Sunday, November 3rd

Sunday was very full, although it started out relaxed with at home time.  Toward lunchtime we rallied and headed out for a fun family lunch at Texas Roadhouse - the kids had never been before and were quite entertained by throwing the peanut shells on the floor and the spontaneous dancing by the staff :-) During nap time for the kiddos, I headed out to do a quick thrift store run (I've so missed it during the past few months!) and then went home to get the big kids ready for Pajama Night at AWANA.

I don't know why these cats tolerate this girl - maybe they can sense how much she loves/obsesses over them?  But one of her favorite things to do is walk around with one under each arm.  In a weird way it seems to have worked in so far as desensitizing them to one another and they no longer hiss when in each other's presence. 

 While Waverly is obviously her own person with her own unique personality, it's funny to me to see little snippets of her siblings' temperament manifest.  She can be very easy going (like Victoria and Lincoln) so long as there isn't something she specifically wants to do... but already I can see that she often has an agenda, or her own little baby mental list of activities she'd like to do (Scarlett).  "First, the exersaucer.  Then a little light stretching on the ground.  Finish up with a bit of toy/floor time." haha

She loves this new rattle-ball toy that Grammie bought for her!

 Out to lunch and we were seated in this big, long booth - three on each side, and Waverly actually sat in a highchair seat between Jim and I!  Now that she has her own highchair at home we figured she could attempt to sit in one while we're out and about.  Overall she did great and sat happily in her chair for half of our time there.  I gave her a chunk of rock-hard crusty bread to mess around with and she really went after it with a look of fierce determination on her face! :-)

Victoria, Lincoln and Scarlett all did so well, ordering their own food and eating like champs.  I'm not say that they always behave perfectly when we're out to eat, but by and large I think they do an awesome job for their ages and I'm thankful that they are fun to go out with!  After nibbling on a few shelled peanuts, the kids spent a lot of time and effort prying open dozens of peanuts and forcing me and Jim to consume them :-p

 Victoria ordered the kid's ribs and Lincoln was pretty sorry that he hadn't also ordered them.  Fortunately, his sister was sweet and let him have one; he devoured it and then spent time nibbling on the bone. 

I love going to the thrift store - it has been several months since I've been able to go on a regular basis, but I'd like to make an effort to at least drop in one for 15 or 20 minutes a couple of times a month.  Sometimes it can be a total bust, but more often than not I'll find a hidden gem or two.  This trip I found two awesome shoe items.  This pair of (toddler-size) boys' size 12 Keen Boots in really good condition.  Brand new they are $64.95 and they rang up at $2.92 at my local Goodwill.  It's a size and a half too big for Lincoln, but I snagged them anyway as they'll be perfect for either spring or next fall.

And while the picture looks dingy, these Sorel boots had only superficial dirt (which I know as I had my ever-handy baby wipes with me and the grime wiped right off!) and were a size 13 which will be perfect for one of the girls in Spring.  Brand new these average between $55-80. Another win! 

The kids in their jammies and AWANA vests, ready to go and have a fun time playing games, hearing a Bible message and memorizing Scripture.

 Waverly and I were going to run a couple of errands, only she decided napping in the car would be infinitely more fun! :-p  Because she hadn't napped all day and I didn't want an overly tired, crabby babycakes come bedtime, I essentially drove to our destination and held her while she napped, then drove home! haha  Babies. 

Sunday, October 27th

Somehow, this was a virtually picture-free day!  However, we had a nice time together and in the evening the kids went to AWANA.

I did snag one quick pic, so I'll use it as a chance to update on Cupcake the Kitten... as you can see, it (still not sure of gender) has made itself quite at home here.  It luxuriates in all of the attention, the abundant food (both dog and cat - it seems impartial) and the copious amounts of soft, warm places to lay.  Scarlett still gets a bit frantic if she can't locate the kitten immediately and I've tried explaining that it is apparently NEVER LEAVING.  I put it outside and it just comes right back in ;-p

Sunday, October 20th

The sleepover fun continued on Sunday morning, as the kids played and ate a hearty breakfast.  Then the dads (Jim and Stevens) took the four big kids to free kids movie screening at our local theater!  Back home we somehow managed to achieve napping nirvana, with all four kids going down at the same time and snoozing for two hours straight which meant that Jim and I could both indulge in a long nap, too!  Ah... bliss :-)  In the late afternoon it was time for baths and AWANA, which the kids once again enjoyed immensely - even more so as Charlotte was able to go with them!

Breakfast of champions: Hot tea, orange juice, piles of pancakes and bacon.

Three lovely girls cleaned up, dressed and hair fixed, ready for the movie!

Waverly and I didn't go, but reports are that they did an excellent job at the movies (and a so-so job at lunch afterward) seeing "Turbo."

Lincoln and Mr. Young~

Mid-morning, Nana kept Waverly entertained while I met Amanda P. at the gym for a good workout.  Nana snapped this picture of the baby in her exersaucer and it's so cute!  She is just so smiley all of the time - I love it!!

An update on Cupcake: she's still here, still thinks she owns the place ;-)

Sunday, October 13th

We had plans to go on a hike Sunday morning - however, we had two strikes against us: 1) Jim woke up feeling less than outstanding, and 2) all of the trails we had thought to trek were closed due to the government shutdown.  However, after a relaxed morning with multiple rounds of breakfast for the kiddos, Jim mentioned really regretting his decision not to snag a couple more shirts from one outlet store we'd visited the day previously.  They were really a great fit plus a really great price... so we decided to head up there and pick up those couple of things and let the kids play in the food court again :-)

After we were finished, we headed home for some quick down time before getting the kiddos changed and taking them to AWANA.  They were really excited to go and thanks to Grammie and Nana playing with Waverly at home (she was very tired from all of our running around!), Jim and I managed to have dinner together!

I had made the kids breakfast, then an hour later they had second breakfast.  When I finally made breakfast for Jim and I they were majorly pilfering for some bacon... it was thick cut, which they usually don't care for but this time they went crazy for it and I had to cook up the other half of the package :-p  When it was ready they swarmed the plate and there was a bacon frenzy in full effect.

Back at the outlets - they got one ride again, and this time chose the four wheeler :-)

At the very end of our shopping excursion, Jim let them pick a treat at the Ghiardelli chocolate shop - they opted to get a small bag of mix and match items.  They spent ten minutes choosing their various goodies (most were saved for savoring throughout the week) to fit into the smallest mixed bag we could get, and then another five or ten minutes sorting them out at a table and choosing a couple to have right then.  Serious work, as you can see from their expressions ;-)

Kids were at AWANA, baby was home with Grammie, and THIS was happening at dinner for me and Jim :-)  It was great to have a few minutes to sit and chat together!

Sunday, September 29th

After a late, adventurous night camping outside (and/or in Nana's room) the kids all woke up ravenous on Sunday morning.  I made breakfast and the kids played inside and outside for a couple of hours before we headed out to do our camp supply shopping.  We all took a great nap in the afternoon before getting around and taking the big kids to their very first AWANA meeting!  I participated in AWANA from the time I was a kindergartner til I believe sixth grade, and loved-loved-loved it; I was really excited when our friends, the Phillips, told us they had found a good location and invited us to join them.  The kids had a total blast and were already asking for specifics about exactly when they could go back :-)

I made the kids some hot, gooey cinnamon rolls and a pot of tea.  Everything smelled delicious!  I had to quickly make up the adult's breakfast so that I would not eat all of the rolls, haha :-)

Warming up with tea while the rolls were in the oven.

Waverly is getting so grabby - its a fun stage, and I always enjoy watching her expressions when someone else is holding her.  You can see when something grabs her interest and she starts trying to maneuver herself into a good position to grab it.  She desperately wanted Jim's bottle, but it was far away on the table, so he got it and held it on his knee for her (we suspect she might think she has some sort of Jedi mind control, since she simply looks at an object and it comes to her, lol).

"Aha, you have come to me at last!"

Lincoln, Scarlett and Victoria - they were so excited to leave and head to AWANA.  They asked me 538 questions on the way there concerning every possible facet of what to expect ;-)  In the end, it wasn't exactly as they had imagined (they later told me), but was even better.  I love that they love it!