All My Little Chickadees

Closing day

2011-11-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

I think we ended up using our season passes at least 9 times this summer. Owen wanted to go one more time before they expired, and I wanted to at least see the Halloween decorations.

It's really nice to go to an amusement park when it isn't sweltering hot.

Here is a rare picture of me with the girls. Rare for 2 reasons: 1 - I never post pictures of myself (since I'm always the one taking the pictures) and 2 - I get dreadfully sick on almost all rides. I found a motion sickness pill that actually works! Too bad it took me all summer to find it! I had so much fun this day!

They did lots of fun stuff for Halloween.

There was a corn maze in the little kids waterfall area.

They had pumpkin decorating for the little ones.

They had a GIANT foam pit that the kids could play in. I've never seen anything like it. Everyone but CoCo was too creeped out to try it out.

There were lots of cool decorations.

And, of course, the big kids had fun on the rides.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yay Halloween!!!

We had a witch that hardly ever smiled.

A ninja that liked to attack princesses.

A Chinese princess dressed up as a Japanese princess.

And a very photogenic Dolly-wanna-be who insists that she, too is a Japanese princess.

A quick pick of Maddie and her BFFs.

And finally, our entry into the karate dojo Halloween party house decorating contest.

Happy Halloween!!

Happy 9th Birthday Owen!!!

2011-11-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Owen!

Pumpkins 2011

2011-11-05T19:14:00.001-07:00

This is what we did.

And this is what we ended up with.

Maddie (Team Jacob, all the way!!)

Owen (Argh!)

Ginger (Is there such thing as a princess pumpkin?)

CoCo (Glitter everywhere)

Mom (Staying Undead)

Halloween on the Gourd Farm

2011-11-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

I don't take the kids to a pumpkin patch for Halloween. No normal stuff for us. Instead, we go to the gourd farm.

Just another one of the many reasons my children are destined to spend thousands of dollars in therapy when they grow up.

In any case, most of us had fun.

No matter how big they get, they still love to drive around these little tractors.

And, no matter how old they get, they love these goofy games.

The best part of the day is the haunted hay ride.

And no matter how old I get, that big bird always scares me.

Maddie was the only one who didn't have fun.

Fortunately, the folks at the farm were nice enough to let her take care of the animals.

And, of course, there are pumpkins to be had.

My only rule (about this particular thing, because we all know that I have lots of rules about lots of things) is -- if you pick it, you have to be able to carry it. I can't help but pat myself on the back, because I heard lots of parents repeat this back to their kids after hearing me say it.

All in all, another great day!

Not to be outdone, here's CoCo

2011-10-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

As Ginger was practicing her Me Collage, CoCo was jealous. There are few things that child loves more than being in the spotlight, and it just about killed her to watch Ginger get all of the attention.

Here's CoCo's turn to perform. Again - the stain is gross - I'm trying, but it's looking more and more like an area rug to cover it is the only solution.

I seriously wish I had that energy for about 30 minutes every day. I can't even imagine what I could accomplish!!

Ginger and the "Me Collage"

2011-10-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

Ginger had to do a "Me Collage" for school. It's a pretty big project for a first grader. She had to present her collage in front of the class. In Spanish.

Seriously, in first grade, I could barely talk to the teacher, much less do a presentation in front of the class. Forget the other language part.

I wanted to give her a chance to practice and watch herself, so maybe she would be less nervous. Here she is practicing. Please ignore the giant stain created by Rotweiller vomit that no one even attempted to remove until mom came home 3 days later. (If you have any ideas for getting that one out -- PLEASE let me know!!).

Funny, Toothless Girl

2011-10-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Because I'm a mean mother, I wrap the children's birthday presents at least a week before I allow them to open them. I place them in the dining room, where they are sure to seem them at least 2 times every day, wondering what is inside of them.

One morning, Ginger and Owen were looking at her gifts, trying to determine what was inside.

Owen said "I bet it's Polly Pockets."

Ginger said: "No. I don't play with Polly Pockets."

Owen said: "I bet it's Barbies!"

Ginger said: "No. I don't play with Barbies."

Owen said: "I bet it's Pet Shops."

Ginger said: "No. I don't play with Pet Shops. I don't play with ANYTHING!"

Owen said: "What DO you do? If you don't play with anything!"

Ginger said: "I like to make things. You know. Art. Crafts. Jewelry. Coloring. You know."

And, she's right. She really doesn't play with toys. And, all the gifts actually were arts and craft related.

Later that day, Ginger said to me:

"Mom! I know why I like to make things so much!"

And I said, "Really? Why?"

Ginger said: "Because I'm from China, and everything is made there! People from China love to make things!!!"

Such a funny little girl!

Seven

2011-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Ginger's birthday.

This is what seven looks like.

After 3 years of watching CoCo decorate a fantastic mermaid cake, Ginger decided she needed to have one, too.

Ginger would not, however, "BITE THE BARBIE!" I had to leave that to CoCo.

Everyone agreed that the cake was way too sweet to really eat.

And, Maddie got a chance to hold one of the cutest babies who ever lived!

What a great day!

Happy Birthday Ginger!!

How I spent my summer

2011-08-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

This year, we got season passes for a local (sort of) amusement park. Being the frugal (cheap) person that I am, I am determined to get every last penny out of those passes.

These are just a few shots from trip numbers 1, 2 and 5.

Maddie is such a good big sister. She goes on this vomit inspiring ride with the little girls HUNDREDS of times while Owen waits in line for his favorite coaster.

There are a lot more pictures of the little girls - mostly because you can watch them on the little rides. I'd take more of the big kids if I was able to see them.

True to form, CoCo makes new friends everywhere she goes. This little girl spoke only Spanish. CoCo could talk to her (sort of), but I have no idea what they were saying.

Look out!!! Who in their right mind would put any of these kids in the driver's seat!!!

Quite possibly the worst ice cream ever.

This is how Ginger looks most of the day.

Rides really aren't her thing. She is a good sport.

Here's Aunt Jenn!

Going up!!!

And up!!!

And Owen's favorite ride in the whole world!!!

I've stopped taking my camera - don't want to lug around the extra weight.

I'm trying to get there 8 times total. The way I figure it, if we go 8 times - it's like spending $10 (or less) per person, per day. Now that's a bargain!!

Don't judge me!

2011-08-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

2011-08-03T06:07:00.001-07:00

Looking forward to a great year in 6th grade, 3rd grade, 1st grade and kindergarten!

Frogs

2011-07-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Although our pond is new this year, it quickly became home to a pair of frogs. Two of the loudest darn frogs you have ever heard.

When we started noticing tadpoles in the pond, I wondered if I needed to be concerned. I decided not to worry about it - that the fish and other wildlife would take care of the problem.

When we noticed that the tadpoles completely covered the bottom of the pond, I started getting a little nervous.

Last week, these tiny little things started hopping up everywhere. EVERYWHERE! You have to watch where you step or else you might squish one.

They are cute (when they are not squished on the bottom of a shoe). Some of them are no bigger than a pencil eraser.

I just hope they aren't as loud as their parents!

Kielbassi

2011-07-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

That is one big frog!

"I don't know where it came from!"

2011-07-05T17:51:00.001-07:00

The kids got their father a giant box of chocolate for Fathers Day. Soon thereafter, said father started complaining about chocolate "mysteriously disappearing" from the box. I figured he had amnesia or something, because he could totally eat that entire box of chocolate in one sitting. Honestly, I couldn't care less what he does with his chocolate, but he actually had the nerve to accuse ME of eating it! Crazy. When it comes to food, I like to think "what's mine is mine, what's yours is yours." Which is why I have 3 bags of peppermint hershey's kisses hidden in my closet (left over from Christmas). I would never eat HIS chocolate because I want to be able to say that I never eat HIS chocolate (comes in handy when he finds my stash and eats it all in one sitting and I want to point out how much more evolved I am).

Anyway, this is not a story about a man and his chocolate. This is actually a story about sweet little Ginger. Anytime anything goes missing in this house, the first place to look is under Ginger's pillow. At any given point, you will find a number of things hidden under Ginger's pillow -- rings, hair bows, nail clippers, lip gloss, shiny stones, and so on). Each of these items has been stolen. Usually from people in the house, although sometimes there are things under there that I don't recognize and I suspect that she takes them from other kids at school. Shameful - I know. Where did I go wrong?! These kids have everything they could ever want. Ginger has hair bows in every color, lip gloss in every flavor, more jewelry than she could ever wear. I feed her lots of good stuff (although the peppermint kisses are MINE!). Why would she need to steal? And chocolate? Ginger doesn't even like candy!

Anyway, I looked under Ginger's pillow and there were about 20 chocolate wrappers under there. Pretty incriminating.

I asked Ginger about the missing chocolate. She said:

"I don't know."

I showed her the wrappers and told her I found them under her pillow. I asked her how they got there. She said:

"I don't know."

I asked her if she took dad's chocolate. She said:

"I don't know."

I asked her how she feels when her brother or sister takes her things.

"Sad."

How do you think dad feels when you take his things:

"I don't know."

After about 25 minutes of this one sided conversation, I decided that Ginger had learned her lesson and I let her off the hook. Listening to me ramble for any length of time is enough punishment for one day.

And this is why broken bones don't surprise me....

2011-07-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is for Friends!

2011-06-21T18:06:00.001-07:00

Enjoying pool time with Kayla.

Birthday fun with Hallie (Maddie's best friend).

Karate picnic with Neha (Ginger's best friend).

Riding in the car with Scooby-doofus (CoCo's best friend?)

Happy Birthday Maddie!!!

2011-06-21T17:49:00.001-07:00

Happy 11th Birthday to my sweet Maddie!

I am so proud to be your Mama!

You are the funniest person that I've ever known. You don't even try - funny just comes out every time you open your mouth. You make me laugh every day of my life.

You are also one of the most serious people I know, but somehow you have taught me to not take everything in life so seriously. ("Mom! Who really cares?!").

You are the only one of my children that I will EVER let get away with calling me "Crazy Lady," because I know that from you, it's a compliment.

You are so smart. You know you are smart. You don't care that you are smart. That is so smart.

You are so comfortable in your own skin. You never try to be like the other kids, never seem to have any need to fit in. People like you for who you are because YOU like you for who you are. It takes some people a lifetime to get to that place, and you have been there for a lifetime already.

You try to be compassionate toward and understanding of all people.

You really love your pets, and take better care of your hamster than most people do of their children.

You are the BEST big sister. You might not see it, but your younger brother and sisters ADORE you.

You are everything that I could have ever dreamed for, and more. I enjoy watching you grow up, and feel privileged to be a part of your life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Random

2011-06-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

There are only 2 people who read this blog (one of them is me). There are, however, LOADS of people (like 20) who stumble upon this blog every month. Did you know that you can track where these people are from and how they got there thru blogger?

Do you know that I've actually had 2 hits from people doing a google search for "blond egyptian kids." Not one. Two!

Who searches for blond egyptian kids, and why does that lead them to my blog? Very weird.

The other thing that is weird is that the MOST VIEWED PAGE is "Girls Only Trip, Day Two." Why?

The second MOST VIEWED PAGE is "Sadness at the Rader Household" - the post about the death of our dog Mango. Random people are morbid, if you ask me.

And that's all I'm saying.

Conversation with Maddie

2011-05-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

As we were leaving school today, Maddie expressed great frustration that the BOYS had a special health class today, and that the GIRLS would not have the special health class until next week.

(For those of you who don't remember 5th grade, this is the 'Our Changing Bodies' or whatever the heck they call it these days).

Maddie told me, with great frustration "Now the boys will know EVERYTHING and the girls won't know ANYTHING until next week."

My assurances that the boys truly do not yet know EVERYTHING were not in the least bit reassuring to her.

After hearing her huff and puff about it for 15 minutes or so, I finally said to her "Maddie, I'll be happy to tell you whatever you want to know. What do you want to know?"

Maddie quickly fell silent. After a few minutes of quiet deliberation, she calmly said "That's okay. I'm good."

Ha ha ha. Funny girl.

Our first broken bone

2011-05-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

And no surprise that it's CoCo!

How did I ever manage?

2011-05-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

Maddie went on a field trip a few weeks ago, and left me these detailed instructions to care for her hamster.

It makes me wonder how I ever managed without her!

Catching Up

2011-05-09T18:08:00.001-07:00

It seems like a thousand years since I have posted. There is no way that I can catch up now, so I'm just posting some random pictures from the past 2 months.

Spring is DEFINITELY here! YAY!

The Mayor is looking for bugs and birds!

Dying Easter Eggs

Bucket-heads!

Hunting for eggs.

Easter at Mrs. Amanda's mom's house

These girls spent the afternoon playing with a tiny little inch worm named "Squishy."

I'm not sure where Owen plans to sled, but he seems pretty focused.

Getting ready for the big egg hunt!

These guys showed up as the kids were looking for eggs. I can finally answer the question -- the EGGS CAME FIRST! Heh!

And, the highlight of our spring is the arrival of baby Leena. Here she is with her grandmother (can you believe that young woman is a grandmother!!!).

You may have noticed that Maddie is missing from these pictures. She has reached a grumpy, scowling, pre-teen stage where she refuses to be in pictures. The few that I've managed to sneak just make her look even grumpier. I hope that she's smiling again soon!

Maddie's Poem

2011-03-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Maddie wrote a poem at school last week.

Graspping On

Playing the guitar

is as soothing

as the sound of rain

Feeling it in your hands

is like feeling a smooth rock,

dotted with gold.

Grasping onto the sound,

pulling it in,

is like finding a needle

in a haystack.

Being able to play it

is a gift worthy to anybody

willing to practice

Do not push the sound away,

for it will feel

like a special pet,

dead or dying.

If feeling sad,

pick up the guitar

and play away your feelings,

anger,

sadness,

fear.

If you find that

one day you cannot

grasp the feeling of playing,

then it is your own fault

I thought it was pretty cool!

I think I have to take away the markers, too

2011-01-27T18:42:00.001-08:00

She colored the cat.

I know y'all think that this is the good child (and that I'm making all of this up), but she has a naughty streak in there just like the rest of them.

The one saving grace is that she chose my favorite color for her art work. I think that may have been deliberate. She certainly thinks things thru before she acts.

Makes me feel horrible to have to take them. No tiger moms in this house.

There is never a dull moment around here!

Scissors

2011-01-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

They're gone. I didn't want to do it, but I had to take them away.

I guess nothing can keep a budding hairstylist down.

P.S. It's very sad to find hair that is over 22 inches long and took an entire life time to grow shoved under a dresser in a misguided attempt to hide the evidence. Very sad.

Cookie Day

2011-01-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

I know that it's the middle of January already, but I need to flash back to Christmas Eve. One of the things that the kids look forward to more than anything is Cookie Day. Each child picks one cookie recipe to make with mom. And, even more importantly, no child must share the cookie dough spoon with any other child.

This year CoCo went first. She diligently researched her cookie recipe.

(Not really. It was just a cute picture.)

CoCo decided to make Deck the Halls with Boughs of Hollies. (I had to give it a good name, because she really wasn't very excited about it). Anyway, I made these a LOT when I was a kid, and they were one of my favorites.

Ginger made sugar cookies.

Owen was very excited to use my "super shooter" and shoot cookies. It made baking kinda like a video game. He loved it.

And Maddie made Frito Candy - which was wonderful!!

And she serenaded us. With much enthusiasm.

These were our official cleaner-uppers!

(Could someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong with the rottwieler pictures? Why can I never get it right?)

We also had some pretty good tasters!

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-31T12:59:00.001-08:00

Christmas around here is simply magical. Our home is warm with smiles, laughter and love.

These are just a few highlights from this wonderful day!

Ginger, as always, was the easiest child to please. She was in awe of each present she received. Here she is with Barbie clothes from Pap and Nana.

This was her most wanted item (next to her own pair of scissors). I had banned markers from any child under the age of 8. Although you would be correct in guessing that I'm a little compulsive about certain kinds of messes, I have to say that one can only find marker art on so many no-paper surfaces (such as dressers, bathroom walks, bed linens, you get the picture) before losing one's mind. Scissors have also been hidden and out of reach (rememember the case of the mysterious missing hair?). Anyway, Ginger was very happy to have the ban lifted.

She was also thrilled to receive a little bling!

A piggy bank from the dollar store was a big hit, too!

I'm not so sure this Wocket was a big hit for Ginger. She couldn't wear it, make art with it, or read it. It's been stuffed in a bag since Christmas day. I guess they all can't be winners, right?

Owen was thrilled with his boring assortment of boy toys. Bakugan, Mighty Beanz, video games.

As you can see, his fashion sense did not change for the holidays. (Not so interesting side note - Owen received this sweatshirt as a Christmas gift from my mother in 2007. The fact that he is still wearing it is a testament to his fashion sensibility. After all, you wouldn't want to wear something that actually fits and isn't designed to look cute on a toddler).

Maddie was tricky this year. She told Santa "Please bring me something to entertain me." That is totally not fair. I wish someone would explain the rules to this child! Without a wish list, how is Santa supposed to know what to get?

She was pretty entertained by her Nintendo DS. In fact, she has been entertaining her self with this pretty much non stop since Christmas day. In FACT, she has been wearing this same outfit since Christmas day.

And, what's Christmas without a little drama? Here is the Queen with a squishy ball, which was "Just what I ALWAYS wanted!!!"

I don't even remember what this was about. Whatever it was, it was pretty dramatic.

The girls dressed in their outfits that I got on clearance after Halloween. I think they cost 25 cents each. They've been wearing parts of these outfits ever since, so I think that was money well spent.

CoCo loved her Grinch, until I read the story to her. After that, she wasn't so impressed with him.

Even socks are exciting if they are wrapped in princess paper and found under a tree!!

And this is the Mayor of Quinbyville, who presided over the days' activities.

Merry Christmas to you! Hope that the magic of Christmas is with you always!

Thankful

2010-12-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just can't seem to keep up with anything these days. Ginger woke me up today by crying because she doesn't have any clean pants to wear. Seriously - it's that bad.

So, it's no wonder that I'm only posting about Thanksgiving now. Not that anything exciting happened. On the contrary, it was as boring a holiday as ever. Gobble gobble, and all that.

Anyway, the highlight of the day was this turkey sweet potato that Maddie made. This picture doesn't do the potato justice. That potato weighed over 1 1/2 pounds!! That was one big potato! I never had any intention of cooking it (we are a big family but - dang! - that was one big potato!). I just bought it because I wanted the kids to see it. I figured they'd never believe me (seems that certain children think that their mother is guilty of exaggerating at times).

I couldn't exactly buy a potato and not USE it. That would just be wasteful. So, I gave Maddie the job of turning it into a turkey. As you can plainly see, she did a fantastic job.

The part that you can't see is what Maddie wrote on the back of the tail feathers. She went around the house asking each mammal what they were thankful for. (I was thankful that she didn't ask the amphibians or fish - but I forgot to mention it). She wrote what each person was thankful for on the back of each feather. This has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen. Here is what she wrote:

Owen: "I'm thankful for the food Mother Nature gave us."

Mom: "I'm thankful for my family, especially my children. And that Quinnby came back." (I was a little freaked out that the cat ran away, and was truly thankful to have him home again).

Ginger: "I'm thankful for the trees that give us air."

Maddie: "I'm thankful I have a family that cares for me."

CoCo: "I'm thankful that we have turkey. And my workplan." (CoCo is very proud of her workplan - most kids in her class don't get one until kindergarten, and she's only 1/3 of the way thru pre-school).

Then, Maddie started getting a little punchy.

Quinn (aka the Mayor of Quinnbyville): "I'm thankful to be home."

Frizbee / Beano: "I'm thankful that I only sneeze 6 hours a day." (Kitty colds are no fun).

Kahlua / Buddha: "I'm thankful that I wasn't chucked out when I started peeing all over the house."

Amber: "I'm thankful that my owners got a cat that puts up with my herding and biting."

And that's that.

Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-19T18:26:00.001-08:00

I love Halloween. I think that it's my favorite holiday.

I got a lot smarter this year. Previous years, I have scrambled to make Halloween costumes. I let the kids choose anything they want, and then I spend weeks and weeks in a panic, hoping I'll be done in time. This year, I had purchased costumes for the kids. AND, I got them on clearance LAST year. I was sure to pick things that I believed the kids would like, but I absolutely, positively did not consult them on this matter.

It turned out great.

The little girls were Sharpei and Gabrielle from High School Musical. Ginger would have preferred to be Sharpei (her life long wish is to be blond), but the other dress fit her better.

They were so cute. It took me hours to curl Ginger's hair. (Ok - so maybe I'm exaggerating. Wouldn't be the first time. But, it sure FELT like hours).

CoCo only let me work on hers for a few minutes.

Maddie wouldn't let me touch her hair at all. Maddie has the most beautiful hair in the world, and she never lets me anywhere near it. I had visions of straight, very Egyptian looking hair (until Maddie informed me that Cleopatra was Greek).

Owen has become very camera shy. It took a lot of bribing and threatening to get these few pictures. He is the cutest Jedi knight that I have ever seen.

The kids (and mom!!) were so excited to wear Halloween costumes 3 days in a row. We we to a Halloween party at the haunted dojo where they take karate, spent an evening on a horse farm with Owen's friends (with horses in costume - if you can imagine that), and Halloween night trick-or-treating with Maddie's friends. It was a fantastic weekend.

And, I am proud to report that I have already bought 3 out of 4 kids costumes for next year. 90% off at Walmart. Can't beat it.

Another Year at the Gourd Farm

2010-11-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

This was our second annual trip to the Green Level Gourd Farm in Apex. (Although it was actually Owen's first trip - last year, he was in DC for his "boys only" trip). We love this little farm - it really gets us in the mood for fall and Halloween.

We started our day in the mini corn maze. I am too directionally challenged for full-size corn field mazes, so this one was perfect for us. No one got lost. In fact, I could stand at the edge and watch everyone without ever entering the maze myself. (I didn't. The sign said that parents had to accompany children, and we follow every single rule that is on a sign).

Then, we moved on to the haunted hay ride. Calling it haunted is a little bit of a stretch, really, but the kids get a big kick out of it. This picture is probably the most haunting part of the entire ride.

Here is Owen, ready for anything. He was very disappointed that the hay ride didn't take place in the dark. (However, Owen later had the chance to go on a very haunted hay ride. I could hear him screaming from the other side of the farm. He could not sleep by himself for weeks after that. I am a bad mother. I should not have let him go.).

Funny story - Owen wore his "Jukebox the Ghost" shirt almost non-stop during the Halloween season. I think he thinks the "ghost" has something to do with Halloween! He cracks me up.

After the hayride, we got to play with the many toys and activities that they have on the farm. We stayed for hours. There's so much to do (although, to be honest, we could do most of these things in our own back yard. There is something about being away from home that makes it so much more fun).

They loved pushing each other around on these horse swings.

And had fun driving around the tractors.

Maddie's favorite is pretending to lasso steer and horses.

There were lots of things to climb, crawl thru, and slide down.

We spent a long time just playing games.

And, of course, there were the pumpkins. Er....I mean gourds? I don't know. Either way, this is one of the best parts.

After pumpkins have been selected, you are allowed to decorate your pumpkin with stickers and markers for FREE! You have to pay a few dollars for the pumpkins, but you can decorate to your heart's content.

I have to say, I felt a little sad about the kids growing up. As I watched them play, I realized that this wouldn't be fun for them much longer. In fact, Maddie spent more time hanging out with me than she did with the other kids. I enjoy my kids so much at every age, and I am excited to be a part of them growing up. But they sure aren't babies any more. This was a day for little kids and this a place for families with small children. We aren't going to be that family much longer. It's kinda sad for me.

But - we had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful day and the kids are still talking about the fun that they had.

Happy Birthday Owen!

2010-11-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

I am so far behind on everything these days. I don't know if I'll ever catch up.

Owen's birthday was weeks ago, and I am only posting now. Oh well.

It was a happy one. Owen enjoyed decorating his own cake, and got some very fun presents.

Happy Eighth Birthday Owen!!!

So Happy Together

2010-11-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is (hopefully) the last Disney post. These are some pictures that show how much fun we had just being together.

Disney Vacation - Some Attractions

2010-11-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe it's November and I still haven't finished talking about our vacation. I really should be posting about Halloween, but I am not anywhere close to posting those pictures.

Anyway, these are just a few pictures of some of the many, many attractions and rides we experienced. I didn't take very many pictures. We were so busy that I didn't have time to stop.

This first one is CoCo on Splash Mountain. She had no idea what to expect. She didn't mind the splash part, but the "scary puppets" really got to her.

This is the girls waiting in line for Toy Story Mania. Seriously?! We did not wait in line more than 10 minutes for anything during the entire vacation EXCEPT this ride. It was definitely fun, and definitely a LONG wait.

This is one of the few times that Owen would get close to CoCo.

Everyone got to try their hand at being a Jedi.

Honey, I Shrunk the Playground! That's one big tinker toy (and one big ant!!)

The little girls LOVED Cinderella's Carousel. Maddie was reluctantly a good sport.

The little girls also had an amazing talent for finding every water squirting fountain in the World!

Owen's favorite was the Lego store.

Or maybe it was Ridemakerz, where Owen got to design his own remote control race car! (Think Build a Bear Workshop for big boys). Owen picked this as his birthday present this year. Cost a lot more than Ginger's Tinkerbell and Cinderella charm bracelet. Anyone who thinks that girls are more expensive than boys have not met my kids!

Ginger loved visiting Minnie Mouse's house.

And we all loved Expedition Everest.

Whew!

The Food!!

2010-10-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things about our Disney vacation is that we got to eat for free!! We signed up at just the right time to get the Disney Dining Plan for free. What a cost saver! We got one full service meal every day (including drink and dessert), one 'fast food' meal a day (including a drink and desert), and one snack every day. Each. And it was totally free.

This meant that we got to eat at some very nice places that we would have otherwise ignored (those of you who know me well know that I would most likely throw some PB & J's in a back pack and buy the kids an ice cream cone as a special treat). Anyway, it felt really good to get a bill for $125, hand over a card, and be charged nothing. All I had to do was leave a tip. Very, very nice.

Below are just some random pictures of people eating. This doesn't even begin to capture the fabulous meals we ate and the fun times we had.

The kids really loved these "Mickey Mooses."

Ginger loved making a mess with these little fruit bars.

She also got a kick out of sampling soda from China in Epcot's "Club Cool."

And that silly Miss Ingrid! Always getting herself in trouble. She stirred up such a ruckus at the Whispering Canyon Cafe' that she had eat her dinner behind bars.

More Disney - Fort Wilderness

2010-10-27T19:04:00.001-07:00

While on our vacation, we stayed at the Disney campground - Fort Wilderness. We didn't actually camp - our cabin was air conditioned and had all the amenities of any rental home. It was the perfect place for us. There was enough space for everyone, and we were far enough from our neighbors that we didn't annoy them with all of the noise we make.

There are so many wonderful things about Fort Wilderness. When you return to your cabin at night, it is perfectly quiet - no bustling lobby to walk thru, no glaring lights. The other 'campers' treat you like neighbors. Plus, there is a LOT to do at the campground (much of it free).

We chased and caught lizards, went to a campfire with Chip and Dale, watched Disney movies under the starts, fished, canoed, swam, went to a backyard barbeque with Mickey, and road a ferry boat all over the world.

The little girls look so tired in these pictures! All that fun definitely wore them out!!!

Disney Vacation - The Characters

2010-10-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

It has been weeks since we returned from our Disney vacation. 8 nights and 9 days at my favorite place on earth. I have planned this vacation for years. I think that I spent more time researching for this vacation than I did for my graduate thesis!

Anyway, I've had writer's block (or blogger's block) about this vacation. I'm not sure why that is - maybe because I have no way of capturing the magic we experienced every day in a single blog.

Maddie and I kept a journal together throughout the trip, and I will cherish that for years to come.

In the mean time, I wanted to get these pictures up. The pictures below are all the pictures with characters. You will notice that they are mostly Ginger and CoCo. Maddie was too busy to stand in line to see any of them, and Owen picked a strange time to become camera shy. I will say that the highlight of the little girls' trip was seeing the princess; and the highlight of mine was watching them see the princesses.

Yes or no??

2010-08-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Any good parenting book would advise you to ask your children open-ended questions. Supposedly, this encourages communication between family members. For example, rather than asking your child "How was school today?" one would ask "What was the most interesting thing you saw at school today?" Instead of getting an answer of "good" or "fine," you would theoretically get an answer that actually gives you a glimpse of what is going on in your kids life.

Any good parent would follow this advice. Not me.

Those kids of mine talk too much. Seriously! I wish they could give me one word answers.

Yesterday, I was flying around the house, trying to get everyone ready to leave for the day. "Maddie!!!" I yell as I'm shooting past her room. "Did you brush your teeth?"

I slow down just enough to hear her answer before I fly upstairs to rescue Beano from CoCo's latest dress-up date.

"Well........something something. Or something something. And, by the way, something something."

WHAT?!! Good grief Charlie Brown!! It was a yes or no question!!!

"Maddie!!! Yes or no?!!" At this point, I'm using the screechy voice that everyone loves. You know the voice - where people start to wonder exactly when mom is going to completely unravel.

"Something, something. Something something!!"

"MADDIE!!!!! It's a yes or no question!!! I just want a yes or no answer!!!! Yes? Or no?" By now it's too late to rescue the cat, and I am wondering what color CoCo will be painting his toenails.

"Not yet!!!" she yells.

Ugh! Seriously? I find myself doing this at least 10 times every day. Once or twice, and I could probably manage my insanity. But, it happens constantly. Every day.

"Owen! Did you let the dog out?"

"Ginger! Did you put your nail polish up where CoCo can't get it?"

"CoCo!! Did you remove all the bows from Beano's tail?"

These are yes or no questions!!! I would love to stop and have a conversation with my children. I really would. There's just no time for that.

And, if I'm being honest, I think that I have yelled "Stop talking!!!" one too many times. Any day now, DSS is going to be knocking at the door.

Will I win Mother of the Year this year??

No.

Will my kids require therapy as adults?

Yes.

Am I going to miss all of this chatter once the teenage years begin?

Yes.

See? Wasn't that simple?

Student of the Month

2010-08-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ginger was recognized this month by her karate school as Student of the Month! This means that she "maintained exemplary attendance and has demonstrated an outstanding attitude toward fellow students and instructors." We were all very proud of her!

This means that she got to turn in her gold belt (with the green tip) for a red, white and blue belt. She wears this belt to class for the rest of the month. She also got to sit with the black belts during the monthly belt ceremony (she looked very cute up there!!).

Yay Ginger!!

Maddie - Then and Now

2010-08-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Maddie then......

And Maddie now.....

Girls Only Trip Day 3, Continued

2010-08-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

While at Idlewild, we HAD to go to Mr. Roger's Neighborhood! Before the trolley came, I taught the girls everything that they would need to know for us to have a successful trip. They needed to practice "Come along, come along, to the castle hug-n-song!" This was very important, but for some reason, the girls didn't want to practice.

I took this picture of mine and Maddie's matching shoes. I was tickled that she is still okay about wearing the same shoes as me. I was not so tickled that I had to buy her an entire size bigger.

Anyway, the girls did not practice their speech, but everything turned out okay.

After Mr. Rogers, we were off to Storybook Forest. Goodness, how I loved this place when I was a kid!! I remember it being completely magical.

It really felt like walking in to a storybook.

I remember seeing a commercial for this sword in the stone when I was a kid. I really thought that I would be the one who could pull it from the stone! I imagined that all sorts of things would happen to me once I released it from it's prison.

I have to admit, even as a child I was a little disappointed by the bolts that visibly hold the sword in place.

We had a few scary moments in Storyland, but we managed to make it out alive.

Girls Only Trip -Day Three

2010-07-29T17:18:00.001-07:00

After a full night of horseback riding, rib eating and hay riding, I woke the girls up EARLY on Saturday morning for our Idlewild adventure.

I lived most of my childhood life in Greensburg, PA. As an adult, I am completely SHOCKED at how close Idlewild is to Greensburg. Seriously - as a child and teenager, I thought it was halfway across the State. It's always a weird experience for me to visit my home town.

Anyway - the girls were not very hungry after eating ribs at midnight, so we stopped quickly at McDonald's for breakfast. And then we were off to the park!

We arrived just as the gates were opening. We spent most of the day running from ride to ride.

Most of the rides are of the "spinny" variety, and I have learned to just say no. (Maddie and Zoe are on the top, to the left of center. You can see Maddie's hot pink shorts!).

Aunt Vicky was the only one to meet any "boys" on this trip (thank goodness!!). He was quite the cutie!

Maddie refused to go on the Wild Mouse. I whole heartedly supported her in this decision. How old IS that thing, anyway? Goodness! It opened an hour after the rest of the park because it wasn't passing it's safety inspections!

That Maddie is a smart girl!!

For some reason, those girls expected us to feed them again. I have no idea where they put it! (Pay no attention to the chicken).

Eating french fries with cheese at the park reminds me of my mother. There were years when she would eat french fries with cheese at Idlewild or Kennywood for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She said that it was her one chance per year, and she was going to go for it!!!

After riding and eating, we spent some time at the water park. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want my camera to get wet. Those girls are like little seals - they go on any slide, dive into the pools without a second thought, swim in water that is 10 feet above their heads. It amazes me.

There was definitely more fun to be had at Idlewild, but I can't fit it in one post! More about Storybook Forest and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to follow!

Girls Only Trip - Day Two, Part Two

2010-07-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

After a long day at the zoo, we returned to the hotel to relax for a minute before heading out for the evening festivities. The girls relaxed by swimming in the pool during a downpour. Me and Aunt Vicky did something a little less ambitious (like watch the girls out the window).

We were scheduled to go on a moonlit horseback ride. The rain made me a little nervous, but the horse people hadn't called to cancel. We stopped for a quick bite at Pizza Hut (pay no attention to the chicken). The girls were mesmerized by the rain - torrential downpours on one side of the restaurant, no rain at all on the other. It was pretty weird.

About 45 minutes from New Stanton is Rolling Hills Ranch. When we arrived, the weather was absolutely, perfectly beautiful.

After seeing a woman thrown from her horse (and almost kicked in the head) last year on our Girls Only Trip, I insisted everyone wear helmets. Aunt Vicky was resistant (she's like that), but eventually we were ready to go.

I forget how many horses they have on the farm, but there were at least 45 people there for the moonlight rides. I've never seen anything like it. They picked your horse based on your size. All of the horses were pretty tame (kinda like riding a carousel).

Zoe (the professional) was the first one on board.

Maddie was second. If you asked Maddie, she'll tell you that horses are her passion. However, once she gets on that horse, she's very serious and looks like she's having a horrible time. I'm not really sure how to take that. But, anyway......

As always, I brought up the rear. It was a beautiful ride. We started at dusk, and were able to appreciate how beautiful the farm was. As the sun set, there were some amazing views. After dark, they had the wooded part of the trail lit up with tiki lights. From the pasture, you could see the entire city of Pittsburgh lit up. I keep saying that it was beautiful because I have no better word to describe it. If I could've pried my hands off the horses saddle, I would have taken some pictures.

It was a funny ride. There were people there with all levels of experience. A few people were clearly frightened of their horses, and you could hear them screaming periodically because the horse moved a step or two off course.

My horse was a little stubborn. Any time I tried to steer, he shook his head violently as if to say "Lady! I've done this a million times. I think I know where I'm going. Please leave me alone to do my job!!" At the end of the ride, he just wanted to run to the barn. That was almost fun.

After the ride, they take all the horses into the barn to get the saddles and stuff off, and to give them a drink. Then, they open the barn doors and let the horses stampede to the pasture. It was an amazing sight. It reminded me of that Disney movie - Spirit - when the horses ran free. It was funny to see them drop to the ground and roll in the dust!! I didn't know horses could do that! (Yep - shows you what I know).

After the horses, we went on a hayride to a campfire in the middle of the ranch.

Once at the campfire, we were served dinner. Ribs, potato salad, pasta salad and rolls. Delicious!

(Yes, I know that I said we ate dinner at Pizza Hut. Pizza was at 5 and the ribs were more of a midnight snack!).

For dessert, we roasted marshmallows around the fire.

Some folks stayed a little longer, but the girls were actually tired at this point and ready to go home. The girls were asleep by the time we got to the hotel. I think they wanted us to carry them in. Once we were in our room, everyone fell asleep immediately. We had exactly 6 hours to sleep before our next adventure!

First Day of School

2010-07-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

I know that all my readers were highly engrossed in the Girls Only trip chronicles; however, I wanted to make a tiny little detour to post pictures of the 1st Day of School.

School started this year on July 26th. I know it sounds early, but they get a whole 2 weeks vacation in September / October (which makes it easy to plan a Disney vacation in the off-season). Ginger and Owen were up and dressed this morning before I even got out of the shower. Amazing! I wish they could do that ALL year.

The big news this year is that Ginger is starting kindergarten! I cannot believe that she is old enough to be an elementary school child! She is in a new classroom this year, but with the same teachers. This is a wonderful thing - if you remember, the first time I met Ginger's teacher she took my hand and with tears in her eyes said "You must be SO proud!" Anyone who loves my kids even 1/10th as much as me is royalty in my book.

Owen started 2nd grade! Again, unbelievable. How did these kids get so big? Seriously.

Maddie started 5th. She has always been big. In fact, all summer I swore that she was starting 6th grade. I would say "Maddie!! Aren't you in 6th grade yet?"

Maddie, using her deadpan voice, said "Uhhhh....No."

I'd say "Yay! I'm not as old as I thought!! That's great!"

Maddie, again with the deadpan, said "Please. Just don't dance!"

It's so much fun to embarrass a 6th....er I mean 5th... grader!

And then there was CoCo. She was disappointed to learn that she doesn't go back to school until Wednesday, but ready to have some much needed alone time with Mom. CoCo hasn't been alone with me since forever (being the youngest has it's disadvantages).

And so ends another big day at the Rader house.

Good night!

The Kissing Camel

2010-07-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

This was Aunt Vicky's favorite part of the Living Treasures Animal Park.

I think the pictures say it all.

Girls Only Trip - Day Two

2010-07-25T11:14:00.001-07:00

We started day 2 of our Girls Only trip bright and early. In all the years I lived in Pennsylvania, I had seen signs for Living Treasures Animal Park and wished I could go. It sounded so glamorous and exotic. My mother thought it was too far to go for a day trip. In those days, driving more than 15 minutes was considered far. This would have taken about 45 minutes. Anyway, I digress. Since I am now the mom, I decided that it was time to finally visit the park.

The park was a little hard to find - it is behind a hotel, and you have to park in the hotel's parking lot. Weird.

When we got inside, we discovered that this is a great little zoo! It's everything I ever imagined. Lots of farm animals and babies, lots of exotic animals, and lots of birds. What more could we ask for?

We had a quick but fierce downpour, resulting in all the animals coming out of hiding. We got to see a pack of wolves that otherwise would've hidden themselves during the day. Very cool. Zoe kept yelling "Jacob!! Where are you!!!" but he wasn't there.

We finished the day in the zoo's gift shop (of course), where we found some pretty horse paintings for Maddie's soon to be new room.

So, yes. The zoo lived up to my every expectation.

3rd Annual Girls Only Trip - Day One

2010-07-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Maddie and I got to plan the "Girls Only" trip this year (the past 2 years were planned by Aunt Vicky and Zoe). Maddie wanted to be certain that we planned for each and every minute, so we started working on the itinerary literally days after the Second Annual Girls Only Trip.

We started our day on Thursday at the "butt crack of dawn." We had loaded up our van the night before so that we didn't have to waste any time in the morning. We drove for what felt like 300 hours, stopping for coffee / tea at Sheetz and then breakfast at I-hop (can anyone say "Ciniminnions?). We stopped at Aunt Vicky's house long enough to say "hello" and ponder why the cherry that Zoe spit out on the sidewalk 3 days ago hadn't rotted. Then, we were off.

Only 290 hours later, we made it to our hotel. I was a little leary - the price that they quoted me on the phone was ridiculously low, and it concerned me a bit. While I was checking us in, I was reminded of the fact that people are still allowed to smoke in public places in Pennsylvania. Wow. I cannot remember the last time I was in a smoke filled room! Anyway, Zoe and I had to hold our breath as we walked down the hallway (it smelled like smoke, dirty feet and fried fish - plus, there was no air conditioning in the halls - ick!!). However, I was pleasantly surprised when we got into our room, and all was well with the world.

After having spent 578 hours in the car, the girls were anxious to swim at the pool. Another thing I forgot about Pennsylvania is that you are allowed to drink beer pretty much where ever you would like to drink beer. We saw plenty of beer bottles at the pool. I also forgot about the beer bellies. We saw plenty of those at the pool, too. Fortunately, the girls aren't snobs (like me), and they had a great time.

After swimming (and dinner at Eat-n-Park - YUM!), we were off to the drive in! What fun!

The first thing we had to do was read the rules. I am a rule lover by nature, and was incredibly impressed by the amount of thought put into this.

We watched a double feature - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (fabulous) and Grown Ups (glad Maddie fell asleep - yikes!).

Even though Maddie and I had been up since 5:30am, we easily agreed to Zoe's suggestion of stopping at Eat-N-Park for dessert at 2:00 am. Grilled stickies all around! I may not miss beer bottles and bellies and rooms full of smoke, but I have yet to find a decent 24 hour restaurant in NC.

We rolled in to bed around 2:30ish, already excited by what we would do tomorrow!

Summer!

2010-07-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is what Summer 2010 means to CoCo.

Happy Gotcha Day!

2010-07-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, my sweet little Bumble Bee landed in my arms.

My life will never be the same.

Happy Gotcha Day Ginger!! I love you!

Summer Fun

2010-07-07T17:14:00.001-07:00

It is HOT. Really, really hot. It's been around 100 degrees for the past week, and there is no relief in sight.

Fortunately, the kids remain oblivious to these things, and are enjoying the great outdoors regardless of the weather. Much of their days are spent in a small "kiddie" pool. It amazes me that they can entertain themselves for hour with just a few inches of water.

Owen is the Jedi Knight of the Kiddie Pool.

It's been so hot that even the Princess is getting into the pool.

And somehow, Owen and CoCo's fighting doesn't seem so bad in the pool.

When they get tired of the pool, they fill cups up with water and make mud pies.

These are the days that I wish summer would never end.

July 4th

2010-07-05T18:21:00.001-07:00

Happy Independence Day!!!

Or, as Ginger says, Happy Precedent Day!

Either way, this was July 4th weekend. The 4th of July is another holiday that I do NOT do well. I do not like sudden, loud noises. Never have, never will. And, other than fireworks, what is there to DO on July 4th? Have a cookout? We have cookouts every day. That hardly seems special.

Honestly, I'm stumped on this one. When my kids grow up, they are going to tell their therapists that their mother never did anything fun on the holidays. It makes me kinda sad.

The one thing that I DO manage to do for the 4th is to purchase a variety of flammable items. As with everything else in our silly little life, I have rules about these flammable items. First rule is that no item can cost more than $2. Second rule is that no one can touch these items. Third rule is that there can be NO CRYING. (The "no crying" rule is very important. Trust me).

Anyway, the kids have unionized overnight and I could no longer enforce rule #2. However, I have instilled sufficient fear in 3 out of 4 children to ensure some level of safety.

Maddie spent the night yelling at Owen "Point that thing away from me!!!" and "Turn the other way!" and "Watch out!" and "That's a fire hazard!!!"

CoCo cowered in a chair, making those irritating, squeaky puppy noises that she makes.

Ginger wouldn't even come outside! I'm becoming more and more convinced that she is the smartest one in the bunch.

Even the giant Buddha dog was scared. He somehow managed to get his huge, arthritic butt onto the sofa. He squeezed his body so far down into the cushions that he couldn't get back out by himself. I had practically had to lift him off the sofa to get him down (after which, he thanked me in a rather stinky way).

In the end, I'm not sure if we had fun or not. Owen was the only child injured (and, it really doesn't count if it doesn't require medical attention, right?). No one cried. I guess that is enough to declare the evening a success.

Child Labor

2010-07-05T18:03:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what has gotten into these kids lately, but they have suddenly decided that hard labor is fun.

These are the same children who complain that I am "killing" them each time I ask them to clean their rooms.

They are slowly working on digging a flat area for a swimming pool. Slowly being the operative word. I believe they are moving the dirt molecule by molecule - most of which seems to have ended up in their bathtub.

I'm certainly not complaining. Each molecule that they move is one less that I have to move.

Ginger is, of course, missing from these pictures. A princess can NEVER be seen doing actual work! (I actually think that Ginger may be the smartest one in the bunch!). :)

Groceries

2010-06-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Grocery Store Cashiers and Baggers,

No, I'm not really, really hungry. But thanks for your concern.

And, by the way - No, I'm not going to eat all of that. At least not by myself.

Again, thanks for asking. Please understand that I may not be able to muster a chuckle or much more than a half smile because I have heard these questions at least 11 million times. Sorry about that.

While I am apologizing, I would also like to apologize for purchasing so many groceries. I can see by the way you roll your eyes that you do not approve. However, I would like to remind you that I am standing right there, so when you complain to your co-workers about the volume of my purchases - I can most certainly hear you. My feelings are not hurt, but please forgive me if I don't qualify for Customer of the Year after that.

It does make me wonder if I am the only person who buys large amounts of groceries at one time? I have a big family, but ours is one of many. In fact, I am continually humbled by the moms I meet with 6, 7 and even 8 children. Surely they must shop at grocery stores?

Thank you. Have a nice day.

Richmond Zoo

2010-06-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we went to the Richmond Zoo. It was a nice little zoo, and we had a great time.

The penguins were a favorite of the kids. We learned that most penguins live in warm waters (which made me feel a lot better about the 100 degree weather that they were jumping around in). We also learned that this breed of penguin only lives about 10 - 15 years in the wild, while the oldest penguin at the zoo was 30 and just last year had a baby!

Another favorite was the turtles in the moat surrounding the chimps and orangutans. It's funny - we can see turtles any time, but we almost NEVER get to see monkeys. Of course, the kids are more fascinated by the turtles.

My favorite part was feeding the giraffes. Where else on earth do you get to feed giraffes? Their tongues are scratchy and gross, kind of like a cow only gooey-er.

It was a great day, but it was HOT. I think I have spoiled these children, because they don't like to be out in the heat so much. Poor CoCo! Over and over again she said "Momma, I'm sweaty!"

Oh no!

2010-06-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

I think I'm in trouble.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE!!!

2010-06-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Maddie's 10th birthday!

Ginger's Piano Recital

2010-06-20T16:34:00.001-07:00

Here is Ginger at her first ever piano recital.

The teacher, Miss Cindy, was wondering if Ginger would be brave enough to play in front of the 50 people who were there.

Of course she was brave enough!! A princess couldn't disappoint her royal subjects!

Fiesta de las Familias

2010-06-07T19:46:00.001-07:00

Every year, on the last day of school, Casa Esperanza Montesorri Charter School (Casa for short) has a fiesta to celebrate. The school holds several fund raisers at the fiesta (silent auction, raffle tickets, and food sales). The kids spend a few hours running around with all of their friends. It's a lot of fun.

But the highlight of the evening is the cultural performances. The kids practice for weeks and then give a performance to about 500 parents, grandparents, family friends, etc. They do some songs as an entire group and some by individual grades or classes.

This was the first year that all of the kids were in Casa, and therefore the first year that they all performed. Needless to say, it was also the first year that Mom got to sit in a chair and watch the entire performance.

I really looked forward to this year's performance - I had listened to the kids practice repeatedly in the weeks prior, correcting each other and trying to determine who could sing the loudest.

I was so proud of those children of mine. I was tearful the entire time (thinking "I hope Maddie doesn't notice her mother blubbering or else she is going to be very embarrassed in front of her friends.").

CoCo made me proud for just sitting with the group. This year has been a bit "touch and go" at school for my free spirit CoCo. It's not easy for her to sit still and follow someone else's routine. But, she did great at the fiesta! She stayed in place, sang her songs, did her dances and was on her best behavior.

Ginger was her little princess self. She sang and danced with such determination - it was obvious that she spent a great deal of time in front of a mirror preparing for this day. Unfortunately, it was horrendously hot (95 degrees at 7 pm). Ginger doesn't really "do" hot. Or cold, for that matter. It's not very princessy. But, she knew that her adoring audience was waiting for her, and she made the best out of it.

Owen was charming, as usual. He is very animated, and performed his numbers as well as any great actor on Broadway.

Maddie was AMAZING. She bravely volunteered to dance in a small group in the grand finale! Not only that, but she had to dance with a BOY. A real, live boy. I'm not sure that she realized how big of a deal this was until the day that they paired the 'couples' up. Maddie was paired up with a boy who is rumored to have kissed a fish. Now, I realize that kissing a fish does not seem like the worst thing in the world. In fact, some days, kissing a fish would register very low on my "weird-o-meter." However, if you are a girl in the 4th grade, this could be disastrous.

Maddie is a sweet child. Her teachers compliment her for how she seeks out other children who are shy or awkward, how she always eats lunch with the new kids in the class, and how she goes out of her way to make sure that everyone feels welcome in the classroom. This experience really tested her limits.

One day, as we were riding in the car, she said "Mom, I really feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders." It was so sweet, I just wanted to kiss her.

Being my kid, there was no way she would back out of the dance. She would not allow this poor young man to feel any worse than he already did.

When the performance finally came, I could not believe my eyes. Maddie was the leader of the group! She smiled her biggest smile, and really let loose! She danced and danced with that sweet little boy. She was a great sport thru out the entire thing. The boy was at least a foot shorter than her, and she had to dip WAY down for him to twirl her around. When it was over, she told me that she thought it went very well. "Mom! I only stepped on his foot 3 times, and he stepped on mine once! And it didn't even hurt!!"

I couldn't love those kids any more. What a wonderful night!

The Kids Get Crafty

2010-06-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Summer has just begun, and we have already hit the craft supplies, games and puzzles full force.

Maddie would not be outdone by Owen's Lego masterpieces, and so she created one of her own.

The little girls put this puzzle together no less than 33 times during one particularly rainy afternoon.

They all spent an afternoon painting daisy's on wooden blocks that we later used to create a border for one of my flower beds. I couldn't believe that I found an activity that would keep them all busy for so long.

And then, there is this little guy. I'm not good at wildlife photos (unless you include the wildlife that lives INSIDE my house). You have to use your imagination. This little dragonfly spent the entire day with us this weekend - every time I turned around, there he was.

So glad that it's summer!!

Scrambled Eggs

2010-05-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

CoCo helped me make breakfast today.

I did not find a single "crunchy" in my eggs. They were perfect!

She is the most cheerful helper I have. She makes life so much fun.

Legos

2010-05-29T13:17:00.001-07:00

Owen is the Jedi Master of Legos.

When I was a kid, I had a little book and I carefully followed instructions to build a house, gas station or church. It was important to carefully sort the pieces, because you wanted to make sure that you could easily find what you need.

Owen creates things. He gets a vision in his mind, and he creates. Cars, space ships, catapults, farm animals. You name it. He has even developed elaborate games to play with lego pieces.

This is not Owen's best creation ever. Not even close. But rather than coloring a picture out of his Transformer's coloring book, Owen chooses to give me Lego creations. This one is a sea otter. I'm not sure that I can see it, but I love it anyway. Unfortunately, he will not let me keep these creations forever. He always destroys them to build another more fabulous creation.

I'm glad he let me take a picture.

More Karate

2010-05-29T13:08:00.001-07:00

It seems like we are going to a Karate belt ceremony now every month.

This month, CoCo finally decided that she wanted to take karate like the other kids. Previously, she had protested. Greatly. She only wanted to take the class if she could have her teacher all to herself. Obviously, that's not going to happen. CoCo is a "little samari." Their belts are different from the regular belts, but they are promoted just like the big kids. CoCo earned her first promotion in just a few weeks.

Maddie has earned her "green tip." They put a piece of green electrical tape on the gold belt. I am told that this is done as a cost saving method - rather than buying a brand new belt (with a new color - at this level it would be blue), the kids just get a "tip."

This is when karate gets serious. I had to buy her sparring equipment! It's funny, really, to see her sparring. The other kids are a good foot shorter than her. They are punching her in her kneecaps.

The other serious part is that they now learn to break a piece of wood with their foot. It all sounds a little dangerous to me.

Strawberries for Mother's Day

2010-05-10T18:36:00.001-07:00

I am quite sure that I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

Best Friends

2010-05-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

These two have no idea how lucky they are to have each other.

I know how lucky I am to have them!

Picture day

2010-05-10T18:10:00.001-07:00

It is impossible to get a good picture of 4 children at the same time. Just getting them to look at the camera at the same time is a challenge. This year, rather than spending my time and energy going to a photographer, I thought I'd take the pictures myself. Clearly, I can't do any worse, right?

I took 287 pictures of the children and ended up with ONE picture of the 4 of them that is kinda, sorta, almost okay.

I did get several good pictures of "pairs."

I even managed to get a decent one of CoCo and Owen. Usually, those two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. I think it's because they are so much alike.

I got one GREAT picture of Maddie.

And a LOT of Owen's missing tooth.

Plus, many great singles.

Karate

2010-05-10T17:47:00.001-07:00

Maddie, Owen and Ginger are taking karate lessons at Karate International, and have each earned a gold belt.

I forgot my camera the day that Maddie earned hers.

But here are Owen and Ginger.

Owen is so funny - he can hardly stand still, he's so excited.

And sweet little Ginger? She is the tiniest person in the class. Standing next to the 6 foot 4 inch, 275 pound black belts, she looks like a tiny little kitten. But, she does not let her size bother her - she is as brave as anyone, and proudly takes her spot among the rest.

I'm such a proud momma!!

Boo!!!

2010-04-22T17:26:00.001-07:00

Introducing the newest member of the Rader zoo.

This is Boo.

We got him at the Wake County Animal Shelter. He is about 7 years old and seems to be a Rottwieler. His old family moved and couldn't keep him.

He has settled in to our home pretty well. We got him for Amber, and I'm not sure that she likes him.

At Mrs. Amanda's mom's house

2010-04-22T17:12:00.001-07:00

As always, we had a wonderful Easter. The real highlight of the day is going to Mrs. Amanda's mother's house for dinner. Her mother hosts family and friends for an Easter potluck - and somehow manages to accommodate 50 or so people in her house. The kids spend the afternoon jumping on the trampoline, playing with the dogs, and chasing after Mrs. Amanda. If I'm lucky, I can get one or two of the children to stop to eat dinner.

After dinner, the Mrs. Amanda's mom puts out over 500 Easter eggs. They are EVERYWHERE. In trees, under rocks, where ever she can reach.

She unleashes the smallest children first. This year, there were a few babies in the group. For the first time, CoCo wasn't one of them. (Sniff sniff!!).

Then she lets the preschoolers go.

After a small wait, she unleashes the medium size kids.

Finally, she unleashes the almost grown kids. I was so proud of Maddie - after finding just a few eggs for herself, she started helping the little kids.

Thanks Mrs. Amanda (and family!) for another wonderful Easter!

Easter Morning

2010-04-22T16:57:00.001-07:00

For those who know my children well, it will be of little surprise that they woke up on Easter Sunday before the birds. The almost woke up before the bunny. Owen was jumping around my bed at 5:30am, saying "He was here!! I see eggs!!!"

To which his grumpy mother replies "She. The Easter Bunny is a girl. Boys don't lay eggs."

Come to think of it, I wonder if that is what started Owen's new fascination with the birds and the bees?? I'll post about that later, but I will say that I am as ill-prepared for that talk as I was to wake up at 5:30 on Easter morning.

I think I managed to keep Owen quiet until 5:33 when he woke everyone else up. At that point, sleep was futile.

Honestly, for me, the whole "Easter morning" thing is uneventful. It took the children less than 20 minutes to find all 250 eggs, and probably another 5 minutes to eat all the candy. I made a lovely country breakfast, complete with sausage gravy and biscuits (welcome to the South!!!), but everyone was full from the candy.

Owen and the little girls look forward to dressing up. After this day, I had to retire Owen's Miami Vice shirt once and for all. I have to admit, that shirt has given me quite a few chuckles. But, it's now missing multiple buttons AND his tummy stick out (especially after eating 11 pounds of candy).

I ended up getting some cute pictures of CoCo before she got dirty.

Ginger is wearing the same dress that she wore for Thanksgiving. Only now, it's several inches too short. She doesn't care - it's pink with frills.

And, Maddie would not come outside for Easter pictures. It had something to do with a bee. And the fact that she "did not have a dress." Maybe next year.

Easter

2010-04-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a LONG time since I posted. Our computer was going thru some extensive 'back-up' process that made it virtually impossible to upload photos. I think that the process is done, although I can't be sure.

Easter was as fun as always. We started by dying eggs on Easter Eve. I spend weeks picking out the coolest egg-dying tools and toys, and boil enough eggs to feed our entire neighborhood.

The kids usually finish up in about 30 seconds. (Notice Owen's missing tooth in the picture above. Can you believe it was his first??).

We usually make a ginormous mess, and this year was no exception. I did learn a new trick - putting the eggs inside a wire whisk. This completely stops the kids from grabbing wet Easter Eggs with their hands, and turning into multi-colored monsters. Unfortunately, it did nothing to stop them from breaking at least half the eggs.

Before it's all said and done, Owen starts begging to 'crack an egg.' I don't know what his fascination is with that, but I never let him do it because he won't eat them. It just seems so wasteful. I'd rather wait 7 weeks to throw out (and waste) the 3 or 4 dozen eggs I find in the back of the fridge.

Playing with the blog. Again.

2010-03-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

What do y'all think of the new design? I'm just not good at this whole technology thing.

Happy Birthday CoCo!!

2010-01-30T05:40:00.000-08:00

CoCo's birthday was on January 4th. Yes, I am very far behind. In my defense, there has been something wrong with the computer. It has been working very, very slowly and loading pictures has been a nightmare. And, seriously, does anyone really READ this blog?? It's all about the pictures.

Anyway, CoCo has been planning for her birthday since September (when Ginger had her birthday). Somehow, I managed to promise CoCo a mermaid cake. I'm not the most creative person in this house, but I was determined to throw something together.

The night before the big day, we all made the mermaid cake together.

Some of the children did more candy eating than cake decorating, but they had fun.

I think we are on to something here --- Fruit Roll up clothes!! I'd like something in sour apple, please!

The next morning, CoCo got her ears pierced before the party (see earlier posts). Then, Aunt Jenn helped with the fingernail preparations!! (Can't be a birthday princess without pretty finger nails!!).

All the usual guests came to the party (Pap, Nana, Mrs. Amanda) AND we were so lucky to have Aunt Jenn, Uncle Matt and Kayla this year!

But, the guest of honor was......

Moses!!! Or Gingey. Whatever. All I can say is that even the grown ups fought over her.

Anyway, there was lots of presents, lots of blowing out candles, lots of cake that never got eaten (too sweet for kids who aren't used to eating cake), and lots of fun.

My baby is 4!!! Happy birthday, sweet child!

2010-01-15T11:48:00.000-08:00

Overheard, while the girls where brushing their teeth in the bathroom.

CoCo says "Ginger. You annoy me. I annoy you. That's just the way it's supposed to be."

They just crack me up!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

Again, it's taking me a VERY long time to catch up!!

New Year's Eve at our house is a relatively calm event, and not much different than any other day. But, the kids love it and look forward to it every year.

We always start the night off with the traditional Polish New Year's dinner of hot dogs and sour kraut. I always make the kraut, although I'm never sure if anyone actually eats it, and I end up going to great lengths to not touch it. Actually, I think it's pretty gross. But, it's a tradition.

My children should be thankful that I skip the pickled herring that my mother used to make us eat. The experience was much like those awful food challenges on Survivor - pinch your nose, drop it in your mouth, chew as little as possible, and swallow quickly!!!

Anyway, after the amazing hot dog extravaganza, we have family game night. Now, for most of you, this is probably not a big deal. But for me? I don't much like to play games. This is the one chance the kids get to play game after game after game. The children get to pick ONE game each, and then Mom gets to pick the rest.

This year, we played a lot of twister.

We also played a new game that is a twist on the old "Guess Who" game. Rather than using little cards and flip up faces, each person becomes his or her own face. Everyone can see your face, except for you, and you have to guess who you are.

Sounds like some experiment from on of my graduate psychology class.

We also spent some time playing a High School Musical dancing game on the Playstation. It was pretty funny to watch.

Long before midnight, I decide I cannot play games for one more second, and I declare it to be midnight. This year, midnight was at around 9:30. No worries - only a couple of the kids can tell time. We all go outside and shoot off confetti poppers, blow whistles and shout "Happy New Year."

Maddie, being the only child in the family who is appropriately afraid of fire, doesn't necessarily enjoy this part of the evening, but she is a good sport.

Ginger doesn't want to mess up her hair or break a nail, so she usually just stands back and watches.

The other two are happy to have this one day every year to make as much noise as they want!!!

So long, 2009. Looking forward to 2010!!!

Gotta love Christmas!!

2010-01-11T17:54:00.001-08:00

The kids are always so excited on Christmas morning. It's almost as if they forget the whole 'Santa brings lots and lots of presents' thing from one year to the next. This year, they were totally surprised by the sheer volume of presents.

And, I was THRILLED to get a picture of Maddie actually hugging her brother!! Merry Christmas to ME!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-09T09:50:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas in Carolina! We're chillin in our underwear!!!

Okay - not really. But, we do enjoy dancing to that song.

No white Christmas here, but is sure was a beautiful day!!!

Cookie Day!!!!

2010-01-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am soooooo far behind on this blog, I almost can't stand it.

I'm winding back to Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve at our house is all about cookies! We spend the day being lazy in every way EXCEPT making cookies. Each child chooses a cookie recipe, and then takes a turn with mom to make the cookies. This way, each child gets a little one on one time with Mom during an otherwise hectic and busy week AND Mom doesn't have a nervous breakdown trying to coordinate the cookie-making activities of 4 kids at once.

Maddie was first (for obvious reasons). That child has my sense of humor, and made sugar ghosts and chocolate bats for Santa. Our very own nightmare before christmas!! :) These days, she needs very little help from me. Mostly, I'm just there for clean up. It's so much fun having a 9 year old!!!

Owen was second. He was so quick that I didn't even get to snap a picture!! Funny boy. I guess baking isn't his thing. He was mainly concerned with the licking of bowls and spoons.

Ginger chose russian tea balls - one of the few cookies that I can remember my mother making. She took her job very seriously, and made sure that each ball was the exact same size and had the exact same amount of sugar on it.

And, after waiting ever so patiently, CoCo was last. She picked rudolph noses (not exactly cookies, but definitely a good choice for an almost 4 year old). Her favorite part was sorting the candy and unwrapping the rollos.

What a fun day!

The Birthday Princess Gets Her Ears Pierced

2010-01-03T16:35:00.001-08:00

CoCo's birthday is tomorrow (I'll save all of my sappy sentiments until later). For weeks, I've been promising her that she can get her ears pierced for her birthday. She specifically asked me if she could get her ears pierced - like Ginger - and I specifically warned her that it is moderately painful. Kinda like getting a shot - it hurts, but it's over quickly. CoCo has been very excited about her birthday this year, and thinking about getting her ears pierced has added tremendously to that excitement. To make things even MORE exciting, Aunt Jenn, Uncle Matt, and Cousin Kayla are visiting this weekend and accompanied us to the mall for the grand ear piercing adventure.

I thought I'd be smart and get to the mall the minute it opened. Unfortunately, I'm never quite as smart as I think I am, and even though we arrived about 3 seconds after the mall opened, there were already 2 people in front of us.

No worries - the girls all enjoyed poking around Claire's and trying on jewelry, sunglasses, hats, and whatever else they could find.

Finally, it was CoCo's turn. She was still SOOOOO excited.

She enjoyed charming the ear piercing technician (associate? clerk? What do you call those people, anyway??).

The first earring went in with no problem. If you look real close, you can see the pretty little pink sparkly daisy that CoCo picked.

She was an absolute CHAMP for that first piercing. Not even a whimper from my brave baby!!

But, once was enough for CoCo. As soon as the technician started getting ready to work on the second ear, CoCo became a little skeptical!

Before the second earring even went in, sweet little CoCo lost her nerve.

But, it was nothing that a lollipop and a tiara couldn't fix!!!

Bad Cats and Christmas Trees

2009-12-19T06:45:00.000-08:00

I didn't expect the Christmas trees to be perfect this year. I know better. 4 kids, 2 cats and a rambunctious dog can do serious harm to a Christmas tree.

I must admit, I didn't expect it to be this bad.

The tree in the girls room is always missing it's ornaments. The girls take them off and do something with them - what that is, I don't know.

The tree in the family room is missing most of the bottom ornaments. The cats run around and chase each other under the tree. They knock the ornaments off, and then bat them around the basement. I've even caught Beano tossing glass ornaments in the air.

BUT - the worst is the pink tree in the living room. I have come home to find it laying on it's side more times than I care to admit. Half of the branches have come out and are scattered about the room. I have no idea where most of the ornaments are (they are certainly not on the tree). AND, that bad Beano has managed to tangle the lights in such a way that we may never get them untangled.

The joys of having a large family and a crazy household.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I Heart Faces

2009-12-13T10:45:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd enter this picture into the I Heart Faces weekly photography challenge. Ambercita just loves having her picture taken!!! And I just love this picture!

Random Pictures

2009-12-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting to report today. I just finally caught a half-way decent shot of Owen, and thought I should post it (because people were starting to wonder if he had run away or something). Anyway, here it is.

And, I'm posting this picture of Ginger for no good reason at all, other than that I like it.

Cutting Down the Christmas Tree

2009-12-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

I reluctantly agreed to try something new this year. Rather than purchasing our tree at a shop on the side of the road, I agreed to go to a "cut your own" tree farm. Since North Carolina is one of the top producers of Christmas trees in the country, and since Maddie is studying our beautiful State in school this year, I thought it might be a learning experience for all of us.

One thing that I learned very quickly is that there are no Christmas tree farms in Raleigh. You actually have to drive FAR to get one.

I also learned, unfortunately, that they don't grow Christmas trees at the beach. (Okay, maybe I already knew that part. I'm just dreaming of the beach this week).

In any case, the drive was about 3 1/2 hours. Maddie is practically an encyclopedia of facts about North Carolina (and a number of other things), so that helped pass some of the time. The kids really enjoy singing Christmas carols, and that helped pass some more time. But, toward the end of the drive to the farm, I got desperate. I made up a game where the kids could count the number of cars with trees on the top that we passed along the way.

Maddie immediately said (in her perfect dead-pan voice) "Why don't we count the number of tree stores that we passed on our way here."

That child cracks me up. It may not be so funny when she is a teen, but I am really getting a kick out of it now.

Anyway.....

We finally got to the farm, and it was exactly as I imagined (sort of). Once again, I find myself on an excursion to someone else's back yard (remember the Gourd Farm??). It's bizarre. Just turn into someone's driveway and find an entire tourist attraction.

The kids were very excited to get out of the car and run around.

CoCo got bored pretty fast.

Maddie was the official "measure-er." She refused to settle for a short tree!

After much debate, we picked the perfect tree.

It ended up being a LONG day, but I think everyone had fun.

But, next year, I'm going to the place across the street with the 25 foot tall inflatable Santa.