Happy New Year!

In my newest favorite song...

My soul longs for you, nothing else will do.

I believe you will come like the rain.

So let it rain, so let it rain. You'll come like the rain.

BECAUSE... HE makes ALL things NEW

Jesus make ALL things NEW this year...

*our broken hearts, broken dreams, all the broken places .... come rain on us, come reign on us

Happy NEW year! Let it rain.

We wish you a merry Christmas

Since you weren't with us for Christmas, here's a little holiday cheer coming your way! Enjoy

ALERT...ALERT... Phone in the toilet

What do you do when you drop your phone in the toilet?

Obviously, the 5 second rule must apply to more than food on the kitchen floor...

So you get the phone out of the used toilet...and it appears to still be working. I quickly take it apart and lay it on the counter.

Now what? You've waited for it to dry...but now it has tee-tee water dried in all the crevices AND you plan on putting this next to your face all the time.

I have a few choices:

• clean it and risk getting some other part wet
• just go ahead and use it
• throw it away and start over
• trade with Darren

What would you do if your mother ask you? (Dr. Seuss - The Cat in the Hat)

"Can I..."

Yesterday morning, about every 3.5 minutes, Amanda asked, "Can I watch a movie?"

• While I'm making breakfast, "can I watch a movie?"
• After breakfast, "can I watch a movie?"
• Trying to get the sisters out the door, "can I watch a movie?"
• During kitchen clean-up, "can I watch a movie?"
• While I'm making my bed and getting dressed, "can I watch a movie?"
• Getting Claire up and dressed, "can I watch a movie?"
• Trying to brush my teeth, "can I watch a movie?"
• Getting Jacob going with school, "can I watch a movie?"
• Starting a load of laundry, "can I watch a movie?"
• Getting Amanda dressed, "can I watch a movie?"

I said no in as many nice ways as I could:

• no
• not yet
• stop asking
• go play with Jacob
• go do your puzzles
• stop asking for a movie
• ..but the refrain I settled on the most was "when Jacob starts school and I sit down to nurse Claire".

When my nice voice finally ran out, she stopped asking for a movie.

She started asking: "Mom, can you nurse our baby now?"

Claire's 6 months old today!

I just didn't know how much I could love another one. They each have a special part of my heart and they each make me laugh. Claire is currently the one doing it in a 6 month old body...
(You'll need to pause the music on the left.)



And in case you missed how cute she is, here's another one:

A week in pictures...

Well, there was the sleepovers. All 7 in the girls room one night...
then all 7 in the big kids room the next.
One last picture with the threesome here. How long ago did I work at Mervyn's while Amy and Darren went to the movies without me?
Amazingly Jacob's coat does fit me...at least around the neck...
Here are the Clampetts, on their way out of town at 6am on Thursday.
Only 18 more hours to go!
Darth Manda isn't sure what to do with herself without her sisters around.
And Claire is trying really, really hard to make a tooth. The bottom teeth were no match for this top tooth...and it's not even the front one. It's one over - just like the sisters. I think she favors them. So 3 from my side and 3 from Darren's.
Needless to say, she's constantly wet from the drool and wants to be held. So I wear her in the backpack so I can get something else done. And she gnaws and gnaws on the backpack. It's hard work making these things.

Friday night we had a celebratory dinner for such a big week. The girls survived (and thrived) the first week of school, Amanda is in panties 24/7, Claire is making this tooth, mom made it through her sister moving away, and Daddy had a good meeting Thursday night.
There are 5 candles on the table (one for each kid to blow out when we are done), little bottles of Coke or Dr. Pepper for everyone, and no place settings for the parents - we actually went on a date to celebrate our week...can everyone say cheese fries and bloomin' onion. YUM! YUM!

Blue Christmas

We are dedicating this little Christmas song to all the cousins that will be far away this holiday season. Eat lots of goodies, laugh as much as you can and we'll see everyone next year!!!!