One of Those

It's not like I don't understand. Except I don't think I do. Last night I layed on the couch in the boys' room and talked to Wyatt who had been sent to his room for the night. It was only 7:45. After many days of all the kids misbehaving and many timeouts and spankings, Wyatt had reached my limit of patience and so had been sent to bed early. This all happened while out for a walk to the duck pond after dinner.

It's not like I'm not trying to keep the kids busy and entertained. It's not like I am not playing with them. But somehow despite my best parenting efforts my heart is breaking as my kids continue to disobey and in pretty big ways. At least I think so. But I'm laying there talking/bonding with him. Because I am so sad that he is being punished but being true to my word and emphasizing consistancy I feel forced to endure this punisment as much as him. And I am forced to discipline him when all I really wish is that he would respond to the rewards instead.

If only I could just be their friend. If only I wasn't the one who would shape them for a lifetime. If only I didn't have to be the bad guy. My mind is looping around on all the "if onlies" and I feel desperate.

Our Town Continued

This is so my new favorite place around town. The North Museum.

A science museum filled with reptiles, dinosaur fossils, hands-on exhibits, and a planetarium.

The new air exhibit entertained for an hour.

Kody couldn't stop pounding the sound wave drum.

The kids were mystified by the floating ball.

Although it was Wyatt who shouted and jumped for joy over hearing we would be seeing dinosaurs it was Issac's facial expressions that made me laugh.

Pen Pal Needed

So Bella has been wanting a penpal. I got online to find her one and found that for safety reasons all pen pal correspondances tend to be done through email. And if you want "snail mail" than you typically have to pay an annual fee so that they can screen for safety and keep track of who receives what addresses.

In the end I know that someone I know must know another 7-8 year old girl who wants a pen pal buddy. Obviously the farther away the better. Let me know if you guys have anyone in mind. Thanks.

Not So

Many people don't understand my love of birthdays. It's really quite simple. It is a day that Travis totally indulges me and my every whim and I let him. I can be very selfish and it seems to be okay. And so for one day a year I am in heaven. This year I wasn't quite in that state of mind but it was still an interesting day nonetheless.

My day started like any other and I woke up to pee to find this little surprise. Yes that is Happy B-day written on the toilet paper in green marker. When Bella saw it she thought it was totally hilarious. I have to say I laughed pretty hard considering the time of day and all.

Then in a totally selfish gesture I mopped the kitchen and dining room. Being the summer of forgetting typical routines it has gotten quite filthy. I could stand it no longer and so got on my hands and knees and cleaned it up. Kody hiding since he is pretty sure he will get in trouble for climbing up here. But I thought it was cute how proud he was.

The kids were pretty naughty in the morning and I knew it was just because they were so excited for my birthday. How sweet! And by mid afternoon when I took a happy birthday phone call I heard a cachaphony of noise break out. I quickly ended the call to find Issac at my legs covered in blood. Through a collision he had gotten a bloody nose. He had walked dripping the whole way through the house to me and this his sniveling sprayed blood all over me as well. That is when I found that Bella had been inspired by Dad's idea and did the same on the paper towels in red marker.

After we got that all taken care of we headed to the pool. I love the pool but yesterday a lifegaurd chastised me for not watching my kids as vigilantly as he thought I should. To his defense the pool was packed yesterday and I think he was a bit on edge.

But once Travis got home my bliss started. He started making dinner at my request terriyaki meatballs and rice and corn on the cob. He tucked me into bed with a book my very favorite thing to do. Once dinner was ready we woke the kids from their naps and ate. We had birthday pie because I am not a fan of cake - I don't know why for so many years I didn't think of just asking for pie - and opened presents. I got all new and matching Egyption Cotton bath towels, hand towels, and washclothes for the whole house. I also got a Michael's giftcard from the kids. And last Wyatt got me an IOU back massage. And my day ended perfectly with him following me around the house saying are you ready for your present yet Mom.

Happy Birthday

TO ME !

Feeling It

Because of all the rain Travis got home from scout camp last night, which was a day early. This handsome guy really is my very best friend.And we were so excited to see one another, we stayed up till almost 3:00 am talking last night. But boy am I feeling it this morning.

Holy Corn on the Cob

Nothing like fresh corn on the cob! Kody gets ever last kernal.After picking up two dozen from the Cornwagon we chowed down.
This boy can eat.

It May Not Be Healthy...

But it sure is yummy.

Puppy Chow - the breakfast of Whitings.

Fishing For Family Night

The kids were missing Dad (he's at scout camp). And so I thought we'd do a lesson on eternal families. After we went to the duck pond to feed the ducks. But last week when dad was here we did this:1 Walk to the creek, 4 Kids to Corral

3 hooks baited, 2 fishing locations

2 Fish caught. 1000 memories made.

A successful evening at the creek.

Cabin Photo Diary

100 pictures or so it seems - spare yourself and skip this entry.

This is Kody who had just seen a Denny's and was devastated we weren't eatting there. My son who is not two recognizes Denny's and started shouting it so we would eat there. Amazing.

So how could I not indulge that perfect sad cherub face. I'm weak, I couldn't.
Jr. Grand Slam, 3 pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon down the hatch. He ending up eatting half my food too.
Bella is always Miss Manners. I love this girl. She also ate her Jr. Grand Slam. Although she was sad to find they have discontinued the alien pancake face.
Issac can also eat like a champ.

Once at the cabin we filled our time with fishing. And salamander or newt catching.
Still working on the courage to hold them the right way.
The cabin isn't the cabin without shooting a couple guns. Bella is a seasoned pro.
Something about the crazy look in his eye makes me a little nervous.

But he is a pro too.

Issac is still perfecting his technique. And I love this picture where he is still shutting his one eye the way you need to do to aim accurately.

He may be young but he knows a good thing when he comes across it.

The world's most handsome man. And some wonder where our child's red hair comes from. Take a look at the goatee people.

Hyner View - my favorite place.

We were acting crazy and just playing.

Kody and me having our giggle time. I think this is the first time it has ever been photo documented. I love that Travis caught these pictures with a dozen others showing how Kody and I can get.

Seriously I love this boy.

We all played hide and seek. This is Kody and me counting.

Wyatt comes looking for us and what was hide and seek now becomes tag. Run Issac.

And a trip wouldn't be a trip without one of Issac's famous breakdowns.

Seriously I am in awe of my family.

Concentrate

I'm not sure where this comes from but it seems to me that Wyatt can't concentrate unless his mouth is open, occasionally his tongue makes an appearance too. What a cutie?

A Moment

Sometimes a moment hits you so unexpectedly.

This week this moment hit me.

"This is my family.

I love my little family."

It was remarkable.

Our Town

So as part of our tourists in our town summer we have been hitting up some of the local museums. This week we went to Landis Valley Museum. I had heard about it and knew that the second graders go there on a field trip as well. It is a little village that replicates what it was like to live in the mid 1700's to the mid 1800's. It focuses on this area's history which includes a lot of farming, some amish, and huge advancements in technology, the Pennsylvania Long Rifle.

This museum was really neat filled with cool artifacts and old farm equipment. But we didn't hit it at the most ideal time because a lot of the demonstrations close for lunch between noon and 1pm.

But lucky for us we weren't too distraught because Daddy met us there for his lunch and we had time with him. We did see a fair amount of the demonstrations before and after that hour enough to be content.

Mainly I felt grateful that we had gone for free. Because normally it would have cost our little family $48. And I would have been disappointed had I spent that much money. It felt great though at it's current price.

My favorite part is always just watching the kids gather around their dad. They think he is the best thing in the world and I couldn't agree more.