Andy left :(

Well, Andy left for NTC (the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, CA) this weekend. He will be there for 5 weeks doing training before going to Iraq this fall. We were all sad to see him go. I am now a single parent with 5 kids - yikes! I sure wouldn't want to do this permanently. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to being with them all of the time - especially since we homeschool. The hard part is having to put all 5 of them to bed at night. Last night I didn't get them all to sleep until midnight. Not what I had planned. Tonight, I took a drive (to nowhere) at about 8:30 and put Nick out for the night. That seems to have made things much easier. That can't be the answer to my problems though -especially since gas prices are so high right now. I'd be spending lots of money getting him to sleep every night!

I am pretty proud of myself. We went grocery shopping today - Sam's Club AND the Commissary. The kids behaved really well and it went pretty smoothly. They were a big help putting all of the groceries away.

I went ahead and ordered the Hug-a-Hero dolls for the kids (see the entry on my other blog with pics of them). Now they will each have a "Daddy doll" for when Andy deploys - even Tori. They are all very excited about that. I'm sure that they will be taking them everywhere they go.

Well, I need to use my time wisely while Nick is asleep, so I'm off to do some housework while I have the chance...

At the park

Ellie's Volleyball Practice

The Guys

Ellie is back from Horse Camp!!

Here is the plaque that Ellie made while at Horse Camp. She doesn't like it because she isn't smiling in the picture. She says that she had a great time though! She learned to saddle and ride a horse, learned all about horse parts, did Bible studies and memorized verses, did arts and crafts and got to stay in a cabin with a bunch of girls her age. What fun!

Summer Solstice

Yes, this is seemingly a picture of nothing more than our deck (much in need of a coat of paint I might add). The point of this picture is that it was taken on the Summer Solstice and it was well after midnight in this pic. We're living in the "Land of the Midnight Sun". Of course, from here on out the days will start getting shorter and shorter until we het the Winter Solstice and have NO daylight. I think I can deal with the light better than the darkness...

Tori fast asleep...

Tori fell asleep on the couch the other night while we were watching a movie. She was in such a deep sleep - I hated to wake her and put her in the crib. I had to take a picture first though :)

Return of the Big Wheel!

I have fond memories of my brothers' Big Wheels they had when they were kids. They rode those things every single day down the hill in our driveway and around the patio. I think that David's must have been a G.I.Joe one or something similar, because it had something attached to the handlebars (a machine gun?? - help me out here Andrea). Anyway, I haven't seen a Big Wheel for a really long time and I was wanting to get one for Nick. Our friends, the Manns found one the other day at the store and picked it up for Nick :) Wasn't that nice of them? Here he is on his new Big Wheel (although his feet can't quite reach the pedals yet). He still rides it down the hill in our yard (as does Lexie). Isn't it cool??

Thank you Ellie!!

Silhouette of Girl Scouts Hiking Along a Mountain Trail in the Fog
Ellie was gone a few days last week, camping with her girl scout troop. She came back a big mosquito bite :) She had a blast though and got lots of good practice riding her new bike.

This week, she is gone at a Christian horse camp for 6 days. She is so excited - but nervous since she doesn't have much experience with horses. I'm sure she'll be a pro by the end of the week.

She is only 9, but SUCH a big helper. I have always known this, but I realize it even more now that she is gone and I'm home with the four younger ones. I don't have anyone to keep an eye on Nick while I'm doing something else around the house. I will be sure to properly thank her for all of her past help when she gets back :)

Happy Father's Day!

Warm enough for a pool :)

Nick has enjoyed being the pool boy today. It has been a great way of keeping him busy and out of trouble. He has been hanging onto the hose and filling up the pool for a couple of hours now (the water pressure is horrible today).

Just hanging out

Here is Tori, hanging out in her crib :) She is such a joy!!

Flashback to late May

Here are some pictures from late May. Andy's parents were out here visiting - and helping us out :)

Work Around the House

There are still a lot of things we're trying to get done on the house while the weather is nice (and before Andy deploys). One of them is painting the trim to the house. As you can see, the trim was brown, but we've been gradually painting it green. Hopefully we'll get that finished soon!

I have also been wanting to get my greenhouse full of plants - I only have tomatoes, cucumbers, chives, peas, and some flowers in there now. There are lots of empty beds - waiting for seeds or transplants. I was hoping to have finished that before Tori was born, but that didn't happen. We have a really big greenhouse. I just wish I had a green thumb :)

Andy did finish the added fence to the yard and now the kids have a huge area to play in :) I am definitely thankful for that. Now Nick is fenced in - but I still can't seem to keep up with him!

Lexie's New Haircut

Here are some pics of Lexie's recent haircut. It is SO much easier to take care of. Now if only I could talk Kate into something similar. She is headset on growing her bangs out long like Ellie's. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to be able to keep them back in a barrette or ponytail while they are growing out...

LOOOOOONG DAY

Did you ever have one of those days that just wouldn't end? I'm waiting for mine to be over :)
For some reason, last night Tori decided to be awake most of the night (I am hoping that she was just upset over something I ate - onions? chocolate?). I finally got her down for a good sleep at about 5 this morning - just as Nick decided for some very strange reason to wake up - and Andy left for work. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince Nick that he should go back to sleep. He woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to face the day. I wish I could have felt the same!

Ellie is gone at Girl Scout camp, so I don't have her to help me out (and she is a HUGE help). Chasing Nick with a baby in my arms is not an easy thing to do. I managed to get some laundry, dishes, and vacuuming done, but that was the extent of my accomplishments today. Nick didn't even take a nap - what is wrong with that child? Andy came home for dinner,but then headed out to the lake to meet Ellie's troop for an evening of fishing. That leaves me with all of them at bedtime :) Needless to say, they are parked in front of a movie right now because I don't have the energy for anything else. I am hoping for a shower and a good night's rest whenever Andy gets back - I'll settle for the sleep though :)

Ellie is also going to horse camp all of next week and another 8 day long camp in July. I am going to miss her help. She is able to watch Nick for short periods of time so that I can shower, cook dinner, etc. Kate isn't old enough/responsible enough for that yet. Since Andy will be gone in July, I will either be showering in the middle of the night or I will be really stinky!!

Kate's First Sleepover

Kate went on her first sleepover last week. She had so much fun!! My little girl is growing up :)

More Pics from Thumbelina

Yes, some of these girls appear to be in very strange costumes. That is because they had a few different parts in the show. At the end of the show, they put on a piece of each costume to come out for their bows to the audience. That way everyone can see which acts they were in :) The girls really enjoyed the show and hope to be IN next year's production of Candiland.

Sisters

Here is Ellie, proud big sister :)

Thumbelina

I took the girls to go watch "Thumbelina" this week. Their dance school was putting on the production. The girls had wanted to be in the show so badly, but since I was due with the baby right at the same time they were performing (last weekend and this weekend), I decided that it would be too much for me to handle :) I promised them that they could be in next year's show 0 Candiland. Ellie's friend had the lead part as Thumbelina. The girls had a great time :)

Happy 9th Birthday Ellie!!

It's hard to believe that our little girl is 9. It seems like it was just yesterday that she was as small as Victoria.

Here she is with the webkinz she got for her birthday :)

Tori's First Bath

She actually really enjoyed her first bath. She only cried when it was over and she had to be dried off and dressed :)