Crazy days of...well, everyday!

Everyday in our household is some form of crazy! At any given time, we have between 5 and 10 kids running around here.

Trust me, it's not that big of a house to be running around in.

Our friends who come over know it's pointless to ring the doorbell. It's faster, and easier, to just walk in. Half the time, we probably can't even hear the doorbell. Anyone who rings the bell is selling something or is not a good enough friend to know to just walk in. Therefore, we probably don't want to be talking to you anyway!

Yesterday, my Jehovah Witness lady (who comes at least once a month to show me something new or to just check up on me and I'm too nice of a person to tell her we're not interested. She's a nice lady who knows all of my kids' names. I can at least talk to her for 5 minutes every few months, right?) came and knocked on our door (she knows not to ring the doorbell because it's usually nap time when she comes over). The thing is, I didn't know she knocked on the door because I was trying to get six kids ready for nap time. When I finally did answer the door, she said she heard I was busy, so she just waited until things settled down. She was out there for FIFTEEN minutes!

Who does that?

My bigger question is, what did she hear??

From the outside listening in, some of the things said around here must get people laughing...or ready to call Child Protective Services , depending on how you interpret the meaning.

Because of this, I started thinking of some of the things that I say on any given, crazy day...

"Cade, it is not ok to give Cole the whole tube of toothpaste. I don't care if he wanted it, it's not healthy for him. No, his tummy will not be clean if he eats it."

"If one more person screams in this house I am going to lose my mind" Cody: "well, you better start looking for it because it sounds like you've already lost it."

"Please don't let that be poop on the floor, Please don't let that be poop on the floor!" Cade: "Nope, it's jus a bwonie." My bigger problem is how he figured that out, did he taste it? What if it had been poop...I don't want to know!

"Cade, we don't go poop in our underwear, we go poop on the potty." Cade: "but I already go poop on da potty." Me: "no, you went poop in your underwear." Cade: "not last night" Me: "you are supposed to go poop on the potty every time." Cade: "but I already did" Me: "no, you went poop in your underwear." Cade: "not last night." ...and it went on and on and on!

Cody: "Mommy, mommy, I know who the first president of the United States was." Me: "who?" Cody: "George Washington." Me: "Great job, Cody. Do you know who the 16th president was?" Cody: "yep" Me: "Who?" Cody: "ABERSTEIN LINCOLN!"

Me: "I am missing the pig's butt, does anyone know where the pig's butt is?" Cody: "do we get a dollar if we find the pig's butt?" Me: "sure, whatever, just find the butt please" Cody: "in that case, here it is"...little schemer!! (and for those confused, it's the leapfrog refrigerator animals I was looking for).

These are just from the last couple of days! Don't you worry, there will be plenty more!

My little princess

My conversation with Cade today...

Me: "Cade, just because you're pretending to be a knight, doesn't mean the dog wants to pretend to be a horse, please get down."

Cade: "I not a knight anymore den. If daddy is a prince does dat mean I a princess?"

Me: "no, that would still make you a prince"

Cade: "no, I da boy princess"

Me: "a.k.a. a prince"

Cade: "no, I want to be a boy princess"

Me: "there is no such thing as a boy princess, it's called a prince"

Cade: "I pretending there is a boy princess"

Me: "fine, but the dog is a dog, not a horse"

Cade: "fine".

Potty Training

When we didn't end up going to Chicago for Christmas because of the thick ice caked on the interstate and the 14" of snow we had in our yard, I decided my break couldn't get anymore chaotic so I decided to give potty training a try.

Not for me...for Cade!

He has always had an issue with using the toilet because of his GI problems. Every time we sat him on the "potty" before it was because we had just given him medicine to help him go to the bathroom. He always associated the "potty" with pain.

Poor little guy, he was terrified of the thing!

We started on the Tuesday after Christmas and by Thursday, we were out of the house running errands in "big boy underwear". He has done fantastic. Once he understood what he was supposed to do, there have not been any problems.

Of course we still have an accident from time to time, but for the most part, we can say he's potty trained. He only wears a diaper at nap time and bed time and even then, he wakes up dry...for the most part. He will be three in February and I knew he was ready, he just had to get over his fear of the bathroom!!

Here he is, playing video games while he waits...

oh, and Cole has even been trying to go potty. Every time he walks in the bathroom he says "potty" and sits on the little one. He even knows to "push it down" so pee doesn't go everywhere! The joys of boys...

Bragging Rights

As a mother, I am allowed to brag. It's my job. If you don't brag about your own kids, then who will? Right?

So, here it goes...

Cody is my sweet, little man. He never wants to hurt any one's feelings. He tells me I am gorgeous at least three times a day (I do not pay, bribe or threaten him...he started this on his own without any coaxing from me). He wants to do his best and loves to be praised when he has done well. He is a typical four year old.

He is also very smart. He has taught himself to read with very little help from me. Of course I read to him every night but he really has learned to read on his own. He can read very well for his age.

He has also taught himself how to do math. It all started in the car one day when he told me what 6+6 was. I decided to ask him some other problems and he figured out the answer to them all. When we were in Texas for Thanksgiving, we figured out he could add three or more numbers together. He was doing it all in his head and when we asked him how he was doing it without his fingers, he would just say "the little guy in my brain is helping me". (a little freaky, yes!).

So last night I decided to try actually writing the problems down and seeing if he could figure them out. Even big numbers. To our surprise, he got all the answers correct! The kid is a sponge, he just absorbs anything and everything! I know there are a lot of kids who can do this, but I am very proud of my little man!!

And of course, I took a picture of his work!!

He was even a little offended when he thought some of the problems were "too easy"!

Sledding

Since we experienced a "blizzard" over Christmas break, the kids discovered that the hill by our house was perfect for sledding.

Our hill wasn't even fully covered in snow by the time we found it, but it worked. We made do with what we had...

McKinly and Cade

Cody

Cade

Cade being brave and trying it on his own

He preferred going down with Cody or McKinly

Chicago is a no go :(

Unfortunately we didn't make it to Chicago. The weather has been awful and although we tried (we really really did), we had to turn around and come back. When you have to go 15 mph on the interstate in Tulsa because the ice is so thick and then the car goes skidding on the ice and hits the cement barrier, it's time to turn around and head back home.

It didn't do a lot of damage, but enough to have us turn around because the bumper was rubbing against the tire.

McKinly and Cody were devastated. Cody kept saying, "but I just want to go to Chicago". Cade then would repeat, "I want Chicago, too". Ty was too busy playing his DS to even know what was going on (I honestly don't think he even realized we got in an accident) and Cole had started running a fever and just wanted to go to sleep.

It is really disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing everyone and really wanted the kids to see real snow, not this ice crap we get down here.

We're also having to miss seeing our friends in Michigan. Cade misses Evan and really wanted to play with him. We'll have to plan a trip to Chicago and Michigan soon!

In the meantime, the kids and I decided to make the best of the snow here and build a snowman.

First they had to find out just the right spot

Then they had to test the snow with a little snow fight

McKinly built some chairs for her and Cade

Then they started the snowman

Cade, Cody, and McKinly hard at work

(Ty took off to a friends house as soon as we got back and Cole was inside with a really high fever)

Our snowman is lazy and is lounging in a snow chair McKinly made.

He sure is cute though!

Then the kids came inside for some warm soup and hot Chocolate

It's probably for the best we didn't get to Chicago, Cole is running a high fever and just doesn't feel well. It wouldn't have made for a very fun trip!

The kids keep thinking of the waterpark we were supposed to go to tomorrow. I feel bad for them, so if you have any ideas of what we can do around here to make it up to them, let me know! Until then, we'll be building more snow forts and snowmen!

Merry Christmas

Three very happy boys wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

We were supposed to leave for Chicago in the morning but we're not sure that's going to happen right now. We're just going to play it by ear, but hopefully we'll get up there! There's about two feet of snow in our driveway from all the snow blowing around! It's going to be a White Christmas at least!!