Sickness sucks.

Hi. It's me, Wes.

I'm sick. I have a fever of 104 degrees. Two days ago, I was standing on my own and taking my first steps. Today I can barely muster up enough energy to crawl. I woke up every 45 minutes last night....just to make sure mom and dad weren't sleeping too deeply. My brothers are worried about me and keep making weird faces at me while sticking their fingers up their noses. I am not amused. Has anyone in this house ever heard of the term PERSONAL SPACE?

Today mom gave me a bath ALL BY MYSELF! That hasn't happened since.....since.....crap, I don't think I've EVER had the privilege of bathing alone. My brothers were gazing over the edge of the tub with jealousy and admiration. I just looked at them and stuck my finger in my nose. It was blissful.

Mom is her usual OCD self and is checking my temperature every 15 minutes. She purchased an APP for me on her iPhone called 'Phony Phone' which is the only thing that currently interests me. Food? Yuck. Milk? No thank you. I'm doing my best to take small bites and sips here and there so my parents don't freak out and take me to the ER. The swine flu is coming and the ER is the LAST place I want to be.

Mom did catch me crawling into the dishwasher this morning as she tried to clean up the breakfast tornado my big brothers created.

This afternoon, she found me opening the bathroom door and stepping softly inside to play in the potty for a while.

Slowly but surely, I'll be back to my normal self. Thanks for listening.

Love,

Wes

By now...I should know.

One of my favorite things, is to do crafty projects with my boys. We like to paint, glue, cut, color & create. By now, I know to cover the table with a tablecloth. By now, I know to roll up their sleeves. By now, I know that no matter how hard I try, someone will paint their hands.

So you'd think that by now, I'd know NOT TO ANSWER THE PHONE when my children are crafting.

Because if I walk away for one millasecond, I'll come back to the kitchen and find this-

And this-

And possibly, this-

Obviously, I've got a lot to learn....

Betcha Didn't Know...

Did you know I spend a fair amount of time hunting for insects? It pleases my children and keeps them busy for hours....OK, minutes on end. I'm great at finding roly poly's, moths and a cricket here or there. When I do, I'm a hero for the next hour.

However, when I find something like this, I'm hero for the entire day.

(Gloves are a must when handling a Praying Mantis. They tend to pinch and bite if you tick them off.)

We played with our friend for a while and them released him into our flowers to dine on all of the naughty bugs. Thanks little guy....you made my day.

10 Years!

9.11.1999 - 9.11.2009~Happy 10 years to us!

According to about.com, the 10th anniversary traditional gift should be none other than tin or aluminum. "The pliability of tin and aluminum is a symbol of how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and how it can be bent without being broken."

Some gift suggestions from about.com:

Tin or aluminum paper weight
Antique tin toys
Tin or aluminum wall sconces
Tin snips or cutters
Shaker pie safe with punched tin panels
Antique tin bank

Dear Darling Hubby,

Should you decide to follow the lead of about.com and purchase me something made of tin or aluminum for our tenth wedding anniversary, proceed with caution.

I shall break your neck.

Thanks for 10 AMAZING years. I love you!

Me

Training Camp

Last week Evan held 'Football Training Camp' in our backyard. He created tickets on his computer, which he printed out and gave to Derek and me.

His brothers had no choice but to be willing and active participants.

It's something they're quite used to.

We handed our tickets to the short person at the ticket booth (Logan) who happily accepted them....and then crumpled them up.

We were ushered to the bleachers (handmade from piles and piles of rocks).

Some chose to forgo the rocky bleachers for a better view from inside the sandbox.

Others chose to steal the tee. Again.....and again.....and again.

The brothers huddled.

They kicked.

They bonded.

Brotherly love rocks.

Eye Black...Jack Jack Style.

Eye black
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eye black is a grease applied under the eyes to reduce glare. It is often used by baseball and American football players, where sunlight or stadium lights can impair vision of an airborne ball. Eyeblack has been used for centuries to help reduce the glare of the sun. Traditional grease consists of beeswax, paraffin, and carbon. Anti-glare stickers that emulate the grease are also manufactured, sometimes with a sports team logo printed on. According to Paul Lukas of ESPN.com, the earliest known instance of a player wearing eye black is Washington Redskins fullback Andy Farkas, who apparently came up with the idea on his own in 1942. He also goes on to say that the original eye black was made from burned cork ashes.

If you find yourself in need of eye black and you have no traditional grease, burned cork ashes or anti-glare stickers, you have to improvise.

Green sharpie markers will also do the job. Just ask Jack.

Note to reader: This picture was taken after I did my best at scrubbing it off.