Real Life

Okay, so I just have to post about the family picture in our header. I have been searching for quite some time now for the perfect picture of our family to show all of you, our blogging friends. You know, the kind where everyone looks like they were just in an ad for whitening toothpaste or hair gel. Of course we would all have perfectly pressed clothes, groomed hair, matching shoes, and a gleaming brochure smile. Well, lets just say I don't think our family is capable of taking that kind of picture, not now at least if ever. I am always so jealous whenever I see those beautiful professional looking family portraits that someone just happened to capture with their ordinary camera. Because my ordinary camera only seems to capture REAL pictures like this. Oh well. I guess I will just have to be happy with showing you our REAL family picture with a slobbery baby, mom with braces, crazy mullet hair little girl, a 6 year old joker, and one proud daddy. Isn't REAL LIFE SIMPLY WONDERFUL.

Time marches on

Despite my best efforts to slow the clock, time does indeed march on. One day all too soon I will be posting about Autumns 1st birthday and reminescing about the baby days as she scurries around the house with her newfound freedom. I can't believe how the time has flown. So here is a quick update on all of the wonderful new things she is doing now at 8 months old.

1. She is army crawling. Yeah!!! She ever so expertly scoots herself around to get just about anything she wants, and everthing I don't want her to get.

2. She is eating real food. She loves cut up bannanas and oddly enough brocolli.

3. She is becoming very vocal. Especially when she wants mom. Her endless MAMA, MAMA, MA's are so cute-do I really have to teach her DAD?

4. She is sleeping really good. She generally goes to bed between 7 and 8 pm and sleeps until about 7 in the morning. YEAH, sleep for mom and dad.

5. She now weighs about 18 1/2 pds, and growing more every day.

A Dedicated Dad

I Love these photos. This is one Dedicated Dad.

I was out doing some shopping and hadn't returned home yet and Autumn would not take her nap. So daddy strapped on the backpack and started up the mower.

Thank you honey for all that you do.

You work so hard to take care of our family and we are so grateful for all of your sacrifices.
Doesn't he look quite content even with an angry screeming baby strapped to his back. I'm afraid if I was in the same situation, I wouldn't even be able to crack a smile. I have a long way to go.

Pretty Baby

Just had to post these. She is growing up so quick.

Mullet or Masterpiece

And the winner is-------Mullet.

Althought to her it was quite a masterpiece.

Notice the beautiful new haircut that Abrianna decided to give herself. This is actually the best that we could do to salvage her hair after a disasterous encounter with one very large pair of orange handled scissors. When I asked her why she cut her hair she told me "I wanted to be blonde." Gotta love it!!!!!!

At first I was quite mortified at the whole scene. Piles and piles of hair in my bathroom and scattered throughout the bedroom. I tried to find the culprit pair of scissors, but they eluded me for days. I finally found them in my nightstand drawer with yet another pile of hair.

The joys of motherhood are never ending.

Growing Pains

Growing up is hard to do-especially when you are six. This past week a certain young boy has really been trying my patience. I have been working to teach him that every choice has a consequence, good or bad. And that there are rules in a family that must be followed for all of us to be happy. Of course he didn't particularly care for these rules and being the strong willed spirit that he is, was determined to make life miserable for me.
After a particularly trying day I was able to escape for a few hours to a girls night out(chocolate ice cream, cookies, and chick flick included) and left Randall in charge to get everyone to bed. Well he and Dad were not quite seeing eye to eye after I left, and had quite a battle about some poor choices that he was making. After much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth Randall finally got him to bed(or so he thought).

Some time later Randall heard noise coming down the stairs and went to investigate. He walked into the entry and found Parker standing by the door with his coat and shoes on over his pajamas with this note in hand. He started crying and placed the note on the ground and asked Randall to make sure that I saw it when I got home.

He was sobbing and told Randall that he had decided that he was going to go live with another family because we didn't love him. (I know, I know, you're probably wondering why this little boy feels so horrible and thinks that no one loves him.) Well simple. He had decided that he did not like me telling him what to do, and the consequences that came with poor actions. And of course all of that means-we don't love him. GROWING UP, don't you just hate it. Even as a kid it can be so painful.

At least he had planned ahead. He stuffed everything that he thought he might need as he began his journey into his laundry hamper. Dont ask me how he thought he was going to take this, I guess drag it down the street with him.

The contents included flip, flops, slippers, underwear, shirts, pants, a few legos, and most importantly his sleeping bag and pillow. He told Randall that he decided to take the sleeping bag only because his bed was to big to fit into the laundry hamper!!! Randall then asked if he knew where he was going or if he needed a ride. He also reminded him that it was quite late and it was very dark outside, and suggested that maybe he should get some sleep before setting out on such an adventure. That finally clinced it. After Dad reminded him of how much we all love him and would miss him so terribly should he decide to leave our family, he retired for a restfull night of slumber. In the morning all was forgotten and a little heart was mended and again reminded of how much we loved him and needed him in our family.

I guess we all have to try it at least once, right. I remember one time being so mad at one of my sisters that I decided to go live in our camping trailer in the driveway. It lasted all of about one night. Growing up is so hard to do.

(I guess I really should admit that some of this was my fault. In all of my teaching I had on several occasions told Parker that if he did not like my rules or wasn' t willing to at least obey them, that maybe he should go live with another family whos rules he preferred. I know terrible huh!!! Actually it worked quite well. I guess mom and dad aren't so bad after all.)