50 Sticky fingers

Saturday Morning Musings

2012-01-28T06:52:00.000-06:00

I went upstairs hoping to have coffee with my mom.
what I found made me fall more in love with my Walter...
As I walked up the stairs I noticed the TV was on, but nobody was there watching.
I looked around for my mom and saw her in her bed asleep
at that time I realized that it was pretty early and this was her day off.
No problem, I thought , maybe I'll just pour myself a cup and wait for her.
I went into the coffee room, and I saw it.

Her cup of coffee with her cream already poured, all she needed was to add coffee.
Seeing this made my heart flutter and a small smile crept onto my face.
I poured my own coffee and went to sit down with my coffe and my book to wait.
As I set my coffee down I saw it.

A little dish of pills, some vitamin, some medicinal but there they sat, and this made my heart flip and my eyes water.
He had laid out her pills for her.
As I sat down I realized how much I love him.
Not for all that he has done for me, which if I did list would take days to read, but no.
I love him for how he loves her.
How he takes care of her.
Remember how I said the TV was on, it wasn't left on in haste, or forgetfullness.
My mom sometimes likes a little noise to sleep to.
He left it on.
In my mind, he wanted it to feel like he was just out in the living room watching TV, so that she could feel comforted and be able to stay asleep.
I think that what gets me the most and makes me love him that much more is:
these aren't a one time, or even an every once in a while thing.
This is Walter showing my mom he loves her, EVERY DAY, taking care of her the best he can.
Taking care of her is as natural as taking care of himself.

I love you Walter

Thank you for taking care of her,

so she can take care of the rest of us.

Friday Fun Day

2012-01-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

Fridays have become date day for me,

Who exactly is it that I'm dating?

Only two of my favorite little boys ever!

For the last couple weeks, I have been taking them out on Fridays and spending the day running around and trying to do fun things with them.

*Shhh don't tell the others* It's fun pretending I only have these two.

Usually we end up at the mall. We play in the play area and then we wander around and window shop. These two are finally to an age where we don't use the stroller and we are learning how to stay close by to Mom and to try not to touch things in stores that we brave. (this is usually more of a learning experience for me, mostly a lesson in patience) But no matter what we always have fun on Fridays.

Today we rode the Merry-Go-Round, This one (can you guess which one?) wanted to ride on the bench, while the other one wanted to ride on one of the horses (bad momma didn't get his picture)

After we ate lunch at the mall, I decided to treat them to Kupcakz because they were being so good.

"My Peanut Buttercup"

Oh who am I kidding the real reason why is because I wanted a cupcake!

Plus they have this great thing.

Icing shots, yes that is exactly what it sounds like.

Anybody else's kids only eat the icing?

Yes they are eating straight icing...Don't judge me..

I hope you had a fabulous Friday as well.

and a heads up

the blog I told you about on Wednesday, should be up...

Tomorrow.. :)

What She Wore Wednesday

2012-01-25T22:43:00.000-06:00

Today She wore a new shirt that her daddy bought her a while back

I have to say it is one of my favorite ones and I have been waiting for her to wear it.

Tank Top: From TJ MAXX ( I think)

Sweater: Target

Leggings: Target

Shoes: Target

Head band...???

(Can you tell I like Target yet?)

So I have another blog written and I meant to post it on Monday, but didn't get to it.

But it's a good one, and I think you'll enjoy it..

Something for you to look forward to.

What She Wore Wednesday

2012-01-18T21:15:00.000-06:00

What She Wore Wednesday

January

Today the princess is wearing:

Old Navy heart dress

pink leggings

Gymboree shirt jacket

Converse cheetah print tennis shoes

She is totally rocking it.

I love her style.

These two were looking way too handsome to not get some pictures in

Looking fly in their:

Crazy 8s collared shirt

The Children's Place sweater

Levi's Skinny Jeans

and of course

Chuck Taylor's by CONVERSE

Look at all that attitude!

And there is the band shot.

8 Years Ago Today

2011-12-08T13:55:00.001-06:00

Our family welcomed

Josiah Israel

whose name means: Fire of the Lord, Prince of God

and since the day he was born he has been doing things his own way

and defining his name

crawling at 5 months and climbing soon after

walking at 8 months and then running.

This kid does everything with such intensity

I believe he can do ANYTHING he sets his mind to

and boy does he have a mind of his own

he has always had a wide variety of things that he has

"wanted to be" when he grows up

in the past it was Plumber and Architect

This morning I took him to breakfast and over our donuts

we talked about what it was that he wanted to do and be

can I just take a minute and say

This boy NEVER ceases to amaze me

Here is his list.

What he wants to be:

A Paleontologist

an Inventor

A Scientist

Things he wants accomplish:

Invent a car that runs on water

Make a teleport device

Make a DS (and other electronics) run on water

Make up his own video games

Make his own TV show

One thing he would really like to do:

meet miyamoto (the creator of Mario)

Thank you Josiah for teaching me so much about mothering and for having such a tender spirit and a loving heart.

Hair

2011-11-19T10:01:00.000-06:00

For a long time our princess Miss Avrah has been asking to get her hair cut

but I wasn't ready for her to get it all chopped off yet

But

Today was the day

we woke up early,

(don't we always!)

and I took her, just the two of us

Now it's official

she actually looks like a big girl

Short enough for her to brush

long enough to still put in a pony tail or braid

Perfect!

New Sleeping Arrangements

2011-11-18T14:48:00.000-06:00

As some of you may remember

Hosea and Micah have been sleeping in a closet,

a large closet with enough room…but a closet none the less.

A couple weeks ago we acquired new beds for Avrah, Hosea and Micah

(Thanks Grandma Dian)

We set up the beds and got them all ready,

we told the boys that they couldn’t sleep in them until Micah started pooping in the potty.

Fast forward a few weeks...

He started going on the potty…

Last Saturday we moved them into their new rooms,

at nights anyway.

.they still take their naps in their closet beds.

They are doing great

My babies really are growing up.

Tenderhearted

2011-11-17T17:02:00.000-06:00

Yesterday

When I picked up the little boys from school

Micah’s teacher said something that no mom wants to hear

“Your son made me cry today.”

My mind went running crazy what could he have done to the teacher to make her cry

Then she said

“They were tears of JOY.”

They were getting ready to go outside and it was chilly and as all the kids were getting their jackets on Micah ran over to his teacher’s coat and got it for her and said “Miss Janna don’t forget your jacket” She said that in all her years of teaching 3 year olds she has never had one do this kind of thing.

Last night

Sometimes when Avrah doesn’t like the look of what we are having for dinner she will get all sullen and act a little ill.

The kids were all sitting at the table as I was bringing in their plates and getting their drinks together.

Judah was sitting next to Avrah,

he didn’t know I was watching

he leaned over to her and asked her in a whisper

if she was feeling alright and assured her that it would be ok.

I am just so proud of these kids, from the youngest to the oldest, they all have such tender spirits and hearts that are so soft toward others.

Back 2 School

2011-08-25T12:09:00.001-05:00

I love this time of year.

Everybody in my family is going back to school.

My classes started on Monday. I'm taking ASL I (American Sign Language), as you may remember all of my classes thus far have been online, but this class is an actual class. I was very nervous as it had been 13 years since I had been in a classroom. I absolutely love it, it is one of the highlights of my week. I also will be taking Comp II (online) and later in the semester my Nutrition class starts.

Mr. Vargas starts his classes back up here in a couple weeks as well.

Now for the fun part..

the kiddos..

Judah

I can not believe he is in FIFTH grade already!!

Josiah

My big second grader. He has the same teacher Judah had for second grade.. and so it begins...

Avrah

My little Kindergartner, she is so big, she did her own hair this morning..so cute!

Hosea and Micah start school (preschool 3 days a week) again in a couple of weeks as well, they met their teachers today too (silly momma forgot to take pictures). This year they are doing something new, they will be in separate classes for the first time. I think they will do great, and if not then next year they can be back together.

So now that my household will be getting back into some kind of schedule, maybe I will get back to my blogging.... Maybe

Happy 10!

2011-08-17T17:44:00.000-05:00

Today marks a very special anniversary for me.

The 10 year anniversary of me becoming a mother.

My little man Judah was the perfect baby to break me into the job.

He was so chill and easy going, only cried when something was wrong

and was the world's best sleeper and eater.

as he has grown he keeps teaching me how to be a better mom, just by being himself.

He really is very compassionate and tenderhearted.

He loves all his little brother's and his sister and is so loving and caring with them.

and he always is ready with a kind word and smile to cheer you up if you are down.

He is so excited about being 10 and I can't wait to see what this year has in store for him.

This morning I took him out to donuts for breakfast, and as we were leaving there was a table of teenage boys, and I said to him one day you are going to be as big as those boys and then you won't want to have donuts with your mama and he said "No, I'll always want to have donuts with you Mom."

I don't know what I did to get such a sweet kid, but I sure hope he stays this sweet for a long time.

A Princess Turns 5

2011-08-10T21:46:00.001-05:00

5 years ago today, my life changed forever.

We added a princess to the family.

I always thought we would have two princesses but that wasn't meant to be

From the minute she was born our princess has been charming everyone she has met

Our princess loves cake

and she loves sparkly things

and she loves to pose

It's been an amazing five years

having the privilege to watch her grow more beautiful by the day

Our princess also loves her brothers

Almost as much as they love her

Baby girl, can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us.

With you, it is sure to be AMAZING.

2 Things Tuesday

2011-07-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

My two thing Tuesday are:

1) Long distance cousins

I have many cousins that live far away from me and a handful of those live in California. One of those cousins came to visit and brought her husband and four beautiful children. We didn't get to spend nearly enough time with them but what we did spend was great and we can't wait to go out there to see them.

and

2) Blue bell factory tours

We went and toured the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory today. The "we" there included 7 adults and 14 kids (all 9 and under)

Here are some of the cousins listening politely

and these cousins were not

Cute

Hosea

Micah

They didn't let us take pictures during the actual tour

but

we did get ice cream at the end

YUM!!

{embracing} Superheroes

2011-07-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

{Embracing}

So last week Mr. Vargas took all 5 kids to Hobby Lobby by himself... and found a huge amount of VBS crafts on sale...and he bought lot of them, actually that is an understatement...there is a reason he isn't really allowed to go to the store by himself.. I kid...kind of...

Anyway

This morning we decided to make super hero masks

and the finished results

Judah AKA Sonic BOOM

Super Power: Super Speed

Josiah AKA Firehose

Super Power: Shape Shifter

Avrah AKA ThunderGirl

Super Power: Thundering the Whole World

Hosea

Super Power: FAST!

Micah

Super power: MAN!

Together THEY are the FAB 5!

OH and we CAN'T forget

Mr. Vargas AKA SuperDAD

Super Power: Being Awesome

Father's Day and Ayla

2011-06-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated my favorite person in the world.

How did we celebrate him?

Oh we let him pick out, buy and cook his own lunch... no no it really was his idea.

He fixed one of my very favorite meals, which I guess is also one of his favorites too.

Steak with restaurant style baked potatoes

and then he took a three hour nap.

I think he had a great day, he was going to guest blog for me today and tell you all about it himself, but he is pretty worn out.

ALSO

remember how I told you that my sister was coming to town

and bringing her little rock star Ayla

My princess loved that there was finally another girl for her to play with

and turns out these guys LOVE babies!

and this is what happens when it's no longer their turn to hold Ayla

A Late Saturday

2011-06-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went to Pryor to spend the day with Mr. Vargas' family.

the kids spent the day swimming with their cousins

and I spent the day getting burned

after the day at the pool we left the kiddos with Grandma and went out on the boat

and we got to see

this beautiful

sunset

Such a fun day.

Thanks Trey and Dee, and Grandma Dian

Next time I won't forget the sunscreen

Martha's Meandering Musings

2011-06-17T23:01:00.000-05:00

If you are feeling claustrophobic in your house or room then clean it, nothing makes a room feel bigger than it being clean.

Conversation I actually had with my 3 year old
Me: Put your pants on
H: I can't
Me: Yes you can
H: No, I can't
Me: Yes you can, now put them on
H: No, I can't
Me: I know that you can you put them on this morning, please put them on
H: No, I can't do it.

Adding cream cheese to boxed macaroni and cheese makes all the difference in the world

I can clean 3 very dirty rooms by myself in the same amount of time it takes Mr. Vargas to clean 1 room with the help of 5 children.

My sister is coming to town tomorrow night and I'm really excited to see Ayla. Hopefully you will get to see some cute pictures.

I think little tiny boys running around in their underroos is the cutest thing EVER.

Oh and one of those tiny cute boys found the little hole in the front, and now is very obsessed with it. Which begs the question, what exactly are those little flaps for, and why in the world would they have them on tiny boy underwear? AND does anybody know what it is called? I'm not so sure I like what Mr. Vargas called it.

Now it's your turn.. you tell me something random.

{embracing} busy summer days

2011-06-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

When your morning starts like this, how could you have anything but a great day.

We went to the mall to play with some friends today

Went to another friend's house to play with them

Went to have lunch with Grandma

And then had a rather uneventful afternoon and evening

What We Ate Wednesday.

2011-06-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've blogged about food.

I'll admit it the food around here has been kind of boring.

But tonight it was not.

We had Greek Turkey Burgers.

I took 1/2 cup of mayo and mixed it with 2 teaspoons of curry
then mixed that with 2 lbs of ground turkey, formed patties and broiled them for about 6 minutes each side.

I made some kicking guacamole to go with it, and dressed the kids' with regular sliced American cheese, but used feta on mine and Mr. Vargas'. They were also supposed to have fresh baby spinach and sliced red onions, but I used the onion in the guacamole, and somehow made it home from the grocery store without the spinach. They were still delicious!

Everybody loved them. In fact my one anti-mayonnaise son was watching me make them and threw a fit when he saw the mayo come out. So I told him I wouldn't put them in his and shewed him out of the kitchen.

I waited until after his second burger that in fact they all had mayo in them

Let me know if you try it and if you love them as much as we did.

A Stirring Review

2011-06-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

If you read my blog often you know that I don't endorse any product that I don't absolutely love.

However I am often asked "what is the one product that you can't live without?"

Well this may not be the one, but it definitely will make my life a little easier.

The product is called "The Strawlution" and it really is simply just a straw, but it has a little claw like thing on it, that once pushed through a lid it won't come back through.

Now if your kids are like mine, they love to drink out of straws but have a very hard time resisting the urge to pull the straw out of the cup. This helps with that.

I ordered mine from babiesrus.com and you get four packs of 12 straws in an assortment of colors.

I started using them right away. So far we have used them in their toss n go milk cups, in yogurt, and in applesauce. I love that they are big thick straws so if you give your kids smoothies even the chunks won't get stuck in the straw. I also love that they are sturdy enough to be reusable, but are affordable enough that if one gets thrown away it's no big deal.

and I know I should have taken pictures of them in use but that somehow slipped my mind.

It isn't perfect by any means, but it is fun and all my kids enjoyed using them, no one pulled the straws out, and there was no mess or dumped out yogurt cups like usual.

You can read and see more about it here

Future All Stars?

2011-06-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

We bought the little guys baseball gloves and balls for their birthdays

and finally today after a long day of

church, swimming, napping, and celebrating a friend's birthday

they finally were able to break them in

Practicing their ground work

They both really liked it, although I think Hosea was more into it then Micah, who kept putting the glove on his head and calling it a hat.

Celebration Saturday

2011-06-11T21:32:00.001-05:00

This evening we celebrated Hosea and Micah's Third birthday

Hosea

Micah

I love Hosea's face in this one

I can't tell if they were helping each other open this one or if Micah was holding Hosea's hand back.

This year we did something different

we bought them a donut cake

Cute, Yummy, and no huge Icing Mess

Happy Birthday Boys!

And a big thank you to all of you that came out and celebrated with us.

Afterwards we went to the car wash and cleaned out the van, it had been way too long.

I LOVE a clean car.

Friday Favorites

2011-06-10T18:31:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about working out in the morning is being able to see beautiful sun rises

For some reason my camera caught this one and made it look like a volcano erupting

but I loved it anyway.

We had a fun day of running errands with Mr. Vargas this morning.

I think we all really like his new job and his new hours.

{embrace}

2011-06-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

Run

Coffee

Park

Hide

and

Seek

Lunch

With

Mr.

Vargas

Loving

New

Apron

WHWW?

2011-06-08T19:16:00.001-05:00

I know Wednesdays are usually "What She Wore Wednesday"

BUT

Today it is

What HE Wore Wednesday

Because

My big boys are sporting new face wear

Aren't they so handsome

they are getting so big

2 Things Tuesday

2011-06-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

My two things this week just happen to start with B.

1) Book Club... We meet for brunch once a week, we don't always talk about the book, in fact we rarely do, but we always have a good time. Plus I get to get out of the house and away for the kids for a couple hours.

2) Bathing suit.. I found one that I actually like. I also found some cute sundresses today too. I fell in love with sundresses last summer, and I plan on continuing my love affair with them this year as well.

What are your two things today?

Treat

2011-06-06T20:51:00.002-05:00

Some days the only thing worth blogging about

Is the treat at the end.

Happy Birthday Hosea and Micah

2011-06-05T18:11:00.000-05:00

3 years ago today

we were blessed with two of the sweetest babies ever

Hosea Daniel 6lbs 12oz

(Salvation. God is my judge)

and

Micah Samuel 5lbs 14oz

(Who is like God? His name is God.)

I don't remember life without them

and

while I'm sure it was easier and less eventful

I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Here is a slide show that I found

I made it when they were 6 weeks old

and here they are from 12 weeks to 3 years

I can't believe they are already three

and

I can't wait to share their three year old photos with you

I'm sure they will be amazing!

Summer Nights

2011-06-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

Cook outs with cousins

Who has the best technique?

The birthday boy does, of course!

Water Day?

2011-06-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

Went to the splash pad today.

I was hoping to get some cute splash pictures

BUT..

the place where we went decided to not turn their water on till NOON we got there at 9:30

kids plus heat without water equals not playing very long so we didn't wait for the water

but

we still took some cute pictures

and got to see our lovely lady friends

and this just seemed funny to me, we had Waldorf salad tonight with dinner, but without mayo because my kids don't like it, and this one separated it all out. He said that he liked celery and he likes walnuts but he doesn't like them together.

Spring Pictures-finally-

2011-06-02T20:40:00.001-05:00

So it was brought to my attention that I had not posted any of the pictures that we had taken in March!

Wow how behind am I?

So here are my favorites

*you should be able to click on the pictures to make them bigger if you need to.

Judah

Josiah

Avrah

Hosea

Micah

All together

All The Kiddos

Mr. Vargas with Boys

Mr. Vargas with all the littles

Did you make it to the end?

I know that is a lot of pictures.

There were just too many good ones not to post, and believe me this isn't all of them.. just my favorites.

These were taken by my friend over at The Good Life so go check her out and check out her Photography page and if she is ever in your area do not hesitate to book a session with her, she is AWESOME!

Which one is your favorite.. or if you are like me favorites?

Random Pictures to Kick Off June

2011-06-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

So it's June, and I promised you that "Blog-A-Day" would be back.

I know it is Wednesday and I usually do "What She Wore" but today I wanted to do something different.

I wanted to share with you some random pictures from my phone.

I think you will enjoy them just as much, or at least I hope you do, and if you don't, well then at least I hope you tell me you do

.

So first up this is a very common thing going on at my house..or should I say in my yard these days. That is right we are potty training the little guys. Hosea has it down, mostly, he wears big boy underwear during the day, except for nap time. He still has an occasional accident, but is really trying hard. Micah has now started actually going, he will go on the fence or the potty, which is a big step up from where he was, and if we are just at home I usually will put underwear on him, but not when we go out that is just asking for trouble, I think he is just a few weeks behind Hosea though, so I can see diaper free days in our future.. at least I hope so.

People say we look alike...

and that they do...

And here is our princess, if you look closely you can see a tear trail down her cheek. I love this picture because she came in to me crying because one of the little guys had hurt her, and I pulled out a my camera to take a picture of her crying, (I know "Mother of the Year Award" right, but it was too cute) and then as soon as she saw the camera she started smiling and cheering up.

and here is me.

Things I'm working on in June..

~Take more pictures of the older two boys.

~Blogging everyday

~Finding ways to beat the summer heat

~Getting used to the new summer routine

Oh also today my cutest little nephew Israel (Bugsy) turned 6!

Happy Birthday Bugsy, I love you!

The Princess Dance

2011-05-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night my princess had her first dance recital.

She has been taking tap and ballet since January.

She did great, she loved performing.

She is the second one from the left.

The video isn't the best quality and you can hear Mr. Vargas and the little guys talking, but you sure can see her getting into and working those hips!

and here is her ballet performance.

and the grand finale.

It was a long show, but we all had a great time.

If I Were A Leaf

2011-05-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

A Poem from Judah that I found in his journal.

If I Were A Leaf...

If I were a leaf I would tumble and whirl.

If I were a leaf I would plop to the ground.

If I were a leaf I would drop seeds everywhere.

If I were a leaf I'd be one of a kind.

If I were a leaf I'd be in a colecon.

If I were a leaf I'd see things high.

If I were a leaf I'd see things low

If I were a leaf I would attack the ground.

If I were a leaf I would swoop like a bird.

If I were a leaf...

I'm not sure what a "colecon" maybe he meant cocoon but even that doesn't make sense..maybe I'll ask him.

I love the end of the year when they bring home all their school stuff.

Summer is almost here and I think I'm going to bring Blog-A-Day back in June, so that is something for you to look forward to.

What She Wore Wednesday

2011-05-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

Today was Avrah's graduation from Pre-K

well one of them at least, she goes to two schools, one is three days a week and only in the mornings, and one is everyday in the afternoons.

She has been going to the morning one since she was 2, and before that her older brothers went there too.

I remember walking the halls of the school pregnant with her, telling the director that there was going to be another little Vargas, and then finding out it was a she.

and then bringing her in her carrier when she was tiny and all the teachers ooohhing and ahhing over her and what a beauty she was.

Every teacher has told me what a joy she has been in their classroom.

Next Tuesday is her last day to attend BLC.

I hope she will look back on these few years and have good memories, I don't think she will ever know how many lives she has touched, by just being her beautiful self.

The Stray Kat 500 Car Show

2011-05-07T17:37:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make..

I have a thing for old cars..

I don't have a favorite model, or year.. and I know almost nothing about them

But it doesn't stop me from loving them all the same.

And luckily Mr. Vargas also has a thing for old cars.

We want to instill this in our children so we took the Fab Five out to Dewey Oklahoma for a car show.

I told them when we got there to pay attention and to pick out their favorite one.

Here is what they picked:

Judah picked this one.. I think it had more to do with the surfboard though

Josiah picked this one.. I think because it was blue.. I always pictured him in a pick up truck.. but no, I think he likes the muscle cars.. which I love, so he is my son after all.

Avrah picked two, first she picked this one.

and then this one.. I don't know if you can tell by the picture but this car was a really soft pink it was really cool.

and this was Mr. Vargas' choice..

and this was mine, well one of mine, I love these old trucks.. and there were too many great ones to choose from.. but this is the only one I took a picture of..so that must mean something.

This guy was doing some hand pin stripping which was very cool

There was a park that we let the kids run around and play at..

these guys didn't get to pick out their favorite car so here is a picture of them playing

and here we are watching them

I think everyone had a great time and can't wait for the next one.

and to see more cool cars or find out more about this car show you can go here.

Moving As One

2011-05-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

Sitting here looking at the sweetness that is this

When

without warning

this happened

in exact unison

Enjoy :)

Where have You been?

2011-04-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

Today when coming out of the gym we heard a goose honking, this is not uncommon as there are usually a few geese around, we usually try to avoid them and they stay away from us, but this one was really close and so we looked to see what it was honking at. It was another goose up on the roof, and as we looked closer we saw a little yellow gosling walk up next to the goose and then another and another. We stood there and watched them for a minute trying to figure out how all those babies got up there. I'm no bird expert, but I don't think they learn to fly until they are a little bit older.. I think that the mama goose built her nest and laid her eggs up there, and now they will have to wait until they are a little bigger to learn how to fly to get down.. I may be really wrong, so if you are a bird expert and you do know then you can let me know.

Some fun things that have been going on since I last blogged.
Mr. Vargas has started a new job. He is now using his degree that he is about to finish this semester. He is the systems administrator for ITT tech. He loves it. We are still getting used to his new hours, I think they will be much better suited for summer which is just around the corner and that makes me very happy!

I also started a new job. I am now working two days a week up at my little guys' school. I really enjoy it but I do miss my me time, now I only have one morning a week to get done all the stuff I used to have three mornings to do.

My math class is winding down and I should be finished with it this week.

This morning I ran again for the first time since my surgery, I can not tell you how great it felt.

Another new development. Hosea is potty training. He is doing so great, he stays dry most days, Micah on the other hand only thinks he is potty training, but he really isn't ready, sometimes he will say he needs to go only to sit there, seriously two seconds and then say he is finished, I'm not rushing him.

It has also been raining a lot here lately, so if any of you do see the sun please wave at it for me and tell it to come back because I miss it. Thanks

some rain and hail from the other day.. my back yard is now a swamp

Dear Mr. V.

2011-04-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

It's moments like this that make me fall in love with you over and over.

Day 96

Happy April!

2011-04-01T20:49:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful way to start the month, right?

Today was a great day, and really there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

I was able to get two homework assignments finished this morning.

Ate lunch with my Mama.

Cleaned my house! That is a big one since I really haven't been able to do much of that since the surgery. I am now FINALLY starting to feel more like myself again. I wasn't able to get it all done, but I did get a good start, and that makes me happy.

Sometimes it is just the little things in life that can make a day go good.

Maybe an unexpected text from a friend, a freshly cleaned floor (YES!), or dinner turning out even better than you planned.

What makes you happy or makes your day?

Day 91

{embracing} Birthdays

2011-03-31T08:05:00.000-05:00

Today I'm {embracing}birthdays Yesterday was my birthday 4 years ago today my brother made this day extra special by marrying a beautiful girl who just happened to have my exact same birthday!

We were born around the same time, but she was born in Florida and with the time zones, that makes her about an hour older then I am.

It is very cool to have someone to share your birthday with.

Make sure you head over to Emily's blog and see what the {embrace} is all about

What She Wore Wednesday

2011-03-30T21:03:00.000-05:00

Well today I think that her dad dressed her

in her RUN DMC shirt from Old Navy and she probably added the kitty ear headband.

Photo courtesy of Josiah V.

you may notice I have two new buttons there on the right side of my blog, but as cute as they may be, they don't work yet, so I'll have to fix that.

Birthday presents!

Day 89

Two Things Tuesday

2011-03-29T23:46:00.000-05:00

My two things today are opposites.

1. Something that has been making me want to cry. Math. I'm taking a short (8 week) Algebra class, in case you didn't know short means same amount of work squeezed into less time.. so it feels like more time spent on it, for me anyway. I've been a bit behind in this class too, so I keep feeling like I need to catch up. It has been all that I've been doing today.

2. Something that I can't stop smiling about. My pictures sneak peak is in over at my friend Bethany's blog. I love them all. She did such a good job on them. I know I have my favorites. I want you to tell me which one is your favorite.
Spring Pictures

Day 88

Not my usual Monday

2011-03-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

As you know my Mondays are usually rather boring, full of mundane tasks like laundry.

But this Monday was different. This Monday began my birthday week, and what better way to do that then with some kid free shopping (ok it was only grocery shopping..but if you are a mom.. you get it)

Some starbucks, I'm not a coffee drinker so you know this was a treat.

And an early birthday present from my sister, who is just at the beginning stages of her new journey called Motherhood.
She sent me this, I love it, and have to find somewhere to hang it now.

Day 87

Family Date Day

2011-03-27T21:42:00.000-05:00

After church today we went out with our friends the Bakers, they have 6 wonderful children with one more on the way. As you might imagine when we get together with our 5 and their 6 fun is bound to happen. Somehow I didn't get any pictures this time.

After a short nap time we took the older three to go see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" with my VBF and her family. Ryan, Judah, D, Josiah and I had read all the books, so we were very excited to see this one.

After the movie we went to Braums for dinner and ice cream.

These poor boys didn't get the kind of ice cream they wanted so they were bummed.

and of course whenever I get together with my VBF silliness insues and this time we involved our hubbies.

Day 86

Saturday's Orff Festival

2011-03-27T21:00:00.001-05:00

Today was a big day for Judah.

He took part in the Orff Festival.

Don't know what that is?

You are in good company.

Carl Orff was a German composer, he wrote a lot of children's songs.

The festival invited all the 4th graders from the surrounding schools in our area.

Judah had to try out and out of all the fourth graders in his school there were only 15 that made it from his school.

I'm so proud of him he worked so hard. He had to go in early to school one day a week and give up a couple of his recesses during the day too. He never once complained and he did such a great job.

And he had so many supporters there for him. 3 sets of grandparents, 1 great-grandparent, 2 uncles, 1 aunt, 3 cousins, mom and dad and 4 siblings!

Day 85

**for some reason the pictures aren't showing up..hopefully this will be fixed tomorrow**

Finally Friday

2011-03-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

Today I was able to go to Pre-K with my girl.

They have been learning about Dr. Suess all week since this is his birthday Month.

So for their snack they got donuts shaped like Cat in the Hat Hats and Pink Sunny D for their "pink ink" from "Red Fish, Blue Fish"

I'm not going to be home tonight for dinner, we are having Crockpot Chicken Chili, and it is making my house smell really good. Hopefully they will leave me some.

And have you ever seen a pepper do this before?

Day 84

{embracing} me

2011-03-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

Today I'm {embracing} myself. Sound strange? Self centered? Conceited? No that is what {embrace the camera} is all about. In case you never have been over to Emily's blog and read about it, it is about getting in the pictures. Because my kids will one day want to see what I looked like when they were little. And that is why I get over all my self image issues and get in the pictures every week.

This morning the sun was out and shining, but don't let the sunshine and that t-shirt fool you, I was freezing!

This one Micah took. I love that it is all blurry.

Day 83

What She Wore Wednesday.

2011-03-23T16:35:00.000-05:00

Ok so now my daughter has a favorite outfit to wear on Wednesdays, which is annoying because she usually is very creative with her outfit choices and the last couple weeks on Wednesday she has been wearing the same thing.

At least this week she jazzed it up a bit

It is ALL about the Hello Kitty Socks.

And this is my neighbor's tree, I love it when it is blooming like this. Pretty, right?

Day 82

Two Things Tuesday

2011-03-22T17:45:00.000-05:00

Today my two things are questions.

1. Aren't these super cute shoes?

2. Are super cute shoes really worth blisters on two of my favorite toes?

Day 81

I apologize if you have an aversion to toes or feet.

Something to Cry Over

2011-03-21T20:39:00.000-05:00

They say not to cry over spilled milk...but what about spilled laundry detergent. More about that in a minute.

You know usually I enjoy Mondays, everybody is back in school and Mr. Vargas is back at work, and I have the house to myself for a bit. Call me weird but I also like to do laundry. I love the way that neatness and order just comes out of the chaos. It may not work that way for everyone, and I know my way doesn't fit for some people but for me I do all my clothes laundry- keep in mind that is 7 people with at least 7 outfits- in one day. I have figured out the math. Most of my mom friends tell me they do about 2-3 loads a day to stay on top of things. but that is like 12-21 loads of laundry.
But when I do it all in one day, I do between 7-10 loads.
I know this probably only works for me because I am a stay at home mom, but all I do on my laundry day is laundry. As soon as the dryer buzzes (mine actually it sings to me) I go right in and get it and fold it and put it away.

So by the end of every Monday the only dirty clothes in the house are what we are wearing. This makes me happy. Order out of Chaos.
So I usually heart Mondays.

Today--Not so much..

I could list for you all the ways that today went horribly wrong. but I won't, I'll just tell you one thing, it was really the icing on the Monday cake- so to speak.

So I'm sitting in the living room folding laundry and I hear this big crash come from my laundry room, and since I was the only person home and the dogs were outside.. I had a sneaking feeling I knew exactly what it was.

During the spin cycle the washer had shaken the detergent right off of it and onto the floor, and since you have to loosen the lid so that the nozzle will work right, well when it hits the floor that lid just pops right off.

I'd say over half that bottle ended up under/in front of/ between my washer and dryer and all over the vacuum which is stored between the two.

Oh did I mention it was a brand new, little over a gallon, $20 detergent. Yeah that is more than gas.

But my day did get better. The cowboys came in first place on this leg of the Amazing Race, so there ya go.

Day 80

Sunday Sunday

2011-03-20T21:40:00.002-05:00

Almost every Sunday we go over to my mom's house for lunch.

We always have a lot of fun.

This week the little guys (I'm trying to transfer from calling them "the babies") played very well together, they made up a game with these balls where one would put a couple in the lid and then the other would dump them in the big bottle, once it was full they would dump them out.

They even got some exercise on grandma's gazelle.

Day 79

This week I'm looking forward to a little down time. How about you, what do you have going on this week?

Picture Day

2011-03-19T20:38:00.000-05:00

Today Mr. Vargas had to go to Stilwell, Oklahoma for some reason. I don't know where that is, but I guess it is like a billion hours away, just kidding I think it's like an hour and half, and I'm not totally clear on why he was going, but he was getting paid, so that made it ok.

Avrah and I had a little girlie time and I gave her a pedicure and did our fingernails so we would feel pretty for our photo shoot this afternoon.

Last week when I was looking at the weather forecast, knowing that we would be taking pictures outside today, it said that it would be 75 and Sunny, great picture taking weather right? This morning I checked it and it said 68 with a 40% chance of rain...but my fearless photographer assured me that even if it was raining we would adapt and overcome and get the shot.

Back to Mr. Vargas being gone, he was supposed to be home at 2:00 so we could all be ready to go and meet Miss Bethany down town for our 3:30 appointment. I put the little guys down for a nap right after lunch at like 12:15 (usually they don't go down til 2:30) and luckily they went right to sleep and had wonderful naps, the older three had rest time at around 1:00. I decided to get myself all ready and then start working on the kids as they woke up. Well 2:00 rolls around and no Mr. V in sight, but my wonderful MIL showed up, just to say hi, and I put her to work showering and dressing babies. Soon everyone was all dressed and ready to go and it was hectic let me tell you. He finally made it home at 2:30 and he still had to change and get himself ready. We ended up only being a couple of minutes late, but I HATE being late.

The good news is that by the time we made it down town it had stopped raining and we had a GREAT photo shoot! Miss Bethany (that is what we had the kids call her) did a wonderful job interacting with the kiddos and they of course loved her so much that while we were walking around the little guys wanted to hold her hand, so sweet.

If you happen to live in or around the Kansas City area you should definitely look her up. http://www.bethanygoodphotography.com/

I can not wait to get the photo's back!

While we were in the downtown area we went ahead and had a yummy dinner at Joe Mama's pizza and then came home and made the kids some dessert treats for being so good during the pictures.

Strawberry's on vanilla pudding inside a little short cake. YUM!

Day 78

Long day = long blog, it's only 8:30 but I'm going to bed. Night y'all!

Friday

2011-03-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

Today was full of shopping with my VBF. Luckily it was mostly kid-free shopping which makes this mama VERY happy, and just a little bit less stressed.

Some of you may not know, I don't like to shop. Shocking right a girl that doesn't like to shop. I like the idea of shopping, but the actual act of it, not so much. I don't mind trying clothes on, I've always liked that, well when I'm content with my weight anyway. It is the actual choosing and purchasing where I get to the part I don't like.
I don't like spending money, and especially not on clothes, for me.
For my kids I don't mind so much.

We are having family pictures taken on Saturday afternoon *please don't rain!*
and I am so excited because my friend Bethany is taking, and I have just loved all of her work so I know that she will get some good ones for us. You can check out some of her work here and I love her blog too

After shopping I spent a good portion of the day trying to get caught up on my Math homework, surgery put me a bit behind because I didn't work on it at all that week, and trying to do 2 weeks worth of MATH in 3 days is just silly. But I did have a nice conversation with a FB friend and a little distraction from one of my little men which made the time pass nicely.

For dinner we had a family date night with my VBF and her family at Top That Pizza, and as usual it was great. If you haven't heard of it, think Subway but pizza style, or go check it out for yourself at http://www.topthatpizza.com/

Hope you had a great Friday

And yes I know this is a day late, but that just means you get to read two blogs from me today.. Lucky you.

Day 77

Their shirts say "I am not my brother" they are by far my favorite shirts, and they were made for them personally by my good friend Ashlee, you should check out her shop here

{embrace} The Green

2011-03-17T10:19:00.001-05:00

Today we {embrace} St. Patrick's Day One little

Two little

Three little lep-re-chaun-s

Five little leprechaun kids

Me with my five leprechauns they are part Irish after all (not sure which part though) and as always go read about what the {embrace} is all about and join us by linking up at Emily's page

and here they are "pretending" to pinch Leia for not wearing green

Day 76

Not WSWW

2011-03-16T22:54:00.002-05:00

So it's Wednesday and usually it's what she wore Wednesday, but it's spring break, and what my she wore was a re-run, and I didn't want to bore you with that. I had my 1 week post-op check up today, and everything looks good.

We are having family pictures taken on Saturday, i can not tell you how excited I am about these, I am trying to find clothes for everyone to wear, that will look good in pictures. So that is what today's P.O.T.D. is.

Day 75

Two Things Tuesday

2011-03-15T22:12:00.001-05:00

1) Went to my first scentsy party tonight, my nose is worn out, but soon my house will smell really good.

2) When these two are getting along there is nothing sweeter in the world. Now to figure out how to make that happen more often.

Day 74

Two Princesses

2011-03-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Aren't these two little princesses so cute?!

This is my daughter and my cousin's daughter.

One of them is 8 months older than the other.

Can you guess which one is older?

They are both beautiful, but I don't think they could be more opposite.

Day 72

So tomorrow starts Spring Break.

We don't have a whole lot planned.

What are you all doing?

nonsense

2011-03-12T20:36:00.000-06:00

Today's picture of the day is what kept me company all day today, while I was stuck in bed.

I'm hoping for some more human contact tomorrow.

Goal for tomorrow is to get out of bed and stay awake for a little bit longer, oh and to have something more interesting to blog about.

Day 71

2011-03-11T20:34:00.000-06:00

Day 70

{embracing} My Walter

2011-03-10T10:17:00.001-06:00

Today I {embrace} my Walter. Walter is my mom's high school sweet heart.

He took her to her prom when she was 17. Then life happened and they broke up. My mom married my dad, had four kids, and more life happened, as it does. 30 years after prom my Mom met back up with her Walter.

and 14 years ago they got married

(That is me on the far left, I was 16, almost 17.)

He is one of the best things that has happened to this family.

and I love him.

Make sure you go over to Emily's page and read what all this {embracing} is all about.

Day 69

Recovery Wednesday

2011-03-09T22:22:00.000-06:00

Usually Wednesdays are "What She Wore Wednesday" however I didn't get to see my she today.

I did get to see my mama

and my Walter.

For those of you in "the know"

I'm doing great. Pain meds are working wonders and have become my new BFF, not to be confused with my VBF.

A little word about my picture of the day.
My mom keeps this picture in one of her bathrooms.
I love it. My brother painted it with a knife when he was a senior in high school. It always makes me smile.

Day 68

Two Things Tuesday

2011-03-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

Two Things Tuesday

1) First I got to meet my cousin's new baby. Lucas Brady C. He is their third child and is about to teach his parents that now matter how many children you may have the new one always teaches you that they are an individual and what you thought you knew about babies you can just throw out the window.

2)Second a big thank you to all the people in my life who are stepping up to help me out over the next few days, and also an apology for the next couple of blogs, because if I blog in the next few days I will be highly medicated.

I love this picture, he looks like he smiling at me! And this was at 1 day old.

Day 67

Random

2011-03-07T21:12:00.000-06:00

Mondays are always kind of boring days for my blog.

The kids are all back in school,

and I do laundry.

I know edge of your seat stuff right?

My cousin had a baby today, so that is exciting, I get to go see him tomorrow.

I leave you with some random pictures I found on my camera

and some taken by Micah

I do not know what was going on in this picture, but I thought it was interesting.

And just so you all know that it's not all smiles and laughter around here

Day 66

(yesterday was) Super Hero Saturday

2011-03-06T18:08:00.000-06:00

It all started with some blanket capes

Getting ready

Planning out their strategy

Ready: Break!

Judah at your service

Josiah Mighty Defender

Don't mess with MS. Avrah

Super "Cute" Hosea

Mighty Micah to the rescue

The bad guy?

Who won this round?

Call it a tie

Being a super hero is tough!

At least mama is here to make it all better

And that's what we did yesterday!

Today Mr. Vargas fixed my van,

Is there anything he can't do?

I think not.

Day 65

2011-03-05T20:23:00.002-06:00

I took a lot of pictures today, but unfortunately I have run out of time and can't post a good blog.

I'm on my way out the door to go celebrate a friend's birthday.

So here is your picture of the day.

A bit of a sneak peek if you will.

Day 64

And now for something a little different

2011-03-04T17:05:00.000-06:00

Today I made some changes to the ole blog.

See the font is different and I moved some things around.

That isn't what took me so long though

See this new button

It took me all afternoon to figure out how to get it and the code box for it.

but now it is there ------>

on the side

(keep scrolling...)

so if you have a blog and want to put my button on it,

there ya go.

Now that I kind of know how to make them I am hopping to have one for "What She Wore Wedneday"

won't that be fun?!

OH and I love comments, so let me know what you think of the changes, Love em, Hate em, or if you couldn't care less. I want to know.

Thanks!

doesn't this look like a good way to spend a dreary Friday?

Day 63

{Embracing} In The Kitchen

2011-03-03T18:11:00.000-06:00

Today we {embraced} helpers

These two love to help me in the kitchen

especially Josiah,

#1 on his list of things he wants to be when he grows up is a chef. He is always talking about the restaurant we are going to open and what is going to be on its menu, if dinner is really good, he will ask "Will this be on our menu at our restaurant?" That is how I know he likes it. If you have met Mr. Vargas you know this apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Wanna {embrace} with us or want to learn more about what it is and what it means? Check out Emily's blog for all the details and join us next week

Day 62

What She Wore Wednesday

2011-03-02T17:22:00.000-06:00

What "SHE" Wore Wednesday

Today was a stay at home and rest day so most of the day she was in her pajamas or in her princess costumes.

Then she got dressed

In her pink Old Navy fleece pants

and her Owl shirt from Target

and as you can see nothing in her hair.

What did your cutie wear?

Day 61

Knees

2011-03-01T22:13:00.001-06:00

Ok so this may be a strange topic for a blog,

Here is how it started. I was putting my little guys to bed at nap time and Hosea hit his leg on his bed rail, he didn't hit it hard but just hard enough to need some attention for it. So we rolled up his pant leg and I had to kiss his knee, but of course if there isn't an actual owie you have a hard time knowing where exactly to kiss. I picked the wrong spot and had to give him a couple more before I found the right owie spot.

All that to say

look at these cute knees

before they get all scarred up with the hard knocks of life

even princess knees are kind of cute, with a few scrapes

because before too long they will get bigger

and for some reason my Mommy kisses will lose their effectiveness, and will no longer be able to make all the owies feel better.

One day they will all be grown like their Daddy and won't need me to fix their boo boos anymore.

But until then I'm just going to enjoy these baby (yes I know they are almost THREE!) knees

Day 60

Paper Takeover

2011-02-28T21:08:00.000-06:00

When your kid goes to school they get sent home with papers, lots of papers.

When you have FIVE kids you get to multiply those papers by FIVE

From Hosea and Micah's alphabet pages and hand print papers

and

Avrah's handwriting pages

to

Judah's tests and quizzes

Anyway you get the point lots of papers.

They were taking over, until I came up with

The Homework Folder

Each kid has their own folder

and after I look at their papers they put them in their folder

The idea is for Mr. Vargas to look at with each child and then at his discretion he can throw them away or save them.

(This doesn't always happen as he has class a couple nights a week, but that is the idea)

What is your way of keeping all your papers in check?

Day 59

Cute Fight

2011-02-27T20:38:00.000-06:00

While I was snapping these pictures the cutest argument ever occured

See Hosea thought that they should say "smile"

And Micah was sure that it was "cheese"

Hosea won this one, by the end he had Micah saying "smile"

Also Hosea wasn't feeling so well today and I think you can tell by the pictures.

Day 58

Yasha's Birthday Party

2011-02-26T23:45:00.000-06:00

Today I did homework and went to a birthday party.

The birthday party was of course the highlight of my day.

My sweet beautiful nephew Yasha is turning 7! He is 3 months younger than my Josiah but I can't believe he is already 7! He is such a smart, funny, sweet kid. I love him a lot!

Look at all those boys

with these two princesses right in the middle

Day 57

Micah

2011-02-25T20:59:00.000-06:00

Micah got tubes in his ears two weeks ago

he has since started responding much better

they said the "fluid" that was built up in his ears was the consistency of rubber cement

no wonder he couldn't hear us

He starts his speech therapy in a couple weeks and hopefully he will catch up with his brother soon.

AND

over all he has been in a much better mood!

Day 56

{Embracing} Avrah

2011-02-24T20:51:00.000-06:00

Today I {embraced} my girlie. She was a little sickly today.

Nothing serious, just a fever all day.

Hoping she feels better tomorrow.

Don't forget to go check out Emily's page and see all the other {embracers}.

Day 55

What a Wednesday

2011-02-23T21:11:00.000-06:00

Wednesday is usually "What SHE Wore Wednesday" but when my little princess came home from school today she didn't feel so good.

So instead you get to read about what I did today.

My sister is still in town so we had "Sister Day" while the kiddos were at school.

We got Starbucks

and pedicures

Then she watched my kids for me so I could go bomb a test.
Lesson learned? Don't expect to do good on a test if you didn't study.

Then we had dinner at Mom's house with

some more of my favorite people.

Uncle Tim and Ayla

*kisses*

Aunt V and Solo giving Ayla some love

I'm looking forward to an uneventful day tomorrow.

How about you?

Day 54

Two Things Tuesday

2011-02-22T22:46:00.000-06:00

1. We went to Micah's check up from getting his tubes and they checked his hearing and he is hearing perfectly now. He will begin speech therapy soon and hopefully will catch up with his brother soon.

2. Second I was privileged to spend the afternoon with my sister and her new baby. And then we had family dinner at my mom's. It is always nice to see all the cousins play. My sister took pictures of all my kids with Ayla so I will post them when I get them from her.

What are your two things?

Two of my favorite people.

Day 53

Subbing, De-stitching, Laundry

2011-02-21T21:50:00.000-06:00

I had a great time subbing for Avrah's teacher today

Her class is all girls and these are the best little 4/5 year olds.

Also Hosea went and had his stitches out today and while he still has a nice black eye, hopefully his scar won't be too bad.

And tomorrow I get to see Ayla..I mean my sister and her husband and daughter.

OH and on a side note, these might to be the COOLEST parents EVER!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hwVRzaQNkA

How was your Monday?

Day 52

Super (BUSY) Sunday

2011-02-20T21:09:00.000-06:00

I could call today busy, but that would be an understatement.

After church this morning we went to my mom's for make your own pizzas and pigs in a blankets.

Then we went home and Mr. Vargas dug out two nails out of my van's back tire and fixed it up for me.

Then we went to a park and let the kids play with my VBF's kids.

Then we had a TMOMs social at "The Little Gym"

Everyone had a blast!

After the social we went to Qdoba, you know because they have GREAT deals on Sundays!

Here are some pictures from the social. I noticed after I got home that all of my pictures of Micah were blurry, he was non stop the whole time we were there.

I guess Hosea wasn't sure about something, notice the yellow blur of Micah in the back

Micah LOVED these rings, he would not get off them, once he learned that when he dropped down it was someone else's turn he learned to hang on and swing back to the yellow pad to jump off again.

Turns out all the ones of Judah and Josiah were blurry too.

Not sure what he was trying to show her here

"Two Princesses"

See this little girl is also from a family with five kids and she is also the only girl. They were sitting by themselves just playing very nicely, it was very cute, but of course when the camera showed up they stopped playing.

And that was my busy day.

On the agenda for this week:

Take Hosea to get his stitches out on Monday

Take Micah for his post-op (tubes) check up on Tuesday

Family dinner because Carpenters are in town (Yea I get to see Ayla), also on Tuesday

Go take Macroeconomics mid-term ...probably Wednesday

How does your week look, anything fun planned?

Day 51

Longing for a Lazy Saturday

2011-02-19T21:15:00.000-06:00

Today I did some very much needed spring cleaning.

Anyone who has mobile children knows that trying to clean while they are awake is pretty useless.

I spent all morning working on Avrah's room and the big boys worked on their room, but while we were doing that, Avrah and the babies were wrecking the rest of the house.

At one point they someone got a hold of a blue sharpie marker.

Does anyone know how to get blue sharpie off of a toddler?

They decided to draw on each other...

and on my desk.

Day 50

(play)Date With (girl)Friends

2011-02-18T19:01:00.000-06:00

Today I took the babies to play with their girlfriends.

Maya, Camille, Hosea, Micah

It has been way too long since they have seen each other.

These girls are also Identical twins (as if you couldn't tell by looking) and they are two weeks older than my boys.

Their momma and I decided we were going to go ahead and arrange their marriage, because wouldn't it be cool to have ID twins marry ID twins.

The only question is who goes with who?

Hosea and Camille have similar personalities (and now scars on/above their eye) and Micah and Maya have similar personalities.

However we can't decide if we should put the two that are alike together or match them with the twin that is like their own twin (since they will have been used to that personality their whole life).

Which would you choose?

***Now of course we aren't being serious, it is just fun to think about. But they would have a really cool story to tell if it actually happened.

Day 49

Winner!

2011-02-18T08:02:00.001-06:00

And The Winner IS...

Congratulations Thomas !!!

and if you did not win, no need to worry, you can still go to

Jenster76designs

and order your own pair, because these cuties are only $17!

So get over there and buy a pair.

I know I will.

**Winner..please send me a message with your contact info so we can get these to you!

{Embrace the Camera}

2011-02-17T08:46:00.000-06:00

{Embracing Hosea}

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend a little one-on-one time with my Hosea

He fell at school and hit his head on the corner of a toy box

The bleeding stopped pretty quickly but as you can see by the picture medical attention was needed.

So I took Avrah to her school and Micah to my VBF to watch.

He really was in a very good mood so I took advantage of the situation

not loving this picture of me, but I LOVE his face

watching Wall-E in the waiting room.

All stitched up and ready to go

Join the {embrace} and go link up with Emily here.

OOH and ONE MORE DAY TO ENTER THE V-DAY GIVE AWAY!

Day 48

What SHE Wore Wednesday {V-Week Edition}

2011-02-16T16:41:00.000-06:00

<3 Valentine's Week Edition <3

After being out of school for two weeks, and then going back to school on V-day, we weren't sure when the school parties would be held. So Avrah wore her pretty new V-day dress on Monday. But at one school her party was today and at the other they pushed it till Friday. While the older boys had their parties on Monday.

On to today.

Purple Xhilaration ruffle dress and cream with pink polk-a-dots leggings

both from Target

paired with pink and grey XOXO's socks and her black and pink Pumas

and what outfit would be complete without hair accessories.

Pink bow AND her "heart lady bug" headband (also from Target)

You still have time if you haven't entered the GIVEAWAY go now and enter it.

and if you want to join me in W.S.W.W. then make sure to put your blog link in my comments so I can come see what your Cutie wore today.

Day 47

Two Things Tuesday

2011-02-15T18:50:00.000-06:00

I had a Dr.’s appointment last month because I have this weird lump on the side of my hand and also all my joints had been hurting. I had diagnosed myself with rheumatoid arthritis. But after going to the actual Dr. instead of Dr. Google, and after having blood work and X-rays I now have the results of what is actually wrong with me.

2 Things that aren’t right.

1. My blood work came back and my TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) levels were high which meant that my thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones. In other words I have hypothyroidism, and not rheumatoid arthritis. I have made friends with a tiny little pill and it has made a world of difference, I’ve been taking it now for a little over 2 weeks and almost all of my symptoms (plus some I didn’t even know I had) are gone.

2. This thing on my hand

Here are my x-rays, in case you aren’t a radiologist I’ll tell you what that thing is.

It is an osteochondroma which basically is a developmental abnormality of bone. I go to see a orthopedic specialist tomorrow and should have more information. But this usually something that doesn’t cause much concern.

This one doesn't show anything, just thought it was cool

I love looking at X-rays that is why I posted them for you to look at too.

I wonder what *Bones* could tell about me by looking at these.

What are your two things?

OH AND DON'T FORGET TO GO HERE AND ENTER FOR THE GIVEAWAY ON FRIDAY

I found this on my doorstep after Avrah had been playing out there this afternoon.

Day 46

It is either a very small snowman or a very large snowman's poo.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:02:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day

as my gift to you

I am hosting a giveaway.

Aren't these the cutest slippers?

My friend Jenny makes these and other cute things and sells them on her Etsy site

Jenster76 designs

She has generously offered this pair from her Happy Hearts collection.

All you have to do to enter is to leave me a comment

(on my blog)

and tell me what is your favorite thing on Jenny's Etsy site

tell me what was your favorite Valentine's gift you ever received.

**for an extra entry: Follow my blog and then leave me a separate comment telling me that you do. **

I'll be using a random generator to pick the winner on Friday February 18.

Good Luck!

P.O.T.D.

Day 45

A GREAT DAY!

2011-02-13T23:52:00.000-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen today for a very special start to Valentine’s week, I present to you a guest blogger.

Mr. Vargas

Wow what an amazing day.

First I had 25 kids in Children’s church this morning than after church we went to the Wheelock house for a delicious lunch of pasta with meat balls and Italian sausage. After lunch we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and the snow still hanging around from SnOklahoma 2011 and go sledding down the big hill in the backyard after a couple of hours and 9 wet kids and 5 wet adults we called it a day at the Wheelock house. I must tell you that I have been looking forward to today for a while now. My favorite band “LESS THAN JAKE” Came to play at the Marquee tonight and let me tell you they did not disappoint. I haven’t seen them live since the last time they were in OK 4 years ago. It was certainly awesome to be able to go to a show and know every word to every song they played. I was just as excited to have Mrs. Vargas join me at the show too. This was exciting because she generally doesn’t enjoy concerts as much as I do, but I think she had a good time.

All in all we had a wonderful busy day that I won’t forget for a very long time.

I did indeed have a GREAT time. We also went to Fat Guys Burgers for the first time and it also did not disappoint and is highly recommended by both Mr. and Mrs. Vargas.

I have an extra surprise for you tomorrow (February 14th) so make sure you check back, you won’t want to miss it!

Day 44

Lazy Saturday

2011-02-12T21:12:00.000-06:00

Remember when I told you that Judah was turning into a teenager?

Here is another picture proof.

Already hiding from my camera.

and this one thinks he is such a tough guy

POTD

Day 43

Friday

2011-02-12T00:55:00.001-06:00

I just thought that the sky was a really pretty color, and I love that you can see the drops of snow melting off the roof

Day 42

{Embracing} Ayla

2011-02-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

Four weeks ago my new niece Ayla Jewel was born. You can go to her momma's blog and read all about her here

Last week I had the privlidge of meeting her.

So today I am {embracing} Ayla

My sister took these pictures and I love them and I have to admit

I do kind of ROCK! Don't forget to visit Emily's blog and link up

Day 41

What She Wore Wednesday

2011-02-09T15:15:00.000-06:00

Here is what my little princess wore today

skorts and shirt by The Children's Place (a few years old)

Hair bow purchased at Black and Pink Dance Supplies and Gifts

and Tinkerbell house shoes.

Pink heart tights from The Children's Place

What did your lil' cutie wear today?

Day 40

Two Things Tuesday

2011-02-08T23:23:00.000-06:00

My two things today are

two things that you may not know about me.

1. My best friend in the 11th grade was a foreign exchange student from Warsaw Poland. Her name is Kasia. I love her, she is great. She came into my life at a perfect time, when my then best friend (who happens to be my VBF now)had left my school and was fading out of the picture.
I was able to see her today for the first time in about 14 years. It was so nice to catch up with her.

and of course my kids loved her as soon as they warmed up to her.

2. I love peanut butter. I love it most paired with chocolate. Mr. Vargas on the other hand does not. Which means more for me.

What are two things that people may not know about you?

Day 39

A New Ride

2011-02-07T22:04:00.000-06:00

It's days like today that make me wonder if my kids will ever go back to school.
Don't get me wrong, they were all fairly good today, but a week out of school seems a little excessive, and with schools already closed tomorrow and snow expected for Wednesday who knows when they will get to go back. It's bad when they are asking to go back.
We still have a lot of snow on the ground and on the side roads.
Last Wednesday we (and by we, I mean Mr. Vargas) got our van stuck down the road from our house, but not only was it stuck in knee deep snow, the transmission also decided that was a perfect time to go out. So there it sat, smack dab in the middle of the street, until today when the tow truck could get to it and take it to the transmission place.
But here is the real problem the van was our only vehicle that will hold all of us, and since I was going out of town this last weekend Mr. Vargas needed someway of getting the kids around, especially in case of emergency. So my wonderful Mother-in-Law stepped up and offered to let us use her '93 Chevy Caprice wagon. You know the ones with the seat in the very back that faces backwards.
SO a big THANK YOU to Grandma Dian!
The kids love it.
And this is what kind of pictures you get when you try and take a picture in the dark with a flash.

Oh and these guys actually LOVED riding in the very back,

what they did not love was the blinding flash.

Day 38

Super Sunday

2011-02-06T22:52:00.001-06:00

Somehow this was the only picture I took today. Not to worry I'm back home now. Safe and sound with no delays. My kids were in bed when I got home, but I'll get to see them ALL day tomorrow, that's right another snow day!

Day 37

Showers of Love

2011-02-05T17:43:00.000-06:00

After a hellacious day yesterday trying to get to the airport and then trying to get to DC

After a few cancelled flights, and a few delays

This little bug made it all worthwhile

Today was spent celebrating this little life with my sister and a large handful of her friends

Today was her baby shower. What a nice concept of being able to actually hold and love on the baby you are showering with gifts and love.

Without much of an agenda just to hold, squeeze and love on the newest member of the family things are so very peaceful around her.

So refreshing to just be, with the only thing that you “need” to do being to hold a precious little angel

If you'll excuse me I'm going to get back to... doing... ummm... nothing ..

Day 36

2011-02-04T23:52:00.002-06:00

I made it to DC!
Me and Ayla

Day 35

{embrace} the camera ~ Mr. Vargas style

2011-02-03T14:30:00.000-06:00

Today's {embrace the camera} is all about Dad!

Day 34

Since we have been snowed in, Mr. Vargas is enjoying being home with us.

We haven't been able to accomplish much, but we sure have enjoyed spending some time together.

We are staying in our Jammies and maybe getting just a tad bit stir crazy

But we are staying warm with our hearts and our hands full.

You do the same.

Don't forget to go to Emily's blog and link up.. I mean, what else are you doing today?

More of "Where I'm From"

2011-02-02T23:34:00.004-06:00

Some of my family members don't have a blog but they did the "Where I'm From" poem on their Facebook, and I think maybe you might not be able to see them if you aren't friends with them...So I'm taking the liberties of posting them here. I guess if they mind they'll let me know.

My Mom's
I am from an 8 passenger station wagon, from Sears & Robuck and Montgomery Ward catalogues, from everyone always getting everything in his/her own color, mine is blue.

I am from the two story white house with red trimmed windows next to the empty lot where all the neighborhood kids play.

I am from tulips and climbing roses in the front and pruned, staked tomato plants scenting the air all summer in the back yard.

I am from Dad and the boys fixing hamburgers every Saturday, and inde-damn-pendence, from Mas before she was Ma Bell, and Dad before he was Poppo and "Bell" - a chosen name.

I am from always seeking knowledge, wisdom and answers and freely sharing heart, home and family.

I am from family is your foundation and "hunger is the best sauce" meant as a compliment.

I am from Baptis-tempered Catholicism, knowing God is real and really knows me and really loves me.

I am from Chicago and a long line of strong women, from two dozen scrambled eggs, two pounds of bacon and two dozen rolls for Sunday breakfast and tuna sandwiches or fish sticks on Friday.

From two people meeting at a drug store soda fountain late at night and each knowing "he/she's the ONE." From checking the fried chicken leg list to see if it's my turn. From dinner together at 5 o'clock on the dot - no excuses.

I am from Mas' yearly scrapbooks with pictures, cards, awards and newspaper articles in chronological order, and poring over them with laugher with others and then finding time alone to look, feel, remember and reflect the wonders of the love of my family.

My Brother Judah's
I am from stars long dead, from miracle whip and DNA.
I am from the third rock out, spinning, round and blue. Perfect for our life, you evolved too.
I am from sycamore trees with seeds burst on breeze, from jerusalem artichokes every year with new growth.
I am from writing and being right, from Martha and Leah and Friend.
I am from sitting six deep in a love seat, from laughing aloud at books we read.
I am from blue eyes from Jesus, from Santa is a lie(just like the eyes).
I am from archaic fairy tales and rituals, freed of bondage by lines of reason and exposure to verifiable truth.
I am from the Land of Lincoln, native blood, Abraham, and Anglo.
I am from kugel and brownies made with love by grandmother's hands.
I am from planting Pansies with Poppo, from roses planted in a row.
I am from pictures papering the wall up the stairs, from you can look later I don't like to share (these stacks of scrapbooks piled up in the air).

My Brother Tim's
"I Am From"
I am from hand-me-down overalls,
Second-hand tube socks,
And goody-two-shoes that I “can grow into.”
From the country-side Pentecostal Sunday School,
The Red Letter Edition King James Version,
And the pocket-sized New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs.
From the closed mind of self-righteousness,
The charisma of spontaneity,
And the unashamedness of exclusivity.

I am from climbing trees,
Swinging vines,
And walking sticks.
From Lamb’s Quarters green,
Queen Anne’s lace white,
And Native America’s clay red.
From the “Triple Delight” diversity of a rose bush,
The pungent memory of an iris blossom,
And the resilient tenacity of a lizard tail.

I am from putting others first (typically youngest to oldest),
Respecting my elders (while looking down on them),
And waving goodbye to Poppo (in a kid-riddled, rear-facing, station wagon seat).
From proper grammar,
Creative writing,
And Bells that communicate with words that do so much more than ring in your ears.
From impossible standards,
Insane imaginations,
And Friends that love regardless of distance or time away.

I am from the commitment to resourcefulness that border-lines obsessive compulsion in its necessity-driven thriftiness,
The devotion to sincerity that underscores integrity with more than obvious florescence,
And the stubbornness to the ideal that everyone is family whether they realize it yet or not.
From “Jesus is alive,”
“Santa is a lie,”
And a lifetime of evidence contrary to both.
From “Follow your heart,”
“Listen to the Spirit,”
And ignoring the “reason” to do neither.

I am from the right side of the fence,
The East side of eternity,
And the asinine intuition that always sides with the underdog.
From the greener side where hopping is forbidden,
Straddling is vomitus,
And both punishable by eternal damnation.
From 6,000 year old broken covenants,
2,000 year old empty promises,
And 1,000,000 year old history of humans making it up as we go along.

I am from the fundamentalist buckle of the Bible-Belt,
The unbridled spirit of the Ozarks,
And the roaring springs of Pennsylvania.
From hand-picked harvests of Ohio,
Blue-grass horse pastures of Kentucky,
And wind-swept plains of Oklahoma.
From the contagious freedom of California,
The generous hospitality of the South,
And the comforting knowledge that Home isn’t a location.

I am from Tulsa,
By way of Chicago,
By way of Connecticut.
From economic food less about nutrition and more about enrichment,
Meals hand-crafted in love as an excuse for togetherness,
And time invested in family is the fulfillment of life.
From hallways lined top to bottom,
Cabinets crammed in chronological order,
External hard-drives at capacity,
And too many tangles of websites –
All overflowing with frozen visual descriptions vividly painting the story of where I am from.

My Cousin Sue's
I am from the big wooden swing-set in the back yard, fifteen feet tall and made by Ruth's father, from ice skates and year-round outdoor rambles, from oatmeal and toast at seven a.m.

I am from the burgundy-painted log cabin, from fresh cold rainwater heated on a woodstove, from ancient couches and overflowing bookshelves, from many short-lived tiny tortoises and one fluffy yellow cat.

I am from endless dusty gravel roads, open blue skies, evergreen trees marching rank on rank from a human outpost into the further wilderness.

I am from a white father singing black gospel songs to his babies, from teaching toddlers to walk and leaving the dishes in the sink another night to read a good book, from an artistic mother and a mystical father, from a music engraver and a school principal, and a pair of writers in Oklahoma sending Christmas presents a thousand miles away; from Grandma Kate and Grandma Val, and Maw-Maw Helen's ladybug necklace.

I am from Handel's Messiah played year-round, from self-education and trying never to speak Christianese when plain English would do; from red hair and myopia and apparently a great tendency towards queerness.

From "Next to God, your mother is the dearest and best part of my soul"; from always room for another plate at the table, always space for another person in the car.

I am from nearly every Psalm set to music, often to several different tunes. From a mandolin strumming children to sleep at night, from cassette-tape-recordings, from dinner for thirty eighteen meals a week. I am from Thanksgiving celebrated any time between September and December 24, from raspberries and new carrots and chasing cows back into their pasture.

I'm from the true north strong and free, a deeply Canadian child of American immigrants; from visas from several continents discussed at the dinner table; from fresh-baked bread and homemade okonomi-yaki.

From "My goodness, it's about time!" when he finally proposed, from tales of growing up in exotic Canton, OH; from Jesuit seminary and travelling the United States as a hippie and "meeting Jesus" at a rock concert in California. From Uncle Tim's oxen and Uncle Paul's knifemaking; from Aunt Barbara marrying in a blue dress and how many degrees by marriage between us and the Basalygas.

I am from renting a videocassette recorder to capture the children for far-away grandparents; from rediscovered pictures of the North Farm posted to Facebook; from mementos from Japan saved carefully in boxes for twenty-five years; from my mother's wedding quilt, first slept under in a one-room cabin in Ontario, now loved in a city of 300,000 far to the west.

You should be able to see these on their blogs.

My Cousin Liz's

http://lizsarno.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/where-i-am-from/

My Cousin Tami's

http://organichomeschooling.blogspot.com/2011/02/where-im-from.html

My Friend Amy's
I am from creeks and springs bubbling up from the deep, diving down to feel the source of life. I'm from air thick and full of impending storms.

I am from hot red clay, the green wooded paths that lead to nowhere and cool dark caves, in which to hide.

I am from the land of honeysuckle and fireflies, from gardens rich and earth full of colors, from weeping cherry and dogwood trees, from ponds lined with watercress.

I am from the land of miracles and hallelujahs, dancing and incantations..and silent tears. I'm from a house built of broken wood.

I am from music pounded out to the creaking metronome, fields where stories bubble up to listening ears, journals of pain written on other people's prayers.

I am from Margaret and Maxine and railroad tracks..I'm from the reservation of broken lives and fires lit by dying hopes.

I am from a little red wagon pulled door-to-door, and being sold a bill of goods.

I am from Jesus loves the world we will hide you from.

I am from the plains of Oklahoma, the trail of tears to Arkansas, the Pennsylvania air chilling my bones..the spring of Kentucky..the healing winters of Minnesota..the deep open oceans of California. The painful memories that dropped away across the miles, boys in tow.

I'm from biscuits and gravy, cornbread and beans.

I'm from the deep blue of her eyes stilled forever, clawing my way up from the chasm of pain, to find my family waiting all along..I'm from gazing into deep brown eyes, strapping him to my chest, and flying across of oceans of hurt, and never letting go.

I'm from cupboards so full of memories, they will never close..wires of love tangled..in and out..across space and time.

I'm from the bleachers, cups of coffee steaming in the cold air, plays made and cheering them on in the game of life.

I'm from the ocean's pathway..running it's edge..marking the miles..to forever.

My friend Jen's

http://thetoddlerwhisperer.blogspot.com/

My Cousin Rose's
I am from silverware that never matches, from paperback books that never collect dust and safety pins that never run out.

I am from a string of little houses, each one the one before, crowded but affectionate, spilling over with the taste of laughter and the sound of freshly-baked bread.

I am from freezing cold and blanketing snow, from raspberry brambles and dandelions and finding the first pussy-willow in the spring.

I am from Japanese prayer songs and the mismatched sock drawer, from glasses and grammar skills and everyone else's red hair, from a statistically disproportionate amount of homosexual tendencies, from the precious oddity of an unbroken family.

I am from second-hand Christmases and birthdays we can't afford, but have anyway.

I am from the knowledge that I can always go home.

I am from stacks of theology books on stacks of philosophy books on stacks of sacred texts from every faith, with a Bible on top. I am from spiritual cocaine, from alien tongues, from hysterical exorcisms, from abstinence-only sex education. I am from inviting the Mormons in for tea and talking points.

I am from standard whitebread European stock eating homemade sushi and singing Russian folk songs.

I am from handmade hand-me-downs frosted with cat hair and stitched together with unconditional love.

I am from three sparse photo albums spanning eight lives, because we were all too busy living them to take pictures.

I am from finding the ice cream behind the couch and the remote control in the freezer.

I am from Dr Seuss and Dr Demento, from John Stuart Mill and Jon Stewart, from e.e. cummings and A.A. Milne.

I am from creating first, learning second, and judging last.

I am from never turning away a hungry stranger.

I am lucky.