend while I ran errands and went on dates. The way home was quiet as Papaya thumbed through a Disney picture book, occasionally pointing out all the "immodest" pictures and Spooner clutched the coveted movies in his hands until they were too cold and he reluctantly gave it up. Liliputian is adorable to watch with her little siblings. Her Aunt Jackie calls her "The Baby Whisperer" for good cause!
******************
Best date of the week? Ice cream with the Zackie's and Q-dawg for his birthday. The good man has had another great day and it was a wonderful way to finish up his birth-week with people we love! We enjoyed his actual birthday celebrating with his parents in Pennsylvania, touring the amazing new Priesthood Restoration Site in Susquehanhah, Pennsylvania. There is such a sweet spirit there and we were blessed to be led on the tour by a couple of amazing missionaries--his parents!
The kids enjoyed the Susquehannah River, getting nice and muddy. Hava confirmed that it was warm enough that she wanted to get baptized there in October. We shall see. I loved the yummy food, the hugs, hearing Mom and Dad share the stories and their testimonies and laughing together. The four-five hour drive there and back actually wasn't so bad as well, which was nice since part of our "celebration" of Q-dawg's birthday was trapping him in the van with the 11 of us! For over five hours! Lucky guy.
Lek did some amazing climbing of a vine, the Goob kept us laughing...actually, it was great fun to see Lek, the Goob, Avot and Liliputian all laughing with their dad in the front seat most of the way down. One of the keys to driving happiness has been for me to sit on the back bench wedged in between Papaya, Zsa-man and Spooner. No one else has as much vested interest in family peace with the incentive to do pretty much anything to make them happy back there. I sang songs, told stories and snuggled...as much as you can do in car seats!
I am reading aloud "The Lonesome Gods" and we almost finished up the book on that trip. (That's how I do it, Marni...trap my kids in a car and read to them as we drive around, mwa-ha-ha-ha! Fortunately my kids love to drive and I don't so it is win-win.) I also read a section about the Civil War, particularly Gettysburg, from the "History of US" series. Amazing book! Felt like I was there with her amazing storytelling ability and all the first hand accounts the author uses.
The kids were great. I told them I was swearing off of trips if they didn't help more and they did! I hardly lifted a finger more than any of them as we all worked together to get loaded up, drove down, unloaded, took care of our stuff and the little ones while on vacation, loading up and coming home. Pipalicious and Chugger-dude would come running up to me and say, "Mom! Is there anything I can do to help?" It sure makes looking ahead to plan more trips more reasonable. Avot's trip to the Smithsonian may just work out after all! We will plan that after she gets her mission call! (Feel free to guess where she will go in the comments below!)
Good memories. Good week. Good husband. Good kids. Looking forward to bed now, although I do miss sleeping in a bed after staying at Q-dawg's parent's place, sigh :). I am sure the pads on the ground are good for my back and it is fun to be in the room with the four littles (Pipalicious to Spooner), but it was nice to be in a bed for a while. Never a dull moment :).
"You guys must not have watched very many funny movies," said the Goob after we finished it.
"It was funny...kind of." Lek was just being kind.
Oh well!
******************
Avot has officially posted up a board with all the guesses she has received on facebook of where she is going on her mission and it is colorful! She officially finished her last day of work last Friday and is now working on her online college classes at BYU-I while she waits for her mission call. She has a bunch of projects she has wanted to work on and I am frankly excited to have her home in the evenings again!
We are hopefully going to get going on a more regular walking/exercise schedule with the rest of the family, since our twice-three times a week basketball games aren't quite enough for me. I have been having back pains quite a bit lately and have turned to exercise and yoga to try and relieve the discomfort.
Holding a big fat baby probably doesn't help :). Zsa-man is getting heavier and heavier. He loves solids, is moving his way around more and more, and has the most adorable lean into a person to draw them closer with his "death-star tractor beam" gaze. His favorite trick is to catch a person with his gaze and not let go. Many of the kids will be "stuck" in a room with Zsa-man looking at them.
But not Spooner. Zsa-man thinks it is hilarious to whack Spooner. In Spooner's three year old world, that is not okay. Sigh. Hopefully they will work that out. On second thought, I won't count on it. Lek and the Goob do it regularly, as though it is part of their "manly mantra." Someone told me that men (and boys) like to begin and end their day in combat or doing something manly. Spooner definitely wakes up with a war cry!
******************
Chugger-dude and I went on a hot date today: to the grocery store. You know, back in the day, that was one of my favorite things to do with my mom and Chugger-dude seemed to have a great time. I tried to plan out all the meals for a month and the ingredients (except for perishables) and two shopping carts and $500 later we were set!
Up and down the aisles, balancing groceries, blocking other customers, we loaded up all the goods...and then approached the check-stand. "We are the people that no one wants to be behind in the checkout line," I told Chugger-dude. About half-way through unloading, as we started into Chugger-dude's cart, a man showed up behind us. He had one gallon of milk.
"Ummm...if I hadn't already started..." I began to apologize.
"Oh, that's no problem," he smiled. I think he was waiting to see how we balanced it all out of the store, considering we shop at the place where you bag your own groceries. Fortunately we had a checker who actually thought about where she put the items in the cart so I didn't have to do any emergency search and rescue for tomatoes or bread put into the bottom of the cart as at other times!
We had stock-piled some boxes around the store to use for quick-packing so we were able to gather all our cereal boxes and bread into boxes that we perched precariously on top of our mounded carts as we headed for the parking lot. As Chugger-dude started to zoom ahead, Q-dawg style, (you know, where you zoom the cart and then jump on to coast along?) I had to put a stop to it with visions of scattered groceries all over the parking lot.
The good news? Juice again! My kids love when I come home from grocery trips!
*************************
Liliputian and I had a great date just walking to the library and back. We talked about friends, parties and growing up while Papaya and Spooner traipsed along beside us. The temperature was dropping pretty fast but that didn't seem to phase them. I finally had them jump into the stroller we were sloshing around in the snow so that we could pick up the pace and make it to the library before it closed.
Liliputian has a .04 fine. Yes, that is four cents. We haven't paid it yet. Hopefully it doesn't accrue interest but knowing libraries it just might.
Spooner made a beeline for the toys in the kids' section while Papaya and I sorted out a few movies to watch over the weekend while I ran errands and went on dates. The way home was quiet as Papaya thumbed through a Disney picture book, occasionally pointing out all the "immodest" pictures and Spooner clutched the coveted movies in his hands until they were too cold and he reluctantly gave it up. Liliputian is adorable to watch with her little siblings. Her Aunt Jackie calls her "The Baby Whisperer" for good cause!
******************
Best date of the week? Ice cream with the Zackie's and Q-dawg for his birthday. The good man has had another great day and it was a wonderful way to finish up his birth-week with people we love! We enjoyed his actual birthday celebrating with his parents in Pennsylvania, touring the amazing new Priesthood Restoration Site in Susquehanhah, Pennsylvania. There is such a sweet spirit there and we were blessed to be led on the tour by a couple of amazing missionaries--his parents!
The kids enjoyed the Susquehannah River, getting nice and muddy. Hava confirmed that it was warm enough that she wanted to get baptized there in October. We shall see. I loved the yummy food, the hugs, hearing Mom and Dad share the stories and their testimonies and laughing together. The four-five hour drive there and back actually wasn't so bad as well, which was nice since part of our "celebration" of Q-dawg's birthday was trapping him in the van with the 11 of us! For over five hours! Lucky guy.
Lek did some amazing climbing of a vine, the Goob kept us laughing...actually, it was great fun to see Lek, the Goob, Avot and Liliputian all laughing with their dad in the front seat most of the way down. One of the keys to driving happiness has been for me to sit on the back bench wedged in between Papaya, Zsa-man and Spooner. No one else has as much vested interest in family peace with the incentive to do pretty much anything to make them happy back there. I sang songs, told stories and snuggled...as much as you can do in car seats!
I am reading aloud "The Lonesome Gods" and we almost finished up the book on that trip. (That's how I do it, Marni...trap my kids in a car and read to them as we drive around, mwa-ha-ha-ha! Fortunately my kids love to drive and I don't so it is win-win.) I also read a section about the Civil War, particularly Gettysburg, from the "History of US" series. Amazing book! Felt like I was there with her amazing storytelling ability and all the first hand accounts the author uses.
The kids were great. I told them I was swearing off of trips if they didn't help more and they did! I hardly lifted a finger more than any of them as we all worked together to get loaded up, drove down, unloaded, took care of our stuff and the little ones while on vacation, loading up and coming home. Pipalicious and Chugger-dude would come running up to me and say, "Mom! Is there anything I can do to help?" It sure makes looking ahead to plan more trips more reasonable. Avot's trip to the Smithsonian may just work out after all! We will plan that after she gets her mission call! (Feel free to guess where she will go in the comments below!)
Good memories. Good week. Good husband. Good kids. Looking forward to bed now, although I do miss sleeping in a bed after staying at Q-dawg's parent's place, sigh :). I am sure the pads on the ground are good for my back and it is fun to be in the room with the four littles (Pipalicious to Spooner), but it was nice to be in a bed for a while. Never a dull moment :).
