Happy Halloween!!

You won't believe it but the kids actually sat here all by themselves, without prompting. Not for long though, as you can see. If your wondering....Brooke is a kitty cat(Ashlyn wore it 2 years ago), Ryan is a pumpkin (Ashlyn wore it last year), Ashlyn is a unicorn but didn't have the rest of her costume on yet, and Gaby was supposed to be a ghost but we decided she looked more like an Angel. What do you think?

So here is Ashlyn completely dressed.

Inexpensive Toy # 4.

Sidewalk chalk. Which they sometimes color with.But mostly fight over. Even though the box holds like 30 pieces. There is never enough when you have multiples.And apparently Brooke thinks it's lipstick.
This photo doesn't do her justice with her blue and green lips. At least no one tried to eat it. Yet.

How bad can it get?

Have you ever put your children to bed to keep yourself from beating them to within an inch of their life(I'm being overly dramatic, of course)? No? Have your kids ever opened a spigot full force and drained a half gallon of water on your counter top, which then drained unto the floor and into several drawers? Not only that but they were courteous enough to pull all the photos and Ashlyn's artwork off the fridge first so that was soaked also.

You might ask yourself, where was I when this was happening? I was loading the washing machine which took a total of 3 minutes. One minute per child.

And so far, at this moment in time, they don't even have access to all the things I've been hiding from them. Scissors, glue, tape, knives, markers, pens, pencils, make up, breakable items, things I'm saving for them like photos, their baby things. What happens when they find them?

And they aren't even 2 years old yet.

I am anticipating some serious damage done to any possession we hold value to. I am also anticipating.........boarding school?

On a sweeter note, we made caramel apples last night. The kids loved them except Gaby. She didn't like the stickiness.

Who needs a maid?

Since I have been home less I have had even less time to clean, so I enlisted a little help.
Apparently it was too much for them because they needed a little nap after they were done. (They aren't really sleeping on the stairs, that would be kind of dangerous).

New Pillows.

These were on sale at one of our local stores and I loved that each kid could have their own color.

Inexpensive Toy # 3.

Looking for a cheap way to entertain your kids? How about feminine hygiene products? Mine can't seem to get enough of them.

What they do while I'm away.

To those of you that are just seeing this post for the first time, there are 2 videos. Some of you may have only seen the first one because Ryan and Gaby published the post before I could add the second one. I was changing Brooke's diaper while it was downloading and when I came back they were sitting at the computer and it said your blog posted successfully.

Now I don't know about you, but that scares me. I barely even used a computer and never touched a mouse until I was a senior in high school but my almost 2 years olds are blogging. Anyway, I hope you thought these were as cute as I did. My mom caught it on film for me.

Can you see me?

The kids are gearing up for deer season. Can you tell who is who?

Home-made playdough.

You may have already made this, but it was a first time for me actually making it myself. I used to play with the same stuff when I was a kid (and I still love it) but my mom made it. Ashlyn loves it and she has already mixed up the colors, which she promised not to do. Why is that so much fun as a kid but really irritates you as a grown up?

So here is the recipe if you don't already have it:

2 1/2 c. Flour

1/4 c. salt

1 Tbls. Alum

1 1/2 cup boiling water

3 Tbls. cooking oil

Mix flour and salt. Add rest of ingredients. Separate into portions and add food coloring of your choice. Knead, if needed. Mine first came out looking like really thick oatmeal, then I added more flour and it was perfect.

Keeps in plastic bags in the refrigerator for months.

I love this stuff because it smells better than the store bought stuff and it doesn't ever dry out and get crumbly. It stays nice and soft.

I even let Gaby, Ryan, and Brooke play with some and even though I stressed that they should not eat it, they all tasted a little. I remember doing that myself as a kid and know it doesn't taste very good so they will probably only do it once. At least you know they are non-toxic ingredients so it won't hurt them to experiment.

4 Cuties and a Parade.

Brooke, Gabriella, Ryan, and Ashlyn wearing their Halloween shirts. The ghosts on the front flash when they move. When I bought these I never knew how handy they would become. The kids wore them to our homecoming parade today and it was so easy to spot them in a crowd.

Here Lance was pretending to put the cat on my head and that is what they are all smiling about. (MaryBeth, I stole your pumpkin idea.) Ashlyn and Gaby were like candy Hoovers. The girl to the right is Kayla, my niece. Here are all the girls collecting their loot.
Ashlyn saying "no more pictures, please".
Ryan going for a big piece from Grandma.Gaby and Brooke thinking all the work of collecting was worth it because it tastes so good.Ryan agrees.

A New Game.

Its called 250 straw pick up. If you can't tell, these are drinking straws that Ryan helped himself to this morning. They picked every last one of them up and they will still use them.......even after they were on the floor.It was good for about 20 minutes distraction at least.

Why have I been MIA?

I'm hearing from various people that my blog is slowing down. Sorry. I really miss writing on here but have found it hard to even check my email and keep up with all the blogs that I read lately.

Yes, it is my new job that is keeping me busy. Its a sacrifice I'll have to make and I hope you forgive me, because I really love it. I'll admit it is a lot of new things but I am learning quickly and it just feels so good to be working in a field that I love again, minus the crazy hours.

I love my kids too, but I haven't really missed them that much. This job is a perfect compromise so far, because I am away from home part of the week but still home a lot more than most working moms. The kids wave me away each morning, blowing kisses, and greet me with a huge smile saying "momma!!!" when I walk in the door.

Today was my first day orientating in the OR. The Dr. I work with is an orthopedic surgeon so our Tuesdays will mostly be spent in surgery. I have never worked in surgery but am finding that I really like it. It was a long day today but I got to see a lot of cool things.

So hopefully I won't totally neglect the blog. I'll try really hard to keep writing. Maybe I'll put my mom on camera duty to try and give me some inspiration. She'll love that.

Here is my little Betty Crocker hard at work making cupcakes. Ashlyn loves to help me bake.

And then there were 3.....

First there was Brooke that recieved the crib tent because she was climbing out.
Shortly after was Ryan.
And now Gaby joins the club. Look how happy she is.

A Day in OUR Life.

"We woke up our parents at 5:30 am and they were grumpy, but look how happy we are". "I can hardly wait to start the day!!""OK, lets pull up them stocken's".

Now to switch gears, my brother was telling me that the reason mom's don't have any photos with their kids is because they won't be in a picture unless they get all dolled up. Plus my friend Dorinda said she has rarely seen me on my blog. So tonight I took photos with my kids.......undolled. Like it or not, you're gonna see me.

Gabriella with mommy. Don't look a day over 20, do I? Ha ha!! Dorinda, have your husband tell me how to photoshop those wrinkles out of my neck. And what can he do about sun damage?

Ashlyn kept insisting on having her elbow in the photo. Isn't it cute?Ryan's got that classic "deer in the headlights" look.Brooke is saying "cheese" with all her might and Ryan just couldn't stay out of the spotlight. I took all these photos myself, can you tell?Just had to end with this one. Ryan transferring all the princess chapsticks from one purse to the other. I know he is going to kill me some day. I can't help it, he is so cute.Yesterday, the girls got their Birthday/Christmas/Easter dresses in the mail. I got them on clearance for $12 each. They are frilly and pink and look adorable on them. Ryan was so mad that he didn't get one. He even ran and got one of Ashlyn's dress up dresses and tried to put it on. I need to get the boy some more trucks, and hammers, and guns (0k not guns yet). He is just trying to fit in with the crowd.