Just for Proof

There is gonna be a day when we as parents will need to pull out a pic that shows the kids actually got along sometimes. Now, WE know they get along a lot sometimes. We just don't have as much photographic proof as we would like to remind us. I think this pic could quickly become one of my favorites for no other reason than I know at the particular moment it was taken, those three were getting along just like peas and carrots. - Daddy

Not So "Sun"day

We have had rain and thunderstorms today.  The kids were lucky that Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom took them out on an adventure so that Mommy & Daddy could get some things done around the house again.  We are still gearing up for a consignment sale next weekend, got a few things posted on Craigslist (for sale) and took a trip to the grocery store (a new experience for us at Aldi). 
The kids made a trip to Barnes & Noble, had lunch at Wendy's and then hit the pet store.  The puppies were there today, so that was a big treat!
It's Taco Night tonight, so I've gotta get this posted and move it along.
Happy Clean Sheet Sunday!

Girlie Adventures

Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom took the girls out for an adventure Thursday while Clark was in school.  They visited one of our favorite places, the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge.  The girls always love spending time in the kiddie sized doll house. 
Later that day, they all picked up Clark from school and went to the bookstore to play with the train set.  Clark was SO excited when he came outside from school and saw Auntie Karen waiting for him.  I told him that morning before school that they would be picking him up and he was thrilled.

Daddy managed the house this morning so that I could attend a coupon fair with a friend.  They went to Aldi (a grocery store) and Sam's and brought Poo Pa along for the adventure.  Once I was home, we headed to the park for some fun outside in the sunshine and then we hit the bookstore and the pet store.  I had hoped that this would sufficiently wear them out but that isn't always the case.  They are full of WAY more energy than I am!

It's time to get going on baths so that they will eventually get to bed. Aaaaahhhhhh.  I can't wait to get my head on that pillow.  It is calling my name right now.

Pizza Night!

I don't know that I've really mentioned that Troy has changed careers and is now with Travelers Insurance.  Since he spent over 17 years in the pizza business with a wonderful Papa Johns franchise here in Knoxville, we have never really bothered with making homemade pizza.  The kids were big fans of Papa Johns and so were we (we still are, by the way).  But I have had visions of "pizza night" where we make homemade pizza and hang out as a family, maybe watch movies or play games and just sort of take it easy.
Unfortunately, Troy is still at work, but I decided to try my hand at homemade pizza using Bisquick.  I made a Hawaiian pizza because I had an open package of ham (that's "ok" for the kids), some onion and some crushed pineapple on hand.  The internet has many options for making your own dough, but I decided to just start sort of simple and use the Bisquick.  Basically, it was 1 and 1/2 cups of Bisquick with 1/3 cup very hot water.  My serving size was larger (so more of both) but I will also need to work on making the dough thinner in the pan because it's pretty thick (since I'm a carb lover it's not all bad).  I baked the crust for 10 minutes and then added a homemade sauce and the toppings and baked it for another 18 minutes (or so).  The kids seemed to like it (K ate 3 pieces and C is on his 2nd and E ate 2+ pieces).  I think they ate most of the first slice and then ate either the toppings (C, K) or the crust (E) after that initial introduction. 

We had vanilla ice cream and a few alphabet letter cookies for dessert and it's on to the rest of the evening.  We are awaiting Poo Pa now because he will be coming to hang out with the kids for a little while this evening and I thought I'd try to type out my blog entry so that it isn't hanging over my head later on.  Really, it isn't a burden, but sometimes I just want to have it out of the way so that I can relax when they finally go to bed (or get more consignment sale tagging done).

What sorts of things do you do as a family for dinner and fun time at home?  I'd love to hear your suggestions.  We've tried the following:
Taco night
Spaghetti night
Pizza night
I have a friend who serves the meal backwards on April 1st (for April Fool's Day) or serves them a dessert that looks like an entree and the kids LOVE dessert for dinner.  I thought that sounds really fun (for the kids and the adults).

Happy Friday!

"Auntie"-time

Aunties Deb and Lynn came over this evening and got the kids fed and bathed so that I could work on consignment sale tagging.  I think they were both adequately snuggled by all three kids. :)

Jammin'!

Busy night tonight getting these kids to bed. Adventure time tomorrow for the girls and Clark has school. Nightie night! - Daddy

Sticks and Stones

Our backyard is full of them...sticks and stones.  We have pea gravel piles that the kids love to get into and move from place to place.  And there are piles of sticks and other miscellaneous ones all over the yard that fall from the very old trees in and around our yard (I say "around" because we only have two trees technically "in" our yard, so most come from the neighbors trees, I think).  Sometimes the kids love collecting them for Teddy and other times, we try to convince them that it's lots of fun to collect them in an effort to just get the yard cleaned up. 

It was one of those evenings where the sun was just right for me to play around with my camera.  The kid were (relatively) happy to be outside and I tried to encourage them to play so I could catch random shots.  The girls had some really sweet moments with Teddy and I was so happy to get a chance to capture a few to share with Troy.  I kept them out almost as late as possible but it was definitely getting a little cool and we needed to eat dinner.  I began the "ready, set, go...." thing and ran laps with the girls around the swing set (my exercise for the next week).  Teddy even got into running laps as well.

So, as I mentioned before, it was one of those evenings with the almost perfect lighting for a photography student (of sorts) to play around and see what could be done with it.

Things started out OK....

 

And then I got these two....and I was pretty happy.......

but then I got this.......

 and this....... (Seriously.  Do you see the frown lines?  Wrinkles were forming from that frown!)

and then I got this................



Ugh!  I was about to put the camera away.  Instead, I put Clark away in his room because he just couldn't get his tantrum under control.  And, quite frankly, sometimes I worry that the neighbors will think I am torturing him or something.  Nope.  Not torturing, just trying to have fun outside and take some pictures.  So, off to bed he went and the girls and I went to the backyard, but soon I was able to get him calmed down and brought him outside for more fresh air.

Stick gathering.

Are there rules for running around with big sticks?  Yes, I thought so and I tried to enforce them, but they were having so much fun that I just told them "No running with big sticks!" and went with the rest of it.

And then the girls got all cute and sweet with Teddy.  I was in Heaven because I was hopeful that there would be something worth sharing with Troy.  

And later, I was working to dry Emma off after she tried to turn the water table over and heard Kendall calling me.  I looked over and she had climbed to the top of the rope thingy.  Ugh!  We had a little discussion how that was really cool but she needed adult supervision because it was high off of the ground and we didn't want her to get hurt.  My little daredevil!

Just before we headed inside, all three of them were goofing off in the playhouse and I tried to get something cute, but this was it.....

I think they are really enjoying the warmer weather and being outside so much (I've asked Alicia to take them out a lot for the past two days also).  Since it's just February, I will be crossing my fingers that we don't have any other blasts of winter coming through because this is just too spring-like to let it slip away. 
Happy Spring!  (I know.  Wishful thinking!)

Story Time Sweeties

Pretty tough to get a picture of all three at once posed the way you like but I have to say, the older they get, the better at it they get. How's that old country song go? I think it's "Two Outta Three Ain't Bad".

Kind of Back to Normal

Today was a little more like what we are used to. It's a welcome relief because we are tired of our kids being sick. We spent some time outside today in the warm sunny weather getting some fresh air to help get rid of the sickies. I am happy to get past this weekend and will put it in the books as one of the toughest ever. The kids energy is returning but still don't have the all their amazing endurance back yet as they tire fairly quickly. Honestly, it makes it a little easier to manage them as they are too tired to argue most of the time. The kids appetite has come back a little as well and we had spaghetti for dinner. For some reason, no matter how good you wipe their faces, the red tint of pasta sauce is there until we wash it off in the bath tub. I raise my glass to warm weather and healthy children. Cheers! Happy Clean Sheet Sunday! - Daddy