Weekend through last night…meaning I don't have a catchy title.

Caught this picture after lunch on Saturday.

He was giving me the hint that he was ready, oh so ready, to go to bed.

He had wiped his own cheesy Doritos face with a wash cloth and conveniently used the dirty towel for a pillow.  He's a smart one.

Andrew went to his first stake dance on Saturday night in Kimberly.

This is the only picture I caught of him getting ready.

Look closely at the band aid wrapper in his hand…its foreshadowing what happened later.

With Andrew gone and Steve and I knowing we had to stay up to go get him and his cousin Holly from the dance, Steve set up a movie for the kids to watch on the neighbors fence. Movie night!

(Alright alright, I'll fess up.  I DID NOT stay up to pick up Andrew at 11pm.  I went to bed before the kids were done with this movie!  I was fast in dream land when Steve got all the kids in bed and then left to pick up Andrew and Holly.  Steve is great and I am lazy.  What else is new!)

Holly stayed with us through Sunday and enjoyed our alternative transportation to church.

Can I express how much I love where we live??

The action shot with the tie is killing me!

Now back to the band aid in the previous picture…

Andrew has had a nasty toenail for almost two weeks.  We have tried taking care of it at home to no avail.

Monday morning I took his to Quick Care at St. Luke's by our home.

Grady was happy to copy Andrew in anyway he could.

The toe.

I told you nasty.

Post numbing.

It hurt a lot.  

It hurt me to watch Andrew in so much pain.

Not fun.

Ok, Grady had fun.

He played Patty Cake and Spider the whole time!

Procedure was done.

The PA removed his ENTIRE toenail.  Andrew is under strict instructions to keep his foot dry and clean in hopes it will heal enough for him to start swim team next Monday night.

The rest of his day was pretty cushy.

Ice, TV, pain meds and snacks.

Real tough I know.

 

Colby kept it from getting too boring around the house with our loudest member down in bed.

For FHE last night, we joined a few families at the Bulkley's home for a BBQ.

The night got lively when Jeff noticed Colby's total snaggle tooth in the front and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Steve joined in…but that snaggle would NOT come out.

Colby was pretty upset in the end.

Luckily he forgave both Jeff and Steve and was his normal cheery self by the end of the night.

We didn't come home until almost 10 pm and the kids were able to bike and long board home in the dark.  It was a beautiful night and the kids were in heaven.

…and they all slept until almost 9 this morning.

I was in heaven.

Will I survive motherhood? I really hope so.

We, as in everyone but Andrew and Steve, spent the day at my moms house yesterday.  JaNae and three of her kids were in town and it takes some pretty high water to keep us away when they are here.

Actually, I shouldn't joke about water.  Earlier this week we had what is being called the 100 year storm.  Idaho's usual annual rainfall is about 13 inches.  We got 4+ in less than 48 hours.  Streets flooded, houses flooded, and it was general wet chaos for a few days.  Our home was spared any water, but our office was not.  Thankfully we lived to tell about it.  Idaho does have it's natural "disasters" and I can't become complacent in my emergency preparedness.  There were a few times during the rain where I had flashbacks from living in Richmond.  The healthy fear I have of storms is not tucked away very deep.  It rose to the surface and gave me the urge to start packing to leave.  Seeing water rise and fill the streets with the forecast of more rain is not my favorite.

Ok, now back to fun stuff after the water receded and made my lawn look awesome again...

 We were sitting on my mom's back porch yesterday enjoying the post storm cool weather and I caught this shot on my phone.  The thought crossed my mind how lucky I am to have my parents so close and how lucky my kids are to have a safe place like this to be.

I have it pretty good.

The thought also crossed my mind that it might be time for the binky to go….maybe…

The storm blew off a lot of my dad's peaches.

My mom gave the boys permission to pick up the now useless peaches and huck them over the fence.

What kid doesn't like hucking stuff into a canyon???

Ok…another side note.

Colby had to huck something of himself over the fence yesterday too.  It was not my favorite parenting moment and I was floored that I had to have this conversation with Colby yet again.  In his defense, he was only three when we had the discussion of public decency before.  Maybe he didn't remember???  Why oh why oh why do little boys think it is ok to relieve themselves in anyway in nature?  Why do  little boys think it is too hard to walk 50 yards to an actual flushing toilet?  Why do little boys have the moxy to drop their drawers and squat over a rock?  

After the entire mortifying experience with cousins, aunts and uncles present I'm mostly grateful- after stewing on the experience for over 12 hours- that the leaves used to wipe his little rump were NOT poison oak or ivy; both of which grow near my parents home.  He could have sore and itchy in some pretty tender areas.  

Best quote of the ordeal?  "Mom, at least you know I can survive in nature!"

Yes, Colby you can survive in nature, but  you'll be lucky to survive living in our home to adulthood.  Nature is going to be the least of your worries.

In addition to losing his dignity…Colby also lost another tooth yesterday.  

This was only number 5.

(I love this kid, really I do.  I just hope I can take what he has in store for me.  He's got more life in his little finger than most kids have in their entire bodies.  He's my wild card for sure.)

Other moments from this week...

When the rain did stop this week, we tried to play outside.

Grady has learned to take advantage all he can.

One of my best friends left for Alaska this week.  Her family will be gone until next summer.  They will be missed!  My other friend Megan and I drove Susan and her two girls to Boise to catch their flight.  They made it safe and the countdown to when they come home is now on!

Just to prove that not all my life is filled with sweetness and gooey happy moments, (even though yesterday that fact slapped me in the face) these two are struggling getting along and desperate times are calling for desperate disciplinary measures.

They stood like this for an hour earlier this week…an hour.

I mean business when I say no fighting and hopefully they now understand that.

Forgot a few things...

I often miss pictures on my phone or forget I loaded them on my computer.  When I notice such an error, I try to post about them, even if I'm totally behind.   Better late than never.

My family is obsessed with long boards at the moment.

Steve bought four…yes four.

I could have thought of a much better use for the money, but Steve is more fun than me.

Grady even got in on the action as Steve gave him a sitting down ride around the neighborhood.  Steve looked like a gorilla pushing his way around with his gloved hands.  Grady was all smiles.

I know with moving objects, its not if they get hurt its when.

Andrew has received the most self inflicted scrapes and bruises of them all.  I witnessed one epic fall/roll across the asphalt as he was going after a small killer dog threatening his little sister.  The fall was cool looking…until I saw Andrews hands, knees, legs and elbows.  Skin and pavement do not mix well.  We've stalked up on band aids and neosporin.

Besides rescuing his little sister from certain death (growling) Andrew also shows much love for his baby brother.

These two are the cutest thing together I have ever seen.  Their adoration for one another runs pretty darn deep.

How the rolling pin became a massage tool is beyond me, but it worked for these two.

Grady laid there and smiled the entire time.

Hilarious…just hilarious.

Two weekends ago Steve traveled to Alturas lake with the three middle kids for the Dixon family reunion.  Luckily my sister in law, Eden, sent me a few pictures of the trip. 

Steve's phone was cracked by a freak Grady dropping and no longer takes pictures.

Thanks Eden!

Jacob and Saylor were good buddies the entire trip!

We went to Nat Soo Pa for FHE last Monday.  Our good friends, the Young family, are moving to Alaska for a year and we had one last celebration with them before they left.

Saylor has a death grip for the side of the pool (or either of her parents' necks) in the water.

I suppose we will continue those swim lessons…for a while.

Grady decided the water wasn't all bad.

Andrew reluctantly let me take a pictures.

I couldn't get Carter or Colby to hold still- so no pictures of them.

Yes this a picture of a picture.

But I just had to have it.

This shows how fun my neighborhood is.  There are friends abound and we love them!

We feel so blessed to live here with such good friends and neighbors.

House Showing

Our house had a showing today…only number three in two and a half months.  I don't expect much from this showing, but I am exhausted.  To get our entire house clean ALL AT ONCE is a huge process.  It took me all morning (and some of last night).  It is a necessary evil to sell a home.

Tonight as I sit in my house, I can't believe how thrashed it feels.  We were home for just a few hours (And we slept part of them.  The nap was amazing.) and the train wreck is apparent yet again.  Juice has been spilled on my newly mopped floor, cookie crumbs are under the counter and table, every blanket has been pulled out for fort making, and the dirty laundry has piled up mysteriously again.

I'm not sure if I'm up to this house selling junk.  It's not fun.  If we do sell this house and build…I am not going through the process ever again.  At least not until my children are grown and no longer pull out closets of clutter in a matter of seconds.

Andrew's 14th birthday continued

Andrew's birthday celebration started on Thursday night as Steve was leaving on his birthday for a dental meeting in Tahoe. (If I didn't know how boring dental meetings were I would think Steve was having too much fun.)

Andrew requested chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  I spaced it and made vanilla instead…sorry Andrew and thanks for still loving me.

Thanks also for posing for your birthday picture on the front porch where there was more light and with a photo bombing Tinkerbell.

Even thought I didn't get pictures of the crowd, we had Grandma and Grandpa Dixon, Spencer and Eden, and Grandma Walker over to help celebrate.

On his actual date of birth Andrew celebrated early with left over cupcakes for breakfast!

He then got to open (unwrapped) packages of clothing from a few of his favorite stores.

Teenage boys' birthdays involve clothes…including new underwear.  How practical.

 Carter must be getting close to his teenage years because he had a slightly envious face with every article of clothing Andrew opened.  I had to laugh!

With Steve gone and me with all the kids, I did what any normal girl would do for a birthday…I picked up my mom and took everybody to lunch!

Grady had fun gleaning off Andrew's ice cream and fries.

I promise my eyes are not crossed like this in real life!

The three middle ones.

Dairy Queen is a classy place let me tell you!

The best part of Andrew's birthday is when I tricked Andrew into bringing in the garbage cans as a set up to be covered in silly string by the Walker cousins!

Silly string, a crazy hat and cup cakes.

Doesn't get much better than this!

We love and appreciate AJ, Annie, Holly and Meg!

Happy Happy Birthday Andrew!  We love you!

 Other things from this weekend???

Colby pretended it was his birthday and talked me into lighting a candle for him.

Saylor became an interior decorator.

Carter said goodbye to one of  his best buds.

The Youngs are moving to Alaska for a year…but luckily they will be home next summer!

Carter will miss his long boarding buddy!

This is what I get when I feed my kids nasty things like fajitas.

(Because fajitas are so gross and foreign.  My kids are weird.)

Saylor wore this dress and wings all day on Thursday.

She cracked me up.

I love her girliness and this stage of all things dress up.  It's fantastic!

14

And just like that this little guy of mine turned...

14!

(he's not so little anymore)

He didn't even ask if I approved or not.

And let me tell you…I don't approve.

I do approve of using fingers and toes to show your age.  But when he turns 21 he'll be in big trouble.

Happy 14th Birthday Andrew!

 We love you so!