Good News

Kaleb just informed me that he can make toots from both his arm pits and knee pits.
Sure, the arm pits are to be expected.
But the knee pits?! Now that's talent.

Proud mom moment.

. . . . .

So glad I invested in a good washer & dryer

because as of right now it's the only place this {cute} little stink will sleep-
in her car seat,

buckled in,

blanket snuggled against her face,

with the washer & dryer running.

On the flip side, Nate's never running out of clean socks to wear.

. . . . .

The first day of school

I gently kissed each child on the head

and squeezed them tightly into my motherly bosom.
I told them to have a wonderful day,

swatted their little behinds (that's how they know their loved),

and scooted them out the door.
I watched them skip down the side walk to their very first day of school...

and then the choir of angels sang "Hallelujah"

It was a very spiritual moment for me.

. . . . .

Meet the fam

I feel that this post definitely qualifies as a blog worthy re-post.
(I'll try to not make a habit of re-posting)

Evolution of the Family...
originally posted on 7.25.2008



1. See that twinkle in my Mom's eye? Yep, that's me. The family is not yet complete. I imagine I'm in heaven singing, "Who are these children coming down, coming down..."
2. I'm so bummed I missed out on the matching Mother/Daughter outfits. My mom tells me she made all of them by hand. So domestic she is.
3. Awesome glasses. I think my Dad still has them.
4. Despite what it may look, that is not a toupee. At least I'm pretty sure it's not.
5. I'm loving the EXTREME part-age of the hair. It's a like a comb-over except kid style.




1-5. The early 80's were not kind to the hair. Not kind at all.
6. Really? Do they make 'em any cuter than that?
7. Pearl Necklace? Doesn't she know pearls age a person by at least 10 years. Really she's only like 7 years old, add the pearl necklace and BAM! She's 17.





1. Hand in pocket, head tilted slighty, sassy smile. She could have totally been a Jordache model.
2. Blue background. Nothing but the best for my family.
3. My most favoritest red dress ever. My grandma sent it to me when we lived in Chile. Really, we lived in Chile. That explains my extensive knowledge and comprehension of Español ... Yo quiero Taco Bell.
4. Working the pearl necklace again. Will she ever learn?




1. Check out the faded vignetting. It's like we're floating in the clouds, but we're not. I think I can hear angels singing..."who are these children coming down, coming down..." no wait, that's just me.
2. The "claw" makes its first appearance (version #1).
3-4. Go big or go home. So, maybe the 80's altogether weren't kind to the hair.
5-6. This picture would be so much better if they were wearing sweater vests.

1. Something's never go out of style. Take the classic side-spike for example.
2. Version #2 of the "claw". It still achieves the same height as the first version, just minus the ratting and teasing.
3. Turtle necks; a must have for every wardrobe. I prefer the turtle necks with shoulder pads.
4. I went through a phase where I never smiled with teeth... this was the outcome. Did I mention I speak Chinese as well?




1. It doesn't get better than denim on denim. I mean, who didn't own a button-up denim shirt in the early 90's? I still have mine... wear it all the time.
2. I was going to wear my hemp necklace, but opted to wear my leather one with a dolphin emblem attached. Now that I'm looking at it I should have gone with the hemp.
3. True to kiddie kandids fresh and creative style, my Dad's head is gently propped on top of his hand. It really gives this picture that extra little "something".
4. My sister emptied several cans of aerosol hairspray that day... just a friendly contribution to global warming.
5. My bangs have seen better days.

1. Not much to say about this one, except we upgraded from the denim on denim to the khaki, white & denim. We're moving up in the world.

1. Mine and Nate's wedding... so sweet!
My colors were sage green and cream with a little bit of purple thrown into the mix. I don't know why I chose those colors. In fact, I don't know why I chose to do half of the things I did for my wedding. My ultimate goal was more the married part, not so much the part where you actually have to plan it.


My family is getting bigger....

and bigger...

1. Notice Kaleb's hand is down his pants... that's normal, right?

...and finally after 40 some odd years of baby making this is what you get.

One BIG honkin' family.

That's 2 parents + plus 8 kids +plus their spouses

+ 31 35 grandkids

=way too many to count

Usually, when we get together at family functions it's too complicated to try to remember everyone's names so we just usually yell, "hey, you!"

Here is the family run down from oldest to youngest:


1. Stacy
2. Tauna
3. Kristin
4. Daryl
5. Jody
6. Devin
7. Tyson
8. Me

I love my family...

We put the "FUN" in disFUNctional.

(Just ask Nate or any of my in-laws, they'll agree.)

This is what bedtime looks like at our house...

My kids, I think they're funny.
And yes, sometimes I snort when I laugh.

Slightly Inappropriate

Having 4 sisters myself, I fully understand the joys sisters- that's why I'm so grateful to have 3 girls of my own. It's fun as a mom to watch my girls (obviously the two older ones) grow and play together. They've created some sweet moments that I will never forget... for example moments like this,

*I lovingly walk into my girls room to kiss them good night.

Abrie: Mooooooom! Macie told me she wanted me to pretend to be Jesus so that I could give her a wiener!!
Me (trying not to laugh): "A WHAT?! Macie?....."
Macie (looking at me with sincerity): "But Mom, I just really want a wiener."

Several things go through my mind at this point,
1. My child wants a "wiener"?!?!
2. No, you can't have a "wiener".
3. And why in the world are you calling it a "wiener" in the first place? We don't even call it that.
4. Where did I go wrong.
5. Well, at least I know my child is partially paying attention at church.

Lucky for Eden she has two big sisters who love her immensely. And odds are, especially with having Macie as her sister, she'll be able to share in some her own special moments with these girls.

You know what? Now that I think of it, maybe the girl was just really craving a hot dog.

*Nate informed me that this story was borderline inappropriate. I figured since he didn't use the words completely crossing the line it was okay for me to share it.

"Ginnie, how is it having 4 kids?"

I've been asked this question several times
and I think it's time to let you in on a little secret.
I'm not super woman.
I know, shocking... right? I was a little shocked too when I figured that out.

Day #1 as a mother of 4 was great, couldn't have been better. Sure I was in the hospital, but still.

Day #2 as a mother of 4 was a little different. I was on the way home from the hospital when it hit me. I have 4 kids! And there's no nurse to take the baby at night! And there's no one to bring me my breakfast, lunch, & dinner in bed! And I actually have to be a mom doing all of the motherly things that mothers do! I was a little bit of a mess then.

My first week as a mother of 4? I was a complete mess. Period.

Now I've finally reached my first month as a mother of 4. I didn't think I would make it, but I did. Me writing this at this very moment is living proof that I am a survivor (insert my new theme song, "I Will Survive"). I'm happy to report things are going pretty good. This doesn't mean that life is absolutely perfect. Nope, I'm still having my fair share moments where I lose it (probably resembling something from the movie The Exorcist just minus the projectile vomit).

How about a quick snippet from one of my most recent melt downs?

. . . . .

I feel this meltdown is best portrayed through stick figures. It shall be titled...

The MELT DOWN
Drawn by me
Colored by Abrie

1. This is me on the phone with T-mobile.
2. This is my hair that looked no where near that good.
3. This is Kaleb jumping up and down in his super hero underwear yelling as loud as he can, "Mom. Mom. Mooooooom! Look at the wart on my bum. Look at the wart on my bum!"
4. This is his super hero underwear.
5. This is Abrie freaking out because the baby is crying saying,"Mom. Mom. Moooooom! The baby wants you! The baby wants you!"
6. This is the baby crying. And I'm sure, if she could talk she would be screaming, "Mom. Mom. Moooooom!"
7. This is Macie being naughty hitting me, then running away. Hitting me, then running away... repeat over, and over... and over. At the same time she's yelling, "Mom. Mom. Moooooom!"


8. This is me re-drawing Macie because I feel a little guilty about the horn thing.
9. This is Macie's shirt justifying her behavior.
10. This is my shirt justifying my extra healthy/curvy/womanly figure.
11. And this is my healthy/curvy/womanly figure, brought to you by baby #4.
12-14. This is how I accessorize with baby spit up. Again, brought to you by baby #4.
15. This is me about to lose it.... wait for it... wait for it...

16. This is me with my head exploding. Figuratively, of course. The final phase of the melt down is complete.

Please note: My shirt not only justifies the extra poundage, but my excessive hormonal mood swings as well.

. . . . .

Would I change having 4 kids?
Nope, not even for a second.
The only thing I wish I could change
is that the kids had a mute button I could use from time to time,
but I hear duct tape works just fine.
I kid. I kid.

To sum it all up,
life's not perfect, but perfect enough.
The end.