If You Chance to Meet a Frown...

Aunt Becky is expecting a baby girl very soon. We are SOOOO excited for her! My sister Wendy bought me a baby girl bedding set before Adam was born. I tucked it away thinking it may get used... four boys later I decided to pull it out of hiding and at least let someone that knows they can get some use out of it have it. So Michael got a glamour shot on a girl blankie and we boxed it up for Aunt Bepee.

Mommy, READ!!

You gotta love the spike at the top of this child's head.

Grandma Jenson gave the boys the "Big Yellow Songbook" several years ago. It is a two year old magnet. Andrew grabs it crawls on my lap and yells at the top of his lungs, "READ!" In other words - sing me these songs! When Mom doesn't he makes a nest and reads them to his bear friends.

Michael's Blessing Day

Michael's Blessing was a beautiful day. He was blessed by his Dad on December 26, 2010. Michael is a blessed spirit and addition to our family. I think my favorite part of his blessing was the promise that he would be a peacemaker in our home. In his few short months of life I have seen this promise begin to unfold. He evokes tender feelings of love from each of his big brothers. I love to watch the older boys be the big brothers. They are so tender and so sweet. It makes me want to never stop having children. I wish that all of them could feel the joy that comes from being the big brother. Unfortunately... there is a little thing called reality that exists in our home and all good things will some day come to an end. So for now we are enjoying our little dumplings especially on days like today when Adam comes to by bedroom and says, "Mom, Andrew is white." Huh? Ya, have you seen how far an entire bottle of baby powder can spread? Ask Andrew. He has a gift for "dusting" his bedroom. I should introduce him to Amelia Bedelia. The whole house was baby powder fresh!

Birds

I went to get my camera this morning when we were eating breakfast because the weather has turned a touch warmer and a few of our bird friends are returning. There was a brilliant cardinal that perched on our deck and I wanted to get a picture of it. By the time I got my act together it was gone so we settled for finches and a couple nuthatches.

I love the nuthatches. They live their lives upside down. I don't think I have ever seen one perched on the side of a tree up-right. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to watch these silly little birds.

Adam built a bird house last year and we finally got it hung up. Jonathan and the boys spent Saturday afternoon at the conservation center building a new bluebird house. When they hung up the bluebird house out by the garden they hung Adam's birdhouse in the pear tree that sits outside of our bedroom window. This picture is for you Adam... who has waited a year for his birdhouse to be hung. Now... we just need birds.

A Gray Day In Io-Way

I decided to turn off my flash and take a few pictures of Michael during his nap. It is a typical gray day in Iowa in February.

I love to watch the grip on the binki slowly become less and less until it tumbles to the side of his cheek in his bed.

As for Andrew, he has been sick with another fever the past two nights. He woke up this morning got some love from mom and went right back to bed. He is a lover of his bed when he is sick.

The engineer spent the morning on the carpet in the living room. I came in to find his cars lined up in this fashion. I spent some time looking at them and he pointed out that these cars were being worked on in the car shop.

A closer look revealed a head attached to the piece in the center. The little people were carefully tucked under their cars working on them. I just had to smile. Matthew's imagination is a continual delight to me.

Pink Toilet Water

I wanted to give Jonathan an extra special Valentine this year. I got up at 4:30am to feed Michael and stayed up to fix breakfast and decorate the kitchen for Valentine's Day. In my preparations I wanted to be sure to be the first to wish Jonathan a happy Valentine. I cut out a huge heart and wrote happy Valentine's Day on it and taped it to the inside of the toilet seat. A few drops of hot pink food coloring in the toilet water and a swish with a bamboo skewer from the kitchen I had one happy hello-good morning-gotta know you're loved valentine. I was rather giddy waiting for him to find his Valentine, however, I neglected to consider one major factor. I married a health care professional. You know... the individuals that get trapped in the O.R. for hours on end and develop bladders of steel. The ones that go to bed at night and stop and ask themselves if they have been to the bathroom all day. Yes, one of those kind of health care professionals. Up with the alarm, into the shower, out for a delicious breakfast and never once lifts the toilet seat. What a futile attempt. The boys however, got a kick out of it.

I hear Adam get out of bed and head to the bathroom. He lifts the toilet seat and I hear nothing. A few moments later I hear him back in his bedroom, "Matthew, wake up. You have got to come and see this!" I hear both of them in the bathroom discussing the peculiar nature of the toilet water. Adam comes out the kitchen and says, "Mom, I REALLY need to go to the bathroom, but um, the water, it's a... pink." I couldn't help but laugh. I told him he could go to the bathroom. Matthew didn't want to miss out on the fun so simultaneously they went the the bathroom. Adam comes back and declares that he doesn't want to flush because it is so awesome. I told him this is one Valentine he doesn't get to keep and to FLUSH.

We had our usual raspberry french toast for breakfast and this year it was accompanied with gargantuan rice krispy treats. Yummers and loves to all.

Matthew's 5th Birthday

Life is like a hurricane here in Duckberg

Race cars, lazers, aeroplanes, it's a duck's world

Might solve the mystery and re-write history

Duck Tales Woo-oo!

Duck Tales Woo-oo!

Unfortunately you can't see how high above the ground he is here... but it hurt when he landed.

a-Mum

A-uu

Even the 2 year old has it memorized by now. Mr. aMazing Matthew turned 5 this year and boy was it aMazing. Matthew got the much loved "Duck Tales" DVD's and we have watched all 9 hours of episodes since it was opened. Who doesn't love Uncle Scrooge? We just can't get enough of the series. To celebrate the exciting day we again took a trip to Jumping Jim's Jungle. We went on Friday after Adam got home from school. The boys loved it. They loved it so well that I was unable to take pictures of them loving it because they were all moving TOOO darn fast.

Matthew's birthday actually fell on a Sunday this year which was a little painful for the guy. Friday was Jumping Jim's, Saturday was mom making homemade marshmallow fondant for the first time with the scout troop at home trying to create a castle fondant cake with all 10 hands helping while Dad did a merit badge conclave all day the church with his own troop, and AT LAST Sunday was eat and presents. Few! Glad we survived Saturday to see Sunday.

Matthew is an engineer in every literal sense. The child's mind NEVER rests. He would sleep with a screwdriver if I would let him. He wants to build, create, take apart, and conquer EVERYTHING. I love it. I love how impossible it is for him to tell a lie, or even a partial fib... like when I ask if he dried his hands after he washed them. His face crumples up and with all his strength he tries to keep it straight, but his eye crinkles and the fib tries to come out but his face rats on him before he can even say it. I love that about that kid. I love that he can't hold still... NO MATTER WHAT! There does not exist a still bone in his body. Even when we sit on him he can't be still. It is no wonder the child is as skinny as a rail. He can climb ANYTHING! He is always the brother that is sent to shimmy up the side of the fridge to sneak treats or climb the tree to tie the rope. Like all of us are guilty of doing, he loves to brace his hands and feet on the wall in the hall and climb up so his head hits the ceiling. He doesn't use the stairs of his bunk bed. He climbs on the desk next to the bed then climbs over the side. Likewise on his way down he just jumps and lets it all fly. We all know when Matthew wakes up because he greets us with a thud every morning. He is so skinny but so STRONG. If he gets hold of your arm it takes a crowbar to get the little wiry monkey off. He is in every sense aMazing Matthew. I just love him to death. He loves baby Michael and calls him a little cutie pie. He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to play Dad's iPad. He just recently defeated the evil Dr. Porkchop for the first time on a Toy Story 3 game and has now officially entered the ranks of manhood.

Oh how we love our Ma-Mow.

Duck Tales - Woo-oo

The birthday blow

Ummm... it decided to rest on the Sabbath as well and got a little slumpy through the night