Fourth of July Party

Okay, invitations aren't going to happen this year, so please help me spread the word.

Swim Party Saturday July 4th 5:00 our house.

We will provide hamburgers, hotdogs and all of the eating supplies (plates, cups, etc). Please bring a side dish, drinks, or dessert to share.

Everyone is welcome to stay for the fireworks.

Hope to see you there!

Why kids aren't fat

Do you ever sit down on the couch and look down at your poochy belly?

Kids eat whatever they want and stay completely thin with six pack abs.

Adults obsess over their diets and feel really good if they got an hour workout in for the day. And yet our bodies are still squishy.

Well, I think I have figured out the answer. If you don't look like these boys at the end of the day (sunburnt,red eyed and drooping), you haven't worked out hard enough. Here is the secret workout for rock hard abs:


Caleb:
Diet: Eat everything possible. Volunteer to clean the kitchen so you can eat all of the leftovers.

Workout Yesterday: Play soccer for six hours; swim for two hours; go to a party for two hours and spend as much time as possible in the bounce castle.


Christian:
Diet: We won't even discuss this picky eater's diet.

Workout Yesterday: Play soccer for six hours; swim for two hours; play a basketball game.

Good Luck with your new diet and exercise plan!

Summer has kicked my butt!

I was doing so well with blogging most days, but boy, having all of the kids home all day is BUSY!

The first week after school got out was horrible! We didn't have anything scheduled, we were all getting used to each other, and everyone fought.

Last week was good but busy. Here was our typical day (not including about six hours a day of feeding and taking care of Ava)...

9:30: Caleb Tennis Camp
10:30: Pick up Caleb
11:30: Christian Tennis Camp
12:00: Lunch at the School
12:30: Gracie Dance Camp - Hurry and Pick up Christian then watch Gracie
1:30: Home for a quick break
2:30: Christian Scout Camp (He had scout camp three days and basketball games two of the days)
4:30 Caleb Tae Kwon Do
5:30: Pick Up Caleb from Tae Kwon Do - Eat Dinner
6:30: Take Family Swimming (Two basketball games in Zillah and Mabton during the week)

Whew! This week it is Seattle Sounders Soccer camp for the boys in Tri-Cities from
9-3 everyday, three basketball games for Christian and Tae Kwon Do for Caleb.

Oh, and I put offers on two houses this week, just for kicks!

I don't need no stinkin' training wheels!

Doug has been watching Gracie ride her bike up and down our driveway for a few days and noticed that she never even used the training wheels. So last night, off they came.

Happy mom...well almost.

Last night I had one of those moments that made my little mommy heart soar. All of my kids were outside, without being forced, and they were playing NICELY...with each other!!!

The boys were playing soccer and having a great time. The girls were having fun on the swings and everyone was happy. I felt that little surge of happiness where you almost feel like crying. After all, this is what I thought mommyhood would be like. I dreamed of my kids playing nicely and helping each other.

My siblings and I beat each other to death, so I'm not sure where I came up with this idyllic picture of childhood, but hey, that's what dreams are all about.

I rushed inside the house to get my camera. As I ran up the stairs, I was planning today's blog - I was thinking of writing something wonderful about being a mom and how happy my children make me.

When I got outside, the girls were off the swings and walking in the house while the boys were screaming at each other. Caleb had kicked the soccer ball far away and wouldn't get it and Christian, who'd had a too busy day, was screaming and crying and had basically melted down.

Oh well...it was almost perfect.

A Surprisingly Great Day at Epcot

Another Disneyworld post...really? You betcha! I could go on and on (and I have)! But really...how awesome is Disneyworld?

Epcot is boring - that is what I have always thought. It ended up being my boys favorite place for the whole trip!

We started the day at the Test Track - since there was nobody in line, they let us just stay on and ride a bunch of times in a row.

Then we headed for mission space. Now, I'm not much for pregnancy warnings or taking it easy when you are pregnant, but I thought this vomit inducing ride might be taking it a little far, even for me.

Luckily there is a huge indoor playground in the waiting area where Gracie was able to play while the boys went.

The boys favorite place was Innoventions. There are a bunch of free video games to play and Doug got to test drive a Segway Human Transporter (this crazy two wheeled vehicle that looks like you are standing on a push lawnmower).

There were a lot of cool interactive games to play including a video game starring the kids.

Epcot is trying to be more child friendly, so they had all of these craft stations located throughout the park. They also introduced a new "Kim Possible" interactive game. This was the coolest thing.

They gave the kids real cell phones where the Kim Possible characters gave them missions and clues as to how to accomplish them. There was no charge to do it - the boys loved this more than almost anything else.

I was so impressed with the "Seas" exhibits. The building was crammed full of aquariums filled with sharks, fish, dolphins, and manatees.

We loved the "Soaring" ride and did that a half a dozen times before it got crowded.

That's life with kids

Last night I tried to go for a walk with a friend and all of our kids. I thought we'd really have to cruise to keep up with kids on their bikes, but we could never even get our heart rates up.

First the kids stopped at every intersection, which was what they were supposed to do. However, it took a minute each time to get the caravan of kids going and across the street each time. We were starting to get the hang of things when one of the bike pedals broke.

We were only a few blocks from the auto parts store, so we stopped there to see if they had a part to fix it. That took about ten minutes and they ended up not even being able to help us.

No problem. We all trekked over to the hardwood store. Again, about ten minutes, but they were able to help us. We were on our way!

Gracie fell off of her bike, and when I lifted her and the bike to get her out of the street, her seat came off. Luckily, it went back on pretty easily. It was just starting to get comical.

So yesterday was Hope's first day in big girl underwear. She did a pretty good job all day, but must have forgotten that she didn't have a diaper on because the next thing we knew, she was standing in a puddle.

No problem. I took Ava's blanket and made Hope sit on it in the stroller. We were on our way again.

We noticed it was six o'clock which was our time to go home to be with our families.

So, we got seven minutes of decent walking done in one hour and ten minutes. Now that is a mom-style workout!