got my haircut Friday.....

again...and dyed red....last time she put in a good base color and then bright red highlights...that were somewhat subtle....Friday, when she asked me what I wanted I went ahead and picked the bright red as the base....boy...people have been taking a second look at me...especially at church...it was funny...I couldn't wait to see what our Sunday school class kid who told me last time that "I looked like the devil" would say....but he didn't say anything...maybe next week....

reverse psychology

I found that reverse psychology works very well with the little guys....it may not be the best way...(I am open) but whenever I say something like "Don't eat that food" they laugh and eat it or "Don't put your shoes on"...they laugh and put them on..."Don't throw that away"...then they throw it away...

BUT one day I realized that it isn't always the best thing to do....We were at someones house that we didn't know too well...and the twins decided to go upstairs....I thought oh no, that's rude... I told them "don't go up there" and then they laughed and ran up...I was trying to figure out how to reverse psych that...but it started to make my head hurt...I got mixed up on my RP...I guess I should have said..."Don't come down here and sit with me"....they probably would have thought "okay"......So unless you are really smart and quick...I don't recommend it...

slumber party

The triplets (Carson looks a lot like the twins, sometimes we call them the triplets)decided to have a slumber party....They were so cute putting it together...They watched movies on the Carson's mini dvd player...he took good care of them...

I always tell people who wonder how we do it all with 6 kids...The older kids help out so much with the little ones...they are wonderful and fun...

One day we all went to a small toy store..As we walked out I noticed Luke had a toy that we didn't buy....The other kids noticed too and went into action...They all explained to him that you have to buy things and can't just take them...(how it hurts the store when people steal, they talked about the police, jail) Jake took the toy back into the store and explained it to the owner....I didn't even really have to say anything...it was really quite funny....

People don't believe me when I say that having 6 is easier than having 2....

As I yell......

"Are you kidding me?" The guilty ones run away.......

Our dinner......The pug is bummed the meat didn't fall on the floor...

The plants are long gone....

If you are tired of the dead plants...put pretty rocks in the pots....

Hmmm....

I wonder where I should take Janet on our 20th wedding anniversary?

pug in the big blue chair

twins-things they have done when I wasn't looking..

While I was in the shower, they(Seth) climbed on the counter by the sink and took the hand sprayer, turned on the water and sprayed the entire kitchen for about 15 minutes until I came out...Joe had to come home from work to help me pick all the water up...Took all afternoon.... (It was an opportunity to get under the fridge cleaned)

twins-things they have done when I wasn't looking...

they took a bathrobe belt (mine is really long) and tied it to the door handle and the tread mill, when I walked inthey were testing it ...I believe they were making a zip line to travel hand over hand....

twins-things they have done when I wasn't looking...

Took the other crib mattress and ripped a hole in it, then poured water in it...

twins-things they have done when I wasn't looking....

Took one of their crib mattresses up the stairs and then went down the stairs on it...Of course I told them not too....but they didn't listen....they did it again a 2nd time....I told them not too...I caught them on the 3rd try carrying the mattress down the hall..I'll never forget them talking casually to each other about it..

twins-things they have done when I wasn't looking....

climbed up on the dining room table and took out all the light bulbs from the chandelier and threw them on the floor....

some of my joys....

Hearing the kids talk about different cars and arguing about how much a Porsche costs....
Watching Carson read a book....
Riding shotgun in 78 VW bus with husband Joe....
Walking to the grocery store all together.......
Needing something for a craft and finding exactly what I need in the craft boxes....
Laminating...
Eating popcorn balls...
Hearing husband Joe sing in church...
Rolling down the car window to clean fresh air after Jakey farts..
Joe 3 finding something I had been looking for...
Elizabeth's art projects (dragon game, sculptures, drawings)
Luke and Seth sleeping through the night...
Me sleeping through the night....
Jake's always neat and clean room....(doesn't get it from me)
Crisp clean Oregon air....
Pug

more...."Puss and Boots"

sorry.....

Forget Disney!

This is so crazy and mesmerizing...the kids love it...from "Puss and Boots".......

Yes......he sang "I'll never cheata on you"......

If you want more.... check out:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202536/

I realized this weekend that....

I can get any information from my teenage son's friend...This is really cool....He is an open book! If I ask who is Kelsey?....I get all I need to know....

pug chin

sleeping in the sun today

read this..........

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, buy seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with his might that his arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran

I have a secret....

I am ISFP
(Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving)
"Gentle Free Spirits"

I read somewhere (I think it was the book Do What You Are) that a great career for my personality type was a Forest Ranger.....cool

More personality....

The book is based on Carl Jung's Personality Type System and more research by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers....You can google "Briggs and Myers" and get a lot more info...The book is great because it applies it to children....

"Personality Type is a system for understanding the very different operating styles people have"...Nurture by Nature

Be gentle with the feeling/perceiving ones! They are sweet!

This is my favorite book....

Nurture by Nature...Understand Your Child's Personality Type-and become a Better Parent

I found this book about 10 years ago when I was 30...It has been a great book to have! It has helped me understand my kids better and also myself...

We are not all meant to be alike and what works for one kid doesn't for another....

Also...it is really fun to see what other people are...Me and my Mother-in-law are complete opposites...I guess that doesn't help in getting along....

All very interesting!

I

Joe

Yeah...Dubai!!

stay tuned....

Our Pug knows lots of tricks.......I am looking for his piano...(it is small) for him to play....We will video it....

I started doing the dishes and.....

lifted the cheese grater.....and underneath.......

I found this staring at me.....scared me.....who did this?

Last night at work .....

I met a really great person from Beijing, China....

Why not.........

celebrate your 1/2 birthday! You've been good.... haven't you? When is yours? One of my favorite quotes is by Frosty the Snowman...."Let's make a party out of it".....

Our twins turn 4 1/2 this week....

I really don't count the 1/2 year birthdays.....but with twin boys every little milestone counts...(we may need a cake!) As they get older I don't have to worry so much about them running off....and as I get older I don't have to run after them.....which is a relief....They also understand English now and know what I am saying to them...

Today, they go to preschool....They are excited because it is at Jake's high school....I hope Luke doesn't say anything bad....

My husband just bought a toaster this weekend.....

I can't believe it........I don't think we have ever had a toaster....We did have a toaster oven at one time........but not the pop up kind....Which is really wierd....We also just recently got an electric can opener....My oldest had no idea how to work it....that was really funny....We had a really nice hand operated one that took the whole lid off...but it had broke...so I splurged

I haven't seen the kids use the toaster yet....it will be a good laugh

Star Wars Fortunes

Today, we went to Chinese food...after lunch.... Seth got mad that his fortune didn't include Boba Fett so we re-wrote his...

Now is the time to try something new.....with Boba Fett

Then we all wanted to add Boba Fett to each of ours....

You will find your solution where you least expect it....
with Boba Fett
A bold and dashing adventure is in your future within a year.....
with Boba Fett
A four-wheeled adventure will soon bring you happiness....
with Boba Fett
Your friend (Boba Fett) is needing your advice and encouragement
You'll accomplish more later if you have a little fun this weekend...
with Boba Fett

morning music

Elizabeth plays the piano every morning....today she played Song of India....from the opera Sadko

pug today

front



back

Seth today

front

back

cleaning........

It's not like I did any today....I was just talking about it....and Seth had a great idea...he said..."Mom, why don't you clean my room and I'll clean your room".....

An hour later I said to him..."Hey....aren't you going to clean my room"...and he said .."Hey, after you clean my room".....I guess we are back to square one again...

peek-a-pug

Luke told me....

that he lost one of his hotwheel cars....and I told him not to worry...that it will probably "pop up"......and he said to me.."Mom it will not pop-up...it is not a balloon"......

PUG

maybe I should just put some real shorts on him....

the best peanut butter cookie...(no flour)

from one of the best recipe books "The Gourmet Cookbook" Ruth Reichl

page 674

1 Cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 Cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter two large baking sheets. Beat together peanut butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and baking soda until well combined.

Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on buttered baking sheets. Flatten balls with tines of fork, making a crosshatch pattern, to 1 1/2 inch rounds.

Bake cookies in batches until puffed and pale golden, about 10 minutes per batch. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool.THE BEST

When I was little....

my Grandpa Al would take us kids to 7-11 and give us a paper bag and tell us to fill it with candy.... but only from the bottom row…which was the penny and 5 cent candy…I loved that…

My Grandparents

Al & Ruth have:
6 Children
35 Grandchildren
67 Great-Grand Children
5 Great-Great Grand Children

Total Blood descendants = 113
Total Family members = 144 (spouses, step children upon marriage)
New York Cousins= 11

email from recent family reunion

You should never......

tell someone that you are not a kid person…and then be specific about the ages that you don't like..(when that was said to me all my kids were in the "undesirable" age groups)....and guess what??? I didn't say anything to the person..can you believe it...I wish I could turn the clock back and respond....but I was in shock!!! even the second time it was said...

How ridiculous is it to tell someone who has kids that you are not a kid person....That is like telling an older person that you are not an “old people person” or not a “middle aged people person” …..Who would say that?

I have issues.....

My husband has a secret....

He doesn't wear deodorant....at all........okay maybe it isn't that much of a secret....he's allergic....He actually smells really good!

Mustangs are cool!

Slippery floor

Luke is one of the funniest people I know.....

His favorite sayings are "Do you want a piece of me?"..and.."Do you want it the easy way or the hard way?" Another one he wanted to add to his repertoire the other morning was..."I'm going to kick your A$$"(he said it to Seth while they were laughing and playing)......When I heard it....I flinched and thought about how we were going make it through our 1st day of preschool....in an hour....Yikes!!! Was he going to say it again to the teacher? Another kid? A sweet little girl?

I tried to explain to him that "A$$" was a bad word and that we don't say bad words...

We were were lucky he didn't say it in preschool....that day!....whew!

I'm so easily distracted...

Polls

vote...vote...vote...they are really fun!!! I have a new poll for those of you who tend not to vote....

This morning....

I drove by the skateboard park which is right next door to our middle school....It was packed! School started in only 10 minutes.....yikes

and I didn't see 1 helmet on......just knit caps

Ghosts

So....I work in a hotel and there are a lot of things (I call them phenomenons) that happen to me that can easily be turned into a ghost story for the kids...I'm sure I can tell them better than I can write them...so I won't even try...I'll just say what the phenomenon is and not elaborate like I would usually do...here are a couple of them.......

One of the elevators is very sensitive and sometimes re-opens after it has closed while you are waiting to go up or down...(that is the best one)

When walking down the hall...you may experience hot or cold spots.....yikes

Things come up missing from my cart...

I was telling my husband that my eyes were getting worse....(they have been getting blurring since I was 39 and a half)...I told him that while I was at work, one of the side doors opened and the person coming in was totally blurry....I couldn't believe it had gotten that bad.....so blurry I couldn't tell what the person looked like...

My husband said...."maybe it was a ghost".......

Today....

the boys started preschool!! Seth is all ready to go....

WOW....look at my couch!!!

Tonight I came home from work and was surprised to see the couch all clean!!! I have a great husband...

Just a couple hotwheels sitting on it....

but now look at my bed!

Joe's working hard...

GPS Man

I have a really fun job....I meet a lot of people from all over the world....I work at a hotel and take care of all kinds of things there....

One night we got a call that someone needed directions...actually the man requested alternate directions because he said that the road was closed....They handed the phone to me and he told me where he was...He was just down the road and around the corner at a restaurant... I had just recently driven down the road that he said was closed and didn't have any problems but I believed him and realized that since he was so close and the alternate way would take him in another direction for awhile....I decided I would drive over and he could follow me back....

I got there with no problems...no roads closed....I found him and told him that the road looked fine and asked him which road was closed? He said that his GPS system actually told him that it was closed...he hadn't even tried to get to the hotel!!!....

Good thing the GPS didn't tell him to go drive off a bridge......

sleepy old man

life lessons from dogs

Be loyal.
Run, romp and play daily.
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle gently.

Delight in the pleasure of a long walk.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
When it is in your best interest, practice obedience.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
Take naps and stretch before rising. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

Never pretend to be something you are not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.
When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you are scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back and make friends.

~ AUTHOR: Unknown

He's not sure if it is worth it to come down.....yet

I may go up or....
If I go right into the kitchen.....he's coming down
If I go left down the hall....he's coming because we have another way into the kitchen...

Yes, those are our walls...

"Breakfast Bake"

6 slices of bacon or ham chopped
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups shredded cheese
16 oz. tater tots (Flav-R-Taters)potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat together eggs, milk, salt, mustard and black pepper
Grease 9x13 pan. Layer bacon, egg mixture and cheese. Arrange taters evenly on top.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until eggs are set and taters are golden brown
Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
Makes 6-8 servings.

I made this...this morning....one of our favorites...you can delete meat easily...

Holy Crap another T-shirt

My pug checks on me....

when I am at the computer....I'll hear him walk into my room....we'll make eye contact and then he'll leave....knowing that I'll probably be there for a while....
cool....dune dog...

My kids roll their eyes......

when I say....."hey...let me get a picture of that for the blog".....Seth even said to me..."hey take a picture of my grape".....

I have another friend from India....

at work...YAY!...I enjoy everyone from India! We had a great time talking and of course we talked about arranged marriages....

Indian men are very lucky though because Indian women are some of the most beautiful women in the world!

So back to arranged marriage.....I can't imagine who my parents would have picked for me....even worse....I can't even imagine (or I can) who my inlaws would have chosen for my husband...(it would not have been me) I have to laugh...even after 20 years it is funny and very obvious.....

One of my least favorite moments when me and my husband just started dating....was when they had a small dinner party and invited people who had their cute blonde daughter with them or another time when one of my husband's old girlfriends turned up at their house while I was there and they overly acted like she was the "greatest"....right in front of me.....I got the message early on... (I'll probably have to remove this paragraph)

At the hotel tonight....

I met a really sweet couple.....They were in their mid-60's and were celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary....Later in the evening they came into the hotel from being out..... wearing matching green sweatshirts....CUTE

Driving home from work tonight....

I saw my cat walking down the sidewalk....he was walking away from our house the next street over....I thought....."Hey that's Zipper..what is he doing over here".......We made eye contact (he seemed to know the car) and I saw him turn around and follow me home....I parked and waited for him at the sidewalk and we walked up to the house together....

1....2...3....4.....tell me that you love me more...

those are the words.....I didn't catch the next verse....

If we had arranged marriages here.....

I don't think Joe and I would have been allowed to get married.....

What about you? (see new poll)

arranged marriage

I have an Indian friend who's mother told him that his marriage was all ready for the end of September...(This was back in July)......I asked him if he had his new fiance's email...and he said "yes".....I asked him if he emailed her yet and he said "no".....The next time I saw him I asked him again if he emailed her yet...and he said "no"......I told him that he should email her and then asked his friend (who was married and had a 1 year old) "shouldn't he email her"....and he said "yes...definitely"......

I don't know if he did yet.....

Is it rude....

to turn the light out on the cat when he is eating....I just did that and I feel bad

"Seriously.....you need to slow down"....

I said that tonight to my son, who was driving.....that is the more direct way... The indirect way:"I wonder what would happen if you got a ticket with your driver's permit?" I am not sure which way works the best..... how to reach them teenagers.... I also said "Whoa" and "You got lucky that time"...... But we made it home.....

I need to take a valium(how do you get those?) to calm down before we go....Just kidding....

Thanks...Katie

Seth wanted me to take a picture of him again...

Seth is really funny......

Daddy Joe started noticing that Seth would shut the door after he used the bathroom.....He asked me if I knew that Seth was slicking back his hair....I said "no"....This is him last night...he let us take his picture but didn't want to talk about it....

Joe slicks his hair back and on Sundays he tries to slick their hair back.....but they won't let him...

I have a secret.....

I am addicted to caffeine....really bad!!!!!

Caffeine of choice at the moment: yerba mate(they say it is good for you), Excedrin migraine(it can really mess you up)

Did I really take a picture of myself....this morning? The tag says "discover the power within"....note: when you suck on a tea bag make sure you wet it first.....

Do I really sound like that on video???

I feel like I don't even know myself......I sound like one of my sisters...a lot!

It's 4 something in the morning.....

and I am watching The Best movie ever.....Cats and Dogs!!!

Have you ever heard a cat say: "The ninja's have failed and failure is not an option".....

I have that ipod commercial song....

stuck in my head.....
1...2...3...4...something.....something.....something.........more
That is the only part I can remember.......I am not musically inclined

Is "holy crap" bad to say....or write...???

I was just wondering

I have a BIG dilema......

Hey......I'm trying to take of picture of that! I have a really hard time getting rid of things.....here is an example....

Here is a perfectly good T-shirt....should I save it for 4-6 more years til it fits one of the boys (there is the chance that I may forget about it) or get rid of it to save space....

what would you do?

what should I do? you can vote on the right.......

Holy Crap....

I think I post too much.....I can't even imagine what I will end up with if I keep posting so much everyday....You can vote on the right to tell me what you think......

sandbug

bad dad

Dune buggy

dune

On our way to the dunes...

Luke scared

Zipper gets some much needed attention...

Such a good kitty..

But once he hits the ground........they can't catch him.....

I changed things a little...

so I could upload videos easier and do polls....I don't have a comments section because I am scared of them and I would constantly look at them....what does that tell you.....I saw this template and liked it, although I would have liked the colors purple, light green and light blue together...maybe someday when I have more time....

Video posted

I finally got the video of Liza riding a horse on the beach working, watch it here.

E-bet and P-ug

She just caught him running down the street...he needs constant supervision!

Our house

end of summer

lookin for cats

pug smile

Elizabeth's project

We were going through everyones clothes and getting rid of things.....These are some boy pants and she is adjusting....

Oregon Zoo

Tired after the long hike up the hill