my lovely new rockers......

For years now I have admired the white rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel and I have begged chad for us to get some for our front porch. They are super expensive and we just haven't been able to justify the purchase. Last week I was at Wal-mart and found some rockers for 27 dollars a piece!!!!!! are you kidding me? I bought two and chad set them up for me the other day. I just love sitting and rocking on my front porch. I love taking Tate out there with a cup of milk after he has just got up from a nap. I just hold him and rock him and let him wake up slowly. Sometimes at night after the kids are in bed chad and I have even sat out on the porch and visited. I just love simple things like that.............

pizza time!

A STROKE OF BRILLIANCE!

We were driving home from Prescott last week after getting my ring back (a whole posting of it's own later) and I was quietly thinking of Livia and her famous fit throwing. She had a week where tears just seemed to come so easily for her. Chad and I were trying to be the best parents we could to stop this awful habit and it seemed like we always ended up adding fuel to the fire. I was really concentrating on what would really reach her and the idea just came to me. I am sure this does not seem that amazing to everyone but when you are using the smallest parts of your brain while raising children just the fact that you are capable of critical thinking is a blessing. Livia- much like her mother- loves candy! I have been wanting to find a way to cut down on her candy intake each day so I now have a solution that works 2 fold: I let her pick out of this huge tub chad and I have in the top of a cupboard (my friend calls stashes like theses "candy salad" you know left over Easter candy, Halloween candy and just whatever loose pieces of candy are left over from candy purchasing) I let livia pick 10 pieces of candy in the morning to put in her candy jar. I explained that whenever she misbehaves I will simply be eating a piece of her candy. what ever is left over in her jar after dinner she can eat for her dessert. The first day was great- I never had to say a thing! If she threw a fit I would just get really excited and run over to her jar and open it up and dramatically choose a piece of candy I would like to enjoy right in front of her-"yummeeee, a starburst! I love the pink ones" if she cried while I was eating her candy I would just simply move on to another piece. by the time three of her precious hand picked pieces of candy were in my mouth and not her jar I saw the light bulb go off.........she quietly turned around and went to play. she was scared to speak because I might take antoher piece. Triumphant!!!!!! my plan really worked and has continued to work. If she throws a fit while we are running errands I just make certain that when we get home the first thing I do is eat some of her candy. She has yet to accomplish getting all ten pieces at night but she is really determined.

New start................

Time for a new routine. Livia starts preschool next week and I couldn't be more pleased.............love the girl but if I have to do one more "Crap" (crafts in livy lingo) today I think I will have to be committed. this girl loves making things and being creative. I think we spoil our first kids with our attention because we had that one on one time with them before their siblings come. Tate will play with his train set for two hours straight and not make a peep. Livia needs direction and ideas continually. It is totally my fault and I know this. I think last Thursday was our record breaker we made necklaces, a bird house, play dough, painted rocks, made sandcastles, built a real castle for all of her Polly's and did a cooking project. I decided that I am going to pace ourselves this week and have one main project a day and the rest is up to her to decide. We are also giving the whole chore thing another try this week.......... wish me luck- I am the one in charge!RIGHT?!?!

monday night spotlight disclaimer........

Oh- by the way I forgot to let everyone know in the beginning of the whole "Monday Night Spotlight" thing that I will only be doing it if I have a brain left after the kids go to bed on Monday nights. As you can tell I have been brainless for a few weeks now. seriously- are the days getting longer because these kids just won't leave me alone anymore- maybe it is because I am such a way cool mom...........they are exhausting me- even right now I can feel one of them standing behind me when they are supposed to be in bed- maybe if I just don't make eye contact, they will get bored and return to their room without any assistance. don't they know I am totally off the clock right now and I am just trying to enjoy my 30 minutes alone before I literally pass out for the night...............

our new babysitter- oops- I mean sandbox!

The landscaping is pretty much finished!

sorry for all of the before and after pics- I just wanted to show everyone our new landscaping! I would have killed to have this all done at the beggining of summer- it is just so nice to put the kids in the backyard and let them play. We are putting a play area in soon where the river rock gravel is and the best part is the sandbox that the kids just can't get enough of! We are so happy to finish this project up!

the little hunter

We caught our son sneaking up on his stuffed animals and shooting them the other day and I know to most this seems alarming but to us hunters we were so proud!!!! Like father like son!

I took a personality test- here are the results........

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first. A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change. You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project. You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. In love, you value harmony and mutual understanding. You will apologize or give someone the benefit of the doubt, if it means getting over a fight sooner. At work, you are good at building relationships and connecting with people. You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher. How you see yourself: Organized, dependable, co-operative When other people don't get you, they see you as: Opinionated, critical, and know-it-all

What's Your Personality Type?

Nothin' like a little redneck vacation!!!!

We just got back from our family vacation- What a great time we had! We decided to not have any real expectations and just concentrate on enjoying our time together- It was the perfect attitude to have because there was no room for any disappointments. We initially had grand plans for this summers vacation but due to lack of planning ahead as well as having young kids we played this one safe and only ventured into well known territory- MY HOME! We just love our kiddos and how funny they are. My favorite memory of the vacation was when we visited the painted desert museum. We were heading out to the parking lot at the end of our visit and Tate had a Coyote skull in his arms from one of the museum displays ( a little souvenir!?) Chad and I could not believe it! Chad quickly snuck it back into the museum before we were arrested for stealing museum property. Too funny!

and we are off on Rhoton annual family vacation!

fun in Colorado......

We had so much fun visiting the fish hatchery, shopping, eating good food, seeing the silverton train, and driving up to Silverton. The kids loved feeding the fish- and of course Chad loved that the wildlife museum and fish hatchery were FREE! I swear this was the least expensive luxury vacation ever!

Colorado

Dad's pond rocks!

Fishing at the Dunn Pond!

My dad has made this amazing pond on his land and he even has stocked it with bluegill and bass! Chad loved taking the kids down to the pond for fishing fun. Chad told me if I caught a fish he would buy me a new camera! I caught a trophy blue gill (he didn't say anything about how big it had to be!) New camera- here I come!

End of the vaca!

So I ended up getting my beach vacation after all! only the sandy beach we played at was the Navajo reservation not the one in Florida- The kids had just as much fun playing in the sand off the side of the road! oh- white trash fun never felt so good!!!!!