My Loves......

I love this boy...

I love this girl...

And I love Batman...!

Wordless Wednesday....almost.....

This is the first time I have ever seen my name spelled out by Tucker....Thank You, Sweet Boy:-) And I was all excited when I saw the person..."is that me?"....."no Mom, that's Tabby."
It's PERFECT!

Last one....I promise...

Our next door neighbor came over to play with the kids this afternoon. She is 8. Her name is Olivea. Tucker says she's smarter than God. (yes, I correct this one evertime he says it! This just shows you how much he loves this girl doesn't it!!!) Well, after a while Tuck comes in from outside and grabs some paper and the markers. He tells me Olivea is going to help him with his letters...what a sweet girl to do that for him right???....yeah, this is what they were "doing" with the markers!!!! Green marker eyeshadow and Red marker lipstick! Pictures don't do the 'makeover' justice.

He has a music program at his school tonight!!!! He is a complete mess, wreck, disaster..... but you can't help but love a face like this....

Out of Sight, Still IN Mind

Ok, I know I've already posted today but I had to share what my 4-year-old son was doing when I walked up the stairs from doing laundry.

So what's the big deal, you ask? Well, unfortunately my "easy" baby is now in the stage of Out-of-Sight-Still-In-Mind~~~ translated, means everytime I leave the room, he throws THE hugest fit thinking that I'm gone forever. Well, I went downstairs to switch out laundry and of course he was crying and screaming his head off. Pretty soon he stops and I just assume he's settled down. Well, I walk into the living room and, like I said before, this is what I found. Tucker had made Porter a bottle (which is NOT an easy task when you use Vent-Air bottles... many parts to put together) and is watching PBS Kids dot Org....(that's what my kids call PBS). Thank goodness he used the FORMULA in the fridge and not real milk. And actually, I have to add, this is the SECOND time Tucker has done this. Yes, some people might say, "What a big helper!" He is. I have a feeling though,.... he couldn't hear the tv over the crying....

For our Friend Kara.....such a little business man!

Our friend, Kara, gave us this onesie....yes, little P' Man is wearing a tie (of course, the top part of the tie is hidden by the triple chin)...and....no pants:-) Tucker says he looks like a 'business man'...where he knows a business man, I don't know!
I couldn't resist posting this. Just look at those legs!!!

The Mini Winnie...AKA Montrosity on Wheels...AKA Darrin's Mobile Man Cave

OK, I must begin this post with letting the world know(...well, the 2 people that actually read this blog) that a few weeks ago we 'inherited' a Winnebago, not just any Winnebago, a 1974 Mini Winnie!!!! (I will post pics soon...) Yes, I know you're jealous:-) Anyway, Tucker thinks it's the COOOLEST vehicle in the world. He and his dad spent the better part of this evening going through it, figuring out how things work, just spending some 'man' time together. After about an hour, Tucker runs in the house shouting, "Mom, Mom, guess what? Me and Dad are sleepin' in the camper tonight!!!" Well, I've been watching the weather and it seems a tornado....or winds close to, we do live in Kansas...is heading towards our part of the state tonight. Of course, this concerns me a little. I tell him, "I don't know that that's such a good idea, Buddy. The weather is getting pretty bad. There might be a tornado tonight." Tucker's response, "It's ok, Mom. We won't blow away." He's so excited. I sure hope the tornado stays away....

Mud and Squash

Today was yet another adventure filled day in the life of a single mother of 3...(I'm actually not single, it just seems that way with a principal as a husband)... If I only had a camera at the moment I looked out the kitchen window and caught Tucker with a shovel, putting mud in the chimney part of the chiminea (sp?). I went outside to scold only to come back in, hearing the sounds of something hitting the sunroom windows. YES, he was throwing mud because I took the shovel away. Needless to say, he went to bed VERY early tonight.

Little man, Porter ate squash for the first time tonight. It's his first real food other than rice cereal. Here he is with his first bite...

and here he is after his last bite -- notice he didn't make too much of a mess -- pretty much everything went right in the mouth...

...and yes, here is the COMPLETELY clean container. When Tucker and Sawyer were at this stage, they took one bite and the rest went in the trash. Not Porter...doesn't believe in waste.

He is such an easy baby. (I hope I don't eat these words later) He is yet to roll over but honestly, we're not too worried about it. One thing is for sure, he'll have plenty to work off once he does start to be mobile.

April 11, 2009...(back post)...the last one -- phewww..

It's the day before Easter and life couldn't be better. This is truly a BEAUTIFUL time of year. And I must say how much more I enjoy it with children. We just finished coloring Easter eggs and what fun both Tuck and Sawyer had! I love watching their little personalities come out while doing this. Sawyer kept putting in egg after egg...getting the job done. She is one who is always busy doing something. She is never bored and is right on top of the task at hand. Tucker, on the other hand, colored maybe 5 eggs compared to Sawyer's 19. He had to think everything through VERY carefully...which color, how long should it be left in the dye, the egg should stay in the dye for a very long time in order to achieve the brightest possible color, all while exclaiming, "The Easter Bunny is gonna think mine's the coooollllest". He's very cautious and doesn't take too many risks...unless of course, it's jumping off of something.

On a somewhat gross note, I went up to take a shower this morning while Darrin was feeding the baby and the other two were outside. Evidently, Tucker comes in and tells Dad that he needed to show him something. Darrin tells him that he's busy feeding the baby and to bring in whatever it was that Tucker wanted to show him....well, here's the GROSS part...Tucker brings in a DEAD baby oppossum to show Darrin. Darrin quickly tells him to throw it away...not wanting him to take it back outside, knowing that it would be the new attraction out there for both Tuck and Sawyer (Darrin is still feeding the baby)...he will take care of it as soon as he's done feeding Porter. he tells Tucker to go to the bathroom and wash REALLY well. By this time, I come downstairs from my shower and Darrin tells me all that has happened in the last 45 minutes. I am just freaked out by this! I go through the door knobs with Clorox wipes, make Tucker strip down so that I can wash his clothes, and Darrin has completely FORGOTTEN about the oppossum in the trash in the KITCHEN!!! - I had assumed he had 'taken care of it' by now. We go on with decorating eggs and just having a great time. All of a sudden Darrin remembers the "deceased" in the trash. BLAHHHHHH!!!!! So disgusting! Everyday my husband lets out a little more of his "Redneck" personality. Did I not know this 10 years ago? Oh well, I guess this is what makes life interesting.:-)

"Lord, we praise You for You have Risen"...Let's just hope the oppossum stays put:-)

April 9, 2009...(back post)

Today was Tucker's Easter party at school. I experienced my very first responsibility as Room Mother. I kind of screwed up and didn't have anyone to watch my kids so I had to take Sawyer and Porter with me. I was a little poo pooed on this one by the teacher and the other mothers. What do ya do? I got a few pictures but wish I could have been a little more involved.

Tucker with his basket full of eggs from the Easter Egg Hunt

DARRIN IS GONE WAY TOOOO MUCH!!!! I feel like I handle it pretty well but I do think it's starting to take it's toll on the kids. Tucker brought the calendar off of the fridge to me tonight and asked me if Dad was working late tonight? It's so sad that my four year old is already living off of a calendar

April 8, 2009...(back post)

I got a call from my niece Tabitha today. She's in the hospital with a shaky right arm. I'm very worried about her. She's my first niece and I love her as if she was my own child. I hope we get more answers today. There are days I just wonder when my perfect world will come crashing down. I consider myself incredibly lucky. My parents are well, my friends are well, and my immediate family is well. I often wonder when that will come to an end. When will God decide that it's my turn for heartache and hurt? I know, or at least I want to know that Tab is just fine but I can't say that these thoughts don't go through my head.

On another note, Tucker has pink eye!!! Arrrgggg....I've never experienced this. My gal pal Trasie said it's really no big deal. I guess I always put it up there with lice.........naaaasssssty! We got some medicine (medis, as my kids call it) and hopefully it will be gone tomorrow.

April 2, 2009...(back post)

It's a rainy, dreary day today. I've been following a little boy's blog (actually his mom's blog about him).* Baby Stellan is 1 1/2 weeks older than Porter - which is one of the reasons his story touches my heart so much. Stellan was born with a terrible heart illness and has been in the hospital for the past week and a half. Every day is touch and go - one good, one bad, and so on. This and the story of Cora Paige have strengthened my faith in God...as well as SO many other people's faith. Both families are so so strong. One has now given their daughter up to God - the other knows their son might leave this earth at any time. But they still continue to hold onto their faith in Him now more than ever. They are completely comfortable with "God's will be done". Their strength inspires me. We live in a world where we focus on money, things, the fancy homes, fancy cars, blah, blah, blah. I for one see my own children with different eyes now. I hug them tighter, laugh more often, cherish more moments. I don't care if we live paycheck to paycheck, have a small home, or can't afford the newest trends. I have three BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY children and I know that just like Cora and Stellan, God has a plan for Tucker, Sawyer, and Porter too.


*Click on my Praying for Stellan button to read his entire story. MckMama will inspire and amaze you.

April 1, 2009...(back post)

The kids and I made cupcakes today -- no special reason -- it just seemed like a good day for it. The weather has been too cold and windy for any outdoor fun. I thought I'd change things up a little :-). The kids did unbelievably well. Honestly, I was expecting TOTAL chaos. First we made the batter. Sawyer is her mother's daughter - went straight for licking the beater and the
bowl :-).

Tucker, on the other hand, was not so much into it - he was much more interested in the mechanics of the mixer :-). Once the cupcakes cooled, it was time for decorating! I must say, both Tucker and Sawyer were FAR better at decorating with the decorator bags than I was at filling them with frosting. What a mess! I'm just glad we only used two colors. What a GREAT day!

...Had to add this...Porter laughed, truly laughed today for the first time..........What a fabulous sound!!!

March 30, 2009...(back post)

Today is Monday and we had a great weekend. Damon came for a visit. He was lucky enough to get a snow day on Friday so he came up Thursday night. My Aunt Candy from Nebraska also came for a visit. It's always so nice to see her. She is a VERY special person in my life. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be just like her. Independent, have a dog, a cat, and be a teacher. Well, things started out that way but of course I met the man of my life, I have 3 wonderful kids, and the animals have gone to live with Jesus...although I think we're getting ready to make a trip to the Humane Society...BUT, I did become a teacher and although I don't currently teach in the classroom, I do have my own private saxophone studio. Anyway, it was wonderful to see her.

I'm also so glad that Damon was able to make it down. He's always such a good time. He's such a crack-up with the kids too. Because he's a bachelor, he keeps an abundance of chips, candy, pop...JUNK FOOD at his apartment. I, on the other hand, will NOT keep that stuff around. I'm not so much worried about my kids but the fact that I can't keep myself away from it:-) Anyway, he practically begged me to go to Dillans and pick up some of these "essentials". Of course, I couldn't turn him down:-) We come home and made a sort of "buffet style" presentation of all the "goodies" in the living room to get ready to watch a movie. Sawyer sees what she thinks is HEAVEN and comes running to me with a big hug and kiss and, "Mommy, YOU buy this?" She was sooooo excited to see it all. Am I depriving my
kids???....naaaaahhhhhhh:-)

March 20, 2009...(back post) -- Those Ornery Dinosaurs

Sawyer is very much like me. If something is visibly/physically wrong, she doesn't want anyone bothering her about it. When I fractured a bone in my foot in college and had to wear the STUPID blue shoe, I didn't want to leave the house. Anyway, I noticed some scratches on Sawyer's arm...they almost looked like rug burns - which is probably what they were. I asked her what happened. Without a second of hesitation, "T-wex bit me." ??????? Where in the world did that come from?

March 17, 2009...(back post) TODAY IS ST. PATTY'S DAY 2009!

We decided to go to the zoo today. Little did we know how horribly crowded it would be. Although it was hard to enjoy it with such wall to wall people, it was nice to do something as a family that was outside of the house. Darrin is on Spring Break so we have to take advantage of all the family time we can get. After the zoo, we ran out to my parent's house to pick up our fishing poles. Tucker hadn't been feeling real great the whole day. It's always hard to tell with him, though. You can't tell if he's REALLY sick or just REALLY feels like being lazy. We decided to go ahead with our day. We got to my parent's house and were enjoying the great weather on their deck when Tucker rushes into the house. (I know to date most of the funny/memorable events that I have written about have involved 'bodily issues', but this was just too cute to forget.) I go into the house to see if everything is ok with Tuck...an yes, it's the dreaded D-word...diahrea..sorry. He comes back outside to join the rest of us and announces to everyone, "My tushy is sick :-(" Poor little guy. But what a trooper to satisfy mom's need for family time.

March 16, 2009...(back post) Dinner Talk/ Persuasion

Once again, I am sitting at the dinner table pleading with my kids to eat something on their plates...ANYTHING! Finally, Darrin decides that he would like to go to Gander Mountain but neither Sawyer nor Tucker will get to go if they don't eat 2 more bites off their plates. Sawyer is completely reluctant...won't eat a bite. Tucker, on the other hand, FINALLY eats his two bites...complaining the whole time that he's going to be sick. -- I'm a terrible cook, but COME ON! Chicken and cheese? FINALLY he completes the task at hand, the 2 bites are in the mouth and on the way down...grimacing the whole time. This is the exact dialogue at this moment in the episode. (Keep in mind, I'm VERY frustrated with both of them and am about to give up completely and throw the dishes in the sink.)

Tucker: (With a full mouth) "Are you proud of me, Mom?...tooooootttttt..." -- With a huge look of terror on his face because he knows how frustrated I am with him and his sister -- Yes, the perfect moment to relieve himself of his bodily gases. I could have yelled -- it was toooo stinkin' funny! We all burst into laughter:-) Why take life so seriously??? They're not going to starve to death:-)

March 9-13, 2009....(back post)

Tucker was 'Star of the Week' this week at Preschool. He had waited for this for so long. His class has a class mascot, Buddy the Bunny. The Star of the Week gets to take Buddy home for the weekend and return him on the following Tuesday. Throughout the weekend, the parent documents what Buddy got to do and post this, along with pictures, in a binder that will be shared with the class. We had a great time doing this. We took Buddy back on Tuesday and Tucker tells his teacher how much fun he had with Buddy and how he (Tucker) "weared him(Buddy) out".

Having Root Beer Floats with Buddy!

Hello Old Friend, Blogger!

Umm, yes, it's been about a year and a half since I last posted. I could come up with 101 excuses but I won't. Life gets crazy and priorities change. What I've discovered though is that this blog IS a fabulous way to document my top priority...MY KIDDOS! I have since learned that there is a way to publish a blog and what a great gift to my 3 little monkeys one day.... or at least a great gift to their spouses:-)

So much has happened since December of 2007. The best thing by far was the addition of Porter Lee in November of 2008. He is such a ray of sunshine in this house. He is just the BEST baby in the world.....no offense Tucker and Sawyer:-). (By the time they read this, they too will understand:-)) He is now 5 1/2 months old but of course is the size of a 2 year old -- by weight only. He's almost 20 lbs. and STILL has NOT rolled over. He's definately the spectator in this house. Tuck and Sawyer are so entertaining, who needs to roll over or crawl?

I became a facebook user back in June and thought I would just use that as my "updating outlet". I really do love it...catching up with old friends, being a part of everyone's busy lives. I even kept a sort of 'diary' in the notes section of my profile to write down all the 'happenings' in the Ross house but you can't 'jazz it up' like you can a blog.....So, here I am back, old friend!

I will be including my notes from my facebook page because there were definately a few 'moments' that my kids need to know about. :-)