Thanks Cinderella!

About two weeks ago our little princess told me she wanted to write a letter to Cinderella. She has been friends with Cinderella have been friends ever since we visited her in the Princess Castle at Disneyland in May. She told me everything she wanted to say to Cinderella. We put our note in the mail and sent it off to Cinderella. It is a good thing I know that Cinderella secretly lives in Clearfield! Today we received a package from Cinderella and as you can tell by the smile on her face she absolutely LOVED it!

Happy Birthday Grandma Houston

On Saturday we celebrated Great Grandma Houston's 92nd Birthday. The big boys have a great time wrestling one another and exploring the woods around Grandma & Grandpa Tufts' house.

~

Even the girls like to get in on some of the wrestling action, too!

~

Great Grandma Houston's Birthday is actually today, so Happy Birthday Grandma Houston!

J~MAN!

Hey mom! Don't forget about me...

This is what the little guys is usually found doing during swimming lessons...

Yes, that is a lollipop at 9:00am!

My Swimmers!

We are so PROUD of the kids! They both have PASSED their SWIMMING levels and will ADVANCE to the next LEVEL next SUMMER! When we told Kailey she would be swimming in LEVEL TWO next summer, she was very concerned about her GOOD FRIEND ~ She didn't want to leave her behind! To her DELIGHT ~ Her friend also PASSED level one! WAY TO GO GIRLS... She is CONCENTRATING very hard on getting her FEET up into a TUCK position. I LOVE this PICTURE! Not only because she is a CUTIE, but because the KID behind her is using an old TRICK... pick up the RING with your TOES

instead of your HANDS ~ It is much EASIER! At the END of the LESSON all the kids who were TALL enough were able to go on the WATER SLIDE ~ Carson was the ONLY one from his group who was BRAVE enough! He has BECOME a GREAT SWIMMER!

Whew...

Today has been one of those days...

The morning started with 9:00 am Swim lessons, followed by driving Carson to summer camp, then going for my weekly visit to the dreaded Weight Watchers. Good News though ~ I lost the weight that I had gained last week! After being at home for less than an hour I pick up Carson from summer camp, and drive down to have lunch with Samson. Having lunch with him typically only occurs when he forgets his wallet & his bagged lunch. It is raining SO hard outside we eat McDonalds from the drive thru... not exactly fun ...and now the truck smells of french fries and I've probably gained the wieght I lost ~ in one single Big Mac! Finally, I am at home! But, but in less than an hour I run off to do some Visiting Teaching (I drive 30 minutes for a 30 minute visit and then drive 30 minutes home... CRAZY) It is 4:30 and now I have to think about what to have for dinner. What really gets me about today is that I filled up the truck with gas in the morning ~ $75! Now, there is nearly a quarter tank gone, which leads me to believe that I spent almost twenty bucks today driving around that stinkin' truck!

T~Ball...

It was so much fun to watch the kids play T-ball this year. Kailey was the youngest of the 4 & 5 year olds and Carson was one of the oldest of the 6 & 7 year olds. Athough you can't really tell from the look on her face in the picture ~

Kailey loved her first year of T-ball!

A new view...

My bathroom finally has a new coat of paint.

For those of you who may be wondering...

Yes, I am actually in the tub taking the picture

(with water and everything!)

Swim Lessons ~

Today they used the kick boards. He likes it best when they play red light - green light.

He usually wears his googles!

The little ones learn to swim by pretending to scoop up big ice cream cones with their arms. Today they were blowing bubbles in the water!

Boys will be boys...

I am driving the kids home from the library the other day and my 18 month old decides to wiggle out of his car seat buckle. He is now standing up facing backwards jumping up and down in his car seat. The other kids are laughing at him, which is only making the situation worse!

"Stop laughing at your brother!"

"Turn around and sit down!"

"You are not helping me by laughing at him!"

I finally stop the car, get out and re-buckle him in his seat belt ~ all the while he is throwing a tantrum. I get back in, relax a little and drive us all home. Later in the evening, the kids go out to play in the sandbox and I can't find one of the little monkey's shoes. I ask, "Has anyone seen his shoes?" My oldest, who is almost 8 says he knows where the shoe is. He reluctantly tells me he saw the shoe on the side of the road where we stopped earlier in the day to re-buckle his brother. Hello... "Why didn't you tell me this when we were on the road?" The typical response from an 8 year old... I don't know... What do I do?? It is getting late and my husband tells me to wait until the morning. This silly shoe keeps me up all night long... I think I remember where I stopped, but I can't be sure. The shoes were only $10 and easily replaceable - but still I am thinking about it all night! Will people think I am strange if they pass me and I am out looking on the side of the road for a little boys shoe? In the morning, I get the kids ready and we head out to the car in search of the shoe. I open the car door and on the floor of the car is... the missing shoe!

Lady Liberty

Our first decade...

• 1997 - Our family began when we were married. We spent our first year together finishing school, working a little here and there, and enjoying movies at the dollar theater.
• 1998 - After we graduated from college we moved to New York. The two of us drove across the country in a big U-haul truck, towing behind us everything we owned... which wasn't much!
• 1999 - We worked, worked, and did a little more working. We enjoyed our two incomes and we were finally able to enjoy full priced movies at seat-reclining theaters.
• 2000 - We welcomed our first baby boy! I learned staying home with one baby is full of bliss! I was occasionally challenged by sleep deprivation... which was remedied by napping when baby naps!
• 2001 - The three of us moved from NY to the coast of Maine. We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. One of the most romantic gestures from dear hubby was coming home from work with roses and a window air conditioner, which was much needed!
• 2002 - We bought our first house and learned the meaning of "sweat equity!" We primed and painted every wall and piece of trim throughout the house. We laid each tile perfectly in the kitchen, foyer, and hallway. We hung sheet rock ~ taped, mudded, and sanded!
• 2003 - The new year celebration was spent in the hospital with our new baby girl. Two kids was a bit more difficult to get used to. Napping when baby naps no longer applied! We learned the "tag-team" approach to parenting.
• 2004 - The four of us moved from the coast of Maine back to NY and bought another new house. This time we were absolutely NOT INTERESTED in sweat equity! We were willing to pay more for a professional to do the work!
• 2005 - I celebrated my November birthday with the birth of our third baby. With only 50 minutes remaining in the day, I couldn't put it off any longer! Apparently, he wanted to share birthdays...
• 2006 - With more children than adults and more kids than hands I learned how to handle the challenges of three kids. Most importantly, I learned without all the challenges... I wouldn't experience all the joys!
• 2007 - We celebrated our 10th Anniversary & are looking forward to the next decade!