Ben warned me..

Harmony is very active in a lot of different things. From church to Girl Scouts. The boys however, have missed cut offs and deadlines, and so currently are not involved in any activities. We have wanted them to do more than play video games after school, so we decided to put them in Cub Scouts. They don't start at church until they are eight, so we went with a base troop.

Connor was very excited because his best friend's Mom is in charge of his troop. Meeting right down the street from us. He's so very excited.

We were excited for him BUT we found out that Ethan's age group...doesn't have a leader. We actually had a neighbor boy come and sell us some popcorn, and Ethan said, " guess what? I am going to be a scout too!" So when I got the email stating that unless a leader stepped up, there would be no troop. I couldn't break his heart. I just couldn't. So you are looking at the new troop leader for the Wolf scouts. There are only 5 boys (including Ethan). I know a couple of them, but have been told it is a good group of kids.

Ben warned me. He said that by having three boys ( like that was a choice I made)I would probably not escape being a den mother at some point. I just didn't think it would be quite yet.

So I know a lot of you have been den leaders and such. Any ideas, suggestions, comments, info. that you would like to share with me, would be much appreciated. Wish me luck!

Monday Morning update

Whew! After a busy weekend, and a rushed morning getting the kids off to school, it is finally quiet. Even Astro is not making any noise. Ah...enjoy the silence. So I thought I would give a nice big boring update on what we have all been up too.

Ben and I were able to go on our date! Yeah! We didn't leave in enough time to go to Ruby Tuesday so we went to a bookstore instead. We had dinner in the food court and than went to see Eagle Eye. When we got there...there were hardly any seats left. So we were in like the 3rd row. It made me sick. Seriously. Not feeling well all day and than sitting that close...I had to hop over some people's legs to go and throw up in the bathroom. I spent the rest of the time with my eyes closed laying on Ben's shoulder. I listened to it though! Poor Ben got stuck with a crappy date! :) I am feeling much better though. Thank heaven!

Harmony has been the biggest grouch all weekend. We didn't get back to pick them up until like 9:45. So they were in bed after 10. Let me just tell you, that girl does not do well on little sleep! She also had a busy week. They had elections at GS and she won Vice President. I was very nervous about the whole thing because I knew she would be devestated if she didn't win. But she did! Her slogan was Harmony + Girl Scouts = strength. She had a great time working on her poster. She is also singing in the choir. Tomorrow they are going to perform at the school's Ribbon Cutting ceremony. So stay tuned for that video!

Ethan has been doing well. I think he is having a hard time settling into school. He has come home with a few "not listening" days and has been written up on the bus, for being mean to another kid. I think he is finally calming down and getting back into the swing of things. He has decided, in an effort to earn money for important things like Pokemon cards, gum, legos etc. He will now be selling his artwork. No more " Mom I made this just for you". Now it is I made it for you, so you have to pay a quarter to get it. He is quite the starving artist. Harmony had an extra piece of poster board from her project so he got down to business and made an all about me poster.

Connor has been doing really well in school. His teacher said he is a "super reader" in the class. He is too shy apparently to raise his hand and answer a question. He prefers to just go to the front of the class and whisper the answer in his teacher's ear! He and Ethan have decided to combine their whole months allowance to buy Lego Batman. He has a hard time understanding that once his allowance is gone, it's gone. No more. We are going to start keeping a tally for all the kids so they know how much they have left! Connor went to a birthday party on Sat and came home with a goodie bag full of candy. Then he was the spotlight child in primary so he got another big bag of candy...which he shared with his siblings. Sweet boy. And what was his reward? Astro was wrestling with him and gave him a bloody nose!

Ivan has his good days and bad. He has a communication journal that I love to read what he has been doing that day. He also gets a newsletter every week with lots of pictures. He had a rough night last night. The power went out (again) and he was lookng for Ben and I. So he decided to go downstairs, and ended up falling down the stairs. It was pitch black so I couldn't even see where he was. So I have no idea how many he fell down. He was supposed to have his homevisit but we rescheduled so he could take a nice long nap today.

And Astro...well he is a pretty stinky dog. Except he must have won some hearts because I am the only one who wants to give him away!

Friday we are going to get our Christmas card pictures taken. Can't wait! I know I am so on top of things aren't I?!

sympathy? yes please!

Everything was all ready. We had a babysitter for all 4 kids. Ben and I were all set for a date night. We haven't had one since Hawaii. I know, we are a touch spoiled.

Last night, Ben very sweetly offered to grill for dinner. Yum. Well the London broil looked a little red for me and I said, " can we cook it a bit longer? I have a big fear of food poisoning." So he did.

This morning I am feeling awful. I thought it might be food poisoning,but the other 5 people in this house, who all ate the same dinner, are fine. Why me? A child in Ivan's class had a stomach bug (along with his Mom), and I am wondering if that is what it is.

I know after my last post everyone is probably wondering, but no, it's not THAT. Trust me. I am hoping to feel better so that I can go on my date. But it is looking more like saltines, 7-up and the Office, instead of dinner and bowling.

Here's to hoping this bug goes away in 6 hours!

Interesting...

OK, so I forgot to set my timer today and have been on the computer longer than I am supposed too. But I wanted to share this very interesting article that I read. Ben and I are going through that whole " are we really done having children?" conversation. There is a LOT that goes into that...his deployments, all the kids are finally in school, my weight, what I can handle & what I can't etc. etc. So I found this article interesting. If you read it, let me know what you think!

Here is the link:

**** I can't get the link to work. You are going to have to copy and paste or do something. sorry. Here it is http://makinghome.blogspot.com/2008/09/some-subtle-effects-of-birth-control.html

The girl who cried sick

Not too long ago, I went in to wake Harmony up for school, and she complained about being too sick to go. A headache and a stomach ache. I told her if she was really sick, than she could stay home. BUT she knows the rule about staying home. She said it was fine. A little later, she was watching tv and building legos, and I said that's it, what is going on? I knew she wasn't sick. Well it turned out that she had not done her homework (after begging to be able to do it in her room). So she was scared of what would happen. We quickly got her homework done and I booted her out the door to school. No harm no foul right?

So yesterday, same thing. Not feeling well when I tell her to get her uniform on. This time though, I know that there isn't anything going on. Homework? Check. Fights with any friends? Nope. Feeling bad about election? (I will get to that post in a little bit) Nope. So I thought ok she really is sick. With Ben and I both having colds I knew it would just be a matter of time before it was passed around. Once again I reminded her of the rules of staying home.

And what are those rules you might ask? If you are too sick to go to school then you are too sick to play videogames/to go outside/to go to any friends houses etc. You lay in bed or on the couch ALL DAY LONG. Even once school gets out.

She laid around all day. But once those boys were home and they were busy playing video games, and running around playing, suddenly she felt a ton better. Imagine that!! Too bad for her though. Mom is tougher than that. But I can tell you one thing, she jumped right up today and got ready for school.

She is a pretty good faker! But darn if she isn't adorable! And Astro was happy to have someone to snuggle with all day!

Ethan the Spaniard

I went to go pick Harmony up from Girl Scouts last night, and Ethan decided he wanted to come with me. So we get in the car for the 10 minute ride and I swear that boy did not stop talking once! But he totally cracked me up.

Ben's office is the first building once you go through the gate. So we go through and Ethan pipes up with..."Mom I love going to Daddy's work." Me-" You do? Why?" E-"Because of the vending machines. And Daddy has skittles on his desk."

Then we keep going and he says, " you know how my birthday is on Cinco de Mayo?" Me- " yes" E-" WEll that is why I am part Mexican." me- "what? No you aren't!" "Yeah I am Mom. I even told Senor Flores that I am."

I tried to explain things to him but it went a little over his head. I can't imagine his Spanish teacher believing that he is part Hispanic. What do you think? With his light brown hair and green eyes. Not quite!

Pay it Forward

****UPDATE**** I think I may have scared some people off with the fact that you have to "send something on". It can be something really simple like a note telling them you care. Or if it is someone who lives close to you, anything you want. Don't be scared, this is easy! I only have one more person to go!


Well guess what? Although my computer time has been decreased, I actually won a give away on a blog! How cool is that? I hardly ever win anything. I mean ever. So I was pleasantly surprised. So now I have to "pay it forward". This is a condensed version of the rules...I send out a goodie( of my choice)to the first three people to comment on my blog. Include in your comment something that someone else has done for you that really meant a lot. Those three have to post it on their blog AND be willng to send something out. So if you are ready and willing....let the comments begin!

Food for thought

Awhile back I blogged about feeling my priorities/life were a little out of line, and the need to step back. As I have been pondering this, I have come across lots of people who are feeling the same way. And there is one thing that keeps popping up...not enough time. "I don't have enough time for__________" Right? That happens to all of us. Just fill in the blank with whatever works for the moment. I started thinking about something that eats up my time. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. A half an hour in the morning and an hour ( or more) in the evening. Can you guess what it is? Yes you are right...the internet. How do I love thee internet? Let me count the ways...

**I have found long lost friends thanks to you
** I have been able to keep up with friends and family both near and far
**I have found ways to get gum out of the carpet
**found yummy recipes
**learned about autism
**viewed many scrapbook ideas
**entered and won give aways
**shared triumphs and frustrations
**given & recieved moral support through comments and blog posts
**spent money on all sorts of things
**Instant messaged
** found organizing techniques
**googled for info that I needed
**have good book recommendations
**watched the Harry Potter trailer
**email
** money saving ideas
**decorating ideas
**inspiring messages

I could go on forever. So those are all good things right? But now I am feeling like this...
** I don't have time to do the dishes BUT I do have time to check my facebook page.
** I don't have time to send out birthday cards BUT I do have time to read all my bookmarked blogs
**I don't have time to make dinner BUT I do have time to blurf ( thanks for the term Alisha!)
**I don't have time to read my scriptures BUT I do have time to look at scrapbook layouts for hours
**I don't have time to get my van cleaned out BUT I do have time to blog about funny things my kids say
** I don't have time to scrapbook BUT I do have time to read the entertainment news on my home page.
**I don't have time to organize our under the stairs closet BUT I do have time to play text twirl or the never ending movie quiz

Do you see what I am getting at? yeah I thought so. I am taking a little bit of a break from the computer. Setting a timer and limiting myself to a certain amount every day. So if my blog posts and comments are not as frequent please know, I am still here. Just taking back some of my time. Time to get those priorities back in line. I hope this post makes sense.:)

so, so tired

So why am I still awake? Because a looong time ago ( I think it was Sunday) I decided that I would not go to bed with my kitchen a mess. Yep and I have done really well. OK, last night, I took Nyquil and fell asleep after about 10 seconds but...Currently my dishwasher is going and if I can stay up until it is done, and then reload, I can go to bed with my goal accomplished. The hard part is staying awake because we have a seriously long cycle on our dishwasher. I know, I know, I could do them by hand, but why do that when I can mess around on the computer instead. I mean seriously people. So what do I have to blog about? Hmmm yeah not much. Let's see...

* We spent almost a day and a half without cable/phone/internet. I seriously went through internet withdrawl. I think I may be addicted. Luckily the cable went back on in time for me to watch the season finale of the Closer.

** I went to a baby shower last night. And as we were sitting around gabbing, the power went out. And we just kept talking like nothing happened. There is something about sitting around gabbing with girl friends that is just good for the soul. I left "early" and got home a little after 9. Ben was like, "can you ever come home at a decent time?" Huh, I thought I did!

** I still have a head cold. The kids are very sniffly and whiney also. Good times at the Turner house.

**When I went to pick Ivan up on that awful school morning, he had had a great day! His teacher got him involved and she said, " he went back to being our sweet Ivan". I guess I bring out the best in him. Today however, he was very grumpy and refused to sing. One of the boys said, "come on Ivan, sing!" And he yelled, "No JT, I not sing!!" So at least he is telling us what he wants.

** We had the kids open house tonight. They are so cute about showing us EVERYTHING in their classrooms. I was happy to meet the two teachers that I didn't know. All the kids got very good reports. So all is good on that front.

**Trying hard to get the house decorated for fall/Halloween. Hard to do when it is a thousand degrees outside and palm trees swaying in the breeze. So Harmony looks at the stuff I have been doing and says, "Oh so you are trying to be creative this year?" Ouch.

** I am still tired,and the dishwasher is not done, and I have already seen this Ace of Cakes. Hmmm to go to bed or not?

Mama said there would be days like this...

While I felt very prepared to start a fresh week of school, Ivan apparently did not. It started with, " I no wear Queen backpack." and "I no wear shoes". I did finally manage to get him into the car (forgetting Connor's all about me poster in the process). We took the back route to the school and so I got screaming and crying because I didn't turn where he thought I was supposed too. We pull up to the school and, "no this not my school. This door is locked. I no go in." So I got to carry my 30+ pound child into his classroom. Where he refused to look at anyone, talk to anyone, put his folder away, or hang his back pack up. I finally just had to leave. I left my child on the floor of his classroom, fists in tight balls, not looking at anyone. The fetal position. Whenever something doesn't go his way, that is what he does. It leaves my stomach in knots...and my heart in pieces.

blech

Ugh! I have a cold. I hate colds because it's like, you don't feel soooo awful that you can't get things done. But at the same time, you feel awful and just want to lay around. With the flu, you don't have a choice, lay down in bed and get better. Ugh, so today I am home from church with Harm ( feeling warm and has a sore throat) and Ivan who has a runny nose. Good times.

Ben and the kids decided to give Astro a bath yesterday. The fact that he was covered in mud helped make that decision easier. Unfortunatley, it was pretty humid and my camera kept fogging up. But here are some pictures. A little fuzzy...but cute.

I am going to attempt to get things done today, but if not I will just go lay in bed and call it good!

stepping back...

Do you ever have those times in your life, when you just need to step back and re-evalute? Where you are, what you are doing, who you are etc? Sometimes with life moving at a neck breaking pace, I get so caught up in it all. When really sometimes what my heart and head need, is just to sit down and relax? But you can't permit yourself to do that because you have a thousand and one things on your to do list? Your mind is constantly mulling over everything that needs to be done and that you want to get done?

Well for me, right now is that time. To take a break from the things that are stressful. From the things that don't bring me joy. To get priorites straight ( don't worry I am not going off the deep end!) to focus on what and those who matter to me. To just step back from the busyness and breathe. Whew that feels to get that out. :)

random things

Ok I have been tagged 6 Random Things by the lovely Beth Farr...

I am pretty sure I have done something like this before. But, it's always fun to have your weirdness out in the open! Although I don't think there is too much more that people could possibly know about me but I will give it a try...

Here is what you are suppose to do:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.

1) I love rainy days. I love to curl up on the couch with a good book and a blanket. It is the best way to spend one!

2) While living in Norfolk, I went walking and was almost attacked for my radio. I have had anxiety issues ever since.

3)I have never had my 15 minutes of fame.

4)I love to eat tuna on club/saltine crackers. Ben used to think it was wierd...until I bought him those Tuna lunch creations.

5) Speaking of food, every time I go out to a restaurant, I order the same thing. Almost every time. I am not one to really branch out.

6) I am a talker. I have talked with people for hours ( in the grocery store, parking lots, schools) and I have many witnesses to this. But I can be really shy at first. If I meet someone for the first time, and we talk for longer than 10 minutes, we are destined to be friends.

OK I think that is it. Now for who I want to tag (bwah, hah, hah!) Amy,Darla, Eric, Janice, Angie, cindy

it finally happened...

I knew it would. The day would eventually come...when Harmony asked for help with her4th grade math homework...and I had no idea what the answer was. Not one clue. It was bound to happen eventually!

nothing of note

Have you seen that commercial for DanActive? The one where the woman is looking at her calender for August and it is pretty sparse, and she flips to September and every square is filled in? Well that is how I have been feeling lately! Our day to day busyness has kicked into high gear now that school is back in. The daily grind. So there honestly hasn't been anything too exciting going on. Not really. But if I neglect my blog for too long, I get emails from concerned family and friends. What can I say, I am popular! :) So even though I have no new pictures (yeah me, with no new pictures)and nothing really exciting to report...I thought I would throw this out there. It was cute. During the last few weeks of the summer, we were having pretty frequent power outtages. An hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. One day I was cleaning out old scrapbooking magazines and came across one called Scrapbook Shortcuts with quizzes and questions. So I decided to "interview" the kids with them. So here are their answers....

If you could have one superpower what would it be?
C- fire, I mean lava

What was the last chore you did? I think it was cleaning the table.
What was the last movie you saw in the theater? It was Kit Kitteradge.
What is your favorite song? Give Said the Little Stream
Do you get an allowance? How much? yep, ten.
How do you get to school? bus
What do you like to eat for lunch? hot pockets
What's the nicest thing you have done for someone recently? help clean up
What makes you mad? When somebody takes my legos
Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Hawaii because of luau's.

Different q's for Harmony..
Who is the smartest person in your family? Daddy
What is your daddy really good at? building things
What can you do better than your dad? Swimming, actually no dancing.
How are you like your Mom? We both like the same things, like scrapbooking.
How tall is your Dad? I am not sure.
How old is your Mom? 29 ( I was at the time)
How do you know that your Mom and Dad love you? Because they care about me and try to help me when I am sad.

Ethan did two...
What is your favorite cereal? Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms
What is your favorite tv show? Sponge Bob
What kind of pet would you like to have? I don't need to worry about that because I already have one. Actually I would like to have a bunny because boing, boing, boing.
What vegi do you like the best? brocoli
What toy would you never give away? My Superman and my Batman toys. Not even Baby. ( a stuffed animal he has had since he was little)
What do you take to bed at night? Baby
What's your favorite game? Indiana Jones for Wii.
What are your favorite books? The Secret of Droon.
What's you favorite candy bar? licorice
What's the last thing of yours that Mom displayed on the fridge? my picture magnet

What's your nickname? Connor calls me Cody. (From the Suite Life of Zack and Cody) and Mom calls me Eth or Wheatthin.
What size shoes do you wear? 13 ( he was wrong...a size 4!)
What is the best age to be? I am just guessing 9. I have no idea why.
How many kids do you want to have when you are a Dad? 2 one girl and one boy
What was your favorite Halloween costume? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. it's the only one I can remember.
What things do you fight with Harmony about? Mostly...everything.
Who is your best friend? Tristan
What is under your bed? castle bricks
What is your favorite holiday and why? I like Christmas the best because you get presents. Ho Ho Ho!
What's the best present you ever got? My DS

And now it's Ivans turn...
What food do you want to eat every day? uhm...crackers
If you could have a different name what would it be? Ivan Turner?
What do you want on your next birthday cake? Dora, McQueen and Speed Racer.
What toy do you like to show people at your house? Harmony, Ethan, Connor.
What do you think is scary? Scooby Doo
Is your room clean? yep
Where do you like to go for lunch? lunch
What do you like to buy at the store? food
What kind of pet do you have? Astro
What is your favorite joke? knock knock

Cute kids. And one thing more to share as you have probably fallen asleep through all this writing...Last night we had hoagies for dinner. I was slicing tomatoes for Ethan's and asked Connor if he wanted some. He looked at me and said, " I think you know how I feel about tomatoes." I totally cracked up. Too funny!

freezer cooking tips

Although technically this should be a post for my home blog, that one hasn't been updated in FOREVER. I really should get on that...But anyway, I still haven't got around to getting an email out to people. So I just wanted to share a few things that I have been doing, and share some tips I have learned along the way. I have yet to do just one big cooking day, but have just been doing little bits and pieces at a time. This post will probably be long and wordy so if you start to fall asleep, I won't be offended. I promise. Ok here goes...

**First of all...recipes. I remember talking to my sister about recipes one time. We were both saying we like the Taste of Home magazines because they are recipes from "real people." You know, the kind with ingredients that you have actually heard of. One day I was at the commissary and this lady and her husband were trying to find some seasoning. They were totally irritated and the man finally said, " where did you even hear of this?" And with a very exasperated sigh she said, "from a Rachel Ray Everyday magazine!" The guy said screw it then and walked off. Long story short, the reason that I love the sites under the title " Hungry..." (on my side above the birthday thing)are because they are made by real people. When they post a recipe, I usually have every single ingredient. Or only missing one or two. Plus they are simple but delish. So if you are looking for new recipes and new things to try, check those sites out. I am going to add one more too that I recently found and love.

**Moving on...When I make a recipe, I have been trying to double it. For example if I am making my beef enchilada recipe that calls for 1 lb. of hamburger, I usually make it with 2 or more. It also calls for one can of enchilada sauce. So when I am shopping, I will make sure to get at least two. Serve the first dish to your family and than freeze the other one. What I like to do for that, which I find not as messy, is to line the dish with foil. Leaving extra on the sides. Then when it is done, you can easily lift it out and wrap it up. I wrap in aluminum foil and than put in a plastic bag with all the air sucked out.

**When doing desserts, if it is a bar or brownie, I do the same thing with the foil. If they are cookies, I at least double the recipe. I usually leave 1.5 dozen in the cookie jar and the rest get frozen. Or I will double wrap a ball of dough ( like if I get tired of making the cookies)and put that in the freezer for a later day.

** I took Mary's advice and have been buying whole chickens instead of pkgs of breasts. We don't have fresh chicken here, everything is frozen so I figure I have to thaw it out anyway, might as well be a whole chicken. If you have never cooked a whole chicken...it is very simple. I like to prepare 2 and put them side by side in my roaster pan. All I put on is butter and salt, because we don't eat the skin anyway. Then I take cheap ziploc/Glad containers and put it in individual portions. That way if I want to make a recipe I can just pull it out and warm it up.

**With hamburger, I try to at the least 2 lbs. Cook until no longer red. Drain the grease and than bag it. That way it is easily used for tacos or casseroles etc. I know some people flash freeze it but I never have and have had no problems. Maybe it's a personal preferance?!

**I used to have the big foodsaver but ruined it somehow. So when I decided to do this again, Ben was a little hesitant to buy me a new one! lol Instead I bought the little $10 one from Reynolds. It has worked great for me. I am a little worried though because I haven't seen the bags around here anymore. Maybe if I look out in town. Amazon also sells them. But I will put cookies in those bags ( or other things that I just need a single portion of. Works great. And I think it is nice to use that first before investing in something bigger.

**I get so tired of making sandwiches once the school year begins. 3 sandwiches a day times 5 days a week...you do the math. It's a lot of bread. So I look through the freezer section and try to look at things that can be made and than frozen. For example I make my own bagel bite pizzas. Take a pkg of mini bagels, put sauce and toppings on, bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Once they are cooled I put two together ( sandwich like) and wrap them together in plastic wrap. Do it 2 at a time. Then put all your little individual ones in a big bag and suck the air out. I freeze them like this because I don't want to have 24 bagel pizzas all stuck together. Does that make sense? Ben likes the Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. So I bought English muffins, round sausages(you can also use ham/canadian bacon) and cheese. No eggs because I don't know how well that would work. Cook those and than wrap them individually. Other things to try...cressant dogs. I also will make the kids quesadillas or chicken nuggets.


**We are really bad about eating leftovers. It's like they go to our fridge to become a science experiment. So instead I will put it in a cheap container and than put it right into the freezer. Unless I am 100% sure that it will be eaten the next day. That way I can just grab it out of the freezer and send it with Ben to work on days he doesn't eat out.

** Last but not least...LABEL,LABEL,LABEL. You may think you know what it is,but once it is foiled wrapped and is sitting in the freezer, it may not be as easy to recognize. Plus you will want to put the date on. First in, first out.

I have barely begun doing this and with school starting I got a little behind. Now with Ivan in school more I am going to be trying to get it going again. If you have any questions feel free to ask, but I am not an expert! :)

help me please!

(*photo from eopinions.com)

So the other day I was totally craving these. And we apparently do not have them here. I looked at the commissary and a local store and none to be had. We do have other Krusteaz products but...So would you help a girl out, if you are sending a package our way, or just love me enough to go buy some and send them, I would be so happy. I will even pay your shipping if you just let me know how much I owe you!

This & That...and everything in between

I have had all these little things that I have been wanting to share...but just haven't! So here we go...

**Ivan is having such a good time going to school. Starting next week, he will be going Monday-Thursday from 8:15-10:45. It is a nice little break and not too long!:) His teachers are WONDERFUL. I can not say enough good things about them. They had a fire drill today, and so they have spent every day talking about firefighters, trucks, drills etc. so that when it did happen they wouldn't be scared. Then he made the cutest little fire truck ever. They have been taking tons of pictures and so I will be making albums for all the kids in the class. There are only 4 so...It won't be too hard. His teacher is going to come to the house, and work with him on making transitions in the home too. Like leaving the park when asked instead of us picking him up screaming and crying. What did I tell you? A teacher willing to come to your house to help on issues at home. We are so lucky!

**Harmony's drama-mama is getting crazy! She is really just upset at the whole world lately. I am not sure how much more I can handle of this.

**The boys have decided that they really don't want to share a room with Ivan anymore. So once again, I have to give up my scrapbook room. I am sad but, we just don't have a big enough house to have a scrapbook room. Although I will probably leave some of the bigger stuff in there.

**I have been slacking off on emails and I have so many I need to catch up on. I have had several people ask about the freezer cooking and so I am going to email you about it, I promise!

** Labor Day was a fun day for our family. We headed out to Jeff's Pirate Cove, a little restaurant near Talafofo. The kids loved seeing all the pirate stuff. We had a pretty yummy lunch( the hamburger was so cute with a little pirate stamp on the bun). It is right out on the water and so the kids wanted to go down to the ocean. We decided to head out to the beach when we got home. First we took a few pictures in all the Guam signs. Ethan loved all the pirate flags and kept saying, "dead men tell no tales" and "surrender your booty". He wants a pirate flag for Christmas.

So anyway, we came home and got ready for the beach. We went out to Gab Gab and went and played around. I happened to lock the keys in the van, but luckily I was able to borrow a cell phone and call my neighbor to come bring an extra. So no harm done! We had a great time and played and snorkeled. I really hadn't had the chance to do very much snorkeling, so I went out that day. Although I stayed near the shore, to help Ben with the kids, it was so neat. I loved seeing all the fish. Ben took Harm way out and they saw a ton of stuff. Very fun and I want to do it again. But maybe next time with an underwater camera!

**And last but not least, Ivan met with the speech therapist last week. She was very impressed with how well he spoke. So Ben decided to teach him a new phrase. He spent one of the days of his break, watching the Oregon State Beavers lose ( one of the highlights of his weekend) and than watched U of O crush the UW Huskies. So what phrase did he teach Ivan? "Beavers Suck." Sigh...

overwhelmed

I am so completely overwhelmed. Thank you everyone, for all the sweet blog posts, cards (both e-cards and in the mail), comments,phone calls, messages on my face book account and more. I feel so loved. I have to admit that I am a little sentimental and teary eyed right now (darn you Susan for making me cry!).

It has been harder than I thought, to live so far away from some of my friends and my family. But you have all made me feel just a little closer to home. So thanks for thinking of me on my big day. I loved them all and really appreciated it. Who knew I was so loved!!!

So how did I spend my birthday...

The kids went to school, Ben went to work and I...enjoyed the quiet! I think that is the best way to spend a day right? I read a book (I have been reading the Robyn Carr series, Susan) and just did...nothing. It was nice. We spent Labor Day as a family and I will post those pics later.

Ben got me a new bread maker, and built me an entertainment center. He is also working on a scrapbook armoire for me, but because we were gone all day on labor day, he wasn't able to finish it yet. I am also going out tomorrow to look at a dining set. How spoiled am I?

I am off to organize the pantry but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone! You are the best. I am a lucky, lucky person!

Homework Help

Ethan needs some help. He has to take a survey. It's pretty easy but he has to find out the favorite color of 50 different people. With our family we have 5 but he needs some more. So if you could help us out, and email us or leave it in the comments your families favorites it would be much appreciated! Thanks!