My Beautiful Family

We decided to skip school pictures this year since my girls always hate how they turn out, and went to Camera Shy instead.  Individual pictures + family shots + a CD complete with copyrights for less than I would have spent on school pictures = success!  

Tyler wonders why I try so hard to coordinate us and make sure we look good for pictures.  "Shouldn't we just make it look like we do everyday?"  Thank you, but no.  I get enough of the everyday every day of my life.  I like having something beautiful to look at that reminds me what we are trying to be - a happy, comely family!  So glad it turned out despite the little one year old that ran all around the room and didn't like holding still with the rest of the family.  Each of you children are amazingly beautiful!  Except for Camden.  As he is wont to tell us, he's not beautiful, he's HANDSOME!

School Rule

"Mom, they have this crazy rule at school.  It's no singing."
"What?  I'm sure you guys sing at school sometimes.  You have music class!"
"Well, it's no singing while you are doing your work."

This said by Drew, just after I reminded him that we don't sing at mealtimes.  In the background I could hear Jacob getting dressed while hollering "everybody dance now" and almost in the same breath (and over his German pancake) Drew starts in with "What does the fox say?" (and incredibly he continued to accurately repeat some of the crazy gibberish from that song).

No singing while you work at school, huh?  I wonder how you learned about that crazy rule?  Because right now, in between bites of blueberries "It's always a good time".

A Movie Night to Remember...or not

With a family of eight, out of necessity we have waited eagerly for the summer's kid movies to show up at the dollar theater so that we could see them.  This fall break Monsters University made it to our local sticky shoe so of course we headed over.  On Friday we tried for the 3pm showing, along with several hundred other people who had the same idea.  Following is a shortened version of our experience.

Movie:  sold out, so against my better judgement we got tickets for the 5:15 show.  Disappointed 4 and 6 year old.

Off to cash in on coupons from school.  Outside of U-swirl Drew decides his stomach feels pretty sick. Make do with a grocery sack for "just in case", tell him we will save his coupon, and get everyone else's treats.

Home again. Set Drew up on the couch with a show, feed Emmie a little ice cream since she is feeling left out.  When it's time to drop the older kids off at the movie, Drew says he is feeling better.  Once again, I ignore my better judgement, grab some grocery sacks just in case and we all go to the movie.

Barely make it through the previews and Emmie is already bored.  Somehow lost the kiddie snacks I packed for her so I pull out the last resort - a sucker by the beginning of the movie.  Ten minutes later she is hungry.  Leave to buy the bottomless popcorn bucket.  Who do I find at the box office but my sweet hubbie who came to join us to take Emmie in and out and in and out and make all the popcorn runs.

He is also the great guy who took her out of the theater towards the end of the movie when she puked all over Hannah's leg and feet.

What else happened?  Lost track of my keys and half the family.  No minutes on my phone to call to track people down.  Trekked to the office with boys in tow and then back again when it was locked and no one was there.  Begged to use a phone from people in line for tickets.  Reunited with family at the van but the battery was dead.  Good Samaritan spent awhile trying to get our corroded battery to accept a jump.

Back home certain individuals bathed.  Everyone under 10 was tucked into bed without dinner (they would probably puke it up anyway).  I told the girls to feed and take care of themselves and then I went into my room and closed the door.

I don't even want to know when Despicable Me 2 hits the sticky shoe.  We will stick with home movies, thank you.