Oh yeah, the blog...

Well, hello my neglected child. It's only been like 18 months. Not too much has happened... except...

We had another baby.

We are about to build a new house.

We had our 8th anniversary.

My kids have had 1 or 2 more birthdays.

You know... the usual stuff.

I will definitely not make any attempt to "catch up," but I am definitely going to try... TRY, to stay a bit more up to date on our lives. Since I am opposed to scrapbooking(for myself that is, all you amazing people that can do it... I salute you!) I need to have some record of my children's growing up and since printing a blog book is about as simple as it gets... I should make a bit more effort. 

All hallows eve... 2011

I was so glad that there was no trunk-or-treat this year. I feel like it is so anti-climatic. The kids run from car to car and it's all over in ten minutes. Those kids need to work for that candy! As much fun as they had trick-or-treating, they had loads more handing our candy and answering the door.

Side note: costumes are...

Doug=dog, the bounty hunter

Me=not so exciting witch

Toria=Little Bo Peep(had to be the costume from Toy Story, no exceptions accepted)

Rome=Batman

Davin=Elvis

Motorcycle ridin'

I must admit that I am not a fan of the mr.'s motorcycle. But, the kids do love a spin around the block(not the street block, just our little block within the neighborhood... I am a paranoid mom.)

BELATED, I am... My big 5 year old!

I truly deserve the "worst mom" in the world award! Toria's birthday was only three two and a half months ago... way to be on the ball! It was all about "Tangled" and in true Miss Toria form, she knew just what she wanted. Here are some highlights:

Our little gals decorating the braids I made for EVERY girl(yup 16 of them, I am insane!)

The royal cake, not made by me. Thanks Marci, you are A-MAZ-ING!

Owen and Toria. Already this handsome guy has been dubbed by our gal as the future Mr. I think she really would have been just as happy if not another party goer attended. He was our first guest to arrive and once her knight was there, pretty much nothing else mattered.

My pinata... my first attempt at one, and pretty dang spiffy if I do say so myself.

Tug of war with Rapunzel's braid.

Our artist's mural. A BIG hit.
Our Pascal craft/favor... also a bigger hit than I would have ever guessed.

I cannot believe my first little munchkin is now 5. The time really does just zip right by. She is such a good girl. Very smart and thoughtful. She loves to be the "mother" of every group. She puts much more pressure on herself to do what is right, so no need for guilt by Mom. Hopefully that trait sticks around thru teenage years! She is a very talented artist and loves to dance, dance, dance. She is so much better than I am and I know I was blessed enough to be given her so that I can rise higher. Happy Birthday my goober!

3!3!3!

So our little superhero turned three. Rome is such a spark of energy, excitement, and laughter in our home. He is the first to tell me how much he loves me and the first to get angry and tell me that, " you're not my mommy anymore!" He is truly full of gusto in all things. He gives the tightest hugs, the biggest smiles, and wants everything to be..."biggest, biggest, biggest!" Rome is such a joy in our family and I can't believe that three years have passed so quickly. He is the sweetest stinker there is. Happy Birthday my big, little guy!

The big O-N-E!

It happened, just like that. My baby grew up. Already one. I can hardly believe it. It was such a fun yet, sad event. I already miss the tiny baby that he was. But, I am excited for all that is to come.

In true Davin form... he loved his cake. He loves anything that he can consume.

Happy Birthday, my lovey, sweet, chubba chubbs!

A Tale of Two Cities

My children, the two big'uns that is, have a deep and abounding love for The Sound of Music. More specifically the "puppet show." I am thrilled by this, I have fond memories of pretending I was a VonTrapp child and had a giant puppet theater, a wealthy and handsome father and a nanny/mom that sung on bike rides and we jetted thru the hills of Austria. Even as I have been planning a home to build( not anytime soon, just planning out in my head.) I realize the design is that of an enormous entryway(ballroom) with all of the rooms opening to it and intricate railings to look over. Where did this grand design come from? Why the lovely VonTrapp home, of course!

Back on our puppet story, so Toria has been begging for a marionette. And I, being the great Mom that I am, decided we would make some. I found a (quasi) kid friendly pattern.

Scene Tuesday: My three little dumplings and I are strolling the aisles of Robert's collecting our supplies.(See what a good Mom I am!)

Scene Wednesday: Toria, Rome, and I are assembling our marionettes. Rome is not doing much assembling, but rather playing(aka creating chaos) with the feathers and foam. I forgot to mention that we were making "ostrich" marionettes, hence lots of feathers! As Toria wants to do EVERYTHING herself, I am sweetly and patiently guiding her in her efforts. (Really, I am the best Mom ever!)

Scene Wednesday night: I am wondering how long it will be before the marionettes can disappear. I have untangled the strings about 482 times in one hour. And each occasion causes great weeping and wailing. When does the garbage get picked up again?? (Ok, so maybe I am the worst Mom.)