"Dad needs to get a job or something."  Aubryn said.
"Dad?"   I asked.
"Yeah.  At a resturant or something.  Or build houses.  He would come home with a thousand dollars in his hand if he builded a home."
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Reagan went to the bathroom in the children's bathroom.  Then he came running in my bathroom.  I asked him what he was doing.  He told me he was going to the bathroom. I said, "Didn't you just go?"
"Yeah, but I have to go poop.  I don't want to poop on Brad's pee."

Please bless...

...Brad on his mission, when he goes.

...we'll have fun in college.

Things Aubryn has prayed for lately.

Sweet Moments Caught on Camera

Aubryn is so excited for Halloween.  It's 8 days away!  She was talking to me about the pumpkins and carving them.  She said, "I don't think Dad should light the pumpkins.  He almost fired his self last year!"

Say what!?

It was dinnertime. We were gathered around the dining table eating. I began to speak. I told my children that the home teachers were coming tonight. I wanted to tell the older kids to SIT and SHOW some good manners for the younger kids when the home teachers come over. Instead I mixed up the beginning of SHOW with the last part of SIT. 

This reminds me of the time my mother did a similar thing. She was at work talking to a patient on the phone. She worked in a doctor’s office. She mixed the words FILE and CHART. She said, "Hold on a minute while I pull your fart." She laughed so hard she couldn’t work the rest of the day.

Freaking out Flies!

We have so many flies around here lately.  We have been killing them.  Today Brian over heard Aubryn talking to a fly in her high-pitch-baby-talk voice.  "It's okay.  Dontcha want to see Jesus?" 

The other day I heard her talking to one, "Do ya want to play with my brother...in heaven?"  Smack!
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Reagan has a new discriptive term he uses for everything.  It is "freaking out".  The other day Aubryn was a "freaking out bad girl!"   His soup we ate for dinner on Thursday was "freaking out good!"

Many things are "awesome" to Reagan.  But if he really is impressed then it is, "Freaking out awesome!"

LOVE this one!!

kids

kids

James

James

The Quirky Van

Our van is moody.

It recently decided it likes to park. It likes to park so much that it won’t let you take it out of park. So our (read that as Brian’s) solution is to not ever put it in park. We leave it in neutral and put the emergency brake on. That leads to another problem. The sliding doors are automatic and only work when the van is in park. We now have four kids in car seats. We have them all enter in through the front doors, climb over the seats, and get into their spot. Then we (read Brian) climb into the back and buckle everyone in their seats.

Last night we packed up all the kids to go to a wedding reception that should have been an hour away. It was more like 2 plus hours driving with our bogus mapquest directions. I wonder if the guys that work for mapquest get bored and every once in a while throw in some crazy direction and laugh to themselves. That "make a U turn" step really seemed off. And turns out it was. We made it to the reception in the nick of time! Really, it was an answer to my prayer. We were SOOO lost. It is a miracle we found the house. The kids deserve metals, or silly bands,for their patient behavior. Whatever they prefer. I was so so happy to see my friend. It had been about 10 years.

Back to the van. We made a quick stop (I use that word loosely) to return a movie to a redbox. Brian asked me to make a note for the dashboard that said "Neutral" so we wouldn’t accidentally put it in park. My head was down and I was writing the note as he jumped out to return the video. After a few seconds I noticed the things outside the van were moving. I looked up. We were rolling backwards. I screamed for Brian. Not sure what he could of done. He was really in tune with the redbox machine and didn’t hear my plees. I jumped over the console, grabbed the wheel, and hit the emergency brake. PHEW! We didn’t hit anything or anyone. I wrote the reminder note for the dashboard. It said, "Neutral & BRAKE!"

I think I ‘ll stay home today.

Mom's Turning 60!

I’m sure she is thrilled with me announcing that to the three people reading this.

For months my siblings and I have been planning a surprise for my mom. Last Saturday was the big day. We were all to meet in Jackson Hole at the Bar J Wranglers. Easier for some then others. My brother flew in from Chicago for the occasion. I had a week and a few days old baby. Which also translates that I was a week and a few days postpartum. This was important. So, we went.

When we got there Mom was surprised to see us all. Five out of her six children were there. We visited and took lots of pictures. I wasn’t sure the best way to pose. I said, "I’m not sure what my thinnest angle is." My Dad responded that it was from the neck up.

We presented my mom with a gift. It was a book of 60 memories or thoughts with pictures. It was fun to look through and remember all the good times.

We ate some good grub and listed to the show. Amazing talent! One guy could sell me a CD of him talking about cars and sports. I could care less about that stuff, but I would listen to it all day just to hear his voice.

The next day we gathered for cake, ice cream, and the happy birthday song. Good times!! When we were saying our goodbyes my Dad said to me, "Anjie, you look like you could have another baby in a week!" I think he meant it in a nice way. Uhh, thanks Dad.

Happy birthday, Mom!! I love you.