Our Kids Today...

This is Atlee and her new bike. She says she doesn't like the bike because she might fall off of it and get hurt. This is the same girl who throws herself face first off the side of the couch for fun.

I know she's mine-er, ours, and I'm all biased and stuff, but this kid is beautiful...

Shea gives Greeley a few tips on plaing Gameboy...

Greeley's New Toy

This is the nicest sounding baby-toy we've ever had. That chiming noise? That's the TOY! It doesn't beep, honk or shriek. It chimes!

The Kids Today...

Atlee loves water.

Shea in his natural habitat.

Did I mention Rich hates pink?

While the Cat's Away...

Rich is out of town this weekend for work. This happens sometimes. It has its upsides and downsides. One upside is I don't have to cook a REAL dinner. Grilled cheese sandwiches or frozen waffles are crowd pleasers. I also get a little more room in the bed. Shea or Atlee will usually sneak in with Greeley and me, but it's still a little more space. The big downside is the reminder of why it takes two people to become parents. It is really hard to take care of a pack of kids with just one person. These "Just Mommy" times remind me of my mother and countless other women I know who were single mommies at one point in time. I don't mean to compare my husbandless weekend with the true plight of single mommidom. I don't have to go to work everyday and juggle daycare and commutes. I also know my husband is coming home to give me a break on Monday.

But for now, at 3:1, the kids far outnumber me. I threaten to sell them to gypsies much more often when Rich isn't here. (Shea is no longer easily fooled by this bluff, so he gets a special lecture about all the children in the world who are punished by corporal methods. "That's right, belts...") Luckily, my children are generally good kids and threats of punishment usually work. I may not shower for a few days in fear the cat will end up coated in Vasoline (a true story from Bev's family), but it hasn't really happened yet. At the end of the weekend, I'll be a little more thankful for my husband. I'll also be a little amazed that Mom never once threatened to sell us all to the gypsies.

Pretty in Pink...

Rich always said if we ever had a girl, she wouldn't wear pink. This has backfired dramatically with Atlee, who loves pink. She has pink boots, pants, hats and toys. However, Atlee also loves to play in mud puddles. I've discovered her more than once wearing a very pretty dress, stomping barefoot through the back yard in the pouring rain. I vote Atlee most likely to have a pink excavator when she grows up...

The Only Place to See New Kid Pictures...

It was also brought to my attention some people didn't know we added a family member in June. For those of you who haven't met yet, here's Greeley (& a little Shea). Can you see the actual drop of drool? That's Greeley, teething.

Some Confusion...

It's been brought to my attention there is some confusion about my previous post and our houses. For those of you who missed it, we moved into Rich's Dad's house in August. This got Shea (7) back into the Gettysburg school district. The house we purchased when we moved to PA in 2005, hereafter referred to as The Mountain House, will be put on the market in the spring. For now, we get to say snooty-sounding things like, "Dear, have you seen --------?" "No, it must still be at The Mountain House." Since we still have a pile of stuff there, we get to say this six times a day.

Ice Storm and Christmas Pictures

The first picture is of the fallen tree across the driveway at the Mountain. If you look closely, you can see the missing siding above the large window. I don't think my rosebush made it...

These pictures are for Aunt Eileen in Louisiana. I was told she couldn't quite imagine what the blue and green door looked like- it looks a bit like a blue and green door.

This is the really cool outside art my husband brought home for me a few weeks ago. His friend gave it to us on the condition he make a frame for it. He did and we get to keep it.

For Friends and Family...

I keep feeling like I should be doing a baby book or something for the kids. I also feel like I should be writing more letters and sending more pictures to our families and our friends.But I'm not doing any of that. Therefore, I will drag myself into the twenty-first century and start a place for postings for friends and family. It requires much less effort which means it might happen that I post a story once a month or so for everyone. Let's see how it goes. Forgive me any errors because I'm still learning. So, for friends and family....