I am moving......

You can now find me at Blooming Mom of Many  
I hope to see you there!

An Ode to my Blog....

Oh precious blog, how I have loved you so!
You have been there for me through thick and thin.
And, when you needed me most, we went on summer vacation.
I will return to you soon, and refresh you with vivid color and relative content.
Soon, my precious blog, we will meet again soon.

End of the year over load!

It is the end of a busy time of year for us... There is so much going on it is hard to keep it all straight. The boys are finishing up baseball, Olyvia is almost done with Daisy Girl Scouts and will be bridging soon, school projects and tests are coming to an end, birthdays are upon us and of course there are a myriad of graduation parties to attend. Sadly, in the midst of life with 5 active children, my blogging tends to get over looked! I will be back and reporting on life in the land of Kyte's in about a week - don't forget to come back and see me then!

Little Cowgirl

We celebrated Lyvie's birthday last weekend at a sweet little farm. She is in love with horses! She has horse books, horse figurines, an American Girl horse for her dolls, and oodles of horse dresses and T-shirts! This year she decided to have a horse party. It was an absolute blast! Here is a little slide show of our galloping good time!

Happy Mother's Day!

There are several versions of this story floating around but they are all GREAT!!!!
Happy Mother's Day!


POSITION: Mom, Mama, Mother, Mommy

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: For the rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for

life if you play your cards right.

What Really Matters

Hello All! I am so sorry I have been gone so long! Things have been busy (life with 5 kids can be crazy - shocking, I know!) but I really wouldn't have it any other way! We have been busy with baseball, Baseball and BASEBALL!!!! I will try to share some pictures soon!

Yesterday we had a yard sale. I am really trying to downsize and rid my mind and my household of cutter! We cleaned out every cupboard, cabinet and shelf in the house and were able to come up with a driveway full of odds and ends- I couldn't believe it! We had so much STUFF! I had stuff that I had never used. I had stuff I couldn't identify (strawberry huller? tomato seeder? orange peeler?). I had stuff that we hadn't used in years. I had stuff to hold other stuff. I had stuff that was practical but just too much of it - like 4 13 X 9" pans and 10,000,000,000,000 cookie cutters, seriously, I am only exaggerating a little bit! It felt good to purge. It felt great to donate the rest. It feels FABULOUS to focus on what is really important.....

Like this! That is my nephew's foot. I LOVE that foot! There is no amount of "stuff" that could ever make me happier or my heart more content!

Mr. GQ

My middle son is quite a unique little guy. He has always had a flair for hair and I don't see it changing anytime soon. He has been sportin' a shaggy do for a while now and he finally decided to get it cut last week....

What do you think? 

Who does he look like?

 

before

 

after

Oh my goodness - what heartache that boy will bring!

Our Trip to San Francisco

                     We had a FABULOUS time in San Francisco last week!

1st - we went to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. It was AMAZING!!!!! We all tried new foods. We bought some fabulous carrots and leeks. We fed the birds and even caught a glimpse of an otter! If you live anywhere near San Francisco I HIGHLY recommend this farmers market!


2nd - we went to the Golden Gate bridge. I have been to San Francisco more times than I can count and had never been over the bridge before. It was really cool and the kids thought it was "freakin' awesome". There was no place to park at the vista point so we just drove back across the bridge back to the city but it was a great experience none the less!

3rd - we went to Golden Gate park. We played by the CA Academy of Science for a long time. We tried to fly a kite but the wind won and the kite broke :( Wesley kept up a great attitude and decided to roll down the hill instead - a good time was had by all! There was also some bubble blowing and a ton of running and laughing!

4th - we walked on over to the children's park area and rode the carousel and played on the playground for hours! The kids had a blast riding down the slide. Tyler and Wesley made some new friends and Olyvia did a great job being the big sister and leading the twins all over the play equipment.  I think we spent about 3 hours there before we decided it was time to head back to the car and get dinner.

5th - I am going to be brief here.....we got to the van exhausted from our long outing....Bryan says "Do you have the keys?" and I reply "Huh?"... then a certain  "OH &$@!" look washes across Bryan's face...He leaves to find the keys....we wait...and wait...and wait....we get tired of waiting and decide to go look for him...he comes back empty handed...we start looking....a cute little foreign boy comes to the rescue with this statement "Are you looking for key of car?" ... we exclaim YES! and he hands over our keys...crisis averted...prayers answered....hallelujah!

So, missing keys aside it was a fabulous trip to the city and I can't wait to go back again soon!

Joseph Thomas

I am an Auntie again!!!!
Joseph Thomas was born Friday morning April 9th.
He is a big healthy boy weighing in at 8lbs 11oz and 20" long!
I have not been able to hold him yet but we have pictures and I have seen him on skype and he is precious!!!

                    Have you ever seen a more precious baby?????

Happy Easter

"Twin"tertainment

I have a little video to share of a lovely morning I spent with the twins recently.
Yes, we are at Starbucks.
Yes, the girls are in pajamas.

That's how we roll......



Yes, I know she said cookies and not "car keys" like I originally thought she had said :) Hey, I can't translate everything they say right away!

Thursdays....

Today is Thursday. I work in the kids classrooms on Thursdays. I come home and make lunch for the duo and then we play until it is time to go get the big kids from school. We will briefly play at the park and then come home and get homework done before Ty's baseball practice. Dinner will follow and then it will be time to get everyone bathed, jammied up, brush teeth, read and pop kids in to bed. Thursdays are really starting to bum me out! I am not sure how but I need to find some way to jazz up Thursdays. Maybe we can have a special dinner...maybe "brinner"? Maybe a different bedtime routine? Leave it alone??? Any suggestions????

Our Tip Toe through the Tulips

On Saturday our family visited the Dutch Hollow Tulip Farm. It is simply breath taking! Seriously, if you live nearby you MUST get over there soon! We loved every moment we were there but watching our children enjoy the simple beauty of nature was a memory we will treasure forever! Here is a little slide show of our day...

Dinner a la CSA

Last night's dinner was FANTASTIC!!!!

I started with these ingredients from my CSA box

- Spring lettuce
- Arugula
- farm fresh eggs (aren't they pretty?)
- Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Pink Lady apple
- Granny Smith apple
- Meyer lemon
- Kanaka sweet potatoes

And this is what I made...

The Menu
~ apple salad with grapefruit vinaigrette
~ baked sweet potato fries
~ hard boiled farm fresh eggs

The Salad

I used a great recipe for the dressing from Country Living
It was quick and easy and it made a TON of dressing!
*I washed the lettuce and arugula
*I sliced the apples
*I tossed on a few sunflower seeds
*I drizzled on the dressing and voila! Delicious salad!

The Fries

These were so easy it is embarrassing to even post...but I will do it anyway!
*I peeled the potatoes
*I sliced the potatoes
*I tossed them in some olive oil and some garlic seasonings
*I put them on a cookie sheet
*I baked them at 400* for 20 minutes. That's it. Ta Da!

The Eggs

Ok, I know that no one needs me to explain how I boiled eggs BUT I did want to share a pic of my pretty eggs! I can't get enough of these eggs...I think I might need some professional help at some point. I wish I had a better camera to fully capture the beauty of these eggs. The colors are gorgeous inside and out! I am also pretty impressed with my particular presentation of the eggs - half peeled, peppered, and in a cute little ring!

My Plate ...

Every Other Thursday

Every other Thursday is a pretty exciting day around our house. No, the circus is not in town (although you might wonder if it is when you pass by my house), it is MUCH more exciting than that! You see, every other Thursday is our CSA day. I think we might have to rename it CSA day instead of Thursday, it is that awesome! We belong to a wonderful little farm called Z and D Frago FAMILY Farm.  Debra (the "D" of Frago farm) brings our bountiful box and her sweet little kids by and delivers the goods for my family and several others. (If  you are interested in joining please let me know - it is FAB!) While we wait for everyone to come by and get their food the kids play out in the front yard and basically go a little crazy! Today was a beautiful day - 75* and a nice light breeze. The kids got out 2 buckets of sidewalk chalk and created wonderful masterpieces all over the driveway. Please enjoy the all of the works of art from our CSA day.....

 A life sized portrait of Ysabelle

Layla's portrait... I am a little concerned about the severed head by her feet :/

 

The longest hopscotch ever...as far as we know.

 

Some of the bounty delivered today... wait until you see our dinner!

Catch Up!

Where does the time go??? It is hard to keep up, especially when they just up and take an hour away from ya! I have been a slacker with this blog but I am trying to rededicate myself! Here is a brief recap of life in our crazy house!

Lyvie and I went to see the play Annie in February. It was her Christmas present from Bryan and I. We had a GREAT time! We went out for tea and dessert before the play.....

                                                                               

Then we went to our seats

 And after we purchased a magnet...it's just what we do

h

We also joined a CSA and are quite taken with our lovely eggs

 

aren't they beautiful????

And speaking of beautiful, check out the twins!

Raffi

We live in a Raffi house. We have been listening to him since Tyler was born. There is something calming and reassuring about Raffi. He makes me feel safe and happy and loved. The other day I was driving to the grocery store all by myself and I realized I was listening to Raffi with no kids in the car! I left the CD on anyway. There is just something calming and reassuring about Raffi......

For your Raffi 411 click here

To buy your own CD click here

My favorite Raffi Song on youtube

Lent

The Lenten season is upon us again.
(How did that happen, it feels like it was just Christmas!)

Lent is a season of reflection and preparing your heart for the death and resurrection of Christ. Some people sacrifice something to help remember the sacrifice that Christ suffered for us. This year we have decided to add something to help us carry out the cause of Christ, to love. We are accepting every opportunity to show God's love and mercy that arises in our day. It may be small, like opening a door for someone or letting someone go ahead of you in line. It may be something more difficult like forgiving someone that has hurt you. Whatever situation presents itself we will seize, and hopefully be a beacon of the life abundant that Jesus Christ suffered and died to save.

So far I have only been presented with small gestures of kindness but already my heart swells with how great His love is for me.....

Kids in the Kitchen

I have always had my kids help out in the kitchen. I have pictures of all my kids at some point helping me stir, blend and mix. I recently decided to take it to another level with the big kids, thanks to my friend Natalie! We decided that once a week they were going to be in charge of one meal. They can choose breakfast, lunch or dinner. They get to decide what we will have, write a list of ingredients we need from the store, go with me to purchase the ingredients, and follow the recipe. Tyler was the 1st one to accept the challenge. He did a GREAT job!!! He selected a full menu from his Star Wars cookbook .

The Menu

Han Burgers

Dark Side Salsa

Hoth Chocolate

R2D2 dessert

*He learned how to add fractions when we doubled (and tripled) a recipe. 

*He learned how important it is to write your shopping list clearly so that when you get to the store you can get what you need.

*He learned how to use a knife.

*He learned how to chop an onion

*He learned the value of planning and preparation by reading through the whole recipe before diving in to uncharted waters.

It was such a great experience and he was so proud of himself!!!! It was good for the whole family as well. We all tried something new and had a great time with the fun recipes! I strongly encourage you to let your kids help in the kitchen and let them get messy!!! Tyler made a few mistakes but we were able to fix everything and he has more confidence because of it!

Here is Bry and Ty making the Han Burgers

 

Here is Ty with the complete dinner.

Han Burgers & Dark Side Salsa with blue corn chips. YUM!

 

My world class chef with a plate of his masterpiece! 

By the way - the salsa was AWESOME!!!

* upon reviewing the pictures I have noticed my son is wearing the apron of a 3 year old....I guess I better make everyone a new apron before I take anymore pictures :-)

What Does It Take To Bloom?

I am still living life with my "Blooming" mantra. It really is helping but I confess there are days I struggle. Recently a very good friend of mine (love ya Janie!) brought to my attention that there are certain things that must happen in order to bloom. Flowers need to be watered, get sunlight, and be weeded.

Watering - The water keeps the entire flower refreshed and replenished. From the roots to the blossom the water touches every part of the plant. We also need to be refreshed and replenished from root to tip; body, mind and soul. What refreshes you? What replenishes you? I need a little down time to refresh my mind. A little game on Facebook, some mindless tv or some simple chit chat with my hubs is all it takes. To be replenished I need to go to church. I have to physically be there in order to get the desired effects. I need to sing, heard the Word and be fully surrounded by the tangible arms of God. It is a requirement. Without a weekly soaking of God's love I am convinced I would wither away.

Sunlight - The sunlight makes the plant stretch up and stand tall. What gives you a boost? What makes you reach higher? I have been thinking about this quite a bit. Your sunlight needs to be the bright spot of your day. What makes you smile?  I love to cook! It makes me joyous and elated! I love to cook for my family and when they like what I have made it makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. Who wouldn't want to feel all warm and cozy inside??? I can tell when we get busy and I don't have time to cook that I start to feel a little droopy. I need to cook, to feel the sunlight, in order to bloom.

Weeds - The flower can not blossom if it is choked out by weeds. What are weeds? I think weeds can be anything that distracts you and keeps you from blooming. I have many weeds and I need to take the time to tend to my little garden. I need to learn how to say "No." Not necessarily to helping or volunteering, I actually think most of those things are good ideas (in moderation), but to say "No." to people and things that drain the life out of me. Sometimes there are things, events or people that not only do they offer no support or joy but actually drain the life right out of you. I need to get better and shutting these things out of my life so that I am able to fully reach my blossoming potential.

So, I am off to enjoy this beautiful day and bloom where I am planted!