Dear Ashley

It's not Swiss Miss, but...

...this tip could save your life.
(from a hopeless sugar-aholic, me)

Add to Coffee:

• Cocoa powder
• Milk of some kind (I have used rice milk and almond mild successfully)
• A dash of Salt
• Agave Nectar

Experiment with the amounts to your own taste and stir thoroughly.


It's not Swiss Miss, but I was desperate. What can I say?
Amazingly, this questionable concoction satisfied my sweet tooth and sugar craving.
You might give it a try ;-)

Is There Any Paint on the PAPER, Child?

This is not exactly what I had in mind when I asked her if she wanted to paint.

But I'm getting flexible.

(please don't think too hard about what it means if she's painting her teeth...)

Part of my theory about being a good momma is knowing when to turn your head and
pretend you didn't see. ;-)


Of course... Something I "didn't see" often requires the camera's services!

Impishness

It seems like this one's been multiplying her spunk and sense of humor in recent months.

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall with me when Uncle got home from work and draped his feet over the sofa arm to be warmed by the fire.
That is where you see him in this picture - the model of tranquility - when Susanna climbed up into the chair to give him some company.

She chatted up a storm.
About nothing,
and to no one... in particular

I mean, she MAY have been talking to Uncle, but upon closer inspection of his eyelids...

It's doubtful he was listening.


Thanks for the "sweet" picture Sue :-P
I love it!

It's a Mom's Life

Teaching,

Feeding,

Cleaning,

Sorting,

Packing (again),

Balancing,

Juggling,

Multi-tasking...





















...Actually I can't multi-task.

Unless you call this multi-tasking?

Feeding the baby,

Answering Math questions from both sides,

And being a human balance beam for Carolina.

Hmm... Maybe I can multi-task.

Just a little :-)



(when you share those "life of a boy" pictures,
I want to see your "life of a mom" pictures too!)

It's a Boys Life

Ya think we could let those socks go?

His jeans have seen better days too.

Some people call this "comfort" clothing.

I call it

"the life of a boy".



(If you dare, show off your best
"the life of a boy" pictures
and leave me a comment so we can all enjoy!)

Who, ME?

Sweet Relief!

Earlier this week I resorted to my last-ditch effort to give Bryce some relief from his Eczema.
I used the Aveeno with 1% Cortisone in it.

Not my first choice, but I had bought it... just in case.

I conceded that "just in case" had arrived when he was scrubbing his legs together so hard that he'd break out of his snapped footie pajamas. If he'd get his legs out of those, he'd scratch them until bleeding.

We are both taking fish oil, and he's taking probiotics. His BM's are more regular, but the Eczema has been worse since taking these things. I emailed Dr. Monk and asked if it's normal for Bryce's condition to get worse before it gets better and he said no.
He also said that cortisol is the natural anti-inflammatory steroid which controls inflammation.
If the adrenals are under functioning the body will not produce enough cortisol, and will require some.
It was a relief to hear this, and a confirmation of my mommy instincts. I had already tried one over the counter with no noticeable effects, but I gave Bryce's legs a rub-down with the Aveeno.
One application and a few hours later his inflamed skin was relieved to the point that he wasn't trying to tear into it with his fingernails!

I've only applied it once or twice more in really bad areas, but have since gone back to the Bag Balm which has been keeping his skin almost baby-soft once again.

I just wanted to give him some relief while waiting for the other things to take effect, and I think we accomplished that this week.

Thanks LORD!

Don't Worry, Zack'll Take Care of You!

I wish I had a picture I could post of Zachary when he was three years old, but all pictures BDC (before digital camera) are in Idaho.
It's possible that I'll learn to use a scanner this Summer when we're up there and be able to scan some older photos into the computer, but the uploading process is much more laborious because of slow Internet connection, so that's no promise.

Anyway, I happened to open a journal I have kept (sporadically and with rather fewer entries than my blog sports) specifically for the children.

Yesterday I read a couple things to them and we laughed and laughed!
It makes me want to record more of the wonderful things they say, because lo and behold!
One really DOES forget them (who would have believed it?).

Here's one of my all-time favorites:


Setting the scene, I was watching the two boys play in the yard.
We lived in the country and our driveway was long, winding it's way around the barn, and through a field before reaching our home in the corner of the property.

Clay had just learned to toddle and was probably 18 months.
As Daddy's big one ton truck made its appearance out by the barn Zack (then 3) gave a commanding yelp to his uncoordinated little brother.

"Clay! Don't go in the driveway -
Daddy might run over you with his truck...


...it might break his truck!"

How early he began perfecting the art of Big-Brotherhood ;-D

i listened in and this is what i heard...

"...And thank you LORD,
for the world you created
with all its mysteries and wonders..."

~Clayton Praise age 7~

Two Hoots and a Holler! (First-ever Ski Adventure)

Firsts

We had the pleasure and privilege to take a long weekend and have a little Winter Vacation to Pagosa Springs Colorado, and Wolf Creek Ski resort.

We met up with our friends at the Sand Dunes National Park, which is where these first few pictures were taken.

We've never taken the family to ski before - I haven't ever skied (in another season... or life maybe), but AJ and I decided to get the children lessons and we'd watch.

What followed was the sore-est face I've had since our wedding 12 years ago!
No one could have ever prepared me for how much FUN I'd have just watching my four biggest Bugs learn to ski - it was a blast!

Everyone did AMAZING for so many firsts, and Olivia was a hoot! She wasn't sure she wanted to do this, but never searched for an out, so she cri----ed all the way up the lift, and gri-----ned all the way down, cri----ed all the way up, and laugh-----ed all the way down!
After a few times she was game for the rest of the day :-)

Clay would have preferred to be allowed to crash and burn more often - too much care and caution for his taste, and Zack was so enthusiastic in his attempts to do everything just as the instructors said! He was awesome!

But who amazed me the most was Susanna. She was a natural and wasn't through at the end of the day. She was happy to ski ahead of big brother in the further group, and she teased her instructor mercilessly (yes, serious SUE!).

We visited the Sulfur hot springs the next day, and the last day we headed home trying to beat the snow.

It was a weekend of memory-making for sure!

Enjoy the pics :-)

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































And that's that!