Our house

I've been trying to get my house in order. I spent a week or so streamlining (getting rid of stuff we don't need or use) and have been really surprised at how much of it we had. We still have a lot, I'm sure, becuase I haven't done my pantry, coat closet, family room or garage yet. It is a good feeling to see things clean and clutter free. I started with my room, and it by far had the most to get rid of. Clothes that no longer fit or that I don't wear, pantyhose with runs in them (why did I pack and move those?), etc.
Jerome is almost finished with the bookcases that he is building to go on either side of the fireplace, and I love them. Let me repeat, I love them. I am so impressed - it is his first carpentry project, and it's a large one. They are essentially floor to ceiling, with an inch at the top left to fit them in. But once we get the molding on the top and bottom, they will look built in, I think. I've decided that I don't like the colors that I've used to paint my house, and I hope to get things repainted this spring. The color it is now is nice, but it's just not for me. I see it in magazines and think how pretty it is, but after living with it for six months, I'm still not happy with it, so I'll just have to start over. Once the shelving is done in the family room and I've painted, I'll post pictures. I also want to put beadboard around the backsplash of the kitchen and about 2/3 up the walls in the bathrooms. That is a project that I think I can do myself, I just need to borrow some tools from my dad and pawn my children off on a friend so I can work uninterrupted.

Pictures I found on my camera

'nuf said.

Elise is two years old!

Elise got a Snow White princess dress from Jerome and me for her birthday. She loves it! She is so proud of it and wants to wear it all the time. "I'm Snow White!", she says. I can't believe how big she is getting. The other day I was holding her and I started to chuckle becuase she makes me happy. I didn't say anything, just laughed, and she looked right at me and smiled and said, "I'm so cute!" At her birthday gathering, Grnadma was holding her and told her that she likes her Snow White dress and her eyes. Elise replied "Uh-huh. They are pretty." All of my children are so lucky to know how much they are loved.

Wild West Stunt Show

We watched a stunt show and I even found it funny! We sat in covered wagons surrounding the stage. There was lots of humor, some that the kids didn't get, but we did. Lots of humor that the kids found hilarious (such as the farting sound effect when one of the bad guys got stepped on). At one point there was a "bomb" accompanied by sound of a ticking clock. The actors didn't know what it was, and Sam and Jake were yelling really loud "It'a bomb! You have a bomb! It's going to explode!" The acotr looked right at the boys and said, "A bomb! On my gosh! Well, what should I do with it?!" And the boys yelled "Throw it! Throw it in the well!" so he did, and it got thrown by an unseen hand back at him. So they said "Throw it again!" and he did. Eventually it went off with a splash from the well. The boys loved participating like that. And Abrie thought it was so funny when the Army private got his shirt ripped off to reveal his "Hello Kitty" undershirt. She still talks about it sometimes.

Camp Snoopy at Knott's Berry Farm

Abrie was insisting that morning that Snoopy was going to LOVE her. Well, she was right. He gave her kiss and she was so happy! They had so much fun going on the rides. Some of them are scaled down versions of the adult's rides. AFter going on a rollercoaster with his dad, Sam insisted he wanted to go on the big wooden coaster. I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but I took him. I was nervous, and he was reassuring me that it would be fun. After the ride got going, I looked over at Sam. From the look on his face, I thought he was going to be sick. His eyes were huge and he was slouched down really low in the seat. We were both getting thrown around a lot. We both hated every minute of it, and I kept telling him it would be over soon. After that it took alot to convince him to go an any more rides. I was afraid the vacation was ruined for him, and it was just the first day! Fortunately I found a ride that I knew he would like and bothered him until he went on it with me. I was right, he loved it (The Pony Express) and we rode it two or three time before the park closed for the day to get ready for Halloween Haunt that night. It was a good time had by all.

Telling the kids at breakfast

I have recently been chided for not keeping up with my own blog by more than one person, so I decided today is the day to finally make a new post. I don't know why it is so difficult for me to remember to post regularly.

We took our trip to S. Cal. and had the best time. It was so much fun that we started planning a return trip on the way home. Unfortunately, that won't be happening for another several years, but we can't wait to go back! My husband tried to talk me into going this spring, but I said no dice. I want our kids to get a little bit older so that we can go on more rides with everyone, instead of having to alternate with one parent riding while one parent waits with the littler ones. Not to mention, it's an expensive trip and will take time to save the money. We are trying to pay off our house early, so we have to make sure that we don't spend that money.

We spent a day at Knott's Berry Farm, which was definitely a good choice for our family. They had a ton of rides for our kids, and they could ride alone, without parents, while we watched. There were no lines - the park was almost empty for most of the day.

Then we spent four days at Disneyland. We saw all kinds of characters and the kids got lots of autographs. Everytime we saw goofy Jerome had to get a picture with him - Goofy is his favorite.My sister and her children spent a day with us there, and my kids loved it! My brother David and his girlfriend (at the time - now his intended) spent a couple of days with us. We were glad to see everyone. We rode lots of rides - some favorites were Pooh's Adventure ride (for Elise), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Carribean (which we could ride as a family).

We were exhausted by the end of each day, but our children held up very well and we didn't have any meltdowns whatsoever, until the ride home, and those were from Jerome - I think he was tired and didn't like my navigating.

The last day we were there I got strep throat, but I enjoyed myself anyway. It wasn't until two days later that I found a walk-in clinic to get the medicine I needed.

So, here are some pictures.