Bacon and Bedtime

Bacon:
The news recently reported a prediction of a bacon shortage.  The news has gotten a lot of mileage with our family.  Bacon happens to be Mason's favorite food.  We were talking about how the shortage was caused by the recent droughts and that the pigs were having a hard time surviving.  (my limited understanding of the situation).  It could also maybe because Denny's now has bacon in every menu item including their sundaes.  Maybe.  We told Mason he should write a story about a world without bacon, a futuristic story about a boy who never knew bacon.  How would you describe bacon to someone who has never experienced it?
Fast forward one week:  That boy's mind is still on his bacon.  Riding home from church today he out of the blue brings up the bacon shortage.  He said "Mom, I was thinking about the bacon shortage, I actually think if all the pigs die, that would mean a lot more bacon".  For the here and now, I guess he's right.  Feast or famine.

Bedtime:
Our little restless Mallory has had a really hard time with bedtime.  She stays in her bed just until the parent putting her to bed leaves the doorway.  Sometimes she's out of her bed while you're still walking out and your back is to her.  We've tried every parenting trick we could come up with.  She is always wondering around the house long after the older three are peacefully snoozing away.  We now have a trick.  For the past few weeks, Chris has come downstairs to play the piano for her.  It's like a really talented kind of lullaby.  It works like magic.  It's amazing.  Now bedtime looks like this, a prayer, a story, a kiss and a request from Mall - "go play me a lullaby".  Chris plays the piano, and she's out.  She doesn't even get out of bed once.  The lights stay turned off and everything.  Who knows how long it will last.  Who knows if my very amateur piano playing skills will do the trick when Chris isn't home.  I can always call in Charlotte for reinforcement.  That girl is getting so awesome at the piano.  I love being surrounded by musicians.  I love it even more that their talents can put my babies to sleep.

Mallory Jane hits 4!

My sweet sweet baby is now a year older.  My baby is a 4 year old.  I never got why I had to be referred to as the baby for so long.  Now I get it, your last born just stays your baby.  She's totally still my baby.
Her birthday was on Saturday - Saturday birthdays are the best.  Sleep in, eat a big breakfast, open presents, play with presents all day, eat some pizza and cake.  That's a great birthday.
Mallory is spunky, full of life and even attitude.  I think she was born with sass.  She's miss independent, miss performer, miss picture poser and runs on fumes.  She usually is the last to sleep and the first awake and doesn't even take a nap to refuel.  Her endless energy is amazing!  She just started taking gymnastics because she really wants "to do a somersault in the air".  She has no fear, she's a brave soul.  She's perfectly honest - for good or for bad.  Her emotions are right on her
sleeve at all times.  There's no poker face on our sweet girl.  She loves to play - all day.  She loves books, and my i-phone and the TV.  She loves to hide, especially when we're not playing hide and seek.  Sometimes we have to freeze what's happening in the house when a Mall alert is issued.  Everyone stops in their tracks and we all search until we find her.  We'll yell out her name, bribe her, but she doesn't come.  When we find her she usually escapes trouble because we're so grateful she's okay.  Neighbors have seen me way to many times outside yelling for her - I wonder what they think of me and how I can always lose her.  "Did you lose a pet"?   "No, my daughter."  She loves this game - the rest of us don't.   Once when we she missing, I was outside yelling for her, running up and down the street, I came back to the house where she was up against the side of the bricks holding perfectly still - just looking at me smiling, she watched the whole commotion and didn't flinch.  Relief > Frustration.  
Her favorite things in life are brought to you by the letter P.  Princesses, Ponies, Pet Shops, Polly Dolls and the color pink.  Her favorite food is even pizza.  I should have thrown her a "P" party.

Birthday hugs and thank you's

Serious concentration

My best giant cupcake yet

Charlotte's biggest and best balloon "Jimmy"

Mastering the Mini-Murph

Making wishes

May all of Mallory's birthday wishes come true.

Potty Accidents and Dead Batteries

These are the kind of days that make me appreciate normal, uneventful days.  We headed to Rozlyn's weekly soccer practice.  The kids spend there time cruising around on their bikes and scooters & playing on the playground at the school.  I go back and forth between watching Rozlyn and watching the kids.
Halfway through practice, Mallory tells me she's got to got potty.  The school doesn't leave us with a lot of options.  We were trying to find a bush or tree where we could conceal ourselves.  During our search Mall insists that she no longer has to go.  Insists, and I believe her.

Seconds later I see her standing in a puddle, wet shorts & angry face.  "Dangit - this makes me so mad!!!!" is what she said.

This makes you mad, I'm think to myself.  So wearing the least capable outfit/fabric of disguising a potty accident we have to make our way to the car.  The front of Mallory and the back of Mallory left no questions as to what just happened.  Should I sacrifice myself and my shirt and my smell and hold her against my body, shielding her from the crowds of people?  I pass by Mason and Charlotte and tell them to keep playing I was running Mallory home for a quick wash down and clothes change and would be back.  We head to the car.  The options were to take her clothes off and drive her home naked or put her in her seat all wet and wash the carseat later.  I thought the naked idea was better.  To make the situation worse - the car wouldn't start.  :-(  so I get to parade Mallory around some more in her condition to find help.  I really would have just rather laugh or cried to myself in the car but that wouldn't get us anywhere.  A few strangers helped me out.  Good citizens indeed.  

It literally started to downpour that second, heavy heavy rains falling from the sky.  Why?  Why couldn't of this downpour came 45 minutes earlier so everyone was soaking wet and no one would have known.  I love these moments.  They make my life exciting and entertaining and give me good stories to laugh about and save for the future.        

7 Happened!!!

There was talk for awhile that Mason was going to skip his birthday this year.  Then August came around and he started talking and dreaming (trying to) about it. 

A few weeks ago, I went in his room and he told me that he was reading books on dolphins and snow because Roz told him if he read about good things before going to bed then he'd have good dreams.  He said he really wanted to dream about Max's donuts and his birthday.  He's hilarious.  So in the middle of the night - I made the drive to Max's donuts to make his wished for dreams come true.  

 He looks so sleepy.  Birthday Breakfast - it's on the tray because it was supposed to be in bed, but he made his way down before the breakfast made it up.  

 The birthday brother.  He got a lot of love from his sisters.  I loved the details of Rozlyn's sign.  Each letter was a "Super Mario" guy - so thoughtful and perfect for Mason.  

 Getting his fill. 

 The Birthday Party at ASI.  Having someone else entertain the kids while I sit back and watch was heaven - it almost felt like my birthday.  It's a treat to do every few years.  

 There really were that many kids there.  Whoa.

 Happy Birthday Boy

 The Mario mustache's. 

 Happy Birthday Boy again with his Luigi cupcake and Power Up Water.  

 These cute candy bars were custom made for Mason from my super talented, amazing friend Debbie - someday I will have photoshop and make cute custom things for my kids.  I loved them so, so, so much - I love talented people!  Mason was so excited when he saw them.  

Mason is a guy worth celebrating - his birthday was so much fun to share with so many people.  I'm so glad I have a boy - I'm more glad that boy is Mason - he makes my world a happier, funnier, brighter place.  

That Time of Year Again

School's back on.  So long lazy mornings and big breakfasts and getting dressed at 12:00 and swimming the afternoon away.  We'll see you again in 9 more months.

It looks like Charlotte will start and finish her elementary days at Green unless something crazy happens in the next few months.  I'm so glad the 6th graders are still in grade school here.  Chris and his wisdom had to tell me that Charlotte didn't want me to walk her in and take pictures.  He's a good dad.   

 Mason and Ms. Martel.  He's so handsome!!!

 Roz and Ms. Janasak.

 Mallory and I had to endure a week on our own.  We both missed the big kids:-(  They entertain her a lot which Mallory loves and so do I.  Mall is such a pal, we did have lots of fun but she was so excited to finally get to her school today.  She packed her own lunch, I had to intervene a little with some of my mom control.  Look how big she is - and so ready to go.  I love that sweet, sweet, sweet, girl.

Summer Camps

Every summer our school district offers a huge variety of summer camps.  They send home this enticing packet with the full descriptions that make the camps almost seem better then Christmas.  Here's what I can't do, 1.  pay $400.00 a week for all 4 of my kids to go and more importantly 2.  wake up and be ready to go somewhere by 8:00am in the summer for one week straight.  Nope!
So I gave them the brochure before school was let out last spring and told them they could all pick one camp - whatever one they wanted.  They were so excited.  After they'd made their selections, it wasn't quite as exciting when I told them I'd be teaching the camp.  At our house.  With 4 little campers.  (and camp would never start before 12:00noon.)

Charlotte's Camps:  Cupcake Wars - All the kids got to pick out there flavor of cake, pick out their flavor of frosting, and cupcake liners.  Then we loaded the table with stuff to decorate with.  The decision of who would win the "cupcake war" was their dad - who really loves a cupcake - that would fairly judge them later that night.  I filled frosting bags with different colors and different tips and showed them some decorating secrets.  72 cupcakes later.......alot were shared with friends and a lot were frozen.  Chris was such a cute judge - he was thoughtful and meticulous when tasting each cupcake.  He awarded them all a day of the week.  (i.e. Friday's cupcake was loud and colorful, Mondays cupcake, was exactly as he expected it taste, very predictable, he made it sound a lot better then I can describe).

Rozlyn's Camp:  Minute to Win It - Rozlyn went to the minute to win it video selection and carefully picked out  8 challenges that she wanted our family to do.  A Bit Dicey, Baby Blockin, Dizzy Mummy, Elephant March, This Blows, Sticker Picker Upper, Breakfast Scramble and Hangover.   We then gathered up the supplies, and had a beefed up Minute to Win It FHE.  I think the Grahams our ready for the family edition of the show.  Our game room turned into a training camp.  We all tried them - we're ready to go.

Mason's Camp:  Color Creations:  Mason's Camp was color creations, he was set on the balloons filled with paint that you throw and pop but we didn't do it.  Poor Mason.  Instead we the-dyed shirts, painted door hanger crafts and created color clay animal buddies.  Color camp would have been easier if Mallory would have been sleeping but maybe not as memorable:-).