I love fall!

It's official! My favorite time of the year is fall.

We went to the "Apple Pickin' Jubilee" in Ellijay this past weekend with some friends from church and had a blast! The kids had such a good time with all the activities. There were pig races, pedal cars, tractor trikes, hay ride (okay, there's no hay, but that's what they call it!), zip line, playground with massive in-hill slide, petting farm (with the cutest puppies, kittens, chicks, lambs, goats, and even a calf you've ever seen!), you can milk a real cow, a bee demonstration, cloggers, singers, and of course apple picking.

And really, is there anything more delicious than hot apple cider donuts with cold apple cider to wash them down? YUMMY!!

We picked a huge amount of apples. So far we've had apple slices (obviously the easiest to manage!), made homemade apple sauce (which John declared was the best part of Monday's dinner), and apple bread (which all the kids except Halle declared they did not like. Oh well, more for me and Halle!). I'm going to attempt to make apple butter and apple jam. I just have to get the neccessary tools for such an undertaking.

It has been wonderful smelling the cinnamon in our house for the past few days. That plus having the windows open has sealed in my mind that the best season is, and forever will be, fall.

Nasty Camel Crickets...

...or any bugs for that matter.

Madison has this intense love for anything creepy and crawly, or cute and cuddly. It doesn't matter. She just loves animals and bugs. Go figure that I would have a daughter that loves nasty little creepy crawly things. (Well, I do love animals too, just not the bug thing!)

So as I'm sitting here checking my email, they find a camel cricket which is quickly named "Hoppy". They run upstairs to get a container and before you can say jump, "Hoppy" is living inside. I did make them release him outside. Madison actually cried as she said, "Farewell Hoppy. I will miss you and your jumps. Don't ever forget me. I love you."

She's so weird!! Gotta love her!

Wow!!! I actually remember how to do this!

Okay, it's been WAY too long since I've blogged. I guess I just got lazy. So, I'm back and now let's see what I can blog about. Um, oh, I know, my mattress story...

So, the other day Cooper is sleeping (yeah) and the others are playing nice and quiet in Madison's room (yeah again!!). I was so in need of some quiet "mommy time". I'm relaxing, reading, enjoying my time. After about 45 minutes I think I should just check on the kids. They're not being "uh oh, it's too quiet" quiet, it's just time to check.

I open Madison's door and am staring at 4 naked children with Madison's mattress hanging off her bed. It takes me a minute to focus. Then I notice they are wet. Hum, wierd.

Me: "Where's the water?"
Them: Silence
Me: "Where's the water guys?"
Them: Silence
Me: "Last time, where's the water guys?"
Them: (all at once) "It was Madison, it was Marshall, it was Halle, it was Emma."

'Whatever', I think as I reach over to pull her mattress back on her bed. When I do this I realize it's SOPPING WET!!!!!

They were sliding down Madison's mattress when Marshall got the idea that it would be "FASTER" and "FUNNER" if it had water on it, like a water slide. They were naked because they knew they'd get in trouble if their clothes got wet...true, but I don't understand how that concept couldn't be transfered to the mattress...kids.

Oh, and then Madison decides that's the perfect time to hand me a bucket full of pee. They were having such fun they didn't want to leave the room to go to the bathroom. Great. Nice. Thanks. I was assured that none of it was on the floor or mattress. Again, great. Nice. Thanks.

Such is my life. Oh, and did I mention we've started homeschooling these little loves?!

Only in the movies...or our house!!

Okay, so there are scenes that can only happen in movies, right? Nope. They happen at our house all the time. Like today for example. It started right after John left for work. The kids toilet was not working, John forgot to plunge it before he left. Not kidding that 5 minutes after he left, the toilet in the master bath overflowed...thankfully nothing gross in there, but it's still gross none-the-less. I know what you're thinking, why didn't you plunge it yourself? Well, I'm plunger-challenged. I can't do it to save my life. Don't know what's so hard about it, but I am incapable.

So, we're doing pretty good. The kids toilet will flush, just not everything goes down...so we use their toilet for our "business". About 3 o'clock, I hear Cooper stirring from his nap and I think I should take the dog out quick before Cooper really wakes up for good in about 2 minutes. (She's inside today because it's rainy, and I can't leave her out. She's in her crate because she's such a wild beast, she just tackles the kids...but she really does love her crate.) So I have the leash in hand opening the first lock and I hear a scream coming from my room and running. The girls were watching a video. I quickly close the lock, Dancer starts barking and pawing like mad at the cage. I run upstairs to find Emma running down the hall vomiting as she goes.

So, now I have two toilets that don't work, a vomiting child, vomit all down the hall and in my room (plus all over a library book...nice...my shoes...nice...and a bag of Christmas bows under the bed...nice again) Cooper screaming in his crib, a dog barking downstairs, and Halle standing on my bed crying and saying something, which by the way, she's not wearing pants because she for some reason refuses to poop in the potty and I refuse to let her wear pull-ups and I'm sick to death of cleaning poop out of her panties, and I'm unable to make out what she's saying (stupid twin-speak) and I think she's telling me she's just pooped in my bed! (Thankfully she was just pointing out the vomit!!)

I throw Emma in the tub after a quick hose-down and tell her to just play for a minute. I try calling my mom who had taken Madison and Marshall home from VBS. No answer. No answer on her cell phone, it's not even on, just clicks right to voicemail. I am screaming into the phone, "That's what they're for woman...turn it on!!" and realize I've just left that on her voicemail. I frantically call John because I need some serious help here. He says he can come home if I really need him. I tell him to give me 5 more minutes to try and get Mom but to be ready. After 5 minutes, no mom. I try calling him over and over and over and over...where the heck is he? After 30 minutes (I did get Cooper up finally after about 15 minutes and just put a huge box to block the hallway) I get my mom and ask her to come over right away and to bring some carpet cleaner because I'm out.

Mom comes to my rescue and I scrub the floor. I use an entire bottle of carpet cleaner. I call John and have him pick some up on his way home, cause I need to clean it again. That's what I'm going to do right now.

So that was my day. Aren't you jealous?

Ten Things...

Ten Things I Love About Cooper...in no particular order...and there could be a bazillion...

1. anywhere you touch him, he's ticklish

2. his fuzzy blonde hair

3. the way he gets excited and kicks his legs and shakes his head like a madman

4. the piggy face he does

5. his open mouth, teethy, sopping wet kisses

6. he'll eat anything without complaint

7. he loves being read to

8. he clings to me as we're walking down the hall in the morning when he first wakes up

9. when you say it's time for night-night, he grabs Hilton and runs to his room

10. he's only got one mommy, and I'm her!

Flylady

A dear, sweet friend of mine from college, Londa, whom I haven't seen in about 10 years (LOVE AND MISS YOU GIRL!!) told me about this website a few years ago. flylady.com If you have never heard of it, go to it, it is awesome and soooo helpful.

Now, like I said, I've known about this for awhile and have visited in the past, but have never taken the advice and put it into practice. Well, I finally did a few days ago. The site basically helps you "declutter" your life and keep your house up and running without killing yourself. It's all about baby steps to getting your house into shape.

My kitchen has NEVER been cleaner. I'm not kidding. Not the day we moved in, not when my in-laws are coming, not when a babysitter is coming over, not when we're having Bible study...NEVER. I rearranged some drawers so that even our huge container of pens, pencils, sharpies, scissors, etc are in one drawer with paper, tape, paperclips, etc. The only things out on my counters are things I use everyday: coffee pot, toaster, can opener, and cutting board. That's it. Oh, and there is hand soap by the sink. Nothing else.

I even cleared all the kids drawings and pictures off the fridge. I did leave 1 picture of each child on the side, but that's it. Magnets, gone. Doodles, gone. Coupons from pizza places, gone. Cute stories cut out of newspapers, gone. (And I did save the kids drawings, just not on the fridge anymore!)

My husband came home and declared that the kitchen was AWESOME. He had never seen it look better. So now I'm on to our bedroom today. Why is it that the one place that's supposed to be a retreat always looks like a dumping ground? Not anymore.

One down, two to go

We've had a very sad day at our house. A beloved member of our family passed away yesterday, but it wasn't revealed until today... at least to certain members of our family.

Sammy the fish has gone to the great fishtank in the sky. Sammy was Marshall's fish. He actually took the news quite well. I told him as we were walking in Wal-Mart today. The kids always have to look at the fish, and well, I thought it a most appropriate time to disclose the unhappy news. He had a very sad face at first, then saw the African Frogs (they are these really cool frogs that live underwater...they don't need air!!), his face lit up, and he asked if he could get one. I told him to wait until we went to the pet store. The fish from Wal-Mart never fare very well for us.

As Sammy was flushed down the toilet Marshall said, "Swim to the ocean dear, sweet Sammy. You were the best fish I ever had." He was the only fish he ever had, but I guess Sammy doesn't know that, or ever will for that matter!

So, now we are down 1 fish, with only 2 left to "swim to the ocean". I am not going to replace them as they die. Just remove the tanks and hide them until the kids can clean them themselves...I can only do so much ya know!

Pulling Teeth

Okay, not literally "pulling teeth", but sometimes that's what dinner feels like. I know I've posted about this before, but for goodness sake, could I please get a break?

We had ham, corn, green beans, potatoes, and for good measure I threw some applesauce on the plates cause the kids love it so much. Before the food was on the table we were waiting for Marshall to pray (he was in the bathroom). Madison kept saying how she was "starving". Marshall arrives, we pray, I present the food. We then have a conversation that goes like this:

Madison: I don't eat meat.

Me: Um, did you eat a hamburger last night at Wendy's and ask for another one?

Madison: Yes.

Me: Then you eat meat. Do you love Chick-Fil-A's chicken nuggets and eat a bazillion of them?

Madison: Yes.

Me: Then you eat meat.

Madison: Okay. I don't eat this meat. What animal is it?

Me: I'm not telling you and it doesn't matter anyway cause you're eating it.

Madison: (Well, she didn't actually say anything, just sat with her arms crossed and her lips in a tight thin line.)

Me: You're eating.

Madison: (Crossed arms, lips in thin line.)

Me: Eat or go to bed.

Madison: I'm not hungry...I ate a lot of lunch and breakfast.

Me: Didn't you just say how starving you were?

Madison: (Thinking for a minute) Yeah, but it went away...I'll wait for breakfast.

I could go on, but I won't, it would take too long! She did eat after I informed her her choices were to eat or go to bed. She tried to negotiate just being in her room, not from this momma I told her. And after she began eating she said it "wasn't so bad and I know I'm eating a pig,. You know like 'Babe' pig. How can you make me eat 'Babe'?" I had to cough to cover up my laugh.

Now there may be some of you who think my stand is wrong, or too harsh. However, I am sick to death of throwing away food. I used to cook for 7 people (the number in our family). Not anymore. Now I cook for like 3 1/2 because none of them eat very much. They do have their favorites that they eat and eat and eat, but I think you can die from mac & cheese or PB&J poisoning, can't you? And I am very thankful that they all really like veggies and LOVE fruit. It just irks me that when I actually spend the time to cook a well-balanced meal they don't appreciate or enjoy it. Maybe as time goes by...but I'm not holding my breath!! Oh the drama of dinner.

LOVIN' SUMMER ALREADY!!!!

I am soooo incredibly excited it is summer!! I don't feel the need to rush the kids to bed "on time", don't feel the need to get dressed (in my jammies 2 days in a row now!!), don't feel the need to be a slave to the alarm (actually slept 'til 8:30 yesterday...unheard of!!). And as an added bonus, I am actually doing more cleaning than ever, yea me!!

I am also sooo incredibly excited to homeschool this coming year. I've actually begun with Madison. I got the news a few days before school let out, and it was no surprise just hard to hear, that her teacher had to recommend she repeat 1st grade. I love her teacher. She has been so great this entire year. She'd give extra books for Maddie to read, I'd give her notes to let her know which pages Maddie was good at reading so she wouldn't feel bad during oral reading in class, and she is VERY supportive of our decision to homeschool. She actually homeschooled her 5 children too.

Anyway, she said she hates to ever have a child repeat a grade, but especially Madison. She has everything but the reading...and obviously that is very important. So we are spending the summer trying to get her reading at grade level. But it's so nice to not have her tired out after school and not wanting to do extra work. We just do it and it's done and she can go play. She's already doing great. (And for those of you wondering, they do phonics at her school, but it's just not clicking with Maddie. I even used the "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons". There is a small percentage of children for whom phonics is not the best way to learn to read, and unfortunatley Maddie seems to be one of them...we'll see.)

Right now, Madison and Marshall are upstairs making things out of Kinex for everyone in the family. I love toys that let kids be creative. Madison just made me a row of flowers, complete with leaves. Too cute! Here comes Marshall, he's made me a giant "M" for Mom!! Sweet!

All right, I know this blog has been kind of random, but it's summer man, and I just can't think straight!!

Sick Days

I've been sick for almost a week. Well, I'm not really sick anymore, just still very tired. Not the tired that I need to sleep, but the tired that I need to rest after just a little bit of doing anything. I started out with a little tickle in my throat on Tuesday and by Thursday had horrible sinus pressure, headache, body aches, and a fever of 102.5.

It had been a busy week. The last day of preschool for the kids, Marshall's graduation from preschool, auction meetings for me (somehow I am helping acquisitions for the auction my daughter's school is having next year even though we are homeschooling next year...I am such a yes-person), cleaning up my classroom, T-ball game, the list goes on and on. Needless to say, it's hard for any mom to get sick, let alone a stay-at-home mom with 5 very dependent children. "SUPER DAD" TO THE RESUCE!!

My husband is simply the best. I asked him to come home from work early on Thursday because I was wiped out (note the 102.5 temp!!) He did with nary a word about how much work was piling up on his desk or how he had only been at his desk for about 45 minutes that whole week thus far because of all he has to do with others at his office. He swept in and took over childcare, child feeding, petcare, and pet feeding. He made me dinner. He kept the kids quiet so I could sleep. And when I begged him to stay home on Friday, he did!!! (And in all honesty, he did work from home due to a "wonderful" invention known as the Blackberry.)

I was diagnosed with a sinus infection on Friday afternoon by a doctor I don't really like and was sent home with the appropriate antibotics to cure such a hanis illness. (I have to confess that part of me was hoping the doctor would say I was in need of hospitilization due to dehydration and extreme fatigue...no such luck!)

As of today, my husband is back at work...he's very glad of it too! He repeatedly said over and over how he was going crazy. I think he gained a new admiration for me and my schedule. He didn't understand it before...now he does! I love him for taking care of me and the kids.

DISGUSTING!!!

So the kids are downstairs trying to find a book for me to read to them before bed while I'm checking my e-mail. Madison chooses "Junie B. Jones...I Am Not A Crook". I love Junie B. books. They are hilarious! Marshall chooses a sing-a-long "Jesus Songs" book. How sweet, I think to myself.

Then as I am about to log off of e-mail to go and read to them, Marshall screams, making me about pee my pants. I look over and he is pointing to a completely flat, smashed camel cricket on the last page.

I'm leaving it for John to clean up when he gets back from his men's retreat!! (And by the way...whose idea was it to have a men's retreat on Mother's Day weekend...that's all I'm sayin'!)

Mommy Guilt

Is it possible to be a mom and not have guilt? I hope so, and I hope I can one day get to that place, but I don't think it's ever going to happen.

I feel guilty because I know I'm supposed to play with my kids, read to them, listen to them, create with them, and just be with them. I love to do that. And I do do that. But when I do, it's exhausting and I have no time or energy for the day to day life "stuff" of cleaning, cooking, dusting, laundry, folding, picking up, putting away, etc.

I feel guilty because I know I'm supposed to clean, cook, dust, do laundry, fold, pick up, put away, etc. I don't love to do that. But I do that. But when I do, it's exhausting and I have no time or energy for the fun stuff of playing, reading, listening, creating, and being with my kids.

This may be really dumb, but I just cannot find the balance. I go from a high of having spent incredible time with my children to looking around my pathetically dirty house and moaning and groaning about having to clean at the end of a long day. Or I go from a high of having a sparkling clean house to looking at my peacefully sleeping children and moaning and groaning and crying that I haven't made the most of the day with them that I should have.

Am I the only one out there going through this? Where is the balance? How can I manage 5 children and a clean house? Is it even possible? Maybe it's the rain today, but I am really feeling like the worst mommy, wife, and house cleaner in the world right now. I'm exhausted and it's not even 6 yet.

Boy Stuff

So if finally happened this morning. You know those shows where you see the mom pulling all kinds of weird stuff out of the pocket of their sons pants before they do laundry and you think, where did it all come from? Well, I don't know where it all came from, but my son had a bunch in his pocket!

He had 2 nickels (now those I do know where they came from...I give Madison and Marshall a nickel each time they buckle up the twins), a Bud Lite beer cap (gross, don't even want to think about it), a piece of his binky (it's his blanket that he used to sleep with but is now in little, tiny, miniscule threads), a blue wire, part of a sticky thing that "walks" down the wall when you throw it at the wall (you moms know what it is!), a lego, a Playmobile pirate sword, and an army man's arm.

He's my little collector. I used to get so grossed out when my nephews would pick up stuff off the ground and pocket it...I still think it's gross, but Marshall does it now and I kind of get it. They're boys, and it's what boys do!

I love my little Marshall! Just this morning, before the whole shorts thing, he says to me as I'm brushing my teeth, "How about I get a little kiss from my favorite Mommy?" Right after that he says, "Mommy, can I stay home from school today? I just want to be with you!" The little charmer!! (And yes...he's staying home today...just to be with me!)

Twins...gotta love 'em!

Emma was just looking in the mirror and turned to me and said, "Mommy, I look like Halle!" (Just in case you didn't know, Halle and Emma are identical twins...and they're 3, not 12, so the whole looking like your twin thing is just dawning on them!)

Cleaning

I'm in the kitchen mopping. Madison comes in to watch...she's fascinated by mopping and is always begging to use the Swiffer Wet Jet. We have a conversation which goes like this:

Madison: "Is Jillian coming over?" (That's our babysitter)

Me: "No."

Madison: "Is Grandpa and Grandma coming over?"

Me: "No."

Madison: "Are you having Bible study today?"

Me: "No."

Madison: "Then why are you cleaning?"

It's then that I realize the only time the kids ever see me really clean cleaning is when we are having company. I do pick up, straighten up, and neaten up. But it's pretty sad that if I'm deep down cleaning it means, to the kids at least, that someone's coming over. Now lest you think we are walling in filth, I do deep down clean when the kids are at school, playing outside, watching a movie, or some other activity that distracts them from what I am doing. It's just hard to do with them running all around!!

I am cleaning the kids bathroom when it occurs to me that each child (with the exception of Cooper, he only has one toothbrush and shares someones toothpaste) has 2 toothbrushes and their own toothpaste. That's 8 toothbrushes and 4 tubes of toothpaste. When did this craziness occur and where was I?

I better get back upstairs and finish deep down cleaning...who knows when the urge will strike again?

Oh, and John is sitting on the back porch enjoying the sunshine. Well, that's not fair, he is working on work stuff, but he's still outside!

We're back!!

So, when we went on vacation, I thought it was for 6 days. Almost 2 1/2 weeks later we got home...well, we've been home since last Sunday night, but it has been crazy around here. John's family in Jacksonville basically kidnapped me and the kids. When they found out that the kids had Spring Break the week after our vacation (I'm still not sure when we didn't go down ON their Spring Break, but who cares?), they told John to come back to Atlanta and to come back the next weekend to get us...that's what we did!

We first went to the beach with his family. It was FREAKIN' FREEZIN'!! I am not kidding. It was in the 30's at night and only in the 50's in the day. Now for up here, okay. But this is the beach. It's supposed to be warm. But the kids did brave getting in their suits and dipping their toes in each day for about 10 minutes. And we did hit the beach after Disney when we were kidnapped and it was warm and sunny.

The kids had a blast at Disney (HUGE thanks to my Grandpa and Dorothy for getting us all in for free, "renting" two double strollers for free, and discounts on food, etc.). We were there from the time it opened until ther fireworks were exploding in the air!! It was sooo much fun! Their favorite thing was meeting all the characters. We actually met quite a few this time. I just love to see the excitement on their faces and the joy in their voices when they say, "Donald Duck hugged me!"

After Disney we were just going to stop back by to see his family and spend the night. That's when they conjured up this plan of theirs. I'm so glad we stayed. The kids don't get to see their cousins as much as we'd like, so it was nice. And to relax and just chill with each day being blank with no plans what-so-ever was huge!

The night we got home I told John my throat was a little scratchy. I woke up the next morning to full blown sore throat, crouppy cough (I still get croup as an adult y'all...strange), no voice, and gross green phlegm. Nice. It took me three days to realize it was all this lovely Atlanta pollen. I am still coughing a bit and still have a hoarse voice, but after almost a week on Claritan, I'm much better.

Now I'm going to go upstairs and plop down in the middle of the toys, folded clothes, unfolded clothes, and sippy cups, I'm going to grab Madison's Power Puff girl pillow and ABC blanket I saw and take a nap right on the floor. I don't think I can make it much further than that!

Just FYI

We are getting ready to go on vacation this coming Friday!! Yippee! We are going to the beach for a few days with John's family...his sister is a size zero people. No, really and literally she wears a size zero. I have given up even trying to lose a few pounds. I mean honestly, what difference is it going to make when I'm next to her? I'd have to lose half of me just to sqeeze one thigh into her jeans. And I have given birth to 5 children. Anyone who expects me to look good in a bathing suit is really funny and should give serious thought to a career in comedy. Anyway, then we (just our family...all 7 of us) are going to visit my Grandpa and go to Disney World!! Can't wait to go!

So, the reason I am writing this is to inform you of why I probably will not be blogging much this week, and not at all next week. I am determined to leave my house in spic and span, spotless, smelling free of poo condition. (Especially that last part.) I really am. I started this weekend and I am going to reach my goal. However, this does not leave much time for blogging...darnit. Right now I am waiting for a load of clothes to dry so I can lickety split fold it, get it packed or put away.

Precious

My heart melted when I overhead Halle talking to Emma in the car.
She said "Emma, Dod made ew pesal."
Translation: "Emma, God made you special."

Too fast

My little Madison is growing up too fast. Well, all the kids are growing up too fast. Madison's birthday is next week and I can't believe she's going to be 7. We're going to Disney World to celebrate instead of having a party for her. Now, before you think, wow, that's alot more money than having a party, my grandpa works at Disney and can get all of us in for free!! So, why not go to Disney for her birthday? And I REALLY need a vacation. I just need to get away from the everyday stuff of life...dishes, laundry, vacuuming, dusting (what's that?), cleaning the bathrooms, etc., etc., etc..

I can't wait to see the kids at Disney. We actually went last year when Cooper was just 7 weeks old (we're crazy like that) and the kids had a blast. But this year the twins will get to experience it rather than just sleeping through half of it (they were not quite 2). They are at such a great age! All of them are. And they're so dang cute! I really believe God gave all of them a double dose of cute!!

Didn't do too much today. Just played with the kids. Oh, I did take all my "stuff" over to the consigment sale. I had to take the entire back seat of the van out to fit everything in. And even then it was a tight fit. I actually just got back from working the "pre-sale". The toddler bed and mattress was the first thing to sell...yee-haw! Looking forward to being there to work the sale on Saturday. I don't know why I enjoy it so much. But I have literally been looking forward to this since the sale in the fall. I guess I'm just weird. Or it could be the fact that I'm around a bunch of women and can actually hold a conversation without having to get a sippy cup for anyone!

Love my kids. Love my husband. Love my Lord. (Not in that order!!)

It's been a while...

All right, I haven't written anything in a while. It's been kinda crazy around here. Well, it's always kinda crazy with 5 kids, a dog, a cat, a gerbil, 3 fish, a mom, and a dad.

An update on the laundry for those of you who are wondering. I did not trash the socks, though I was sooo tempted. I actually matched and put them back in their respective drawers! Yeah for me...now there's another pile waiting. But I'm kind of on this laundry kick where I just have to get it done, folded, and put away. I think my perfectionism is coming back in stages. (It's hard to be a perfectionist with all the kids...so I just gave up for a few years!!) First it was the dishes...I have to keep my counters clear of dirty dishes or it drives me up the wall. Now the same thing is happening with the laundry...I have to get it done or I lose my mind. I'm taking this as a good sign. Hopefully by the end of the year, all areas of mess in my home will have found a spot in my crazy mind that has to be spotless.

We had an AWESOME family weekend. On Saturday John took Madison to her game because we woke up late and there was no way I could get everyone ready in time. So they had some Daddy-Daughter time together. As they are walking out the door John says, let's have some fun today...do you want to go to Marietta, some other random place, or the zoo? Duh? The zoo of course! So by the time they got back from her game (she scored 2 baskets!!!) the rest of us were ready for our adventure.

Now, I don't know if the zoo is aware of this or not, but for our family to go to the zoo for one day, it's $85.00. Alot of money for one day. But our family can get a year pass for $89.00. Does that make sense to me? No. Now, if I were in charge of ticket prices, I would either lower the cost of the daily admission or raise the cost of the yearly pass. Because basically our family will be spending ALOT of time at the zoo this coming year...with our own picinic lunch mind you.

Anyway, we had a great time at the zoo. The kids just loved running around to see all the different animals. Madison's favorite was the otter. Marshall's was the lion. Halle's was the Panda Bear. And Emma's was the elephant. And that really just about sums up their personalities now that I think about it! Maddie is always ready for fun, fun, fun. Marshall is a perfectionist and loves to take charge. Halle is a snuggle bug. And Emma takes over the room when she enters! Cooper didn't voice a favorite animal, he just loves them all, like everyone loves him!!

On Sunday John had to go to COTA for a lunch after church so the kids and I skipped and vegged at home for a while. Then I took Marshall, Halle, and Emma to my parents to play while Madison, Cooper and I went to meet John at IKEA (I totally understand all the hype now!!) to get Madison a new bed for her birthday. Of course she picked the most expensive and cutest bed. Can't wait to get it together. Can't believe she's almost 7...time flies!

I love my kids so much. They are the greatest in the world! I love watching them play together and love making memories with them!!

That's about all for now. I have a consigment sale this weekend I'm hoping to make a bunch of money at so I can go and buy clothes for the kids. If they would just stop growing I wouldn't have this problem!!