Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween

We went to a Halloween/Harvest party a local church puts on. Bouncy houses, hotdogs, popcorn, games...the kids has a blast!...and got lots of candy. We dressed up...in our dress up clothes, basically. Haha! My happy halloween rule, I don't really want to purchase a costume:-) They wanted to dress up, so I let them, and bought a few little things to supplement their dress-up gear (new fairy wand and cowboy hat, for example). A good time was had by all.
Princess, Polar Bear, Cowboy


Grrrr! I'm the Polar Bear that refuses to keep my hood (with ears) on!

Don't know why the bandana is like that. I didn't notice it until looking at the pics. He didn't want it on his neck, it was attached to his canteen

Goatee, complete with "dot", like Daddy's (Brian's mole...Brooks loves it!)

Princess makeup, with a significant amount of glitter on her face. It's gold and orangey looking in the pic (lighting?) but it was pink, and pretty cute in person!

The most adorable little bear EVER. Don't you want to kiss him up? It is exceedingly difficult to get makeup on a baby while they are awake by the way. This was as good as we could do!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Buds

It's the four boys! They love to play!
Sonny & Grey

Jack & Brooks

Messy!

My facebook status today was something like "today has not been a good day for first time obedience. Naps should help!" Let just say they can really go bonkers with their toys. It took them quite a bit of time to clean this one up. I refused to help!

Cookie Monster

He doesn't have a single tooth. But he can gum anything to death! He loves Arrowroot cookies. I bought a box when I was in Canada in August. I wish I'd bought 10 boxes!...or I wish they'd sell them here! They are the best teething biscuit ever!


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Holiday Spirit

Just had to repost this, it made me laugh so hard! I love the people who live in my catalogs!

Oh, it's not all holiday spirit. The Halls are our next door neighbors.

Sunday's Trial

When I picked Kenna up from her class on Sunday, we collected her crafts and papers. She immediately was pretty much frantic, looking for her "black, circle thing". I said that was all that had her name on it, so we were good. Then the tears flowed. Alright, go ask Miss Molly what you're missing. So she asked if her teacher had seen this black circle thing. I had NO IDEA what she was talking about, and she was getting really worked up over it (crying turned to sobbing pretty quick), so we left. I told her she needed to get self-control, because no one can understand her when she's crying like this.

She ran to Brian and told him of her plight. And the tears just couldn't stay away. Thankfully, he immediately knew what she was talking about. Her Kennedy keychain. It had been mine, it has the Kennedy tartan on it (dark green - not black), and she's discovered it and keeps it as one of her treasures. I had suggested she NOT bring it to church, and I thought she listened to that and left it in the car. Apparently not. At least now I knew what I was looking for. She was confident she put it in a certain "safe place". Forgetting there are many other children that may have thought that it was a toy for the taking. I have rarely ever seen her cry so hard. She was truly devastated at it's loss. We asked everyone we could, and searched high and low, but it was gone. I told her we'd just have to keep checking the lost and found. Perhaps someone will find it or return it to there.

I got a text the other day...it's been found! Wow. So she made a card to give to the little girl that found it. I told her what letters to write "next", as she can obviously not spell this well, - the heart and her name were all her though:-) Her writing is pretty messy I think...and she tries to do some things 'backwards' (she's a lefty), but, I should give her a break! She's only 4 after all! So it's probably not bad in light of that. Her writing is much better in her composition book, where there are lines.

And we've decided when Mommy suggests we leave something at home, it would be best to listen to that advice.
Zoe. ThanK eyou for fIndinG My KeychaIn

A random rock star moment. He never passes up a chance to play us a little tune :-)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Sunday crafting

This afternoon, while "watching" football with Brian, I made this wreath. In less than 15 min. And using only 4 things. Can you guess what it's made out of??
Coffee filters. Did you guess that? Probably not! I used the brown ones. So...
1. foam foral circle (Dollar Store, $1)
2. brown coffee filters (Walmart $.78, I only used less than half of the package)
3. hot glue (already had it)
4. ribbon (already had it)

Not bad for $1.78 and 15 minutes, eh? I think it's really cute, and I'm happy with how it turned out. I saw this idea online, on a blog, and I can't find it now, so I was just going from memory with nothing to "copy from", but I like how it looks, so who cares how the original one was, I like mine! I think I might want to get some wider ribbon, but this was all I had on hand. Works for now anyway!

Sawing Z's

This is the first time he's ever fallen asleep while playing. He was put in his jumperoo while we finished dinner, and when I went to get him afterwards...zzzzzzzz

Weekend Play

Some pics from my phone from playing outside this weekend. The weather here is quite perfect right now...we don't really need the a/c, and don't need the heat either! It's about the same weather right now, as it was in Ontario when I was there in late August (hot in the day, but cooling down at night), so we've been loving that!!
Pretty girl - she loves to pose for pictures now. Here she is climbing a Crepe Myrtle tree. They are the weirdest trees, they remind me of something you might see on Lord of the Rings. So knobbly with smooth bark.

He was having a grand time entertaining his baby brother

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Soccer Update

Soccer Season is moving along. There is plenty of shadow chasing, cloud gazing and random conversations...and occasionally, a blocked goal or kick at the ball. Half the time it looks like aimless running around, with sporadic inspiration to actually accomplish something soccer-game related. Kenna is a pro at diving over/on/toward/around the ball, while in net. It's quite an impressive move. She is not a pro however, when it comes to stopping the ball with any of these impressive moves. Brooks is actually a pretty good goalie. He pays attention and he likes it. Today we played the Green Team. There were a lot of almost-five-year-olds on that team, so they were much taller, faster, and more skilled. Our little Blue Team pretty much got trampled. Towards the end of the game, right after a water break, Brooks marches over to the coach on the Green Team, and says "You, you need to get the Green Team out of the way, so the Blue Team can sc-oy (score)". She thought that was hilarious. Nothing like stating the facts to get what you want! He doesn't like to lose, however, he still hasn't figured out that paying attention and going after the ball are the only ways to prevent that. He's such a little munchkin! Brian's been able to make it out to 2 of their 4 games so far, so that's been nice, they love to "show off" for him, so he can see them play. Tee-ball starts in the fall for Kenna...are we ready for another sport? :-)

Friday, October 22, 2010

New Era

It's the dawn of a new age. Kenna has learned to spell...things. Random letters, mostly (other than her name). She is now is the business of making signs. For everything. Just in case any of our visitors have any doubt, Kenna lives in this house.
Her bedroom door sign. It says "All people have to stay out so they don't mess up my clean room".
"All People" being translated to mean "Brooks"

Sisters

I'm sure there will be payback someday. But "awww, isn't he so cute?"

Playing Grey

Various playtimes over the past week
Operating the cash register
While we jump on the trampoline
The kids put this little cowboy hat on him, and he never tries to get it off his head. Another hat fanatic, perhaps
Hitching a ride from Brother & Sister!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Cowboy

In my haste to get Grey out of the highchair - to feed Sonny...I forgot to wash his face. I got the bib off though! A little mixed veggie is good for the complexion anyway:-)
My cute heart. He is trying to scooch around on his tummy, but hasn't figured out how to get up on his knees yet.
Ombre needs a haircut. Badly. He blinks it out of his eyes!:-)

Swinging!

Big boy swinging!

Crazy after-nap hair!

My Favourite Things

If you know me, you know I love nail polish! I used to have crazy loooong nails. My sister Lauryn would keep me in check and reprimand me, making me cut them down to a better length, so they weren't too Dolly Parton-ish or something. After moving to this house 5+ years ago...and no dishwasher...my nails were constantly too wet (weak), to grow long or keep nail polish on. And I hate washing dishes with gloves on. But thanks to my dishwasher installed in January, I can keep nail polish on my nails without it peeling up in a day!
Now when to find the time to do my nails, with all these kids running around! Problem solved with this polish, in less than 5 minutes it's dry! I love it! It is the only kind of polish I will buy right now, I know it works, so I am sticking with it. Very recommended. I have a Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat that makes it last even longer. With minor touch ups, 2 coats lasts me a week. Love this stuff!!
Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri - I can buy it here for $4.50-$6.00 per bottle, depending on where you are shopping. My favourite colour is the brown. *heart*

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Impressed

"Momma Bolger! What did you do?!" She loves it:-) I'm pretty happy with it too!
It has a lot of texture, but it's hard to pick up with a camera
Some of the textures I embossed with the Big Shot

Take Two

After looking at Brooks' yesterday evening, it was missing something, so I added a few thing, like the Rock Star ribbon etc.
I think I like it better now. The picture of it before was fine, but it was lacking something in person
I made this one last night. It's pretty cute:-) There is a lot of texture in this one, which doesn't show up well in the pics, but I did lots of embossing with the Big Shot die cut machine. This one is 8x8in.
CUTE!

DISCLAIMER

I am getting more readers and more hits on my blog. I used to get like maybe 20 per day or less, and now, somedays, it's over 150 unique visits! (and it's always over 20, thank you stat tracker:-). So glad to provide you all with (I hope), a small smile in your day.

Here is my feeble attempt at explaining away some of the nonsensical things I might say:

I should hope to never offend any reader. It is never my intention to do so, but I do freely express my personal opinions, on occasion. HOWEVER, please note:

1. I am not one, historically speaking, who is given credit for knowing what I am talking about. 
I am known for speaking too soon, and sharing too much information. Begging a thousand pardons. Unless I provide a trusted link to back up my point, if you think it sounds wrong, it likely is. I'm not trying to lead anyone astray. I just live in my own little world sometimes:-)

2. Of course I think my kids are the smartest, and the cutest. You don't?
I am incredibly blessed with my precious children and don't take any day for granted. I do my best to stick to the facts of our lives, and not over-promote ourselves. We are but human. And flawed. However, I also do my best not to paint anyone in a negative light. I want this blog to be, essentially, a scrapbook of life for my kids. Of the life they had, before they remembered it. And of the mother they had, before she got old and ugly wrinkly. And also an easy way for my out-of-town family to keep tabs on our daily "goings-ons". Sharing a whiny tale or two is always appropriate, as it is part of daily life around here, but I don't want to harp on the negative behaviours. It might seem like we are all sunshine and roses, all the time, and let me assure you, we are average in almost every way. We have great days, terrible days, laughter and meltdowns. But in the midst of it all, we see Jesus. We are striving to raise Godly, responsible children - who consider others more precious than themselves, have self-control, and who know what they believe, and why. We are no where near to accomplishing this task, but we are trying to get there, and we are loving the journey.


3. I love a good controversial discussion. Or not.
Any information I post, about any topic is not meant to intimidate, suggest, or offend. Just because we always wear bright red socks doesn't mean I think you should. Its not about being the same, it's about being lead...and following. We are making choices for our lives, and the lives of our children, based on how the Lord is leading us. We by no means think that anyone else should do what we do. We are quite certain that we will be, in large part, "alone" as we travel through life, and we're ok with being different! We each have our own path. And the choices we make today may change in an instant, and we will go another way. You may choose to think we are crazy, and I reserve the right to think the same about you:-) It's what makes the world go 'round.

So thanks for checking in on us! I hope you smile after each visit. We love smiles.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Name Art

I made this for Brooks (out of chipboard), it matches the colours of his room this morning, and also hits on many of his key interests. I'm really loving how it turned out. I'm going to make a 'matching' one for Grey, using the same papers, but different (more baby-ish) images. And I'm working on Kenna's next. Brooks was my first inspiration, hopefully I'll have the others done this week!
I love it! It's 12 inches by about 5.5 inches.

Playtime

Brooks - Ensuring his love of hats is passed down to the next generation:-)
They specifically changed into these clothes, in order to play their Prince and Princess game. This is exactly the reason why boys and men need mothers and wives. Otherwise, when they are dressed up, they look 'this good'.
Sleepy, after a nice long playtime.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Teriyaki Sauce & Maple Syrup - Recipe

I love these recipes. I am currently marinading chicken in this wonderful sauce for dinner tonight -

Teriyaki

1/2 C Soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 cloved minced/crushed garlic
2 t ground ginger
1/2 t pepper

Mix. Marinade meat in sauce.

And this one has come in handy a time or two...we make pancakes or waffles...and run out of syrup before we're done eating. What a bummer. Although we purchase real maple syrup, not the fake stuff, this "fake" recipe is good in a pinch, so you can finish off those waffles with some flavour & sticky sugary goodness...the kids don't mind at all! Although not quite as tasty, it sure is cheaper than real maple syrup! I suppose you just have to pay great prices for great food:-)

Maple Syrup

2 1/2 C white sugar
1 C boiling water
1 pinch salt
1 C corn syrup
1/2 t maple flavouring
1/4 t vanilla

Mix boiling water and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add other ingredients.

um, wow, ok...

Kenna: Hey Mom, look at me!
Mom: Oh wow! How pretty! Uhhh, how is that flower sticking to your forehead?
Kenna: glue
Mom: wow....ok...welllllll...[stifling laughter]
Kenna: and I have lipgloss too
Mom: I can see that. Where is the glue?

****
I am laughing out loud as I post this. Who GLUES anything to their own body. my-oh-my-oh-my!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Dog-Sitting

The kids were VERY excited to dog sit this weekend!
Here Puppy Puppy Puppy!
WoW! You're a big one, Hatch!
The dogs are amazing around kids, and my kids don't seem intimidated by their size at all!
Brooks tried in vain to get them to chase or catch the ball. Great Danes are very lazy dogs!
Kisses!
It's Hatch (tiger striped), and Hazel (black). Hazel was a rescue dog. They are Great Danes, if you couldn't tell by their huge size. Hatch is already 6 years old, which is near the end of his life. Hazel is only 4 I believe, but she already has a gray beard.
Something really interesting outside. Lets all look together!
They love Hatch and Hazel, their massive doggy friends!
Grey was the best with the dogs! I kept trying to catch it on video, but I always missed the best moments. He would reach for them, and kinda grab at their faces when they would come near, squealing in delight the whole time. When they would lick his face, he would laugh hysterically! It was the funniest ever, we kept trying to make the dogs pay attention to him, for more laughs, but they didn't really care about our entertainment, apparently. Or maybe they didn't like little hands right in their faces!