why i love my kids

since it has been a long day, i thought i'd better remind myself why i love my kids.

jacob:

super super smart
great giggle
he's finally at an age where he is fun to do stuff with (he plays a great game of speed and i don't even have to let him win anymore)
he is kind
very polite
loves to read
passionate
sensitive
his face turns red when he runs around a lot
generally obedient
self-motivated
tells silly jokes and then giggles
dimples

Elijah:
walks on his toes
LOVES art
very routine-oriented (which also drives me crazy)
likes to read
always turns off the lights (my new little "green" nazi)
stays up late; sleeps in late like me (although i know that is about to become one of my greatest challenges with kindergarten starting)
very very mellow
will speak his mind; but in a totally round about way
he is the calm amongst the storms that are his brothers
will choose fruit over candy
he's a mini-me

Spencer:
potty trained himself
runs around the house spelling his name and his brothers' names
he's trouble with a capital T
he gives the dog commands in the exact same manner in which i give the dog commands
dimples, red hair, tan skin, blue eyes
can read books (the ones he has memorized anyway)
he talks to himself
he runs up to you out of nowhere to give you a great big hug around the thighs
when he is tired, he will drop where he is and sleep; LOVE when that happens
how he says "EE-WHY-SHA" when he calls his brother
when he talks on the phone he says "Heh-woh? heh-woh-oh!!"
he's adventurous
he pronounces our last name: "Zon-gshur"
he cocks his head a little to the left when he asks a question
he's persistent (which is also a reason why he makes me crazy)

double grrrr

do you ever have one of those days where the kids just keep doing things that make you nuts!? They don't do it on purpose; but it happens because they are apparently unable to be aware of where their bodies meet their environment. I have just experienced the FOURTH spill of the day; FOURTH! I don't know why this makes me so crazy; it just does. is it completely unreasonable to expect that I can have a drink; set in on a table, leave it for a minute, and have it be there when I come back!?

ok. now i'm done. needed to vent before the next kid comes in and I still want to hit something.

grrrr

i am trying to redo my blog. i was tired of the notebook, and it was kind of hard to read the sidebars, although i did like it. so while i was searching through all of the "cute blog templates" out there, i somehow completely removed the notebook template and now i can't get it back. and i'm tired. see y'all in the morning, maybe with a new look for my blog; maybe not.

things my dog has eaten/chewed/destroyed

so many plastic toys i can't count
1 dvd remote
phone antenna
knitting needles
pencils
around 10 toothbrushes
2-3 tubes toothpaste
5 "extra-super-tough" dog chew toys
20+ regular dog toys
lots of rags
lots and lots of pull-ups/diapers (new and used; eww)
plates
a bra
cups
1 pitcher
3 child sized golf clubs
some underwear
used dryer sheets
several hair clips
wet toilet paper (fished out of the toilet)
books
a wooden block
cat food anytime he can sneak into the garage
cat poop, in the situation mentioned above
blankets
pillows
a cake
pacifiers
sippy cups
shoes
many, many, stuffed animals
3 different gentle leaders/ harnesses
plastic baggies
screwdriver
2 handbags (including my fake Prada i got in NYC; i loved that bag)
tennis balls
chicken bones when he is quick enough to race out the door and run to the dumpster; for some reason there are ALWAYS chicken bones there.
bugs
my hairbrush
some paintbrushes
tons of table scraps that he shouldn't be able to reach but somehow does
and finally (but certainly not lastly)
my wallet, including my driver's license and debit card.
and if you ever need a kitten licked, he's your dog:
i think i still love my dog.

new camera

we had to get a new camera because i dropped and broke our old one (bad mommy!!). i was heartbroken. i had become very attached to that camera. but we were able to find basically the same camera with some upgrades; so i am happy. i love the first shots you take with a new camera. its just fun to fool around and see what it can do.

summer misc

more pictures of plain old getting wet in the summer. oh and long talks with loved ones on our banana phones.

KITTIES!!!

Our neighbor found two orphaned kittens on her patio. their whole family is allergic so we said we would take them for a bit. so we are currently bottle feeding two adorable little kittens. they are a lot of fun, and very snuggly. we still don't know what we plan to do with them. the plan is still to try and find a home for them. but for now, we are having a great time with them. anybody want kittens?

japanese gardens

we spent some time at the Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.








the extra little boy is our friend Giovanni. His mommy was at girls' camp so he spent the week with us.