From Winter to Summer

I bet there are not many kids in CA that can say they spent the day in the snow one day and the next playing in the waves at the beach...my four can! We have had a good two days and a great wrap up to a work week for me. Yesterday the long awaited "Winter in July" was finally here!! We made snowflakes, played with snow and built gingerbread houses and snowmen!! The girls look forward to Winter in July every summer...and I must say I find it quite fun myself! No snowball fights broke out this year, but we managed to have a good time without it! :)

Today the girls mom took off work and we packed up all the kids and headed to the beach! It was the perfect beach day filled with laughs, screams (happy screams of course) and wipe outs! We played in the sand and the waves all afternoon and had a fantastic time. The girls even got me all the way in the water riding the waves back in and getting sucked under! It was fun to be a kid again.

So...Winter one day, summer the next, doesn't get much better than that! :)

Oh Play-doh

I swear I have never seen more play doh out and everywhere ever in my life. These girls can't just have 1 color out, they've each gotta have 3, but of course the colors can't mix cause that would be horrible!!! But at least it keeps them occupied. They molded and carved and shaped for 2 hours I think before they decided they were done and cleaned up...mostly. The thing with play-doh is that it gets EVERYWHERE and of course it is not in easy to pick up pieces, or even still soft enough to add back to the rest of it. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it dries and then you have flecks of colored play doh everywhere! So when the girls disappeared I continued to find little pieces of dried up play doh-on the floor, on the table on my clothes and in my hair. Don't want to know where else it may have ended up, but hopefully I got it cleaned! :) Mostly the afternoon was filled with the girls playing on their own, a picnic lunch outside and the anticipation for what tomorrow may bring! ;)

Barbies, Barbies, oh and more Barbies

Today was declared Barbie day by the girls as they dug through my tub of old Barbie's and accessories and changed their outfits, hair styles, and occupations. One minute a teacher, the next a ballerina and still next a princess. They were entertained all day long and it was fabulous. It was fun for me to take a little trip down memory lane too as they pulled out the different dresses or dolls and I remembered something from when Barbie's were a daily activity in my life. Unfortunately we had to learn the hard way that my 10-15 year old dolls sadly were not made to be played with, left in a box for who knows how long and then pulled out for 3 little girls to love oh so much. We lost a few heads, a few legs and the what was once permanent hair styles have all been pulled out. I caught Ava sucking on the head of baby Barbie at one point with the rest of its body sticking out of her mouth...oh geez! One sentence I thought I would never hear myself say, "Get the babies head out of your mouth!!" Love it!
We started the day out though by filling the house with the glorious smell of chocolate chip cookies. Greta was up early so after some snuggle time, breakfast and chores, she and I whipped up a batch of cookies, which then sat on the counter all day tempting us to eat them...and eat them we did!

Final score...Girls: 5 Boys: 2

For a grand total of: 7 and oh boy was it a long day. Sure I didn't have all 7 at the same time...they were split between 2 jobs 4 and the first and 3 at the second, but it didn't hit me that I watched so many kids until I was enjoying some peace and quiet! I guess that explains why I feel so exhausted and why I didn't run quite as fast at the gym or had thoughts of not finishing my work out...but I did. It was a pretty good day. The day with the girls was much easier than yesterday and I even got an hour of silence in the house around noon. I joked with them that they were all going to have to take naps, but sure enough at noon they all headed upstairs and did their own things making the house oddly quiet, but oh so nice! I wish I had realized they would entertain themselves that long cause I might have lied down on the couch myself! My second job was also easy, spent watching Pink Panther 2, playing Legos and eating a snack, not too shabby! I must admit I missed a whole lot of the movie because the kids kept calling my name and wanting to tell me something or show me something, but I don't mind...the pieces I got of the movie still made the whole thing make sense so I think it could have been about an hour shorter! :) Tomorrow is day 2 with the seven again so I think I am going to turn in a bit earlier today so I can survive yet another silly, summer day!

My Ava Baby

There is not a day that goes by that I do not find myself laughing at the cute little things that Ava does and says. Today there were a multitude of occurrences that put a smile on my face. From thinking she was a puppy and trying to lick Greta when she asked for a kiss and then saying "woof, woof"
Or when she wanted a "popscln" or Popsicle and she had to eat her noodles first, but she wouldn't eat them so we sang a noodle dance song..."Noodles, eat your noodles, Noodle..do the noodle dance" and she would dance around and take a bite. Then she looked for Greta in the toy box, was astonished by her "bew" nails after I painted them blue, took my phone and said where Hannah? I text Hannah!

...or this one....

She grabs a wipey off the table and proceeds to wipe her nose. She doesn't seem to be getting what she wanted so i tell her to blow...so what does she do??? Walks up to me puts her nose on my shirt and blows....the little booger!!!

But...as Ava would say "oh happy day" and thats what it was..."oh happy day, happy day, wash your hands"

ESCAPE....(in my best Dory voice)

Today was absolutely CRAZY!!! I do not know how these girls can go from being tired and lazy one day to being absolutely crazy and insane, hyper and loud the next! At one point I told the girls the phone ringing was probably the neighbors calling to ask what on earth all of the noise was. They are the best though. Somehow through the yelling, screaming and running around I was able to laugh at them and just ignore the screaming! They bring so much joy to my life and it is fun to just watch them play. They come up with an idea and let their imagination run with it. One minute they are a ballerina, the next they are a puppy and frankly how we got there I a really not sure.
The best part of these girls is the way that they love. The way they love each other and the way they love me. The relationship that I have created with the entire family over the years has left me with a safe, secure feeling when I am with them and I feel it with every cuddle, every smile and every hug, Oh and of course with every..."Bet-any, where har you???" :) I leave most every day tired and worn out, but I miss em to pieces and look forward to the next day!

Goofy Girls!

Goofy, goof ball, goofy girl...I find myself using these words to describe the things my girls do and say every single day. They sit around and sing "When I was a young warthog" over and over again...or run dance around silly or continue to sing the penguin song over and over and it just makes me laugh!

Today was a low key day. We played some games, did some crafts, made some goo, blew some bubbles and watched tv. The girls were all tired and sore from playing soccer and getting shots at the doctor that they were happy doing a whole lot of nothing. I was completely content cuddled on the couch with the two younger girls. They wanted to be held, hugged and cuddled and I am completely okay with that! :) What I love about my job is that I get to play and cuddle all day. Very little of the time is spent breaking up quarls and actually...the one time i had to play referee today I reacted so quickly and had her stopped so fast I had all the girls laughing while the one was trapped and unable to move. I really couldn't ask for anything better!

"All Girls are Princesses"

I use this quote often with the girls when they start talking about princesses and how they wish they could be one. Today was dubbed "Princess Day" and all activities were girly and princessy!

I always make sure the girls are dressed and ready for the day before we start with anything because I know if we don't, they will get so into what we are doing that we will totally forget about it and mom will come home to a whole house of pajama girls. Today was no different and I sent 3 excited girls upstairs. Shortly after they all came down wearing cute colored dresses and had already determined who would be what color when playing Pretty Pretty Princess so that their game piece jewelery would match their outfit. Love it! :) We played a round of the game and then they wanted to make paper crowns, which we made out of tissue paper, foil and decorated with plastic jewels. They seemed to love it and they turned out very cute! But as with all children they can't all be cute at the same time! Girly number 4 was busy flinging apple sauce all over the kitchen and wiping it all over her face and her hair! AH GEEZ what joy to clean up! Nonetheless the day was fun, the girls enjoyed it and tomorrow we will watch Tangled. Ah the life of a summer sitter!

Today was totally awesome!!!

Or so Sasha told her mom when she got home from work!
I love the relationship that I have with these girls and the way that they manage to make me smile even when I am worn out or not feeling my best. They bring such joy to my life and I love the time that I get to spend with them.
Today we made goo, the simplest activity, but yet still the girls favorite. They love to pick what color they are going to make and mix colors and see what they can create. We ended up with a really pretty sunset orange color and a green that was so gross it could only be compared to mold. Needless to say blue, green, and yellow food coloring should not be mixed together! :)
3 simple ingredients: equal parts liquid starch and Elmer's school glue, mixed with food coloring and you get goo. It can get a little sticky and messy, but nothing a few baby wipes of a running faucet can't fix!

We played games-I found out that Twister...not so fun anymore for me, but i was thoroughly entertained watching little Greta trying to have left foot red and right foot green. She kept commenting how she was doing the splits, and with her little legs, that's just what she was doing!

We played Wii, played with the bubbles left over from last week and jumped on pogo sticks! It is amazing how quickly hours can go by when I am playing with these kiddos. Everyday is a new adventure, a new "theme" a new activity. The girls are looking forward to princess day tomorrow. Should be fun! :)

Catching up

Due to the craziness on Thursday night, I wasn't able to post on everything that we did! So here is a picture recap.

Rainbow cupcakes:
-White Cake mix divided, dyed and layered.

Colored bubbles:
2 cups water
1/4 cup dish soap
1 tsp sugar
food coloring

Amidst the chaos...

Today I feel like I went through the day in a comatose. After only 2 hours of not so good sleep and a very hectic night, I was feeling not so much myself. At 9 o'clock 3 more kids were added to my two and the craziness began. At first it felt like I was having an out of body experience and I was sitting there watching all of this happening with no control over the situation, but then I got it together, jumped on the horse, got in the saddle and grabbed the reigns. And we made the most of the day. we played with chalk and made bubbles of so many colors. We watched Thumbelina, played with close to every toy in the house. Pulled out Just Dance and Wii Sports resort, went swimming and played some more. I just followed the kids around as they went from one thing to the other attempting to keep some order of the house, I just felt the need to keep moving. After the 3 kids left, Greta and I pulled out a coloring puzzle that we got at Target the other day and put that together and colored it while watching "Beauty and the Beast." It wasn't too long before she was fast asleep on the table and I had to move her to the couch. Ava and I then watched what seemed like HOURS of Dora until Greta woke up and then we watched "Tangled" while we waited for mom and dad and sisters to get home.
Its hard to believe only three days have passed. It seems like it has been so much longer and so much has happened. We packed a lot of stuff into three days and then there was the unexpected. What I do know is that I love these girls very much and am so blessed to have them in my life.
I already miss them tons and tons and really can't wait for more chaos next week!

Nighty night, sleep tight!

G.G

Tonight I learned the importance of responsibility and being prepared for the unexpected. I learned that being a babysitter isn't all fun and games and sometimes you have to do things that are hard and scary for you. I learned that being brave is important but when the time comes that you can cry, you've got to let it all go. Tonight I learned that it is okay to cry, no matter who is there to see it. I learned that God puts friends into your life for a reason that you can contact at a moments notice and they will stop everything they are doing and pray for you. Tonight I learned that God is a big God and nothing is to big for Him. Tonight i learned that a good neighbor is there at a moments notice, even when they have never met you. Tonight I learned that I am able to do a lot more than I thought I could. Tonight i learned what love is! Tonight I learned that I love a little girl very very much and would do anything for her. Tonight I learned that Greta is one of my very best friends!

Today I am....

*a chef
*a swim instructor
*a lifeguard
*a nurse
*a chauffeur
*an entertainer
*a vending machine
*a care taker
*a maid
*a ski ball champion
*etc. etc. etc.

Today I am a wee bit exhausted and I think the above list explains it!
I have been left with the two little one for three days while the three older ones are on a trip with mom and dad. So, I am left with the normal day to day activities as a mom, dad or full time care taker! We made the most of the day though. It was a jam packed day and I am counting down the minutes until I can shower and crawl into my bed.
We spent the day having fun. Watching TV, swimming, going to Chuck E Cheese, getting ice cream, eating lots of pizza, going to see ducks and turtles and ending the evening with an attempt at a dance party in the back yard. After all that I am not quite sure why I am so exhausted! I should be bouncing off the walls right??? WRONG!! However, that is what both girls were doing around 7:30 and I was more than happy to be sitting quietly in my chair and watching them dance and play. I don't know about them...but I know that I am beat!!
We already have the line up for tomorrows activities! It is going to be another jam packed, fun day...hopefully with a break for nap time!

1 to 4

Talk about culture shock...although that wouldn't be the correct phrase to use. This morning was morning number one with all four kids. It was much louder, much messier and some how crazier!! Funny how relaxing a job can be with one kid...but 4...woo...i'm tired! Somehow even with all the noise, messes and craziness I still love it. I love watching the girls interact and play and then playing with them. However now looking back on today I really don't remember a time I sat down and played with them, except when they watched tv...and then that is not playing. it seemed like the four were spread out throughout the house and I bounced from one to the other changed a diaper, opened something for one, helped another with something else and back to the first and around and around I go....I guess this is what it is like to have more than one kid! :)
We weren't able to make too much goo today because I got there and discovered that all my supplies were either gone or low. (shame on me for not being prepared) We did get one bright yellow batch out of what we had, but shortly after it was made it was all over Greta and we were washing hands, scrubbing the table and throwing it away. A sad attempt!
After a short poll between the 3 older girls, it appears that puppets and "Winter in July" are in the near future for us which will be fun as always! :)

Quote of the day:
Greta: (With sad puppy dog eyes and a sad voice) "Bethany, will you take me to Disneyland someday? Cause my mommy doesn't know how to get there"
Me: (Holding back the laugh) "Yes, Greta, someday I will take you to Disneyland"
Sounds like a deal to me!

"Crayons"

Crayons....the answer to the question: what would you like to eat for dinner?

Poor little baby was exhausted after a day of car shopping with mom and dad and then left with me to be fed, changed and put to bed. The one track mind of this one year old was apparent as she was determined that the right answer to my question was: crayons. After many denied food options, we finally settled on macaroni and cheese, yogurt and a snack bar washed down with some apple juice. She ate...sorta...watched about 15 minutes of Wow Wow Wubzy then it was jammies, songs and nigh nigh. Ava likes to sing "i've got the joy down in my heart" so we sang that, quite a few times, and then turned out the light.

There are really no words to describe how much joy this child brings to my life. We don't spend all that much time together, but when we do I can't help but smile and tell her I love her. All four of their kiddos make me feel that way. I am blessed to have been "adopted" into such a wonderful family!