Singin' in the rain

If it's going to rain for days on end it leaves us no choice but to get out there and get soaked. I don't think the kids have ever had so much fun outside.

I threw these pictures in to show you what an insect/worm/creepy crawler lover my daughter is. We found this beast on the way home from school and named it Sammy the Freaking Huge Slug. It is note worthy that she was the only on in our house willing to touch the thing.

Samuel Montgomery Brandon

I kept putting this post off because I was waiting on pictures. However, since technical issues are keeping pictures from coming, I want to announce that I'm am auntie again!!! Samuel was born on Monday, October 4 at 7:28 in the morning. 7 pounds, 6 ounces, 20 inches, and already telling everyone that I'm his favorite aunt. I got to see him on I-chat and he is perfectly wonderfully precious.

My mom is with my sister this whole week, doing what our mama does best after one of her babies has a baby: cooking, cleaning, potty training, groceries, fetching pillows, providing nap opportunities, and making you wonder how on earth you will survive without her. KayLynn is doing awesome. She had Samuel at home with a midwife and has had nothing but good things to say about the experience. David is so excited to have a boy and it sounds as though Claire is ambivalent. She is far too excited to have Grandma around as her constant playmate to pay too much attention to boring new brother.

I will post pictures when the come. In the meantime, CONGRATULATIONS DEAR BRANDON FAMILY, and welcome to the world little Samuel!!

p.s. I think his name is fabulous. Montgomery is our maiden name for those of you who don't know and Samuel is a strong name and a worthy man of God in the Bible. I love it.

A whole lotta sheep

These are some pictures I took yesterday at a local farm. For a buck you can get a whole bucket of sheep food and feed the sheep. All you have to do is dip that bucket into the feed bucket and they come running. The "big bully sheep" (the boys with their big horns) like to try and take all the food so my kids will often chuck handfuls of it over their heads to the poor babies waiting in the back. Also, this farm is located by the Spokane Archery club so I'm not sure if they later become target practice and then Easter dinner. I haven't shared these musings with my children.

The last two pictures were just too adorable not to post.

To you, with love

A horror story

We have mice.

THE END

Kickin' it Jones style

A pictorial update, for your viewing pleasure

The kids did cute things like sleep on the floor camping style.

AUBREY TURNED SIX!!

THE KIDS TOOK AWESOME PICTURES WITH GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!!

ME AND MY GIRLS, BECAUSE WE ARE PRECIOUS

MAYFIELD LAKE, LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2010

BAUERSFELDS AND JONESES

Throwing rocks in the lake

A daddy and his baby girl

A mama with her baby and a really small lighthouse

Aubrey girl

A Danish monkey

100 watt smile Nathan

Big Dane and Little Dane

Sweet Baby Drew

Little Miss Anna

AUBREY STARTS KINDERGARTEN!!

WEEKEND VISIT WITH THE BAERLOCHERS

Baby Johanna and Baby Max (born one week apart)

The rest of our combined crew. Four kids for each family, all in six years or less.

Things I'm lovin' right now

I think the next post will be a picture post. I know that's what you all want anyways. But for now....

Things I am lovin':

1. That my precious six year old Aubrey ROCKED her first day of school!! She was confident, excited, adorable, and precious. On this here memorable day she also made her own snack after school AND discovered her first loose tooth! Seriously folks, wasn't she just born???

2. A labor day weekend with our friends the Bauersfelds. Nothing beats spending time with old friends and friends who have small children and don't judge your two year old with the chronic cough, runny nose, and whine. What a great time we had!

3. The imagination of my Nathan. He wants to be a "real knight" when he grows up. He also became concerned that he would have to live somewhere else once he grew up and became a knight. I assured him that he could live with his Mommy as long as he wanted. (Remind me of this comment when he's 30 and living in our basement.) He finally decided that he would get up, slay dragons in the morning, and come home and eat lunch at home. Repeat for the afternoon and dinner.

4. Our lights! After some electrical difficulties the lights in my kitchen and utility room are back up and running. It is imperative to have light in the utility room so that I can see if the blown out poop stains on Johanna's clothes have come out.

5. Our Danish tells me that he loves me, unsolicited, MANY times a day. I have never had a kiddo that is this affectionate. It KILLS me and he ends up whining, "Mommy, NO MORE SMOOCHES!" more than once a day. He also says "You're welcome" to all thank you's, even the sarcastic and rhetorical ones. For instance: "Dane, thanks for that great fit you just threw, really made mommy's morning easier." "Mommy, you're welcome!"

6. My husband's commitment to giving me workout time. After the big kids are in bed he takes over with Johanna, helps me clean the kitchen, whatever needs to happen so that I feel like I can work out. He's encouraging and inspiring and thanks to him I've only got 5 more pesky pounds to go. Thank you honey!!

7. Little Miss Jo. Johanna. Johanna Lynn Jones. SHE IS AWESOME. We were not a complete family without her. Her smile is head to toe and she is starting to giggle. Every last one of us is in love with her. We are so blessed to have her. She is sweet, charming, a great sleeper, adaptable, lovable, kissable, squeezable, and amazing.

8. Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. Okay, so I don't really love it but if you want to feel like you did something in 20 minutes I recommend it. Then again, this is my first day doing it and I may never walk again so ask me again tomorrow.

9. Four kids in less than six years. While not for the faint of heart it is so fulfilling to watch our kids become friends, learn, play, sing, act silly, and make this house a home. If you don't have a wall in your house dedicated to pictures your kids have drawn you are missing out.

10. Cherry Pepsi. As always.

11. Never checking a long blog post for typos.

THE BIRDS, or alternately titled, BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO

As many of you know, we have a cat, Tika. Tika fancies herself to be a mighty hunter, all 9 tailless pounds of her. Many a bird has met their demise at the hands (or paws) of her stalking.

Yesterday I came into the house holding a baby who had just blown out her diaper through either pant leg, necessitating an outfit change for both of us. As I started down the hall I saw feather. EVERYWHERE. Knowing where this was headed I followed the trail of feathers into the bathroom. There, trembling in fright, was a teeny tiny bird.

Before I could think what to do my other three kiddos came in to see how the poop disaster was turning out. What they found was a tiny bird. Delighted mayhem ensued. "Mommy, it's a BIRDY!!!" "CAN I TOUCH IT CAN I POKE IT CAN I HOLD IT???" Aubrey barked orders: "LEAVE IT ALONE! NATHAN, YOU'RE TOO CLOSE, IT'LL GET YOU SICK. DANE, GET AWAY FROM THERE!!"

I did was any reasonable wife would do. I continued to hold poopy baby and called Greg.

"Catch it with a towel and put it outside and lock Tika inside." Hmmm, wonder why I couldn't think of that on my own. Could it be the poop on my shirt?

So we did that. Caught the terrified birdy, who clearly had a broken wing, and hid it outside in a bush. I locked Tika inside and congratulated myself on handling the situation. I changed my poor poopy baby and myself. Good work Sara.

Good work that is until an hour later, after one of the kids had left the back door open, that I see THE SAME BIRD HOPPING IN THE KITCHEN!! Tika had recaught it and brought it back inside. This time however the bird wasn't as stunned and hopped and tried to fly away every time I got close to it. Aubrey and I managed to get it to hop out our front door and hide in a bush out there. This time however I didn't even know where TIka was and kind of wished she would just finish the poor bird off, rather than taunting it all day. I thought of a devotion I read that day on finding joy at home and laughed to myself.

The laughing stopped when a couple of hours later TIKA BROUGHT THAT SAME DANG BIRD BACK INTO THE HOUSE!!!! Yes, I am serious. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Of course Greg was going to be home late that night and quite frankly I was tired of catching wildlife. So, I just let the bird hang out. This time I locked Tika outside and let the bird wander the house. She (the bird had pretty feathers so obviously was female) made her way downstairs and the kids had a grand time keeping track of her. When Greg got home he caught the bird for THE THIRD TIME (it was hiding in a dress up dress) and took her two houses down and put her up high in a bush. The last time we saw her Tika was wandering our yard, mewing, and lurking suspiciously close to the house where we had brought the bird.

We have not seen the bird today. I think she might have made it to the happy hunting grounds.

Cheeks and chins