Simma down nah

Hey baby, you're only 7 months old and just started crawling.
Just what do you think you're doing trying to stand up already?

Have a seat mister!

Today's lunch

I don't even know what to say about this one. I think it's bread she tried to spread cold butter on then sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar. Topped off with some Pringles.

Gotta love a four-year-old's version of a meal.

Where's the baby?!

I was feeling a little tired this afternoon so I put the baby in his chair so I could lay down on the couch by myself for a minute. After awhile I became aware of how quiet the room had become and thought, "that's weird...I really should get up and see how he's doing but I don't feel like it". I let another 30 minutes pass but I start to feel really guilty so I finally get up to look for him only to find that Sammie had dragged him into the kitchen and stuck him under the table.

At least she had enough sense to keep him close to her.

The kids love the air mattress

I can get them to do most anything if I promise to blow up the air mattress before bed.

Except go to sleep! What's up with these kids fighting sleep every night? I swear I'm the only one who relishes a good night's sleep.

Other than the dog. And the cat.

She'll get her wish, by God

I asked Sammie to keep an eye on the baby while I was doing something or other around the house. This is what she decides to do.

She'll make herself a sister if she has to!

A few shots I was able to get today

And only because they were sick. I take 'em when I can get 'em. Normally this would never have happened.

See what a few 3-day-old chicken breasts and a little bit of fear can do?

I didn't care if the baby cried the afternoon away (he did) or his diapers bulged so much they looked like clown pants (they did - hey, he didn't seem to mind so why should I?), that chicken was getting cooked TODAY. So thanks dad, for instilling such great anxiety over raw meat in me.

The pizza was thrown in for good measure. I still don't know who's going to eat all this, never mind clean up the kitchen.

The kids make dinner

And surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. I handed Max the oregano to sprinkle on his pizza and he decided to pour it on instead. But it turned out better than mine! Ima gonna try that nexta timea.

Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano...

And little Davey watched us eat with such great enthusiasm that I know it won't be long before he gets to mangia the pizza too!

What's her name, Jenny?

Boys are just...how can I put this nicely...different

Why - when I give him some crayons to color with - does he do this instead? And then proceed to break each one in half. But only after hiding some in the fridge and then trying to coax the dog into eating some off the floor. Daisy may be old but she ain't stupid, Max. That dog's life revolves around food...which I guess makes her part Italian.



I told you a sister would be better!

What the?

Having fun "making pizza"?

Of course you are.

Glad someone's amused by it.

Look Ma, no tears!!!

Talking to the animals...

...only to be interrupted and tormented by my siblings. Go away!

Sammie makes lunch

In case it isn't obvious, that's a turkey & nut sandwich with a side of carrots and croutons. Every kids' delight.

Setting the table...

almost there...

Now for the final touches - no table placement is complete without a few My Little Ponies looking on. I personally think she's been watching the Food channel a little too much lately. Who is she? Ina Garten?

Voila! Lunch is served!

Maybe not the nicest, but we got a family shot nonetheless

Happiest 30 minutes in 7 weeks

Mommy, get that olive oil off my head!

I don't care if I have cradle cap, you don't need to use it for everything!

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men...er, 4-year-old little girls

5 minutes after getting the kids to bed last night - thanks to the noisemaker - I hear one of them opening the door. Nothing unusual about this part of the nightly ritual since they never go down on the first try. But then Max gives an excuse I hadn't heard before. He pokes his head out and says, "Sammie's trying to cut me". "For Christ's sake", I thought and tell him to get back in bed already. A half hour later they're both asleep. Then at some point in the middle of the night, Sammie cries out and I go to check on her. She says she has to go potty and I say okay, but notice as I'm helping her out of bed, she has a pair of scissors in her hand. Even in her sleep she has the foresight to blame someone else for her wrongdoing and tells me that Max gave them to her. Max's bone-chilling remark makes sense now.

"Sammie's trying to cut me". How can this face belie such wickedness?

Ahhh the life of a cat

And the torture you must endure for a little bit of affection.

It's exactly what it looks like

Tada!

That explains it...

So this is why all my shoes are ruined before I even get a chance to wear them!

Silly kids

Found Max asleep last night - again! - with more blankets and stuffed animals in his PJ top and bottoms. I'm not really sure what he's trying to prove here but sure makes for some ridiculous pictures.

The kids playing uncharacteristically well this morning.

But a good sucker punch returned things to normal.

Max recovering nicely where hopefully his sister can't find him.

Sammie trying to make amends by fixing some lunch.

If that's what you want to call it...hope you're not hungry!

Fall...so nice of you stop by! We've been waiting for your arrival!

67 degrees in the house, you say? Bring it on, we say!

How 'bout this getup? I don't know if he's ready for fall or the circus.

Sammie's latest depiction of me - of when I was little, she said. So I've morphed from Medusa into...this? A gargantuan pizza head rising out of the earth ready to destroy (or eat) all in my path? I don't know which is worse.

I just love her fashion sense

This is what she decided to wear today.

And yes, I let her outside like this.

Donnie beat me to the punch

He keeps posting all my stuff on Facebook so these will seem redundant.

All I was going to say was we don't mess around with Halloween. Who cares if it's 6 weeks away. We're carving our pumpkin next week.