Not Again

This morning when I woke up, the first thing I heard was a news cast on the Today show announcing that yet ANOTHER politician is admitting to not paying something like $126,000 in back taxes!!! I was so livid at hearing this. Maybe because it's Saturday morning and I'd rather be sleeping in, or maybe it's because more and more confessions seem to be leaking out, or maybe it's because I'm an upstanding citizen who was taught by her parents and her church to uphold the law and pay my taxes.
This is seriously getting ridiculous!! Isn't anyone auditing them?? They sure don't mind bothering the middle-class citizens with an audit (my brother currently is under scrutiny). I think that being a politician, judge, or an executive in a fortune 500 company should put you at the top of the list for audits...EVERY YEAR!!!! Now who's with me?

I'm At a Loss For Words

Ever since Ben turned 2 a few weeks back he has just begun to explode through his stages.
He is talking like CRAZY. Previously it was all grunts and pointing...but now...
it's like words and sentence that I can understand.
I love it!!

And then the best part is he's actually starting to tell me when he has to go pee & poop.
At 2!! I was all set and ready to relax the whole potty training topic until 3, since he's a boy.
But now that he's suddenly holding his pee through his naps and talks about it constantly!!
You can bet I'm jumping on this train!!

So I thought I would do some "research" on the Internet just to make sure I didn't screw this whole potty training a "boy" thing. AND I'm shocked at what I found...

Now seriously people, are these NECESSARY???

No comment!!

Art Show

Now that things are settling around the house more, I've been trying to let go of my mommy duties and let Emma have some free time with paints. (but no fears, their washable!)
Although I didn't have the guts to let her do it while Ben was around, and had her wait until nap time. I also have to admit that besides asking for more paint, I haven't heard that girl be so quiet in my life!!! Which might just work in her favor for more painting opportunities.

Surprisingly the same day she painted, Sydney came home with this masterpiece.

She said it's a rainbow.

Emma called this a "Magical Fairy"

"Food"

"Sunlight"

and finally..."The Snow Monster"

I love children's imagination!!

Ice is Nice

Last night marked another "weird-weather" in the Big D.
We jump from 70's to 40's to 20's within hours.
And this is what we woke up to.
A 5am phone call from the ISD telling us school was cancelled.
And that all surrounding county/government offices were closed.
Among millions of other companies and schools.

Sydney and Emma both asked if we could go outside and ice skate.
1st of all...no we don't have any ice skates.
2ndly...we need a pond for that.

Which then Sydney asked,
"Can't we just skate on the driveway?"
(I love how they think it's the same as rollerskating, just with ice)

Piles of ice gathered in the grass

Ice-sickles formed off the garbage cans

We couldn't even see out of the windows because there was sooo much ice collected on the screens

If you look closely there's about a 1/2 inch layer of ice on the brick ledge

This is the back side of our house.
It won't be melting any time soon.
It rarely sees the sun during the winter.

And lastly, a FULL sheet of ice I peeled off of the trashcans.

Who's Your Momma?

So now that Keira is a few months older, we started to compare her to the other kids. Just to see who she looked like the most. And really, she's just a little bit of ALL of them, rolled into one.

She's got the same light skin and blue eyes that Ben and Sydney share. Dark hair like Sydney. Emma's round face and nose.

But now that I have a picture of she and I together, there's no doubt that I'm this "baby's momma".

Zippin' Through The Zoo

We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate Ben's birthday at the Dallas Zoo.
With some jackets and the warm sun, a January day outside was very refreshing.

And we found that the cost of going there 2 times we could buy a year pass.
You don't have to tell us twice. A year pass it is!!
(which pays for parking, bringing a friend & unlimited rides)
Plus it is something we can all enjoy.

Larry is so good at handling the older kids, while I follow with Keira and the stroller full of necessities.

And with in 10 mins of walking around the kids were already demanding a pit stop for snacks.
They are sitting on a beautiful metal bench shaped like a butterfly!

And we had to snap this photo opt of all 3 kids lovin' this turtle statue.

I think the kids could have stood here for hours.
Watching how this big elephant ate, played and walked around.
They were amazed.

We ended up playing this game of "I Spy" zoo-style.
At each cage we asked the kids what animal they could find.
And then, how many.
It worked like a charm. And kept them focused.

Larry calls this...Ben's next Halloween costume.
Elton John

It was such a peaceful day.
Larry and I were enjoying just walking around.
Talking and loving the company of each other and the kids.
Now this is a rarity, but a moment I'm grateful for!

Hopefully this summer the water tanks will be FULL of new fish.
But until then, this HUGE "goldfish" will have to do.

Besides having a Kids Club, letting you bring in your own food and a Children's Activity Place, this zoo has some great things for the kids to enjoy hands on. Like the petting zoo and feeding the animals.

I love how Sydney is getting so tall that her knees are touching the ground.

And...OF COURSE...Em is feeding the statue rocks from the ground.
Such an imagination.

And Ben...always focused some where else.
What a male!!!

But we can't forget the angel baby.
Who slept the whole time wrapped in a little cocoon of blankets.
Thank you little one!

And now for the carousel rides. I think we rode this about 5 or more times.
Switching animals on each turn.

And I loved that I wasn't prego and could actually enjoy going in circles.
And not throwing up.
It was exhilarating to play with the kids and not just be their parent.

And this one is for Larry. He enjoyed taking 20 pictures of me sitting on this poor gorilla.
If you look close enough, he looks as if his eyes are going to bug out of his head from pain.
Normally these photos would have been deleted immediately.
Oh well...incentive to loose more baby weight!

Happy 2nd birthday Ben!
Thanks for spending the day with us.

Just Say No

A few weeks ago it was the usual "be-witching" hour at our house...which means anywhere from 430pm-to bedtime (7-730ish)
I had finished giving Keira a bath and laid her down on the floor for one of the girls to supervise.
After a few minutes, Sydney ran upstairs and said...
"Keira is sucking on the pacifier!"
To which my response is...
"HOLY COW, NO WAY!!"

And yes, this is a major event in our house.
You see, our kids HATE pacifiers until after I finish nursing.
They have ALL even gone as far as making gagging sounds whenever we give them one.
I wish, wish, wish they loved them.
Thus taking advantage of a quiet baby during sacrament meetings, etc...

So I ran downstairs, grabbing the camera on the way and this is what a I got...

A picture of Keira popping the pacifier out of her mouth.

And it landing...a mile away.
Darn!
Jipped again.

Keira's Room

For the past few months Larry and I have been going back and forth about Keira's room. We couldn't decided if we were going to keep it a guest room or give it completely up to Keira. Eventually we decided to compromise and decorate it for both.
And if later, we change our minds to give it over to one or the other, we'll decide then.
Thus we want a color pallet that would easily accommodate a guest or Keira.

So for $20 I've made this room have touches of pink for my little girly-girl.
But only used it on things like her bed or on furniture and curtains that could be changed in a snap. I purchased a large yardage of fabric for $6 and then found a few matching baby bedding discounted at Target.

I've been meaning to recover the rocker for a long time.
And I LOVE the results!

I made a tie-back to help incorporate the plaid.

This bumper pad is Ben's old one. I made a long tube of fabric like a slip-cover for it.
I'd say the most time consuming part of this was sewing on each individual ribbon.

So in the corner of the room is our old queen size bed for guests.
With brown sheets and an olive green/chartreuse pillow.

Which helps blend in the colors from Keira's bedding.

Oh and yes, the bed has also become my changing place for Keira.
I think that changing tables are POINTless.
It's either the floor or a bedside for me!

And for another $13, a can of paint from Wal-mart, we'll make the walls a lighter green color!
I can't wait for the finished product!

44th President

So where were you when the 44th President was inaugurated?

Larry: At the Dallas County Misdemeanor Courts working the "jail chain".
Me: Watching it on TV in my sweats and robe, trying to drown out the voices of the kids.
Sydney: At school, probably during recess time.
Emma & Ben: "Thank you Dear Mr President, for distracting Mom today. She let us play with the play-dough and make a hue-MON-gus mess. Go USA!"
Keira: Taking her morning nap.

Over the past months it's been hard for me to let go of my Republican way and prepare for a new president. I have to admit I've laughed at my fair share of Obama jokes. But now that it's official, it's time to get serious. For some reason I just can't laugh at a guy that has so much work ahead of him. So lets stand behind him and help bring some serious change to our failing economy, manipulative/deceiving/lacking health care programs and end this fight on terror with some "catching" of the bad guys (if you know what I mean).

All for one...

2 years ago...

On January 18th 2007, this is what we were doing...

getting induced...

and welcoming Benjamin Lee Roberts
into our family.

Nothing could make me happier then to have a healthy baby boy...
oh, and NOT to be pregnant another day.

PROUD!

Holy Crow! I can't believe how YOUNG Emma looks.

And Sydney, too, for that matter!

2 Happy Parents

Even 2 years later, Ben still makes that scowl with his forehead.
It's become his signature look.

And now our sweet little Bubba Jones, Benners, Boob-la-khan, Boobers, Ben Ben
is as rambunctious as ever.
He's got hands and feet to spare.
And an even larger heart that dishes out loads of hugs and kisses.

Here's to you Ben...and your size 9.5 feet at 2 years old!