Pine Cones?

We took the kids out for a walk today to our favorite little town along the river (not the snake path!!!). As we were walking along the boys were picking up and tossing rocks into the water. I saw Busy Guy throw something brown into the water....hmmm...."What was that you just threw?"....I shouted to him..."A pine cone"....he replied...as I walked closer I could see that the pine cone was actually doggy poop!!!! Ummmm....nummy:)

Hike

My Mom took the boys on a hike at her house last Sunday. They loved it. This is the "rainbow" tree they found. They also saw cougar poop! So exciting:) Busy Guy saw a wizard too...that's a lizard for those who don't have a 3 year old.
I think they'll grow up to be Mountaineers just like Nana and Grandpa Bill. I stayed by the fire with the babes....I'm just a little snake shy now!!!

Question for Bloggers: I want to print or publish my blog into a book so I can save it for my kids. I don't want to print it on my printer...too long and too expensive. I've seen there are some companies that will do it for you. Has anyone done this...who did you use...did you like it...how much did it cost?

Sunday Day

We spent a lovely day at my Mom and Grandpa Bill's house yesterday. Cam worked and I went to church with my Mom and then over to her house for a bonfire and BBQ (whole organic chicken stuffed with lemons and onions and rubbed with coarse salt...slow cooked on the Webber....mmmmmm good). Baby George was introduced to corn on the cob. WOW! He loved it...and was quietly enthralled eating it for about an hour! Too cute.

Pounds Lost

Picture from 3 years ago....this is the fit and fab I'm heading back to!!!!

Okay...it's going well. I've lost 9 lbs.! That is great. My pants are loose. My former clothing is almost fitting:) I have about 16 more lbs. to go but it's on a roll now and I'll continue until I'm back at my "fighting" weight. That's pre-pregnancy weight...pre-diabetes weight...pre-I think I need to eat everything in sight weight.


What's working for me...is being honest. I follow the WW plan. I write down everything I eat....even if it's not pretty:) I weigh in at the meetings...nothing keeps me honest like having someone else write down my loss for the week.


I figure if I can't be honest about my weight I'm not fooling anyone but myself. I don't want to be in denial.


So...for the whole world to know...I weigh 146 lbs. That's in the buff...in the morning...after a cup of tea...after a visit to the ladies room. Yes, I am THAT anal:) I have to do it the same every time or it gets me all wiggy...that means nutty. I also wear the same clothes/shoes to WW...so that it's also the same. I want to know PRECISELY how much weight I've lost! My size 6/8 clothes are looking really cute sitting in my closet but will look a whole lot cuter on me. Right now I'm in size 10/12....so....I'll keep on keepin' on.

Make A Wish!!!!!

We have exciting news!!!!! NO, it's not another baby...even though I would be happy...Yes, I'm serious...babies are always good news.
Anyway, the point of this post is really about Tuba. He is being granted a wish through the Make A Wish Foundation!!!!!!!! We are over the moon excited. We will meet with the MAW volunteers in the next couple of weeks and determine what his wish will be. We are hoping for something Disney!!! There is NO happier place on Earth and it is Tuba's favorite place. The only thing he would like better would be a giant trampoline with a fire-pit and swimming pool built into it;)
Disclaimer: In case you think MAW is only for terminal cases...that isn't true. I already gave one person a scare when I told them our news and they thought it meant Tuba was terminal. Not the case. MAW has a medical guideline they use but it does not have to be a terminal disease.

Finally....Sunday Celebration

And...we finished up Holy Week with Sunday's celebration....feast and kid's fair.

Here's what I look like when I've had NO sleep and didn't wash my makeup off before going to bed....oh, SCARY!!! Good thing that only happens once a year.

Pascha Baskets for the kiddos...beanie babies and candy and treats.

But, I do clean up well;) It's amazing what a shower, makeup, and caffeine can do!

Sis in her pretty Pascha dress from Aunt Jayme.

The boys all ready to play.

Bubbles....BLECH!!! You know how I feel about bubbles....EWWWW!

Face painting with our dear Godsister.

Bouncy House....Tuba jumped for 3 hours straight...boy did he sleep well that night!

The children presenting a gift to our Bishop.

Beers too!

Sharing the special day with my newly illumined mom! Cheers!

More Holy Saturday

After t-ball we headed home to eat, rest and re-group before going to Nana's baptism and crismation into the Orthodox Church.

The iconstasis.

The boys eagerly awaiting the start of the service.

Princess Pickle and Grandpa Bill.

My sis holding Baby George and my Mom in her "baptismal water clothes". No...only babies are baptized in the buff;)

Look at these handsome boys! I'm so lucky!

Another handsome fella!

My Mom and another woman were baptized the same day. These are their baptismal robes and candles.

My Mom's Patron Saint....Monica, her cross which will be blessed and dipped into the baptismal water and a cross her sponsor painted for her.

The baptismal tub.

The priest putting holy oil on for the crismation.

Washing the oil off with Holy Water.

Beautiful...I love this photo. The Handmaiden of God Monica.

And....here is Sis who spent a good portion of the service running back and forth on the porch!!! Serious energy:)

The service was beautiful and we were all full of tears of joy. My sister and nephews came from OR to attend the special occasion. After the service we all went to have a meal at a Thai restaurant near the church. It was the perfect place to go...such lovely ladies working. When I told them I needed a table for 12...and that 7 of them are kids...they didn't even bat an eye. They were so gracious and friendly. We'll go back there again. For once we didn't feel like "restaurant lepers"!

Then...off to home again to prepare for our Holy Pascha service which starts at 10:00 pm. The kids changed into pj's and we packed the car with blankets, portable cribs, a fan, diaper bag, and most importantly our Pascha basket (full of the foods we fast from during Lent). We arrive early and set up the babies beds in an empty Sunday School room. Cam and I take turns in the Nave with the big boys while the other stays downstairs with sleeping babes. It is actually lovely and quiet downstairs and you can hear the service going on overhead. The service concludes about 1:00 am. Mr. P and Busy Guy curled up at my feet with their blankets and fell asleep about 11:30 pm. Tuba of course was wide awake and engaged the whole service. Truly his favorite day of the year!

Then everyone comes downstairs to celebrate and partake of our baskets. Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen. We had some wine, cheese, salami and chocolate. We pulled in at home at 3:15. Of course Baby George who had been sleeping all this time now wanted to be AWAKE! I finally got to sleep at 4:30 am. YIKES...I'm too old and too busy for that! I have the best hubby in the world...who got up with the kids at 7:30 am! Busy Guy was of course up at 6:30....AHHHHH....he was sent downstairs to watch cartoons:)

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday was a BUSY day. We started the morning with Mr. P's first t-ball game. So fun...the sun was out too. Mr. P was thrilled and had a great time. Such a different boy than the shy little boy who we forced to play soccer two years ago! He was out on the field chatting it up with the other boys...never even glanced over his shoulder to see where I was. I spent the whole game chasing Sis. She would look over her shoulder and RUN full speed ahead out onto the field...over and over and over! I got my exercise that morning:) She has morphed into a full fledged toddler...we're calling her Princess Pickle!

Pascha

Christ Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!


I have so many great photos to share. We are super pooped but had a wonderful Holy Week and Pascha. The kids were so good and really enjoyed the children's fair yesterday.
I'll start with photos from Holy Friday.

It's so rare that I can get a photo of our whole tribe...dressed and looking nice. I set up the tripod and got us ready early so I could get a photo.

Here's the one the kids really wanted to do...it's our TRUE selves!

A good one of the kiddos.

Sis picking up the rose petals that the priest had strewn about the church.

Tuba ready for his favorite thing...Church!

Mr. P was old enough this year to hold his own candle. He did a great job. It was hard for Busy Guy...who wasn't old enough.

Busy Guy playing with the rose petals.

Precious Moments

Well...Holy Week is going well. Very Busy! I have forgotten my camera every night...UGH. Tonight I WILL remember it. The kids have been troopers. It's a long and tiring week but also a great time together. Last night the babies were tired and cranky so Cam and I took turns taking them downstairs. It was so nice to stand in the service with the big boys. Tuba and Mr. P had candles and Busy Guy was curled up at my feet in his special blanky. I love to see the candle light on their sweet faces as they watch the service and sing along.

This morning I had a nice time with Busy Guy. I got a spur of the moment cleaning itch so I was pulling all the photo albums out of the cabinet and organizing them. I have them labeled with the date and then numbered so I can put them into order and find the right album when I need it. But...I'm way behind getting the photos printed and into albums...it's really bugging me!!! Anyway, I asked Busy Guy if he wanted to look at his scrapbook from Ethiopia. We sat and snuggled and looked at the photos of Nana and I travelling, meeting him, and delivering him into Cam's arms. It was precious.

Palm Sunday

Check out this youtube video of Palm Sunday at our parish. If you look close you can see Busy Guy playing "air guitar" on his palm. I love the service...but seriously have you ever spent a two hour service with 4 boys with palms to hold/wave around/poke each other/play swords/play guitar...fill in the blank if you have boys of your own. LOL...seriously it is a beautiful service and my boys were very good and respectful with their palms...mostly;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocW4qgdd5bA

Holy Week

Our Holy Week begins today. We are Orthodox Christians and our Pascha (Easter) falls on a different day than Western Easter. Last year I wrote about this...the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar. http://wildatheartfamily.blogspot.com/2008/03/its-not-our-easter-yet.html read more here if you desire.
Today Cam took Tuba, and Busy Guy to the morning liturgy. I stayed home with the babes and Mr. P went to school. Tonight we will join together as a family and go to church.
It will be a beautiful week of services...10 services in the week. It's busy but it's our favorite week of the year. The kids can hardly wait for Sunday...the Paschal service, feast and the kid's fair. I'll be taking pictures all week and posting them. I was just looking back at photos of last year. The boys have grown so much. Sis was still in Ethiopia and I was pregnant with Baby George. What a change the year has brought. I'm so thankful for my family and faith.
The biggest news of the week is that my mom will be baptized and chrismated into the Orthodox Church on Holy Saturday. She has been attending a sister parish in a town close to her home for about a year. We are excited! She has chosen Monica as her patron saint. Cam and I converted 11 years ago and my mom will be the only other family member who is Orthodox. This is the icing on the cake of Holy Week. More to come as the week goes on...and pictures too.

New Shirts

I simply must have some of these shirts made for our next family vacation!!!! I love them!

http://welovebigfamilies.blogspot.com/2009/03/good-and-bad-of-family-t-shirts.html

Oh Boy

If you give a boy a robe....

He will of course....do Karate!

New Shoes

I've been busy getting the kids new summer shoes. I always get them just before Easter. I bought each one a pair of sandals and then I also bought Mr. P and Busy Guy shoes for swim lessons. I wanted slip on...really easy to wear shoes...so I don't have to bed over and get wet feet into shoes while monitoring the other kids. I got Mr. P flip flops...my favorite shoe...and for Busy Guy (they didn't have flip flops in his tiny size) I got a rubber slip on...with...drum roll please...SPIDERMAN!!!! He loves them so much that he has worn them to bed every night...like slippers. So sweet.

Happy Girl

All the kids have been sick with a terrible cough and fevers. Most of them are well now except the occasional coughing fit. Sis is still really sick. She was better for a couple of days and then spiked a fever again last night. She woke up this morning really cranky. Nothing would soothe her. I carried her all around until finally I had to get ready to go (to take her to the Dr.). I finally found something to quiet her. I plopped her onto the bathroom counter and let her play with my makeup bin! Heavenly silence...and a happy girl...for about 20 minutes. She took all the items and put them into the cotton swab bin.
The Dr. checked her ears and they are fine. He gave me a prescription and said to fill it tomorrow if she is worse.

Tale of two snakes

Or shall I say the tail of two snakes. What is with snakes...I hate them! I don't hate very many things...but I really hate snakes. Yes, it was big and brave of me to take the kids last week to the reptile zoo. Yes, I went in and I didn't even cry...well not on the outside anyway. Don't you think that I should get some kind of reward...ribbon...points with the creator of snakes...something? Well let me just say that NO, I don't. What do I get? I get an up close encounter with a snake!!!!

Let me begin with the first snake tale. This little story happened 15 years ago. Cam and I were newly dating. We went out for a country drive to enjoy the weather and each other's company. We stopped at a park with a scenic trail. Of course I was wearing flip flops...they are my favorite shoe...and always have been the staple of my summer wardrobe. We were walking along the trail when I heard some rustling in the bushes near me. I looked down to see about 20 little garter snakes slithering all over each other. A NEST OF SNAKES!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH! I jumped straight into the air, landing on Cam's back/neck, wrapped my legs and arms around his head and demanded to be carried back down the trail. He thought it was funny and laughed until he realized that he could not peel me off of his head and that I was NOT getting down. He carried me down the trail...and even married me. My hero.

Yesterday, I had an even worse encounter with the dreaded snake. What is the deal? Me, Cam, sunny walk, flip flops and a snake....do we have to do this again? We took the kids to walk along the river in the sunshine. It's a paved path with river on one side and lush swampy bushes on the other. We had a nice time looking at the scenery, saw some ducks. I even had the thought...I bet there are snakes and lizards in all that swampy area. As we neared the end of our walk I was pushing the double stroller with Busy Guy and Baby George in it. Cam was holding little princess....I'll just scream if you make me ride in the stroller. Mr. P and Tuba were walking and holding our hands. Lovely time. Then, Busy Guy dropped a toy he was holding. I bent to pick it up AND at the same time a garter snake slithered over my foot...my bare foot!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I kicked it off my foot and left the stroller, all 5 kids and Cam in my dust and I screamed and ran to our car shrieking and hooting all the way. Blech!!!! Cam and the boys (who looked a little mystified) yelled for me to come back. Cam said he couldn't get the stroller and all the kids back to the car. I don't care and I'm NOT coming back was all he heard from the back of my head. My biggest fear was that Cam would pick it up, and come toward me with it...I'd have to divorce him and that would be so sad for the kids and I don't want to be a single mom...please God...don't let that snake near me! EWWWWW.

Why did this happen to me....why? And, Cinn...I hear you laughing! Not funny! I'm still traumatized today and every time I think about it I shudder. The boys see me and say...why are you still thinking about it...Mom, it was just tiny and it looked really scared...especially after you kicked it and screamed so loud at it. Although Busy Guy told me if he sees it again he will shoot it for me. Good boy...you are now my favorite child!

Hmmmmm...

Well, I've been going to the gym...following my WW plan and losing weight. It's coming off slow but steadily. 7 pounds gone. Any and all encouragement is welcome. Here's the latest "encouragement" from my dear hubby.

Cam: Wow, I can really tell you've lost weight. Your face and ankles look way thinner!
Me: Uh....okay? Can you see it in my butt?
Cam: Not yet but it'll get there.
Me: ....silence....sound of crickets chirping...

Well, there it is! After 15 years together he still doesn't know what I want to hear...or what he said wrong. LOL!

Sunshine!!!!

Finally....the sun has come out! We spent our spring break with cold nasty rain and even snow...but this weekend it finally got warm. Today we took the kids to the park. It was beautiful...and we soaked it up.



Baby George...loves to swing. It was warm enough to go barefoot.

Tuba was sad that he couldn't go in the sprinklers...they aren't turned on yet.

Miss Serious...only for photos! It was amazing I got her to hold still for 2 seconds. She runs all over...trips, falls, gets up and keeps on running.

Climbing high...look Mom.

Sweet Busy Guy following big brother up and up!