Some days, my kids are so cute together........

busy, busy, busy...

It's hard to remember exactly WHAT I've been so busy with, so in random order...

Jasper's school: I go in at least once a week to help out in her classroom. It is a great opportunity for me to see her Teacher and watch Jasper in action. She is doing so well. Her reading skills AMAZE me. REALLY! She can read anything and has gotten 110% on all her spelling tests so far, her handwriting is not so great though, and we need to work on that. All in all, she loves school and that is what really matters.

An E.R. visit for Aram: A week ago he got sick with a really high fever (104 degrees) and after 2 days of the fever without being able to get it down much or keep it down for long, we decided to take him to the Emergency Room (It was 11:30pm on a Saturday). After 3 hours of waiting to see the Doctor and a really unpleasant experience with the snotty Nurse (who did not know how to deal with a sick toddler) they told us he had ear infections (again). So we got some antibiotics and were able to go home but 2 days later he still had the fever as well as diarrhea and vomiting. So, we brought him into his Pediatrician who took him OFF the antibiotics and said it was just a virus! GEESH!! Poor little guy though, he was so miserable for so long. I hate to have sick kids, it just gives me this sense of Impending Doom. We got through it though, and my new motto is 'Don't take your kids to the E.R. unless they are DYING', just kidding.. I think!

Fall cleaning/De-spidering: I must admit I am slightly Arachnophobic, but after being hospitalized for a Black Widow bite when I was 8 years old, do you blame me? Not only that, but it bit me while I slept in my bed... so after finding a nasty 8 legged beastie on my bed a few weeks ago, I went a little overboard and insisted on cleaning every nook and cranny in my house. The cold Fall weather brings my fearsome little friends into the house and I would just prefer to have every hiding place exposed. It's not so crazy, RIGHT? Even to break down and bawl when I felt one crawling on me and Aric smashed it in my shirt... not so crazy!

Aric's work,work,work schedule: We found out a month ago that the Casino that Aric has been working a part-time Security position at, is suffering severe cutbacks and he would be getting laid off on October 1st. Subsequently, he has been working as many hours as he can, while he can. Combine that with his normal 12 hour night shifts, 3-4 days/week at the Sheriff's office and it is not only hard on him,.. we have barely seen him. So, starting next week we will be on the lookout for another part time job. It is a bummer to have to say goodbye to this one because they were so good about letting him work whenever he was able and it paid better than most part time jobs and was located so close to home. :( Oh, well... the Lord provides, this we know!

Feeling very Betty Crocker-ish: I do like to cook, I don't enjoy cleaning up the mess though so I rarely go out of my way to be gourmet. Lately though, I have had the urge to do so. It has been fun making my family's favorite dishes that are normally just too time consuming. Their smiles and compliments are worth it. Although, sometimes the easy things get the most attention... Jasper exclaimed to her cousin last week, "My Mom makes the BEST milkshakes, EVER!!" It made me happy!

OK, rambles over,.. but I wanted to document some of Aram's busyness, too...

For some reason, this kid is obsessed with shoes. He is ALWAYS trying to put them on, and once they are on, he wants to take them off. He gets so frustrated and usually ends up throwing a tantrum over it. *sigh* This is the sequence...

"hmm, let's see if I can get this shoe on"

the frustration starting in the face...

getting MAD...


"OK, Mommy put it on for me, now..."

"HOW do I get it OFF?"

whining...

and Yelling!
If he does manage to get it off, he throws it across the room! Needless to say, I try to hide the shoes!

Another fun game is to climb onto things, resulting in many falls and Ow-ies. Why are boys like this? Do they NOT learn their lesson until something is broken, like an arm or skull? He will fall off a chair, just to cry for 10 minutes and then go climb on it again! Sheesh!

This morning, I was trying to hurry and get Jasper to school early to take a test in Library. I decided to wait to get Aram ready until after I dropped her off, so I just put some warm, CLEAN Jammie's on him and a new diaper. I got her out of the tub and was draining the water when he walks in and starts throwing the bath toys back into the tub. I didn't see any harm in this, so I went to the bedroom to help Jasper dress and fix her hair. We heard a clunk, followed by a whine... and went into the bathroom to find this...

A fully dressed Aram, sitting in a few inches of water and NOT looking very pleased about it!

Do you think he will learn his lesson?

Flagstaff favorites!

We got to go visit our Flagstaff cousins over the Labor Day Weekend. It was a great trip. The kids are at this fun age that there was very little fighting going on. Cousins are like extended siblings and they LOVE each other.

Jasper is bribing Aram to sit still with Goldfish... :) Kass is holding up her favorite toys!

Issak didn't want to be in the pictures, but Brookie got him anyway! This little boy has the cutest personality and little Mickey Mouse voice. Love it!

Audrey is an Angel personified... except for at night when she keeps her Mommy awake! :D

Chocolate cake... yummm!

I think Kassidy's personality is expressed PERFECTLY here! She is hilarious. I love that she wanted to ride everywhere with us because we got to spend more time with her that way!

Funny Schtuff!

Cousins are the best... even their food is! :D