Off The Phone

My phone is my camera of choice these days. It really is so easy. 

So here are some daily life photos with accompanying snippets.

"Smooth criminal" blocking the sun.

Our kitchen as of late.

"Torturing our kids one tree branch at a time."

"Look Mom! It's President Monson!"

A little lesson in cigarette smoke....It is gross.

Teacher appreciation gifts.

So...this is happening...

A found Jewel and a nifty way to wear it.

Fairly certain this is not how you are supposed to eat popcorn. Pretty sure.

The boy's drawings of me. Nailed it!

Gavin combed his own hair for school today. I am calling this "The Trump."

Laney watching the Hunch Back of Notre Dame.

Penny watching the Hunch Back of Notre Dame.

Raising an "independent"

"Wook Mom. I changed my shirt"

Impromptu swimming suit dance party.

Sickies

So begins our file for child protective services.

Canon is a tough little kid. Always has been. 

Because he is tough he looks quite frequently like we beat him.

Bruise on the forehead...just matches the one by his eye. 

His bruises came days before he was to go into surgery.

They had to patch a hole in Canon's ear drum.

The hole was from previously having tubes in his ears and the hole didn't heal closed. The hole in his drum took up 40% of his ear drum.

They were able to go in through his ear canal, however, they had to take a skin graft from the back of his ear so he still ended up with stitches. 

Two to be exact.

I expected a long recovery. But...Canon is tough so Canon's recovery was all of a day.

By the next morning he was acting like himself but with the inability to listen...

Later in the day I heard Canon crying down stairs. 

Instantly I thought "Ah Crap! He hurt his ear."

Nope. 

Ran into a wall.

I texted Blake this picture with the caption

Wound of the day

Canon's ear seemed to be healing and then what do you know...he popped a stitch.

So I played make shift doctor and bandaged him up.

No swimming or water in his ear till July. 

It is going to be an interesting summer.

Only thing less interesting is waking up to this in the morning.

Scary movie? Native American Reenactment?

Nope.

Bloody nose with tear streaks.

She fought her nose and her nose won.

Speaking of winning....

Guess who had an ulcer?

True dat.

I am 34 and my body thinks its 90.

Now for some gory scope pictures:

Your welcome. 

I ended up with an ulcer and Blake has Eosinophilic esophagitis and Barretts.

With our stomach issues combined....

......um.....

I got nothing.

Our Days and Nights

To say that we have been busy would be an understatement. 

All the kids except for Penny are playing soccer, and Gavin is playing baseball too. Between soccer and baseball we have something every night. On Saturday we normally have 4 games. 

To say that it is exhausting would be underselling it a bit.

During Canon's game, I find that we shout "Look alive!" A LOT.

I am not really sure why.

He starts out strong...

Then about 5 minutes into it he realizes that the "herded masses" are no match for him.

Truthfully, I want to be mad at him for just giving up. Then part of me is proud that he has figured out the loop hole. 

Make everyone else do the work...then when the ball goes out of bounds you get uninterrupted glory.

We have come to grips with the fact that his is mostly in it for the snack. 

We tell him he has to play to get the treat at the end of the game. 

So he walks around pretending to be engaged.

I am not sure he is fooling anyone.

Gavin's age group has proven to be a little more challenging.

With Gavin everything is black or white. 

Good in life. Hard in sports.

He is learning, and he is really good at following directions.

The kids like it when Gavin plays, because his field is surrounded with a fence.

It is a dare devil's paradise.

The last two of Gavin's games someone has said something along the lines of "Is this someones kid over here?"

He's mine.

"...and your OK with that?!" motioning to Canon climbing to the top of the fence.

Well...I was until you made me feel like I shouldn't be OK with it. 

I am officially reevaluating my parenting plan now....

It's not always climbing fences. 

Sometimes there is "nest building"

or just general tom foolery.

In soccer, I have been the most surprised by Laney.

She is quite the go-getter.

I bribed the kids and told them I would give them jelly beans if they made a goal.

Evidently when you mention jelly beans it means business to Laney.

Steal the ball from your own team, business.

Maybe it is because she knows I mean Jelly Bellies and not the old jelly beans from Easter.

There's a difference.

While Laney is kicking balls and taking names, the boys are most likely endangering life and limb.

And Penny...well...

Nothing strikes fear in your heart like a two year old with a baseball and mischief in their eyes.

Like I said...I am reevaluating my parenting.

Normally our Saturdays end with a baseball game.

Or in Gavin's case....

practicing his Ninja moves in the outfield.