For parents only...

Parents will understand this... others read at your own risk! It's potty-talk time.

Since the days E started talking and moving he has kept us in stitches. He is funny but not intentionally. Some say they have more intellectual conversations with him than they do many adults. He is also very stubborn. I mean VERY stubborn.

Well, the child that told me he will not use the potty until he is six has finally realized what the sensation feels like when you have to go and in the past few days he has put the toilet to good use occasionally along with my flowers, the front porch, and the hole in the hubcap of a golf cart. But Tuesday when he came in and told me "I accidentally pee-peed a little bit on the cat" was the highlight of his potty-training to date. Maybe the cat preferred that to the day E and B dumped a bucket of water over its head but I didn't see it that way. Makes me wonder why the cat chose to live at our house. I just want to know if that episode of not-peeing-in-your-pull-up counts as a smiley face on the chart...

Happy Birthday Princess! Well almost...

We adopted B 7 days after she turned 2 last June so she has watched each of her brothers, her family, and her friends have their turns opening presents and blowing out candles. Starting in February she starting talking about her turn to blow out candles and in the past month she goes to sleep saying, "When wake up, my birthday." So since we are going to be in Disney on June 6th, we decided it was best to have her birthday before we left and not when we got back.

We had it Monday. Lots of friends (20 kids plus adults), lots of water (her favorite) including 2 kid pools, a wacky sprinkler, and water balloons, watermelon (another favorite), and a Dora cake. She was thrilled to pieces with her cake (stealing and tasting some iceing while the candles were being lit) and the attention and a total charmer with opening presents as she thoroughly enjoyed opening each and every one and studying what she got.

I promise I did not intentionally put on the candles that relight over and over again, but it did help with getting pictures.

Happy third birthday B!

Our first family entry!

Greetings from our family to you and yours! Here is a picture from X'mas Eve; I don't get many pictures of all four together! This is the gang... C is 7, B is 3 (almost), P is 5, and E is 3 1/2. They keep Doug and I very busy, hence the url of this blog. Chaotic describes our household; we just try to keep it managed and not totally out of control but we are clearly outnumbered. With both of us working full time, having crazy hours, young kids, multiple activities... well life is BUSY!

For those who were reading B's blog from her adoption, we will be updating here now. I am going to take down her blog as soon as I print it and focus more on the whole family. I have found blogging a great way to not only share stories, but to also record great times that I otherwise would forget to write down. With a family blog I figure everybody will get a little more attention, I'd have a better record to compensate for my terrible memory, and maybe I would actually post more than once every few months so I don't disappoint those checking in. The other benefit is that I am sure this blog will help later with sibling bonding; they can all get together and moan about how their mom embarrassed them when I shared little tidbits of their lives with the world...

Have a great day!
Kate