Odds are 1/1,000,000

Jason texts while driving, rides motorcycles without a helmet, has no fear of flying, lives for speed and big air on the snowboard, went skydiving and eats his steaks rare.  Yet he has this extreme irrational fear of death by lightning. It's kinda endearing and cute to see him vulnerable.  Except when it cramps my style because I get the guilt trip for letting the kids play in the rainstorm. With umbrellas that double as lightning rods. But come on, just look how much fun they're having....besides, he's more likely to trip and poke his eye out with the broken wires jutting out of the umbrella.  Oh shoot, I really am a bad mom.

(and you thought I was kidding when I said he puts this outfit on every day)

Party like it's 1999

Nothing like a night at the roller rink for a throw back to the 90's.  I don't know what part of Cosmic Skate Night did not get Jason excited, but I was giddy as a middle school girl to glide under the disco ball. It brought back so many memories from middle school (oh crap, was it highschool?? I hope not, because that's just emberassing), I was waiting for the DJ to start spinning some Ace of Base and I half expected to see Billy, the skating rink stud, swish by with his long blonde hair blowing in the stale air...it was nostalgic.  Of course it was all about the kids tonight though, not me (okay, maybe just a little bit.  And I'm not dropping any hints, but ladies night is coming up).  Jason did have his doubts, but it turned out to be such a fun family night.  Kylie and Jayden picked it up pretty quick, and by the end they were bruised and sweaty but begging to go again. Maddox was done after one trip around.  He decided it was more fun trying to see if any of the arcades would take the nickle that he stole out of Jayden's piggy bank.  And since we're pretty much the raddest parents ever, we let the kids eat dessert first and took them out for fro-yo before grabbing a pizza to take home.  Yeah, we totally rocked the whole parent thing tonight.

Chillaxin'

Let's be serious. Have you ever seen anything cuter than 4 inch flip flops?? Okay, maybe the laughing babies on Youtube, but really, the heels on some of my shoes are bigger than those! And just when you think it can't get any cuter...

wait for it...

wait for it...

bam, I hit you with the baby fedora.

I know, can you even stand it? I can't. I mean, he looks like a 2 foot Chinese (and much cuter) version of Owen Wilson.  Minus the hair and nose.  Okay, so maybe he looks nothing like O-dub, except that I once saw a picture of him in my People magazine wearing flip flops and a fedora on the beach.

He puts this outfit on every morning. He can hear the i-cream truck a mile away. He makes dead men out of playdough. He calls lamps "lanterns" and the tv "twee-bee". He thinks scissors can open anything (doors, umbrellas, cartons of ice cream). He thinks anywhere away from home is called "New York". He only wears the Diego football undies if it's the one where he's wearing a helmet, the other ones aren't safe. He makes me put a band-aid on his ankle every night before bed. He thinks I smell like a wolf.  He's one of a kind.  He's all mine.

First day

The summer buzz has grown out, the flip flops have flipped their last flop, we're down to the last 5 otter pops, new freckles are scattered across their noses and the novelty of swimming every day has worn off.

It's time.

This year I am definately ready because besides multiplying and replenishing the earth (and a visit from my family), this summer has been lame-O. There are some things that I will miss, and here's the break down of the pros and cons of school starting...

The house is so quiet without the screaming, chasing and teasing that comes as a package deal with boys, but now nobody is here to entertain Maddox; the house stays cleaner, but now nobody is around to delegate the baseboards, dishwasher and all my dirty work to; Ryder naps better without the mass chaos, but now Kylie's not here to help feed him and change his diapers (diaper score: Kylie seven, Jason one); everyone is in bed by 8:00, but no more relaxed schedule; they finally have something besides the wii and Phineas and Ferb to stimulate their brains, but now we have to deal with the homework drama; I love getting back on a schedule, but now I become a freakazoid if they don't follow my schedule... So I guess I'll take the good with the bad and roll with it. It's just nice to finally have a chance to catch my breath, four kids all summer long has been quite a doozy.

But I will miss those cute little faces and the times when they decided they were actually friends. (Jayden was so emberassed that I would take his picture, he made me wait until nobody was looking).
 

Maddox packed his little back pack with his snuggles and 3 packages of mini oreos in hopes that he could go to school too. He was crushed.

Jason re-booked his flight so that he could be there to take the kids on their first day. Love that man.

Ryder and his chubby cheeks joined the festivities. (as a sidenote- he slept NINE hours straight last night. Of course it had to be the same night Maddox was up at 1am with a leg ache, and up for the day at 5:45, and Jason was out of town so I was on Maddox duty.)

Jayden, first grade with Mrs. Hsu

Kylie, 4th grade with Mrs. Marxman.

It's going to be a good year (if Maddox can survive.  He cried when he found out they were going to be gone all day every day and as I'm typing this he keeps telling me he is sad and misses them and wants to hug them, awwww).

Six weeks.

"The days are long, but the years are short." 

Stuff that made me happy this week

Watching these boys play legos instead of running through the house chasing each other and screaming. Jayden sitting in his towel (and sometimes stark naked) for 2 hours while he played legos. 

This boy skinny dipping while I cleared out the patio furniture so the monsoons wouldn't blow them in the pool like it did during the last national headline making dust storm.

These two best friends playing Barbies all afternoon.

This girl becoming such a huge help while we canned pasta sauce for 6 hours. And she liked it. And she can't wait to do peaches next.

This boy wearing his "acorn" to smash tomatoes.

Surviving another canning day. Don't know what I was thinking.

and among other things...

Girl's day out with Kylie to see "Monte Carlo", shop and go to lunch.
Jayden being grateful that no one in our family was born with their heads stuck together.
Harkin's popcorn t-shirt and cups at the summer movies.
2 pairs of cute wedge's on clearance.
Chocolate milkshakes at In-n-out.
Kylie and Jayden renewing their love for Webkinz and finding something in common to play together.
Losing 2 pounds.
Jason waking up early every morning with Maddox so I can sleep in.
Family movie night with homemade pizza and caramel popcorn.
Maddox thinking Jesus' picture is on the quarter and his dad's is on the penny.
Finding a whole stash of Chuck E Cheese tokens.
Jason. For just being Jason.
Cashing in the summer reading program freebies at Bounce U and Chipotle.
Great sales at Old Navy and finishing all the school shopping.
Ryder sleeping for 7 hours.

Happy.

One month

"The trick is to enjoy life.  Don't waste away your days waiting for better ones ahead."
-Marjorie Pay Hinckley
(thanks, Diana for sharing this quote!)


I looked at him today and for the first time realized that he is looking less infantish and more babyish.  Of course that makes me sad, but I'm also looking at the upside.  I'm anxious for him to grow up and start developing his own little personality, I'm looking forward to the day when I no longer have to buy formula, I'm dying to get rid of all the baby toys cluttering the house, I'm anticipating the day I never have to change a diaper again and am longing for the time to come when we can go on vacations without lugging the whole a freaking nursery along with us.  I guess that's my sign that this is the last and I'm glad I can be excited about the next phase of life, but I also need to remember to enjoy each day, as hard as they may be at times. It's not that Ryder is a bad baby, he's rather average when it comes to fussiness and sleep, and he is cute as all get out. It's just the mass quantity of children that I'm dealing with. Like every other mom, I am overworked, understaffed, overwhelmed and underpaid. Sometimes I hide out in the nursery rocking Ryder and pretending to ignore the world crashing down below me.  I sit there trying to remember what life was like with only one baby and wonder why in the world I ever thought it was hard.  Then I cry.  But then I find Maddox standing there naked using his underwear to wash the windows, or Jayden sweeping the floor for me just to be nice (and the hope of getting paid for it) or Kylie teaching Maddox how to "Dougie" and I realize I'm pretty darn lucky.  Besides, I've found fresh sheets and a bowl of ice-cream can fix pretty much any problem.  Ryder has managed to survive his first month with 3 crazy siblings and an equally crazy mom.  He is as sweet as they come, weighing 10 lbs 14 oz (75%), 22.5 in long (75%) and his head is 15 in (50%).  He eats like a champ, is getting stronger everyday and has everyone wrapped around his little finger.  I would love nothing more than to just sit and hold him all day while he sleeps on my chest, if only life would allow that.

4th of July weekend

Once upon a time I had it all together.  Once upon a time I had a clean house, homemade meals every night, chore charts and schedules, and a whole calendar of crafts and events to keep my kids entertained.  Those days are long gone and I keep wondering when my life will get back to normal. I am just now realizing this is my new normal.  Cleaning toilets with a baby strapped to my chest; getting a medical exam by a 2 year old with a Fisher Price doctor's kit while putting on make-up and holding a crying baby; the second I try to sit down someone is bound to call my name; having the saleslady tell me that watching me makes her scared to have kids; trying to decide what is more important, sleep or enjoying a quiet house for the first time all day...ya know, the usual stuff.  I have my moments where I'm on the brink of insanity but I also have my moments where I wouldn't trade it for the world.  It's been good for me to take a break from life and be a hermit for the past month, but the time has come to venture out into the real world and it was nice. We definately made up for lost time in the sun with a busy weekend.  First off, a trip to the lake with friends for Ryder's first boat trip. He loved it.  It was also a monumental trip since Kylie learned how to wakeboard.  She did awesome, looked adorable and made Jason really proud.

Up next, a fun little staycation with friends. I'm so bummed that we aren't taking any vacations this summer, I always look forward to celebrating the 4th of July in Utah.  We decided to book the Hilton Squaw Peak resort and it was the perfect getaway.  Two other families came too and the kids had a blast spending all day at the pool with their friends while I spent most of the time in the hotel room watching Teen Mom with Ryder. I'm just glad the kids got a chance to get out, I feel like they are totally getting the shaft this summer.  A certain someone just happened to be there at the same time.  Kylie's little crush (the boy that gave her the valentines gift).  It was so funny to watch her, she was so emberassed and so flattered that he followed her and her friends around the whole time.

Jason thought it was creepy to bring a camera to the pool. I disagreed, but as I sat lurking in the shadows with my zoom lens scanning the swimsuit clad crowd, I did feel a little odd.  So I got one shot and one shot alone of the pool scene, so enjoy.

I love this picture.  Not only because it is the cutest picture ever, but because right after I snapped it Ryder totally tried latching on to Jayden.  Let's just say he was totally disgusted. I think Maddox would have been thrilled with the prospect of nursing his brother.  He thinks drinking a glass of milk will make him lactate and he's always asking if he can have a turn letting Ryder "eat" him.

I have yet to meet a kid that can pull off the goggles look.

The kids were so excited for the 18 hole mini golf.  After hole 4 they were drenched in sweat and the dads were bribing the kids to quit.

For the grand finale of the weekend we went to the Hererra's for a barbeque and fireworks.  Arizona's forcast is sunny and hot 355 days a year, too bad the 4th of July had to be one of those not so sunny days.  It was so windy as the sun went down and the monsoons rolled in.  The kids still had fun with the fireworks, we just had a few close calls as the kids ran away screaming when the wind started blowing the fireworks in their direction.   

 

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who can't calm Ryder down.  He has been so fussy recently and when I'm failing the kids will come up and "show me how to do it" and most of the time they succeed.  This time Melissa had the magic touch and got him to sleep even with the fireworks going off.  What a great friend (especially since she covered up his teeny tiny ears with her thumbs), and just maybe one day he'll like me.  Happy first 4th of July, Ryder and happy birthday to the greatest country on earth!

The pout

He has got the pout perfected. Arms crossed, eyes squinted and those perfectly plumped lips sticking a mile out. This is what I see everytime he doesn't get his way, and you would think by now he would realize it doesn't produce the desired effect since I can't help but laugh everytime I see it.  Oh the life of a two year old....he has his favorite plaid shorts that he wants to wear every day.  If I don't put them on him he'll dig them out of the dirty clothes and put them on when he should be taking his nap.  He loves those darn "square shorts" because his "best friend daddy got them at the pants store". He is obessesed with locking doors.  He can't go to bed unless his bedroom door is locked (this does not make his roomie Jayden very happy) and the second anyone goes outside he immediately locks it.  He says it's to keep the flies out but I know he just likes to ruffle people's feathers.  If he's in time out he yells for Kylie and Gigi to "get me outta here!!" If he's going to the bathroom he orders me to leave "incase it gets too stinky in here".  His favorite songs are "Firework" and "Single ladies".  His best friend is Ava Hererra.  He is too cute for his own good.