So I'm putting my Ninja away and trading it in for a ticket across the pacific ocean...well at least half way across.



We are officially in Holiday mode, all packed and ready to go.  Of course I'm still doing housey things like cleaning toilets and mopping floors. And finding that one last thing that I can shove in my suitcase, completely maxing out the zipper, leaving me to wonder if while I'm rolling it down the isle it might pop open and toss my undies out (But Aaaa Ha!-that's why I put them in a secret spot, just for that reason)
And most of the time I'm half doing everything all at the same time.  Jeff I'm sure is wondering how this is going all pull together, but at the end of the day it always does.  Everything is tucked away and clean.  And as I'm half doing everything I'm thinking about all things that we forgot and adding them to the list that I have on the table.  It's a good system and I rarely (with Jeff's help) forget anything that important.


:: So here's to a peaceful trip with little drama and much love!

I have so much to do I don't even know where to start...
I have the crazies in my head right now and I'm avoiding the bomb that is holding my house hostage. 
Where is the bunker...I want to hide.



And I make a list...it should help...




I've gotta find that Ninja inside me.  It's in all of us...it's what gets us through those days that, if we let them, would run us over and leave little pebbles embedded in our cheeks.


And we are so close to the North Shore...only a few days to go and we'll be swimming with the fish, smiling with our shaved ice and wiping sand from in-between out toes (or leave it there cuz we can and we like that scratchy feeling). 



We've waited so long.  And now it's time.


I just have to hunker down and getter done!  Find the Ninja...
Say it with me..."strutt...Kim..strutt...getter done!"

Do I dare start a post this late...

I've been a bit distracted these last few weeks.  Weeks of beating worlds and living off of bread and water...filling every spare moment with the red remote.  I even formed calluses on my thumbs.  My evening's absorbed with Super Mario for the wii.  And writing that just seems very, oh I dunno, dumb.  And the word wii isn't even in the spell check yet.  That has to mean something.
So I just beat the game, with Eli by my side, today on the couch.  He had his hand over his eyes.
And just like that it was over.
And once again, I remember that I had children to feed, a house to clean, and blog to keep up with.  The curtains where drawn open and the light once again came through the windows.  I rubbed my eyes and said hello to my family...
Well that was fun.
And it's so like me to bury myself in a video game for a few weeks and leave the world.  I can be super hard core about something.  And it's not even the "something" as much as it is my need to just be super hard core...
We've been a bit busy also though. I moved the computer into the laundry room.  I rebuilt the chicken coop.  My washer broke, again, for like a week an half.  I turned 31.  Eli was sick.  I was at a birth on Sunday and Monday.  Eli started Pre-K (which I'm still not too sure about).
Life's just been going, beaten' it's drum...
And today I thought to myself
              : I have know idea what to make for dinner...I hate that feeling.
              : I think Moses is almost weaned...and I don't know if I'm ready to let go.
              : I don't know if I'm ready for my 4 yr old to be gone in the morning...I really like him.



: And feeling the need to do something drastic we figured out how to put 6 kids to bed in our house so that we could play our favorite game with 2 of our favorite friends.


: And, no we're not into Dungeons and Dragons or stuff like that, but we really like Dominion.  I use to mock this game and smirk at it's appearance on the table...but then I crossed over and I haven't been able to get back.  We're putting jammies on kids in warp speed and making wild threats like, "if you don't go to sleep we'll withhold air from you tomorrow" you know...stuff like that. 


: Just in case your not sure what this is (below)..it's the ultimate card combination for a throw-down butt-whooping. 



: This is Silas in the middle of the day after he found stickers.  Eli stole one from him and he's devastated that one of the stickers on his face has been ripped off and run off with.  And like a good mom I'm parenting with my camera in hand.  I'm laughing, and Silas is so sad, but really this is one of the funniest things he's ever done.  And I'm trying to tell Eli to give Silas back the sticker that he took from his face, while also being serious, this was so hard.



: Eli does these random things during the day that make me sometimes think he's really got a good thing going, and I possibly have been missing out on parts of life I didn't know about...complete abandonment of self and complete contentment with big blue rubber bands.


: Really all I wanted for my birthday this year was to have over a few close friends and make mini muddies.  Thanks Jeff...you are best mini muddy maker!




: Moses was picking at my GF cake the whole night.  Like a little mouse...pick...pick...


: So here's the second snowfall we have had this year.  The first one was in November and we where leaving town as it was coming down.  And even though this one was a bit wetter, I knew I needed to get the boys outside for a chance to make a snowman.  These where regular occurrences when I was a kid.  I think I always had a snowman in my yard, for like a whole winter.   But here...not so much. So we put on a mix match of hats and scarfs and boots.  And Mo was so sad...


: And we did it.  It was like the boys knew just what to do.  Eli told me he needed a carrot for the nose.  And all I had was the little snack ones, so I used a parsnip instead.  Then he went up and got rocks for eyes and found some pieces of wood for arms.  



: And he was brilliant!



: Mo is busting out some super killer molars this week so we're loving him extra lot's.  And like I said he's almost a real little boy and just about weaned.  I'm kinda freaked out about the idea of not being pregnant or nursing...or both.  I'm almost me, all by myself...weird.  I've been pregnant or nursing or both for the past 5 years.  THAT!! my friends is seriously freakin' hard core...

This is baby Gavin.  He's as fresh as fresh gets.  Born today, 8.6lbs. 
And being that this his is his first day on land...I thought I'd post a little song just for him.

Welcome sweet boy...the world is all yours!