She is her mothers daughter.

This is Allyson.

This is Allyson with my melted cutting board.

Here's a closer view of the melted cutting board.

So those of you who knew me as a child can start laughing now. Other wise pull up a chair and let me tell you a story of a little girl who was not a pyro but had a certain knack for burning things.
Wait, first, let me tell you about the pictures.
While giving Allyson a cooking lesson yesterday (this means let my big girl make dinner in the name of teaching her while I have to feed the screaming baby) I went over to the stove where I had instructed her on how to make white sauce and smelled something a little odd. The chicken was boiling and the white sauce was bubbling away happily just about done and still the smell.
Aha!
Why was the cutting board laying flat on the stove, & pushed as far as possible to the back of said stove, not removed before cooking? I don't know. It must be genetic. I groan and move pots aside and lift up the cutting board to survey the damage, praying it was far enough back but knowing this can't be true, to reveal a puddle of melted plastic on my lovely flat top stove and dripping as if it were sugar candy from the cutting board.

Poor Allyson, After several comments like I'm never gonna learn to cook, I'm never gonna get this right! (Quite the perfectionist, one mistake and it's all over :) ) I decided to let the cat out of the bag.

I've also made similar mistakes.


Yes, I told her about my experience of lighting on fire a 25# bag of flower simply by setting it on the stove (I didn't know it was hot!) and then going out to play. I don't know why I did this it just happened and as for the other experiences of my previously, unintentionally, fire prone self. I have burned everything from my fingers on the oven rack to a hole in my mattress the size of a grapefruit with my bed lamp.

So apparently this is genetic. I'm sorry Al, but it looks like you are certainly your mothers daughter.

Hi Alex, how was your day? I smell like barf.

so Nat says I have to blog my awesome day yesterday... No pics but you'll walk away grateful for your own sanitary life. Be warned- this involves bodily fluids and Wal-Mart.



It's started with several very messy potty training incidents I won't go into detail on to get me in good spirits. Phoebe is having a rough time figuring all that out. So after cleaning her up for the second time and putting on a pull up. We headed to Wal-Mart for a few things I needed so we would be able to eat till Fri. First we dropped off birthday invitations to Laynas friends (by the way, I'm sorry I didn't know! And I'll call if things aren't better soon.). Upon entering the store I immediately have an argument with Alayna that comes down to do what I say and quit crying or we'll go to the car. She unwillingly cooperated and stopped crying with only halting whines coming for a little while after her concession. At this point I almost wish she'd won. So, we shop. Mind you it's Martin Luther King Day and all the kids are out of school and shopping with me. That's adventure enough you might say, but, no. I'm almost done shopping, my few things turned into a half full cart, and Layna says she has to throw up. Right like I'm gonna believe that. She's been giving me grief this whole time and acting, talking, and eating perfectly normal. Of course that phrase usually doesn't come out of nowhere but still, yeah, right. So I ask if she can wait, she grumbles something and I keep shopping. I'm on my last aisle of things I kind of need and Layna says again a little more urgently that she thinks she's going to throw up. (yes, I know, ample warning) So I say "fine. let's just go". I really did consider leaving my cart several times but she just kept acting so normal. So instead I decide to checkout. I'm holding Jack and I've got about half my stuff on the conveyor belt and Layna frantically says she needs to throw up NOW! So I grab her hand and start towards the bathroom, but my brain starts to struggle. I can't do this with Jack in my arms, I can't leave my stuff, yes I can, not my purse, not my kids, set Jack down, etc. about this point Layna throws her hands to her mouth and explodes. Seriously, this is 3-4 foot projectile vomiting going on in checkout lane 7. I'm getting dirty looks from everyone and laynas hands have created a sprinkler effect (feel free to laugh at me) and the vomit now has 3-4 foot range all around and yes I'm standing with Jack right in front of her (feel free to laugh again). (This part took much longer than the split second brain struggle I mentioned earlier) So now Layna is standing there and the chekout lady next to us is saying she'll watch my kids as I'm holding Layna's hands and setting down Jack and I start to leave but I can't leave my baby and my kids so we stop and get them too. We take Layna to the bathroom and wipe her up... mostly. Go back and stand in line for a second time since checker #7 still has half our things. I'm almost ready to put our things up when I realize I've forgotten one of the things needed to eat this week.

*Long pause*

Dang it! I have to go get it. So I take my barf smelling and slightly covered child and cart back into the aisle grab what I need and get back in line for the 3rd time. Again, as I'm almost ready to put my things up Layna says she has to throw up. Oh geez, now I'm feeling flushed. Well I'm not having that experience again in the newly cleaned checkout lane and I grab Layna and we rush to the bathroom where I leave Allyson on guard while I go and get my things from the previous checker and get in line for the 4th time so I can finally pay get my children and get out of that dang store.

But don't worry it's not over yet. Layna threw up again in the car on the way home when I couldn't get pulled over fast enough. She managed to keep it off the floor but it went all into her clothes so in the freezing weather my child is standing shirtless getting baby wiped off so she can get back in the car.


That was my day it was completed with getting home and simultaneously changing everyone, bathing kids, and making dinner. My phone call to Alex had him first laughing at my Wal-mart experience and then very anxious and on his way home at the news that the car had also been violated.

Layna's experience did not end there. Once home, she had several more moments, this time with a bowl nearby. And one in bed overnight which she adamantly denies despite her barf crusted eyelashes, arm, and hair. Because she doesn't want to be sick.

So no worries everyone yesterday was my day! I was that woman with the sick kids at Wal-Mart! And the mean mom punishing her kids making them stand out in the freezing cold naked! Woo hoo! You are all free! I win the bad day award for Monday :) Thank you, thank you all for having good days. And here's to Tuesday, that I might also be a loser of this prestigious award. I'm off to wash some sheets. :)

Happy Birthday Alayna!

Me? It's my birthday?
So this is my Sweet girl,

Not quite ten, but very excited to be five!

Always a smile and a chance to play with someone.

Layna is getting so grown up!

Poor Girl :)

I woke her up this morning while I was taking pictures of my sleeping girl :) She didn't mind though! I wished her happy birthday and she hopped out of bed singing
"It's my birthday! I'm five, I'm five, I'm five!"

I call this picture images of a sleeping five year old,
and yes I'm still working on her bedtime thumbsucking. Thus, my resistance to let Jack suck his thumb. It apparently gives my kids so much comfort they don't ever want to give it up.

After breakfast I asked Layna what was different about being 5. Her response "Hmmm..... My toes." Me "Your toes?" Layna, "Yes, my toes aren't bigger." ....ummmm, ok. I don't know what she was expecting but I for one am glad that her toes didn't grow for her birthday :)

Anyway here's one more shot of my big 5 year old! Showing us her numbers...
and...
her sisters toy. Hmm....

A little Phoebe Lovin'

Yeah, they get along alright :)

Sunbathing in January?

What better time to pull out the swimsuits and dance in the driveway than January?

Well apparently my girls agree because last week it hit the high 60's and my girls decided that was the perfect activity for the day :) So on went the swimsuits out came the lounge chairs and towels and on went Some great dancing/sunbathing music aka Alvin and the Chipmunks... the new Alvin and the Chipmunks. I don't now if you can hear it but here's Ally & Layna taking advantage of the moment and Livvy getting ready to when the moment is right :)

Jack's Blessing

We were thrilled to bless Jack a week ago on the 4th of January. We had some great support from family and friends. Several people got to meet Jack for the first time and he looked fantastic! So it was a big weekend for him :) Here's Daddy and son :) Alex gave a wonderful blessing, he even got choked up for a moment from the emotion of blessing his son, it was a sweet experience for me. Our almost family picture... Sorry Phoebe, Gramma has you in her pictures Grampa Ron enjoying his first meeting with Jack :) And we were lucky enough to have our friends Kent and Sharon Nance here with us :) It was a wonderful day made complete because of everyone who was there.

Let's back up a moment OK

• First off Thanksgiving....

.....hmm I never posted on that but enjoyed everyone elses posts, and like everyone else I also have no pictures. :( Sorry about that, but thanks everyone for coming!!! :) We had great fun and I hope to do it again next year if no one is opposed :)

• Christmas

And so this is Christmas :) What's Christmas without a tree? The Sperry's and Grandma Jo made it down and got to meet Jack for the first time :) I think he made a good first impression Alex, poor guy, got me a camera for Christmas and now he has to deal with this :)

• New Year's Eve!

This is our future Rock Band! Thanks to our friends the Enger's We enjoyed great Guitar Hero tutoring and a glimpse of the next great girl band! They've got some great rhythm :) Ally played everything at some point, layna rocked out on the drums and guitar (guitar was rather brief... I think she prefers drums), and Livvy settled in as the bass player, while our 2 year old friend max ruled the microphone! I was allowed to sub a few times, and Alex and the other dad's made some great competition for best band of the night, it was great fun! I might add that this is Phoebe and Hannah as fabulous groupies :) These groupies did best while doing puzzles for the band. So we played and talked and ate and Alex fell asleep till New year's came... It was a good night!

I think that catches us up since I was able to post Jacks birth. Things have been good here, I'm hoping to start some painting projects soon and Dad now has me thinking some Civil War Reenactment stuff, but wow that will be a lot of work! It's so much more than making a cool dress. I guess now we just wait and see where we go from here!

Happy Everything Everyone!