Decorating the Tree

Yep, I 'm behind again.

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. We celebrated with Karl's family and had a great week together. Jackie Wildgen, my dear friend and a grandma to the kids, had us over for dinner. Too bad I had to work that weekend! Maybe I will have Christmas posted by Easter!

Ho Ho Ho

I am so blessed to have Santa Claus living with me. He looks suspiciously like the Joseph from my Nativity set and sounds like Anthony. His sled is an upside down stool and his pack is a paper bag with handles. Still, he gave all the presents to me!

Shake Weight?

And He shall reign forever and ever.

Granny Henshaw

Happy Halloween

Yes I am a bit late since Thanksgiving weekend is upon us. I don't know what I have done in the last 3 weeks. I have been laid up recovering from my ankle surgery, but that should have left plenty of time for blogging. But anyway, here are some pictures from our 3 day Halloween bonanza.

On Friday night we attended the Halloween carnival at St. Matthew's school. Saturday night found us at the Saadi haunted mansion. Our friends, the Saadi's, are nuts about Halloween. One example of their creativity and fun is the coffin coffee table you see in the collage. Sunday night was Halloween proper. I went to work and Karl took the kids to a party at the home of one of Brendan's classmates. They went trick or treating as a group. They had so much candy that when they weren't looking, Karl dumped most of it back into the bowl. They never noticed. Stay tuned for what we've been doing in November.

I Can Do It Myself

Anthony got everything out for his cereal. Then spooned the cereal into the bowl, a slow but tidy process. All I did was pour the milk. He was so proud of himself.

Rita and the Rats

That's my girl! I had pet rats growing up and now look at my girl playing with Molly and Collette. No squeamish screaming here!

Chariot Races 2010

This activity is always a blast. The older the boys get, the wilder the races! This year, no one was allowed to sit on the front row in case the "horses" lost control of the "chariot". One chariot crossed the finish line on its side, driver hanging on for dear life!

Bushels of Fun

I am a little behind since I had ankle surgery on the 2nd of November. Thankfully I am on the mend and can even wear a shoe again! Of course it's just one shoe and a tennis shoe, but it's better than the lovely walking boot.
Here is some fun we had in the leaves at the end of October. Chad, as always, was right in the middle of things. He and Anthony carried that stick around for the better part of an hour. Then Chad kept finding the kids after I buried them in the leaves. Anthony vacillates between loving the dog and tormenting him. One morning he shared his blankie with Chad and they laid on the floor together.

Too Much Merry Christmas

For Your Amusement

Change

Change

Flag Football

Tuesday and Thursday evenings in October were spent at the county athletic fields for Parks & Rec Flag Football. Brendan was on the "Broncos" team with a few of his St. Matt's classmates, some former St. Matt's schoolers and his "other brother from another mother", Reece Donahue. We had very enthusiastic coaches, Pat and Bob. It showed in the skill improvement of the boys over the weeks. Brendan loved it and can't wait for the next sport to begin!

Slip Sliding Away

My three toddlers playing on the slide.

Enough Plums Already

It's just about the end of plum season. Our neighbor's yellow plum hangs over our fence, so we got to enjoy those tasty nuggets. I harvested the last of our Italian plums yesterday, so only a few remain on the ground. Brendan said to me yesterday, "I am so sick of plums". Why does he dislike them? Because Chad LOVES them. I swear that dog has eaten about 50 pounds of plums in the last month. It makes Brendan's clean up chore very difficult if you get my drift.

A Post for my Homeschooling Family and Friends

Patrick Madrid didn't think this lady was funny but I sure did!

An Outing to the Pumpkin Patch

It's been several years since an outing to the Sweet Pickins Pumpkin Patch hasn't involved rain, mud, clouds and cold. It was a perfect day for it. We enjoyed a beautiful blue fall sky with just the right amount of white, fluffy clouds and 65 degrees by lunch time. Coupled with some new features this year, we had a great time. Rita and Anthony have been asking to go back all day!

A Brother for Chad

A lonely and bored 10 month old lab puppy is annoying. So he had to have a brother. His name is Reno. He is a bit older (about a year) and bigger than Chad. They play amazingly well together and can spend hours at it. They are always covered in one another's slobber. Busy, but fun for both of them!

Playing in the pool. Reno is on the left, Chad on the right.

This is something I have never seen two dogs do. They are laying down peacefully sharing a huge bone. Notice the shredded stuffed zebra in the background? They work together to destroy a few things, so far nothing of consequence. But mostly they just chew on each other and that bone.

P.S. Gotcha Granny! Reno does not belong to us. He is Joan's dog and comes over to play!

I am Going to Rose's

Every time Rose and I get a minute to visit over the fence or in the back yard, Rita says in her soft, quiet voice, "Can I go Rosie's?". Rose can never say no! So off she goes to play or "help" Rose in the kitchen. Thanks for loving her Rose!

Doin Homework!

The never ending quest to be just like big brother continues as Anthony parked himself right next to Brendan to do "homework" one day. Lucky Anthony, his homework involves motorcycles and not spelling words.

My Sleepy Lion

I found this lion costume in a box of toys I had stored away for some day. Anthony wore it all day, including in the car when he conked out.

Picnic at the Park

Great Scoots!

They so want to be like their big brother Brendan. We found the three wheeled Spider Man scooter for Anthony at the thrift store one day so they had that to fight over for a while. The day these pictures were taken Rita happened to spot a three wheeled "Princess" scooter in a random spot at the thrift store. So now round and round and round they go! Better get some helmets soon.

13 Lucky Years

Karl and I took 26 hours off from parenting and responsibility. We farmed out the kids and went camping in Glacier to celebrate our 13th Anniversary. Rayne and Randy gave us a card that says it best: "Love each other and you will be happy. It is as easy and as difficult as that." Thanks Karl, for 13 adventure filled years. I love you.

Back to School

Brendan on the first day of 3rd grade.

Happy Birthday Brendan!

Seattle Seahawks Game

The main reason for our trip to Seattle was to see the Seahawks play in a preseason game. We bought the tickets at the St. Matthew's auction in February. We had an awesome time. It was even more special because the little ones got to stay with Taylor in the hotel. They had a good time and didn't have to deal with the noise and we had a good time not dealing with them being unhappy.

Summer Vacation - Destination Pacific Northwest

Weee Did It!

Just in time for our trip to the Northwest, the twins were finally potty trained (90%). One pair of undies to wash per day beats $100 in diapers each month! So we had to pack the potty for roadside stops in the middle of nowhere.

Another Milestone for Brendan

Brendan was an Altar Server for the first time at the 8:00 a.m. Mass today. No picture available because he would have died of embarrassment if I had shown up with the camera. He didn't sleep well and greeted me this morning singing "I'm a nervous wreck, I'm a nervous wreck". Once our Altar Server wrangler showed up he calmed a little and he was seriously relieved to see the senior server, his friend Reece's brother, Connor. I told him "just pay attention and don't act like a dork". He did beautifully on both accounts! Way to go Brendan! We are proud and he can't wait until next time!

Happy 3rd Birthday Rita and Anthony

U.K. International Soccer Camp

The coach that stayed with us, Will, and Brendan

Camp group picture. Brendan is in the back row of kids in
front of the coach with the dark hair, Jon from Wales.

Will playing with the kids in the back yard.

Brendan has been at UK International Soccer Camp this week. Coaches from the U.K. spend a summer traveling around the U.S. and Canada teaching soccer camps. Brendan has had an awesome time and his skills are visibly improved. This is definitely on the calendar for next summer. We also had the privilege of hosting one of the coaches, Will, for the week. Brendan has had a blast hanging around Will like a little brother. Karl has enjoyed having someone from that side of the pond to talk to about soccer and other less important world issues. Will is from Nottingham, England and the other two coaches are from Wales and Scotland. So we've had fun with the Irish, English, Welsh and Scot. They were delighted to find out that we drink PG Tips tea (from England, brought from SLC by Granny every time she visits). I gave them one of our boxes for the road so Granny, we will next two when you come next!

P Day

Victory will be ours! I was down to my last two diapers this morning. The twins turn 3 in ten days. I am biting the bullet. I don't work for another week so Rita and Anthony are in their undies, the potty is in the kitchen, the timer is set and I have painted a smile on my face about potty training. we had a goodbye diapers party this morning. Wish me luck!

First Day of Camp

Brendan posing in the new Ireland swim shorts Granny sent him (he is also wearing the Ireland shirt she sent him last year). He was so hoping to go swimming but 60 degrees, cloudy and windy is not the ideal swim weather. Ever hopeful, he left them on. Jim and Anita drove up from Whitefish and surprised us for lunch. It was very nice to have their company and Jim visited with a retired Marine who was setting up camp next door.

My Little Potatoes go Camping

Chad and Anthony Diggin It

Chad has found the sand box! This is the one place in the yard where we don't mind him digging. He still digs in other spots, but when his buddy Anthony is out there, they dig dig dig. I think Chad will be Anthony's dog in the long run.

Cute and Cuddly

Rita and Anthony wanted to wear these costumes despite the hot weather. This photo from June 22, 2010.

Humiliated

Chad modeling his Spider Man boxer shorts that he had to wear after his visit to get tutored so he wouldn't bother his stiches. Happy day for me. Bummer for Chad. He's becoming less of a whirlwind now.

Bath Time

Chad, being a lab, is nuts about water. He found the twins in the tub and they discovered that throwing water at Chad is super fun. They played until the water was cold and still didn't want to get out.

"Welcome Home"

RIP Anna Schindler, age 7.

Anthony asked in his really sweet voice "water doggy wi da hos?" How could I say no? This is why I got a dog. Poor Marley just hid from the kids but Chad thinks he is one of the kids! Think we'll stay in the back yard this summer and avoid the lake!

Dressing Up

Hangin' With Chad

Beautiful Spring Flowers