YIKES

Today I was talking on the phone with Sarah when Maya decided to go out back and play. She opened the door, stepped outside and started screaming her brains out. I was afraid she had sliced her foot off (or at the very least her toe) so I ran over and started scanning the area for blood. I didn't find any blood, however I did find a rather large praying mantis standing near the doorway. My child who loves everything nature was pointing and crying hysterically. Being the mature adult that I am, I made fun of her and suggested we catch it so we could show Porter and Dad when they get home. Maya now loves her 'Pry Mantis' and after a short while came in saying "Mom guess what my 'Pry Mantis" did?" "What did he do Maya?" "He POOPED and it looks just like our poop." After that exciting event she decided her "Pry Mantis" was hungry so we got out the Bug library book she just checked out last week and did some research. It turns out Mantis are voracious eaters and will eat just about any bugs so we went bug hunting and watched that "Pry Mantis" devour a cricket. It was awesome!

I needed this

I dug deep into the vault and I'm hoping I'm not repeating any pictures.

I'm tired of not seeing my kids when I log onto our page so I'm posting these to make me feel better.

My sister is borrowing my mom's camera and said once she gets her camera back I can borrow my moms so I can't wait for that joyous event.

I guess these picture of the younger version of the ragamuffins will have to do till then.

But I'm mostly trying to avoid planning my joyschool lesson for tomorrow. I have been pretty productive today and the last thing on my list is joyschool and I'm just procrastinating.

Camera Crazy

I'm going absolutely nuts without my camera! My mom always told me "You should never love anything that can't love you back", and I usually try to heed that advice, but I'm dangerously close to loving that stupid camera. I hate not having it, especially now when my baby is starting to make his first big boy messes.
Due to the previously mentioned delima of having no camera you will have to dust off your imaginations and picture this... I was siting in the living room talking to my sister when Addie (my niece) came in saying 'Bennett eat food' I just assumed she meant he was playing in the pantry and continued my discussion. Well I know what happens when you assume but I don't let that keep me from proving it. A few seconds later I happen to see Bennett's little leg from around the corner and it's covered in a brown powder. And instantly it clicks "OH CRAP HIS GOTTEN INTO THE COCO POWDER." I had just bought a brand new container of coco and somehow he had gotten into it and spilled it all over himself and the pantry. It was a terrible mess to clean up but his little coco face was priceless and he smelled delicious all day.
At leas until the next big mess of the day. A little later I saw Bennett going into the bathroom while I was busy so mentally I say to myself "Oops he's not supposed to play in there I'll get him in just a sec." A second was just long enough for him to get into the toilet and not only grab the contents (he has a sister who is afraid of the sound a flushing toilet makes) but put them into his mouth (don't worry I wouldn't have photographed this mess). What has my baby turned into?

It's the thought that counts

Last week the we finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl to the kids. They both loved it! And in celebration of our accomplishment (reading our first big book) we bought a ton of Wonka brand candy and settled in for a movie night. We had prepared everything and had even borrowed the video from Sarah (way to save a buck). I had made these cute meatloaf and mashed potato cupcakes from family fun, and candied carrots (Willy Wonka wouldn't have it any other way). After dinner we started the video, broke into the candy, and the kids had eaten more than I care to admit before the opening credits even finished (we watched the old version). Well you would think with all the careful planning that went into this little shindig we would have been all set, but less than 10 minutes into the movie the disc started skipping infuriatingly (that's what I get for being a cheapskate). Casey then tried to improvise by renting the movie online, but it was going to take an hour to download so in a fit of desperation we let the kids watch an animated Star Wars movie and gorged ourselves on chocolate and 'fizzy lifting drink' to lessen the disappointment.