Summer Inside

We have spent way more of this summer indoors than we ever could have thought. Yesterday it was warm and the younger girls were napping so I allowed the older two to watch one of their favorite cartoons:

Word Girl

It was intense

so a snack was requested

and I was low on "snacks", so they got cold pasta

but didn't seem to mind

Raspberry Lemonade

We love lemonade, so Lizzie, Ellie and I decided to make up a batch a month or two ago. It was a lot of fun.

Sera Roll-up

I left the room with a little baby girl lying on a blanket on the floor. I came back to find:

Our Summer Time Activites

Ok, so we actually have done some fun things, like hiking at Latourell Falls with the 4 girls and moving into our "new" home, and of course berry picking. But alas, I did not take too many shots of these events. Instead I ended up with TONS of random pictures, and a few of our summer events.

Let the randomness begin:

Allen...being silly

the girls...being silly

Sera eating a water bottle, which I think qualifies as...being silly

snow cone eating at the Battle Ground Saturday Market

smiles from our sweet Lizzie

Uncle Dan being accosted by the camera man

Auntie Nono cuddling with Gracie after a long day

Ellie, "planking" in her sleep :-) (this one is for Josh Reynolds :-)

"Auntie" Bethany looking pretty together considering she just spent all day "selling" books outside in the hot sun at the Battle Ground Saturday Market

Lizzie is 6!

I can't believe that this tiny little person is now 6! (As of June 22...did I mention I am a bit behind...again).

This year Lizzie chose a Mexican-Luau-wedding party theme. AKA dollar store meets Auntie Nono and Uncle Dan's wedding leftovers (inlcuding wedding cupcakes, yum) and of course a pinata.

Great fun for all and the birthday girl in all her birthday excitement:

WAY behind!

I got a new camera recently, ok, so it was Mother's Day. And well, I have been too intimidated by technology to try to figure out how to upload or download or just plain load them onto the computer. I know... I know... I am married to a tech genius and yet can't put pictures on my own computer. Well a couple weeks ago the computer genius showed me how to do it, but refused to do it for me (something about learning to do it myself since it was my camera). And even after I batted my eye lashes and smiled just so, I was still left with the task of doing this tech job by my lonesome. So today I finally sat down and did it. And guess what, it only took a few minutes! So without further adieu, the last few months :-)

Boys

Yesterday as we were driving to visit some friends we overheard this conversation (Note: the names have been "changed" to protect the unsuspecting "boys"):

Ellie: Lizzie do you like boys?
Lizzie: I don't know...what do you mean?
Ellie: I mean do you like any boys?
Lizzie: I know some boys.
Ellie: I don't like boys...except "boy A" and "boy B" and I know "boy C" so him too I guess.
Lizzie: yeah, they are ok since we know them, so they can be our friends, but no other boys.
Ellie: Yeah.

Happy Father's Day!

Thank you Allen for being such an amazing daddy to our girls.

We love you and are so glad you put up with all the drama and pinkness that goes on in a house FULL of girls :-)

Time Goes By So Much Faster with Four

I am starting to think I need to redo-rename-and renew my blog.

With Four Little ones running around (ok only 3 running, but the 4th is busy with her own needs, so that counts as 4 running...right?)...

Where was I going with this, Oh, yeah, running around.

Yeah I find myself often running around like a crazy person trying to remember why I left the kitchen in a panic headed for a bedroom, but unable to remember what was so urgent because before I reach the room that "needs" me I have been asked 1,000 questions;


none of which did I actually hear because after the words "Mommy I..." I began to pass another room that had the all too busy 2 year old who has apparently been left alone far longer than should be, because she is sitting in the middle of a room covered in shredded wet wipes. She immediately looks up in a moment of guilt, or manipulation (not sure yet) and says, "Sorry, Mama." and then hangs her head just enough to indicate shame, but not so much that she can't also glance up to see my reaction.


Where was I going? Just as I am about to lose my mind, I remember where I was going because the crying that started me in motion has begun again. I quickly silence the questioning, command the 2 yr old to put the wipes away and enter the bedroom of the littlest only to be greeted with a smell that makes me wish I could sit in a room alone quietly shredding wet wipes into microscopic bits trying to see just how small I can make them before they disappear into nothing.

All that to say, sorry for the neglect of this little blog. It has been a bit crazy :-)

UPS modes of Transportation

I have been needing new kitchen knives for sometime. With our recent tax return, we decided that now was the time to replace the ones I have been using and abusing for the past 10 years (yes, I DID put them in the dishwasher over and over again...now I understand why I shouldn't have). Anyway, I researched and finally ordered a complete set of knives in a wood block that both fit our budget and my kitchen needs. I have been anxiously watching the UPS tracking in anticipation of their arrival. But when the big day came and I checked our front porch again and again, only to find snow flakes and silence, my first thought was, "it must be the snow keeping them away. It will be here tomorrow." But the next day, the same thing, an empty and cold front porch. I finally went back to my original form of keeping up on my package and found this:

Shipment Progress

Location	Date	Local Time	ActivityWhat's This?
Portland, OR, United States	02/25/2011	1:16 A.M.	Train derailment.
Hodgkins, IL, United States	02/22/2011	10:24 A.M.	Departure Scan
	02/22/2011	2:54 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Palatine, IL, United States	02/22/2011	2:09 A.M.	Departure Scan
Palatine, IL, United States	02/21/2011	6:34 P.M.	Origin Scan
United States	02/21/2011	6:03 P.M.	Order Processed: Ready for UPS

That's right, my package along with many others is on a train that is no longer on the tracks. Hopefully everyone is ok, and no one was injured, and hopefully my package along with many other peoples' packages will be on their way again soon. Amazing what you can learn from tracking a package :-)