disco hair, bedtime weapons, new rule, and more ear fun

We were watching something on tv and Simeon said something about the "girl with disco hair".  I cracked up  because he was talking about a girl with an afro!  Man, where does he come up with these things??!! How does he even know what disco is??!!

 Matt gave Sim a cheap leatherman to sleep with.  (Are we good parents or what?!)  Here's why.....I was watching a new show called "Grimm".  If you've never seen it, it has some pretty creepy characters.  I was in my room watching and the kids were supposed to be in bed.  Simeon came in and I paused my show, but not before the scene changed to a very creepy monster guy with his sharp-toothed mouth agape in a roar and his sharp-clawed hands raised to strike.  I was at a loss as to what to do because I didn't want to unpause.....who knew what was to come next?!  It might be worse.  We told him to go to bed, but not before he came over and looked at the screen.  Poor guy!  He immediately turned and went to bed, but he was soon in our room again......scared out of his wits.  Great.  He was asking about bad guys and what to do if they came.  We assured him that no bad guys were gonna come in our house.  (Which probably isn't very comforting because there was a stoned guy that walked into the house once when the kids were home alone----that's a story for another time.)  So, Matt gave him a cheap leatherman to take to bed with him, so he can defend himself when the bad guys come.  Poor little man! 

I cleaned the family room (finally!!) and the kids came home from school and were amazed!!  Here's how the conversation went:

Kids:  Oh!  Wow! It's so clean!  You can actually see the floor!

Me:  I know it's amazing.  It feels good to have a clean area, doesn't it?!  Let's keep it that way, ok?

Brooklyn:  I know!  We should have a new rule that when you get something out, you put it away when you're done.

Me:  That's always been the rule, Brooklyn!

Brooklyn: REALLY??!!!

Ummm...where have you been the past 11 years, Brookie, when I lectured and lectured about picking up after yourself????!!!

I'm glad to know that my life lessons are sinking in.

In other news....Genesis had another eardrum rupture.  That girlie and her stinkin' ears!!  Poor thing, she was in so much pain before it ruptured.  She has begun to hate doctors like her dad.  They both also have a touch of hypochondria.  But we love them!!

here's what we've been up to this summer....

Gen's first year at Girls Camp


Went to Puyallup Fair (Sim's "tatoo" is on his arm)

made headbands to (hopefully) sell

built loftbeds

Glory's baptism (where the kids crashed Matt's car into another parked car....very traumatic, but everybody's ok)

Matt got a motorcycle for free. It's an ongoing project for him, but we've been able to ride it.

My sister and her husband took us to the Seattle Science Center. Simeon fell asleep during the laser show.

Went to the Space Needle for the first time. Forgot my camera when we went up, but we got some great pictures by the weird sculptures outside.

Played with cousins at the Palmer family reunion

Brooklyn played in the ashes from our 4th of July hot dog/marshmallow roast

took advantage of one of the non-rainy summer days and walked to the river to go swimming



Genesis exhausted from the walking!

Genesis practiced her motorboat face....she's gettin' pretty good!!

Phew!! No wonder I was so tired all the time!

birthday time again!

Brooklyn's birthday was last week and she is now 11. Man, how the time flies. Next year it will be young womens, middle school and, knowing Brooklyn, probably boys. (hopefully not that last one quite yet.) I remember when she was on her way to us and Michael Trammel drove me crazy with his incessant timing of the contractions. She has grown into a sweet and helpful young lady. I can usually count on Brooklyn to help me when nobody else will. Her favorite color is yellow and she likes pandas. She loves to go shopping with me and we have a notebook that we write notes to each other with. She has a hard time talking about her feelings and that was an idea I got from a workshop we went to. She has made a few friends this year and I'm proud of her for making the effort. Homework is going much better this year. It's not quite the struggle it was last year. (Hallelujah!!) I can see her making strides to becoming a responsible young lady and her confidence in who she is has grown. She's starting to do/like things because she wants to instead of because her older sister likes it. Happy Birthday, Brooklyn! We love you!

happy birthday

Another birthday has come and gone for our household. Glory is now 8 and I'm not sure how that happened. Her birthday was a few weeks ago and it too was her party year. She had a few friends over. They played and made flower headbands. Glory chose to have doughnuts instead of cake this year (which was less work for me). She was so excited to get her very own scriptures and asked me several times if she could read them. I thought that was cute.....as if I would say no to reading scriptures. :0) She is very excited for her baptism on Saturday and we are so proud of her for making that choice. She has grown into a young lady and I find myself impressed with her sense of responsibility and thoughfulness. She is tender hearted and still loves to mother. Her favorite color is pink and she likes penguins. She has grown a fondness for reading and her skills have improved quite a bit. She helps me to remember to be patient and kind. I love her so much and am so blessed to be a part of her life! Happy Birthday my sweet Glory!!

matt.....

This is how I feel (except for the "beer" part). It applies to my kids too.

I love you guys!!

things I hear almost daily

This is what I hear at random times throughout the day from my little man.....

I will never stop loving you.

I know you will never stop loving me.

You will never stop being pretty.

You're the best mom.

I love you.

I have a secret. (he gives me a kiss or whispers in my ear I love you.)

The other day, I got mad at him for doing something. (I can't remember what anymore) He was upset, crying and apologizing. As I angrily stomped out of his room like a 2 year old, I heard this in a sobbing kind of voice, "You're the best mom!" Who can stay mad after that??!!

I'm not sure, but I think he may have already learned the fine art of manipulating women. And DANG IT! It works. I wonder how he already has this skill??? He definitely didn't learn it from his dad. :0)

happy birthday

Yesterday was Genesis' birthday. She is now 12! Yes, I know. Weird! This was her party year and I think it's safe to say, she had fun. She invited her 3 best friends over. They had tons of sugary treats and played Just Dance (Wii game). My friend Gwen came over and taught the girls how to do their hair and makeup. (This is the age Genesis gets to start wearing makeup. One item is added each year from now on. She chose eyeshadow this year.) She is growing up too fast and I'm not nearly old enough to have a 12 year old!! I think she is excited to be 12 and to start a new stage in life. Me......not so much. I get a bit of an anxiety attack when I think about her growing up in this world of too much sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. :0) But seriously, I do kinda freak out a little in my head when I think of her liking boys and going to the mall by herself and being alone out in the world unprotected. There are too many things out there to harm my baby. Being in the Young Women's program at church has given me a perspective on things that I didn't have before. The youth today have way too much to deal with! But, I digress. I'm not posting this to rant and rave about the horrible state of the world. My baby had a birthday and I wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday! She has grown into a beautiful and responsible young lady. She loves her siblings and her parents (even tho we drive her crazy sometimes). She likes to have fun and tease, and she still has a strong desire to do right. Her love of reading has not diminished and for that I am grateful. She constantly has an open book by her side and we like to share good books we have read. I can't imagine my life without her and am grateful and so very blessed to be her mother! Happy Birthday, Genesis!!