My Boyfriend's Back...

After being gone for over 2 weeks (okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating...he did come home on the evening of day 6 to repack and was out the door by 5 am the next morning) my husband is home! As much fun as it was without him (please read the previous sentence with as much sarcasm as you feel necessary to make it believable) we are all thrilled that he survived NY and Triathlon Camp in Tucson.

Although more than halving the amount of laundry was great, it didn't make up for the fact that by the end of 2 weeks the kids were starting to sense my weakened state. I'm pretty sure that if he was gone for more than one more day they would have had me bound and gagged so they could take over.

I did get a lot accomplished after the kids were tucked in bed. I finally got around to reading Tess of d'Urbervilles (loved/hated it...poor Tess! Why do good books have to be so depressing?) and played Sudoku until I thought my brain might explode. My car has remained clean as has The Pit of Despair (some people might call it the garage). It is amazing what I am capable of when there is no one around to talk to.

Thanks to Melissa who kept us well fed! And thanks to my hubby who brought home 4 loads of dirty laundry. I missed you J.

Something's Gotta Give...

Apparently that something is my car. I have been aware for a long time that the interior of my car has been anything but clean. I would even go as far as saying it has been disgusting lately. I thought by closing the door I would be able to hide my dirty little (okay, not so little) secret. Well, the secret is out...Sunshine is driving a trash can on wheels.

Yesterday I was brought to shame when I drove a couple friends and their offspring in my car to the gym. After apologizing, to my clean car friends, for the health hazard they had to get into (I wouldn't be surprised if black mold was forming under the car seats) I decided enough was enough. I mean seriously I found an ant in my car...and he looked well fed. Today I unloaded 2 trash bags worth of CRAP from my car. I attempted to vacuum up the big chunks of unidentifiable food. Then I took the beast to the car wash where I got the super-duper-trooper deluxe wash...you should have seen the look of shock and fear on the attendant's face when I handed over my keys (I did leave a pretty substantial tip to ease my conscience). It is really amazing what 4 kids, one busy...all right I admit car-lazy...mom and a couple boxes of Cheese Nips and Nature Valley granola bars can do to a car!

Back to Reality

Spring Break was fun...made even better because Daddy took the entire week off from work and hung out with us.

We started off by going to the La Brea Tar Pits in L.A. Amazing...right in the middle of L.A.!


Then J took us on a tour of his old stomping grounds. Burbank. We saw where he lived, went to school, and where he hung out with his friends. Basically, where all the mischief began. It was fun hearing all the stories of his elementary school glory days.


We had a great time at the zoo. The best part was seeing the koalas...awake. We have been going to the zoo for 10 years and have never seen them awake (probably due to the fact that they sleep up to 22 hours a day). It was very exciting!

Sea World was really wet! J and I hadn't been in about 5 years (pretty pathetic). It was great to go back and see all the things that have changed. We all (except for, the ever squeamish, Minnie) enjoyed petting the "rubbery" sting rays.

Papa came to town for 24 hours so we headed down to the creek where we skipped rocks and the girls posed for photos...they never miss an opportunity. Sunny got into some stinging nettle which apparently was the most exciting part of spring break for her...she has told everyone all about the stinging "metal".

This picture of Adam pretty much sums up our week. On Friday after dinner he said, "We sure have eaten a lot of fattening food this week!"

Coming in September 2008...

Yes, it is true. I am getting chubbier for a reason. #5 is on the way. Apparently we are that crazy. I am also learning to never say "never".

Remember 3rd Grade?

Well, I don't. I remember bits and pieces of life at 8, but big things like who my Grade 3 (that's what we called 3rd Grade up in B.C....crazy Canadians) teacher was...that I don't remember. I do remember my favorite goldfish in the class aquarium, "Pinky" (clearly this fish made more of an impact on my life than my teacher...so sad). I remember reading "A Wrinkle in Time" and thinking it was a waste of time (I should reread it and see what my adult self thinks about it). I also remember that after a very traumatic experience involving an apple and an earwig my life changed forever. Let's just say that I didn't eat the apple my mother sent to school in my lunch bag for a couple years...that's right every day I threw my apple in the trash (I still feel guilty). And yes, I still have a somewhat irrational fear of earwigs. From the above picture I would assume that this is also when I became aware of how wacky my teeth were and began perfecting my closed mouth picture pose. That basically sums up everything I remember about being in Mrs. Whatshername's class. Which is why I am writing it down now. I will probably forget all about "Pinky" by next month.

I Know...I Know...

I have been a slacker blogger. No excuses. Just lazy.

To summarize...The weekend before St. Patrick's Day brought the Wilson's and Nana to our home. We had a great time...hikes were taken...Oreos were eaten by the fist fulls...about 450 water balloons were launched...kites were flown...one naughty Leprechaun wreaked havoc...a reconfirmation that my home was not meant to house 9 children occurred...we had a blast!

After the cousins left (and to the relief of our neighbors...can you imagine the sound of 9 happy screaming children jumping?!) our trampoline arrived. The neighbors have been cursing us ever since. Everyday the kids ask, "can we go jump on the tramp"...hysterical!

Easter was filled with good food, family and friends.

Minnie had her second grade performance at school last week. She sure knows how to party like a Dino.

Justin competed in another 1/2 Ironman this last weekend. It was great fun watching, with Michelle and her kids, as J and all of his training buddies ran by. The kids had a great time cheering on the contestants. They were quite the little volunteers...they helped pass out water and Gatorade at one of the aid stations. The kids even managed to squeeze in a little beach time. I will admit that it is getting more difficult to watch 4 kids and watch the race at the same time!

And last, but not least, just look at the hair on this kid...

Rally Round the Family

Thanks to evil outside influences our children were subjected to the many flashy, empty, LOUD promises of Wii. I have kept them sheltered from video games for so long that I thought we were safe. Well, the three oldest decided to pool their money and began their campaign. After perusing many retail establishments and looking online it took all of three days for "Disneyland Dad" to come to the rescue...some back alley affair..."Hey, kids! Guess what we are going to do for FHE?" Thanks J. Squeals, screams and singing were heard throughout the night.

Guitar Hero is the game of choice (J has been secretly lobbying for it for the past year). I swear if I have to hear "Bulls on Parade" one more time I might go loco.