It's Great to be Eight...months

Okay, really. This kid is just the cutest thing EVER! We love our Jaxaroni! At 8 months he finally loves food, but only the big people kind. These pictures are when we game him a piece of sausage and he was incredibly pleased! He has 2 bottom teeth and almost 2 top teeth. He makes funny faces and when we laugh, he makes more! His very favorite friend is Blake and gets really excited when he comes home from school. When Jaxon was 6.5 months old, he decided to sit, crawl and stand all for the first time in the very same day! Now we just can't slow him down. He still is famous for his adorable fish faces and makes them whenever he is really concentrating on something. He's not quite sleeping through the night, but takes two two-hour naps during the day. He loves baths, Flash, going nakey, getting tickled (he has the best thighs!), falling asleep in my arms, and popsicles. He absolutely hates getting dressed and the texture of pureed food. That's about it. We sure love this kid to pieces!

Rolling Over the Billows...

Yesterday we took the kids camping. I originally wasn't going to go because Jax has been so grumpy with teething, but Jake REALLY wanted us to come so we decided to hop in at the last minute. Uncle Nick was able to come with us, too, so we were full to the brim and ready for an adventure. We went just past Payson, not quite to Pine at a little turn-off that looked promising and green. The weather was beautifully refreshing and we were all excited to stretch our legs when suddenly the clouds started to drip. Then drizzle. Then sprinkle. Then hail. Then pour. Then it just became ridiculous! And we had only been there 10 minutes. Jake and Nick were trying to put up the tent while I was trying to keep 4 kids and a

dog dry all while slip-sliding in the mud. I got the kids and dog loaded back into the car, but not without doing a number to our clothes, shoes, and even the interior. When the tent was set up with the rain flap, I went to work mopping up puddles inside the tent with Huggies diapers (great absorbent qualities) because we had more of those to spare than we had blankets. Jake and Nick thought I was a genius. I just used what I'm familiar with. After I accepted the fact that this was going to be the dirtiest camping trip E.V.E.R., I was able to let go and have a fun time. We, (meaning Jake and Nick), finally got dinner made while I entertained children and dog in the tent, then we proceeded to eat in the tent and change into dry clothes and tuck into bed. The kids had a great night and I realized that they were having a great time because none of the work fell on them and that they would most likely have some fun memories of this trip. Because of the rain, we all got to bed super early...like 7:30. Because of that, we all got up super early too...like 5:45. We made delicious boil-in-a-bag omelets and cleaned up camp. We were packed up by 8:00 because everything was muddy and we were basically out of clothes and dry shoes. On the way home, we decided to stop by the bicycle graveyard, which by the way is not a graveyard at all, but a very lively bike lot that ships things (not sure what things) all over the world and is also one of the 50 most popular destinations in AZ for a day trip. The boys enjoyed it and seemed to find things they absolutely.couldn't.live.without. As for me, I could totally live without the fact that my washing machine and dryer have been running non-stop since we got home at 10:30 this morning. That's all.

Highlights: *Raegan and Sarah insisting that they needed to go to the bathroom no less than 106,779 times because it was just so fun to get to go wherever they wanted.*Jaxon eating everything. No joke.Not kidding.*Flash finding a great chew toy. Look closely.Yep. not joking on that one either. *Having 2 men there. And having them admit that if I hadn't come, they would have left the minute it started raining, but they had to prove their manliness to me. *Coughing all night. ALL night. *Getting the van stuck in the mud and not knowing if we were going to be able to ever go home. *Getting home less than 24 hours after our adventure began. The End.

that question again...updated

Today as I was carting the 4 kids and a stroller around the tiny elementary campus faithfully meeting new teachers and vigilantly filling out all the important papers as my face slowly melted away and the kids cheeks turned a clammy pink, I was once again caught off guard by the question. You know the one that is nonchalantly thrown in at the bottom of the page almost as an after thought? Which to me is ironic because it is so thought provoking. I was immediately taken back to the first time I had a kindergartner and the flood of emotion I felt at seeing the question. So, needless to say as I sat at an all too tiny desk in a way too tiny chair thinking about what I could possibly write on the two inch line following the question: Is there anything special that you feel is important for me to know about your child? , I was overcome by memories and the reality that there isn't enough paper in all of that tiny elementary school that would be adequate for me to write all that I wanted this teacher to know about my precious girl that I was turning over to her care from here on out. So, once again, I gathered my thoughts, papers, and children and sheepishly informed the teacher that the baby was hungry (partially true) and that I would return all the papers to school in Raegan's back pack tomorrow. So here I sit, Mrs. Smith, doing my homework so I can return it to you tomorrow all neatly filled out with emergency contacts and all. And to answer your question, yes, there are a few things I would like you to know about Raegan, * She's very timid at first but will eventually warm up to anyone that is kind. *She might be a little bit of a blond on occasion. *She let's her little sister sleep in her bed when she gets scared. *She is strong willed. *She calls belt loops on pants- bell peppers. And I don't correct her. *When she doesn't know an answer, she'll probably tell you that her brain is on vacation. *She is wise beyond her years. *Her voice can go up 3 octaves in one sentence! *She loves to sing, but not be the center of attention. *If she believes something is right, she will not budge! *She loves her family. *She is the only one in our home who loves cockroaches. And she does. *She is sensitive to loud noises. *She's a good friend, but afraid of rejection. *Her laugh is infectious. *Her smile will melt you. There you go, Mrs. Smith. A tiny glimpse into what is so special about my Raegan. If you're wondering why the paper only says that she's a good kid, incidentally, you didn't leave enough space.

**Update**Kindergarten, Mrs. Smith As we arrived at school this morning, she quietly informed me that I didn't need to hold her hand anymore.

Then as the bell rang and it was time for her to line up, her hand slipped quickly into mine and she held on and asked me never to let go. Oh! How I wanted to take her up on that offer!

Second grade, Ms. Meinhardt Blake on the other hand, practically took off running as soon as we got to school, but tried to not show me how excited he was. So they're off on a new adventure and so am I... Tempe beach park with only 2 kids, woo-hoo!