Family Movie Night

After my Women's Conference, I came home early enough to declare a family movie night.  The kids were excited. 

We popped some popcorn...

...pulled out some treats...

...and settled in.  

Other than being surprised by a few swear words (it was an old movie that I had watched on tv growing up - back when they edited out or dubbed over swear words), we had a good evening.  

Then it was off to bed time.  My favorite time of the day.

I took a picture of my bed.  Because with this many boys, with their perpetually dirty feet and sticky hands, I know that my bedspread will never look as clean as it does now.

We made it through a very busy weekend and it feels so good.

Sibling Visit and Celebrating James' Birthday

We had a sibling visit for my oldest the other day.  

Two of his siblings are off the radar or out of the area.  It feels kind of strange not to have the whole set together for a visit.  But we had a nice time with who was available.

And he got presents!  He loves gifts!

My bird eater.  Who is not a bird eater when french toast, eggs, and bacon are involved. 

Yes, he did order a side of bacon to go with his meal.  Which already came with four pieces of bacon.  

And here is my other bird eater.  Who woke me up very early in the morning by jumping on my bed and asking me when we were going to IHOP.  

And then, once we got to IHOP, he ordered two meals.  Because I don't make him Kraft mac and cheese at home.  (Out of Love.  Because what is up with powdered orange cheese that has a thousand ingredients that you can't pronounce?)  And he was in the mood for a cheeseburger.  

It was like watching that "What About Bob?" scene where the guy is going crazy over how good the mashed potatoes are.    

This kid had a giant omelette with sausage and bacon.  Enjoy your heart health boys.

As for the baby, he had a rooty jr.  And by had, I mean that I ordered it for him, and then he proceeded to chuck his scrambled eggs and napkin across the table, smash his bananas and cream all over, and toss his chocolate milk to the ground.  He was a delight...

*****

After that, the kids got Yougurtland.  Because who doesn't pound a two thousand calorie breakfast and then want a thousand calorie frozen yogurt right after?

*****

Then we headed home for some chill time.

Here is James, practicing for his future career as a male model.

This is a great action shot of C jumping in the pool.

James found a lizard stuck in the pool system.  His sister C saved it.  Then the boys took turns holding it before putting it on a warm rock to dry out.

This house keeps showing surprises.  I noticed this little plant blooming.  So colorful...

While this little cutie was wretched at the restaurant, he was perfectly amiable at home.  Maybe he just doesn't like eating out?

And James is officially taller than his oldest sister, C.  She is four years older than him.  

After our guests left, Baby took control of the Yogurtland. 

And finished it.  I love his little boy lost look when it was done.

All in all, I think it was a good visit for James and his sister.  And we were happy to go along for the bonding.

Videos

Well...Spencer took a chunk out of his knee.  He was racing to the stairs, the mat slipped under him, he fell toward the stair rail, then collapsed to the ground in a scream of pain.  Broke the stair rail.  And bloodied his knee.

After a few minutes and a measurement with a ruler, the gash was about 1 inch across - there was no way I was measuring the depth of the wound - but they say if it is 1/4 inch deep or it is on a bendable part of the body or has jagged edges that stitches might be necessary.  I looked it up in my book.  That I always reference.  Because I am a book nerd.  

So I had the thirteen year old carry him to the car and off we went.  

Riley came with us and James stayed with the baby, who was asleep.  

Well, Husband met us at the hospital and took over so I could take Riley home.  

Two points:  

First, when the nurse found out that Husband was staying she made sure he wasn't a fainter.  

My husband?  Uh no.  Definitely not.  

He is missing some sort of compassion gene or something.  And I think you would need that to feel someone else's pain.  He has fervently promised me, however, that he will try to cry at my funeral if I predecease him.  (And yes, I am aware of how odd our senses of humor are...) 

Anyway, I assured her that husband was not a fainter.

Me, watching blood poor out of my baby?  A good possibility.

The other nurse thought Spencer might only need some glue so I left Spencer in capable hands and ushered a feisty Riley out to the car.  

Which brings us to point number two:

Riley wanted to stay and watch his brother get stitches.  

I practically had to throw him over my shoulder and take him out of that hospital.  I urged him on at every turn, every step.  

And then he wouldn't put on his seat belt.  And I refuse to drive unless the children are safely buckled.  So I promised that if he put his seatbelt on and was good the whole way home (ten minutes) I would find a youtube video and let him watch someone get stitches (all while I was wondering why anyone would post video of someone getting stitches).

Well that did it.  He put on his seat belt and sat quietly.

Which explains the picture above.

Yes.  The boys watched several (!) videos of people getting stitches on youtube.  

I think it is within the realm of possibility that someone is going to have nightmares tonight.

But they didn't seem woozy or anything when they were watching.  Just really fascinated.  Is it too much to dream that one of them might become a doctor?  One would have great bed side manner and no interest in memorizing facts, the other would use his brilliant mind to dominate a field but pretty much make every patient cry.  So...

Moving on.

When the nurse handed Spencer the pain chart with the faces, I could not look him in the eye.  He knows the Brian Regan sketch by heart and I couldn't have him bust out laughing when the nurse is trying to ascertain his needs.  Spencer finally settled on 4ish.  But I could see his eyes dance at the 8-10 range.   

Oh my.  

Well, this is life with boys.

Friends

Our friends (they feel more like family) are moving this week.  To Northern California.

Riley decided that they should just get a job down here so they can stay close.  I tried to explain that it doesn't just work like that but he was adamant.  And when Riley has decided something...well...pick your battles and all.  I decided to let this one go.  But it doesn't change the reality.  

Thank goodness they plan to make many trips down here.

I'm not ready to say goodbye.  Which is why it is good that we plan to see them tomorrow...and the next day...

Family Night Treat

We do a family night every week.

Except when we are in the process of moving.  

But we are back on track.  

One of the boys' favorite parts about family night is the treat they get.  

I'm sorry, did you say I had something on my face?

I don't feel anything on my face...

Oh well.  If there is something on my face, that just means more treat for me to enjoy later...

Living the Life of Comfort

Found a cushy spot?

Growing Pains...For Me

I would love to know the name of the person who gave my first-born permission to grow up.  

What happened to my baby?!

Where Are We?

Well...we've hit the mid-stage.  

The living room is still in boxes as we try to figure out how to do the bookshelves we want.  

Neither of our two favorite paintings would fit in the prime spot over the mantle so we had to leave that area blank for now.  

We've hung a few pictures and we are getting ready to have the stovetop replaced this week.  (The old one was broken before we moved in.) 

Here are some of the pictures that have found a home.  Probably.  I maintain the right to move them around.

Husband got his first lawnmower and can't wait (I'm sure!) to try it out this week.  He and Spencer are also learning how to take care of the pool chemicals.  

We still have to hang curtains and the bathroom door is on order so...hopefully that comes very soon.

Still can't get the home phone to work (I know!  We are so old-fashioned!).  But we did get internet up so that's a plus.

That's about where we are.  It feels like we are just getting our feet under us.

More House Stories

The boys built a side table for the small bunk bed room.

It turned out well. 

*****

Two of the shelving units fell apart in the move.  They were old and inexpensive and we knew they might not make it.  Well they didn't.  Husband may scavenge the still usable shelves and doors for another project (and toss the bones) but in the meantime I needed a shelf for the two boys in the blue room.  

I checked online, in stores, and at the home consignment center.  

I usually don't go to consignment centers but when we first moved down here a decade ago, a friend told me about this place.  It is the most unusual store.  There are barely pathways to walk through (I have no idea how they don't have fire code violations) and they have the most eclectic furniture from all the high end houses in the area that like to change around their furniture more often than normal.  It is the place where I found my beloved roll top desk (for only $300!) and a few other cherished items.  The place is often hopping with people making deals (yes, you can haggle there!) and the inventory changes constantly so if you don't find what you are looking for, you can check again tomorrow.  

This can be a dangerous place to visit because you will always find a thousand things that would be really awesome to take home.

However I needed a shelf. 

The two younger boys and I wandered the barely passable walkways, measuring and taking pictures of things that we liked.  (I put Riley in charge of the pictures and ended up with a lot more pictures  of green furniture and accessories than I would have otherwise taken...)

I found one shelf that I liked.  But I wasn't sure that I couldn't find anything better.  So we took a picture and left.  Well, I looked high and low for something as simple and elegant as the shelf we found.  And for a decent price.  To no avail.  

So I asked Husband to pick it up for me.  He did.  And he got $20 knocked off the price.  What a guy! 

 

Isn't it beautiful?

*****

Remember this bed?  So neat and pretty.

Well James was told that if he had a bigger bed, he would have to make it every day.  (Bunk bed beds are so hard to make, especially on a top bunk...so I usually don't put up much of a fuss about bunk bed neatness...just give me some effort and make it look passable.)  But this bed was not a bunk bed and not hard to make.  So James was warned (and he agreed) to step up his game.  

This is the picture of his second attempt to make his bed.  The first one was so pitiful that I swore I would take a picture and shame him on the internet if he didn't give it a real effort.  The bed cover was diagonal for goodness sake!

This is a little better...  

But I think we are going to engage in some bed making lessons this week. 

In other big bed news, Ev has decided that the big bed is his.  

The baby has claimed it.  He has jumped on it, rubbed his face on the pillows, taken his blankie and put it under the covers.  He even climbs up, gets under the covers, and pats the seat next to him, inviting you to come to his bed for a short cuddle visit.  The audacity of that child is astounding sometimes.  

James is taking it in stride but I wonder how long that will go on....

*****

We still have some major projects in the house to do, like open up the small pantry, and build bookshelves in the library so we can unpack the last forty-six boxes (all books) and put together a living room furniture set.  ( I foresee another trip to the consignment center when that times comes....) 

But for now, the house is slowly, but surely coming together.

First Day of School...Again

Well, the boys started their new schools today.

I was very nervous for two of them.  And not for one.

The oldest has moved a lot and lives on charm, so he will be fine.  All he has to do is flash his baby blues and give a seemingly modest laugh and people flock to him.  I find it very weird.

This is also a blessing and a curse.  He has an easy time of it socially...but I think it is hard for him to know how much work should go into friendship with give and take and he probably has a hard time knowing who his true friends are and will be.   But...for cases such as these, like moving to a new place, he is just fine.

The second oldest is very bright and quirky.  Which is great.  He is outgoing in general but was pretty shy when I dropped him off this morning.  And sometimes his brilliance can be off putting to other children.  So I was nervous.

The third in line can be downright odd.  Feisty and aggressive when he is nervous or anxious, he has a hard time relating to other children.  He is very bright as well but often uses that cleverness to try to get around rules rather than work in the system which can be exhausting for teachers.  He would make a good rogue spy or dictator of a small country...which are not necessarily great traits when you have moved to a new area and want to make friends.  So I was nervous for him as well.  I gave his teacher a heads up on his behavior challenges and I left.

After school, I picked up Riley and he was beaming.  He had made some friends.  I nearly fell over with joy.  His teacher said that he had a great day and had no trouble but that she would be prepared if he did and it would be okay.  I almost cried.  He even introduced me to two of his new friends and they acknowledged him.  That doesn't always happen for him.

Spencer also had a great day.  He made several new friends and some of their parents came over to introduce themselves and welcome us.  What?!

We've had a lot of that here.  Lots of welcoming.  Our neighbors are friendly.  The people at church are friendly.  The school people are friendly.  So far, so good.  

And then I picked up the oldest.  He was limping a little as he was stung by a bee last night on his toe (ouch!) but otherwise had a great day and made lots and lots of friends.

So...first day went better than I hoped.  Let's see where we settle in and what the boys settle into socially and academically.  But for now, yay!

Photography Project

Riley worked on a photography project for a scout thing.

I think he took some really interesting shots...

This basketball is supposed to be like this.  They put it lower and keep it there so Baby can reach it.  The boys are very good big brothers. 

This is the pool system that has been playing a game of chess with me all week.   

I love this shot...

This poor flower bush has been attacked repeatedly by the boys in the sword fights...

This is the pool vacuum that is in collusion with the pipe system.  They hate me.  

And no, that is not a ghost in the background.  That is me.  Extremely frustrated that I couldn't get the printer to print, even though it had just printed a minute before.  Techonology...a blessing and a curse.  I figured it out just after this shot was taken. 

But I love Riley's expression.  What a character.