Who Is That?

Heard over the weekend while the older three boys watched TV and a showgirl appeared on the screen (via an old Tom & Jerry cartoon)...

Ryder:  Who is that?

Garrett:  Sleeping Beauty, I think (as he rolls his eyes). 

I live in a house of all boys, indeed!

Wordless Wednesday...My Blessings

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011 was loaded with treats and one nasty trick.  The older three boys each enjoyed their respective class parties full of games, prizes, treats, and for the older two a fun costume parade.  Our carved pumpkins turned out fantastic.  The boys and I went to town scooping pumpkin poop and Eric rocked the carving knife (again).  Each boy had a clear vision for their pumpkin and it was brought to life by Eric.  I wish I could share our pumpkins with you.  Truly I do.  Alas, the nasty trick we (ahem, I) encountered was one of Ryder throwing a tantrum.  Arms were swinging.  Feet were stomping.  As for my camera, it was injured in said tantrum.  On Halloween night.  With flailing arms, our three year old knocked my camera out of my hands and onto the concrete.  I wanted to puke.  As a result, my camera is not functioning properly.  Halloween night it barely functioned at all and I have a mere handful of photos from that night.  Moving on....

The man himself...Buzz Lightyear (aka Ryder).  As soon as we began discussing costumes, Ryder was certain he wanted to be Buzz.  He talked about it (endlessly) for weeks.  Quite honestly, he owned the sidewalk the night of Halloween.  There was a pep in his step and a wing span that warned others to stay away.  The following morning as I inspected his costume for stains, rips, and other wear and tear I smiled.  The evidence was all there.  It was obvious Ryder had embraced his inner Buzz and had a great time in the process!

Hudson...oh, sweet Hudson!  On Halloween night he became the third Lindsay boy to sport this lion costume.  Say it with me...ADORABLE!!!  He had a great time running through the leaves at my grandparents house.  For years, we have always began our night at their house.  Grandma and Papa take great delight in seeing their great-grandchildren in costume and the boys love diving into their candy bowl.  From there we Trick-or-Treat our way home...down the few streets that separate our house from my grandparents.  Hudson longed to run after his brothers, following them from house to house.  Unfortunately, the chaos of Halloween was not going to allow for that and in the stroller he sat.  An unhappy little lion he was!  After 45 minutes, Eric headed home with him and they both enjoyed the hustle and bustle from our porch.  And perhaps a piece of candy or two!

I had a great list of dynamic duos for Parker and Garrett to dress up as for Halloween.  Batman and Robin.  Scooby Doo and Shaggy.  Darth Vader and Alankin Skywalker.  Ghostbuster and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.  They wanted nothing to do with Mommy's ideas!  As they pulled the exact same costume (Clone Trooper) from the shelf of a local costume shop, they set out to fool their family and friends and leave them wondering who is who.  Are you fooled?

Next year I have high hopes of putting together an ensemble of family costumes.  The older two boys are already less than impressed with my idea.  I have a little less than 365 days to convince them otherwise!

Fall Fun at Fleitz Pumpkin Farm

We have been trying to make the most of Eric's time off this fall.  With that in mind we headed to our favorite pumpkin patch after school a couple weeks ago.  It was a windy night, but we still had great fun...pumpkins for all (with some extras to spare) and our very first (ever!!!!) family hayride.  With the older three boys as our guides we (almost) completed a 5 acre maze.  Prior to leaving we enjoyed homemade doughnuts and apple cider.  I captured some great photos along the way....

Happy Fall!!!

Tuesday Talk

• Last Thursday Garrett and his U6 Purple Soccer Team finished up their fall season.  It was a great season full of enthusiastic players, supportive parents, and an awesome head coach (ahem, and a not too shabby assistant coach via yours truly).  I love watching Garrett run up and down the field!  He is an absolute joy to watch and a player who has come into his own over the last two seasons.     

• It is safe to say everyone in the house misses Daddy (or Addy as Hudson calls him).  The nuclear power plant he works at is shut down for scheduled maintenance.  This translates into many hours spent at work for Daddy.  As an adult I can admit his schedule could be worse (as it has been in past outages); however, the boys are not able to see it that way. 
• This past weekend marked six months since the death of my dear friend and her children.  There is not a day that passes that I do not think of them and feel an overwhelming range of emotions.  As we head into the holidays, I ask that you please pray for the families and friends of these lost loved ones.  This Thursday evening myself and others will be attending a local Take Back the Night Rally and March to call for an end to domestic violence.  Take Back The Night (TBTN) events are held in communities around the world. This year’s event will focus on educating our youth and their families on the affects that domestic violence has on our community and to let them know that help is available. According to TBTN committee chair Corrine Creeden, “The goal of TBTN is to not only raise awareness about violence against women and domestic violence but to empower women and give voice to their collective experience and help them to reclaim their right to be safe and free from violence. This event is about supporting survivors, remembering victims, and emphasizing that domestic violence has no place in our community.”   Information taken from here. 
• The end of Parker's flag football season will be coming to an end this Saturday as all teams play in a single elimination playoff that leads to the Superbowl game.  He, too, has had a great season showing more confidence and knowledge of the game.  I have learned he is one I cannot encourage, yell, or shout at from the sidelines.  I must admit that is hard for me as a former cheerleader, but my words lead to his eyes wandering to the views of the sideline more often than not.  He has a coach and it's not his mama;)  On a side note, I had to laugh when I uploaded the photo below.  Check out his fingers...  
     

• Many days I wonder what we did BH (before Hudson).  His personality is really developing as he nears closer and closer to age 2 (gasp!!!).  He amazes me with his vocabulary and chatters non-stop.  Recently, he has taken to seeking attention from his oldest brother and loves to make everyone laugh.  He is in great need of a haircut, but I cringe at the thought of cutting his blond curls that reach almost mid-back.  I pulled out two hand me down costumes from the basement for him to sport this Halloween.  He pulled off the frog costume exceptionally well at a Halloween party over the weekend...

• It may take you a moment to recognize the little dude below.  Last week the time (finally) came for Ryder to get an honest to goodness little boy's haircut.  His school photos were quickly approaching and frankly it was time to see his big, brown eyes again.  I had the stylist do a similar cut to that of Parker's and the end result was him looking a lot like Parker at age 3.  Ryder, upon looking in the mirror, following said haircut and styling started to cry.  Wail.  Scream.  His new style is quite the change.  Take a look for yourself....
   

Thursday Talk....

Tomorrow night Eric and I are headed to Cedar Point sans kiddos.  It is our first date night since our anniversary in early May.  Sad, I know...

As if on cue, with said plans in place, Garrett began puking last night at 3am.  I cannot help but wonder who will be the next victim of this "back to school" bug; therefore, putting a damper on our plans.

Three weeks into school and Garrett is upset that teachers accidentally refer to him
as Parker from time to time.  I see this being a trend over the years. 

Labor Day weekend brought us our last camping trip of the 2011 season.  I will go on
record as saying that the purchase of a camper has been one of our best purchases.  Hands down.

This weekend brings us Parker's first football game and Garrett's first soccer game
of the fall season.  Go Bears!  Go Purple U6!

Hudson is currently sporting an upper busted lip.  And a lower busted lip.
Two separate incidents.  The youngest of four, he is fearless!

We have less than a month before an outage begins at the power plant.
  So long Daddy as you take on 72 hour work weeks.  We will miss you!

We need to build upon Ryder's mad love with swimming.
Dude has some skills in the water!

I played with some of my new scrappy supplies today.
It felt great to create!

Getting Groovy

We are busily checking items off our Summer To-Do List!  This summer, as a family, we are embracing our need to simply LIVE and be together.  Cleaning, home improvement projects, serious cooking, and blogging have all been placed on the back burner.  We are swimming, game playing, bike riding, ice cream eating, and park going crazies.  Last weekend, with Eric working 5 nights of 12's (cringe), the boys and I happily marked Tie Dye T-shirts off our list.  It was a super fun and messy project we tackled outside.  The end result...check 'em out yourself!

Parker opted for a swirl effect on his shirt...the boys each chose their

desired design, I helped with the rubber bands, and then they

had free reign with the dying process!

Garrett opted for the swirl effect as well, with his center being off center

and lots of green!

Ryder pointed to the bulls eye effect and fully embraced the dying process...holy

puddles of dye!

Hudson put his chubby finger on the sunburst effect...for obvious reasons

he had quite a bit of help when it came time to dye his shirt; however,

his finger prints and hand prints are seen throughout!

 

My groovy gang....

Hello, reality...

We will definitely be repeating this tie dye project in the future.  However, we will allow our shirts to sit longer to achieve darker colors.  After 6 hours the boys were more than ready to see what the end result was!

Breaking It Down...Mother's Day

12:15am  I am wrapping up my fifth phone conversation with my own Mom of the day.

3:00am  Middle of the night feeding with Hudson.

4:00am  Early morning wake up with both Ryder and Hudson (clearly they missed the memo that Mommy should get to sleep in on Mother's Day)! 

6:30am  I began to clean up a broken light bulb compliments of Garrett (thankful for no injuries).

6:50am  Eric is home from work and tells me to go lay down till 8am.

8:12am  Before Eric heads to bed himself, 4 of my "boys" (Hudson is back asleep) present me with doughnuts, handmade treasures from school, a HYSTERICAL card that produced a hearty laugh from me, red roses, and a super cute tumbler adorned with colorful pictures and words from the special little dudes in my life.

9:25am  The older three boys and myself make our way into the front yard while sporting our jammies...they ride bikes & scooters while I sip my coffee.

9:50am I hear Hudson on the monitor and drag another little boy outside as well...I am pretty certain an entire bag of Goldfish crackers is consumed during a game of Orange Light/Wheelie (don't ask).

10:25am  I bribe my kiddos with doughnuts to come inside so that I may make Spaghetti for lunch.  As I cook, Parker and I work on Reading activities that will earn him an entrance into the Right to Read Week Carnival the following day.  I draw no less than 12 faces on brown paper bag puppets for Ryder.  Crayons and bits of brown paper find their way into Hudson's mouth.  I continually remind Garrett to lower his voice as Daddy is sleeping. 

11:30am  Via text messages my Sister-in-Law and I arrange for an impromptu Mother's Day BBQ that evening.

11:35am Lunch is served...Ryder EATS!!!  I declare it an awesome day!

11:45am  While we continue to eat, Garrett reminds me that Aunt Dawn and her babies are celebrating Mother's Day in heaven.  Parker comments he wishes he could hug Aunt Dawn's mommy today as he is sure it is a sad for her.  I agree and find myself thinking how BIG their hearts are.  Whew...I am doing something right!

12:15pm  Naps for Ryder and Hudson.  I break my own rule of no laundry on Mother's Day and throw in a load of towels.  The older two boys are now properly clothed and back outside riding bikes.  Their laughter brings a smile to my face.

12:50pm  Time to clean up the disaster from lunch, make a few phone calls, shower, and put together a few dishes for tonight's gathering.  I kick myself for not getting to the greenhouse yesterday (as planned) for Mother's Day gifts.  The afternoon rain got the best of me and my spirits.  I am certain the special Moms in our lives will understand and gladly accept their gifts later this week.

2:15pm  I apply another coat of spray paint to a project I am working on for Ryder's birthday party next week.  Three years ago we hosted a Mother's Day BBQ the day before we welcomed Ryder into the world.  I am reminded of our spread that day and my mouth begins to water for grilled cabbage.  Hmmmmm....


2:30pm  I break my laundry rule (again) and put another load of laundry into the washer upon putting the towels in the dryer.  I spot Hudson hiding in the corner, pooping in his diaper, and laugh.

2:50pm  I glance out my front window and spot a neighboring mom.  While sitting in a lawn chair she reads a book.  Her husband is mowing the lawn and her two daughters work busily in the yard as well.  She looks relaxed.  I briefly wonder if a future Mother's Day will provide a similar scenario for myself (sans daughters and insert four boys).  I catch a glimpse of Hudson as he flies by me.  Crusty nose.  Drool covered shirt.  Minus one sock.  Mess of blond curls atop his head.  Relaxation?  No thanks.  I will take two more of him please!

3:00pm  Confession time...that shower I talked of earlier?  Didn't happen.  I quickly hop in...with my two bitties in tow (at times a necessity in this house for safety purposes).  I lather and rinse.  Hudson splashes.  Ryder pretends to put out a fire with the shower hose.  I am questioned by my almost three year old where my pee pee is.  Three sons down to ask that question at age 2'ish...one more to go!

3:17pm  Snack time for all!  The older three boys nosh on string cheese.  Hudson and I share a Fiber One yogurt while sitting on the crumb filled kitchen floor.

****Insert mad dash to get myself and four kids ready, diaper bag packed, and stroller loaded...it is not pretty, folks!****

4:02pm  My four boys and I make our way to my brother's house via foot, bikes, and an overflowing double stroller.  One of us is sporting flip flops that are closer in appearance to slippers (ahem, mama needs flip flops...mental note).  I notice Ryder's shoes are on the wrong feet.  As we make our way down the street we are a cross between a small parade and traveling circus.  Regardless, the sun is shining, we are healthy, and off to see loved ones.  For that I am forever thankful.  We literally stop traffic (twice) with a new, independent, determined, and on the slower side bike rider.

4:19pm  We (safely) arrive at my brother and sister-in-laws.  We, the adults, talk, laugh, and BBQ.  The kiddos ride their bikes 'round and 'round. 

6:10pm  Following dinner, my mom, her husband, Ryder, and I head to the cemetery.  The rest of my clan stays behind with my family.  I place a purple metal flower at my friend's grave site to honor her this Mother's Day.  With Ryder's help, I place one blue and one green pinwheel at the site for each of her sons.  After a small debate, Ryder (reluctantly) agrees to place a pink pinwheel into the ground on her daughter's behalf.  As I stand up, tears flowing down my cheeks, I am reminded that our friendship has changed.  Our dinners out are a thing of the past.  There are no more shopping trips.  Our phone calls and texts back and forth have abruptly ended.  Our friendship has taken on a new meaning.  There are trips to the cemetery, fundraisers to take part in, endless tears, and the fondest of memories.  I know she and her children are in a glorious place, but selfishly I want them back here on earth.

6:45pm  We make our way back to our family gathering.  Hudson is in my sister-in-law's arms, tears streaming down his face.  He was not happy mama left.  After a quick feeding, snuggle, and dessert he appears happy again.

7:13pm  My crew and I make our way home.  My mom offers to help me out by taking Ryder with her on her visit to Grandma Mary's.  It's a no go...he wants to ride his bike home like his older brothers.

7:24 pm  We are less than a block from home and Ryder declares he wants Mimi.  He refuses to budge and kicks his legs wildly as I pick him up.  I am spent; therefore, I cave.  I place a quick call to Mimi who promises to be there shortly.  We stand on the street corner waiting for back up.  Within minutes, Mimi arrives and Ryder's world has been righted.

7:38pm  The older two boys, Hudson, and myself arrive at home.  I decide to forgo baths for the night and let the older boys know they can shower in the morning prior to school.  I wrestle with my overly tired 14 month old to get cleaned up, diaper changed, and PJ's on.  Soon thereafter, he is fast asleep in his crib.

7:51pm  Mimi drops off Ryder (after he cried for Mommy at Grandma Mary's...noticing a pattern).  While we stand in the kitchen, a chaotic fight amongst my older three boys erupts over a new set of plastic golf clubs. 

8:22pm  After our bedtime routine of stories, songs, kisses, and hugs; I tuck the last of my three boys into bed for the night.

8:27pm  I attempt to regain control of my house...dishes are done, towels are folded, my second load of laundry is switched over to the dryer, the bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and living room floors are swept.  I carry the trash out and hang a new hand towel in the bathroom.  Book bags and school clothes are at the ready for the following morning.

9:12pm  I make my way to my room to change into my pj's.  As I remove my bra, two Sweetheart candies fall from it.  At first, I am baffled; however, I quickly remember the exploding bag of candy I had opened earlier in the evening for the boys.  I have to laugh...

9:25pm  With my bootie planted on the couch, feet up, and laptop nestled atop my lap I hear nothing.  Silence.  I am beyond blessed for the four beautiful, sleeping boys that are snuggled in their beds.  While I welcome the calm the late night hours bring and I am reminded how I LIVE for the chaos that is sure to follow in the morning.   

Thoughts...

• First, let me extend a sincere thank you for your prayers, kind words, cards, and flowers during the recent tragedy that took the lives of my dear friend and her three young children.  In time, I hope I can find it within myself to focus more on the memories we shared versus the tragedy itself.  In the meantime, I will continue to work through a wide range of emotions.
• Speaking of prayers, thank you for all those said on behalf of Hudson as well.  For those of you who do not know via Facebook, we proceeded as planned with Hudson's surgery on the 18th.  The staff quickly fell in love with him and his sweet disposition.  He did remarkably well and is healing quite rapidly.  

 

...all smiles despite a very early wake up call and empty belly before being taken to the OR
• Earlier this week, I wrote out our May calender.  Eric pointed out that May 11th was our lone day with no scheduled plans (I am certain that will change).  It is going to be a crazy month full of Garrett's remaining soccer games, Parker's final football games, Ryder's 3rd Birthday, Garrett's Preschool Graduation, Field Day, 1st Grade Trip to the Zoo (Mama is chaperoning), Carnival Day, Eric and I's anniversary, dentist appointments, BBQ's, and the beginning of T-Ball practices.
• Speaking of T-Ball...guess who is Parker and Garrett's coach?  Yours truly.  The league caught me at a really weak moment when they called and asked.  I have never played T-ball.  Or baseball.  Or softball.  Well, outside of backyard play.  As a former Cheerleader I can be rather enthusiastic.  That has to count for something.  Right?!  Go Little Sluggers!
• I am sure many of you can relate, but I have a ton of ideas/projects that are calling out to me.  However, I have so very little time.  The completion of our Kitchen (in terms of decor) is dragging on more than I would care to admit.  I have a few ideas in the works using some wire fence and yarn, but not for the same projects.  Stay tuned!  Here is a quick before and after of one wall in the kitchen...

Before...as I have mentioned the kitchen was the first room we painted upon moving in almost
8 years ago.  I had an endless amount of apple decor and ran with it.  After 8 years, it was time
for a change!

After...covering up the Ruby Red Lipstick color with white was quite the task!!!  I am finding
the white and blue so cheerful, airy, and clean.  The pop of yellow...love it!  You can download your own
"I Love Us" print here.  The little pot of wheat grass I grew myself.  That stuff grows quick!!!  I wish I had
planted the seeds a little further down in the pot as to not have as much white showing.  Live and learn!

  Have a great weekend!!!

Just For Fun!

A look back at our four boys at the same age...

Parker

Garrett

Ryder

Hudson

As I look at these photos, it is clear (to me) that these boys are all boys.  Yet, they each have their own look.  A pretty darn cute (eh', handsome) look at that!

Thursday Thoughts

• Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Before bed last night, the older boys reminded that little Leprechauns caused chaos in our house last year.  They were certain they would be back again this year.  Sure thing...they came!  I should have warned Eric of the chaos as he came home from work early this morning and was alarmed by the state of our house.  Upon seeing a shoe hanging from our Dining Room chandelier he was clued into what was going on!
• Monday was my 32nd birthday.  32 years old!  Eric and I spent the morning at the dentist getting our teeth cleaned.  I also got fitted for my whitening trays (yea!).  While the older two boys were at school and we had sitters (yes, plural) for the bitties we took advantage of our time alone and headed out for an early lunch.  It was nice to enjoy a cocktail at 11am on a weekday.  From there, we headed to the jewelers where I picked out a gorgeous diamond bracelet.  Thank you, honey for the extra bling!
• My shopping trip last week was a BLAST!!!  Between driving, shopping, and dining out it was a fun filled 12 hours.  We spent almost 5 hours in Ikea (is that a record?!).  My motto that day was "If you don't love it...don't get it!".  Unfortunately for the pocket book, I loved a lot (though, I still managed to stay under my budget).  I passed on the nightstands for the boys (did not LOVE 'em); however, I could not be more pleased with our dining room chairs and my new bookcase.  I picked up some great items for our upcoming Kitchen re-model as well.  I am already at work saving for our next trip...
• I registered Garrett for Kindergarten screening this morning.  He is beyond eager to attend the same school as Parker next year. Speaking of Garrett, he told one of his preschool teachers that he loved her yesterday.  It made her day.  It made my heart swell with pride as he is so raw with his feelings!
• I recently listed a few items on Craigslist.  Last night, I received two phone calls for one of the items between 11pm and Midnight.  For Pete's sake!  I was taught not to call anyone (outside of family) after 9pm.  
• Last Friday, we (finally) took Parker and his buddies (plus a couple of brothers) bowling for his 7th birthday.  8 little boys.  Honestly, it could not have went better!  They were so well behaved.  The highlight of the night was Parker thanking and hugging Eric and I (without any prompting) while we were bowling.  It was one of those moments when I felt like we were doing something right as parents.  
• Our temps are going to be in the 60's today.  Can I get an Amen?!!!!  I cannot wait to take my entire crew out for a walk after school this afternoon.
• Hudson turned one year old almost a month ago and I have yet to take his one year photos.  If his nose is no longer crusted over (yes, he is sick...again) I plan to take them this weekend.  Fingers crossed!
• Ryder's hair is growing back out.  Thank goodness!  We had it cut shorter than normal last time.  I am fairly certain there are no two parents on this earth who fret and fuss over the hair of four boys more than Eric and I.  All those in favor of bringing back Ryder's shaggy look raise their hands.  Do you see Eric and I frantically jumping about waving our hands?

      Here is to wishing we could all find the Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow today!

Waving My White Flag

Somewhere...

...there is a law about the Lindsay Boys.

It may be unspoken.

It may go unwritten.

BUT, if it was written...

it would go a 'lil something like this.

Ahem...

We, the cosmic forces of the universe,

do hear by decree that the Lindsay Boys may

ONLY be plagued with sickness

when their daddy is scheduled to work nights.

~The Not So Nice Powers That Be~

Eric is working nights this week.  As if on cue, two of the boys are sick.  Someone is ALWAYS sick when Eric is working nights.  Parker is missing day two of school this week.  A fever, body aches, chills, and cold have overtaken his body.  Around 11pm last night, as I prepared myself for bed, Ryder made his way down the stairs.  With pillow and beloved Gunkey in hand, he began sobbing.  Within seconds, pillow and Gunkey were covered in vomit.  Merely minutes later, the dining room floor was hit with a splat.  Soon, the bathroom floor fell victim to Ryder's stomach contents as well.  As for Mama, I am not feeling too hot either.

   

**Image borrowed from the land of Google**

This is me, white flag in hand...with a can of Lysol in the other.  I surrender.  Please, I beg of you.  Do not take any additional hostages. 

(Not So Wordless) Wednesday

This photo CLEARLY shows the true Ryder...off in his own little world doing his own thing.

God love him!

Friday Random Fun...

• I am currently making birthday decorations for three different parties.  Seriously.  Who does that?  Me.  The mama who has three children all born within 6 weeks of each other!  I am seeing Mario, Legos, and Sock Monkeys in my sleep!  Any guesses which theme belongs to which child?!!
• One of the gifts Eric bestowed upon me at Christmas was signing us up for a 5k race in April.  No, I did not slap him.  It is something we have been discussing for quite some time.  There is more to the story (perhaps another post for another time).  I started training this week.  Whose idea was this again?!!!  Surely not mine.  Fingers crossed I re-discover the love I had for running back in high school and the few years following.
• Parker has his second sleepover this weekend with a friend from school.  When did my baby go off and get all big on us?  *Sigh*
• Last week we made our summer reservations for Silver Lake.  We first went as a family in 2009 and had a kick bootie time!  We have opted to extend our stay this year and the older boys are super duper psyched! 
• Earlier this week, while feeding Hudson Gerber's Broccoli & Carrots with Cheese, I was reminded how AWFUL it smells.  It smelled worse coming back up.  Hudson seemed to enjoy it, though.  The eating, not the puking (you know, just in case you were wondering).
• The older two boys have their first wrestling meet next week.  Eeeek!
• Ryder is getting back into the groove of playing with his toys.  You know, really playing.  For the longest time he spent the majority of his day simply getting into things and causing chaos. 
• Last night, as Garrett was undressing to get in the tub I noticed he had his pants on backwards.  He had sported them all day as such...even to school.  Ooops! 

Happy Friday!  Have a fantastic weekend, bloggers!

Today is my nephew, Breydan's birthday!  Happy 3rd Birthday, BB!

We are looking forward to bowling with you tonight to celebrate!

Sunday is Garrett's 5th Birthday Bash...lots to do! 

Thank You For The Memories, Christmas 2010

Whew...and Christmas is over.  We put so much time, effort, and prepping into one day (or a few days of celebrating) and POOF in a flash it is behind us!  Our Christmas Eve and Christmas was full of chaos, craziness, and cute kiddos in matching outfits...

The boys and I survived Christmas morning minus Daddy, but all agree next year will be much more enjoyable with him home!  The boys were allowed to open their stockings and two gifts on Christmas morning.  The remaining presents sat under the tree (taunting them) until Daddy returned home from work.  There were cheers all around when he walked in the back door!  Together, we sat down to open gifts.  Christmas carols were playing, children were smiling, and mid-opening gifts THE TREE FELL DOWN ON MOMMY!  It was a classic America's Funniest Home Videos moment!  Christmas 2010 shall be one we never forget.

I have started taking down our Christmas decor and slowly we are returning our home to normal conditions (with a lot more stuff).  The boys are more than happy with the gifts they have received from us, Santa, Grandparents, and cousins galore.  Santa was pretty good to Mommy and Daddy as well (thank you for my laptop!).

Our next few days will include one final Christmas gathering and the excitement of Garrett's 5th Birthday!  We will ring in 2011 in just days...WOWZERS!  Eric and I have a babysitter (thanks Mammy!) on New Years Eve for the first time in years.  We are looking forward to dinner out with friends at a local Hibachi grill.  What about you readers?  Any plans to ring in the NEW YEAR? 

Wish Lists 2010

Parker wishes for...

A New Bike

Lego City Set

Razor Scooter

Bakugans

Garrett Wishes For...

A New Bike

A Razor Scooter

Lego City Set

Toy Dirt Bike

Ryder Wishes For...

A Meatball (AKA A Speedboat)

Buzz Atyear (AKA Buzz Lightyear)

Toy Car

Scooter

Hudson Wishes For (With Some Help From Mommy)...

Toy Piano

Ride On Toy

Ball

Choo Choo Train

Dear Santa,

I have a special wish all of my own.  If you could do your part

to ensure the Lindsay Boys are feeling better by Christmas that would

be swell!

Sincerely,

A Very Desperate, Pleading, and Exhausted Mama in Ohio

Some Of My Favorites...

As promised, here are a couple of favorites of each boy from the recent photo shoot I did with the boys...

Handsome little devils they are!!! 

Trick-or-Treat 2010

Northwest Ohio was chilly the night of TOT'ing!  Our saving grace was no wind!  I am pretty happy that between our Halloween Party, our night at Maumee Bay, school parties, and Halloween itself our boys got major use out of their costumes!  Ryder's lion costume was a hand me down from Garrett...woohoo for a bit of savings!

Garrett as Mario...can you tell he feels awkward with the big white gloves on?!  He had a blast TOT'ing and gave a hearty "hello" to EVERY other Mario he saw.  It was pretty funny!

I am lion....hear me ROOOOAAAR!  Goodness sakes...these two little ones of ours are too cute!  Hudson sported his costume long enough for a few photos.  While we took the the three older boys out he got loved on by Mammy, Grandma, and Papa.  

Parker as Luigi...notice his jack o' lantern missing the same two teeth he is?! 

All of our jack o' lanterns lit up.  My in-laws passed out candy from our house.  According to them we received a lot of nice compliments on them.  We were busy carving the day of Halloween.  Dare I say, a lot of things this fall happened to take place at the last minute.