We have a graffiti artist in our home. He strikes when and where you least expect it.
Like here:
Or here…
Or (my personal favorite) here.
Where will he strike next? Who knows–but I can tell you WHAT it will be.
Roxie is 5! February 12, 2013
Roxie’s birthday was two weeks ago! How did those 5 years go by so fast? This little girl is very funny, super thoughtful, and so much fun! She is a unicorns and rainbow loving kid who is always looking for ways to help out and make others more comfortable. Roxie loves playing wii and computer games, making drawings for others, caring for her stuffed animals and dolls, and giving out hugs and kisses. She is constantly trying to sound out words and will be reading well in no time. It’s hard to believe she will be in kindergarten in September! We love this little girl!!!
Makeover
After finishing up some chores downstairs, I went upstairs to see what Oliver as up to. I called to him, heard my makeup drawer slam, and saw him running out of the bathroom to meet me. I asked what he was up to but after checking out his face, I knew. I think he was going for the smoky-eye look. I can’t decide if I am mad that he got into my makeup or if I am impressed with his application.
Halloween! November 5, 2012
Another Halloween has come and gone. Before it is too far gone, I must post some pictures. Alice requested to be a girl at a Masquerade Ball, Roxie was Snow White, and Oliver was Michael Jackson. We were lucky enough to have a friend make Alice’s mask–she’s super crafty! It turned out much more ornate than I could ever dream up. Roxie’s costume was an inheritance from Alice (glad I only had to make that costume once!). And Oliver’s costume took the majority of my time. The jacket was made from an XL mens sweatshirt I found at Target for $6. I had to keep reminding myself to scale the jacket back–after all, it’s just a costume! Jake spent a significant amount of time gluing sparkly rhinestones onto a small white glove. The kids enjoyed themselves at our church’s Trunk-Or-Treat. Did I mention that Roxie won for loudest scream in the Haunted House? Not sure why Jake took her through there, but somehow she survived (more than a little traumatized though). On Halloween we had friends and family come over to Trick-or-Treat in our neighborhood followed by hot chocolate! Alice ended up donating lots of her candy to the Helping Hands Service Club at school. They are sending it in care packages to the troops. As fun as it was I must admit that I am ready to move on to Thanksgiving!
Back to School!
I have a love/hate relationship with back to school time. I LOVE school supplies, but I hate sending the kids off. I like having them all home and being able to do things together. It was even better this summer since they are all getting older–especially Oliver. But, inevitably, summer ends and school begins. Alice started 3rd grade this year and Roxie has one year of preschool left before kindergarten (next year). Oliver is enjoying his one-on-one Mommy-time three days a week. The girls started a gymnastics class and are super excited. Heck, Alice even says she wants me to teach her piano lessons again too. Here’s to a great year!
Not again…
Two sets of stitches within 8 months? Are you KIDDING me? Other seasoned parents just smile and nod–remembering their trips to the ER/Urgent care with their little ones. I really just had no idea what kind of trouble little boys could get into. Back in July, Oliver was sitting on the pew in church, waiting for me to get him a piece of gum during the meeting. As I reached down to grab my purse, I heard a loud “BONK”. I turned to see Oliver’s head down on the hymnal box of the pew in front of us. I quickly scooped him up and ran him out of the meeting–knowing that the loud cry would soon come. As I was rushing towards the door, I remember catching the look of a dear friend who saw it all happen. Her face read, “Horror”. I kid you not. When I reached the foyer I turned him around to get a good look. Blood was dripping down his face so fast that I had to cup my hand to catch it. Luckily Jake was in the foyer with Roxie so he came over. A very pregnant friend sitting behind us witnessed the event too and ran for the first aid kit in the janitorial closet–she grabbed a bunch of gauze pads. The cut between his eyes was deep–grossly deep. We sent for the doctor in our congregation to assess the damage. He said to take him to Urgent Care. We had a few more friends meet us at the door, making arrangements to care for our other children at church and then to take them home afterwards. We felt such an outpouring of love through it all. Everyone was SO ready to help!
I drove while Jake held Oliver in the backseat. The Urgent Care was more or less deserted so were checked in quickly. Luckily, our story was believable (i.e. CPS didn’t need to get involved). All three of us were in church clothes and covered with blood. The doctor said he hadn’t seen a cut that deep in a LONG time. The doctor wrapped Oliver up in a large blanket so he couldn’t move. The nurse covered Ollie’s eyes and held him as still as possible while the doctor started stitching. Oliver screamed and cried, “I can’t see! I can’t see! Mom, help me! Dad, help me! I can’t see!” It wasn’t a fun thing at all, but the things he yelled were kind of funny. After 4 stitches, we were released. Pretty fast…I was even able to head back to the church to get Alice and Roxie before church ended.
A week later, the stitches were removed. While sitting at the table eating breakfast, Oliver bonked his wound and split it back open! We pinned him down and super-glued it back together. I admired our handiwork thinking that it looked even better now that it was glued and it might even help minimize the scarring! However, Oliver is a picker. He picked the glue off–three times. Eventually we gave up and just let it be. We were pretty good at applying Mederma on it for a while, but now we are too lazy. Let’s hope we don’t anymore accidents like that for a while! This is one expensive kid. Here are some pictures–not for the faint of heart.
Alice’s Birthday and Baptism
Alice turned 8 this summer which means she got to have a big party. (NOTE: we don’t do big parties over here very often. We only do them on big milestone years like 6, 8, 12 ,16, 18) Luckily, I had some great friends (and a mom) who helped out this time around! My mom helped me turn the party room into a cupcake themed party zone. One friend made Alice the cutest cupcakes as well as a cupcake cake–all edible and SUPER professional. Another friend entertained the kids with her mad balloon twisting skills. We had a pinata and pizza. It was basically awesome–for me at least.
Later this summer, Alice made the decision to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can read more about what the means here. We were lucky enough to have most of my family in town for the occasion. Plus we had many, many friends attend who are practically family members. It was a sweet and special day for Alice and all who attended. We are very proud of what a beautiful, smart, and talented young lady she is becoming.
Here are some highlights of the events:
Hmmm, it sure is quiet around here. June 7, 2012
And that’s usually when I realize that Oliver has probably gotten himself into trouble. After doing some housework upstairs, I came down to a very quiet room to find this:
What you don’t see is the large candy jar behind him that he had been eating out of. He is so much like his father in so many ways.
Camping Buddies
Jake took his little buddy up to the Father and Sons campout a few weeks ago. They had an awesome time! Oliver couldn’t wait to go. He ran around the house yelling, “Camping, camping!” Every time Jake took a load out to the truck, he would run after him shouting, “Bye mom!” Eventually they were able to leave. From what I understand, he ran and ran around the campsite. He also did a lot of candy/sweets scrounging. He can’t wait to go again–and Jake loved it too. I must admit, as much as I missed them, I did enjoy my “girls only” time!
See? Jake was excited too…
The Dempsey Family 