Going Pro

One of the absolute best parts of living in Bolivar has been the amazing friends we have made here.  Our awesome friends Chad and Michelle and Brad and Sheena invited us to go on a triple date with them last week.  I was actually feeling pretty good that day, so that really helped. 

First we went to Thai Peppers (green curry - yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!) then we went to Bass Pro to do a scavenger-type photo night.  We had themes and then tried to decide which ones were the best.  First we competed as couples, then boys against girls.  It was sooo fun.

 

"Any Man of Mine"

 

(And in case you can't tell, Michelle is pregnant.) Haha

And boy does Brad know how to strike a pose! ...oh wait...that's a mannequin.

"Gangsta' Paradise"

(Michelle is apparently a member of the kitty cat gang.  She had to get some coaching from Chad.)

(Yes, that is candy.  I'm not sure I've ever seen him so happy.)

 

 

"Man Vs. Wild"

I hope that squirrel has bad aim.

 

I really think Chad had that fox scared.

Brad was scared.  Sheena is awesome.  I'm proud of my gym buddy.

Now for the boys vs. girls.

"Best Selfie"

A fierce selfie in front of a bear.  Yes, it's there.

A typical kissy face and Charlie's Angels picture.  I kind of just look grumpy here.  A grumpy angel.

Then we tried on weird hats.  I think the moral of this story is that we're cute no matter what.  So we won.  Duh.

"Nature Calls"

 When asked what this picture meant, Mike said, "I just wanted to see if I could get Brad to wear women's clothes."  Mission accomplished, boys.

We have never looked more like mannequins.

 

Thanks for the fun evening everyone!

Not Quite Myself...

And now...........here comes the whining.  I haven't really been feeling quite myself lately with this pregnancy.  It's been a really trying two months for me actually.  And here's why.

1.  Morning sickness - I've been basically nauseated all day every day.  Let's just say that it has made my every day tasks pretty difficult.

2.  Dizziness - I had this with my pregnancy with Charlie and was hoping to never have it again.  I am so dizzy all the time.  I'm not anemic or anything like that.  I just feel lightheaded pretty much all the time.  It also makes my every day tasks pretty tough.

3.  Food aversions - If something doesn't sound good, the very idea of it will make me throw up.  It's really weird.  It makes making meals for my family (and myself) pretty difficult.

4.  Mice- Yep.  We have mice living behind our bookshelves.  They like to roam the house at night, freaking me out and making it super hard for me to sleep.  They are also super tricky little jerks.  They've so far avoided all of our traps and everything.  Tonight I am going to the store and buying every mouse murdering device they have.  Yuck.

5.  It's baaaaa-aaaack! My rash is back - This is by far the worst thing ever.  Remember that horrible itchy rash that I had back in April or so?  Well, it's back.  And because I'm pregnant, they can't give me the steroid pills that cured it so quickly last time.  Or anything.... So I'm back to taking Benadryl and trying to find some cream that will alleviate the constant itching.  It has spread from my arms to my stomach, back, and legs.  I wake up at night and just cry because it's impossible to get back to sleep.  Any prayers for patience and healing would be super awesome.

I'm sorry to be so whiney.  But I just know that people around here have been asking me what's wrong lately, and so HERE it is, in all it's complaining glory.

In happy news, we are so very happy to be having another little sweetheart join our family.  The trials are worth the result!  :)

They're Not Babies But Someone Is...

Lately I've been thinking how big my little kiddos are getting.  I still think of them as my babies, but I have to let them grow up.  (Darn it.)

 

Little One #1

 

Little One #2

 

 Little One #3

 

Little One #4.....

Wait.  Where's the picture?  Oh that's right.  We have to wait until April 25th to meet the newest of the crew.

 

Yes, we are super excited.  Yes, the kids are super excited.

When asked if they wanted a boy or girl, they all said boy, and when I asked why, Andrew said,
"Well, we have a baby boy and we really like him." And Emmie said, "Yeah.  Charlie.  We want another boy."

 

It melted my heart 100%.  Why do we have all these kids?  Because each one brings life, happiness, fun and true joy to our lives.  We can't wait to meet our newest Grumblecakes!

 

First Activity of the Fall

We went apple picking!  I have such fond memories of going to the apple orchards and picking apples in the fall.  There's nothing better to kick off the season.  We all had a lot of fun.

 

 

Charlie was not at all interested in picking the apples, but was extremely interested in eating them. Most of the time he had two at a time.  He also said "apple" over and over again.  He probably said it 100 times....a minute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yay for fall and family.

Soccer Mom

Andrew started soccer!  And he loves it.  I guess that means I'm a soccer mom.  We all came to watch his first practice, and it was so very cute.

 

Although he did get a little distracted.  Like in this picture of him walking away while the coach was giving instructions.

 

 Here he is scoring a goal.  He was very excited.

 

 

They were all so cute.

 

Watching Andrew run is awesome.  He definitely has a style.  But he is definitely fast!

 

At first, he wouldn't kick the ball until he put his glasses on his head, spits on his hands, and then revs himself up.  The best part of this picture is the parents in the back laughing as he gets his glasses back on. 

 

When he met his teammates, he shook all of their hands.  It was cute, and they were all very confused.

 

 The other kids were so bored after a while, but they did pretty well.

 

And more Andrew running...

 

He is running here.  And it's the best picture in the world.

 

 

 

Good job, little buddy!!

Never a Dull Moment

With these kids, there are seriously no dull moments.  Here is Charlie when I came into the room to find him taking a bite out of each of the apples in the bowl.

 

He has become such a cheeseball.  Anytime he sees a camera (even if it's not in anyone's hands) he will start saying, "Cheese!  Cheese!  CHHHHHEEEEESSSEE!" until you take at least 6 pictures of him.  Luckily, a lot of the time we get happy smiles.

 Em and Charlie found jars of baby food in the backroom and had a fun time eating them.  Anything to get vegetables in these kids.  Emily loved feeding her "baby."

 The kids have started playing well together.  They loved Grandma's hammock.

 Cheese!!!

 

Andrew made the "longest and biggest hopscotch in the whole wide world." 

 

 Apparently he thought this was the face he should make here.

 

Andrew and I did some science experiments with baking soda and vinegar.  We talked about bases and acids, etc but at the end he was telling me that it was "historically watered."  I'm not really sure what that would mean.

 

Emily has been sleeping in a box on her bed lately.  I don't know why, but she is so cute.

 

Charlie wakes up usually with a smile from his naps, but if I don't get him out right away, he makes this face.  "You are taking way too long."

 

Emily, Charlie, and I were singing and dancing in the living room.  Andrew didn't want us to, but said, "It's okay though.  I know what to do."  And came in with toilet paper shoved in his ears.

 

Emily called it his 'bumblebee ears' which was just as cute as him making his own earplugs.

 

 

Charlie was posing for this picture.  He wasn't laughing.  He just apparently thought this was the best face for our picture together.

 

Lounging.

 

Cheeseball.

 

My little worker elves.  If they were better at cleaning the house, I'd be out of a job.  (Wouldn't THAT be nice?)

I love our crazy little kiddos.