little of this, little of that

When I started this mom thing I jumped in head first, I had no idea what I was doing. Almost 16 years later and I still have no idea what I'm doing. I get them fed, usually three meals a day and they do go to bed at night. I can't say they all brush their teeth regularly but I have suggested that they should. For awhile now I've been hearing the boys telling each other to shut up! I won't say I'm a huge fan of this phrase but I also don't seriously hate it. I can think of worse things to say to each other. Honestly, I've heard them use worse.
 I couldn't decide how much it bothered me but I was always embarrassed in public when they'd pull that out of their hats. You know, most people REALLY hate this phrase. A month or so ago I asked them to find a better way to talk to each other. I don't know who came up with it first but one of those quick witted monkey's suggested the phrase, Shut it! I started laughing and couldn't recover and the phrase stuck. Now, instead of Shut up, we say Shut it. It has leached even further into our life. When a boy says, please be quiet, this doesn't happen often, but when it is said, inevitably another with hope in with, "We don't talk that way, we say Shut it!" I really should fix this. I'm sure I've lead them astray. I'm going to let it be though because we laugh so hard every time! A family that laughs together stays together has a lot of fun!

Some other goings on...

Matthias found the blocks and has been spending a ton of time building.

I needed to do one of my taxi runs and I asked Matthias to get loaded in the van. I giggled when I saw this.

This year Halloween was celebrated on Halloween. We absolutely joined in on the festivities.  I love watching the kids work on pumpkins. I'm usually the gut remover but I don't mind the mess on my hands.

Nic's finished pumpkin.

Isaak found the design online and he worked hard cutting this out.

Anthony was going with a Dr. Who themed Halloween.

Here is Nic and Isaak. They of course hit their own house. I even gave them candy.

This kid had a blast. This was his first time doing the neighborhood thing. I stood back on the sidewalk and watched him do as I said. After the first house, he came running back with the biggest smile. He has since that night mentioned we should do it again. I agree.

She didn't trick-or-treat but her bro's shared with her. Look at that girl loving some sugar.

When Anna turned one I was dead set on weaning her from nursing. It's been one of my most difficult nursing experiences. I'm an all or nothing person so my first attempt was cold turkey. I soon realized that we were both miserable so I resinded my usually personality and decided we'd cut back to just morning and evening. I am so happy that we didn't outright quit. There have been so many tender moments we've enjoyed together because I didn't cut her off. I'm glad I still get this time with her.

Isaak had a birthday. He's now 10 years old. I just LOVE this kid. He's a ton of fun and crazy and joy mixed up in this body that just has to move and love life.

 Instead of cake we tried out cake mix waffles. He was a big fan!

He really wanted a pair of GB Packers receiving gloves. He spent some time online looking for what he wanted and then let me know. I ordered them. Here is a picture of him trying not to look too disappointed. They weren't what he was looking for. The picture online made him think they were something different. I let him know we could send them back and get something else. Initially, he played the kind son and said no. He quickly changed his mind and we sent them back.

About three weeks ago Matthias begged to sleep in a tent. We're kind of beyond comfortable camping season in WI so I built him one in my room. He has slept in this every night since. I can't bring myself to move him back to his bed. He's just so happy sleeping here at night. I love that he's happy.

The other day I was driving down the street and as I pulled around the corner I scared a huge flock of birds. They had settled themselves in a neighbors front lawn and were very content. I felt so bad. I wanted to scream out to them, "It's okay, I'm not going to mess with you, just go about your business." I often think about how my "footprint" on earth affects others. It's one of those interesting thinking way too much thoughts. It's the same reason my kids know that if you find bugs or spiders in the house, you pick them up and set them outside.

Kjel has been out of town since Sunday morning. He pulls in this afternoon and I'm all kinds of excited to see him. We've had a great week but it's always so much better when everyone is home. While he's been gone Nic and Isaak took turns sleeping in his spot. I love when I get snuggle time with big kids.