"stick-it-to-the-MOM-niosis"

Mom can't keep me down. 

Climbing

Climb up, climb down, repeat, repeat, repeat, and so on.

The tooth fairy is coming!

This is the news around our house. Jolie even shared it with her church class as the highlight of her week.

The tooth fairy is coming!! 

Don't you love how Jolie works her way into the pictures?

So, Olivia lost another tooth. And Austin too.

The tally for this month:

Austin 4

Olivia 2

Nyah 1

Ay carumba, the tooth fairy is going to go bankrupt! At least she doesn't have to make another trip to the dentist.

Here's a little reality check for all those people who are dealing with teething babies/toddlers- the end is not in sight. Teething doesn't stop for years to come- as in wisdom teeth don't come in until the late teen years. I've had to stop my older 3 kids from chewing on stuff all month- blankets, sippy cups, stuffed animals- nothing is safe. One of them actually bit through a blanket. It has bite marks.

Just because

I feel like I need to torture my youngest siblings just a little. It's a natural big sister urge and I don't get to give in to that feeling much anymore. But I happened to be looking through some old photos- old, old, old- and found these:

Congratulations on getting engaged Michael and Keshia! So excited for your upcoming weddings!

12 Years! Woohoo!!

Happy Anniversary Kurt!

The last 12 years have been amazing!

Too bad we had to cancel our plans this weekend and take care of sick kids. Better luck next year :) 

Mama Soph

Did you notice all the diapers on the floor? Whatever she was trying to do she was determined to get it right!

Saturday Morning

Jo + Camera =

and lots of crooked shots of the carpet, couches, tv, siblings, and my rear end. Aren't you glad I didn't share all that with you?

World's Best Mama

Sophie worked so hard last night (for almost an hour) on diapering her baby. She had me do it once, but wasn't pleased with my results- the poor baby looked like it was wearing a diaper-sleeping bag. She was so serious and determined and mesmerizing and lovely. My baby girls is growing up.

I love when Sophie says "Help." It's her new favorite word "Help, help, help"

Motherly Patience

Baby's swan riding on Mom

Part 1

Part 2

Reading reading reading

I just finished reading:

The Last Unicorn - Magical, lovely, wonderful. It's not full of action, I didn't swallow it whole in one day, but I really enjoyed reading it.

I just started reading:

The Neverending Story -
"If you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger--
If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early--

If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless--

If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next."

Next, I'm going to read:

Stardust

How about you?

P.S. Oh! Oh! Oh! I found this - Top Ten Book Quotes - {because I was too lazy to type the quote from the Neverending Story} and doesn't it seem like such a fun thing to do? Coming {hopefully} soon to a blog near you.

P.S.S. I'm also in the middle of reading The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin. Very, very excellent stuff. The Farthest Shore- fabulous!

I guess I forgot...

...to brag about my other kids' tooth-losing abilities, or so they have informed me.

This week Nyah also lost one tooth.

Austin lost 3 teeth. Yes 3!!!  He lost 3 of the 4 teeth the orthodontist wants pulled anyways. So I have him working on the other one too. One less trip to the dentist is a fabulous thing.

Yes, Olivia, this is exciting!

Olivia lost her 1st tooth today. . . and then lost it again when she dropped it down the sink. She's wasn't sure how she felt about losing her tooth and the whole bleeding thing. We gave her a pep talk to get her excited about it and now she's running around yelling, "The tooth fairy is coming tonight!" Hopefully, the tooth fairy remembers. Sometimes she forgets and has to stop by during breakfast when everyone is munching in the kitchen.

Adorable Sophie

I love it when I catch Sophie "reading," not just because it's adorable to see, but because she always finds somewhere unusual to read.

Yes, Soph has decided she wants to rollerskate. You would not believe the tantrums she has when the skates won't stay on or she keeps falling over or something isn't right. Mega-tantrums.  

Some fun in the car "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah-chooooo"