An (obnoxious) tv show was playing for the kids, the computer was on, the dishwasher running, washer and dryer whirling, air conditioner humming...aaaaand Bam.  Crickets.  Everything went out.  The whole house fell completely silent. The three boys jumped up and said, "What happened?!"  "Our electricity went out guys. It should only be a minute, but nothing's going to work until it's back on."  They each got a gleam in their eye and looked at each other with that, "This is going to be Awesome!" kind of look.  That only meant one thing...they were about to turn wild. 
  Our three year old little girl was taking a nap and I knew it was a recipe for disaster.  The boys would whoop and holler as they returned to their previously scheduled WWF wrestling match.  Three boys flipping off a couch and landing on each other is a guarantee to wake a three year old up from her nap. When you wake a three year old up from her nap it's kind of like the equivalent of sneaking into a bear's cave while he's hibernating and smacking him right across the face with a sticker bush...you get the picture. 
    After a few minutes with no power, I shot a quick text to our neighbor to make sure it wasn't just our house.  She confirmed that their power was out too.  With the temperatures reaching 105 degrees, I figured there must have been a power surge from everyone cranking on their air conditioners.  I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if the power stayed off for a long time though.  With the scorching heat outside, we needed to stay in, but how long would it take for our house to become miserably hot as well?  I'll have to admit - the very next thought I had was that we should eat all of the ice cream and popsicles before they melted.
    I gathered the boys back down on the couch, ran and got one of their books and curled them up around me.  It was actually kind of nice to have zero options of anything else to do.  I couldn't clean clothes, run the vacuum, start the dishwasher...THEY couldn't play video games, watch tv or play on the computer.  It was just the four of us and a book.  "Mom?"  "Yes Buddy."  "How long do we have to go without our house working?"  "I don't know little man.  People are doing their best to fix it though - it'll be ok."
    We sat together and read the book and they eventually got back to their wrestling championship match - and of course, woke their sister. 
    It was a good while before the electricity came on and the house popped back to life.  Out of nowhere, things started to beep and flash as the "real world" began again.  The kids shot back to grab the remote and cheered when they saw that the tv worked.         
    Strangely missing the simplicity of our afternoon, I surprised them by going over and shutting the tv off while pulling them into the kitchen. 
    It seemed like the perfect day for a half melted popsicle. 

    "Write.  Write everyday.  I don't care if it's a sentence, a paragraph or a page...it's important to write."  These are the words my Grandma said as she handed me my very first journal.  I was in the second grade and began to fill the pages with the most important details regarding everything from my BFF Tricia - down to the baby chicks that hatched from our chicken coop in our backyard.
      I grew up in the country and came from the best hometown you could ask for.  The journals gave me a way to keep a piece of my childhood with me forever.  Gram gave me a new empty book to fill each year around my birthday.  She continued to encourage me to think about things and get them down each day.
    I guess this blog has turned into my "grown up" version of that.  I would like to think that in ten or twenty years I'll remember each and every detail of these crazy days, but then I realize that I can't even remember what I had for dinner last week.  I want to remember this and laugh as I tell the girl/boyfriends of our kids about the time they flooded the kitchen to make an indoor water park, or how they poured flour all over the house to make it "snow." 
    That's probably about the coolest thing about keeping a blog...getting to write about and remember the things that matter to you.  So many people write blogs and I think they would agree that it's almost therapeutic to reflect and get your thoughts and feelings down.  I would encourage anyone to do it if it's something they have an interest in.
    Another neat thing about writing is that a community begins to form of people from across the country that you would never have "met" otherwise.  It's nice to visit their sites and spend some time in their world.  Just yesterday, a sweet girl named Kathy who has a blog called, "Kissing the Frog" http://www.lifewiththefrog.com
wrote to me that she nominated me for a really cool award called the "Liebster Award."  She is a mom of four boys (FOUR BOYS) and writes such heartfelt and wonderful stories of their lives together.  It's a loving blog that tells about the real life stories about what happens after you "kiss the frog" and get the Prince.  She is a beautiful person and I can't Thank her enough for the nomination.  It's a fun way to connect and share in each others journeys.  Once you've been nominated, here's how the Liebster Award works:
  1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
  2. You must link back to the blogger who presented the award       to you.
  3. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
  4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs you think deserve     some recognition. Remember they have to have 200 followers or     less when presented with a Liebster!
  5. Make sure you let the bloggers you nominated know they have     a Liebster! Leave a comment on their blog, DM on twitter,     Facebook post–however you normally get in contact with         them! 
These are the five blogs I would like to nominate for the Liebster Award:
1. Faolan's Foibles
http://faolansfoibles.wordpress.com/
It's a blog that's very well written by a super smart girl named Lisa.  :)  She has an adorable cat named Faolan that has medical issues including "megacolon."  It's a heartfelt blog that tracks her love in taking care of her feline friend.
2. You Know it Happens in Your House Too
http://www.youknowithappensatyourhousetoo.com/
This blog is a Great read from a mom of FIVE children from the ages of two to ten!  She is married to a farmer and tells of hilarious events.
3. Break for Moms
http://breakformoms.blogspot.com
This is a really neat blog from a mom named Jennifer.  She has giveaways, yummy recipes and even celebrity interviews!  Very cool.
4.Werdyab
www.werdyab.com
This blog is written by a mom named Amanda who is a songwriter and used to have her own reality tv show!  She has a witty and very inviting writing style that has her readers laughing page after page.
5. DIY Home Sweet Home
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
This is a wonderful place to visit for fun crafts and ideas.  It's written by Jamie who has a creative soul and a ton of excellent projects that you can do. 
    Of the many blogs that I've read, these five stand out along with Kathy's.  They all deserve the Liebster Award and it's truly enjoyable to read their work.  I hope you have fun visiting them too!

  "Allllllmost got it!"  Christian said as he wiggled Ethan's front top tooth.  Christian considers himself somewhat of a pro at this...having lost eight teeth himself already.
  Ethan's top tooth is hanging there.  It's literally just hanging there by a thread, freakishly and somewhat unnatural looking.  When he talks - all I can see is his little baby tooth flapping in the wind begging to come out.  It's like it's taunting me. 
    We've considered everything from the string around the doorknob to the biting down on an apple.  It can't possibly hang there much longer. 
    The cutest thing about the kids is watching their excitement for the arrival of the Tooth Fairy.  When a tooth is lost, it's so hard to get all four of them to go to sleep.  My husband and I listen as they giggle and whisper about her possible arrival.  They leave their window open just a little so she can find her way in and then they write a note to her.  I previously wrote about how they have even squished chewed up bubble gum into the carpet around the bed to try to catch her.  "I don't think she stands guys...I think she just flies in and then back out...she's a busy girl you know!"
    The kids have worked on Ethan's tooth all day today.  I hope that it will be out by tonight.  With the amount of little teeth in this house, I imagine the poor Tooth Fairy is bound to rack up some frequent flyer miles within the next few years.  I'm sure she'd agree though that it's worth it, just to see the smiles on those toothless little faces when she's gone.          

    Being that it's summer, we've decided to become healthier and get some fresh fruit.  The kids actually like fruit, my husband and I are "ok" to eat it, so we figured it's a much better snack for all of us to munch on rather than the random junk food and popsicles. 
    I went in our kitchen and pulled out a pretty yellow over-sized bowl to strategically place some bananas, grapes, oranges, apples, a pineapple and a kiwi right in the middle of our counter.  It looked like art.  We put some big fresh strawberries in the fridge and told the kids that from now on, if they wanted a snack...there it was. 
    As my husband and I patted ourselves on the back for turning over a healthy new leaf, we envisioned both of ourselves going to the beach a few pounds lighter by the end of the summer as an extra bonus.
   Within about five to six days of having our new healthy supply, these strange, tiny friends began to invade our house though.  Little by little, fruit flies started to appear in our kitchen and tv room.  We noticed that it got worse and worse on each day's passing.  "WHAT is going ON?!" My husband yelled as he swatted his way to the fridge.  I dodged back at him saying, "I don't know!  I've never seen anything like this.  How about we keep the fruit in the fridge so the fruit flies won't keep coming.  I think they're having babies or something!"  That will teach us to be healthy.
    Our three year old daughter danced around and was so happy because she thought we let a ton of "butterflies" in the house.  "No baby girl...they're not butterflies." 
    Completely perplexed at what was making them worse each day even with no food exposed whatsoever, we resigned to call a "bug guy" to at least ask him for suggestions.  Before we had the chance to make the call, our two older boys began to scream, "MOM!  DAD!!!  COME HERE, FAST!!!"  Worried by their tone, we came flying.  "LOOK!"  the boys said as they pointed down to where the couch was supposed to be.  They had pushed it away to find, on the floor, a half eaten banana that had been hidden by our four year old son.  I use the word banana loosely because it actually looked more like a science experiment.  There were more fruit flies on that thing than the sky had stars.  The two older boys were enthralled and both muttered "COOL!" while our daughter took off running as she screamed "BUTTERFLIES!"  Our four year old little culprit had that "Ugh-Oh" look on his face as he tried to back away slowly.
    Needless to say, the banana is gone, the fruit flies are gone (Thank God) and now the only thing we're worried about is that our daughter will have a fear of butterflies (or bananas) for the rest of her life.     

    "Hey MOOOOOOOM!  There's a big turtle outside!  Can we go see him?"  As I ran down the stairs to catch up with the boys on their next expedition, I looked out the window and saw the turtle.  He was a big one.  Not the cute little box turtles I grew up catching, but a granddaddy of a turtle.  I was worried that he might be a snapping turtle so I stopped the boys at the door.  "Guys, let's not get too close to him, but we can go out and see him together."
      Full of excitement, our seven year old, Ethan, said - "Oh Mom!  Bring your camera so we can take a picture and show him to Dad!"  I grabbed the camera along with my cell phone to text a picture to him too.  As we ran out to find the turtle, he wasn't there anymore.  The boys pointed and yelled, "He went over there!"  I ran to try to get ahead of the boys to keep them from the unknown, and just then, my left foot found a big hole hidden over by the grass.  Not that I've ever had coordination, even on a good day, but put an obstacle in my way and forget it.  My parents have literally called me "Grace" ever since I was young.
     I flung straight down.  The camera whizzed through the air to the right of me and my cell phone flew off to the left - all while the boys kept running straight towards the turtle.  "GUYS!  WAIT!"  I yelled and by some miracle, Ethan turned around to look.  "Mommy fell!  Stop!  Mommy fell!"  The boys ran back to help.  As I began to test my ankle, Mr. Turtle took the opportunity to sneak off into the tall grass...he was fast for a turtle.  Preston realized this at the same time and shouted, "He's getting AWAY!"  We all ran down the grassy hill, me hopping and grabbing my phone and camera on the way.  When we reached the spot where he went into the grass, there was barely enough of him to see.  "Take a picture Mommy!  Take it!"
 *click*
     One very unimpressive (not worth the throbbing ankle) picture of a turtle. 
    We went back into the house and that's when the best part happened.  I've always heard that boys will "love their mamas" and our three boys are indeed loving.  They usually do it in a "fly by night, give you a gut check kind of hug" type of way though.      Ethan sat me down on the couch and got a bag of ice while Preston got a cup of water.  I sat in shock as they hustled about.  My heart swelled one hundred times over and I almost forgot the pain.  The boys all came to the couch and sat beside me as I took it all in.  Three wonderful and sweet boys.  Thank God for these loving boys, these kind and beautiful b...."Uhhhhh, Mom?  Can we see the cool picture of the turtle now?"  Well...
Boys will be boys.

    A couple of months ago I wrote about our cat.  Our poor cat who used to have the life of luxury, (before we had kids) is often seen creeping around the house with a careful step of each paw.  She darts from one room to another in hopes that the kids don't pounce on her, or try to make her ride in a remote control car.
    Yesterday, a strange and peculiar thing happened in our house.  It was silent.  The devil must have been lacing up his ice skates because our entire home was completely quiet...no screaming, yelling, laughing, fighting...our house was as quiet as a mouse.  Our baby girl was taking a nap and the three older boys were playing with their legos.   On this rare occasion of peace and harmony, our cat usually takes the opportunity to venture out of some hiding spot to "test the waters."  After a few minutes I noticed that she was nowhere to be found.  I actually began to look for her but couldn't find her anywhere.  I asked the boys if they had seen her and they all shook their heads.  Humph...that's odd.  "Oh well!"  I thought...and continued to clean the kitchen. 
    A few hours later, my husband came home from work and had something in his arms.  We all studied him to figure out what it was and he stared back at me with confusion.  "How long has the cat been outside?"  He asked.  As I realized he was holding our indoor cat who never sees the light of day other than when she sits in the window, I gasped.  "Are you sure that's our cat?!  She was OUTSIDE?!  Where did you find her?"  My husband held her up to make sure she was in fact ours and said, "I got out of the car and heard a cat meowing.  I looked under the neighbor's shrubs and there she was...looking right at me."  
    The poor cat.  The only thing we can figure is that she found her way out in the midst of the hub-bub while we all ran in and out of the house all day.  I wish I "spoke cat" to find out if she liked it better in the "jungle out there," or in the one she lives in within our home.
     Our daughter decided it was best to keep her "extra safe" from now on and wrapped her in a hat and blanket to keep her warm.  She thought it would be best that the cat sleeps in her baby doll's crib from now on too. 
    You know, Come to think of it, I guess I don't really need to be able to "speak cat" to know what our feline family member is thinking.  One look at her face and I think that pretty much says it all...The poor cat.        

    Someone once told me that their motto in life was to always remember to "Keep their fork."  This confused me a little so I asked what they meant by it.  The explanation was simple, yet memorable.  They told me that it's always important to do what you need to do...eat your dinner, make sure you get your nutrition.  It's important to do your job well, be responsible and reliable.  As key as these things in life are for health and success, you also need to remember to keep your fork when your meal is done.  Don't put it on your plate and let it go.  Sometimes the best things in life come after your meal - it's the dessert that you may not expect that can be the best part of all.  Remember to keep your fork to be able to enjoy the sweet things in life.  As crucial as it is to fulfill your responsibilities, it's just as important to spend time with family and friends, relax and enjoy where you are and deepen your faith and foundation from where you came.  Save room for the "good stuff." 
    I was reminded of this last night after dinner when the kids began to clear their plates.  My husband said, "Wait guys!  We have cake for dessert tonight so keep your forks."  Their eyes lit up and they were excited by the surprise.  After a full meal of, "Kids, eat your broccoli...finish your corn...Yes, you have to drink ALL of your milk..." it was nice to get to watch them enjoy their special treat as well. 
    As much as everyone seems to struggle these days and worry about things, it's also good to hold on in hopes that it will get better.  No matter who you are, or what troubles you may happen to have, it's helpful to remember to "Keep your fork" and always hope for good things to come...and maybe a little slice of chocolate cake too.  

    Ahhhhh Father's Day.  Breakfast in bed...children lovingly filled with adoration for their wonderful dad, a beautiful day of pampering and affection for the "Man of the House."
     I asked Adam what he wanted this year and his answer surprised me.  "A day without screaming."  "What?"  "I just want one day without screaming.  Our house is constantly full of wild screaming...Ethan screams at Preston over a toy, Preston screams at Lauren over a game, Lauren just screams for no reason and then Christian yells for all of them to be quiet so he can watch a tv show.  It always ends up the same way...we start to scream to get them all to stop screaming.  I just want one day with peace and quiet....no screaming." 
    It's true.  The volume control in our house is off the charts.  I once dreamed of having four beautifully behaved children that sat and played boardgames, while sharing a healthy snack.  They would kindly take turns with one another and congratulate each other on a job well done.  There would be hugs all around and then they would scamper off to do their homework.  It was a good dream. 
    I decided to try my best this morning to give Adam his "Father's Day wish."  The kids woke up early so I hurried downstairs to "shoosh" them and tell them to be as quiet as possible.  "Daddy's sleeping and we want be QUIET okay?!"  With heads nodded in agreement, the kids took turns helping to make pancakes and Father's Day cards.  They did a surprisingly good job at keeping quiet and focused.  They were excited to surprise Adam and knew that we had to work quickly before he woke up.  As luck would have it, about the same time the last pancake was flipped, Adam instead surprised us by walking into the kitchen.  I didn't know if the smile on his face was because he saw a kitchen full of busy fun with everyone working together, or because he actually got to sleep in a little due to the quiet house.  Feeling happy that we gave him his one and only request, the kids turned to look up and saw him standing there.  With excitement and shock they all screamed, "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!"  At least it was good while it lasted.
   Happy Father's Day to all of you Wonderful Dads. 

I'm thinking we were maybe in the sixth grade?  I'm not exactly sure, but I remember our entire class going on a field trip to Columbus, Ohio.  We went to a place called COSI - which stands for the "Center of Science and Industry."  It's an extremely cool place to explore and discover new things.  I remember that our teacher had our class sit and listen to a demonstration by a person holding a plunger.  The man shoved the plunger against the wall and challenged anyone of us to pull it off while using only one finger.  One by one, we each pulled with everything we had.  Not even the biggest and strongest of our class could make it budge.  When we had given up, the presenter said, "Do you think it can be done?  Is anyone strong enough to pull it off with one finger?"  We shook our heads in certainty that it was completely impossible.  He gave us a grin and stepped towards the wall where the plunger stuck.  He didn't try to pull it off by the handle like we had all done...instead, he put the tip of his finger at the seal of the plunger against the wall where the rubber suctioned.  He broke the seal from the wall so it simply popped off.  It was a good lesson learned early in life.  Keep it simple.  You can fight and stress and push and pull until you're blue in the face...but sometimes the easiest answer is right there in front of you.
  There are days when I think I'm going to loose my mind from the chaos in our house with four young kids.  It's summer vacation and like clockwork, my mind starts thinking of all of the "activities" we should start planning.  We should go on big trips, visit the zoo, go to museums, hit the beach, try different theme parks...so on and so forth.  My mind swims with ideas of how we can make this year the "Greatest Summer of ALL Times."  That's when it hit me.  Keep it simple.  Go outside and play.  Pop popcorn and watch a movie.  Dance around the house like crazy.  It doesn't have to be elaborate and mind boggling...just simple and fun.  We can rack our brains trying to plan the biggest and best summer break when all we really need to do is spend time together, doing anything at anytime.
    The kids want to have fun regardless of whether we're away on vacation or in our own front yard.  We, as parents, can wrestle with the stress regarding vacation planning, finances, time off from work, or we can just forget all of that and hang out with our kids.
     The carefree days of summer are what I want them to remember.  Playing on a slip-n-slide, riding bikes, catching fireflies...spending easy and fun times as a family.  No struggle involved.
    I hope this year we will in fact have the "Greatest Summer of All Times," but I hope it's because we relaxed and enjoyed our time as a family and with our friends.  That's what it's really all about.  Plain and simple.