Introducing Nolan (AKA John Doe)

Another Great Man Walking the streets of Heaven

Our Grandpa Boatman joined the many family members partying in Heaven this morning.

I can only imagine how much he is loving looking into the eyes of our maker and seeing all the familiar faces who has joined. I am sure he has been waiting for this day for awhile now.

Although we will miss him-- there is no doubt that he is far happier where in Heaven enjoying the majesty and beauty of the miraculous place that we can only dream of.

Grandpa was a very cool guy--who you would have all loved to know. People who met him instantaneously felt like they knew him for years. He lived a long and happy life. He accomplished many things and touched the lives of everyone who met him. There is no doubt that he fulfilled Gods purposes for him while he walked this earth.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE HAVING A BABY SOON WHEN

-None of your maternity shirts fit-
-You are wearing your husbands jacket outside because yours does not zip up anymore
-Your husband gets a chuckle most days telling you how large you have become (ALL IN FUN NO OFFENSE TAKEN BY ME)
-Climbing into the lofted bed is not as easy as it used to be
-Carrying laundry up the stairs causes contractions
-You have started calling yourself a hippo
-Your Friend who was due two weeks after you has her baby-- OWEN WYNIA -- so cute too
-Every where you go people say oh when are you due-- I thought it might be soon.
-A stranger says to you out of the blue " OH YOU MUST BE DUE TONIGHT" no lie
-Parents at preschool comment on how you have really popped in the past two weeks
-You start to think oh well what is another bowl of ice cream at 11pm- there is no going back now
-You realize that there is not enough time left to get everything done that needs to be because the baby will be here in no more than 15 days- AHHH
-You start to cherish every last minute with just three-- knowing that the life your kids know will never be the same again-when there is four your time will be divided even more-

Wenzels travels

Wenzel is doing well-- He is reporting back to Santa every night-- some days this works to my advantage- the kids are tell each other to behave because Wenzel is watching-- And a lot of nights I do not even see him leave. Luckily for me Mike does.

Last night was the most interesting night though. The boys had been in bed for an hour and I was actually awake enough to see Wenzel off to the North Pole. Little did I know that Garrett was still awake too. As I was saying goodbye to Wenzel (and placing him in his newest spot) up walks Garrett-- MOM What are you doing.

Now I do not lie to my children so it was hard for me to come up with a good one. So I say, "well I was showing Wenzel your money and telling him to report to Santa that you do not need as many presents this year because you have saved up so much money you can buy your own." (OH GOOD ONE KELLY -- it was the best I could come up with) Then I proceed to tell the little guy that I needed to show Wenzel the dust on our entertainment center so Santa could send a letter back with Wenzel telling him and Carson to help me out and dust the house for me. Garrett says Mom you can dust yourself. I explained that I could use the help and I figured if Santa told them to do it then he probably would without complaining. Luckily for me he believed the entire story.

He walked out to the living room and told Wenzel that the money was to buy stuff for other people and he didn't really want to dust so he didn't have to tell Santa that.

OHHHH the pickles I get myself in.

Mike was laughing the entire time in the hallway listening to me try to handle the situation.

Garrett took the picture - If you zoom in you might even be able to see some dust on his legs-- HA HA -

Adison moves to a toddler bed

Adison moved to a toddler bed this past week---
I am now realizing that this was a big mistake --

The first night went great. The second night she fell out of bed one time.
The third time she fell out of bed four times and got up at 4:30 for the day-- AHHH
and last night she fell out one time and came crawling into our bed at 3:30am with her blankies.

Of course this is not ideal since we have very little room in our bed already considering that I am now a hippo. LOL

So she is officially going back into a crib today--
Poor thing- hate to break her heart this way--
but I think it is totally worth it- because I will start to go insane if I don't get sleep at night--especially since the baby will be here any day now.

Oh Carson never makes us stop laughing

Carson-- am so thankful of Carson!! He is always keeping us on our feet-- sometimes I pray for patience with him but I am forever thankful that I have a child filled with such character. I know that at times we crush his spirit. Hopefully he will forgive us some day for the need to put him back on track at times. Afterall sometimes we all need correction.

He reminds us of this daily when we slip up and say something that may be a little inappropriate. For instance- -this evening he yelled at Mike for saying the word stupid-- "Dad we don't say the word stupid in this family!!" He never misses any opportunity to correct our speech.

He also has a way of making us all laugh-- especially at dinner time. Last night he was so mad at Me because I made lasagnel, He refused to eat and said, "Mom you are such a butterscotch I am not eating this." And he said it as though he was really saying something awful.

Two minutes later he was in a better mood and started telling us he could spell YMCA. He said give me a C, give me a Y,- What's that spell YMCA.

It was beyond hilarious-- well atleast we thought so!!

You might might not recognize him but yes it is Mike under those glasses

For the first time in the thirteen years I have know Mike he is wearing glasses. He wore them for the past three days. Of course not by choice. He was officially diagnosed with pink eye on Wed. Poor guy-I don't think I have seen an eye so red or itchy. To top if off he had just missed a day of work because he was so sick the day before. Precisely why he got pink eye. He laid in bed miserable for almost a day and a half with his contacts in. I would not wish his migraines and cold on anyone. Luckily he is starting to get a little better. Although, this evening he started to lose his voice-- he came into the living room saying very quietly- I hope you don't go into labor tonight because I won't be able to say much of anything. It was very funny.

Wenzel our ELF

We have a visitor in our house.
Our very own elf. He arrived on Dec.4th straight from the North Pole--

The kids named him Wenzel.
This elf is very magical-- every night he travels to the North Pole to report to Santa how the kids are and what wishes they might have for Christmas. He comes back each morning and hides in a new spot.

Now he is strictly prohibited from talking to the kids- but he can bring messages back to Santa for them.

This of course works out nice for me because Wenzel is always watching- and reports every fine detail of our day to Santa.

Only once has he stayed in the same spot-- and this was because the boys forgot to write out their wish lists on the paper he brought back from Santa.

We just love our elf-- elves can be specially ordered through Santa online too for anyone interested in joining in on the fun.

Garrett lost his first tooth

Garrett lost his first tooth last Sunday. It has been wiggly for awhile- but he took the risk and tried to pull it out. Fortunately for me he was successful on the first try.

Oh how I love kids with no teeth-- they always look so silly.

Now this story would not be complete if I left out the part where the tooth fairy forgot to come to our house. YES totally spaced stopping at the Borders to pick up Garretts tooth.

Turns out (according to the note Garrett found) that there was an extreme breakout of periodontal disease in Asia and the toothfairy was working overtime the past few weeks over there. He left an extra special gift since he was unable to make it--

Yes a DS game and five dollars-a bit extreme I know but he felt a first tooth was worth it. That tooth fairy is such a nice guy--

It brought me to tears when I read the note.

These are the best kind of suprises in life-- !! Really it was a total suprise to me.

Garrett Turned SIX

WOW -- We can hardly believe that we are parents of a SIX year old. It is crazy to think about how fast the time has flown by. If only I could keep all of the memories I have of Garrett's childhood in my brain forever. These memories are so vivid right now. His first months of life, his first steps, his first day of school, days at the beach, bedtime stories etc etc.. It is just so sureal that he is SIX AHHH

He almost cried when I told him the night before that it was his last night of being five. He said I don't want to be six. I love that he enjoys life enough to be content with his current age.

Of course he longs to be older sometimes. He is definitely becoming a big kid. He talks and acts like a nine or ten year old sometimes. He is crazy about video games and well would much rather hang with his freinds than Mike or I. ALL PART OF KIDS GROWING UP -

I just hope he continues to enjoy his childhood and doesn't grow up too fast

Decorating the tree-- A family event

Click on the pictures to get a larger view

Picking out a christmas tree

We bought our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. This is always an evening of fun. Usually Mike is very picky about the tree but this year the kids were able to pick what ever one they wanted. Carson's tree won. It was the first tree we looked at and he was adamant that we buy it. Adison just wanted to go back to the car. And Garrett well he was really hoping Carson was going to lose.

Luckily this year we remembered the tree was on the top of the car before pulling into the garage-- LOL It was a lot of fun watching the kids help Mike unload the tree and put it up. What a trooper Mike was.

Calling all single ladies between 18-21years old

I AM SEEKING A COMPANION FOR A SINGLE WHITE MALE WHO LOVES VELCRO

MUST
BE INTELLIGENT
SWEET
FUNNY
COMPASSIONATE
HAVE GOOD MORALS
LIKE THE OUTDOORS
LOVE FAMILY
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY--MUST LOVE VELCRO-- YES THIS IS A REQUIREMENT--

This is a joke of course but I just had to post this picture of my 19 year old cousin who wears, and loves, the same velcro shoes as my 85?? year old Grandpa-- they are just a different color. He really is a great catch though and is single so if anyone has a girl you think would be interested feel free to leave a comment.

The weekend of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving still remains my favorite holiday.

I love it because it is a simple holiday --

No gifts --no costumes- nothing to hunt for--

A day used to reflect on what we are thankful for-And of course we all have so much to be thankful for. Thought I would spare you a list today.

Highlights of the holiday--

Lounging around our house all day watching the Macy's day parade

Dinner and a family gathering at my Aunt Mary's

AN extreme amount of mash potatoes

Three crazy kids and Mike making a ruckus at my Aunts house- HA HA--

The kids locking each other in the dog kennel

Alex's shoes-- see next entry

Watching the kids interact with Grandpa Sicard

Grandpa Sicard surfing the net with Alex

As usual we ventured out for a little holiday shopping the day after thanksgiving and came up empty handed. Well with the exception of Mike's incredible buy of a girly mans drill and two dog beds.

On Saturday we decorated gingerbread houses- it is a family tradition

What a fun day it was-

Mike went through the adds for the sixteenth time to make sure we didn't miss a good buy-

The kids ate a ton of Candy

Garrett got sick from the candy-- luckily at someone elses house- thanks Carol for taking care of him

Carson made his first gingerbread house all by himself-

Adison ate more candy than anyone

Mandy and Taylor made a gingerbread church-- OH GAG ME LOL it was very cute though

Mandy's cousins joined us for the first year-- They took the competition very seriously-

Garrett and Grace judged the houses and disqualified everyone but themselves

Putting up lights with Dad

Garrett and Carson waited all day to help Mike put up Christmas lights two weeks ago. When they finally got to help they were thrilled. It was an eventful day. Mike nearly fell off the roof it was so slippery in one area, Carson and Adison cllimbed up and down the ladder all day- with mom chasing them down, and neighbors chuckled at Mike since he swore he was not putting lights up this year. GOOD TIMES

My oh my do they ever look alike

Never had a constant nose picker till now--

JUST HAD TO BE THE GIRL DIDN'T IT -- The boys actually call her the champion nose picker
I am sure Mike is not thrilled about this post

Swimming at the YMCA

Swimming at the YMCA has become the event of the week at our house. Even Mike is going gang busters-- We have gone three time a week the last two weeks- This week we will be there four times. Crazy huh-- Mike even has a new pair of shoes he is using on the treadmill. If only I could get him to hip hop.

Our snow friends

We got out today and made some snow friends- What a great time of year-- I just love snow

Getting ready for the littlest Border

We officially started renovating the babies room. The baby will take over the boy's old room and the boys are downstairs now --This transition has been fun and a bit challenging at the same time. There are still days when we wonder if the boys should be in the basement all alone.

For example- One very fun night Carson got wedged between the lofted bed and the wall we came down to find him hanging on for dear life with his chin and arm on the side rails- feet dangling underneath. Garrett calmly saying I am not sure what happened I fit through but he didn't.

As for the babies room- The boys insisted on helping paint- They loved using the roller. Mike on the other hand hates to paint and would rather light his hair on fire-- so this has been a little bit of a challenge for him. Since we had to prime the walls repaint the ceiling and then paint the walls again. I just sit back and laugh ( I am helping of course) meanwhile I am getting very excited for the room to be done.

It was a little hard to take down the vintage border you see above--After all Garrett even personalized it in several spots with names. He made us save a piece for his scrapbook--

Nursery Rhymes- Tongue Twisters and other fun songs

I am sure you all love nursery rhymes tongue twisters and fun songs.

The Border kids do too

Only since Garrett has entered Kindergarten and his friends 1st and second grade these things have taken on a life of their own

I am not particularily fond of some of the ones I am hearing now-

Although they do typically give me a good laugh

Mike's favorite- Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater- had wife and loved to beat her-- (now he thought this was how it was really supposed to go- LOL)

Peter piper picked a pecker -- They love this one and have no idea what a pecker is -at least that is not what we tend to call it

Batman in the kitchen Robyn in the hall joker in the bathroom peeing (or pooping if your Carson) on the wall

Of course these are typical songs that boys tend to sing- but Adison loves tunes and tries to join in and I can just see Carson saying peter peter pumpkin eater at church and telling everyone that Mike taught it to him.

We decided it might be fun to sleep on the stairs

What a Diva

Christmas is just around the corner

For all you people counting down-
Christmas is only seven weeks away now-
That is three pay checks-
Of course I am excited because this means the baby will be arriving in only eight weeks at the most. So many things to look forward to-Holding a new baby- My favorite Holiday- Thanksgiving- all the kids' birthdays- Snow on the ground- sking and sledding with the kids- having no belly any more- seeing family members we never get to see-wathching the kids enjoy all the Christmas lights (including ours when Mike puts them up)- Mike having time off work- etc. etc....

The kids and I talked about Gifts and Christmas while doing a devotional the other night. They are very excited. We were talking about Gifts from God and all the great things we have been blessed with. I asked them if they could have any gift they wanted for Christmas what they would want-- expecting to hear some very large expensive toy or Carson say a submarine or helicopter (which he asks for often) They both said the best present would be a trip to see their Grandparents. --- oh how our children surprise us- these are the best moments in life.

Hockey season has begun

Hockey season has officially started. --

Garrett had his first practice last Saturday- He is actually skating really well and having fun at the same time. The day was also filled with memorable conversation. Garrett was skating considerable slower than usual. So Mike asked him why he isn't skating as fast as he usually does Garrett said "Dad, coming in first is like bragging and showing off " (he still skates in first but gives the second guy a chance to catch up)

During practice Garrett played a game of tag and was caught by the girl coach. On the way home Mike said Garrett you got caught by a girl-- you cannot let your self get caught by a girl-- Garrett thought about it for awhile and said "SOO Dad the only difference between a girl and a boy is they have boobs and a vagina"--

I wished I had a video camera on Halloween Night

Oh Halloween was beyond fun. Mike would agree it was one of the most memorable moments for us with Adison and the boys. The boys were Astronauts and Adison was a space chicken (courtesy of Sarah Barnett)

The night began early - 4:30
Garrett's costume ripped before we even started- he thought I could sew it up quick- Mike said your Mom sew?- He decided it would be okay to be an Astronaut instead- cute since it matched Carson

We went to Pumpkin patch at Calvary Church- lots of fun activities- we actually beat the crowd and got through everything in an hour and a half- amazing and the kids loved every minute of it.

Adison quickly figured out that she was getting candy to fill her bag. And if she stood there long enough she would get more. The boys were very helpful with her too.

We came home around 7:15 to make the rounds around the neighborhood. Adison very quickly figured out that if she sucked on candy wrappers long enough they would open. The boys were content with one peice. Thanks goodness they did not need any more energy.

The were all very excited to be walking around the neighborhood. At the third house ( a close neighbor - thank goodness) Carson sang the trick or treat smell my feet song in it's entirety at the top of his lungs as he got to the door. YES they heard the whole thing- Garrett thought this got a good reaction and sang it at the fourth house. Not so fun for him or Carson when he chimed in (oh we were rolling) Adison of course was keeping up singing some version of the song-

At every door the boys would say don't forget the chicken as she knelt down on every step to get to the door. Many people actually let her take hand fulls of candy. She would say tank you at every house- and leave dragging her pink bag behind her running to catch up to the boys. The boys saying come on little chicken- don't forget the chicken. Many times they all held hands and walked together. Or Mike carried Adison --The highlight of the boys' evening was not even trick or treating- it was waiting for "costumers" at our door when we got home. They had so much fun handing out candy to the late kids. They waited at the window and kept saying do you think we will have another "costumer."

It truly was a great night.

Without a doubt an evening I hope to remember for the rest of my life.

Decorating Pumpkins

Decorating pumpkins is always a treat in our house. This year was quite an experience-

The boys really wanted to use the knives to carve

Adison just wanted to carry her marker decorated pumpkin around the house

Carson hated the feeling of the pumpkin guts

Garrett was set on baking all the seeds and drying some out to plant for next year

I was out of newspaper and trying hard to keep the mess on the table and off the walls

Garrett has a little crush on Alyssa- SHH it is a secret

Here is a picture from Garrett's Halloween Party at school-Garrett is

pictured here with his friend Alyssa. They are too cute together. They frequently sit by each other on the bus and during class-. They have even started planning a sleep over - of course I was the last to know. Just yesterday Alyssa asked me to call her mom to talk about the details.

Carson's Halloween Parade

It was so much fun to watch Carson parade around at school in his Halloween Costume. He sang three songs and he knew all the words. He actually sang pretty loud. It was beyond adorable. I wish I had a clip to share. He is standing next to his favorite best "girl friend" Jessica.

Adison loves her chapstick-

I love chap stick-- My mom hides it and my brothers find it and give it to me. I can put it on so fast, my mom doesn't even see me. When she does- I get really mad because she takes it away and washes my face for a minute. It is no fun at all-UNTIL I find another stick!!!

ADISON

Decided to start a new medical blog-

Okay not really going to start a new blog. But the idea had crossed my mind to start some type of medical blog where I could post the problems of family members their prayer requests and updates. Thought it might be better to just have a seperate link so those who care can just click on the link. Now -- am I that smart?? NO-- I do not know how to do this. So instead I will just list the people we are currently praying for-- Not in any order --and a brief incomplete explanation of why. Hope I do not leave anyone out- AHHHH

Donna Taylor-Gam- Cancerous tumor removed and is now cancer free- but it could return
Ted Taylor-Pa- Several issues relating to his hips back and arthritus
Willie Boatman- Grandpa Boatman- Getting older has lung cancer and is living out the remainder of his months
Johnny Patterson-Grandpa Patterson- Heart and lung problems
Judy Fox- Grandma Fox- Heart problems
Mark Cunningham-Pappy- Has myasthenia gravis - Not curable
Warren Sicard- Grandpa Sicard- Just getting older and lots of problems come with old age
Randy Matthews- Grandpa Matthews- Still having issues related to being ill two months ago
Drew Postosky Witte (Website for caring bridge www.caringbridge.org-- visit Drew Potoskywitte)- Hit by a car

Our little artist

Adison loves to draw and color-- Especially with Markers-
It will entertain her for atleast a half hour.
I am amazed
Mike on the other hand hates that she loves markers
She can never keep them off her skin or clothes
Percisely why she is in a diaper in this picture

Carson had his first solo sleep over

Carson was invited over to his friend Andy's house. His brother was at the party- I didn't think he would want to go- so I only mentioned it to him once the day before. When they got to our house Carson put his shoes on and told them I am riding in your car. He wasn't even going to say goodbye. So cute- I didn't tell him it was a sleep over- However when he arrived at their house he very comfortably said- can I borrow some pajama pants because I am sleeping over. He had a blast having one on one time with Andy and didn't even care he was missing out on the party.

How did our sunshine do for the night

Adison - was a little awe stricken by the craziness of all the boys

The boys got quite a kick out of Mike
He really was a trooper
Roasting marshmallows on his finger
Being a scary monster squirting silly string at everyone
And entertaining them on the tramp
FUN TIMES FUN TIMES

Garrett's Halloween Party

Garrett had a halloween party this weekend- he invited six friends over to stay the night
After I adapted to the craziness of seven boys under the age of 8 - things went great
I think they had a blast
We ran around our neighborhood BOOing people
Played some games
Jumped on the tramp
Had a lesson on when not to burp
Learned a few new songs (I am sure all their parents love)
and watched a movie
Garrett was thrilled to spend the entire evening with his pals
The only downfall for him was I didn't let him invite more people