raising butterflies

Our playgroup raised butterflies this spring. We each took 2 caterpillars home in an environment and watched their transformation into beautiful butterflies. The really cool thing about it is that when they come out of their cocoons they are a little dopey at first. Until they get their bearings they will sit on your finger or face or where ever you choose to put them. Here is B giving it a try! Dash's turn!
Max B!
Darby. Yes that is the habitat in the back. It is a diaper box with saran wrap on the sides.
This was really fun and you can order them off the TV or websites for 20$. Something I would love to do again. (This little guy came out with a crumpled wing. He was amazing when we did our big playgroup butterfly release because he would sit on the kids hands and let them hold him/torture him. Eventually he flew away with his crumpled wing!)

Coloring Easter Eggs 2011

This is supposed to be a fun tradition like Carving pumpkins and decorating sugar cookies. I have to say I don't like any of these traditions. They are all messy and a ton of work for the mom. What I do like though is building memories and that is why I do it! My kids LOVE all of the messy traditions. Look how happy they are!!
The messiest one of all! She tired of the egg holder to get the eggs in and out of the dye ad just started using her hands!


Very serious work. (Please remember we feed this cute girl! We all would love to have her metabolism and energy. One day she will wish for curves, a bigger booty and to not be tall! We all want what we don't have!)


Things get really serious when you are trying to put a sticker on a wet egg. I don't know why no one listens to me! I have done this a time or two!
More pictures of the gangly youth!

caged wild animal

This is Calvin the hamster. When I saw this I was feeling a lot like Calvin. Running as fast as I can and getting no where. A Caged wild animal, in a wheel, with a giant cat watching my every move! Do you ever feel like this? I think it's just satan trying to keep us down. If we were working at our full potential think of the damage we could do! What I failed to realize though is that Calvin loves this little ball/wheel thing. He is free to explore and run or walk if he chooses. The cage is there to keep him safe from the Cat. (He doesn't really need that....the cat has no interest in him but the analogy worked better this way! It is actually the papasan turned upside down. I think a giant kid put him in that prison!) At any rate, are you working at your full potential? Are you feeling trapped, caged, and ready to be pounced on!?

SHAKE IT OFF! ENJOY THE RIDE!

censored !

Brandon said that posting poop was not ok for our blog. I wasn't sure. I deal with poop on a daily basis. It's a huge part of my life. Sad, I know. SO we censored the poop. Sorry if I offended you with the poop!

sweet Juliet

I posted earlier Dash running away from Juliet after she had dumped water on his head. She can be very naughty and mischievous but on the other hand, she can be as sweet as ever! She has a love hate relationship with Max. She LOVES him but she HATES when he gets to intense with her and he REALLY LOVES her! So much so she makes him grit his teeth and clench his hands. (I get it Max!) The other night he was feeling a little under the weather and I walked by and was lucky enough to catch this. A sweet little girl kissing her big brother to get better! She also blows him a kiss every day when we drop him off for school and says "bye bye Max! Have a good day!" So sweet. (and this is why she gets away with all the naughty that she does!) :)

slip and slide!

While Uncle Ryeley was here he bought us a "Slip and Slide"! My kids have been waiting for nice enough weather to pull that baby out! Their first day of spring break was just that! Juliet would just run on the slip and slide and try not to fall. She eventually gave up and just splashed in the puddle that builds by the fire pit!
She found a worm and wouldn't let that poor thing go. I felt so bad for that squirmy little worm in a 2 year old death grip!
Showing mommy the "woomy"
When there wasn't a death grip on the worm there was the back up stretch torture. (Don't worry, I eventually freed him and he wiggled his way back into the grass!)
Dash had the slip and slide mastered in no time! The kids played so hard on it that the next day they were all sore. Sore abs, sore thighs, sore muscles all around!
Of course Dash couldn't help himself to a little potty humor!
Max figured it out pretty quick too. He preferred the thigh slide!
Darby liked to use the air mat that came with the slip and slide.
They loved the wipe outs!
Dash could get going so fast he would slide off the mat!
Another great wipe out!
Of course there has to be chanting and dancing while you wait for your turn. I don't remember the chant but the dancing was so funny I couldn't stop taking pictures. Will someone PLEASE get these boys some swim trunks? (The Easter Bunny brought some, no worries)
I love Dash laughing in this one and yes Max's suit is falling off of him. The velcro had given out!
Darby yelling at Dash for smackin her booty! "what?"
Some more chanting and dancing!
More chants and dances. (Yes we feed Darby. She is just long and gangly! Oh what I wouldn't give to be long and gangly!)
The 3 musketeers!
Laughing REALLY hard at Max's wipe out!
I had to snap this one because the 2 of them were getting soooo mad at Dash because when he would only get half way down the slip and slide he would say it didn't count and would go again. It was pretty funny because he was just trying to get more slide time in.

Thanks Uncle Ryeley for this fun gift! Can't wait for you to come out and try it with us!

We are NOT potty training!

Juliet is ready. Let me re-phrase. Juliet thinks she is ready. She tells me when I need to change her diaper. (usually when it is FULL not after one tinkle) She loves to sit on the potty. She tells you after she has tinkled in her diaper that she has pooed! She loves to wear big girl panties and loves to take off her diaper. SO with the new panties great granny gave her for Christmas we were going to try!

The pink potty that she LOVES to sit on!
Look close. This is NEXT to the pink potty. There was more in the kitchen and the hall way and outside too. 5 pairs of panties.
So we take off the panties and run free while mom answers a couple of emails. We have sat on the potty 90 times and peed everywhere else so with no juice cup we should be safe to sit at the computer for 5 minutes....... right. Beware this is going to get graphic!
This little surprise is what she handed me while at the computer. As she was walking up to me I thought to myself "when did we get an army grenade toy?" Then I yelled and she dropped it and I screamed like there was a mouse. She screamed and cried and I screamed and cried. Then I put her in the tub and got the camera to document why we are NOT potty training right now!

Bath time after a FULL day of potty training!~ Those are toys in the tub not toy army grenades! :)

Mean sister!

This is Dash running away because I wanted to take a picture of him (crying). Juliet walked over to him while he was playing nicely and dumped a cup of water on his head! WHAT!? I tried not to laugh but it was really random. So instead of consoling him I tried to get a picture and that just made him more mad! Here is the mean little sister and the cup and water stain. Naughty naughty but very funny.

girls weekend!

I got to spend a weekend with the just the girls a couple weeks ago. We ate and shopped and ate and shopped and laughed and ate and shopped and laughed and ate! It was just what the Dr. ordered for all of us! Of course we had to go to Outback. It is a favorite of all of ours! Outback came out with some raspberry butter. Yes it's that good and yes that IS butter on my chin!
A little lotion? Bath and Body works a must when you are treating yourself!
This is just to demonstrate one of the many reasons I love Tiff. Crazy O.C.D. While we paid for our treats at the gas station she had to organize the candy bar display! It looked great and I luf her!

stuck in the potty!

This is what happens when you have brothers that don't put the seat down. So many life lessons can come from these pictures! I see many of church lessons in the future!
"mommy i'n in da potty!"

Happy Spring!

This is what I pull up to in my driveway! This is the bush in front of my house! I love it! It makes me happy (and stuffy) :) It is beautiful and springy! I love spring and all the possibilities it holds! Summer is right around the corner and that brings lazy days and vacations and family and friends and BBQ's! Just wanted to share a little piece of spring with y'all!