Kids at Play

This face was terrifying Callen today. He finally explained that this was her biting face. She has bitten him in the past!


We'd had our preschool co-op at our house and the elephant tent was still out.


Look closely at Brynna's halo of hair inside the elephant tent.

My Husband is IT!

What's his name? Paul Scott Flack (Pablo--because he speaks Spanish fluently after a mission in Argentina and a Spanish major B.A.)
How long have you been together? Married for 16 years. I know you're all impressed.
How long did you date? 2 months pre-engagement and 4 months post-engagement. Shocking, I know!
How old is he? 38
Who eats more? Waah! Me, at least at a single sitting. The guy can put away beverages though!
Who said I love you first? He did.
Who is taller? Paul
Who sings better? We like to sing together.
Who is smarter? We are intellectual equals but we each have our own strengths. I am better at numbers and names. He is better at computers and problem-solving.
Whose temper is worse? We almost never have a fight. But his temper seems worse on the surface. Mine boils underneath and I can hold a grudge longer.
Who does the laundry? Me, I am VERY picky and he can't remember all the rules.
Who does the dishes? He most often loads and unloads the dishwasher. I wash the pots and pans and miscellaneous by hand and finish cleaning the kitchen.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Paul so he can get up with the kids if they wake during the night. Awesome, I know!
Who pays the bills? Me although he has had his turns too.
Who mows the lawn? Paul and/or the older boys.
Who cooks dinner? Lately Paul, because I've been at work. But I usually do when I am home.
Who drives when you are together? Paul--that way I can nap better.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Paul admits it to himself but often forgets to tell me about it. I am never wrong, so. . .
Whose parents do you see the most? Mine currently because of location. His come out to visit a few times a year though.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me, but I held his hand first.
Who asked who out? He asked me out, but since my roommate was mad in love with him I said I'd get back to him. Then a couple of weeks later I told him he could ask me out again. Oops, he was kind of dating someone else since I'd said "no." But a couple of weeks later, he called and asked me out and I said yes!
Who proposed? He did.
Who is more sensitive? We're both pretty sensitive. Me about girl stuff and him about me and people in general.
Who has more friends? Me. He'd rather read a book than meet new people. (Private joke!)
Who wears the pants in the family? Equal partnership here--which means he graciously acquiesces to me on most things.

If you read this post, consider yourself Tagged. I'll be checking your blog.

Ready for Church

Our church doesn't start until 11 am (although we usually have choir at 10:20). You'd think we could be on time with all morning to get ready. But somehow we almost never are. It's always a last minute rush to comb Ry and Callen's hair and do something with Brynna's. (I need some training in this little girl hair fixing thing!) One of the big boys is always showering last minute and yelling about the cold water. Not to mention finding missing shoes, belts, and ties. And of course last minute touches to my hair and makeup! When we finally go, someone is usually crying and several others are feeling ornery. You'd never know it looking at the picture above.

Happy Birthday to Me

Last week I turned 36 years old. Not a very eventful birthday, but there is something sad about entering the second half of my thirties. At least I don't look anywhere near as old as I am. . . Right? All claims of how young I look are welcome.

Paul's parents left the morning of my birthday, but his Mom made a German Chocolate cake for me the night before. I always requested German Chocolate cake for my birthday growing up. I had a nice birthday dinner and party with my husband and kids. Then Paul and I went to see Stardust. What a great movie! The next day, Mom took me, B and C to Bajio Grill for lunch. Very tasty!

Happy Birthday to all the other September birthdays including--Pam (9/6), Avie (10 on 9/8), Grandpa Cottam (9/8), and Tim (12 on 9/30)!

Hey You, Good Job!

I was cleaning the rotisserie oven at work one day when a little boy went by being pushed in a shopping cart. He looked at me, smiled, and very sincerely said, "You're doing a good job!" Kudos to his parents for obviously praising him for all of his good efforts.

I was thinking how nice it was to hear that "Good job!" We usually only notice when people do something wrong. How much nicer would it be if we paid the majority of attention to what everyone is doing right--especially at home. "Hey, thanks for putting your back pack away." "Great job making dinner, Dad." "Way to brush those teeth!" I know when someone notices the things I do right it makes me want to do even better. Criticism just makes me wonder why I bother trying in the first place.

When Did My Little Boy Grow Up?

Ry guy got out his wallet yesterday and laid his entire fortune out on the table. It consisted entirely of coins. He had a little over $5. Not enough to buy the thing he wanted for $20. Sambo and Big Al have been working all summer and pulling in the "big bucks." He wanted to know how he could earn some money. I told him he had $5 in allowance coming--that made $10. He asked his dad who jokingly said,"Well you could mow the lawn." Next thing I knew, the garage door had gone up and my 9-yr-old was trying to start the mower. Long story short, after dad started the mower and supervised the action, Ryan mowed the entire lawn! Granted we have a smallish yard but I was so impressed with his persistence. He got the remaining $10 he needed.

"I want my two dollars!"

Recognize the reference? I am going back to throwing newspapers in the early AM. I need to make extra money but I hate being away from my kids after school. Maybe I'm crazy but I like the idea that my kids won't even know I was gone. Years ago, I had a couple of routes and for a while shared some with Janan and Mike. I began to supervisor routes as a district manager. When I became pregant with Ryan and started throwing up, being up at 2:30 AM did not seem doable anymore and so I resigned. For years after, just seeing bagged newspapers in driveways would make me queasy.

This week I'll be riding along for a couple days with the person whose 3 routes I'll be taking over in a month or two when she moves. Next week I'll be substituting on one of her routes while she is out of town. Hopefully, when it is my turn to take over I'll have a good idea of what I am getting myself into! She spends about 3 hours a morning delivering papers and makes almost $2000 a month. This seems totally worth it to me.

Am I insane? What have you done to make money while still being able to be home with your kids?

I Belong to Rome

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

I really wish I had found a way to go when Janan was still in Italy!