Knott's

We took our annual trip to Knott's Berry Farm Tuesday. I always look forward to it. Seeing my kids have so much fun makes my heart happy. And it's nice to hang out as a family. We don't do that very often. 

Addie was old enough to go on all the rides in camp snoopy so that was cool. She showed no fear whatsoever. She wasn't sure about Snoopy though. She didn't want to hug him but gave him a high five. Winter, true to form, had to be pried off of him. Mya was terrified as usual. Mya has two fears in life. Puke, and people dressed up as cartoon characters. Not sure where either of them started... She mustered up the courage for one pic and never came close to him again all day.

And here's Winter trying to convince Mya to come get in the pic with Lucy. Yeah right Winter.

We went on the horse drawn carriage...

and the carousel of course. Here's Addie next to some random dad in the white T. Dan wasn't sure how to buckle all three girls without leaving Addie by herself. So this guy offered to hang with her. Nice of him. I didn't think it was necessary to buckle the big girls because the ride goes about 1 whole mile per hour but safety first I guess.

the swings...

Addie looks so tiny! Dan was a good sport about going on rides with her. We took turns.

 She wanted to go on everything twice. She may be my roller coaster buddy in a few years. The other girls are getting more fearful. I thought Winter would be ready for faster rides this year, but no.

We ate lunch at Johnny Rockets. These two were so cute sitting next to each other in high chairs. 

They're cute sometimes too. Mya is going through a phase where she looks away and smiles when I take a picture. Not sure what that's about.

I knew he wouldn't want to but I begged Dan to go back to the arcade when Angus woke up so we could get a family portrait. I thought it would be such a perfect way to capture our fun day and then we could blow the picture up and frame it! 

I guess I forgot how tiny photo booths are...  Winter was like, "Why are we doing this?! It was not fun. Very squished. We didn't get a single pic of all 6 of us. After we walked away I figured out a better way to get everyone in there. The girls need to stand behind Dan and I and put their faces next to ours. Then we could just hold the babies up. I didn't even try to convince Dan to try again. I knew the answer would be hell no. But next time we are all together and we see a photo booth, we are doing it. Hopefully it will be soon so the kids aren't too much bigger...

This guy is totally in love with me <3 The feeling is mutual little man. 

And this guy. Before kids, I found his work uniform pretty sexy. But now... sporting a toddler and a diaper bag, hubba hubba.

All in all, it was a great day. No disasters or tantrums to speak of. And everyone enjoyed themselves I think. 'Till next year Snoopy!

LOL

Winter: (covering her butt with her hands and crying after she was told she was in trouble) Can you pleeeeease spank me like this mom?!

Mya: I wanna be a teacher when I grow up! Can you print 27 copies of this paper so I can give it to my class?
Winter: I wanna be a cheetah!

Mya: Mommy, do you want to look pretty when your friends come over tonight?
Me: Umm yeah I guess.
Mya: Then you shouldn't wear those jeans.

Winter: I love the cheese on the mackins. These are the mackins. That's why it's mackin cheese right?

Mya: Can you take me to Target to buy a jump rope?
Me: Probably not today sweetie. I have a lot to do. Maybe you can ask Daddy to take you after school.
Mya: Does Daddy know even where Target is??



Dan is colorblind. I like to make fun of it for some reason. It's probably because he has few weaknesses. I like to capitalize on the ones he has. I know. I'm the sweetest. Thursday, he came home from work and took off his shoes. I noticed that he was wearing my socks. My socks with the pink toes and heels. I laughed at him and told him to stay out of my sock drawer. He was like, how can you tell, are they pink or something? To that I replied haha yeah. He then took off the socks and threw them at my face. Oh if only his buddies at work saw. He would never hear the end of it. 

This is a pic of Winter and Grace the other day, taken by Grace's dad Gabe. (Winter calls him the other Mr. Dave) I guess it was Grace's fault. She put the coffee stirrer thingy too close to Winter's hair. That's why Grace is pissed I think... Maybe she didn't want evidence of her screw up. It was probably Winter's idea. Either way it's pretty darn funny. Winter loved the "braid" that it left in her hair. It was like a mini dread lock. I love these two together. They are two peas in a pod. They even have somewhat matching My Little Pony outfits on, complete with boots. 

the g is silent

When Dan wanted to name every single one of our babies Angus, I protested. I protested hard. I was secretly relieved when they turned out to be girls so I didn't have to argue with him any more. Okay maybe not so secretly. I gloated a little bit each time. BUT it finally happened. We found out we were having a boy. I pretty much had no choice but to agree to it. I felt like he kind of earned it in a way. My reasons for not naming our son Angus were these:

It reminds me of beef.
It is too close to Anus.

That's pretty much it. You always want to protect your kids from being teased by their peers. So you don't name them something that sounds like a butt hole. Dan thinks having your name made fun of makes you stronger. We shall see. 

Addie used to call him Buddy, short for brother. But she soon caught on that his name was Angus so now she calls him... wait for it... ANUS.

Sorry dude.

I should add that I actually like the name now... probably because I love the little man that comes with it <3

working 9 to 5

I'm always trying to come up with new ways to get more done each day. I told Dan the other day that I need a new plan. There has got to be a way to have four kids AND a clean house. His response was, "Good luck with that." My newest plan is this. I've chosen to think of my days as normal work days. Like I'm getting paid for this. Like a have an imaginary boss around the corner that could drop by at any moment. Because I work at home, this gets confusing but I think I've pretty much figured it out. It sounds kinda nutty but desperate times call for desperate measures... like pretending.

So I start my day at 7:00 because that's when I really have to start getting the kids in get ready for school mode. I'm up before 6:00 so I can have some coffee and wake up a little before I get really motivated. I've never been a morning person... or a night person for that matter. So my day starts at 7:00 like I said. I'm making breakfast, lunches, checking backpacks, changing and dressing the babies, throwing on an outfit myself and getting everyone out the door by 7:30.

My lunch break is Addie's nap. That kid is so much work. If I was to charge by the hour, she would be at least $20. I usually put her down around noon then try to put Angus down if he hasn't had a good nap by then. I make my lunch and sit down on the couch for a bit. Sometimes I blog if both babies are down.

I've decided that my work day ends at 4:00. That's pretty much when I have nothing left to give, physically, mentally and emotionally. Mya and I have usually had some words and tears by 4:00 over homework, reading, attitude, or something like that. Addie is in eat every snack in sight/meltdown mode and Angus must be held. So I like to get the kids out of the house and outside if possible. I also like to have a glass of wine or a cup of tea depending on the weather.

Monday through Friday, Between 7:00 and 4:00 I am at work, besides my lunch break of course. I am doing something productive that falls under mom or wife duties like dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, helping with homework, putting away Christmas decorations etc. I have found that I get much more done this way. A lot of my day is just keeping Addie happy with snacks, books, blocks, YouTube baby/doggie shows or anything else she feels like that day. 

A few times a day I find that all the kids are happy and I am left with free hands, wondering what I should do with them. My first thought is to sit on the couch and look at Facebook, Amazon, Pinterest or check my email. (People were SO much more productive before smart phones) But that's not what one is supposed to do when they are on the clock. Their boss would have to reprimand them. This actually works well and I accomplish more each day than I would if I wasn't in work mode. 

Of course my work day never really ends. I'm still doing dishes, laundry and cleaning up the house well after the kids go to bed. And I'm on call all night. But I figure those are normal things that people come home to after work right?

We'll see how long this lasts for me. I think it has a good chance of sticking. On a normal day/week, this may actually work to help get the house under control. It seems like there's always something getting in the way like crazy December or the stomach flu (Winter got it last week) BUT I am determined to keep trying! 

suck it up buttercup

This isn't the sweetest slogan I've ever seen. But I love it. I think it is mostly used for workout clothing these days but I've found that it is helpful in my little world at home as well. My friend Jessica bought a shirt with the slogan on it while she was going through a rough time and I thought, what an awesome way to deal. What she wanted to do was give up but she chose to go another route.

My sister used to say all the time growing up, nobody likes a whiner! I said it to someone in the 3rd grade and the teacher was shocked that something like that came out of my sweet little mouth. 

I cannot tell you how big of a whiner I have been for the better part of 2015. I know I was a big fat complainer while I was pregnant. And after the baby was born, the griping hit an all time high. The pile of dishes and laundry grew, any me time I had left disappeared and I learned the meaning of exhaustion, the kind that goes on for months. 

In reality, I have nothing to complain about. I really don't. I have everything I've ever wanted. I have a husband who loves me... a lot for some reason, four healthy beautiful babies, a beautiful home and a good job that provides well so that I can be a stay-at-home-mommy.

I don't know what I expected before I had all of this. Maybe that it would be easy? Or maybe not this hard. Either way it doesn't really matter. This is my life. My God given life. And I can choose to live it with my eyes constantly rolling or I can take a deep breath and face each day with a can do attitude.

Life's hard, yeah yeah. I guess I'm just sick of hearing myself complain about it. I'm not saying it's bad to share your problems with your friends and family. I'm talking about living in a constant state of negativity with no real problems to speak of. 

I've come up with a little list of reasons why I shouldn't whine in 2016.

1. It's annoying to others. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer. I know I like to be around people that are generally happy and see the good in things. Those kinds of people tend to put me in a better mood. 

2. Whining gives me a bad attitude. The more I complain, the more I agree with myself. Then I see more things to complain about.

3. Whining is not what God wants. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

Philippians 2:14 says "Do all things without grumbling or questioning." 

Pretty clear.

4. I'm not setting a good example for my kids when I complain. I'm constantly getting on them for complaining about stupid things like having too much cream cheese on their bagel or not having the latest toy. I need to practice what I preach.

So there you have it. This is the new me. The noncomplainer. 

I've read so many well meaning blog posts and books that talk about how we should give ourselves a break because being a mom is hard. Whatever! Suck it up buttercup! haha love it. 

a year of pics