We Made it!!!!!..........

We made it.......all the way ...........to ..........HAYS........50 miles!........without........you guessed it.........having to stop for POTTY!!!:):)  Of course this could have contributed......

 We ate some comfort food...Chinese at the mall.

 1st thing on my list Monday Morning is to make an eye doctor apt. for Iley!  Everything she does is about this close.  She's facinated with Thatchers glasses.  She puts them on and looks all around.????  When she's looking at the Ipad she always tips her head down and looks out of the top of her eyes??  Anyone have any insight here?

 This child is SO Messy when she eats!!!  Oh my word!  She had food all the way down the front of her.  We left a pile of rice on the floor when we left.  I felt like we should leave a tip just for having to clean up after us.

 Look at the grease and the piece of rice hanging off her hand.....and the leftovers on her face.

One hand with the fork is never fast enough........she has to help it in with the other hand.

 Too far away from the table.....lets get it up here where we can shovel.

She will not eat carbs unless they come in the form of rice or noodles......or a bite of "our" sandwich.  We ordered fried wantons by mistake......meant to get crab ragoons.....she would hand them to me to crack open, then slurp the wanton out...leaving a pile of the fried stuff on the table.  She would eat 4 hot dogs plain if we'd let her, and probably 10 little smokies......and yes grandma.......I said "IF" we'd let her!.....we don't.

Harrison and Sherman look so sunburnt and tired in these pictures.  They'd been swimming all day, and spent the night with a friend.

 Wren is forever SMOOCHING someone!  You have to be really good at dodging to avoid these.  But if you do....she takes it personal....so we mostly let her smooch.  Sometimes we do have to say ok...that's enough.  Especially when you are trying to carry on a conversation with someone....makes it a little difficult to make eye contact.

Here's Iley.....close up to her subject as usual...now notice her left hand.....picking.......

 Gotta get a better angle.......

 a little closer........never losing sight of her ipad........

 I think I better get a good look........

 See MOM!!!....it is a pretty crusty little foot!

HEY what's wrong with this thing.........

 ???????????..........she had run the batteries out:)

I used to have a pretty arrangement on this table........long ago in the days of ore.......Now it is a perfect height for all manner of play.  Wren brought all these waffle barn pieces down from upstairs, but couldn't quite get them together..... except flat.......

 Then she swept them???

 Here....let me help.......

 Now the doll is serving up some food.

She loves her big brothers!........and their phones!

Iley was intent on her cooking, and bagging and arranging everything in little bowls.

 LOVE that little lip sticking out:) she was peacefully minding her own business....just playing...........

 When BANG........Ash smacked the table!..........She loves noise!  She cackled away:)

Well as you know......we never stay with one activity for too long.....sooo ...moving on to the pool.....These two froze out, and perched on Ash....who hadn't yet been persuaded to get in........yet.......

 He's signing Ouch.....or Hurt.........

 checking it out......careful....it's serious........

 oooooohhhh.......

 Wren is carefully positioning Iley's knee for the picture!LOL

 I love this picture:)

Wren swims with all swimmers.....until she is a shivering goosebumped icicle.

 Do I really want to do this???

Come here.....Thatch will hold you.....

 OUCH!!!!!!!!!  While he's got his hands up.......... unawares....Wren sneaks up underneath and grabs his side....she needs her fingernails trimmed I guess???? hee hee Sorry!!!

 AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  This is a typical screech first...talk later example!......  Use your words please!

 She talked big sis into jumping with her.........she is rather persistent..and being a cute little cricket don't hurt your pursuasive powers.

Continuing.....

Ok...so for the family members interested in more pictures of Ash and the girls eating lunch together.....

 I don't know if you can tell, but Wren has on a sequin dress~up dress on, and Iley has on a mermaid dress, I thought the contrast between their "princess get up" and Ash's work wear, was a bit Beauty and the Beastish:)

Iley's like..mom why are you focused down there?  We're up here! She's trying to get in the picture!LOL

 Pure orneriness!!!

 Ash caught Iley stealing his chips!  She thought it was HILARIOUS!!

I was happy to give up my spot between the two for a meal!!  I sat clear at the other end of the table, and ate my whole lunch without being touched ONCE:)  Usually the whole meal consists of a tap from one side, then the other grabbing my arm just as I"m trying to get a forkful to my mouth.....then the other one slimes my arm........you get the idea....

A couple of pictures from the Pool yesterday.  We had to drag them out so we could go home and get ready to go to another baptising!  That makes 6 they've witnessed so far!  CRAZY!.....In a good way:) but I do wonder what they think!

 Munching crackers perched like frogs on their lily pads.

 Headed to the car.

And a few random pictures from this morning.  Iley's head band lasted about 15 minutes!  Wren kept hers on because it kept the hair out of her face.  We had to move around to the North side of the house cause the wind was crazy! I don't really like it worn this low on the forhead, but Wren's head is so flat on the back that it just pops off if I try to move it back.

 Now it's Thatcher's turn to have the lap ornaments.

Breakfast....looks just like supper for Wren.  She doesn't eat cold cereal, or bread, or anything very sweet.....except for suckers.  She's having a hamburger-veggie-ramen noodle casserole.  She loves sausage, and meats.  She'll eat eggs if I serve them to her first....then give her sausage when she's done.  She'll only eat oranges if she's REALLY hungry....so sometimes while we are waiting on a meal I give them bananas or oranges or apples..it's the only time they'll eat them.

 YAY!!! We have one cold cereal eater:):)  She'll eat oatmeal, bread, sweets, and meat.....sometimes.  She turned up her picky little nose at the Chicken and rice casserole we had for dinner yesterday and would only eat the bread and a few green beans.........when she was really hungry about 3:30...she wasn't thrilled to see the same bowl of casserole...that she thought she had successfully avoided..show up again......but she ate it when she realized that was her only "snack" option.  

 They were supposedly brushing their teeth......but must have got done and moved on to just playing in the water while mom was distracted.

 This is the crazy little water drop dude that Iley spied at the orphanage visit and reached for.  The director, Ms. Zhong gave it to her and told her she could keep it.  Our guide said it came from a clean water expo. that promoted clean water.  We think it's a water drop????  Anyway it was a real life saver a few times on the bus rides with this wild child in China.  She still likes it, but doesn't cling to it like she did there.  It went everywhere with us.

 Just posing silly for the camera.......I think she's even signing silly........it's this hand shape in front of your nose, and shakes.

 Wren loves playing this guitar.  She must have seen someone play before because the first time she saw this, she picked it up and immediately knew what to do with it.....notice fuss face in the background getting ready to screach........cause she wants it too.

 See....told ya.

So Wren shared with her.....once she had held it for like 5 seconds.....she was done with it!

 Iley had to get down on the floor and get in the picture with Wren.

 WHY??? out of a 50/50 chance.....do they get them on the wrong feet 75% of the time???  Doesn't this feel weird to them???   Look.....Wrens big toe is sticking out one of the holes on each side!

 Babba is keeping them entertained so I can slip out and take a walk.......ALONE......blissfully, ALONE....with out two shadows following my EVERY footstep....ALL. DAY. LONG.  Sometimes happily......and that's ok.......sometimes fussing with every step.....and that makes me NUTS!  I am finding out all the ugly in me.....all the selfishness.......just how EASY my life was!  BUT........I wouldnt' trade them for that peaceful existence.  Life is so much crazier cuter now:)

 Hippie mama:)

Putting her Monkeys to bed.

Ash stopped by and ate lunch with us.  I tried to load more pics of this event.....but it's giving me fits, so this is it.

This is the face I see......more than I'd like!  This is the I can't get the door open, or Come see what I'm doing......Can we just add a smile here!!!

That's all folks.

This is BIG

I read this post, and felt such a connection to this lady.  I could have written this post......I'm sure I've thought the things she wrote........felt the guilt, and remorse......wished I could have done it better.  Does our heavenly father shake his head in dispair? and say to himself....  "They didn't see me.........again. 

http://www.nohandsbutours.com/2012/06/03/recalculate/