Oh This Boy!!

My youngest son has always been strong minded and loves to go to battle some days with me. Like any other busy day we had dinner and were in a hurry rushing the kids to eat and get ready to go to Makena's third grade music concert. Hayden of all days decides he doesn't want to eat dinner and is refusing to get dressed. Like always Blaine and I say at least 50 times "Hayden, Eat your dinner and get dressed or you are not going to the concert". In all reality he doesn't even know what a concert is and could probably care less. None the less we continue to threat and he lays on the kitchen floor screaming. I mean are we really going to just leave him at home? No! I think he may be on to us because as we are putting on our coats and heading to the car we find Hayden in the car ready to go in nothing but Scooby Doo undies and shoes!!

He cries and continues to tell us dinner is yucky and what do we do?????

To keep the peace and get Makena to her concert we take him into the mudroom get him dressed and put him in the car and head to the concert.

WITH HIS DINNER STILL SITTING ON THE TABLE!!!

POINT FOR HAYDEN

The Old Dog

Our older dog Hotch is such a trooper. He spends half the day with the puppy hanging off of his neck and never growls back. He just goes with the flow of this crazy family. The things Hotch looks forward to most are riding in the car and he LOVES sleeping with the kids at night. Last night it was Bryden's turn to have Hotch sleep with him. As I went to say goodnight this is what I found. Hotch obediently sleeping in Bryden's Build a Bear dog house. That crazy dog!!!

I wish the kids were equally obedient for me. He is a great old dog!!!

Renewing the Contract

The Dodson 5 has had a lot to celebrate lately!!! This year Blaine and I celebrated out ten year anniversary. We had always had plans of traveling through Europe this year but that was a plan we made before we had kids "and built a new house". We all know kids change everything and for the better!! Since this year Blaine's brother Chad celebrated his 15th anniversary and his parents celebrated their 40th we all decided to go back to Kauai where it all began for Blaine and I and have one big party. That we did!!! I always thought Bryden got his blue eyes from Papa

Sissy and her cousin Blake. Two sincere smiles, Priceless!!

One of my BFFs came over with her family to join the party. It was awesome having them there!! Love ya Beth!!

Sissy is such a glamour girl!!

So ten years later here we are. It has been a wild ten years and I can't wait to see what the next ten bring.

I would rather be here then Europe any day! Who knew??

If someone would have told me I'd have this in ten years I would have never believed them!!

So as part of this big party all three couples decided to renew their vows. It was a perfect day thanks to all of the planning by Blaines mom. Blaine and I have decided as part of our "contract renewal" we will not be adding three more kids to the mix in the next ten years however!!

This is the whole fam!!! Including Blaine's "brother" from Finland, Ilka and his family. Now, on with the holiday season! Happy Holidays everyone!!

My New Friends

As my sweet little baby lay on the couch sleeping Saturday night my first thought was "I better get him up or he will never go to bed tonight". I tried and tried and could not wake him. He must have been so tired so took a picture of him and thought "How can he look sooooo sweet and be such a monster when he is awake"? If I only new what this boy was capable of!!!

The next day Blaine had a rec league basketball game and I could have stayed home with the boys but I have been cleaning and packing for days and needed to get out of the house, so we all hopped in the car and to daddy's game we went. It was a great day until about halfway through the game it started. That ear piercing, nerve wracking, attention getting noise. It was the fire alarm going trough the whole high school. I swallowed and said a little prayer "please don't let it be my child" and ran to where a slue of kids were running around in time to see them all point at my little angle as the culprit.
I wanted to curl up in a ball and die!!! Yes everyone it was MY kid!!!! I then got to meet most of the CDA fire department, the high school principal, and the janitor as they all ran around on a breezy Sunday trying to disarm the alarm. A little lecture to me, a lecture to the three year old burying his face in my chest and peeing down the side of my leg (we went underwear that day, bad choice) and they let us go.
Has Hayden learned his lesson??? I can only hope. What have I learned? If your not sure what to do on any given Sunday, just stay home!!!!! So now I have a story for his baby book and surely one I will never forget!!! Three year olds CAN reach fire alarms!!! I am still trying to laugh about it!!!

Tick..Tock..Tick..Tock..

Halloween has come and gone and the kids are eagerly making their Christmas lists. However, we have one minor event before the Holiday Season can truly begin. VACATION!!! Mommy has eagerly been counting the days until we leave for a little sun and R&R. Tick..Tock..Tick..Tock just 5 days until Kauai!!! I can't wait!!!

Halloween Come and Gone

Another Halloween has come and gone. The kids woke with pure excitement as they broke out their new costumes to wear to school. Hayden and I attended two crazy school parties followed by pizza with friends and an evening of "Trick or Treating" or give me as much candy as I can possibly handle. The Aisan Princess, Bolba Fett and Thomas the Train are now settling down for hopefully a long falls nap!!!
I hope the kids don't wake up asking how many days till Christmas!!

Till next year!!!

Pumpkinpalooza

Excitement is in the air with the anticipation of once again dressing up and going full force toward that final goal. The biggest bag of candy they can possibly get. Halloween can always be bitter sweet since we are saying good bye to outdoor activities (we don't ski) and getting ready for the busy holidays. We did find the time to venture out to Greenbluff on a beautiful day to pick the PERFECT pumpkin. Then daddy swept in to help with carving. I put myself on picture duty!!!

Makena ahas always been able to take the insides out!!

Who gave Hayden a Sharpie!!!!

This one is my favorite. I love the resemblance in the amount of teeth they both have in their mouths.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Why Buy a New One????

Whenever I hear that someone is on their way over or stopping by I quickly check the kitchen sink, shut all of the doors in the house that I can and run over to throw my conglomeration of throws and pillows all over the sofa. Why? Because living with three kids, one long hubby, two dogs, and a cat has done a number on my sofa. It has suffered through years of tippy cups and bottles dripping on it, spit up and only your imagination can guess at what else is on this thing. Not to mention the broken arm caused by daddy standing on it to hang a picture and snapping it in half. It has served its purpose and seen better days but why buy a new one?

This is how Hayden uses it to watch cartoons!!!! He can have it for a little while longer. I am not ready to buy a new one just yet!

Why You Do Not Take Your Three Year Old Bra Shopping

I will spare all of you any photos for this blog since I feel like my boobs have been manhandled enough today. Hayden and I dropped some stuff off at the Goodwill this morning. I have to do this when the kids are not looking because everything in the boxes suddenly becomes their "favorite" toy and "we can't get rid of it". Since I was out and about I decided to hit some local stores to get some xmas ideas. Looking around, I saw bras on sale and boy could I use a few new super powered ones to hold my babies up these days. I proceeded to grab a few off the racks while Hayden is pushing the cart through the skinny aisle and knocking bras off the rack by the dozens.
As he sees a few in my hands he decides to be helpful by yelling multiple times
"Mom. Put your boobies in here!" pointing to the cart. As I pick another off the rack he yells "You got a big boobies?". "There's a lot of boobies here."
OK Hayden. I will put all the boobies back and try this again another day when I am by myself.

Was It Worth It?

The big kids are settling into their school schedule nicely and it is very strange for me to have two of them gone all day long. However, I am learning to cope with the time. I do still have one little thing that hinders me from throwing a little party everyone morning at nine a.m. His name is Hayden and he is a piece of work these days.
He started the school year out by asking every twenty minutes "When we pick up bubby and sissy?" He has finally realized that they are gone for the day and seems to do very well entertaining himself. However, you can't miss where this kid has been in the house. As I took 45 minutes this morning to get on my elliptical I could then follow his trail around the house.

This would be his trail of toys from the living room into the bedroom. The usual mess of trains, cars and Legos.
Following the the trail into my bedroom, I actually got to catch him in the act. Using all of the pillows from my bed he made a little fort and of course filled it with yet more toys.
And last but not least in between fort making and train playing he must have got thirsty, very thirsty, since he has four glasses out and all of them have something different in them and their very own twisty straw. Maybe we can classify this as his first "tea party".

So in order for me to have a 45 minute workout, Hayden has now made at least an hours worth of cleaning work for me to do. Was the work out worth it? I am not sure. I will let you know when I get to the bottom of this mess.

Makena's and Bryden's Big Day!!!

I can remember laying in my bed the night before the first day of school pondering so many questions. What am I going to wear? Who is in my class? Did my mom give me the turkey sandwich instead of the PB&J? As a mom the routine still has not changed and the questions I lay in bed and ponder over haven't changed much either. What will THEY wear? Who will be in their classes? Did I put the right sandwiches in the right lunch bags?
I did run a few other scenarios through my mind. How can I get pictures of both of them when they go into the school on different sides of the playground? What am I going to do if Bryden will not go into his classroom. (Note to self: Don't loose Hayden on the playground during all of this!!!)
Having survived the morning I think it went pretty well. Makena wanted nothing to do with me and was off across the playground to find her friends and compare summer stories. She didn't need her mom there with her on the first day anymore!!! She is getting so big.
Bryden played a little basketball before the bell rang and checked in with me every few seconds. "Don't move mom. It freaks me out if I cannot see you" At least my little boy still needs me. (Note to self: Hayden has now wondered to the monkey bars and if I move to go get him I might "freak" Bryden out.)
Saved by the bell' Hayden and I walked Bryden to his line and watched him walk into the school. And like that he is a First Grader!!!
Now what are Hayden and I going to do today????

Mommy and Hayden's Big Day

Now that Hayden and I have the big kids off to their first day of school we had one important thing to do today. There are two things that you cannot argue with in our house. 1. Cereal is expensive these days considering my kids can go through a box a day. 2. My kids love their cereal!! With this being said Hayden and I hit the 13 hour cereal sale at the local supermarket. $1.79 a box is a great deal in our house.
I guess it was safe to say that when you walk into a supermarket and there are no carts you know you are in trouble. With a lot of patience and a little endurance we made it out safely with our 40 boxes of cereal. What a deal!!!

Now who is going to unload all of this and put it in the top of the pantry???

Eight Going on Eighteen

Yesterday my baby turned eight. Can you believe it!!! We are now passed the Disney Princesses and onto Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. Whats next? Rock concerts and dating. I am just not there yet. I am not sure which is worse, the fact that she is growing up or the fact that the older she gets the older that makes me. I am still 27 right?

For her Birthday this year Makena chose to have a tubing party at the lake and go to the resort for Gooey Desserts.
We took a group of girls out on the boat for the day and had a great time. Blaine, refers to it as the day he had six backseat drivers. Boy little girls ca be opinionated.
It was a great day and now I have until March before I have to do another Birthday party Phew!

Saying Goodbye

Yesterday we all said goodbye to one of the most honorable and courageous people I will ever know. Uncle Jason lost his battle with one of the most horrible diseases I will ever know, Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS).

Jason was the Chief of Police for 27 years in the small town that I spent every summer growing up. It was always comforting to know he was around in his blue patrol car if we ever needed him. He always had a great story to tell when he stopped by Grandmas for a cup of coffee.

I found out yesterday just how many other people loved Jason and how many lives he touched. His service included over 100 law enforcement officers and a motorcade of at least that many police cars from 3 states. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.
This was a man that was a friend to everyone and who loved his job and family. I know my dad will miss him dearly and treasured the last days he had with him. My sister says that "The Good Die Young". Jason was beyond good.
Jason, I know you are finally at peace and although you are not physically here with us on earth you are in our hearts and our memories forever. You fought this battle with courage and faith and you will never be forgotten. We know you are in a better place now, free of pain and finding answers to all of your questions. We love and miss you.
Your niece Kristi

The Great Ride

We have had it planned for weeks. Bikes, check. Helmets, check. Snacks and water, check. Alright hold on for an amazing ride!!!!

We hopped in the car and in less than one hour we were two states over and riding a 15 mile bike trail through the old mining railroad tracks. The ride included 9 tunnels and 5 train trestle bridges. It was amazing scenery, great weather and a ton of fun.



This was coming to the end of the first tunnel which was 1.7 miles long. It was VERY cold and VERY dark. The kids were a little scared but we conquered and we succeeded.
At the end of the first tunnel we were greeted by this amazing waterfall. It was better than some of the Hawaiian waterfalls we have seen and it is in our own back door.
This was our first train trestle.
Haydee just along for the ride. I think he did eat an entire bag of licorice during the ride.

It was a great ride!!! Blaine and I would love to go back and ride UP the trail next time.

The Summer Fights

After having daddy home for a week the kids are bouncing off of the walls!!!! Most of all the ongoing sibling rivalry and fighting has escalated. If I hear one more "He did this" or "She started it" I think that I will start to bounce my head off of the wall. I do have to snicker a little at the fact the Hayden is now almost as big as his "big" brother. If Bryden gets Hayden mad enough Bryden actually runs from him in fear. Here is a picture of the fight that is still going on as I have locked my self in the office to hide.
They are fighting over the whisk from the kitchen drawer. I have no idea why but it must be a pretty important whisk. The funniest part of this whole thing, Hayden just starts repeating what ever he hears when he is mad. He is chasing Bryden through the kitchen yelling
"Stop Poo Poo dot com" Poo Poo.com. Maybe that will be the new name for my blog site!!

Vacation

Daddy was on vacation last week so we tried to fit as much as we possibly could into 7 days. With the awesome weather and fun things we have around here we stayed close to home and had a blast!!!!



Sissy loves tubing!! We are still working on getting the boys back there.
Playing on the beach out at the lake is more the boys cup of tea. The investment in sand toys has been well worth it.
Uncle Chaddy has set up movies on the back of his boat a few times this summer. Those "Three Amigos" are so silly.
Mom and Dad have gotten new bikes so Hayden is bound and determined he is going to be a part of the biking club.
A trip out to our local amusement park was great. We spent the first half of the day at the water park and the second half at Roller Coaster Alley. We had to tear Sissy off of the roller coasters at closing that night. She defiantly does not get this from me.

Daddy is back to work today! Wouldn't it be great if he was home everyday!!! I better go try and find something for the kids to do today. Its back to the grind with mommy and she has A LOT of laundry to do today.