Made In China

Richard and I were talking about China the other day, and whether we were planning to bring the boys with us. I had originally said we wouldn't unless we went in the summer, but after you see what crazy things people pull their kids out of school for, I think we will take them. We hadn't said anything to them, but Cade came up to me and this is the conversation we had:
Cade: "Is the China wall still there?"
me: "Yes, it's there, you can even climb on it."
Cade: "Could you send me a picture of it when you're there?"
me: "I could, but how about you come with me and we can climb it!"
Cade: He didn't know if he wanted to or not, but later he came up and said, "OK, I want to go to
China and climb the wall".

Richard ended up talking to the boys about it one night before bed, and told them we wanted them to come with us (this is assuming they're not in college at the time!). The next day, Braden asked out of the blue: "Can we go to a bouncy ball factory in China?"
me: "What?"
Braden: "You know, how everything we have is made in China? Can we see how they make the bouncy balls while we're there?"
me: "We'll see, but probably not."

I have to remember they don't spend all their time on the computer following the trips of others. They don't have a clue, except for the small amount they've been told. All they think is it must be a toy fairyland because everything is "made in China".

OK, I'm bored!

As much as I despise hearing those words come out of my boys' mouth, here I am joining in! I think things must just be too calm here. After the craziness of building the house, moving, Christmas, etc., things are just a little too quiet. Gives me too much time to think about China and how long of a wait it will be. No worries though, baseball is around the corner, and I chair a huge auction for our elementary school in the spring. That will get ramped up soon. I am also dabbling in the digital scrapbooking trend. I am going to a Creative Memories digital class in Feb., so I am looking forward to that. After the fire, I swore I would never scrapbook again, but this seems like the perfect balance. It gives me a great creative outlet, does something great with all those pictures, and won't eat up days of my time (hopefully). I am also going to the camera store tomorrow. I have a great digital SLR, but the pictures haven't been so great these days. Of course, it would help if there was something exciting to take pictures of!!!

So, I know...wah,wah, you all feel SO sorry for me!! (and I don't blame you!)LOL

What a Great Weekend!

Richard was actually home!! Hunting is now officially over! Can you tell I'm just a little pleased with that? It was so nice for all of us to be home for the weekend. We got some things done around here. I actually have a couple of pictures hanging on the wall, and Richard's outside kitchen is coming along nicely. They did alot of the tile yesterday.

Friday night we had a meeting at our house for Braden's baseball team. We had 10 boys and 1 little sister here that night. Talk about crazy. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to cover the furniture with plastic, but everything seems to have escaped untouched. Pretty unbelievable. I am getting very excited for baseball season. Since we didn't play basketball, we have had alot more free time, but I have missed watching them play ball.

Saturday we got to celebrate my nephews 1st birthday. What a party my SIL threw! My boys were surprised that they had such a good time. They thought they would be to old to enjoy a 1 year old's birthday party. Cade, who insisted that he hates clowns, became her favorite. Go figure, since he's pretty much a clown himself. Here are a few pictures:




So, Sunday we got a break from the freezing, rainy weather and enjoyed the sunshine. We went to church, and then I weeded the flower beds while the boys played outside and Richard started tiling the outside kitchen. I actually enjoy weeding as long as there aren't too many. You see the results instantly.

Hope you all had a great weekend as well. I don't have too busy of a week. The builder will be back AGAIN to try and finish some of the things that aren't done yet. I have had enough with all the crews in and out of the house. I know some of it has to do with our decision to move in before Christmas, but enough is enough. I have been making sure that I'm not around. Anything is better than hanging out with these guys who think they're my best friend. I think Walmart's calling my name. (You know it's bad if I'd rather be in Walmart!!!)

Have a GREAT week!!

Cade-ism

So Braden, Cade and I are sitting together looking at a photo album yesterday afternoon when Braden fills the air with a particular funk. Cade says, "Braden, you smell like a dead yak on a city bus!" Where in the world would he get something like that? I about died!

Yesterday morning on the way to school he comments about the hair gel that is spiking up his hair. He says, "This gel in my hair smells manly". What does that mean?

Coke in a Jacuzzi

The other day, Richard told Cade to get me a Coke. When I came in, he said, "I have your Coke in a jacuzzi". I had no clue what he was talking about. We don't even have a jacuzzi, and if we did, I wouldn't want my Coke in it. Well, here's my Coke in a jacuzzi:

I love that kid.

The Brother Club

Well, as you can see, this sign hasn't made it to the wall yet, but I thought I'd share the upstairs with you. Upstairs truly is "the brother club". We built the upstairs over the garage so we don't hear all the stomping and craziness. So far, it has been GREAT! The other night we had 9 total children (8 boys, 1 girl) over. They all went upstairs and we didn't see or hear them almost all night. The adults had a great time downstairs too. Here is a picture of the children's den. This room has the playstation, wii and all the "cool" electronic stuff. It's a great movie room for the whole family because it has surround sound. You should hear the playstation with surround sound! It's a hoot!

The only thing breakable in the entire upstairs is the TV, and if they break that - they're dead!

Before we moved in, I decided that my cleaning lady was not going to clean up after my boys. They would have to do that themselves. My motto seems to be: "To whom much is given, much is required". For two weeks now, each boy has been responsible for cleaning and vacuuming his own room, cleaning his own sink, and cleaning a toilet and shower. If they finish their chores correctly and with a good attitude, they get $5 for the week. So far, things have been working out great! I had to teach each of them how to do these chores, and I have been surprisingly patient as they learn. They have been surprisingly eager to learn. They actually seem to like it! Here is a picture of Cade vacuuming his room. He has the built in bunk beds that I showed you earlier (they are still not painted).

You can see his perfectly made bed in the background.
Here is a picture of Cade and Braden's bathroom. They have the huge "locker room" complete with urinal and the LSU shower.


Here is Bryce. He is finally unpacking his last box. I told him he wouldn't get his full allowance if he didn't get it done.

Bryce has a VERY cool feature in his room.

I don't know if you can see or not, but there is a set of stairs to the right of the bookcase. What do the stairs go to? Well, this is the best picture I could get:

We call it the "secret room". It is everyone's favorite place, and the envy of every child who comes over. It is only about 6ft by 8ft, but Bryce loves to go up there and read or play legos.
And here is Bryce's bathroom:

The last room is Braden's. Braden has the big view of the golf course, and the best closet. You can only see his back because he didn't want to be in the picture.

Braden just said to me "It feels good when everything is clean and picked up". Yea!! It's a good mommy day!!

Hope you're having a good weekend. It is rainy and COLD here, so we aren't doing much. My mom is making some soup, so we're going to head that way in a little while. Have a great day!

In Case You Ever Wondered...

All of you with multiple boys can relate to this, I'm sure. But in case those of you with girls ever wondered what it is like to go out to eat with these creatures, I wanted to share this with you. We went to eat tonight, and the whole time the boys were giggling, dancing, fighting over bread, walking around the table, etc. etc. By the time we got in the car, I thought Richard and I would both lose our minds. The second we were in the car, Richard announced, "There are four rules for the ride home: No farting, no burping, no touching, no talking!" It made me giggle and think of you moms with girls who would never think any parent would have to say those words. Boys, gotta love them, or at least survive them!!