Singing Savannah

Savannah loves to sing--she always has. She'll sing songs about what she's doing--just make them up on the fly. She also is really into singing nursery rhymes lately. But there is one she just can't get right--Jack and Jill. Here are her two last rendetions of the rhyme:

"Jack and...

pause...

Gloria went up the hill..."

Then last night it was "Jack and Julie went up the hill...."

LOL! It's so cute, I just don't have it in me to correct her.

First Day of School

The most dreaded day of the year (for me) has arrived. Today was the first day of school. Josh headed off to fifth (FIFTH!) grade and Ally started second. Here they are this morning, ready to go:


And they're off:

But the biggest news of the day was that my sweet little Savannah started kindergarten. I was able to stay with her today, but tomorrow I have to send her off into the care of another person. And I have to do that nearly every day for the next 9 months. I don't know if my heart can take it!

Here is the big girl this afternoon:


Walking to school, with a backpack bigger than she is:


Alright, pass the tissues please! *Sniff, sniff*

Am I in the Twilight Zone?

What in the world is going on in my home? First off, I found a meal all the kids actually liked, which is no small feat by itself. Then today they played together all day long with no fighting at all. Did you get that? Not one argument.

Who stole my children and replaced them with these aliens?

I had to document this strange phenomenon. ;) Here's a picture of them playing together tonight--this is after a full day of swimming and getting along--normally they'd be cranky and on each other's cases:


And here is Sweet Baby James--I just had to throw this picture in. He is such a ham and loves nothing more than for someone to take his picture.
"Cheeeeeese!"

Fall T.V.

I love the fall--it's by far my favorite season. Besides the crisp air, Halloween, cooler weather, leaves, and warm food, I love the season premieres on t.v. Here's what I'm looking forward to watching this season:

*Desperate Housewives, of course
*Grey's Anatomy, of course
*Six Degrees (new show after Grey's, although it's not getting much hype)
*Lost, of course
*What About Brian (so excited to see this returning.)
*The Nine (lots of buzz about this one--there is also a lot of buzz about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
*The Class (could be a dud--hoping it's not another Joey)
*House (LOVE him!)
*Veronica Mars (seriously, if you have not checked this show out yet, it's SO worth it. It's on WB. Veronica is possibly the coolest chick ever and I want to be just like her when I grow up.)
*Jericho
*Family Guy (you could never get enough of Stewie! Or Peter. Or Lois. Or Meg. Or Chris. Or Quagmeyer. Or...)
*And then a little later in the season: Sopranos and Big Love (the ONLY reason we subscribe to HBO.)

And now I've gotta say...

Thank goodness for Tivo!

What are you watching this fall? Am I forgetting anything?

Quest for the Ultimate Dinner

I have been on a long, gruelling journey over the past several years, trying to discover some food, any food, nutritious or not, that four children will actually all eat and like. Even simple things that you'd think would go over well with pretty much any child don't go over with my crew. Usually two or three of them will like it while the remaining one turns his/her nose up at the food or begins gagging at the mere sight of it.

Take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for example. All kids are supposed to like those, right?

Wrong. Here's how PB&J goes down for lunch in our home:
Josh: Peanut butter and honey on white bread. (Gagging ensues with jelly).
Ally: Peanut butter, honey, and strawberry jelly on "brown bread" (multi-grain).
Savannah: Bread. No peanut butter. No jelly. No honey. Just white bread.
James: Peanut butter, sans honey or jelly, on multi-grain bread, cut into quarters and dipped in applesauce. Yeah.

And that's just PB&J, people. Imagine other, more complex recipes. I really could never, ever come up with something they all ate well. I was a frustrated woman of sorts.

That is until last night.

I stumbled upon what might be the most glorious food of all time. A food all four of my children and my picky husband not only ate, but actually LIKED!

Drumroll, please...

Swedish meatballs over egg noodles.

It was probably a one time thing as I'm sure when I make it again only two of them will decide they like it enough to eat it. But that one time was good enough for me. I feel I have conquered a seemingly impossible quest, one that may never be able to be duplicated again.

Um?

I'm not quite sure what to even say about this other than thank you, Grandma, for the make-up kits. You can see that the girls certainly are not letting them go to waste.

Who needs Van Gogh...

...when you can have masterpieces like this hanging all over your walls? ;)

Just Call Me Abby-Normal

School starts in two weeks and everyone around me, especially those with older kids, are excitedly counting down the days. They can't wait for school to start, the sole reason being that they get their kids out of their hair for six hours. One neighbor even commented to me last week on how summer always is a hard time for their family relationships and she is looking forward to being able to strengthen their family again once school is back in session.

Am I missing something here?

I think I must be the abnormal mother who actually gets sad as summer comes to a close. I don't like sending my kids away for the day. I truly enjoy them being home. I enjoy their company, even on the bad days. And this year I have to send another little one out into the world as she starts kindergarten (you know, that harsh world of ABC's and recess). I'm so not excited about it. Yes, I'm thrilled she'll be learning and thriving, making new friends, but she's my BABY! It's a huge milestone and I'd much prefer to keep her tucked under my wing. *I'm* not ready for kindergarten to start!

Summer always goes by too quickly. And once fall begins, and as the children head off to school, it's perhaps the sharpest reminder that yet another year has come and gone and my kids are one step closer to growing up.

Can't I just freeze time?

Attitude Switch

So, um, can anybody please show me the attitude switch that somehow got flipped down to BAD when my son turned ten years old? I'd like to turn it back up to GOOD again.

Thank you.

Missing Clara

Today marks the one year anniversary of little Clara losing her battle with cancer. She fought so bravely and was such a strong little girl. Heaven is lucky to have such an angel.

God bless you, sweet Clara. May your little wings take you to magical places.

This picture was taken on August 4, 2004 in front of the Atlanta LDS Temple. It was the day Clara and her parents were sealed together as an eternal family. Exactly one year later, to the day, is when she found her angel wings.

Ahoy!