Today

. . . I woke up around 8
. . . the little kids had Kix, yogurt, and bananas for breakfast
. . . Will had oatmeal, yogurt, and banana for breakfast
. . . I had coffee
. . . the little ones were climbing the walls
. . . then they took a short nap
. . . I scrapbooked while Will played games
. . . we all played outside after lunch
. . . Jon climbed in the Tonka truck
. . . Maddie pushed him to the sandbox
. . . the sandbox was muddy
. . . Ben filled buckets with wet sand
. . . Maddie thought mud was tasty
. . . Ben tasted it to see why Maddie was so happy
. . . he didn't like the taste of sand
. . . when I took away the bucket of mud Maddie got mad
. . . so she stuck a beetle in her mouth
. . . I got it out
. . . it was slobbery when it crawled away
. . . Will climbed all over the playground
. . . he loved jumping onto the slide
. . . he scolded the little ones for eating sand
. . . Maddie started shaking her finger at everyone saying "No No"
. . . we did that for awhile
. . . then I stripped the muddy kids
. . . I hosed them off
. . . then took them inside for clean clothes
. . . now the kids are all resting
. . . and I am having fun looking at all the photos.
(in the slide show below, you can click the X box to reduce the size of the music video.)

In case you were wondering. . .

. . .I do still find a little time to scrapbook. In fact, when I was in Waco, I got to go to a crop and I got a LOT done. AND since the Stanley Cup playoffs are going on, I have scrapped while Allen watches the games. If it weren't for all the time I spend watching TV, I'd have LOTS more time to play. I only post my pages when they are complete, so the ones that don't have journaling won't be posted yet.

Well now I have October photos from the last few years done. Who needs to be "caught up?" Why would I want to be "caught up?" Since I have so many young kids, I often asked how I find time to scrapbook. I pretty much answer the same way, "I make time for what I enjoy doing," but I still wish I had more time for the fin I have. I thought I share how it all comes together for me. (If you aren't a scrapbooker, you can skip the rest of this entry.)

I have found that putting together mini-kits before I go scrapbook has made it all go so much smoother. It is probably the way I can use time the best. I include my sketch, my photos, patterned papers I have in my stash that will work & any cardstock that might coordinate. Since I don't make all the decisions before I make a kit, I often return with leftovers. For example, the "Pretty" kit had cardstock in dark pink, light pink, bright blue, white (I used for mats), and light blue (the background). The kit also had 4 different ribbons that might work, and 6 patterned papers, of which I used only 2.

• Take lots of photos.
• When viewing new photos, copy the ones you want to print into a "TO PRINT" folder.
• Print your photos to the size you will need.
  For example, on the layouts above, I printed the photos of Jon ("Carefree") as 2"x3" since I knew that's the size they would be on the layout. With the "Pretty" photos, the 2 medium sized photos are each 3"x4" printed on one 4"x6".
• Combine photos from event (3 minutes or less per kit).
• Find or create a sketch of what you plan to create (5-15 minutes). I create a go-to file for inspiration, sketches, or other ideas to incorporate. When I find a great layout, I often use it multiple times -- Pretty and Playhard are the same, but they are going in different albums, so it doesn't bother me; PLUS, they both went very quickly.
• Gather papers from your stash that would work with photos (10 minutes of searching, max).
• Gather cardstocks that might be used with papers & photos (5 minutes, no decisions).
• Gather embellishments that might work (5 minutes, no decisions). Find or make a sketch (5 or 10 minutes).
• Assemble your kit.
• Add title and journaling. I rarely add my journaling when I am at a crop or at home with Will in the room. I just can't focus. Since I seem to hoard alphabets (particularly Thickers) I can eliminate several pounds from my bag by not carrying my letters to a crop.

I am definitely a photo-centered scrapbooker. I choose my photos and then all the products I use complement the photos. However, I know many people scrap differently. In fact, often when I am creating a class or samples that a product-centered, I create my page then find the photos that will fit. Have fun!

Yay!! . . . at least a few for the week

They may seem simple, but these things are big to us:
1. Ben can go down the stairs.
2. When it is"time to go bye-bye", Ben runs to the door, before he is strapped into his seat, Maddie and Jon are seated in their seats waiting to be buckled.
3. Jon can go down the stairs.
4. Maddie gives me a kiss and tells me thank you (dank doo!).
5. When Jon burps or toots, he says excuse me (deek dee hahaha).
6. I got all my pumpkin patch and halloween photos from the last 2 years scrapped (to be posted later). Now I have about 7 layouts of birthdays to work on. . .
7. Allen filled the sandbox and Will spends hours in it almost every day.
8. Ten of our twelve baby trees have buds on them.
9. We are having grilled burgers for dinner tonight.
10. Jon and Maddie say "uh-oh" when they drop something. (today it is cute. . .)
11. All four kids know they can't eat dinner without asking God's blessing and saying "Amen!"
12. The affection our kids show each other is heart-melting. There are few things in the world as sweet as two babies reaching out to give each other kisses and following those with lots of giggles.

Texas Blues

The kids and I have been celebrating spring in Waco for the last five days. Here are a few pictures I couldn't wait to share. Someone told me that it wasn't spring in Texas until you got pictures of kids in bluebonnets -- so it's now spring for me!

Maddie loved the flowers. Some of them even got kissed.

Jon was cranky (well, we did wake him from his nap when we found the bluebonnets) until he realized he was in his favorite place -- outside.

Ben does not sit still for pictures. I got a little bit of his mischievous grin as he stood up to run away. This photo captures our Ben perfectly.

Will stopped for a quick snapshot then he was back to playing frisbee.

Here's another that I loved -- typical life: Ben running one way, Maddie stopping to smell the flowers.

Please, no comments about the fact that I should let the boys be individuals and not dress them alike. We had been at the zoo before we found the flowers. When we are on outings in public places, I often dress the kids alike or similar. That way, if one gets lost, I don't have to remember which four outfits my kids wore that day. . . .no, I don't try to lose them, I am just getting in the habit now before I let them be publicly mobile. They still ride the circus train when we're out and about. . . .and yes, I'll gladly pay admission for the zoo for whoever wants to pull the train.

At the moment

This is one of those "before I forget" entries, so you will probably see it on a scrapbook page soon. Will climbed in my lap this morning and told me
"Mama, I want as many kisses as Pooh likes honey! ... a lot!"
It was an odd way of wording it, but I like it & I don't want to forget it.

Baby tooth count:
Ben - 10 with 2 more molars trying to come through makes for a cranky kiddo
Maddie - 6
Jon - 7 with another soon

Walking?
Ben is running -- usually away from me and toward the cat food or dog water. He also climbs the tables, chairs, and window sill (arg!)
Maddie is walking, or walking really fast playing chase with Ben. She giggles so much she falls.
Jon is still crawling, but he stands without holding on. When he does that, he get excited and laughs and claps. He holds one of my fingers and toddles pretty well, so it will be soon. . .
Me - I never seem to be walking. Usually I am chasing kids or I've dropped from exhaustion.

Words (not a full list, just what I can remember at the moment):
Ben - some of his are: amen, Mada (Maddie), Wi' (Will), doogie (doggie), nananana (banana), muh (more), Dada, Mama, giggle (tickle)
Maddie - she seems to have the biggest understandable/vocal vocabulary of the 3 right now. Some of her words are: ree (read), pitty (pretty), ki' (kiss), moh (more), baby (baby doll), doga (doggy), key (kitty), Dah (Jon), Dada, Mama, and my favorite is "tak too!" (thank you)
Jon - he picks up the signing much quicker than the other 2 now, so he is usually able to tell us what he wants before Ben or Maddie. Some he says are: amen! (as soon as we sit for dinner. . .), mo (more, usually he signs this one), Mada (Maddie), beebee (baby doll), ni-ni (night-night), nanana (banana), Dada, Mama, baa (bath), mik (milk)

Foods:
Will eats Peanut butter and jelly almost every day for lunch. Other food favorites are oatmeal, pancakes with honey, mac & cheese, spaghetti, and of course, ice cream. He is a great eater & likes all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

Ben eats everything quickly. He doesn't seem to like Cheerios, but he likes crackers, breads, cheese, meat, veggies, almost everything.

Maddie takes her time eating. She seems to eat fruit first, then bread, then meats, and only if she is absolutely starving and I haven't added more to her tray, she'll eat cheese. She doesn't seem to like cheese, but she will gladly hand it to a brother. When Daddy feeds her ice cream, she is so excited her feet don't stop kicking and bouncing until the bowl is put away.

Jon eats really fast sometimes, and other times, it takes all day. He isn't picky about what he eats, but he only eats one food at a time. He eats all his beans, then all his cheese, then all the bread, etc. He is always anxious to try our food, and when he wants some he gets our attention (while we are eating), opens his mouth really big, and says "AAAHHH!" with a cute sparkle in his eye. He is very quick with the "more" sign and makes sure we see it.

Who Reads This??

Somehow the numbers keep going up on my counter. Leave me a comment if you read this so I know who my audience is. Thanks!

Beer Bread recipe

I discovered a recipe this weekend that I wish I had known about a lot sooner. Super easy & super tasty. We've already had it twice this past week:

3 cups self-rising flour (NOT all-purpose)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 bottle (or can) of beer
3 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Mix flour and sugar and beer. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Take pan out of oven and spread melted butter over the top. Cook for 20 more minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Enjoy!

So easy! Different beers make the bread taste different.

Wednesday in the making

Happy Wednesday! When I got up to the babies' room this morning, they were fussing and they had all thrown their blankets on the floor. As I was picking up the blankets, I found a diaper --- rephrase: a USED diaper. Where did it come from? All the kids were still in pajamas, was it from yesterday? I felt around -- Maddie's was still on. Ben giggled because he's so ticklish, but his was on. Jon whined a little like he does every morning, and I discovered that it was his diaper. But he was dressed. . . I need to put a video camera in their room. I still can't figure out how he got the diaper off while he was still clothed -- I know he can't dress himself, so I will ponder this all day. On the up note, it was only a wet diaper, and he seemed to stay dry after it was removed.

This weekend, Jon removed diapers twice. Both times, I am happy to say, Allen discovered the problem. Hopefully I get the story right, but it is second hand. Day 1: Saturday, my day to sleep late. Allen got to the kids room and Jon was standing in his crib with his bottom half bare, and he kindly offered Allen a brown lump. We were kind of hoping that was the only one there had been. Day 2: after naptime, Jon had bared himself again and thrown the diaper and shorts out of the crib. The pile of clothes on the floor had been watered from above. Good shot, little guy!

After breakfast, the kids and I went outside to play. They are so happy outside. I wore them out and we came in so the little ones could nap while I had my coffee and updated the blog. Will is being creative. That Superman has been creating a bit of trouble this week. Yesterday, I heard a huge bang while all 4 were [supposed to be] sleeping. Then I heard Will crying. It sounded like a tree fell through the roof, so I rushed to his room. He decided to empty his bookcase and climb to the top. Lucky for all of us it is a light-weight bookcase only about 3 feet high -- he climbed it, it fell, he fell on top of it. He agreed it was a bad idea. That was typical of the last two days. He woke up this morning to say, "Mama, I am going to be a really good boy who minds you today!" I love mornings that start like that. . . at least it is my warning to not turn my back.

We went to the zoo on Sunday and had a wonderful time. The weather was awesome, upper 70s, but everyone had the same idea that day, so we had to share with lots of people. I think my kids and circus train were one of the zoo exhibits, people were snapping pictures of them and pointing the triplets out to their children and spouses. That is the part that stinks. I hate that my kids are an exhibit. The babies are still young enough they don't understand it, but Will is starting to pick up on it. Allen and I were thinking of having shirts made that read, "YES! We DO have our hands full!" Some days, I am in the mood to have a shirt that says, "Go away! We are here to see the animals!" Will had a great time, and so did the little tykes. Jon really enjoyed the "giraaa" (giraffe) and Maddie was really focused on the elephants. In the aviary, Ben kept squawking back at the birds.

At the end, we let the kids play in the sand (first time in sand for the babies). Maddie kept randomly giggling, Jon let it run through his fingers, Ben was throwing it and eating it, and Will was excited to show the others what can be done with sand. Photo notes: Maddie is the cutie in the pink & orange dress, Ben has red & blue stripes and blue sunglasses, Jon has blue & green stripes and red sunglasses, Will is the one with long-sleeves and pants who proudly dressed himself.

This week has been normal. I am getting ansy to be creative, but I keep heading to the internet for inspiration. Backwards thinking, I know, but it is hard for me to get started on a project when I know I will be interupted from finishing it. I have also been trying to decide whether to head to Chasing Rainbows for the National Scrapbook Day crop in May. On one hand, I'd love to be there. On the other, I don't feel like making an 8-hour trip each way. Here are two layouts I did around Easter.

My Brownies

Mom has asked for my brownie recipe, so I thought I'd share it. The key to these super-rich brownies is to use dark cocoa (mine is called Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa). I also found some caramels (like the wrapped cubes you melt to make caramel apples) that were not wrapped and they were shaped like chocolate chips. Those were great to use, but if you can't find them, just unwrap a bunch and cut them into smaller pieces.

Sarah's Absolute Favorite Brownies
1/2 C. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. special dark cocoa
1/4 C. (regular) cocoa
2/3 C. white sugar
2/3 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. dark chocolate chips
1/2 C. chewy caramels
1/2 C. chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. oil
3 eggs

I put the dry ingredients in a clear, quart-sized jar one ingredient at a time and make layers (like sand art) and add a tag that says "When ready to bake, pour contents of jar in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup of oil, and 3 eggs. Stir until blended. Pour into a greased 9-inch pan and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees." These brownie mixes make great gifts for teachers, neighbors, or me, or they can be stored in the pantry for a quick-mix when you are in the mood for this chocolaty goodness.

I had a recipe I had gotten from MOPS, and I made these up for Will's teachers for Christmas gifts and some neighbors. However, like I do with every recipe, I made some changes (the dark chocolate chips, dark cocoa, and caramel chips). I forgot to taste them before they were distributed, then one night I couldn't sleep because I couldn't quit thinking that maybe I had given awful-tasting gifts. The next morning I made up a batch & they were the best I've ever had. The teachers all wanted the recipe, so they must've been tasty. Allen made some for Mom's birthday a few days ago, and she liked them too. Enjoy!

Liver Tea (nope, not a recipe)

I never realize how dependent I am on the internet until I lose it . . . (the internet, I mean). This weekend we had some huge storms so we unplugged everything. Somehow one of the cable wires got bent strangely, so we weren't able to get our cable modem to work for the last 5 days. It's been repaired, and I am so happy to have access to the outside world.

The weekend was very rainy, but we managed to get out for a short time to wander around a plant nursery and a few furniture stores. I prepared many meals, and we ate some yummy food. There are the little things that have been happening with the kids that seem like the highlights for the week. . . Jon and Maddie gave me kisses!!! Last night I was sitting on the floor and Allen was on the couch. When Jon climbed down off of Allen I mused aloud, "I wonder if Jon is coming to give his mama a kiss?" He picked up on the hint, and holding the couch, he walked himself over to me and stuck his outer lip out like a happy pout (that is his kissy face) and kissed me. A little bit later, I asked Maddie for a kiss and she leaned toward my face with an open mouth like she would bite my nose. At the very end she blinked hard, nodded, and made kiss lips and giggled after she kissed me. I wish I could explain better how adorable they are when they do that. Ben is still working hard to reach the television and DVD/VCR. He will line toys up under them and climb them to push buttons. When I get the toys away from the TV, he climbs the chair and leans way over to try to reach the buttons. When that fails, he takes his little monkey toes and holds tight to the edge and starts walking his legs up the set. When I get him down, he huffs with determination, and looks for another way. This is definitely a determined little guy. All three babies are darling during our dinner blessings. Maddie folds her hands together, Jon laces his fingers together, and Ben uses one hand to tightly squeeze the fingers of the other hand. They are still working on saying "Amen," and some nights they say "A-ma!" or " 'men!" and other times they just do the sign language for it. Maddie babbles when Will is saying the prayer; she must think she is praying, too. Wouldn't it be neat to know what a baby says to God?

Will has been serenading us with a song of Herman the Worm and can recite the Pledge of Allegiance. It is impressive that he says all of it, but it's hard not to chuckle when he finishes it with "Indivisible, with liver tea and justice for all!" I'll take the justice, but the liver tea better be on the side.

One day last fall, Will came home from preschool and asked, "Mama, what does justice mean?" Please tell me how to define justice for a (then) three-year old without using any other words that will make him ask for another definition. A little while later, "Mama, what is liver tea?" I had NO idea how to answer that. I figured he heard "justice" on his Superman cartoon, but I had no idea where to start with liver tea. When he asked "What does un-de-visible mean?" I put all the parts together and realized he was learning the Pledge.