Photos at last

Life is hectic for all of us. Here are some photos that I have been meaning to upload. Some before and afters of the house. Some halloween costumes for the kids. And some cute recent random ones.

Sometimes I forget my wife's not perfect

So I came home the other day to find that my oldest daughter had a need of a bath because she got a cup of milk spilled on her head, which is kinda funny because she is always spilling it all over. I will leave it up to your imagination on how it happened because I don't even know.
My wife has been great these past few weeks. More amazing and capable than I think she gives herself credit. Sadly there are no awards or promotions for doing a great job in raising children...but here is a little something to say I appreciate and love you:
@>-%--

supposed to be a rose ^^

cupcakes

Cassidy is now in a big girl bed. She finally earned it and the duvet cover finally arrived in the mail and so she has progressed. So cute to see her wearing the jammies that match the duvet cover, she kind of blends in. I even broke down her crib and put it in the storage room until Molly needs it. It all seems so big girlish now. She and the rest of the senior nursery will be singing I am a Child of God in the primary program in a couple of weeks. Craziness.
molly is starting to talk a lot more. She sounds a little muffled like she was hearing underwater but it is a start. She is letting me put clips in her hair and she will keep them in throughout the day. She looks so cute with her hair pulled back from her face. What a dear heart.
Julia cut her first tooth Tuesday. She started inch worming on Wednesday. And she is a pro at sitting. She is talking up a storm. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I am nervous about the teeth thing. This is the first time I have nursed a baby with teeth. With Cassidy and Molly they were weaned before they got teeth. She is getting into the go go go phase. She wants me to hold her but always squirming around trying to spy the girls.
Joe is doing a lot of fishing lately. He is in a bass club and is liking it. We are almost done with the house. Finally. I need to upload photos.
I was called into nursery last week. We have 17, soon to be 19, in nursery. Usually 15 or so are there. Fifteen makes three seem much easier.

indoor plumbing... when size matters

Eight o'clock at night is not the best time to start a plumbing project, a soldering plumbing project mind you, in the bathroom next to your sleeping one and three year olds. We learned the almost hard way. We didn't stop until after 1100 and were not even done. Five compression valves and two shower trims beat us until this morning. We had to shut off the water while we worked so it was a race against time to finish. But alas, the toilet upstairs is installed (tonight's project), the showers up and downstairs now are operable, though there are no shower doors upstairs yet, and the sinks are ready to be connected upstairs, except the vanity isn't done. Not bad for six hours of work for two people. The biggest issue was that we cut the pipes and bolts too short to make our work easy. Better to start off too long than to start too short.
How many projects do you have going?? I have started at least five and I hardly have time to progress with any. I have to remind myself not to start anything else because I just don't have time. I want so badly to finish the roman shade I started for our dining room, alas I have sewn one seam and finally picked a lining. The bench, well I have sanded parts and have dismantled it. It still needs more sanding and to be stained and sealed. The girls' scrapbooks have not been touched since December I think. At least I have photos printed already. The photos of ancestors need to be taken, printed, laminated and copied to group sheets. Etc ... I find that I spend most of my children in bed hours doing house work that didn't get done while the kids were awake. With every picture frame that is put out I feel like our house is closer to being the homey place I would like. I just would like a little more time to do more.
I am sorry if this sounded like a complaining post. It wasn't supposed to be. I am so glad we got so much done in the bathrooms in the last two days. Sometimes I would just like to feel like I completed something instead of just progressing on it. But there will always be more to add to the to do list right?
I had fun watching the older girls play in about an inch of water in the barely inflated baby pool today. They were having a blast. And how molly would run over to me so that I could squirt her with the water as I washed off our patio. Julia loves the girls. Those two make her laugh something fierce. I love watching Cassidy dance around and humm. And she calls molly "molly manomi" instead of molly Naomi and calls Julia "bajulia". But when Joe called cass "Cassidy shelackalacka lots" instead of Cassidy Shea she got serious and said "that's not my name". Those girls are dolls. I love them.

sick and it's 100 outside

All the girls ended up with a cold last week. The cranky runny nose type. What fun. Cassidy first then the other two joined on Friday, right in time for daddy to be gone fishing overnight. We stayed home yesterday from church, the lots girls that is while daddy went. The nursery would definitely have said No Thank You to them. I hate missing church, even for legit reasons like sick kids. At least I had women's conference Saturday night. Wasn't it awesome!!! Hello segue way to the higher law of visiting teaching. I have had the best vter ever, merlieee, and some not so great ones. I have been good and not so good at being a vter. I will do better. I have had the best vter who was really the vtee, Anne. Many examples to help me know better how to be better.
So little miss Julia is talking up a storm these days. My bet... She will be a talker like Cassidy. Hut you never know till after right? Oh and there is molly awake. Speaking of awake miss Cassidy made a couple appearances last night, at 130 and 500 am, she wanted to play. Hmmm no. Its time to Sleep. Its getting old. She's been doing this for a number of days now. Awwwwwwww. Whatdo I do?