Child Labor

I found a new way to occupy the kids when I'm busy myself doing laundry, making dinner, or any other number of daily tasks.

I just put them to work!

And... they loved it.


I didn't get around to dusting the day I wanted to do it, and you could tell it had been a while.

So, I sprayed some rags with oil and let Sarah, Emma, and Andrew go hog wild.


It was a win-win-win situation.

I got to make dinner in peace. (win #1)

The dusting got done. (win #2)

The kids were all smiles. (win #3)

Then, they went to work on our dining room chairs.


Sarah even asked for more jobs to do afterwards.

That resulted in the Windex bottle ending up about an inch lower, and half the roll of paper towels sopping wet.

On the bright side, the TV is completely CLEAR of fingerprints.

Happy Birthday???

We had a snow day yesterday... it was declared a state of emergency in something like 77 counties in Oklahoma.
The airport was closed.
School was closed.
The mail didn't even get delivered.
I think Dennis was the only person in the neighborhood who went to work this morning!

All of this for 7 inches of snow... but that's a whole other subject all together.
I have to keep reminding myself this is Oklahoma - they don't have the means to clear the snow and ice.
So, things stop...

Well, things stop outside the house. Everything just keeps on trucking inside! Kids need to be bathed, and fed, and played with.

During dinnertime, Dennis ventured out again to help someone nearby. I fed the kids their own dinner and started cleaning the kitchen. I was in my own little world, blocking out the noise, when I heard what I thought was the "Happy Birthday" song coming from all the kids.

I turned around and saw this:


Andrew put candles (a.k.a. pretzels) in his cake (a.k.a. grilled cheese sandwich) and declared it to be his birthday.

The girls were happy to pretend with him.

It is so great my little people have some very active imaginations.

Read to Me

I captured a cute moment tonight at bedtime.

We have a little routine here, just like most families.

After dinner, it's straight to bath time.
If it's early enough, we'll squeeze in a short movie or read stories,
and then scriptures,
prayers,
and bed.
After all of that, we still had time to spare so the oldest three all gathered around Daddy for one last story...

It truly was a GOODnight.

Swimmie, swimmie

Andrew's best buddy had a birthday pool party this weekend, and it was a family affair.

Everyone has their own feelings and methods about the water.

Andrew would swim all day long if we let him. He has no fear and forgets sometimes that he has absolutely no idea how to swim! Thank goodness for life jackets and water noodles.


Sarah is timid at first, but now that she's tall enough to touch the bottom of the pool, she likes to venture out and practice swimming just a little.


And Emma is perfectly content to put on a life jacket, grab a noodle, and sit on the steps of the pool. Why swim when you can just get your feet a little wet?


Three different kids, and three very different personalities...

Poor Baby!

Jared puts up with a lot around here.
When you consider the fact that on a daily basis he is:
poked,
jumped over,
cuddled,
pulled on,
not so tenderly woken up,
carried around like a doll,
and squeezed a little too tight.
Considering it all, he is an angel baby!

Each Thursday, Sarah comes home from school with a reminder sticker about Friday's activities, but 9 times out of 10, this is where I find the sticker when we unload the car.


Jared even smiles when I dress him up as a dragon for the day.
I don't know why, but I think this is completely adorable.
What's the name for animals that eat their young?
I could be one of those...
I just want to gobble up my little dragon.

Can you play?

Sarah got to have a friend come over for a play-date today.

Her name is Paige.

They met in preschool 2 years ago, were separated during Pre-K, and have been reunited again in Kindergarten.

She is such a sweet girl, and I'm happy for Sarah to have Paige as a friend.

These cute girls got to make pizzas for everyone for lunch,


and play lots of girlie games.


After all the fun was over, Sarah was completely tuckered out and took a nap in her laundry basket. Who knows? It must be comfortable because Emma does the same thing sometimes!


Three cheers for successful play-dates and quiet afternoons.

Andrew's New Pillow

Andrew has 2 regular pillows, 2 throw pillows, and a pillow pet in his bed.

So, how does he choose which one to sleep on?
A, B, C, D, or E?
Nope... none of the above.

As long as he sleeps well, it's all the same to me!