It's a Zoo!

I am always a little baffled at my moments of insanity! Last Friday the kids were out of school and my friend Babette (yes, I consider her my friend again now that the muscles have calmed from our first week of boot camp) called and invited us to go to the zoo. Hmmm... I weigh the option of being couped up in a house all day with 6 kids or go to the zoo? Of-course I choose zoo, being that either way it's the same outcome. I end up exhausted wondering why I had ANOTHER laps in judgement with cranky tired kids. I even consider calling a shrink to get me on something a little stronger than sugar.

Actually, I say that honestly joking! I really have it made at this point. No bottles, diapers, nappers, buckling of car seats, etc. I remember being up to my eyeballs in kids going to the zoo. why? It never failed I would see someone who had it worse than me. Really! A good fit from a 2 year old while you are walking with a cranky infant makes you appreciate that it is not you. Once I went to the zoo when Graysie was and infant still on bottles ( I say once, it did happen more than that just the "incidence" only happened once) which made Mihya 1, Kaidon 2, and Emma 4. Well she was my first I didn't nurse so more often than I want to admit I would forget bottles. This one day in particular we no sooner got to the zoo that I realized I had forgotten a bottle for her. I did have enough formula but that was the extent of it. There was no way I was turning back home with all the hassle it took to get me out the door and of course they didn't sell bottles at the gift shops (they do now just for your information which makes me feel better knowing I am not important enough for the zoo gift shop to accommodate only me, other moms have clearly made this mistake!) So, with all that said I empty out Emmas sippy cup, fill it up with Graysies formula and feed her that way. Boy, was she ticked and I gave quite a show to many people passing by. It's not everyday you see a mom choking her 3 month old baby because she's forcing her to drink out of a sippy cup! Unfortunately that day I was the mom making everyone else feel better that it wasn't them.

So, I realized Friday that all the "this too shall pass" comments I ended up rolling my eyes at and begrudging had really passed I was out of the woods. I walked around the zoo with nothing more that potty breaks (mostly for me). I thoroughly enjoyed the kids and all their great commentary (mostly about monkeys butts) The whole trip was virtually uneventful. Really, parking my giant van and having Babette move some cones out of the way so I could have a spot (no one's going to tow my van out of a parking garage TRUST ME!), finding out you can tear worms to bits and they still at least move (kids are convinced they live?), skeletons of unidentified creatures (good find Christian), and knowing it costs my family less if I just buy a yearly pass as opposed to a one day pass was really the extent of it (who knew you could see animals poop all year long for only $80?) Anyway, another fun day with half a dozen kids...plus just 5 friends who really "get" us.

What a ball!

Josh, Marcia (a great friend and business partner), and I bought close to 200 tickets for the Rockies game. We piled in friends, family and food and ended up having so much fun! Now, I know you are thinking what? who are the Rockies? Here's the scoop....after the game we got to go down on the field, lay out blankets and watch a fireworks show. I was thinking it was going to be so crowded and stuffy but it really wasn't. We had tons of room to spread out our family of 8 and actually met up with some of our group once we got down to the field. I didn't watch one second of the game and had to ask someone if we had won (we did) but that is probably one of the reasons it was such a blast! Thanks to all who joined us, you made the night turn out awesome. We will for sure be doing this again!

Josh is the Better Room Mom!

Ok, so I always warn the teacher's at the beginning of the year that I REALLY do not do well in the classroom. SERIOUSLY! I just have a problem with coughing, boogery, messy haired, dirty kids that are not mine. Now, I do follow up with the fact that Josh is the best room mom they will EVER have. He is awesome with all the kids and they end up loving him. (which in turn makes all their mommies love him as well, which is why he is now on the PTO...yep only male:)) Don't get me wrong I do help out in the classroom, I just do not interact with the kids (it's for their own safety anyway!) so I grade papers, cut out things for lessons, etc. BUT....I did overcome a HUGE obstacle the other day when I received an email from sweet Mrs. Smith (A.K.A "Mrs. Mrs." poor Grays she can't say "Smith") asking for parent volunteers. She was going to be doing a crystal project with these 24 (6) year old monsters! I thought for a minute she was insane and so therefore felt as though it was my parental duty to save my child from this crazy women who actually probably loves her job. So, I promptly reply to her email stating that I will come in to keep the children safe as long as she did not leave me in the room alone with "them". ( I really did say that) She says great see you tomorrow. I had a night to question my brief moment of insanity but what kind of parent would I look like now if I bailed on her? The next day I went in to her empty classroom and she gave me my duties along with two other crazies who said they would help as well. All I had to do was attach a string to a paperclip then we would boil water, add Epsom salts and poor it in their jars, wait 2 days and magically you have made crystals. Obviously, the kids came back and "Mrs. Mrs." explains to the kids in her professional first grade teacher way what we will be doing. They are so excited that the room roars so loud I swear I would have heard them from my house. Anyway, long story short we made it through the project and the kids were proud of just their goofy jars with salt water in them before anything had ever even happened! It was so hysterical! Then for the big treat "Mrs. Mrs." hands out rock candy and Pop Rocks I almost wanted one myself they were so worked up about it but I refrained from asking. The whole weekend I wondered about "our" crystals. I wondered how big they would be and how great it would have been if we had added food coloring ....I was pretty much obsessed about the whole ordeal. Monday morning I think I was the first to call "Mrs. Mrs." about the crystals but disappointingly enough we didn't have one yet! Darn! Oh well there's always tomorrow. So again, I call "Mrs. Mrs." and no crystals. I decide I had better not call her Weds. or she will think I am some psycho path who has now started stalking her. She called me around 4 yesterday to tell me......5 jars have crystals! woohoo! Then I realize "oh my gosh she knows I am a freak because she called ME to tell me "we" have crystals" but I really don't even care. I did have fun and I am SO going in that classroom to see those crystals and I don't even care if the kids are in there with me...they are kind of cute and pretty funny! Maybe I will bring them some candy even!

I Am Looking for the Devil

Well I signed up for a boot camp and I think it is really what hell would be like. So, to clarify for everyone who is confused, I am not in the military!  I just signed up for a women's only boot camp that is seriously the hardest thing I have ever done.  I would rather give birth to 6 more children than show up to boot camp.

Here's a timeline of events...Babette (who I thought was my friend, find out now she wants me dead) e-mails me a sweet, cheery e-mail asking if I would like to join her for this boot camp.  Me, being naive say of course I do and sign-up(ok so it took more coaxing than that but you get the picture.  It now seems crazy that I didn't think about it for the next... oh ...say.... 45 years!) I sign up on a Thursday and get an email that afternoon that left me sleepless for the next 4 nights from my boot camp instructor!  Yes, it goes something like..."i will torture you, you will be happy about it, you will not swear, you will do what i say, you will be here at 5:30 a.m. with a smile ready to go, if the weather gets to bad we will take it inside to my torture chamber, oh and by the way come to my office so i can tell you how fat and out of shape you are NOW! signed off with 'have a beautiful and fit day'"  Yes, udder panic swept my body!  So, knowing EVERYTHING is better in numbers i roped my friend, Pam, into joining too! (she now questions my intentions as well)  We have made it through (by a miracle) for three days.  There are six of us from our neighborhood who carpool to our hour in hell each morning and I must admit I may end up hating each of these women when it is all over!  As you have seen I am counting the seconds for this to be over....really...not joking!  I am so sore I haven't been able to post in a few days.  The story I am being told is that by Thursday I will feel better...not believing that at this point (sorry Rachel).

So, now, with that said the next time I see any of you I had better hear how "beautiful and fit" I look or you will have another thing comin' to ya!

Started Boot Camp

Can't wait for it to be over....enough said!


Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

Go Team Nick!

Today we did the buddy walk. We had such a fun time and really enjoyed our time as a family. Last I heard they had raised $92,000, WOW! I am always amazed at how generous people can be.

The kids had their faces painted:






We walked and talked with friends:






















We supported our little buddy Nick:






What a fun day!

Crazy Hair Day!

Today was crazy hair day for the oldest five. They really get into all the fun spirit days except for Kaidon of course. He really doesn't like attention focused on him(he won't even dress up for Halloween anymore). Funny thing is, he actually participated without even knowing he was participating. He just naturally has crazy hair these days and he refuses to cut it! I did tell him he at least needs a trim at some point this weekend and he seemed pretty o.k. with it. Graysie wanted a mow hawk so we just did orange buns down the middle of her head. Mikaels hair, polar opposite of Kaidons, was just too short to do anything more than some colored gel. Emma was coming up with all these ideas that would have required scissors and I was just not comfortable with that for this one day event...ha! We compromised with scrunchies and orange hair die. Mihya had daddy working on her and he bent a wire hanger and stuck her braids straight out! It was pretty comical seeing her get through doorways. We are prepared however, like we always are with Mihya, to have tears by the end of the day because something didn't go according to her thought out princess plan.

"FORE!"

Emma and Kaidon have taken up golf. They started going to the driving range with josh and just fell in love with it. Kaidon asked for clubs for his birthday and Emma saved up her babysitting money to buy her own plus golf shoes. We put them in lessons and they can't get enough.

Emma was excited at her first lesson when one of her friends from her soccer team showed up as well. The coach seems fantastic with kids and teaches them a lot in their weekly sessions. Today they learned sand wedge and they both said they prefer it over driver.

As much as you wouldn't think golf is exciting, i always get my fill of good stories. Today's stories consisted of a little boy who wanted "advice" from the coach, the coach driving the golf cart so fast that Kaidon's hat flew off and Emma's friend caught it, a little boy had to give Emma his water bottle so he wouldn't fly out of the speeding cart, and of course how can i pass up Emma's comment that she is by far the best golfer out there....watch out Tiger Woods!(poor girl has no self esteem I should probably get her into counseling).

Here's some photos of my little golf pro's!

Let the Good Times Roll

This school year has been so eye opening for Josh and I concerning EmmaLeigh. We've realized that she is becoming her own person. Not that she is changing who she is, just changing her priorities a bit. The girls in her class think they need to be on each others social calendars every waking moment. For instance, Emma got out of school on Friday totally excited she proceeded to inform Josh and I that since her, Madison, and Bella weren't going anywhere for the weekend that she'd like to have them go with her to Washington D.C.(what???yeah we'll just run on up their on that small trek from Colorado) yes, i did refrain from laughing and told her it was just not enough notice but it was a great thought! ha! Last weekend her friend Emily had a "summer party" and Saturday night Emma had a "non-slumber" party. She had asked me if she could have a few friends spend the night and I flippantly replied(forgetting i was talking to "D.C. girl") "I'd rather you have 10 friends come for the evening than 1 friend spend the night" I just HATE sleep overs! I know I am so not fun but all of our family members suffer when one of us has not had our beauty rest:) So, needless to say Emma took me up on my "offer" and invited some girlfriends over for some fun. They really are such a good group of girls. They had fun swimming, eating pizza, playing clue, dark hide and seek (i am sure my neighbors appreciated all the high pitched girl screaming at 9:30 p.m.) and just hanging out being girls. All in all it wasn't bad they were all on their way by 10:30 and we got plenty of sleep so we could enjoy our day Sunday. Enjoy the pictures and congratulate me for dodging the slumber party bullet one more time!