my, what pretty teeth you HAD...

Some might think I showcase one child above the others.
Although I am possibly guilty of this, I have good reason...
Here is a picture I posted of Cameron awhile back (see here)...

and here is one of Reagan from a previous post (see here)...

and because I no longer want to be accused of being unjust, here is Wesley (as of yesterday)...

I don't ask how it happened anymore,
I just tell them to hurry and find it and bring me a glass of milk!!!
What have I done to deserve these boys???
and why don't I have dental insurance??

I'm glad they are mine :)

pictures from vacation, stories from home...

Sometimes I really like my boys.
Yesterday when they arrived home from school, one at a time (not together as instructed), they came into my room to tell me about their day. Before long all four of them were in there fighting to tell me something about what they did at school (and believe me, they were digging deep to try to find something to say).

Getting somewhat irritated, Cameron says to Wesley,
"At your current state of behavior, you will never get married. (pause) But you will change, (another thoughtful pause) when you hit puberty."
To which Wesley quickly responds, "I'm never getting married!" then glancing at me he adds, "until you die mom. But when I am 19 I can go on a mission and then I can finally watch pg-13!"

The same same sweet and saucy Wesley told me this morning that it was ok if I didn't get his room clean today, he would help me when he got home. I have been telling him since Tuesday that I would clean his room while he was at school since Chase and his cousin destroyed it!!
Wesley's cuteness and Chase yelling from the scary room, where he was playing this morning, "mom, is it the red ants or the black ants that are mean?" is the reason I have moved it to the top of my list today - or at least around the top somewhere! maybe after lunch...

spit, spat, spew...

Cameron was given the assignment, by his teacher, to write a one page report on
"why spitting isn't appropriate".
I told him he better make it three!
Be ready to be educated, cause here is his report...

"Spitting isn't approprite because it can cause desise and give germs. It's just a desise spreader. It can get you fired, kicked out of a movie and it can get on anything and spread. Knowone wants to be spat on cause it's gross and discusting. Don't spit on the ground because somebody could step on it and have to clean their shoe or sock. It can cause mold witch is discusting and its just rude to spit on someone. You could get sent to the princeapals office, expelled, suspended or have to clean the lunch room. Bullies will sometimes spit on you so if they do tell a teacher or parent or any other adult you trust. So don't spit its just plain wrong. When you spit it can cause blindness sometimes. When you talk try not to spit. You can get in trouble if you spit some drugs on someone. You could spit at people and nowone wants drugs or spit on them so don't spit. But if you have to spit do it in the sink then clean the sink and don't spit on your hands then rub them it's just plain gross. Don't spit anywere except the sink and don't drink other peoples spit. Swallow your spit if you have to or if theres no sink around. If you spit on other people they might not like you. Don't spit on anything to clean it. You can spit in the road if you have to. Don't spit on people because it's not polite. If someone is spitting on you or your friends tell them to stop and it's just mean. If your sick don't go to school or if you have to spit and theres no sink around spit in a garbige can and please don't spit on people because it's just mean/rude."

lucky hour 7...

Cameron wanted a "7 hour party" for his birthday!
and somehow, he got just what he wanted?
We did a joint party for him and his best friend Robert -
it started here with some games (not party games, xbox games! - they are 12 after all)
then we took all 15 kids to Panda (where the 4 adults sat on the other side of the restaurant, pretending not to know who those wild kids were)
once the food arrived, there was a brief period of quietness
(which very well could have been my favorite part of the party)
After they finished off lots and lots of orange chicken, we packed back in the cars and went ice skating! A few of the boys had never been ice skating before - most of the boys had no idea how to tie shoelaces tight and all of the boys had a good time (and hopefully, so did Katie - the only girl - the younger, smaller girl who beat almost all the boys in arm wrestling - including mine! GO Katie!!)



Once blisters were properly formed, we took the kids to Artic Circle for an ice cream cone - until the 7 hour bell rang and they were all taken home!!

All but Robert, who stayed the night! In the morning we went to Kneaders for a birthday breakfast!

At church on Sunday Cameron was able to receive the Aaronic priesthood -
he was lucky enough to have both of his Grandpa's there, along with other friends and family that he loves, to support him!

Happy Birthday Bug! I love you and am proud of you! xoxo

miller (family) time...

We went back to Wheeler Farm, but this time with some Arizona cousins!!! Wesley and Chase were so excited to spend every minute possible with Braden and Grace while they were here! They played so good together the whole trip - Wesley was even nice enough to show Braden some of his best tricks (I hope his dad can appreciate his new burping skills)!Chase loved hanging out with cute little Grace - he has asked about her nonstop since they left!Annie was a good sport about going out in our heat (which is nothing compared to her heat) - she was also a good sport about climbing the tree, so she could take a picture of me and Cameron at a more flattering angle - it is not nice to make someone who is about to have a baby climb a tree, but it is somewhat entertaining - thanks Annie!!I decided I better have Cameron be the next kid to take a picture with before he is home much longer! 4 weeks is a long time to hang out with your 11 year old (and I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual)! So, once again I am grateful to have this picture...to be able to see his curious eyes rather than the rolling ones that pass me as he walks by
to see his sweet smile rather than his smart mouth
to see how much he loves being loved by me
to see how much respect and kindness he deserves
to see what a good kid he is becoming as he grows up so fast...I can see all that every time I look at these!

he takes after his mom...

Cameron received the climbing higher award at school yesterday!
He was excited to be the first one in his class to get the award this year.It reminded me of a time when Bill and I taught a youth class in church with the naughtiest 13 year olds I have ever met (I think my mom called it karma). We talked with the Bishop about how to get some control in the class - having the parents and Bishop attend class didn't work - and he suggested giving one of the leaders of the pack some responsibility. The "leader" was made class president and I think we had better behavior for at least two weeks! Cameron has an awesome teacher this year (who apparently knows the same tricks) and I hope Cameron will be able to live up to his call these next few weeks! He might have to quit sneaking out of his room to play x-box during the night to keep up his "outstanding energy" and I really hope I didn't ruin his "creativity" a couple days ago, when I informed him that he is not allowed to draw smiley faces all over his arms and legs during class!

On a more serious note - Cameron has been off to a much better start this year than last. He is the smartest thing and I am hoping this is the year that he applies himself and sees his potential! We are proud of you bug! Now will you bottle up some of that energy for when you get home so you can clean your room! xoxo mom

no peanuts roasting on the rainbow fire...

with yesterday being
National S'mores Day
I was reminded of these giant marshmallows I found while driving
around forever with a friend looking for some kind of grocery store
any kind of grocery store

anywhere
We finally stumbled across some sort of Mexican food store.
While in there, I spotted the biggest marshmallows I have ever seen
(and yet, they didn't have one peanut m&m in the whole store!!)

we roasted them that night!they were gross! and super sticky! another friend gave me a thing that you throw in your fire pit and it makes colors in the fire - the kids loved it!
All of this reminded me that I haven't posted much of the excitement that has been happening in our busy lives lately! Like, the first day of school a few weeks ago...the boys were excited (and tired) starting their first day!
I will do a whole "I miss Wesley" post when life calms down a bit!I hope these aren't a sign of what kind of school year we are going to have
(because they were the best ones I got - yikes).
They were SO excited to come home everyday!
why? you ask...the dogs were back!!!(and "Kristin", of course)but this is making me miss Wesley again - he is just so cute!
SO, that is about one-tenth of the catching up I need to do
(can you tell Chase is missing the boys when they are ALL gone all day - guess what he wants to do all day? not watch TV, that is for sure!)

workin 4 to 9....

some of you might remember awhile back when Cameron did this...being the overly nice mom that I am, I didn't tell you how it happened -
now I will.
Cameron was trying to dunk his brother Reagan underwater at the pool.
Reagan moved quickly and Cameron hit the bottom.
Apparently, Cameron has remembered this and decided to get his revenge
on his little brother yesterday...with a flashlight! While Reagan awaits his dentist appointment,
Cameron has been hired as the newest (and only) member of my home business
"clean till you dream"
until he has paid off his brothers new tooth!
*No need to worry about poor Cameron - I will let him do his homework during his breaks!

3 week summer - HERE WE COME...

The last day of school is here and another year has flown by! I can't believe how young and cute they were going into 3rd and 5th grade!
They have grown up in so many ways!!He was so excited to start kindergarten and has loved every minute of it!
He is equally excited to be in first grade and get to stay at school ALL day (what am I going to do without my buddy in the afternoon - STOP - I am going to start crying before summer starts!)! Apparently I am more concerned about what they look like before they leave the house at the beginning of the year! Wesley's teacher even noticed that he is doing his hair all by himself - I told her not to judge by his last two weeks of school - it's SUMMER!!!!

w.t.

today is wacky tacky day at the boys school!
It is the perfect day for our family. I just told the boys they could pick out their own clothes, do their own hair and be themselves! They should be set! I could have been the parent that made up such a day - their are so many reasons it's great...
*finally a chance to use the 2 right-foot rain boots we bought and never got around to returning
*holes in your pants - perfect
*don't have to worry about misbehaved children (they are just being wacky)
*wearing the same shirt as yesterday (trying out tacky)
*it is much easier to find to separate shoes than a matching pair
*no need to wash your jacket, just wear it inside out

I think wacky tacky day should be every Friday!
(Cameron thinks it should be on Thursday - like yesterday, when he thought it was WT {interesting initials} day and came to school dressed appropriately, miss-matched shoes and all - sadly, no one even noticed!)

represented...

It was a blazing 52 degrees on Sunday and spring was in the air.
The kids all ended up with shorts on (which might have something to do with me being a little behind on the laundry) and they were out on the tramp with a box of popsicles! Which means we are that much closer to summer -
which makes me happy - so happy!! They just seem like better kids when they are outside they are nicer and more united - you could even say brotherlythe dirty mismatched outfits are more accepted outside,
it just looks like a fun day and not a neglected child oh, he is sweet!!
(he is practising his ballerina moves here - I think these girls are rubbing off on him)
and speaking of favorite sweet kids - I was noticing my labels don't quite add up - a certain child has quite a few more posts under his belt than say another middle child. To even things out, I need to make sure ALL kids are represented, so they can ALL be tagged - So...here is Cameron enjoying his popsicle Reagan with his best smile and Wesley in the center of it all, AGAIN!
Now I feel better!

where oh where...

Cameron came up the stairs yesterday morning and I immediately said, "go back down and brush your teeth". Cameron is pretty easy to read - when he has been downstairs goofing off, instead of getting ready for school, he comes up with this certain smile. About 5 minutes later he comes up again - again with said goofy smile - again, I tell him to go brush his teeth! About 5 minutes later he comes trotting up the stairs, grinning away. (You know, some people are worried about the dating years - I can't wait! I am so excited for the day when he likes a girl and hygiene will actually become a priority for him!) This time I say, "Cameron, I can smell your breath from here - GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH!". His response?
"Sometimes in the morning I get mucus that runs down my throat and makes me spit. Sometimes the mucus hits my uvula and makes me throw-up, and that makes me teeth stink. That happened this morning."
What I want to know is, where is this kid headed? Is he going to become a stereotypical used-car salesman or is actually going to do something with his lying creative imagination???

put up your dukes...

I use to have a poodle named Muffin.
Cameron reminds me of Muffin.
Muffin was not afraid of any other dogs. If a big German Shepherd came by, Muffin would bark and bark and let the shepherd know who was boss.
When Cameron was in 3rd grade he got in-school suspension for fighting for a 5th grader - he claimed to be sticking up for a friend - he wasn't scared (even though he came home with a bloody lip - which is the ONLY reason I even found out about it!).
Yesterday my friend called to see what Cameron had to say about his walk home. The answer, like always, was NOTHING. (Cameron has learned to never tattle - it has never worked to his advantage!). I called Cameron in to have him tell me about his walk home from school.
Me - how was your walk home?
C - (smiling - he always smiles when he is going to lie) well, there was this one kid who was swearing - he even said the "f" word (which Cameron now knows isn't "fart" - how sad!)
Me - did you get into a fight?
C - well, ya, kinda
Me - what kind of fight?
C - (showing me his best punching moves)
Me - (trying hard to not laugh) did you get hurt?
C - well, it is kinda hard to hurt me. I drink lots of milk.
Me - (really close to loosing the laughing battle) did you hurt him?
C - I don't think he is going to admit that.

Time to take a little break in the conversation. Cameron was 4 pounds when he was born - he is totally proud of this. He is now in 5th grade and weighs 66 pounds (soaking wet) and he is proud of this as well. Here he is displaying his muscles...We talked a little more about this brat kid and apparently he has been bullying the kids on the way home for a little while now (he also enjoys decorating the fences with a sharpie and some choice words). I explained to Cameron that hitting wasn't any better than swearing - Cameron is sticking to his story (without a smile) that he was defending himself! I believe him. This is were Reagan (who out weighs Cameron by about 10 pounds) quickly hops into the conversation saying, "Cameron didn't defend me last week" when this same juvenile delinquent young man was "white washing" him (in case you are like me and don't know what "white washing" means...it is when someone tackles you and rubs your face into the snow)!I told Cameron that I was proud that he was sticking up for himself (because that is how I was raised - right dad - or did I get that wrong too??) and reminded him that you can use your words instead of your fists in most situations and YOU BETTER STICK UP FOR YOUR BROTHER NEXT TIME and...you might want to start doing a few push-ups before you go to bed each night!