Am I a pretty girl?

Ben came up to me a few days ago asking me if he could get out the dress up clothes. "Sure" I told him. "You can totally dress up". I assumed that he would want to dress up in his dinosaur costume and heels (He loves to wear a pair of Claire's purple sparkle heels) or just heels. Not quite. Today he wanted the whole kitchen caboodle. Heels, dress, earings, crown, and a ring. Not being able to resist I got out the camera and snapped a couple of shots. These will be so fun to pull out at a later date when all his friends are here and he is about 15. I also had to ask if he was the prettiest girl in all the land and he replied with "I am the prettiest BOY!" Sorry. How could I have made that mistake?

Of course Travis wasn't home yet but none the less this would have happened anyway. He did however come in the door shortly after this all transpired. He took one look at Ben and couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was pretty funny.

Tom Thumb

Our first child took a pacifier very well. She loved it and it worked. It kept her quiet and happy most of the time. With the second it was refused. He hated it and never wanted it. It didn't matter what brand or shape. He was loud and fussy. The third took it and enjoyed up until 4 days ago when his thumb was discovered. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I pull it out and give him the pacifier. It doesn't seem to matter how many I give him and keep in his bed his thumb now trumps everything. We now have a thumb sucker.

Beach Fun

After our whirlwind Denver trip we agreed that we needed a vacation from that vacation to relax. We got home on Sunday, repacked Monday morning, and went to meet our friends the Groths at the beach. None of us were sure if this was going to be a relaxing vacation in a house with 10 people, 6 of which are kids, but we love being at the beach house so off we went!

The kids got along wonderfully and the weather was fabulous the entire week with the exception of the day we left for home. The husbands let Katie and I (We are both named Katie) spend the day out with just Sam. We went to the outlets and had lunch. The husbands spent one afternoon tasting beers at the Rogue Brewery and play Frisbee golf. The kids played on the beach, went swimming, fed the seagulls, and got to go to the Aquarium. In the evenings after all the kids were in bed we took advantage of out kid free time. We played cards, had a drink, and listened to music every night. It may not sound like a roaring good time to all but we had a blast. There is nothing better than sitting around with the greatest friends in your pj's laughing and having a great time.

The pictures are of our time at the aquarium and feeding the seagulls at Nye beach. Even though we took several pictures with our friends they are not fans of having their kids photos on the internet so it's just our brood.

Father knows best

My husband became a father almost 4 years ago. I believe that was the scariest time in his adult life. He was worried, nervous, and thrilled at all times. I don't think he slept until Claire was at least 6 months old. She was precious and she was his new life. He began to see things in a different light. He changed. He softened. Watching him be a father to Claire was a joy.

When Ben entered the world, things this time around were much less scary. Another baby was great and a boy was wonderful. Now he had one of each. He took it in stride and enjoyed his new life with Ben and Claire. He changed. He softened more. Watching him be a father to Ben & Claire was amazing.

Sam came into the world at home and there was no fear. This was the third time and he felt relaxed. Another soul to nurture and another person that fit perfectly into the fold. His new life with 3 children delighted him even more. He changed. He softened even more. Watching him be a father to Sam, Ben, & Claire is my life.

She flies through the air with the greatest of ease!

For Easter we decided to get the kids a butterfly pavilion and "Raise" caterpillars into butterflies. We sent away for for our caterpillars and soon enough they came in the mail. They were very tiny and fuzzy and the kids were so excited. We did have to explain that we can't hold them as caterpillars don't like that.

They ate and ate for 2 weeks and before we knew it they were huge and fat. The kids watched them every day waiting for them to build their cocoons and begin to transform. One morning all 5 caterpillars were snug in their cocoons and now we waited for them to emerge as butterflies. The day before Trav, Sam, and I left for Denver one butterfly hatched. I have never seen the kids so excited! They demanded that we let it go right then and there and so we did. I was amazed that they didn't want to keep it. I was prepared for tears and trying to explain that it needs to be free. We have truly wonderful children who never even gave thought to keeping it.

The rest hatched while we were in Denver and when we got home we released the rest. Both kids got to hold them before they flew away. I am excited to get more as it was fun for us to experience as a family. I recommend that anyone with kids do this. It was fun, exciting, and educational. Next time I will have to be faster with my camera though. Butterflies are fast.

No seriously there was air.

This past weekend Trav, Sam, and I traveled to Denver with our friends Skye & Craig and Taylor & Katie. Skye's parents were kind enough to let us travel in their plane which is a 6 seater prop jet. It is a small plane but quite a nice one.

For those of you who know me, know that I am not a fan of flying. I also dislike roller coasters. For all intensive purposes I am a wet blanket. I am the one who watches on the sidelines getting nauseous watching you ride while plummeting to your death screaming "Faster faster! Put your hands in the air!". Knowing this about myself I come prepared with anti-nausea medication. Anytime I travel in any kind of situation whether it be as mundane as traveling by car or as crazy as a donkey I am armed with it in my purse. Back to the plane.

My dad takes us to the Portland airport where we meet Skye, her husband Craig, and her parents out on the tarmac. We do our "Hellos" and "Goodbyes" and load up to take off. I am nervous about the flight because we have Sam and I hope he is going to be able to pop his ears and not scream the entire way to Roseburg and then onto Denver. I get him nursing and we take off and things are going smoothly and there is a little turbulence but it's fine. I am only slightly nervous that the plane will go down. We get to Roseburg and our other two traveling companions Taylor & Katie join us. Things are going great and I am amazed that I haven't had to take any drugs. This is the time when Craig says something in passing about the crazy turbulence we will experience while going over the Rockies. What? I try to laugh it off and think that he is over exaggerating on how bad it will be since I am a nervous flier.

I have forgotten to mention that I do not have the stomach to witness anyone vomiting. I can clean up after it has happened but watching it happen makes me join in the fun. Just the thought of someone potentially going o vomit sends my stomach on a loop in sympathy pains. We take off and Taylor, who has an iron stomach, mentions to the group about 10 minutes after we are in the air that he is not feeling so well. I start to panic because I put the drugs into the diaper bag which is now stowed far behind me and is not easy to get to. Katie carries some with her because one of their daughters has a similar problem. She offers drugs to Taylor and I and we take them. I also find out that Craig is also not good with bodily functions of that nature. Fantastic. Here we are on a small plane with at least two people who will follow suit if Taylor tosses his cookies. What a fun flight this quickly turns into.

Now I am a nervous wreck that Taylor is going to be ill. I can't politely excuse myself and leave the room to get away from him and fear I will soon be super sick as well as start a horrible chain reaction. The pill kicks in and I am quickly in dreamland all the time am aware that we keep having turbulence. I finally come two and am awake enough to be a part of the group chatter and notice Taylor is quite green and sitting next to me. Ohhhhh. I ask if we have cleared the Rockies and have been informed that we are, not by the pilot but by my husband. I believe him. This was a mistake.

Soon after that conversation the pilot turns around to inform us that we will be starting our decent and to make sure we are buckled up. This is a normal procedure so I don't think much of it. We are, remember, past the worst of the turbulence. I start to nurse Sam again to help with his ears and as I get him latched we start having some bumps . Ok, this is not so bad and I can handle this. Good! I am starting to conquer my fear! I am awesome!

The first real drop out of the air hit and I came slightly unglued. Sam flew off the breast, I am on the brink of screaming, and to make matters worse Taylor has reached for a barf bag. I look around the cabin and at this point everyone is attaching their chest harnesses. Great! I would like to put mine on. Oh...one can not do this while nursing a baby and experiencing extreme turbulence and petrifying fear. I wish at that point someone would have broken the safety glass and hit me over the head with a mallet.

I have never been so freaked out in all my life! I am gripping Sam in hopes that he doesn't go flying to the cockpit and scare the pilot. My arm has also become one with the window casing since it is the only thing I can hold onto to try to steady myself. Everyone with the exception of Taylor and myself is laughing and enjoying the "Fun". Over the next few minutes I think there was nothing but air between my cheeks and the seat. Travis, out of the blue, starts singing at the top of his lungs to try to distract Taylor and myself. This works. We are all singing anything Travis can think up to sing. The theme song to Fresh Prince of Bell Air, Little Boxes, something by the Beatles, and then in a stroke of genius Travis starts to sing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

I can only hope that the pilot couldn't hear because non of us can sing well. After singing all the verses poorly and begging to be let off the ride we touched down on the runway. Thank the lord! We made it in one piece and I was never so happy to see asphalt in all my life. I think it is safe to say that I will not be getting on a plane again anytime soon. I don't care if it takes 5 days to drive that will be the rout I take.

A horse of a different color!

Over the weekend we had some family fun time. Fun has been a bit scarse lately so it was a breath of fresh air. Ben and I had been to a craft store and found some tiny bird houses that I thought we all could paint. Ben picked out a house for all 4 of us to paint and his decision making was hilarious. It took him 10 minutes to pick through all the wooden houses to find the right house for each of us. I think there were 10 different styles to choose from and he was talking it out to me and rationalizing each shape for each family member. "Claire likes 2 birds. This looks like mommy's house. Daddy likes squares. I think a bird will very like my house."

We got out the paint and while Sam slept we painted. We had a ball together! The music was playing, we were all laughing, and the creativity flowed. At one point I needed to let my house dry before I could paint some more and I caught sight of Ben. He looked at me, I looked at him and before anyone knew what had happened Ben had a mustache. Not long after that he had eyebrows, a goatee, and a heart tattoo to match.

Claire wanted to be painted as well so she requested that she look like a cat. Nose and whiskers coming up! Then she wanted wings and flowers and of course Ben wanted to be like his sister so he got wings and vines. The morning ended with a bath and many pictures. The sun even came out for a few fleeting moments. Just enough time to have some flying time with their new wings on the porch.