The Girl Thing!

So we're gearing up for Amanda and Ashley's dance competition this weekend. Sewing straps, organizing make up. It's just so girly. I love it. I don't know why but I just get so excited. It gives me so much joy to watch my girls dance. It must have something to do with the "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." thing, because it brings peace to my soul. Hopefully I can get the video of Amanda's solo dress rehearsal to upload so you can enjoy it too. I think she did AWESOME! Pictures will follow after the competition. Wish them good luck! The video must be too long or something. Anyone know any tricks?

I love the girl thing! We went to see sleeping beauty , the ballet at the college! We had a blast, just me and the girls.

Fun at the Lodge! The Great WOLF Lodge!

Austin enjoying the fountains!

The Lodge from the top of a Tower!

Giant Bucket that dumps a ton of water every 10 minutes!

Girls getting Dumped On!

Daddy underwater!

Evan and Austin in the Wave pool!

Taking a breather from running through the hotel finding treasures!

A puckered Ashley enjoying her sweets of course.

Mommy and Austin! My favorite spot in the Hot Tub!

Interactive MagiQuest you can play through the halls of the Hotel. Very Cool.

Evan yelling from one of the climbing towers.

Ashley's so brave! She did it! All the slides!

Amanda and Evan racing down the body slides!

This is for you Uncle Mitch! For the Tressler family foot fetish!

All the family sitting on a floating otter in the middle of the swimming pool. Yes, we forced a screaming, terrified Austin on to the otter...I'm sure he will need therapy someday. The things we do to our children for a good photo opp.

Amanda coming out one of the huge Water slides. She has no fear. Ashley and Evan were brave this year as well. Mommy even likes the water slides...when Austin allows her to.

Evan and some random people under water!

Dustin won Rep of the year for his district last year and his prize was a 2 night stay in a hotel of his choice and 2 meals on the company dime. NICE! So we picked a place we could have a blast with the kids. We took them to the LODGE...The Great WOLF Lodge. It's this Huge Hotel in the Pocono Mountains with an indoor Water Park. Huge water slides, a wave pool and and climbing...whatsawhosits?...We have been there twice before and could only stay one night but this time got to take our time and just enjoy it. The last time we were there we spent so much time in the water park that we all came out hacking and coughing from being water logged. This time we just took it easy. They also have an interactive MagiQuest where you buy a wand and find treasures to save a fairy and kill a dragon. It's cool and we never let the kids do it before but this time we splurged. It was really nice. Thank you ACURA! We feel very lucky that Dustin works for such a good company.

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

So today the boys are having breakfast and the little boy that I'm watching for the last couple of days say's "Austin just said a bad word." I said "Austin, what happens when we use potty language?" Austin, after thinking for a minute say's in his deep little pensive voice...."...Ummm...

get ate up by the wolf?

I think I've told the story of the boy that cried wolf a few times to many.

What do you think? :

Evan says..."Mom, I'm NOT going to tell you this secret...ok...I'll tell you...I'm going to kiss Anastasia again on my birthday..." He already told me they kissed in the back of the bus last week.

WHAT??????? He's 5 People! Holy Smokes!

What do I do? Do I tell his Mother. If it was my daughter I would want to know. Do I tell the school? Do I ignore it? But I did ask:

"How was it?" Evan said, "It was AWESOME!"

I am in SOOOO much trouble with these little dudes!

My Jonah Day!

Awesome Missionaries! So kind to my kids!

Cute Kids! See! They love each other!

So some Sunday's do you just wonder why you got out of bed, made breakfast, ironed three dress shirts, put on your make up, flat ironed your hair, looked under beds and couches for 4 sets of church shoes that you thought you found the night before, and then wrestled 4 children into the car with the attempt to make it to the church before the sacrament...because you reeeeally need to take it this week? :)

Dustin had a talk today, so after wrestling 4 kids through the meeting alone and feeling like I'm doing pretty dang good for getting through the morning without raising my voice at one single kid, Evan decides that he wants to be the first kid to class so asks if it's the prayer yet. When I say "no, just one more minute bud," he starts getting very impatient to get to his class. I close my eyes for the closing prayer and encourage him to do the same but instead he tries to sneak by me. I whisper "sit down and be reverent" I close my eyes again and the next thing I know he's running by me at lightning speed out of the chapel. I'm a little bit frosted, but I keep my cool and sit through the prayer. I get to his classroom and decide that he needs a time out for not listening. I take him in the chapel where I think it will be private and quiet to talk to him about why it's important to listen to the prayer...and to me. While I'm doing so a women who I'm sure meant nothing by it and has forgotten how hard it is to wrestle misbehaving boys say's "You should go on the Dr. Phill show! He has lot's of good parenting ideas" And..."where do you get your parenting advice from anyway?"

So I'm feeling pretty crappy about now and finish out my Sunday, only to have Austin make a fuss during someone's Testimony where they stop... and wait... paitently... while I take my noisy kid from the room and back to the nursery, where he then slams his finger in a door and cries for the next 1/2 hour. Yeah! It was a fun Sunday!

Reason's why I do this?

Because hopefully I made someone else feel good today even though I felt like a piece of poo!

Because I want my kids to know how important it is to show the Lord they love him.

Because even though one person may have been having an open mouth insert foot moment(which I've had as well from time to time), I learned lessons about and was reminded of Heavenly Father's love for me inspite of my many weaknesses. I would have missed that had I done the easy thing and stayed or gone home.

I'm sure there are more reasons I just can't think of them right now.:) Next Sunday will be better! :)

Wrapping up 2009

Things that make me not mind the cold of winter!

Visits with Family

Christmas Spirit!

Ski Trips with Daddy!
Not me, just him and the kids! ;)

Smart Little boys at the discovery center in Baltimore over Thanksgiving!
Visits to Utah and Idaho to see family and friends!

Awesome Vacations!

Me...Making Christmas Dinner! ;)

I'm so proud!

Look at my cute little Pies! I'm even wearing an apron. Aren't I domestic? HA!

BOY! With every kid I've had, the holidays just get busier and crazier! Yeah, yeah! It's been a while. So right now I'm sitting in front of the pellet stove, the strongest source of heat in my house. I really don't like winter. I wish I could just hibernate; go to sleep all winter, or at least curl up in some warm jammies and a blanket and just read every good book on my list. Dustin likes to keep the house cold. When I ask (whine) if I can turn up the propane he reminds me, "sure, if you wanna pay that gigantic propane bill!" Or he threaten's to buy me feet pajamas...I don't think sooo! Thus, here I sit on my computer in front of the stove reminding myself that the less heat I use the more fun things I can do for my kiddos. So I sit and get warm, change a diaper, sit and get warm, do the dishes, facebook, get warm, change the laundry, oh the laundry...it never ends... Yet it's so worth it...these cute little angel faced kids... when they're sleeping hehe with their warm hugs and laughter make you want to get up and change that millionth load of laundry...well maybe not that. :) But they are so precious! Austin's latest was "I'm going to fork you"...as he stabbed the air in my direction with a fork...little boys...but so fun!


Christmas was Great! We spent it at home and my Mom, Duane, Grandma Marie, and Aunt Dale, Duane's Mom and Sister who came up to visit. I cooked Christmas dinner at my house... and I pretty much rocked at it. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I had my Mom there who is the best cook EVER and also cleaned up behind me cause when I cook, I leave a trail and the kitchen EXPLODES...no seriously... it's a bomb... But it is still cool that I get the credit this year. I never bake, yet I made a raspberry pie and a lemon meriangue pie(sp?) I think I might like baking now. Maybe I'll try it again sometime...Maybe! :)

For New Years Eve, we stayed in a Residence Inn and let the kids have a swim party. They loved it. Me, swimming, winter?...not so much...but I put on a suit and my winter white "Idaho" legs and got in the hot tub.

New Years we spent in Annapolis, which is always a joy to spend time with my Mom and Duane. I love crossing the Bay Bridge and seeing the lights at Sandy Point. The day after we spent with Dustin's family. Our Sis. in-law Diane, and Dustin's Brother Jeff live close by in Severn, MD and are always so gracious to host the Townsend crew's late Chistmas feast and gift exchange, allowing our 8 kids to tear it up... literally, and then send us off into the cold winter's night...thinking...phew...so glad we can send all those kids packin'. lol

THIS is what we spend my heat money on!(And Grandma's) hehehe! Thanks Mom.

This:

And this: SO I'm a bit chilly, but it's sooo worth it! I have happy kids!

Lighthouse in the Storm!

Sunset Over Annapolis!
Sandy Point State Park!
Love this Place.

Leaving our fun excursion into Annapolis!

Lady Friends!The Bestest of them!

I love Lighthouses! I love what they represent: direction and caution, and I love the memories they bring back from when I was young. This is Sandy Shoal Lighthouse! You can see it from Sandy Point State Park. It's One of my favs. It warns boats of a shallow sandy bottomed area of the Bay so boats don't run aground on what they can't see below the surface. It's close to home in Annapolis, so we can see it every time we cross the Bay Bridge on our way home, and I have always had a water color of it hanging in my living room to remind me.

I Can't wait for Thanksgiving so I can go home and soak up Annapolis for a few days.

This is Assateague Lighthouse. There was a lightning and rain storm that was just starting to clear. It's just a tiny little light from this distance, but if you know what you're looking for, it's unmistakable. In it's usefull days it directed boats into the right channel. This lighthouse, built in 1867, is a 142 foot brick tower with two 1000 wat lamps that provide a double flash every five seconds. Each Lighthouse has it's own distinct light sequence.

Here it is on a clear day!

I couldn't sleep this morning so I got up early and started blog hopping. It's neet to meet the friends of others you know and love. You know what really inspires your friends and who inspires them and keeps them uplifted and happy. That's what we are all suppose to do here right? Remind each other every day that we are loved. Loved by each other, and loved by God. I'm greatful for those in my life who have reminded me of this, and have made me feel loved. Forever heart full of gratitude. Heavenly Father sends us angels when we need them, and just maybe, if we are doing what we are supposed to, living our lives in a way that we can listen, we can do the same for others. As I was blog hopping this morning I found a person who had posted this article HERE which reminded me of how we are supposed to Love others so I'm stealing it. Hehehe! All we have to do is look at the creation of this world and it's beauty to feel of God's love for us. That's unmistakeable. But how can we not want to serve him and help others feel loved after all he has given and done for us? I hope I can do this for my family and those that I come in contact with. Maybe since there have been some that have lit the way and brightened life for me I can do the same for others.

THE APPLE! I Have always wanted a new... toilet?

Since I was unable to photograph the apple in the Toilet, I will post yet another disaster we had with Austin...Yeah! The picture says it all...He burned a hole in my carpet while the babysitter was here. We are just Thankfull he didn't burn down the house...and for a resourcefull husband who was able to repair the carpet.

Yep! He's a terrorist!

Austin Playing in the frog pond! Mud...and maybe some Brownie residue on his face and shirt!

Due to requests I am posting about yet ANOTHER Austin disaster.

The boys found some little caterpillars outside as they were walking to school. I Aprehensively let the boys keep them in a tiny little aquarium we aquired at the fair...with some leaves, grass, twigs and... an APPLE. I just couldn't keep Austin from Mauling the poor things to death...but never knew that caterpillars could fight back. That night, the little fuzzy white spotted catterpillar was being loved to death. I tried to save it and Austin got mad and ran the other direction, squeazing it tightly in his little hands. For fear that he was going to kill it, I backed off and let him hold it. Finally, after about 5 minutes he put the the poor creature down saying, " That caterpillar bited my hand!" He wasn't really hurting enough to cry but he kept rubbing his hand on the carpet. I put some bug bite spray on it to make him feel better.

Next morning as I'm getting breakfast, Evan comes downstairs and says, "Mom! There's a lot of water in the toilet. I think Austin flushed the caterpillars." Sure enough, the toilet is clogged...really well I might add. After lots and lots...and lots of plunging those pesky little caterpillars just wouldn't go down. Austin said "That was a mean caterpiwar...it bited me. I fwushed it!" It was then I remembered the Apple, and the twigs... No where to be found...

I now have a brand new shiny toilet! I've soooo been wanting one of those!