Thankful!

Just some fun pics!


I am blessed to have a bunch of wonderful children, who not only make me laugh everyday, but they make me pull out my hair daily-thus saving me the price of a haircut! :) Seriously though, I love them so very much and am so proud to be their mom.
I am thankful for my awesome husband who devotes so much of his time to me, the kids, the cub scouts, and our community...I have no idea where he gets the energy and drive to do this, but it is humbling to watch. I thank my lucky stars everyday for the opportunity that I was given to be his eternal companion...yes honey, you are stuck with me FOREVER! :)
I am thankful for my parents who spoil me, and my children, and who love us so very much...we love you all too! -Even if you aren't brave enough to come to Minnesota in the winter! :)
I am thankful for some of the most unbelieveable friends that a girl could have. These women continually amaze me and make me want to be a better person, all the while having fun and laughing a ton! Our phone conversations may be interruped by statements like, "Don't touch that!", and "Get you finger out of your nose!", but we chit chat and problem solve within the frenzy of our homes!
I am thankful for all of the people in my life, I am thankful for the animals in my life, I am thankful that I have a house I love, and a car (okay-a gas guzzling Yukon) that has heated seats, and most of all this morning, I am thankful that the Christmas season is over, and that life is getting back to normal. So...thanks for reading this! :)

Grandpa and Grammy Pammy!

My parents arrived out here in MN on Wednesday evening. As our tradition seems to be holding strong, Eric and the kids and I, drove up to the Mall of America to meet them after their flight got in. The kids went on some rides with Grandpa and Grammy and then we ate some dinner. On the way home there was a stop at Super Target for a birthday gift for Cade, and a TON of winter clothes for the kids (thank you, thank you, thank you)...now they won't freeze to death!
Thursday we had a lazier day...there were pumpkin projects to make, haircuts to get, naps to be had, and a visit to the Spam museum!
Friday my parents took the kids and I to Bounce World! The kids had a BLAST and got worn out. We ate lunch up there in Rochester, and wen to Hom Goods/T.J. Maxx on the way home for some Christmas decor (which won't go up until the day after Thanksgiving, just so you know)! My wonderful parents (although I fear for their sanity) took Cade, Claire, and Jax, out to dinner at the Pizza Ranch to end out the day.
Today we started out with Grammy coming over and making the kids French-Toast! We also had the 'honor' of introducing Grandpa and Grammy to the delights of SPAM! :) Next, we decided to go bowling. Everyone was better than Pam and I! :) The kids were funny to watch, and Cade was pretty darn good! We came home for some lunch and naps, before going to Farmer John's Pumpkin Patch! The kids had been there before on field trips, but I had never gone! WOW...we got some GREAT, funky looking pumpkins for the table for Thanksgiving. Enjoy the pics and we'll update the remainder of the trip next week!

I'm still here!

I know, I know...I have been unbelievably lax at blogging over the past two months. Life just has been crazy around here. Eric has been on two business trips, and as those of you who know me, understand that I do MAJOR projects while he's gone. I think that the reason behind this is that if I am freakishly busy I won't dwell on the fact that he's gone. So I repainted the entire basement playroom, and the kitchen. I really love the new look to these rooms!

The kids started school and are doing really well. They are loving their classes and so far are doing great! Another change this year is that afterschool three days a week, Claire's friend Lily walks home with her and stayes here for a while until her mom gets off work. Claire thinks that this is the coolest thing ever. :)

Cade is in 4th grade and is such a good kid. He is polite and randomly comes up to me durning the evenings to ask if there is anything that he can do to help me out...LOVE HIM!!! The one 'fight' I have on my hands is that he won't let me cut his hair...it is really shaggy and he looks like a 'surfer'. It is driving me CRAZY! Finally, last night, he relented and said that he is going to wait until Grammy and Grandpa come to visit (mid-October), an then he'll get it cut. YAY!

Claire is in 2nd grade and happy as a clam. She has lots of friends and is doing quite well...as long as she gets enough sleep! If she does too many activities durnng the week it is a recipe for disaster...a big, tear-filled, whiny disaster! Otherwise she's great!

Jax is in Kindergarten and happy about it roughly 50% of the time! I shouldn't say that...he loves it once he's there, but isn't a morning person so getting out to the bus is a LOT of work. Unfortunately, he got threatened by another kid on the bus last week, so I spent days on the phone with the school and the bus company, and the other boy isn't allowed near Jax. We are working with him on his writing (lots of backwards letters), and he is loving an educational website called Starfall.

Finn is now in preschool 2 days a week. He really likes it! He looks so cute walking into class with his big-boy backpack and then loves to tell me all about his day once I pick him up. I think that I need another refrigerator for all the art/projects that he is bringing home! Finnegan is such a cutie and will randomly come up to me to say the he loves me. AWWWWW...now, if I could just get him out of Eric and my bed! :)

Griffin is a cute, cuddly, little Mama's Boy! He is happy and content to be anywhere I am. He's not talking as much as I would like, but that is completely our fault. When you have 2 parents and 4 older siblings who know what you want and don't make you ask for it (in order to save time) how are you supposed to learn the words??? So, thanks to a friend, we are now using some tricks to getting him to be more verbal. His newest accomplishment is screaming at the top of his lungs if he doesn't get his way, and not just screaming... the sound is one step down from what only dogs can hear!

Eric and I are doing great...It's nice to have a set schedule, as opposed to summer when everything is up in the air. Eric works hard and is Cade's Cub Scout Leader. I am taking care of the little ones, the house, the dogs, but am taking an hour a week to go to a ZUMBA class...SOOOOOOOOO FUN! I highly reccomend it to anyone out there!
So, now you are caught up!

Griffin...ELDIABLO!

Griffin is Growing Fast!

Summer has been a whirlwind of activity out here. The kids have been awimming, having play-dates, and riding bikes. Now, when I say that they have been riding bikes, I mean REALLY riding bikes...on average we ride about twenty to twenty-two miles a week! They've done GREAT!
Not to be discounted is my youngest, Griffin! He is now 19 months old. He has started in the Nursery Class at Church (YIPEE), and is such a joy! He's walking/running/jumping everywhere. I kiddingly say that every morning I need to get a bunch of one dollar bills so that I can put them in his shorts, because this kid LOVES to get up and dance on the dining room table...sheesh! I really got lucky with him because he is sweet and pretty mild mannered. He loves to kiss everyone and play with the dogs. He sleeps 12 hours a night (thank heavens), and still takes a 2 hour nap every afternoon. I look forward to all his accomplishments and adore what a great addition he has been to our family!

SLEEP!!!

Do you ever have one of those nights when you just can't sleep. To clarify, I mean not on;y does it seem totally impossible to FALL asleeep, but that once you are asleep, you cannot stay that way? Last night was one of those nights. Not only was I a miserable insomniac, so were Cade, Claire, Jax, Finn, and Eric...Griffin was the only one who slept all night long! So, we are very 'zombie-like' this morning, and I am hoping for an early evening. I know the kids are going to be great today so that I can rest...right? :)

Always Interesting...

There are more pics, but I don't like to post naked pictures on here!

So, Eric and Lisa's cousin came through town last night, so of course there was a BBQ to be had! David grilled chicken, burgers, corn, and to the eternal thankfulness of my daughter, he grilled pineapple! We were all outside eating and visiting when I noticed that Griffin's arms and legs didn't look right. Upon further inspection I found that his little body was COVERED in red welts. We rushed him home, where Eric gave him a bath, and then we gave him a dose of Benadryl. Today he is looking better, but hey, what's a Monday without a little drama, right? :)

What we've been doing!

Como Zoo

Grandma Rita

Griffin kiss!

It has been busy, busy, busy around here! I painted three of the upstairs bedrooms and we moved the kids around a bit. Then my mom came to visit. She taught Cade and Claire how to swim...IN ONE DAY! Those little stinkers wouldn't listen to me, but for Grandma, they we're paying attention and doing what she asked...yeah, I feel the love! :) On her last night here, the kids paino teacher scheduled a recital with a few other families, in order to show them off. The kids did great!
Right after my mom left, the weather went CRAZY! We have been under a heat advisory for days, and it is super-sticky! The kids are driving me bananas due to the fact that we are cooped-up in the house, but hopefully it is starting to cool off a bit...hopefully!

Summer!

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree (and one standing behind it!)

People pay for mud-baths...we could make a FORTUNE!

Well, summer is finally here and we are enjoying the relaxed schedule. The kids have been great and we are getting into some sort of routine. The big news around here is that Claire learned/taught herself how to ride her two-wheeler without the training wheels! YAY!!! Now we can ride bikes to the park and around town...thus saving me freakish amounts of money on gas! Seriously, try filling up a Yukon gas tank when it is on empty...if you don't die from the heart-attack that comes with the final dollar amount, you'll instead try to figure out how to walk EVERYWHERE! :)

So, the kids have been in the backyard play-pool everyday (rain or shine) and even indulged in a mud fight with Cade's friend Noah. I wasn't to blame for this by the way...I was taking a shower while Eric watched them (so at least I was clean)! The great thing about this was that when the kids look back on their childhood, they won't remember all the dishes I did, or how much I vaccumed-up after them. The things that they will remember the most are having mud-fights, popsicles right before dinner just because it is hot outside, and learning to ride a bike. I am so unbelievably blessed to be here to see all these things...and clean up after them, whether they remember THAT or not!

Me, with my knee up!

Bath-time anyone???

So, I blew out my knee last week and am in a brace, on crutches, and have had it x-rayed and had an MRI. I will meet with the Dr. tomorrow to see whats going on, but until then I have been pretty much trapped in the house. Last night I decided to sneak upstairs (slowly) to take a shower, while Eric watched the kids outside. The above pic is what happened...

Memorial Day!

Eric BBQ-ing for the carnivores!

Claire and Uncle B!

Griffin...little Mr. serious!

Who needs napkins?

Again...who needs napkins!

I love Memorial Day. Having a picnic is the BEST! Our ward usually has a huge potluck picnic, but for some reason it didn't happen this year. So, while on the phone with Eric's cousin Lisa, we decided to have our own picnic. It was even more fun once we invited some friends including Eric's good friend, Brian, who he's known since 3rd grade. It was so fun to have the men BBQing and just visiting/relaxing. The weather was relativly nice, so the kids all ate outside...thus saving my house and my sanity. There were about 24 people, and our three dogs, but there is little to clean today...A MIRACLE! After everyone left I even got a nice long walk in with my good friend, and came home to a housefull of already bathed children (thanks hon)! Ahhhh...now I have a three day grace period before school lets out for summer. Have a great Monday!

Jaxon Graduates!

Last night Jaxon graduated from Congregational Preschool! He will be entering Woodson Kindergarten this Fall and is very excited. The ceremony was very cute and he sang really well. All my kids are growing up to fast...I feel like I am missing out on so much due to the fact that time is flying by...remind me that I said that in the middle of the summer when I've got a bald spot from pulling out my hair, due to the fact that all five kids will be home everyday...all day...for three months! :)

Meet Mojo!

Mojo is a Morkie...mix of Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier. Eric and Cade picked him and his brother (which went to Bonnie's house) last night. They ended-up driving into Iowa, three hours away, and got home at 11:00 pm. Even though we've only had him for a day he is fitting in to our family quite well. Buffy (our Maltese) is thrilled that she has someone to dominate, the kids are thrilled that there is a new fluffy puppy in the house, and Ranger, well...he keeps giving me these looks that I am interpreting as, "Are you freaking kidding me?" So, I'e obviously lost my mind, but as I go completely insane I will be comforted with puppy-breath and his soft cuddly body! :)

CRAZY weekend!

I LOVE to bake! (and eat leftovers)

Cystic Fibrosis walk!

Claire turns 7!

So, lets start out this post by saying that it has been a crazy few weeks! I took all the kids to Ca without Eric, and then we were home for a week and HE left for work stuff for four days! In those four days we had a birthday party for Claire (7 years) and Jax decided that he would get sick and puke ALL OVER the living room couch! Now, I can handle blood, puss, infections, etc., but vomit is a Daddy job in this house. Seriously, I was trying to figure out how to just buy a new couch without Eric knowing, rather than clean it! So, I tackled that fun job and the couch is clean. Saturday morning rolled around and I packed up all five kids and we went to the Greatstrides walk for Cystic Fibrosis. I told the oldest three kids, (Cade, Claire, and Jax) that for every mile they walked (without whining), I would give them a dollar. They did the three miles without incident! I am so proud of them!
Eric met us at Sam's Club after the walk and we got our groceries and drove home.

Mother's Day I got up and exercised then did what I absolutely love to do...bake and make frosting! MMMMMMMMMMMM.....frosting! We got to see a friends new baby dedicated, and then we came home and I got a NAP!!! :) Eric spoiled me with a new kitchen Aid (I love kitchen stuff!), and a sexy apron to wear while I cook!;) We ended the day with a family walk and went to bed early! Thanks to everyone and thanks to Eric for making me a Mommy, it is the best job ever!

Carmel, Ca!

So, we got back from California on Sunday night...what a trip. Eric stayed home and worked, while the kids and I flew out to visit my Dad and Pam. I was lucky that Bonnie could time her trip at the same time and take the same flights. We got to Ca on Tuesday, and after renting a van I dropped her off at Grandma Claire's. We visited for a little bit and then the kids and I continued on down to Carmel. We got down there and our vacation began. I was really worried about how the week would go, but the kids suprised me with how well they behaved! We did so much that I am going to make a list...the pictures are going to be out of sequence, but you'll get the idea.
So, we dyed Easter Eggs, had a birthday party (for Claire and Nonno- my grandpa), went on an Easter Egg hunt, played at the beach, toured a lighthouse, went to the park, went to a museum, got new sweatshirts, spent time with my brother (Uncle Rich), and roasted smores. It was a great trip and the kids and I loved every minute of it! Thanks Dad and Pam for a memorable trip, and all the time and effort that you put in to make sure that it was fun, not only for the kids, but for me too! :)

GLASSES!

So, the joke in this house is that I gave birth to a bunch of Eric-Clones! The Connett genes are very dominant. Well, finally one of my genes has become apparent...yes, the bad-vision gene (I in turn blame my father-sorry Dad)! Jax was so cute today when we walked out of the eye Dr.'s. He looked around and stated,"Wow, there are bumps on the ground!" So, I now have a 5 yr old with glasses...he really IS my child!:)

Jax is Five, and Claire lost a top tooth!

My Five year old!

The Toothless Princess!

So, I have finally found my camera! I am so upset that it was missing because my parents cam out here for Jax's birthday and I have no pics of it! We met them up at the Mall of America and the kids went on the Log Ride...their favorite! The next day we went to Chucky-Cheese's for lunch and then that night the kids went out to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Sunday we just hung out until my Dad and Pam left, and then got ready for the rest of the family to come over for ice cream cake. I actually made the ice cream cakse and it was great! I made homemade cookie dough, and mixed it into chocolate chip ice cream. Then I made a thin cake for the base and VOILA! Yummy, yummy! Jax got spoiled by all, and is very proud of his 5 year old status!

Claire lost her top tooth and it is soooooo cute to hear her talk right now! It's crazy, but the other tooth looks like it is going to pop out in a few days!

*So, now I have the camera back and promise to blog more often!

Vegas!!!

Me and Elvis!

Eric's dream come true!

The bedroom

The sitting room

Oh, my, gosh it was SO FUN! Our hotel was one of the newest and most beautiful out there. It is called the Wynn Encore and all I can say is WOW! On our first night we got to see Elvis, take pictures with showgirls, and when we got back to our room there was a package waiting for us containing two really nice jackets, a pair of binoculars, packages of earplugs and two ttravel kits. Why earplugs?...we also were able to attend the NASCAR race on Sunday! Saturday we went to the Hoover Dam and took a tour which was awesome! We hung out a lot, walked the strip, went thru all the hotels, and laughes at all the drunk people who would try to walk so carefully as to not fall over. Sunday we went to the Nascar race and it was quite an experience. I thought it would be boring, but it was amazing! Last night we got home to a house of sickies. Jax had been running a fever of 103.5-104 all weekend, and Claire came down with it last night. Oh the joys of returning home! Oh, and what was fun, and so stereotypical was that one of the couples in our group got married in one of the little chapels while on the trip! What a great time and sooo worth it!

Finnegan is 3!

'Evil Dr. Pork Chop' cake

Uncle David and Finn

Well, he's made it another year! Finnegan is three today! We had a family party last night to celebrate for Zeke and Finn. There was lots to eat and TONS of dessert! Now, every time one of my kids have a birthay I ask them what kind of cake they want. This time I showed Finnegan a whole bunch of pics ranging from dinosaurs, to volcanoes, but he had other ideas. Finn os OBSESSED with Toy Story and decided that nothing else would do but that I make him an 'Evil Dr. Pork Chop' cake. I think that it turned out pretty well! So, we are going to just relax today, and then tonight we are going to go to Culver's for dinner...Finn's choice. So, to my 'lil Cannonball': Happy Birthday..and lets try to survive another year! :)

Cupcakes and Dead Fish...

Well, Claire's fish (which Santa brought) passed away last night. Apparently when using a popcorn popper near a fish-tank, small kernels blow into the tank. I guess that the fish 'partied hard' for Super-bowl and ate too much popcorn and died. Claire woke-up this morning and I told her that her fish had died...OH MY GOSH! You would think that I cut off her arm! She is devastated. She was crying, and saying that even though they are happy up in fish-heaven, they were happier with us! :( Then she freaked out and asked where Daddy buried the fish. BURIED??? UHHHHHHH...toilet burial, but I lied and said that Daddy burried them outside. The reason for this was that she was so adamant that they wouldn't go to heaven without a propper burial...sheesh! So we will be the proud owners of new fish later today.
Oh, and the above picture was from last night. My kids and I came up with Superbowl cupcakes. We used a peanut M&M for the football, and I stuck pretzel pieces together with candy melt for the goal post! YUM!
So, I'll post a pic of the new fish later! :)

Biting off more than she can chew!

Chewing on Ranger's Bone!

Buffy doesn't think that she is a Maltese.
*During the day, she is a Great Dane (like Ranger). She attacks sippy-cups, and tupperware all day long. She is also fiercely protective of us. What exactly is she protecting us from? Ask this question around my kids and they will tell you that she is barking at 'Evil Snow'. This is true...she stands at the back door and barks at the snow...that demonic evil snow!
*At dinner time Buffy thinks that she is a mothers-helper...afterall, why else would she sit patiently and quietly under Griffin's highchair? I know that she doesn't REALLY like to eat table food...she's just doing it to help me keep the floors clean, right? :)
*At night Buffy thinks that she is an extention of my body. I sit on the couch to watch t.v. and she cuddles up to me, or sits on my lap. When I climb into bed she climbs in too. No...she REALLY climbs in! She sleeps under the covers and splits her time between Eric's side of the bed and mine. :)
*Buffy is also quite modest. I started putting sweaters on her this winter and now she loves them. I'm not kidding. I took a sweater off of her this morning in order to wash it, and she started whimpering and trembling and scratching at my legs until I put another one on her!
I love this dog...now if I can get her to stop chewing on everything!

Just for Fun!

Griffin chasing me around the kitchen!

My three youngest...

So, I am sitting here posting this morning while my house falls apart! Why? There is is big storm coming and the kids have a snow day.
ME: "Guys...I'm really sorry, but there is no school today." (Mentally banging my head against any available hard surface)
KIDS: "Yeah! We get to make cookies right?...We always make cookies on snow days!"
ME:"Sure we can make cookies"...afterall it isn't like having five kids hyped up on sugar is going to make my day any harder! :)
So, I am blogging. There isn't any main subject to this post...it's just a post. I'm looking around my kitchen noticing how much I need to clean, knowing that I have laundry to do, and a house to vaccum...oh, and did I mention that Eric won't be home until midnight tonight because he gets to go to the hockey game up in the Cities?
*Griffin has just run around the kitchen table roughly seven times saying "Uh-oh", over and over....super cute!
*Cade, Claire, Jax, and Finnegan, are upstairs playing on the bunk beds...yes, I said bunk-beds. Eric had mentioned to Jax and Finn that their twin beds could be made into bunk-beds (thanks for that hon)! So of corse he put them together for the boys. While they are having a blast and love their 'new' beds I am reserving judgement. It is only a matter of days before we end-up in the ER due to someone falling/jumping...or being pushed off! :) I think that it's inevitable, but that's what you get with boys!
Okay...I can't look at the kitchen much longer without cleaning it...BYE!

Soooo Easy!

Griffin, Jaxon, and Finnegan!

Quick update on the potty training with Finnegan. Uhhhh, there is nothing to tell because we're FINISHED! YES! YIPEE! WAHOO!!! The kid did it in just a few days. He is wearing underwear, and goes all night without an accident...NO DIAPERS! I can't even begin to explain the weight that is lifted from this mom's shoulders just by having one kid left in diapers. Lets be honest, diapers are a pain to change...take up space in diaper bags, cars, houses, garbage cans, and they are FREAKING EXPENSIVE! So, now we have only Griffin in diapers, and I can't believe how much easier it is to take the time to change him, just by knowing that I won't have to chase Finnegan down and change him too! So, I am going to continue to bask in the glory of Finnegan's accomplishment, and heck, I figure that at this point I deserve at least a little pat on the back for a job well done, too! :)

Happy Birthday Eric!

Yep-he's 32! Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband today! Ironically it is also appropriate to say Happy Birthday to his cousin Heidi, and my cousin Emma! Popular day! We celebrated a bit last night by going out to eat, and are having a small family party tonight with just the kids and his mom. So, happy birthday to my husband...I love you so very, VERY much!