Okay, so I think that Kadi must be teething.

She has taken to eating up toys.

Poor little Toto .. you know .. Wizard of Oz ... he's lost his feet and can stand up no more.
Various other Barbie items have gone by the way of the Teething Kadi Monster. I just don't understand.

We were playing 1313 Deadend Drive the other night and I let her play ... she was eating the LuLu card! She {Kadi} got booted from that game real quick ... with much tears and agony let me tell you! Poor LuLu. However as everyone in my home and a few other fortunate people will understand ... Poopsie did not die!

So, now to figure out how to get Kadi to stop eating her toys. Drama. It abounds in my home! Oh ... and it is not only toys ... I'm sitting here looking at our Mouse ... she has nibbled on the cord of the mouse! Dangerous yes! I've tried to tell her.

Here's a fun note about today ... the ice is still outside ... Keenan and Kennedy have been salting for us! Isn't that wonderful? I love that they can be so helpful!

And to top off this fun note ... today has been a lovely Nothing day! We've done NOTHING but watch Boomerang ... all of us and Daddy. Now, he's gone to Sam's and we're all getting a bit restless ... So at 20 til 3:00, I guess it is time to start the day .... he,he.

I am getting DSL!! Well, I should say ... WE are getting DSL ... not just me ... I am a person of 6 now. Not just me ....

Yep ... fast speeds are right around the corner ... just have to wait on the mail! I'm soooo excited! Netzero has been nice ... but YeeHa! Can't wait for my SBC DSL!

For being such a lazy day, I've accomplished a lot today. I spent about 1 hour and 1/2 on the phone with SBC today. I made it through my pile of Tax forms and W-2s to pass out. I wrote a few bills. I started the laundry. Which is still waiting to be finished .... Argh! I also did the dishes, made a fabulous lunch for my children .... REAL potato chips and little wienies ... They were thrilled!

Oh, Daddy is here .... gotta go ....

Okay, so I just spent the entire day watching E! ... how sad is that? Of course it was the Golden Globes Day ... all day preparation, and then the show! When the after-show came on, I came to my senses.

Kennedy said to me at one point this evening ... "Mom, We are more important than TV".

OH I really stink at being a mom sometimes! One part of me wants to say in return .. Hey, I deserve to get to watch what I want, when I want ... but then I ask myself ... do I really? Why is it so hard to turn off the show about all these ridiculously paid people receiving awards for what they do that makes them all that ridiculous money and lifestyle ... which is so all anti my value system? Why?

I find myself getting angry at the kids ... they haven't done anything ... well except for Kadi hitting Kennedy. Oh, and then Kennedy hitting Kadi. And then Kadi standing on Keenan's rope until he was red with anger. Then there's Koel who spilled Milk in the kitchen, ripped up toilet paper in the bathroom, and somehow got donut on his foot and smashed into the carpet.

AND my children are very crafty ... not in the mean spirited way ... but in the Martha Stewart way ...

The endless amounts of paper, glue, paints, and glitter that it requires to keep them happy is overwhelming. Today Keenan needed cardboard and wood he said. I said NO. Who knows what project he had in mind. Whatever it was would have ended up in my living room floor for me to pick up.

And can I ask ... why is it so hard for people to put away their OWN dirty clothes? To pick up the small pieces of paper that they have cut into a gazillion more pieces? And to put away the books they pick out for the night before? Why is it Kadi can't seem to button her pants anymore? She just runs around with them flapping open ... for all to see whatever Disney Princess or CareBear she has chosen for that part of the day ... mind you not the full day .... they'll change! Usually I find them tucked in the bathroom on the side of the toilet. She knows to put them IN THE TUB! Why is it that Kennedy likes to run through the living room EVERY evening? From her room to the far living room wall ... back and forth ... back and forth ....EVERY evening! I have requested for several evenings now that the running cease. These are all things they are told to do on a repeated basis. I think they must like the tone of my voice when I'm frustrated. Hmm....

Here's a HOORAY FOR TODAY! Really it is a HOORAY and THANK YOU to God for today's weather!!!

Kyle is out plowing/salting. We are very grateful for this provision! God always makes a way! This little winter storm came out of nowhere ... and there's more coming tomorrow apparently.

Also, no school tomorrow ... I am promising to myself right now to spend the day better with my children. Sometimes I just wish we had a room in this house we could dedicate to mess making. Course, they probably wouldn't use it. I'm so cramped in our small space. They're all getting bigger!

BE CONTENT DACIA!!!!!

Ah, .... bedtime is upon me ... it is 9 until 11:00 p.m. My $59 sheets are calling my name! Sounds like luxury to me!

Oh ... one more thing ... Keenan has discovered the joy of the head-set CD player. He wants to listen to Praise Music!!!!!! He fell asleep this evening doing just that! How fun!!!!

G'Night.

Okay, so taking the play pen down did NOT work. I tried and tried to get Koel to sleep last night! Nothing worked! So, I set the play pen back up and he was asleep in seconds. Funny. I just expect each kid to be like the next, or rather the last. All three of the others were pretty much out of 'cribs' by this time. It seems strange to me that he still wants to be in it. But if it provides him with security. Then, so be it.

Right now .... Koel is asleep. Kadi is at a friends house... Justin Steele's. Keenan and Kennedy are at school. Kyle is working. I'M ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So rare!!

So, I've been going through old pictures. I found one of Bev that I had forgotten about. It is wonderful! From a Fourth of July ... when we all went to the park near the Chamberlain's house for the fireworks. I think Kadi was a baby. Bev came up there with us all .... Bishops, Chamberlains, Jenny & Company, Christian & Brandi .... it was great! What a memory! What a lovely picture of Bev! I'm so happy. My kids will be too!

I also discovered I have doubles of all of my pictures of Bev! They were under my bed! Yeah!

I think I'm going to split the doubles all up into piles for my kids, unless there are certain pictures I can give to people who would especially like them. I found a great one of Lauren and Justin when he was a baby! Ah ....

Kadi report ... She has continued to be good ALL week! I'm so proud of her! I really think lowering her sugar intake helps. Yesterday all she had that was sugary was graham crackers and frosting. Chocolate Almond no less! She's a continual science project!

My note about Kennedy for today .... Today is show and tell at school. She took Papa Bev. The picture we have in a frame in the kitchen. I hesitated to let her take it, but that is one of her most prized possessions.

We miss her. God, it is not okay with me! I miss her! My kids miss her! My heart aches! Just to see her smile would be phenomenal! I miss that smile! Her tenderness. Her wisdom. Yet I know Lord, that all came from you! You were the center of her life! Be so in mine! And in Kennedy's. Kadi's. Keenan's. Koel's. Kyle's.

Kadi said at lunch today, during her 'prayer', "Thank you God for Papa Bev and Jesus. Papa Bev died, but Jesus is alive again. I wish she didn't died." She prays the same prayer, in changing words, every time she prays. The words she says astound me sometimes.

Amazing that she understands at four, that Jesus is alive! And she knows her Papa Bev's spirit is with him in Heaven! I sat there just listening ... she has such faith at four years old!

The JOY of the Lord is OUR Strength!!!!!!!! Live it!!!

I took down Koel's "Crib" today. Really it's a playpen, but hey ... when you have four children ....

It took much 'persuasion' shall we say, to keep him in bed for a nap. Eventually he gave in. I win! I always win! Moms rule!

It is a beautiful day. I have accomplished the cleaning of the girl's room and the boy's room. That is huge! The living room has been straightened up, as has the kitchen. I'm on a roll ... why I decided to sit down and check my email, I just don't know. Once you have experienced a sitting ... it's hard to get back up!

Here is a question that bugs me ... what do you do with your children's teeth after the 'tooth fairy' has supposedly come? Do I just trash them? Seems harsh. But do I really want a baggy of rotting dead teeth sitting in a kitchen cabinet? Ah, the ponderings of my heart.

Kadi has been so good for two days! She was wonderful yesterday until Keenan and Kennedy were home, then she wasn't so good. But yesterday we accomplished atleast 20 workbook pages. I was amazed! And we played with Koel for atleast and hour. Rolling a ball around and letting Koel tackle us. It was great fun! I love to hear Kadi giggle. It is so sweet and pure.

Today, she and I read two stories and watched my wedding video. She really wanted to. That cracks me up! Hey I didn't mind watching Kyle wipe the tear from my face ... once again! What a romantic moment!

I really had a beautiful wedding.

Kadi and I also had Salad for lunch today. How funny is that? She loved it!

Keenan had his first day of indoor hockey yesterday ... after school program. He loved it, he says. I'm so pleased.

You know, listening to Praise music throughout the day really makes a difference in my day and in Kadi's day. Hmmm ... amazing how we forget to place God in the center of our days. We listened and sang yesterday and today. I'm very grateful for the albums that Michael W. Smith produced. We really love playing them over and over.

God proves himself over and over does He not ... in even just listening to His Word through song ... I find myself encouraged and emboldened to live as He desires. The Word of God is truly living and active! In written form or in musical form! Wonderful!!!!!

I left the breakfast table this morning to check my email. A harmless thing to do. All four kids were eating and chatting.

As soon as I noticed Keenan, then Kennedy, and then Kadi pass by my door ... I knew I needed to go get Koel out of his highchair seat. (He hates to be in the kitchen by himself).

I walked in to find him happily playing in milk.

His sippy cup's lid must have fallen off. Milk was everywhere ... His tray was full. And he was splashing in it! There was seriously a 2 foot span of milk in every direction around him. His clothes are sopped .... I knew I shouldn't have dressed him before breakfast! He was sooo happy!! And sticky!! Augh!!!

It's all cleaned up now ... but again I emphasize ... I never ceased to be amazed at what can happen here.

I have not confronted dear Kadi Dene' yet this morning ... however when we arrive back home after taking Bubba and Sissy to school .... dear me.

I was taking a shower this morning, and I looked for my new shampoo ... it looked a bit emptier and clearer than the last time I saw it ... YESTERDAY! So, I picked it up. She had emptied it out and filled it back up with water!!!! The same with the new bottle of conditioner!! She must have been doing experiments of some kind .... two other shampoo bottles that were about 1/3 full were both empty.

I really am at a loss to know what to do here. She amazes me how she constantly comes up with things to do that are just NOT okay!!!

She'll probably try to convince me that her Ghost Friend did it.

Ever find yourself in a moment of time where you just want to scream because there seems to be no other choice ........ This evening ..... has been .... such. And in reality now I see it really was only a matter of minutes that lasted an eternity.

Koel is tired and CRANKY. Kadi was in the tub, but then came out naked and of course "couldn't" dress herself. Kennedy took it upon herself to spray the most awful 'perfume' around the house .... Chocolate Mint .... smells like Chocolate H.E.-double hockey-sticks. She sprayed in not only around the house, by the way, I'm still gagging ... she sprayed Keenan too! Ick! I just want to leave. They've all been running around the house .... just noisy ... and all the while, my "Boss" and I were discussing items I've neglected in the office. All in a five minute time span.

Can I just scream????? Maybe I'll pass out from the aroma of Chocolate Mint.

I'm sure many of you are under the impression that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was called by Santa to lead the sleigh on one FOGGY Christmas Eve. Kadi has recently informed us that it was indeed a FROGGY Christmas Eve.

I just wanted to set the record straight there for her. It was a FROGGY Christmas Eve.

Also, I've always understood that "I Love Lucy" was indeed the title of the I Love Lucy Show. Kadi made me aware today that it is infact the "HI Yo Lucy" show.

Phew! I just finished chasing Koel down ... he had a good plate and was rushing around the house with it! He laughs until you get what your after, then he cries like you took his favorite toy ... well I guess at that moment, I did. Ah ...

Here is yesterday's quote of the day.

I was rushing around trying to get us all ready for church. I realized at time to run out the door that I wasn't wearing any makeup .... I said "Oh, I forgot my makeup" ..... and Kennedy said .....

"You don't need makeup, You're beautiful like me!"

He, he!! What am I teaching my child ... on so many levels?????

On a more serious note ... Keenan had a hard time yesterday. I was sad for him. He shared in his Sunday school class that God talks to him. I had told him that is wonderful! I'm very proud of my spiritually sensitive son! However, in class, he wasn't believed ... by one child imparticular. It broke his heart. And then mine when he told me. I told him not to listen to other people. Lots of people in the Bible were made fun of or not believed when they told others what God had said to them. That seemed to help.

We went from that conversation to his pending baptism. He really is excited. We just need to talk to Daddy about when ..... He was having a hard time deciding who should baptize him .... Daddy, Kris (Bishop) or Jeff ... I told him my Dad had baptized me, so he decided maybe that was the best idea. Course I told him how special he is to both Kris and Jeff too, and they both would want to be there!

Then from that conversation ... (all of this in the car on the way home from church) ... we started talking about when he was little and would preach at our Wednesday night Bible Study for us all. Kris had reminded me at church. So I told Keenan that was something Kris loved to remember about him. Then we started talking about when he stuck the books under the fridge one by one for the entertainment of his Jenny. Kennedy then asked if she had done anything funny and if she had any special people who loved her when she was little .....

I said Oh honey, you had lots of people who loved you when you were little! Jenny, Papa Bev, Chrissy, Megan ... she was pleased. Then she wanted to know what she did that we all laughed about.

I said ... "Kennedy, you never crawled! You just scooted around on your butt! And that's why you have no butt now!" Oh how we laughed! She is very happy now to know she had been funny too.

I then was hoping Kadi wouldn't ask what she had done that was funny ... where would I begin????

I must make a comment on her fashion sense for today ....

Kadi Dene' is sported her black boot cut pants with the leopard trim on the hemline, matched with a lovely pink, white, and red stretchy sheer top that would fit me. She thinks she is beautiful. As of course, she is. To top off the outfit, she added black patent leather dress shoes with no socks. She is ready to go!

As am I ........

OUr heater/furnace has decided we don't need to be warm. I'm real sad. However, the kids and I are camping in the living room ... that's fun. Kyle is hunting.

Hopefully Pete will stay warm downstairs. There is a fire in the fireplace. We have a space heater upstairs. I'm real tempted to move our little camp down by the fireplace too!

Why is it that 7 1/2 year olds can't act like 7 1/2 year olds? But then other times they act like they're adults. Bizarre.

Keenan has decided he wants to talk about getting baptized. Kyle and I are excited! Keenan seems to have a great grasp on why it is important. He told me right now, since he hasn't confessed and been baptized that he is a "half-Christian". I laughed. I told him Jesus knows how much he loves him!

Ah ... alas tis time to clean my desk .... rather "find" my desk .............

Okay, so one more ....

Jenny treated the children and I to a Dollar Store trip this past Monday. Lovely.

On the way there, I shared with her the klepto tendancies of my sweet Kadi Dene'. I don't think Jenny quite believed me. On more than one occasion we have left a store with items stashed in her pockets.

I'm learning to look before we leave.

So we make our rounds at the Dollar store ... Kadi of course had like 3 things she wanted ... I told her repeatedly ... No, only one. Keenan and Kennedy were quite content to pick one item, as was Koel ... he,he.

So, we check out. As we're leaving, Jenny checks her receipt. ... Yep, something didn't add up right. Then she checked the bags. There was one more item paid for than there should have been.

Kadi had slipped some Wedding Bubbles in. Neither of us had noticed. I was sure I had checked her out before we checked out ourselves.

Ah ... so we confronted her about it .... she said they were for her DADDY!!!! Ah, Clever girl.

Jenny was dumbfounded at the artistry of my four-year olds manipulations. She just KNEW her Daddy would love those Bubbles. So, we said we'd give them to him ... that did not make her happy! he,he.

Dear sweet little girl .... how does that poem about the girl with the curl go??? That's Kadi.

I have a feeling most of my stories will be about Kadi. Today's is for sure!

I was trying to watch Friends tonight as I try to every Thursday evening ... above the noise in my home .... As I strained with my ears to hear, my nose also began to sense something ... a horrible odor.

I quickly discovered it was coming from the girl's room. Kadi was in there in time out for hitting her brother ... yep, the baby. I naturally went to investigate the odor.

What I found was an empty Estee Lauder perfume. It was in a lip gloss look-a-like container ... you know, one your rub on yourself .....

I could see a shimmer on Kadi's lips. I freaked! What if she ate the stuff! Ay-yi-yi!! So, I quizzed her up and down .... did not receive a clear answer! I was about to call poison control, but then she told me she only rubbed it all over herself.

Right in the tub she went, after brushing her teeth ... I'm still not sure I believe her ... she's been unusually hyper this evening ....

How is it .... every day she amazes me with a new antic. Kyle says I amaze him on a daily basis as well. What can I say .... We're Amazing!