2013
Mitch: "Why did God design me to suck my thumb and rub my belly button?"
On December 11th, 2013, Dawson's crazy-haired Polish chicken, Verbena, was eaten by a coyote and it of course broke our hearts, especially Dawson. We saw and heard the whole ordeal and it was so sad. He said "I would like everyone to gather up and I will pray. Then we can bury her and we should make popcorn and sit and talk about her good life."
Dawson: "I can't imagine every feeling happy again without Verbena, not even on my birthday."
Dawson, as we were driving by the Milk Bottle restaurant on Garland St. said "If I drank that much milk I'd have a gas bubble that could shake the whole earth!"
2014
Ella: "God says to love everyone, white people, brown people, black people, midgets..." Mitch: "Yeah and dad had a moustache a long time ago and mom still loved him."
2015
Mitch: "a scorpion has pinchers and a stinging tail, why did God make that creature? It's mind bubbling.
Charlie was cheating at thumb wars by using 2 hands and said "I'm not cheating, it's just an upgrade!"
Mitch: "I love Charlie as much as my heart loves God."
Mitch: "Is it a reptile? Or maybe it just needs lotion?"
I had pneumonia in the winter and Dawson came in to lay with me and he prayed for me "God, touch mommy with your righteous and healing hand."
Dawson: "I think your rule that we can't have screen time on weekends should be abolished."
Charlie kept pulling Mitch's pants down and showing his bottom. I said "Charlie, that's not funny" and he said "well it is to me, and many people around the world!"
Mitchy: "Mom, why do you like cute and olden days stuff, you should have more aggressive decorations."
Dawson had a cold and I asked how he was feeling. "Okay, it just feels like a sausage is stuffed in my ear."
Charlie tattle-taled on Dawson and Dawson asked "Charlie, why did you tell on my?!" Charlie said "I had to tell, it was my destiny..."
Mitch: "When I grow up my dream car is a dark blue mini van, and I'm gonna get a bumper sticker of a Rancor."
2016
Mitch was upset and told Dawson "Dawson, you;re the worst brother in the galaxy." Dawson said "really? Like an alien would be a better brother?"
Mitch: "I'm a real man now! I have a wallet and 4 bucks!"
Charlie used to call earth worms "world worms" and flamingoes "ma-flingoes"
Dawson's loose tooth had been hanging on forever, so when he finally announced it had fallen out, I asked "buddy, how did it finally come out?!" He said, "well, I was biting Mitch and then it popped out!"
Charlie: "Mitchy I think people will like you because of your blonde hair." Mitch replied "No, I think people will like me for my personality."
Mitch wasn't feeling good and said "it must be my hormones."
Charlie to me: "That's what I love about you. You don't care about your hair and stuff, you care about mountains and sunsets."
I woke Dawson up in the morning and he said "awww, I was dreaming we were at Disneyland and I was just getting on my favorite ride!"
I was getting ready to go to my volunteer nurse job and Ella asked if I could stay home. I said I would get fired and she said "it's not a matter of IF you get fired, it's when."
We were running late to drop of at NWC and I said "hurry up boys, we don't want to get a tardy slip!" Charlie said "what's bad about a party slip? Sounds kinda fun!"
The twins first year of school away from home was for 1st grade at NWC with Mrs. Donahoe. They quickly befriended a boy named "Plankton" whose real name was Clayton;)
Charlie: "Did they have computers when you were a kids? Were they wooden?"
Mitch" I was wearing a plaid flannel shirt, "Mom, I like when you wear natural shirts."
Dawson: "You know what's sad is that all the naughty stuff we're planning to do when we're older we won't do because we'll know better!"
Dawson: "Mommy, if something happens to you and you have to be in a wheelchair, you'll still look as beautiful to me as you do right now."
Dawson: "I wish I could clone you Mommy so every child could experience you."
Dawson learned about manna in the Bible and asked "Do you think God sent butter and cheese?"
Dawson: "Mom, can you test my maturity level and let me stay up really late and see if I'm crabby in the morning?"
We were at the Bar M Ranch in Oregon and found a couple of frogs and put them in a bucket. After a bit we checked on them and they were mating. "Charlie said, 'oh look, they're having alone time!'"
2017
I was lying sideways on the couch, Dawson was lying by my feet against me and said "I feel like your Jabba and I'm Salacious Crum."
After a long day out I asked the kids "do you guys want to go to Manito Park?" Dawson said "my will to live just decreased by 5%."
We were out to dinner and Dawson asked "would you like a moist towelette for your meat sweats?"
Mitch thought the store "Yuppy Puppy" was "Yummy Puppy" and said "well, if we were in China it would be called that."
Ella: On the highway as we passed a semi said "I HATE logging trucks!" Me: Why do you have against logging trucks?" Ella: "Because it's a huge supply of future homework!"
All four of the kids were homeschooled, but Ella was using Mead bus transportation to get to a Tue/Thur morning class she was taking at Northwood. She was telling the bus driver as they passed town that she was "craving 5 Guys (burgers)" the bus driver said "wow, how do you keep track of all that?!" Ella was confused but as the conversation went on, the bus driver told Ella she thought she had said she was DATING five guys!!
Dawson was frustrated with our no-screens on weekdays rule and at the fact that they have zero electronics. He said "you guys are SO out of touch with the culture!"
8.15.2016
it's show time!
this spring the high school opened up auditions for their play to the jr highers. ella was excited to try-out and after a 3 hour audition, ella was thrilled that she got a call back for the next round of auditions! another 4 hours of auditions and...she was in!! rehearsals began, up to 6 hours after school, until finally, it was show time! i know i may be a little biased, but ella was the shiniest little star up there on that stage! these kids performed in SEVEN shows and I was there in the audience or backstage for every single one. i will never forget watching her on opening night, i was nervous and excited for her, and just beaming with pride watching her perform! i have a feeling the stage will be her happy place. all of these kids worked so hard, and my cheeks hurt from smiling, it was that good! after each show they had a receiving line, and ella was asked to sign autographs and take pictures with some of the children and random grandparents that loved her performance, how cute is that?! so without further ado, i present to you "the music man!"
opening night! ella and abi!
backstage! seeing ella in make-up freaked me out, she is growing up!
6.21.2016
this is how we rock december in the ruff house
6 months ago almost to the day, the world got a whole lot sweeter when aaron & meagan blessed us with a beautiful grand baby, isla ann. what a precious early christmas gift she was! due mid-december, she was following in the footsteps of lots of other little ruffs, joining the family during the holidays. we like to make party animals who come right in the thick of the festivities! so here's a look back on that very special month of december...
so december always starts off with our anniversary, the big 20 for us this year! congratulations to todd for putting up with me that long! i love that i can still make him blush after over 21 years together, and that he still kisses me every morning when he leaves no matter what, and that we miss each other like crazy when we're apart. where i struggle he is strong. he brings the calm, i bring the party. i think this is definitely looking like a long-term thing;) we weren't able to get away on a grand adventure like we imagined we would when we dreamed of this milestone years ago. but we did sneak in a date to luna on a snowy night in january to celebrate. maybe a tropical 2nd honeymoon will come another year...
next on the calendar: ella's birthday! 12 years old and spunky, feisty, and funny as ever. you guys this girl is seriously something else. no one can make me laugh like she can, and i have never met a human on planet earth that tests my patience and sanity like she can. she is the most vibrant, confident, beautiful, crazy, sweet-one-moment-spicy-the-next firecracker.
as ella's birthday rolled around on the 13th, the waiting game for isla was already in full swing....i started sleeping with my phone under my pillow weeks before she was due! she came just a tiny bit late, and on december 18th she made her big debut! it was the last day of school before christmas break, so when aaron texted in the middle of the night that meagan's water broke, we decided to have the kids skip school and holiday parties and make the trek to the west side as fast as we could get ready, hoping to be there by the time she arrived! the kids woke up, heard the news, and were beyond thrilled to meet this much anticipated baby girl! it was such a beautiful drive, spokane didn't really get any snow until the few days before this so as we rolled out of town and the snowflakes began to fly, it just added to the magical of such a special day. i cried when we left, i cried when aaron texted me along the way. i cried a lot of happy tears this day. the snow was gorgeous but also made for a bit of a delay. by "bit" i mean we spent FOUR HOURS waiting to get through the pass. with 4 kids who are full of excited energy, and full bladders, and anxious parents hanging on every text from aaron about labor progress, it felt like an eternity. but we made it to meet isla not long after she made her grand entrance. she was absolutely perfect in every way and meagan was such a natural mama, just like i knew she would be. holding her, and watching everyone that i love holding her was heaven on earth. there are moments in life that just can't be described in words, luckily it's etched in my mind and on my heart forever.
christmas rolled around and we sledded our hearts out on our back yard hill, enjoying scrabble, coffee, every baked good known to man, gifts, movies and snow, snow, snow. the kids and i prayed and prayed for a white christmas and boy did we get it!
and then our dawson turned 9 the next day. my baby boy that just couldn't wait till his january 16th due to be born, but wanted to get in on the excitement by coming early, making his mama spend christmas day in labor. what a little stinker he was. what a joy he is to me now though, still my #1 fan and the most tender-hearted boy you'll ever meet. he's hard on himself, but has a softness to his heart and desires to please. he is so well loved at school, by boys and girls alike. he loves to "hunt" prey in his ghillie suit and knows everything one could possibly know at this age about past wars and the military, yet he loves to cook and bake with me. 2 very different sides of one amazing boy.
well, that wraps up the craziness that is december in this house! photographic evidence below.
ella's birthday celebration: manicures, skating, and red robin with olivia!
on the road and on our way to meet baby isla!
aaron was thee best and sent tons of texts with labor updates. i burst into tears when i saw this picture. couldn't love them more.
it was day time when we approached the pass...
finally on the pass hours later!
the cutest little family!
auntie ella
proud grandpa!
new mama studying her baby
i know this picture is blurry, but it captures meagan's sweet, patient heart. she had just given birth and when ella asked to see isla's toes, she unwrapped her and let her touch her little piggies while chatting away. i wouldn't want anyone else in the world to have babies with aaron.
telling her daddy all about it
uncle charlie
uncle dawson
another visit with auntie ella
uncle mitch
little rosebud lips and more snuggles with todd
what aunts and uncles do these days. the zombie apocalypse
heading home...
santa cruise with the cousins and ninny
candlelight service
sledding with charlie out back!
snow forts
christmas mouse-in-the-house had a ruff night
baking with ninny, they don't call her ninny ninny num-num for nothin'!
delivering caramel corn to the neighbors
more baking
some of the dudes
bonding over WWII facts
mitchy and cousin adam match!
uncle dave trying to keep the kids in the dungeon at aunt suzanne's
christmas eve
christmas morning faces!
snowball fight!
there were a lot of star wars moments that night after watching the movie
our 20th anniversary date
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