It's a race to see who will die first...

Me or Him.  I'm also not sure if I will kill Seth or if he will kill himself.  Here's a few scenarios:

A. The air conditioner has stopped working upstairs.  I go outside to check it and find:

1. The unit has broken and is no longer working. 
2. A fuse has popped and needs to be reset.
3. Seth has stuck a metal bar through the grating protecting the fan preventing it from turning.

B.  I am upstairs in the bathroom and I hear water running:

1. I find Kenna in the bathroom downstairs actually flushing the toilet.
2. I find Isabelle in the bathroom downstairs washing her hands.
3. I find Seth with the hose off the patio spraying the dining room.

C.  Isabelle, Kenna and Seth are all playing on the balcony.  When I go out to check on them I find:

1. Seth has wandered inside and is playing in his room.
2. All three kids are running around screaming and playing with each other.
3. Seth is nowhere to be found.  Upon further investigation he has climbed up the back part of the roof and is now climbing down the roof to the front of the house.  

If you picked option 3 for each scenario you are a winner.  Unfortunately the list goes on and on.  At least once a week and often at least once a day I will do one or all of the following:

• Knock hangers and toys and clothes out of the tree next to the balcony with a broom.
• Clean up a whole box of cereal that has been dumped on the ground because no one can lock the pantry door.
• Fish things out of the toilet often seconds before he flushes or in mid-flush.  The latest thing being the can opener.
• Pick books up out of the bushes.
• Send Levi to our 2 back door neighbors to retrieve all the things Seth has thrown over the wall.
• Put his clothes and diaper back on.
• Tape books back together.
• Clean pen off toys, body parts and walls.
• And etc.

And now he has broken his tooth.  I wish I could give you some hilarious story about how it happened but he tripped and fell on his face.

So now you know why I never update my blog regularly.  Apparently, he is a "normal" boy and I never knew how good I had it with Levi.  I think though for my safety and his I need to invest in a pair of prison shackles or some rope to hogtie him with or I swear one of us won't make it to his 3rd birthday.

The past 4 months summerized in pictures

I finally emptied my camera and so here is a snapshot of life since February.



Kenna turned 3.  Here she is changing her new baby's diaper.  She didn't have a friend party because she refused (and still refuses) to use the potty.

Rhyan and Katie competed at the USA Cheerleading Junior Nationals at the California Adventure.  We took a girls trip with Nana and spent a couple of days prior to the competition at the Disneyland parks.



The competition started out rough.  Both parks were closed for a bomb threat and so the first session started over an hour behind schedule.  The girls competed in session 3.  It meant a lot of sitting around waiting because we no longer had a difinitive start time.

At the competition, Katie's team took first in their category.

Way to go Katie!



Rhyan's team took first in their category and Grand National Champions which means they had the highest score for all the teams in all the sessions for the whole day!

Grand Champs!


 


Look at my medal!

Katie and her coaches







 



   





 

 

At the end of February, the youngest 4's birth mom had a new baby... Baby C.  She was placed with another family. (see told you we were really done having kids)!  We went to Baby C's baby shower and got to love on her.



Our sister from another mother!

Here is Baby C with her awesome Momma A!  (Baby C's older brother "B" looks so much like Seth that they look more related then Seth and Baby C do)! 

Katie turned 7.  Her birthday falls at the end of March and in the middle of tax season so her friend party didn't acutally occur until April after the tax deadline.

Finally she got to have her party.  The weeks between her actual birthday and the party were full of a lot of  "when can we go to Chuck E. Cheese!"

Levi turned 13.  He didn't get to have a friend party either because he also chose not to do the things he had to do in order to have one.

The girls' team got recognized by the Las Vegas City Council.  I think its because we are currently the only recreation team in the Las Vegas area but I'm not sure.  The girls didn't care, they got to miss a half day of school.

 

Most of my kids were born without the shyness gene.  I think that's why it was so shocking that at Isabelle's graduation from preschool she was so embarassed she wouldn't even look at us. 

Maybe if I don't look at them they won't know its' me!

Finally, after the ceremony she loosened up a little bit!

Isabelle turned 5.  She had a massive super hero themed birthday party with all of her "best" friends, (all 20 or them)!

Baby C all superheroed out!

  

One of Isabelle's presents.  Does Momma A get her or what?!



Rhyan graduated from elementary school and is now a middle-schooler!  She was so excited because she got six certificates and she told me she never gets more that one.  She got a promotion (graduation) certificate, one for Honor Choir, one for Student Council, one for citizenship, one for the GREAT (Gang Resisitance Education and Training) program, and the Awesome Gladiator award for all her hard work in becoming the most improved in her class.   I am really proud that she got the Awesome Gladiator award.  She has worked hard to overcome all her learning issues and has not let them hold her back!

She used to be Gidget...

We recently took Gidget the dog to the groomers for a haircut.  I'm pretty cheap and so by the time we actually take the dog to the groomer she is very shaggy.  Usually by that time the only cut available is the shave because she is so matted.  Kenna comes with me to take the dog which results in tears because we are leaving our dog! This time, however, Steve was home so he dropped the dog off and picked her up without taking Kenna with him.  When Steve brought her home Kenna freaked out because that WAS NOT our dog, (which it was).  She wanted to know where Gidget was and who this dog was.  Steve told her the dogs name was Bob.  Kenna came running upstairs to tell me we had a new dog named Bone.  Now whenever we call the dog Gidget we are corrected with a sparkle in her eye that "Its' Bone". 

Family Pictures

We recently had our family pictures taken.  Our local FSA is putting together books on adoption as part of the goal to promote awareness of the option of adoption.  A wonderful local photographer Marissa of Marissa D Photography volunteered her services and we now have some fabulous pictures.

So what do you think?  Pretty great, right!?

Isabelle's Easter Dress

As you might have guessed, Isabelle isn't at all girly. In fact she decided to not to get a new Easter dress this year in favor of a new "Avengers" t-shirt.












But have no fear, Nana to the Rescue! After one 2-day sewing marathon, Isabelle now has a brand new Spiderman Easter dress. Do you think she loves it? Thanks Nana...you rock!

Kenna is insanely jealous and already telling me about the "Dora" dress Nana is making for her. Sorry Nana, but a superheroes work is never done!