Everyone Wrestles on Christmas.

Would somebody please explain to me why boys feel the need to wrestle? Apparently, watching the X-Men movie triggers some sort of testosterone driven response hidden deep down  that makes boys think that rolling around and suffocating each other while breaking my furniture is an appropriate thing to do. Mind you, I have three  four boys in my house. My poor, bumped and broken house.

Hmmmmmm. Who should I vote for? I feel like I should vote. Referee maybe? Nah. I'll just take pictures and then kill the first person who bleeds on my carpet.

Riiiight.  I think this is an official move in the errrr wrestling ummm league.

 Not my furniture!!!!   I mean really.

So immature. ;)  O.k. now this has been going on for what I consider waaaaay too long.

Should I throw in the towel?

What fun would that be?

Besides, I think I read some where that you're not supposed to break up a "play" fight between boys. Something about  necessary emotional outlet or bonding or something of that sort.

Now there are 4 boys wrestling around in my house. Just another ordinary Christmas evening at the Wilson's.

Apparently Jim thinks he has finally gotten the advantage.

Until Nolan pulls a secret move called sitting on dad's head.

No Silent Night at this house.

But I love every minute of it.

Amen.

Camping with 4 Kids: The Highlights

I love camping. Love the fresh air. Love nature. Love camp fires, star gazing and sleeping outdoors. I even love the minimalist, don't have to prim and primp or do your hair and shave your legs part of camping. I used to camp all the time with my family growing up and with friends in my early 20's. Of course when I was a kid, I had no idea the amount of work my parents did to make camping an enjoyable experience for us kids and in my 20's I simply grabbed a backpack and a sleeping roll and was on my way. If we caught a fish, we ate. If not, cheese cubes and beer for dinner it was.

So when my husband, my dear, sweet, loving husband asked me why we never go camping anymore I finished changing the babies diaper, yelled over the 2 boys who were squabbling and screaming underneath my feet and asked my teenager to finish his up his latest retort quickly so I could answer him.

'It's just so much work with 4 kids!'

After deciding that we would make the best of it and just go so  the kids could have fun and get dirty and experience all that the great outdoors has to offer we immediately realized that we didn't have any camping gear. By this I mean that the last time we went camping was like 3 kids ago so we needed bigger everything and more of it.

Several hundred dollars later we left Cabellas armed with our new 3 room tent, camp stove, flashlights and first aid kits. We were good to go.

Wait. How the heck are we going to fit all of this crap  gear along with 4 kids in 3 car seats and a 6 foot tall teenager into our car? Hmmmm, guess we should have thought of that.

A few hours later and some very creative, errr  packing by Jim we crossed our fingers and pulled out of the drive way.

Arrived at Starbucks and then we were on our way.....

Until about 20 minutes later when we realized that we forgot to pack wipies for the baby and the road trip snacks for the kids were packed on the very bottom of all of our gear. Pit stop at the New River Snack and Go and we were on our way. Again.

Notice how sweet, understanding and tolerant Britton is about the whole 'Being shoved into the

back seat with Jack, a birthday present and a watermelon.'

Just a short time later we arrived at the camp spot on near the Mogollon Rim. We were excited to get there because it was a family reunion of sorts and lots of our cousins were going to be there to play with.

For the next 2 days, we set up camp. And by 'we' I mean Jim.

While I did other necessary things that all campers do like having a fingernail painting party.

Every respectable teenage girl camper packs a bucket of fingernail polish.

Mona's very first finger nail painting experience. See, I told ya, camping is great!

We also played some camping games like:

'Marshmellow Toss'

Which our team totally ROCKED! Go TEAM 4!

But Britton, Alec and Ben won . ;)

and "Cup Stacking'

Go Olivia!

and  'Bubble Gum Blowing'

Now that's a bubble! Go JoAnna!

But the best part of all was sitting outside and laughing with family. Telling stories

and playing with our cousins.

How many kids can fit on daddy's lap in a cheap-o camp chair?

Waking up to a camp fire breakfast in the fresh air listing to the birds chirping and happy

kids was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Jack, Nolan and Mona eating breakfast.

We also celebrated Nolan's 5th birthday while we were there. He opened all of his new Star Wars toys in front of about 30 family members singing him Happy Birthday! Fun, fun, FUN!

The first night was freezing cold and pretty miserable. I'm not sure who had a worse night with it all, Rachel and Jim and also Aaron and Joanna in the tents next to us with  sick babies, Jim sleeping on the rock hard, cold ground or Mona and I on the deflating mattress which was soaked in pee.


Dad came through in his usual style by assuring us that his night was just as miserable because his air conditioning in his brand new 5th wheel kept going up and down an entire degree so he had to kick on and off his down comforter and that his new Sleep Number mattress was on the fritz and was off by a number. He also drank to much diet coke from his refrigerator while watching a late night movie on his flat screen and had to wake up in the middle of the night and walk 5 feet in his slippers to go to the bathroom. 

None of us were impressed. At all. ;)

Dad.

The highlight of the camping trip was waking up to this holy vision.

Alec, adorning his Hugh Hefner robe and slippers with his hot cocoa in hand.

Thanks for that Alec. We all needed a good laugh.

Every Day Learning Opportunities

You don't have to be a home schooling mom to take the opportunity to teach your children new and fun things every day. You don't even need to buy lesson planners, organizers or work books. In fact, I've found that spur of the moment learning opportunities from things found around your home or neighborhood are often some of the best and most fun ways for kids to learn and grow.

 

 

When we drive around town doing every day errands we play different games by me asking the kids questions about they're 'town'. When we pass a field or farm I ask them what  they think  is growing there or what animals live there and what they provide for us; minerals, vitamins, energy, healthy bodies etc. We also talk about what makes plants grow; soil, air, sunshine, water and of course tractors! And in contrast, we talk about what things do not grow on a farm; candy, soda pop and cookies and why they are bad for us. I let the kids do their own brainstorming, helping them out a little when my 5 year old names things like hot dogs and potato chips that he thinks grow on a farm.

 

 

On Sunday mornings when my husband and I sit down to read the paper {well he reads, I get to cut out coupons, what a deal ;) we take the opportunity again to learn about food and categories. I let the boys, age 5 and 6 cut out things that we 'need' at the store and then put them in their proper categories; dairy, meat, vegetables, fruit, and junk food. This provides another opportunity to talk about healthy food choices and why certain foods are in each category. The boys love this because they are helping mommy with the house hold chores and I love it that it is Fun Learning. 

 

 

When the kids run out of  food to cut out they have fun cutting out toys that they think each other would like or a lawn mower or tent for daddy and curtains and pots and pans for mommy (when did I start wanting those things over clothes and jewelry? sighhhh)

 

 

Now, if only I could actually read the paper and finish my cup of coffee before noon. Someday.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes we save the pictures they clip out and the next day we use glue sticks to make an alphabet book. The kids write each letter of the alphabet on pieces of paper and glue the pictures onto the correct page depending on the letter they start with. 

 

 

Not only is this a free project but it keeps them busy for like 30 whole minutes!

 

 

What we've learned:

Organizing

Letters and Sounds

Fine Motor Skills

Nutrition & Food Groups

How things Grow

Money/Math

Teamwork

Our Family Summer Get Away's

Fossil Creek, Az. ~ between Camp Verde and Strawberry

June picnic

Natural Spring creek

Nolan, Jack, Britton and Mona Claire
Perfect shady spot for a picnic.

Daddy and brave little baby Mona enjoying the cool rushing waters

Britton saving Jack from sliding down a little water fall..... again.

Flagstaff, Arizona

just me and my sweetie

APS annual Softball Tourny

We took a hike on a gorgeous trail to Bismark Lake

Pine Trees and Beautiful Aspens and the ground was covered in Ferns and wild flowers.

Wild Flowers. Humphrey's Peak in the background.

I could have stayed here all day long listening to the wind blow through the Aspens



APS softball tourny

Yeah, I actually hit it.

Show Low, Az.

Grandma and Grandpa Wilson's Home

4th of July


Thanks again for having us Grandpa and Grandma! We had so much fun!!

xoxo

I loved sitting on the porch sipping my coffee in the cool morning air while watching

 the cattle and horses.

Riding the ATV's in Granpa and Grandma's back yard.

Riding in Grandpa's boat on Fool's Hollow Lake is the highlight of the trip for the boys.

Captain Jack

Captain Nolan

Hiking

If you take your eyes of Jack he finds his way up the nearest rock as quick as a mountain goat.

Trying to give mommy a heart attack.

Daddy 'rescuing' Jack once again much to his dismay.

S'more Time!

Chocolate Baby Kisses.

Feeding the donkey and miniature horses next to Grandpa's house.

Playing horse shoes.

Until Mona stole the stake......

my chauffeur