My Practical Jokers

Yesterday was such a funny day with our kids. Nate got Gabby & James involved in several practical jokes. What was funny to Josh & me was their approach. It started out by both of them giggling one morning asking if we were going to have eggs with salt on them. When I said no they asked when we were going to have something with salt because they played a really funny joke with the salt. We had to find out "on our own" that they had switched the salt with sugar. Then they not so subtley put a sign on Josh's back that said "I'm a perd." I think they were going for nerd but this was funnier. Then they taped a sign on our bedroom door that said, "buger pants." They topped it off by encouraging me to lay down in my bed and rest that afternoon. I found blocks and other toys in my pillow case. However, I did not tell Josh about it. So, the only joke that really worked was when Josh turned out the lights and crawled in bed to rest his head on a pillowcase full of blocks and plastic animals. I was laughing pretty hard. Too bad the kids missed that one!

Bob Booder

Andrew has taken a liking to his first character. He has now become a huge Bob the Builder fan. He of course calls him "Bob Booder." Here is Bob Booder Jr. trying to wrestle & distract Mom from teaching the other boys Majong. He loves to read this old Bob book we have that has been put back together at least twice with packing tape. He doesn't seem to mind the wear as long as you sing the theme song as you read it--10 times a day! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He is starting to really talk now!

As I write this I have a little tornado going on in my stomach. Babies A & B are fighting each other for space. It is something that is getting very limited these days. I am almost the size I have been at full term with my pregnancies. I have had to get new maternity clothes to accomodate the growth. This is crazy! But I do love buying the clothes to play "dress up" with my twin girlies!

ChuckECheese

We had such a fun day today! Josh & the kids are off this week for winter break. We aren't able to go to Florida or some exotic place right now, so we are having local fun. We went to Ikea for lunch and a TV stand and then the kids watched a movie in the car while mom shopped in Canton (20 min away) for larger maternity clothes (UGGG). Then, to reward them for a great afternoon, we went to Chuck E. Cheeses and played on the games. We think the food is gross there so we ate afterward, but the games and rides went over very well. The kids were funny because they kept asking us for "pennies" and they freaked out with excitement every time tickets came out of the machine. They even got to pick out some little things with their tickets. You would have thought we took them to Disneyland.

I FOUND THEM!!

When I was in Utah I found 2 blessing dresses that I loved but they were not the right size. Today in my state I FOUND THEM. Both are the right size. Hurray! Thanks to Cassie for helping me decide that they each need a different and unique dress. I don't dare take them out of the plastic, but they are beautiful and each come with a little bonnet. It's pretty crazy when something like that makes your day...

She ate the WHOLE pan of brownies!!!!!

We made a bet to see who could eat faster...I now owe her $2.00. Due to popular demand, we are posting pictures of the following:

Upper left: Kim standing on her feet.
Lower left: Kim laying on her back (even though it looks like she is standing on a carpet covered wall-I feel like I always have to explain things).




You all need to give her positive comments...because she loves them!!!

Do you like green?

Nate and Dad went to the Hands-On Museum today. Nate stood in front of the green screen and was demonstrating proper technique for forecasting the weather. He was having a great time with interactive activities in the museum. I thing he is pointing to where the next tornado is going to touch down! (I think he is pointing to our living room :)...)






Watch out Dick Norris (T.V. anchor man), you can't do hands on your hips like me!!!








Nate and Dad love one-on-one dates. It is a time when Nate gets to feel really important and there is no one else to come in and steal the show. Stayed tuned until next next time.

Entertainment

It is really hard to know how to entertain 4 sick kids for 10 days. Luckily, our friend Sarah came to our rescue. She found 2 little wooden airplane models in Target for the boys and a velvet coloring book with markers for Gabby. So, Josh & the boys made planes while Gabby & I colored one Sunday night. The next day while Gabby was down with a fever, I let the boys paint their planes. They loved it. James' is done in a variety of (surprise) greens. It actually looks camaflagued. Nate did his in a bunch of primary colors. They both look great. Andrew got into the action and managed to paint his mouth blue with one of the brushes! Either way, it was a few hours doing something other than watch the same old DVDs 10 times! As of today, Mom & Andrew are the only ones still sick.

The Worst Flu EVER!!!

What do you do when your whole family has the flu? Nate brought something home from 1st grade last Friday and it has put us all down. Coughing, fever, sore throat, body aches & vomitting are some of the symptoms. I was surviving until I got it as well. Then Josh came home from school Monday night with a fever of 102 degrees. We were quite the home for invalids. That night our remaining trooper Andrew started the dreadful, croup-like cough. Now everyone is just grumpy. We are hoping that we can all get over it quickly.

New Camera

We finally got our new camera and it is so nice to have. It will take some getting used to but I think it will work out just fine. Here are some photos we took. I spent most of the week confined to the bed or couch due to a severe back injury (yeah right, like that is really possible with 4 kids) so not much happened aside from pain and more pain.

Oh--except that the stomach flu is going around our house so I have been on vomit duty when I managed to pull myself up from the couch. Everytime we think our situation can only improve, we are proven wrong and it gets nuttier. If I can ever get over the frustration and discouragement of this experience, I am really going to have good laugh. We have an increasing amount of help though. A friend brough dinner in tonight and I could not have been more thrilled. Otherwise the kids would have had cold cereal--wait, there was no milk. Who knows what they would have had. Hot Pockets are always a hit. Wish I had some...

Chinese New Year!!

Well, despite a little girl with the stomach flu that morning, we were able to go out with some friends from the ward. This is actually their living room. She is an incredible decorator and goes all out. Everyone brought some part of our Chinese New Year dinner and it was a riot. Having been out of commission for a week due to a back injury, it was so nice to be off the couch. I forget sometimes how great it is to be out on a date! We had to leave early to relieve the sitters but it was still a blast!!

Josh's First Posting as a "Blogger" & The introduction to Self

So, I was just thinking to myself the other day and thought, "Self, all of these people around you are doing 'blogs' about themselves. You are missing out on something amazing! You need to jump on the 'blog train' and let the wind of adventure blow your hair around a bit." Well, in response to this discussion between Me and Self (two distinct people), I, also commonly refered to as I, decided to purchase a ticket for the train.

Now that I am on board, I am not sure what it is that bloggers do. I do know that I am doing it, but I'm not sure what the rules or norms are. Again, this is situation that calls for another discussion with Self, he always seems to have good insight! So, I asked him what he thought, "Self, do you have any ideas on what bloggers do or things you say or don't say?" Self says, "I am not sure. We only decided on doing it (Self feeling a little put on the spot, gives a quick response). Just write something; no one else is going to read this except your wife, and she already knows Self and Me." Me says, "Self, you come through once again." And so there you have it, Josh's first blog and meeting Self. If you have any posts for Me or Self, I am not sure I will know how to answer them, but I can always ask Self for help, not to be confused with a close relative Self-Help. :) Until next time.....

The Great Sambini

I just had to post this video of my nephew Samuel in the bathtub with Andrew. Cassie & Sam came out to help me shortly after I found out I was expecting twins and was extremely ill. We were laughing so hard at Sam and his spasmatic reaction to the tub. I only got the tail end of it. My favorite part is when Andrew gets fed up and moves to the other side of the tub!!

A Perfectly Good Forehead....GONE.

Alone again on a Friday night...This time instead of studying my husband is taking little James in for stitches on his forehead. I came home from dropping Nate's friend off to find James sitting at the kitchen table screaming with blood running down his face. I am so glad that head wounds bleed extra because it looked like it would be so much worse. Right smack in the middle of his forehead was a deep gouge from smacking his head on the stair rail. Poor kid. He spent last night in pain because his fingers got slammed in a door. The Emergency Peds place is going to think we beat the poor kid.

He was such a trooper today too. Because Ann Arbor had a whole 2" of snow, school was cancelled. I ended up having all 4 with me to go shopping. After 1 1/2 hours and 2 full carts I went to pull my card out and got ready to put the groceries on the belt and discovered that I had left my card on the kitchen counter and I had no other way to pay for the groceries. Of course, we had already opened the pkgs. of 2-3 items to keep the kids from melting down so I looked like total White Trash. I had to ask one of the cust. service people if I could leave both carts and drive home to get my card. All 4 kids had to be loaded in and taken on the 15 min or so drive each way through non-plowed snowy roads so that I could get the card. Then we had to bring everyone back and unload all the groceries, pay, and have 2 baggers help us out to the car. It is so different from UT here because when we got to the car I opened the back and then started putting the baby in and getting the kids into the car. The bagger looks at me funny and says, "Well, so...would you like us to help you unload it too?" DUH!! I guess that is a service they don't provide. Apparantly the baggers were just going to stand and hold the carts while I loaded the truck. I really miss Harmons drive and load as we were in the snow and it was snowing!! Plus they have pregnant lady parking in the front!!