YEAH!! Myles is a walker. We are so excited that he had reached this milestone. what a big boy! So the video quality is a little dark but you get the idea.

The Worlds Crankiest Baby...

And the Crankiest baby award goes to... {drum roll} MYLES! I was looking back through my postings yesterday and realized that he looks so happy all the time with that big baby smile and pink cheeks. That isn't reality. He has a temper. When he gets upset he immediately goes into the "ugly cry". He doesn't know the meaning of sharing. He doesn't understand why he can't go with the big kids (or outside with the dog for that matter). Life is hard when you are the little one...

Wrestling

This past weekend was the District Championship for wrestling. It was an amazing season. I am so proud of James and the progress he has made this year. He constantly amazes me. He placed third in the District. We had one day of rest (Sunday) and then basketball season started up... We are looking forward to see how much progress James has made now that he can see (with the help of contacts)

A new look

Jessie and I decided we needed a girls day. It didn't really work out that way because Matt got stuck in Denver so we had to take the boys but we got new haircuts and went out to lunch. Fun stuff...

I don't know what happened...

So I decided today was the day I was going to update my blog. I signed on and What??!! Some postings are gone, the pictures were screwy. So I fixed what I can and I am going to just move on from here. ~ Megan

I HeArT Goodwill

One of my favorite feel good things is bargain shopping. I love getting a good deal on clearance 0r an awsome sale. This is quite a change from when I was younger and would only wear $80 jeans. Once in a while Goodwill has a huge sale where there is 50% off everything in the store, denim is 99 cents and all kids clothes are 99 cents. Yesterday morning Jessie and I got up early and we were there right when they opened. I just have to share this experience with all of my blog readers because I am so excited (and a little proud of myself). I bought 17 pairs of pants (Levi's, Lucky, American Eagle, Gap and Old Navy), 17 shirts, 2 skirts and 5 sets of pajamas for a grand total of {{{{ drum roll }}}}} $51.oo. Can you believe it? I am so excited. One pair of Lucky pants cost more than that. I also love that my kids are excited about it. They love getting a whole new wardrobe for under $15.oo each. Love it, love it, love it. Thanks for sharing this happy moment with me.

This blog has been neglected the past couple of weeks so I thought I would just do a quick update…
Things have been crazy here. Myles had his surgery. He did better than expected (minus the 15 stitches YIKES!) He is getting around really good and starting to act like his old self. My mom was here to help us and it was so wonderful. She was so much help and it was so fun (fun for us at least, not sure she feels the same about it) to have her stay with us. It was hard to send her off again. We also celebrated some birthdays this last week. Little Laura turned 18. WOW!! We went to her rugby game on Saturday (her actual b-day) and I am so ashamed to say that it was the first games I have gone to. I am not a big contact sport fan, except hocky, which is weird because that is really bloody. Rugby scares the L out of me. Those are some tough players. It was a lot of fun to see her in action. We love you Laura! The very next day James turned 14. I am having mixed emotions about this one. I cannot believe that I have a 14 year old. He is such a good kid but it seems like I was just 14. Sunday night we had a little party for the kiddos. It was a lot of fun.

What else have we done in the past couple of weeks… humm… Jessie had eco week (check her blog later this week for an update on that), Liam quit Karate and then got in a fight with a girl at the neighborhood park, black eye, decided to sign up for another month of karate (*side note- He didn’t hit her back J ), we signed a lease on a house in Cabot and are signed up to move in on December 1 so hopefully our orders back this up, packed a few boxes, got rid of more stuff, slept a few hours, did some laundry, made a scrapbook album for my mom and actually made it to a few church meetings, although I did leave early on that last one because I was covered in a “residual nausea from anesthesia” from Myles. So kinda a crazy week. Hopefully the next one will be a little slower paced.

I've been a prisoner for way too long...

So we officially have an escape artist on our hands. For those of you who remember Liam at ages 1-4 you will not find this surprising in the least. I guess Myles thinks he has been a prisoner in his own home for way too long. Today I was checking my emails with Myles playing in the front room and he crawled up and shut the door to the room I was in (also a new little trick he has learned but I figured out that this means he needs privacy ie. poop or do something he knows I wouldn't let him do) Anyways, checking my emails, the door gets shut, I get up and go to find him and he is no where to be found. From the corner of my eye I see the dog on the back porch looking a little strange so I make my way over there and sure enough Lexi is not alone. Myles has pushed his way out the screen door. *Just a side note... we have no screens and pins on all the windows because Liam used to push the screens out. It must be hereditary from Matt's side.* He has pushed the screen out and is sitting so peacefully in the chair. The funniest thing about this is he can get into chairs but he hasn't figured out how to get out of them just yet. So looks like he was stuck again but this time it wasn't a door or a baby gate that confined him. It is so much fun to watch him learn new things and develop his spunky little attitude.

I also realize that I do a lot of postings about Myles. Simple enough, we spend our entire day together just him and me. Stay tuned though you will be seeing a lot of the other crew in the days to come...

Why walk when I can ride my trike?

Myles has gained a new skill on his little trike... going forward. He has been riding this thing for a couple of months but only backwards (usually into a corner or against a wall and then he was stuck). He finally realized that he is in control. He goes everywhere on this thing and he is pretty dang fast.

It's official!

This Saturday after weeks of stalling we finally put up that For Sale By Owner sign. I had spent the whole day doing yard work and getting everything just right, okay maybe not just right but trying to tame the beast we call our front yard. Putting the sign in the grass was a kind of exciting. There was this little rush of excitement, we are really doing this??? It really didn't get to me until I put the listing on Craig's list. I was writing up the description and realized that on paper it is just another house for sale. But to us it is so much more than x bedrooms, sq footage and sprinkler system installed. This is the place we have raised our kids for the last five years. We brought home a baby here. We have spent countless hours playing in the backyard. We have laughed so many laughs and cried more tears than I thought possible. We have waited for the bus and watched clouds go by. We have painted and repainted and repainted the rooms. This is our home. This is our first home. We have so many memories here. It will be hard to leave. ~sniff sniff~

Clipboard MaNiA !

It all started with this cute little idea I had to alter Jessie's school clipboard. Just a fun little weekend project with some of my scraps. This morning I finished my 12th clipboard in the last week. Apparently they are a big hit with the 6th grade girls. The first day Jessie came home and said Mikayla wants me to make her one...{light bulb... jessie could sell these} so we made the first one and 11 clipboards later... We are officially closing for business during the week, it is interfering with our real lives (work and homework). Jessie treated the family last night to Dairy Queen with some of the clipboard profits.

Football anyone...

Just thought I would post some pictures from James' game yesterday. The stats aren't up yet (and for those who know me I don't know details from the game) so as soon as they post I'll put them up. They lost the game but James played almost the entire time. He did get hurt during the first play and had to sit out for a minute. Even though I know nothing about the game and cringe every time someone gets hit (usually it is James doing the hitting) I love to watch him play. I am amazed how athletic he is. He was kind of an awkward little guy who was always bigger then himself. He has really grown into that now. I also love to see the passion that he has for the game. He is a very serious athlete and has such a drive to win. *** I also think it is so funny how giggly and cute the girls get when he is around and he is totally clueless and maybe that's because he is so intense on the field but I like to think he just doesn't know they even exist. I just think that it is amazing that he was just this tiny little boy who toddled around and now he becoming a man... wow... it happened way too fast.

Goodbyes...

My parents moved this weekend. My dad has been gone for months now but my mom just left to join him. I had planned on blogging something profound but it is much to personal right now. ~ I am happy for them. They need to be together, have an empty nest. But... they have always been here. They have been at every sporting event, musical program and birthday party. My mom is one of my best friends and I am going to miss her. Their friends threw a going away party for them and one thing that was consent was that people would say that you'll be back in a couple of years. That is when it really hit me that we may never live in the same town again. I'm sad and I miss them terribly already.

Thought of the day...

pretty much sums up how I am feeling about today...

I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me.

~Winnie the Pooh

"You talkin' to me?"

This morning me, jessie, myles and liam were all sitting on my bed and we were trying to get myles to laugh and take a picture. Myles was trying to crawl off the bed and liam said "No Myles" (in a stern voice) ~ Myles has starting this new little thing of pouting when we say "No" to him. He just doesn't like the word. He is quite offended by it. Well this morning he did something that surprised us all. He put his head down and his bottom lip out. (the phrases "Poor little rabbit" and "you could hang a bucket on that lip" flashed into my mind). I know that there are people in my own family who will find this amusing, laugh away. I believe this is lovingly referred to as karma or the mothers/mother-in-laws curse. From what everyone says I was a pouty child... thank goodness I outgrew that (right Matt)... so it only seems fitting that I would have a child with the same adorable, how could you not love me, pouty bottom lip...



pix 1. Happy baby. 2. "What did you just say?" 3. "Umm... that hurts my feelings..." 4. Hard to see but assume the position, head down-lip out...

Things I hEaRt

~MATT ~ my kids ~ family ~ funny cards ~ new babies ~ camping ~ semi-homemade cooking ~ Christmas morning ~ pigtails on little girls ~ Cherry Coke ~ vacations ~ chubby babies ~ new car smell ~ scrapbooking ~ a clean house ~ lunch with friends ~ pedicures ~ magazines ~ a day at the pool ~ songs that make me cry ~ movies that make me cry ~ a good cry ~ spring break ~ apple cinnamon candles all year long ~ roller coasters ~ hearing my kids say “I love you” ~ belly laughs ~ Thai food ~ flip flops ~ looking through pictures ~ old friends ~ the smell of a sleeping newborn ~ scary movies ~ scales that weigh “light” ~ baby kisses ~ straight lines ~ air conditioning ~ clearance ~ LOST ~ Target ~ smell of coffee ~ talk radio ~ reality t.v. ~ freshly painted walls ~ date night ~ smell of brownies ~ digital cameras ~ pink ~ the library

couples who are obviously in love ~

Just a little church shout out...

I just want to share something that I found while reading other peoples blogs... (it is addicting and I know that I am not alone on this)... It is a web site designed by an LDS couple after President Hinckley's challenge to read the Book of Mormon. So totally cool. You set a goal on how long you want to take to read any of the scriptures. Everyday you get an email with your required reading to reach your goal. At first I thought how cool just a little reminder. Just the reminder I need some days. But then I got my first email. Not only was it the chapters I need to reach my goal, it is also the actual online scriptures. ~*To make it better there is audio*~. I know ultimately I would like to be able to sit quietly and read but some days this is the perfect solution. Just thought I would share this... www.readthescriptures.com

I AM NOT OLD!!!!

Perspective is an interesting thing. I remember as a kid thinking my parents were ancient, the school year was painfully long and summer way too short and the walk to Grandma and Grandpa's house was at least 3 miles (I realized as an adult it was only 2 1/2 blocks). It is funny how when you are little these things just seem so much bigger, longer and older. This week I have been reminded of this little trick age plays on us. On the first day of school Jessie and I were trying to calm Liam's anxieties about 3rd grade. I said to them that I remember my 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Hoogard (who by the way was older than dirt of that I am sure). Anyways, Jessie turns to me and says "That is so sad that you remember that long ago." Oh Jessie, honey, it really wasn't that long ago. To make things worse a few nights later Liam and I were reminiscing about our trip to Hawaii. The conversation went as follows:

L: I miss Hawaii.
M: Me too, I want to go back someday.
L: You really shouldn't wait. You don't have a lot of time left. (Sad eyes)
M: Why is that?
L: I am young and have a lot of time left to travel. (followed by a sad/pity/pathetic pat on the shoulder as if to say~ you sad old lady )

I am 30. That is not old. I am young. I do remember thinking at the tender age of 8 that 30 was old but now that I am here I realize how young it really is. I am only (hopefully) 1/3 through my life. So my dear Jessie and Liam, In just a few years you will be 30. You will realize that this is so young and hopefully you will have these gentle reminders. It is all perspective, it just depends on where you are standing...

Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children. ~George Bernard Shaw

Where we are in life...

So now that I have this thing figured out just thought I would update everyone one where we are in life. School is back in session!! Whoo Hooo!!!!! I am so excited for the kids to be able to go back and further their education and expand their knowledge. Okay just kidding, I am excited for them but I look forward to 6 1/2 hours every day with just Myles and Me. Today we went to lunch with a friend and then to the Treasure Box, something I would not even consider with all four kids at home. So back to my excitement for them... James entered 8th grade. It is so crazy to have an 8th grader. He is totally psyched for football. He started practice last week and is all geared for a great season. We have begun the period of useless football facts ie: "mom, did you know...". The funny thing is I don't know a single thing about the game. Jessie is in 6th grade now. Amazing how fast it goes by. This was the first year I was not ALLOWED to walk her to her class. When everyone says "cherish when they are little and every moment you have with them" i think it is for times like this. If it weren't for the fact that I had Myles I am pretty sure I would have gotten the "Do I know you?" treatment. {(Sorry again mom for being like that)} . She is very excited for 6th grade. They are going on Eco Week next month (the high light of elementary school). Liam is in 3rd grade. He has the sweetest teacher for morning session (they have team teachers, one in the morning and one in the afternoon) I really hope that this year is better for him. He is so excited about reading and addicted to choose your own adventure books. Myles is now the lone kid at home and seems to have adjusted just fine. He is thoroughly enjoying being 1. He is a fast crawler, cheerio eater and hopefully by the end of the week a sippy cup drinker. Enough to keep us busy and out of trouble~ Megan

We r bloggers

I have wanted to start a blog for a while now, not because I think that I have so many profound things to say but honestly because I read other peoples blogs and think I wish I had a place that I could share things about us with the people I love. I feel like the "crazy lady" sending out emails with pics attached just so everyone can see the latest whatever. I want people to read about what we are up to. Also, I am a horrible journal keeper with the best intentions. I want to remember every cute thing that my kids do or say but let's be real it is seriously starting to all run together. So this is my plan. I am going to keep track of these moments here. You can read them if you like. If you're looking for literary genius or abundant wit, hit your back button. Instead, you'll likely be overwhelmed with the somewhat average stories of our everyday life. Feel free to comment and I would love to have a longer list of friends who blog. {(Wouldn't it be fun to just jump on and read what we are all doing. Come on guys...)}

So here goes nothing...