The hills are alive with the sound of... hot dogs?

Clara: Mom, what's a wiener?

Me: A hot dog?

Clara, No, mom, what's a wiener?

Me: Who said that?

Clara: Me. (now singing) "So long, farewell, all wiener's say goodnight".

(Not so) Easy as Pie

Just in case you lose your pie server (and it has been lost for a couple of months), and you are finally ready to buy a new one, you must remember to look behind the radiator... behind the couch... in the living room. You will find it happily residing with a wooden spoon, a polly pocket, an army man, and a clear plastic magnetic frame. However, trying to retrieve said items may result in you just wanting to buy a new pie server.

Efficient Teamwork.

Last week we made a gingerbread house for family night. It was a hit.

In an effort to prevent the kids from sucking the icing right out of the tube, I piped the icing on and the kids decorated it. For the most part they were very self-controlled to not eat the candy while they were building it.

They were so proud of their teamwork.

And they couldn't wait to dive in!

I don't understand how some families make these and then keep them around for a little.

Ours met a quick demise.

Lydia was a sticky little mess.

Please note that she did NOT have a barrette in her hair, it is held back by icing.

I am an efficient mommy.

Candy's about gone.

What now?

The kids never seem to like the store bought gingerbread.

I'd like to think it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I bought the gingerbread kit last year and it has been in the bottom of my chest freezer for the year.

90% off, folks. That's efficient.

And I have another one I am considering saving for next year, if we don't use it this year.

(My in-laws are cringing.)

(It's okay, Mom and Dad, because they don't really eat it, anyway.)

(But to keep it real, I would totally let them if they wanted to.)

Since it was Family Night: Dave also made a fire.

I got a new camera. Does it look foggy?

It was. Smoky to be exact. Burn your nostrils, set off the smoke detector,

and leave-the-front door-open-even-though-it's-freezing-outside kind of smoky.

That would be our couch cushion Dave is using to help circulate the air so that we can all breath again. My man is efficient, too. Or maybe this has happened before... to a friend, of course.

Since it was a family night, and our unspoken theme was Teamwork, I put down the camera and helped.

Funny Talk

At lunch today, as Clara and Daddy were having a little talk, Liam informed me,

"I guess church wasn't very helpful for Clara."

Wouldn't we all like some instant results sometimes?

The other morning, Caleb woke up and climbed out of his crib and came into the bathroom, took one look at Dave and I and said,

"Hello little stinker".

We exchanged giggly glances over his head.

He looked at us and said, "Ta Da!"

He earned points for cuteness, but still got put back to bed.

The Best Seat in the House...

...to look at the flurries! that are sticking! and it's on the grass!

I love my excited children - even if I am not getting out their snowsuits yet.

Silence is mischief.

Exhibit A. Any guesses?

I included my bling for size reference.

We have a cold house so at the first hint of cold weather we use this for added insulation around the windows. It usually looks like this:

Never mind the smudgy sills. They add character.

So that is what the putty usually looks like. It comes in a nice little roll and Dave unfurls it and presses it into the seam of the window. I have decided it's like the male version of shaping pie crust. See those fingerprint dents? It is art.

Well, basically, it's like putting play-doh on each window and asking kids not to play with it. But we covered that and were VERY clear that this was a "no touch".

There is a sill in a window in the nursery that didn't fare so well, and it was a little picked at, but that was a teachable moment and baby A and baby B seemed to have caught on quickly.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and all the kids are playing on Liam and Clara's bunk beds. Everyone is occupied. Older kids on top, twins on the bottom. I am a cheerful mommy accomplishing my daily tasks as my kiddos entertain themselves. I faintly remember hearing Liam call out, "Mommy, the babies are chewing on..." No big deal, if it were something important Liam would come running, or be screaming about the fate of his toy. I kept working. Time passes.

Well, let's hope that window putty passes, too, because Lydia swallowed her gum, or as she called it 'num'. Caleb, however, just kept on chewing and had about half of it in his mouth when he was discovered. See exhibit A at the top. I'm not sure how much Lydia ate, but she wasn't very hungry for lunch.

Why don't I have time to blog?

Peeking through our windows this week:

• fall is here! we woke up to a brisk 63 degrees inside our home and we got to turn on the yummy heat.

• the babies pulled my desk chair over to the microwave and ate chocolate cake that was being stored there as well as liam's and clara's goody bags from his bday pinata. they were so happy at their good fortune to find these goodies. caleb was listing all his treats. 'mommy, i eat cake,i eat candy, i eat lollyPOP, i eat num! (gum)' after cleaning up the sticky mess and the sticky babies i addressed behavior and after caleb's 'correction' he stood up and said "i eat lollypops...." i guess it was totally worth it for that boy. he. cracks. me. up.

• the babies are not yet interested enough to sit and watch a video. (see above)

• clara fed lydia one of her toenails... and lydia ate it.

• a couple of 2 year olds have decided to climb out of bed whatever the cost... including 4 times during a ladies meeting in our home.

• if one of the twins wakes up in the middle of the night, s/he wakes the other one and they climb out - in the middle of the night. however, last night lydia woke-up and climbed out 4 times between 12:30 and 1:30. so we eventually just put her in our bed, then in the packNplay in our room.

• while on a walk with daddy one of the children and the jogger stroller rolled into the pond.

• amidst the madness, my hubbs let me prepare for and participate in my first craft show. it may be my last, but i did really well.

on another note, these kids are so stinkin' cute! they are playing well together and enjoying their days as brothers and sisters. they give me much to laugh at when I'm not pulling out my hair. :)

or wiping up leftover chocolate cake.

Rainy Mondays

readjusting and recovering from our weekend fun with Daddy home.

ample opportunities to train my children.

2 spilled cups of milk.

2 two-year olds who can now both climb out of their bed/pack-n-play after they have decided they are done sleeping - after naps and in the early morning.

books on tape.

loads of laundry.

a broken washing machine.

And then there were two...

We are loving the summer fruits. I recently stocked up on fresh peaches and blackberries. Everyone in the family loves them, so I try to be sure to save some for Daddy.

Yesterday we had a couple of fresh berries 'just because'.

This morning we had blackberries and peaches with our yogurt and granola.

It made our breakfast a little bit sweeter.

I was upstairs and the reliable oldest child came running.

"Mommy, you aren't going to believe this. You need to come see, NOW!"

I have to give the boy credit, usually when he says this it really IS something worth seeing.

Today was no exception.

One leg on my desk and a foot on my chair,

his mouth was stuffed,

as if he heard us coming and in a panic he just shoveled in as many as he could.

His fingers, cheeks, clothing, the counter top and my chair were all stained with drippy, juicy evidence.

A pint of juicy berries all for himself.

I bet it was worth it to a certain 2 year old.

A couple scattered berries were on the floor.

Quick pick it up.

We'll save those for Daddy.

Good as new. ;)

CALEB ZEAL

This little bugger is an animal.

The babies briefly fell asleep this morning in book-time, so I went in to wake them up.

Lydia woke up with a roll and a stretch and a sleepy head.

Caleb jumped up and started growling.

He loved food from the start.

He keeps pace with Li-li and Rara.

He was climbing before he could walk.

He has eaten dirt on multiple occasions... and keeps doing it.

He has no fear. And will reach or touch or jump from anywhere.

My little man is full of energy.

From day 1 he has been consistently living up to his middle name.

He LOVES to play instruments and it's the toy he most requests to play with.

He bites.

I'd like to think of it as a release of energy. Sometimes I don't even think he knows he's doing it. He bites when he's silly/wild/wound up, not angry.

He dances, jumps, runs and climbs.

He forms great sentences.

He eats like a champ.

He watches out for his sister.

Whenever he gets something, he always asks for one for Lydia , then takes it to her.

He can climb out of his crib, mess up the room, then climb back in to fall asleep.

He loves I SPY books and 'E-I-E-I-O'.

He loves his thumb.

His blanket, or 'bubba', as he calls it, is a pair of 24 months fleece footies.

He insists that they are spread out, and inside out, to sleep.

He looks like his daddy.

He is silly and funny.

He's an entertainer.

He was a goofy looking baby, with his silly faces and tongue hanging out,

but now he is one of the cutest 2 year olds I know.

For as much as he loves to bounce off the walls, he loves to snuggle with his mama.

This is the one who keeps me on my toes.

He makes me laugh daily.

Family Night

Dave suggested a hike for our family night. We decided on a trail which we had been to before since we knew the twins would be able to walk it on their own. We packed dinner, water and bug spray and set off. The weather was perfect. We forgot how long the trail was so I was nervous about it getting dark, but we had plenty of time to eat our picnic and splash and explore in the creek before returning to the van. Before our hike, I had noticed wild raspberry bushes near the van and knew they would be a treat upon our return. They were indeed! And as we were driving back to the main road we spotted a bunch more and pulled over to pick our hearts out. They proved to be a tasty treat on the yogurt and granola the next morning.

Liam managed to get all the way across the creek on the branch.

A couple spots were more rustic than others, but a good walking stick helps everything.

Caleb eyeing up the water.

He could not be kept from it and was soaking as soon as we let him near it.

On our drive home, Dave noticed a road that took us to another road, where he had seen that a house was for sale. Sure, let's go look, it's not out of our way. So we make the turn only to find that after a while there is a sign that says "Pavement Ends". We were feeling adventurous from our successful hike, so we kept on. But first we checked the map, yes, it was a through road, and yes, it brought us to Main Street right where Dave thought. Up, up we go. In general the kids we quiet, Liam was the most verbal asking why it was so bumpy, if there were bears in the forest, etc. Up, up. There were ruts and bumps and then at the crest of the hill we see a HUGE rut. Dave tries to go over it slowly, but we hear the bottom scrape, so he backs up and we think. It's too narrow to turn around, and too far to drive in reverse. I suggest getting out and finding tree branches to build up the road where our wheels will drive so the under carriage of the van is higher. Works like a charm. We are back on the road, only to find that we now need to go down. Way down the hill we can see where the pavement begins again. We nervously begin our descent. Kiddos are still quiet, but Liam is starting to fuss. Why did we take this road? This isn't good. I don't like this. Dave is slow and deliberate with choosing his path. Gas, brake, gas, brake. It's too steep to need gas, yet we need it to push us out of the ruts. So we continue slowly: gas, brake, gas, brake. The van is wobbly and we are happy for our seat belts. Before we know what has happened, we are worried that the van is going to flip. In trying to avoid the ruts, we are now up on the left side of the road and leaning significantly.

Dave stops and we look at each other. Liam's aware of things even from the back seat of the van. Why are we stopping? What's wrong? I wonder: Should I get the kids out of the van to wait on the side of the road or walk down? Should I unbuckle and load everyone onto the left side to prevent tipping? Who would we call to rescue us if we rolled the van? Would AAA help us? I pray silently and we keep going. We don't know what else to do. I resist the urge to tell Dave where I think he should drive and instead rub his shoulder and tell him I think he is doing a great job.

We bounce our way down to the bottom with white knuckles, some addition mud on our tires, all children still buckled and safe and all parts of the underside of our van still attached. Our driveway shows no extra drips (from a damage leak) under our van the next morning.

Go Family Night. I wonder what we will do next week?