3rd Grade Science Project

Some of you may remember Kaitlyn's 2nd grade science project - Wilbur, the Praying Mantis. Wilbur did quite well and lived in his cage until October. The kids had a great time harassing him and watching him eat crickets.

This year we went with something less "alive":



Instead of weeks of watching a praying mantis grow we spent weeks watching bananas rot. It was very exciting. Seems bananas do better in bunches and in a box wrapped in a towel. Who knew? Seperating bananas on the counter is the worst - apparantly bananas like each other.

Kaitlyn did very well and we are so proud of her! Here's the photo she liked better -



Right now, I'm just glad it's over and there are no more black bananas laying all over my house!

Pictures Of My Monkeys...

Just pictures of my kids climbing like monkeys:









The girls are so in love with their ladybug clothes!! I can't wait till it's warmer and they can wear them all the time :) But at least it warmed up enough today to throw on the ladybug sandals - made their day.

Thanksgiving Thursday

Okay, so I'm giving in and participating again - maybe because I need to think about what I'm thankful for :)

My list is pretty basic -

1. My husband who puts up with me and our crazy kids.



2. All my crazy kids - I seriously love them all and couldn't be more thankful to God that I have them all.

3. Hi-5 and sadly, Dora - the 2 shows that currently keep my girls totally riveted and allow me to get something done.



4. MWF afternoons when the girls are napping and the big kids are in school. Oh I love the quiet! Bedtime falls under the same category.

5. I am thankful anytime I get a great smile from any one of my kids. LOVE it! (Julianna is currently obsessed with this Dora backpack which is really cute)



6. DVR.

7. My parents - cause they're always so sweet and love me a lot - the kids too.

8. Last but certainly not least, my Savior. Without Him I am nothing and without Him I have none of the blessings that I have. I am thankful for every day for what He has given to me - first, my salvation and then the blessings of this life.

If you'd like to share what you're thankful for then you can head over to What a Trip! link up and participate:

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Way Back When-esday - Our Family

I almost never participate in all the days that go around in blog world - mostly because I try to just post once a day (how much can you really read and how much time do I really have to do more??!!) and I'd have to post like 4 times a day to keep up but since my brain is working slow I figured I would participate today and take a look back -

Our family - Kaitlyn 6, Caleb 3, Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa 4 months (Easter 2007)



Our family - Kaitlyn 7, Caleb 4, Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa 1 year (November 2007)



Our family - Kaitlyn 7, Caleb 4, Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa 18 months (June 2008)



Our family - Kaitlyn 8, Caleb 5, Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa 2 (Oct/Nov 2008)



I can't believe how much the girls have grown in such a short time! It's so amazing. Heck even Kaitlyn and Caleb have changed so much. I think I'm due for more family pictures. I hope Kate can handle us again :)

Want to participate in Way Back When-esday? I couldn't find her code to link it so you'll have to click HERE to get back to her blog.

Writer's Block

Aagh! I feel like my brain is not functioning well. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the fact that I am currently addicted to a computer game. I go through phases - have to play then quit for months. Part of my obsession's I guess.

But even still it's been hard to blog and hard to write my novels. Which is even more frustrating when I realize I'm supposed to be at a conference in just under 2 months and really need to have something to share.

So, tonight I'll leave you with my girls veggin' 'cause my brain is right there with them!!

Dear Spring... We're Ready

Dear Spring...

Our new clothes have come in the mail. Our new clothes have ladybugs on them and we really, really want to wear them. We love flowers and ladybugs! We even got these really cool sandals with ladybugs and right now we have to wear them with socks. We even have very cool matching bows made by a friend of mommy's.

We are tired of our sweaters and jackets. So if you could please come quickly and chase the cold away we would really appreciate it.

Thank you,
Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa

Bowling Fundraiser

Today Kaitlyn and Caleb participated in the school's bowl-a-thon fundraiser. I think they enjoyed it though Kaitlyn had quite a few gutter balls and Caleb had some bowling apparatus assistance (sorry I have NO idea what it's called).

I did take some photos and wanted to say a big thank-you to everyone who supported Kaitlyn and Caleb in their bowling today (if you haven't you still can - the school still needs it!!) Some of you know we send Kaitlyn and Caleb to a small private school nearby. The people are wonderful and they have gotten a first rate education but being small means there's never enough to go around so thank for all the support - we truly appreciate it!

Kaitlyn trying to bowl! At least she had a good time :) I guess we have to go to the bowling alley more often...





Caleb did well but he had a little help...





The only photo of the two of them together :)



We had a good time and I look forward to taking the triplets sometime soon. Bowling is another one of those activities that will be fun to do as a family when the girls get older. Life is the other activity :) Can't wait to get "back" to it!!

My Sweet Rachel

Of all my children Rachel has been the most unique. This is not a bad thing - on the contrary it makes her who she is - my teeny tiny girl. Most days I'm still amazed she weighs more then 20 pounds and can face forward!

Rachel and Linus have a lot in common although most days I wish Rachel just dragged a blanket with her. Instead Rachel brings along a twin sheet - yes, a twin - I swear I feel like a bride with a train every time I carry her! But that's not all. No, she also brings along a pillow case - she's ready to make her own bed wherever she goes :) But that's not all. No, she also carries a book or two - more if she could. And then sometimes she adds a sippy cup and/or a snack. Can you believe she can carry all that? Me either! Half the time I have to carry it because God forbid she doesn't have one of those because then she goes on and on about it! When I get her up from nap she hands me her sheet, her pillowcase, her book, another book and then searches the bed for other things to take along - oh, I cut it off there - there's only so much I can carry! And this is before I get Julianna and her two-ton blanket that she brings along!

Oh, but there's more in my little Rachel - not only is she addicted to her sheets but she can NOT stop drawing. Here's some of her art work:



Pretty good huh? She can draw faces and rainbows and people. Is that normal for a 2-year old?! (The other two cannot draw like this)

Wondering how I know it's Rachel? Well, that's my wall, not a piece of paper!

What I Love About This Age

Two is often called the "terrible twos" and there are many, many days where I feel this is true but there are SOOO many things that I absolutely love about this age.

- On Wednesday Kirk had the kids because I was working at my consignment sale - they had just visited me and Julianna was upset that she had had to leave a book behind - apparantly she screamed most of the way home - Rachel says to Julianna: "that's nough Nanna! Stop screaming."

- I love when they talk to each other - Rachel will say "where are you Nanna?" and Julianna will say "I right here, I coming!"

- I love when they hold hands and play together - when I can get them to all hold hands and walk with me into the grocery store it is seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen!! I also love when they give each other hugs or hold hands to play ring-a-round the rosey.

- Whenever I leave now they each need a big kiss. Even tonight before bed Julianna came up to me and asked for a kiss - I love it!

- I always have someone to sit on my lap - sure I often have other things to do but when I had just one at a time they were too busy doing their own things to want to sit with mom now I have three girls who fight over me and I could spend every waking minute holding someone or sitting with someone in my lap - the cuddles go away so quickly I want to enjoy them now even when I need to clean up or get dinner done!

- I love that everything is new - what they say is new, what they figure out is new - the birds in the sky, the cars on the road, what animals say, what colors are - it's such a wonderful opportunity to watch them grow and I wouldn't miss it for the world!

- It's so cute when they copy each other. One does something and the other thinks it is so fun that it must be done. Tonight Alyssa was having fun hiding under a little blanket - Julianna noticed and went to find her own blanket, laid down under it and they both giggled and kicked.

- There's nothing more fun when all five kids play together. When Caleb tries to entertain his sisters and when the girls ask for their big brother and sister. Here I caught Caleb reading with all the babies on the chair (yea, I know about the blinds - not sure if the kids did that or the cat - it's on my list...)



Caleb caught me so of course he had to cheese for the camera - he often asks me to come down to the basement and bring the camera so I can take pictures of what he does with his sisters. He wants it all to go on the blog! How cute is he?



- I mostly love that they are still so little and have no idea how little they are and they are just so stinkin' cute!

Even on my hardest days one laugh or hug from any one of them makes every party of my "job" worth it. Maybe the two's aren't so terrible after all :) I have been given the privilege of raising 5 beautiful children and I'm going to do my best to enjoy it.

Alyssa Bissa Has A Speech Delay

It's official. Alyssa has a speech delay. Enough of one to qualify for speech therapy. It's about what I expected. She is at or above her age level in every other area but she falls between 20 and 24 months for speech so she is about 4 to 8 months behind (I'm leaning more towards 8 months because she really should be talking more).

A speech therapist and a physical therapist watched her play for about 2 hours this morning - she was everywhere and into everything and she did talk some but mostly babble. She doesn't know her colors or her letters and she calls our whole family "daddy".

What I found more interesting was the reason why they think she might be speech delayed. They noticed something I haven't. Alyssa can't sit still.

Literally.

It seems that Alyssa has trouble slowing her brain down enough to work on her speech. The physical therapist noticed that even when she was playing with the toys on the table she was bending her knees to keep moving. The speech therapist noticed that she talked better the more active she was. It was like she could get going and her brain would follow but not entirely.

It's probably why she's started biting her fingernails. She has a way of keeping her body moving so she can keep things in order for herself.


The speech therapist said she could understand Alyssa about 35% of the time. She can say a lot of one-syllable words and some words with more then one syllable.

The physical therapist says that in her sensory she is typical with concerns. She seeks input to feel organized but she is functional. She "has some difficulty organizing and this may be impacting her expressive communication."

So what does all this mean? Alyssa will have speech therapy twice a month for a while and see if her speech improves. If it doesn't then we will have her hearing tested and if it's not that (I doubt her hearing is bad) the speech therapist may bring along an occupational therapist to try and get her to slow down!!

I find this very fascinating because I swear I have the same issues. I can't stop moving and pick at my fingers whenever I sit still. It will be interesting to see how they work with her.

I look forward to the day she calls me "mommy" and actually calls her brother and sisters by name! I can't wait :)

A Copy Of My Face

This weekend was my moms of multiples yard sale thus the lack of posting - it's been a busy weekend! I always let the kids pick out a little something from the sales I work and this weekend was no exception. This time Caleb picked out the most unusual item - a lap desk. Yes, seriously it's what he wanted and he wasn't backing down. No toy could dissuade him :) So, we bought the desk.

He's been using it ever since to "copy our faces" - he has us sit on his desk chair and draw our faces. It's very cute.

Here's me (he drew me with yellow lipstick):



And Kaitlyn (he couldn't remember if the nose went above or below the eyes - oops!) -


And Kirk - I hope you can see it - he didn't draw it very darkly:



What do you think? Do we have the next Picasso on our hands?

What Do You Mean I Have To Eat It?

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yep, this is our life every night - as you can see very little eating actually gets done and every night I wonder why I bother and when my next date night is!!

Don't Laugh: We Call This Snow

Apparently even President Obama laughs at the Washington DC area and our snow policies. One inch and we cancel school. But I LOVE it. I love that we get some snow but not loads and loads and that the kids get out of school anyway. Okay, so the news goes overboard. Today, I kid you not, one of the news reporters measured our snow with her coffee cup! Seriously, they can't do better then we got as much snow as this medium coffee cup?? Good grief, our news comes out of the nations capitol - you think it would be better then that!!

But we had a good day "off" - the kids were home from school so we all got to sleep in a bit. Then Kirk took all the kids out front for a bit to play in the snow - took him longer to get them geared up then the time they played outside!

When the girls napped Kirk took the big kids out "sledding" - they had a great time though they didn't like walking up the hill.





I think Kirk is just dreading the time when he has to take all 5 kids out on the snow! That's been the weirdest thing about having triplets - we go from 2 kids to 5 in everything we do. Right now 2 seems manageable but whenever we add 3 more to the equation we freak out!! And this is long before we even considering their weddings. Triplets, who thought that was a good idea?!! Kidding, I love them all.

They Get Big Fast!!

Seems like just yesterday they were much shorter :)

Kirk took the big kids to the Marine's Museum this afternoon - looks like they had fun:



Not sure how well my kiddos blend in :)



We're hoping for snow here tomorrow - I'm hoping for a big snow! So far we've had just ONE - aagh! And that wasn't that great. Will post pictures if we get some...