a few last pics before i go to bed.....

We are finally getting into coloring. It took a while, actually mommy didn't think we'd ever be able to sit still long enough to color a picture, but we're coming around.

I can only assume they spend a lot of time coloring at school. They went from never coloring at home (maybe a scribble here and there on some scratch paper) to coloring IN THE LINES! Cam is so very careful when he colors (Caden, not so much) that he takes forever to color something....it has to be perfect! I love it! Caden tries hard but doesn't have half the attention span that Cam does.
Caden is trying to open his eyes for the camera here. Every time I grab the camera, he smiles so big that his eyes close. I keep saying, "open your eyes", byt then he opens his eyes and stops smiling. Here he's trying to do both. You can see by the forced look on his face that he can't do two things fully at once.
I got these cute little racing helmets for the three LITTLE ones, but Bailey has more fun "racing" around the house with them than Bennett does.
Cam and Bennett taking a ride on the carpet roll :o)
Cam loves to sit on the counter and eat "pup cakes"..........they are really just muffins :o)

my munchkins

Little boys in such a big world. When we go to the aquarium, they get "lost" in amazement. They love seeing all the wonders of the ocean up so close. Seeing that excitement and curiosity in their eyes makes we wonder what is going on in their little minds. Anytime I watch them experience something that requires so much of their senses, it makes me feel so lucky and blessed to have healthy children. It breaks my heart to think of children who are either unable (physical or mental disability or handicap) to experience or just not afforded the opportunity (for whatever reason) to experience that sensory overload that is so important for little creatures :o)


Japanese people (especially teenage girls) love American kids.....especially blonde hair, blue eye kids. I think blonde hair is lucky or something. They love getting their picture taken with them.....wish I could say the same for my kids. I think they are used to it, because they do it everywhere we go. I don't think they understand why strangers take their pictures all the time though. Caden took the time to humor these girls though. They must have taken 20 different poses!
Now that the boys are in the 3-year-old room, they don't nap anymore. It's crazy, because Bailey was still taking naps in Kindergarten in the states. Not here.....at three is when they really start learning in school.....no time for naps. They fall asleep in the car on the way home from school every day when I pick them up at 3:00. They are still easily transportable from the car to the couch.....never wake up! They usually wake up just before dinner at 5:00 and still go to bed at 7:00. If only I could get them to sleep past 5:30 in the morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Skipping naps and going to bed later doesn't make a difference.....whether they go to bed at 7:00 or 10:00, they are still up EVERY morning at 5:30......it sucks!

a few of my favorites

Not many things can stand up to an Oreo grin :o) As much as I hate messes, I can't help but smile when I see something yummy "left-over." The funniest is when they've "found" (aka - stolen) something and tried to "deny" (aka - lie) eating it when there is evidence from nostrils to chins. That wasn't the case here though :o)

Bennett loves to go to the aquarium. There is one place that is a huge tunnel.....thousands of fish and sharks (including an enormous whale shark) swim all around and over you. You can see from the million dollar smile that he's probably peeing himself he's so excited!

Crayons are for coloring, Bennett, not eating! You'd think they taste pretty yummy though, judging how often I find him eating them. It's so hard to correct him when he flirts with me like that :o)
Oh my gosh, we love bathtime. It is by FAR his favorite activity at home.We like it in the morning, the mid-morning, the early afternoon, the late afternoon, and at night. I find him in the bathtub all day long begging me (grunting and pointing) to "fill 'er up!" He likes at least one bath by himself every day when the brothers are at school and then again with them at night. We have so many animals in there that love to be washed! We line them all up, then knock them down into the water.....over and over again :o)

brotherly love

Every once in a while, I'll catch them being nice to each other :o) They are usually competing for EVERYTHING, but sometimes they're caught just being friends. That makes all the stress worth it. They were actually all three sitting down on the couch watching tv, and Caden reached over to put his arm around his baby brother.
Bennett was begging for cereal, and Caden actually fed him HIS cereal. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Seems like something all siblings do, right? Not my Caden.....this was notable behavior for him :o)
Somebody got into the winter drawer and decided to dress up the baby! They were all laughing, so I didn't care. They could be drowning each other, but all long as they are all happy, it's all good!
Bennett loves loves loves to hang on his biggest brother :o) He thinks Bailey is the best buddy in this world.

I couldn't imagine being one of four brothers. I bet in some ways it would totally suck but in other ways it would so much fun. Even though Bailey is so much older than the midgets, I hope they are all close when they grow up. The three little ones have the opportunity to be best friends all through school and life, and I hope Bailey doesn't "grow out" of them when he gets into high school and college. I know they will look up to him so much and look forward to his visits home. Right now, I think they think of him more of another parent than a brother, but I hope that will come later :o)

first day of school

Here's my little heart-breaker on the first day of school. I'm glad he looks younger than he is, because once the girls start flocking I won't be able to keep them off him. I'd like to postpone that as long as possible! I don't think any girl is good enough for my Bailey. He's truly awesome:o) He's very bored in school. He has over 100% in most of his classes, and it just isn't challenging. Even algebra is easy for him. At open house, his algebra teacher was telling me how Bailey is his "go to" man. He said if anyone important (ex. principal) comes in the room, he always calls on Bailey to answer questions because he's always right. He'll ask kids to answer questions, and after a few of them have answered incorrectly, someone shout out, "Why don't you just ask Bailey?" The eigth graders give him gum and candy to borrow his notes :o) That is funny to me......not that he is the nerdy 7th grader in the class full of "advanced" 8th graders, but that people give him stuff. Bailey bargains with them too.........."What's in it for me?"

He asked me today if he should go to an Ivy League school or the Air Force Academy. What 7th grader worries about that kind of stuff???????????????????????????? I told him the AF Academy is free if he is accepted, and he informed me that he planned on getting a scholarship to Princeton. hahahahahahahaha......smart, but still naive :o) gotta love him....he's a doll!

the girl behind the blog.....

Me and the three oldest kiddos. Bennett is not in the picture because he is on daddy's back as daddy is playing photographer. I had to post this picture first as "proof".....read on......



I was sitting in damp, semi-muddy grass at the botanical gardens when Todd said, "You know, you're going to have to wash those shorts now...." Big, funny (not really so funny) joke he likes to make just about every day is how I wear these same shorts every day of the week.....except on Thursday, because that's when my mamasan comes and does laundry :o) Okay, so I'm pretty simple and predictable when it comes to clothing. In my defense, I don't wear these shorts every day though.....I have two pairs that look VERY similar. Okay, yes they are both camo shorts.....and I always wear them with a t-shirt and my hair in either a ponytail or a baseball hat. Sometimes I change it up a bit and wear gym clothes with my ponytail.....that throws him off! On occassion, I'll even put on denim shorts and wear my hair down.....brushed too!!!!! That's why I posted the picture above:o) Makeup? Maybe powder and lip gloss.....if I think about it. I really like the idea of dressing up and "painting" my face.....it's just too much work if I'm just going to get toddler and baby "goo" all over me. What's the point? Well, I actually did get dressed up TWICE this month.....twice is a record I think.

This was just a warm up. I brushed my hair AND got the frizz out with a straightener.....that's rare! There is a touch of makeup (not much) and a little jewelry. See? I can look like a girl when I try......

You can't see it in this picture because of the lighting (I look so pale because of the big window directly behind me), but I have alot of makeup on.....my face actually felt nasty. Anyway, I did my makeup (well, the best I could, since I never wear it) and Caden asked why I had "clown eyes." Nice....right? About a half hour later and put my hair up, and Caden looked at me like he just sucked on a lemon and asked, "Why your hair like that, mommy? take it off!" Again....that's my little angel. When I put on the dress just before we left, Cam said, "You look pretty, mommy!" Caden just kept looking at my hair and said, "No mommy don't, Cam."

I even went out and bought some new bling for our big night out :o) Yes, there was a fight involved, but it was worth it.....I got a great deal! Anyone who knows me knows how I can't pass up a great deal :o) Too bad you can't really see it in the picture. Again, it's the lighting. It really is pretty though, and I got MANY compliments on it that night. It's a diamond pendant with 85 diamonds (they are small though) in it......it's pretty!!!!!!

Okay, enough of me. We've been over here for 2+ years now, and I think I've posted one picture of me when I was pregnant with Bennett and one since he was born......that's it. Mom keeps asking me, "How long is your hair? How much do you weigh?" Stuff like that....so, here you go, mom. By the way, my hip is off to side in the bottom picture....I know it makes me look fat, but it's just the way I am standing.

Now I've got to post some of the kidlets :o)

way behind

i will post news this weekend :o) i've been bugging todd for weeks now to download the hundreds of pictures, so i finally just did it myself. i have tons to do today, and the air force ball is tomorrow.....i'll get something on here before the end of the weekend!
toodles for now.....