My kiddos are getting big...

K can sit - loves to eat "real" food and now has a tooth! When did she get so big?! I am sure that other teeth are close to follow. I actually didn't even realize that she was getting one until I noticed that her bottom gums had a spot on it...upon further inspection (sticking my finger in and scraping it against the sharp nubs of her tooth) I realized what it was. She had been waking up more at night but other than that not real fussy. She loves to watch her big brothers - I can almost see her wheels turning trying to find ways to upset them. She is such a great baby - but I CAN wait a little while longer before she starts to crawl :)

C is kind of getting the hang of potty training. Yes, I am actually bribing him with money...it is the only bribe that has been working. He earns a penny for every time he sits on the toilet, if he actually goes potty then he gets a quarter as well. If by some miracle of fate he actually has a BM in the toilet he earns himself a dollar. He said, "Mom, I want the green one." I told him what he needed to do so he settled for "the brown one" (penny). This after trying to bribe him with toys, meals out, and even a four-wheeler. **Check out my next Friday Funnies to see how he makes me laugh!

D is a great kid as well. His imagination is so great. I was going to put him in an ECFE class on acting but they had to be going into first grade to join. His latest interests are centaurs and griffins. He is learning the different sounds of the letters and has learned to spell many words (makes this momma proud). He can remember lots of things with such detail. His favorite book is a halloween one about a haunted house and he can verbatum remember the words to that book even though they have not read it in a long time. Or, he can remember scenes from movies or cartoons and repeat them word for word even though it has been a while since he has seen him...I am envious of his memory! Not that mine has ever been that great but I think it is non-existent nowadays.

Oh, to be young again - or at least have a portion of the energy that they have!!!!

Pics from Easter...

Here are the eggs that we dyed. Dan and the boys colored on them with crayons and then I dyed them (they picked the color they wanted them to go into). I didn't trust the boys not to spill the dye all over - not something that I wanted to clean up. The crayons worked great on the eggs too because they added lots more color to the eggs and the boys were proud of their creations.



Here is one that D made, he says it is a picture of Kassie - not sure she would appreciate it if she were older but I think it is kinda cute!





C and D checking out their Easter loot...



Princess K with her proud Daddy! (Thanks Sarah for the dress - it was perfect!)


All 14 grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa....look at that wild and crazy bunch! (This was one of the better pics - it is so hard to get them to all sit nicely.) The oldest is thirteen and a half and the youngest is eight months. Notice Grandpa with both of the little ones on his lap :)


The weather was so nice and it was a great day. We went to breakfast at church - it was a youth fundraiser. Good food there! Dan had to usher and then afterwards we went to my parents house. Grandma made yummy ham and scalloped potatoes. Everyone was home and it was good to see everyone especially my brother again who is off travelling more than my husband!

The kids were so tired from playing hard with their cousins. It is so fun to have cousins for my kiddos to play with that are the same age as them. The Daddy was all tired out from playing on his four-wheeler with the big "kids." He had lots of fun too. C loved to go through the mud and the water, D didn't care where they went as long as he was riding. K enjoyed all the attention from Grandma, Grandpa, aunties and cousins. Time with family just goes by too fast! Hope you all had great Easter Celebrations as well!

Yes, Still Alive - Just busy....

plus my husband was home for a longer stretch than normal...right hun!

We have been really busy...I had a Women's Retreat at our church that I was involved in the planning and execution of. Lots of fun was had by all - we did a Survivor - Laughter Island theme. Lots of fun - survivorish kinds of games, great company, and an awesome speaker! She has a Women's retreat planned for the end of September and we are already planning on going there to hear her again.

The next weekend we had a Girlfriends Weekend in Duluth - I LOVE DULUTH! We were right on Canal park and it was awesome! It is so cool to watch the ships come in. Here is a picture of us right before we came back to reality.

Of course this last weekend was Easter - or as my last Pastor had us trained to say "Resurrection Sunday." Saturday we colored eggs and then on Sunday we went to my Mom and Dad's. Everyone was home and the guys all went four-wheeling. I got some pics of all the nieces and nephews. I can't say that they were great pics but they were the best I could get with 14 kids late in the afternoon! :) Of course I also got a cute pic of my princess in her Easter dress with her daddy. I will post them later - it is much to late tonight to fight my slow speed computer.

In between these weekends, I have been working 4 days a week and so my day off is usually doing laundry and TRYING to keep a handle on my house. Having Dan home did help that because he stays up on cleaning more than I do....

Off to bed now - will post more pics later! Good to be back in the bloggy world!!!

Please Go Take Time To Vote!

Lets surprise NBC

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation.
NBC is taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on our American currency.

Please send this to every Christian you know so they can vote on thisimportant subject. Please do it right away, before NBC takes this off theweb page.

Poll is still open so you can vote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

This is not blogged for discussion, if you agree go vote and tell others to vote, if you don't, forget it.

By me blogging it, you know how I feel. I'll bet this was a surprise to NBC.

Wordless Wednesday - No Words Needed!

Book Review - "Perfect Stranger"

These are two FABULOUS books! They were quick and easy to read but lots of good "stuff" in them. I read these books both in one day, with all the interuptions of my kiddos. I love the ease of conversations in them and also very modern. I am hoping the auther, David Gregory (see bio below), is going to have a sequel to these called "A Life with a Perfect Stranger" and write about Mattie's sister....I will be the first to sign up to review that book!!! I recommend these books for EVERYONE!

Dan read them too - He loved the fact that everything is explained so well, that it isn't religion but a relationship...

Summary Dinner with a Perfect Stranger:
You are Invited to a Dinner with Jesus of Nazareth. The mysterious envelope arrives on Nick Cominsky’s desk amid a stack of credit card applications and business-related junk mail. Although his seventy-hour workweek has already eaten into his limited family time, Nick can’t pass up the opportunity to see what kind of plot his colleagues have hatched. The normally confident, cynical Nick soon finds himself thrown off-balance, drawn into an intriguing conversation with a baffling man who appears to be more than comfortable discussing everything from world religions to the existence of heaven and hell. And this man who calls himself Jesus also seems to know a disturbing amount about Nick’s personal life.………….."You’re bored, Nick. You were made for more than this. You’re worried about God stealing your fun, but you’ve got it backwards.… There’s no adventure like being joined to the Creator of the universe." He leaned back off the table. "And your first mission would be to let him guide you out of the mess you’re in at work."………….As the evening progresses, their conversation touches on life, God, meaning, pain, faith, and doubt–and it seems that having Dinner with a Perfect Stranger may change Nick’s life forever.

Summary Day with a Perfect Stranger:
What if a fascinating stranger knew you better than you know yourself? When her husband comes home with a far fetched story about eating dinner with someone he believes to be Jesus, Mattie Cominsky thinks this may signal the end of her shaky marriage. Convinced that Nick is, at best, turning into a religious nut, the self-described agnostic hopes that a quick business trip will give her time to think things through. On board the plane, Mattie strikes up a conversation with a fellow passenger. When she discovers their shared scorn for religion, she confides her frustration over her husband’s recent conversion. The stranger suggests that perhaps her husband isn’t seeking religion but true spiritual connection, an idea that prompts her to reflect on her own search for fulfillment. As their conversation turns to issues of spiritual longing and deeper questions about the nature of God, Mattie finds herself increasingly drawn to this insightful stranger. But when the discussion unexpectedly turns personal, touching on things she’s never told anyone, Mattie is startled and disturbed. Who is this man who seems to peer straight into her soul?


Author Bio:
David Gregory is the author of the best-selling books Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and A Day with a Perfect Stranger, and coauthor of two nonfiction books. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning graduate degrees from The University of North Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary. A native Texan, David now devotes himself to writing full time.

For More Information:
To learn more about or purchase these books at RandomHouse.com:
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger
Day with a Perfect Stranger


Win One:
You can win a copy of Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by simply leaving a comment here. You need not be a blogger to win. Giveaway will end on March 15th.

Time is Flying By!

Where did this week go?? I tell you, I think that every year time goes by faster! It is already March - though I am glad it is almost spring...

We have been busy this last week - though when I think about it now I can't remember much of what we did - just that we were busy. One thing I do want to share though is a video of the boys singing Karaoke. Dan sang "Hey, Good Looking" for karaoke a couple of months ago and so I found that ringtone and put it on my cell for when he calls. The boys have taken to singing that - as I mentioned in last friday's post. My friend Jean recorded their singing it and put it on YouTube... Here is the link to the video of them singing... I guess when Charlie is done singing he don't mess around!

Here are some pics from that night...it was lots of fun because there were more people there and so a wider range of songs...along with my K and the soon to be Grandma!

It is also interesting to see the places your children will get into....