More Beach Trip

Our first stop in Oregon was at my parents house in Beaverton. My mom has a variety of wigs that she let the kids try on:)





As soon as we got to the beach house, all of the kids wanted to hit the hot tub:






Jesi Shows off her hair extensions:


Young Bruce Lee:







Tyler and Xander: Separated at birth???

At the tide pools on the Pacific City beach:
Haystack Rock:

Jesi finds a starfish:



Hermit Crab:








Taylor and Parker climbed this HUGE sand dune. Jesi and I did it as well. I was so impressed with little Jess!!!


A tradition on our beach trips is to go crabbing. There is nothing better than fresh dungeness crab!!! We had a huge haul this year, and it's a really fun experience:





My strong and somewhat scary brother, Tyler:



More to come;)

Jer

Water Park

Thanks again to the anonymous angels who gave our family season passes to Seven Peaks Salt Lake! A few days ago we took the whole family and had a BLAST! It took some juggling and some willingness on the part of the older kids to take turns, but we were able to manage all 8 kids:) There was something for everyone. There were tube rides (Jesi's favorite), a wave pool (everyone loved it-Elli and Sophi when there were no waves, everyone else when there were lots of waves!), super-scary drop off slides (everyone above age 8 loved them), and a lazy river (Taylor has always enjoyed these:). What a great gift to our family!!!

Thanks,

Jer

P.S. The next day I couldn't figure out for awhile why my body was so sore...

Non-stop Needs!!!

It's great to be a dad. It's crazy to be a dad of 8! Especially when mom is gone. Today Parker is at Cub Scout Day Camp and Christi went up with him. So I'm at home with the other 7. Last year, if I was home alone with the kids, I could turn on a TV show for them and do whatever I wanted. Catch up on some paperwork. Mow the lawn. Whatever. Even if they didn't want to watch TV, they could pretty much entertain themselves. Not so much anymore!

Now, I must admit, the day started out pretty well. I told Graci last night that if she let me sleep in, I would buy her an app for her iPod touch today. She got up and fed the little kids breakfast, changed Elli's diaper and kept them out of my room. Unfortunately, she didn't think to take them downstairs, so they were all on the opposite side of my bedroom wall on the couch in the living room. Lexi and Xander are particularly loud when they talk. So although I didn't get up until 9:30, it wasn't the best rest I've ever had. I also had to get up at about 6:15 when Lexi, Xander and Sophi woke up. Having them all sleep together in the same room is probably the best situation overall, but as soon as one of them wakes up, all three are awake. And like I said before, Lexi and Xander talk very loudly and Soph let's you know in no uncertain terms when she has needs (which is pretty much all the time!) So at 6:15 I took about 20 minutes to get Sophi changed and to the bathroom, get her some food, and get a TV show on for Xander. I also had to get Lexi's iPod for her. (Huge thanks to our friend who donated an iPod shuffle to Lex. She LOVES it!!!) So, like I said, not a bad start. I went back to bed at 6:45 and slept until 9:30. Once I got up, however, it was just crazy. Days like this definitely help me to empathize more with my sweet wife and all she does for our family!

9:30-I made the decision to be a decent dad today and not just use the TV or the older kids as babysitters.
9:31-I remind Taylor and Graci of their weeding chore for the day and get them working on that.
9:35-I remember that today is the last day for Taylor to finish his Faith in God award, and he has to visit with the Deacon's quorum presidency to get that done. (In our church, 12-13 year old boys receive the Aaronic priesthood and become deacons. They can then pass the sacrament in church and help with other important responsibilities.)
9:35-9:40-I help Taylor to get up the nerve to call the deacon's quorum president and ask if he can come over to talk about the Faith in God award. I really don't understand my boys' ridiculous reticence to call another kid. Even if it's to ask if they can play. "Dad, can you just call, PLEEEEASE!" NO! You've been talking since you were 1 year old. Make a phone call, dude!
9:45-Jesi asks me if she can have a friend over. No, I explain, mommy's not here, so if you want to play, you need to go over there. "But I want to run through the sprinklers here." "Uh, (brain fried from the input I'm receiving from Lexi "Daddy, I want iPod," Sophi, "Waaaah," Graci, "Dad, can you buy the app for me now?") I respond with an "I guess."
9:48-I look up the phone number for Riley. Jesi, who doesn't have the same phone phobia my boys do, calls and invites her friend. She accepts.
9:50-Xander: "Daddy, can I play with Aaron?" Me; "Sure, go next door and ask if he can play."
9:52-Jesi: "Daddy, can I have an ice cream sandwich?"
9:52-Elli: "ICE CREAM SANDWICH!!!!!!!!!!!"
9:53-Me: "Jesi, you can have an ice cream sandwich when your friend comes. Elli, would you like an ice cream sandwich?"
9:54-9:57 I feed Elli an ice cream sandwich.
9:58-Christi calls to check on me. She left at 7:45 and just wants to make sure that Elli has at least been changed by this point.
10:00-Xander comes back and let's me know that Aaron can't play until he gets his chores done.
10:00-I get a phone call from Cole, asking if Parker can play. He won't be home until this afternoon, I explain.
10:00-10:30 - Notice Lexi is still not dressed. I spend 30 minutes trying to help her learn to dress herself. (Remember, I committed to be a good dad today.) Can't believe how difficult it is to teach a blind child how to find the right drawer, fold her jammies, pick out an outfit, figure out if a shirt is short-sleeved or long-sleeved, figure out that the arm hole won't fit over her head... Sophi, by the way, really enjoyed watching me help Lexi. She even tried to help Lex put her shirt on.
10:30-Walk into the kitchen and glance outside. See that Elli decided to leave the house while I was helping Lexi. Elli is sitting in the backyard with nothing but a diaper on, eating dirt.
10:32-Uselessly explain to Elli that eating dirt is not something she should do. Lead her into the house for a bath.
10:34-Come to a locked bathroom door and hear two young girls talking inside. Knock on the door and say "who's in there?" Jesi: "Me and Riley." Me: "What are you doing?" Jesi: "Having a pedicure." Me: "Can I come in?" Jess: "Sure!" So I walk in and Jesi and Riley are sitting on the very small single-sink counter top. The basin is filled with water and both girls have their feet in the sink to soak for the first part of their pedicure." Very cute:)
10:36-Elli has used the bathroom and is in the tub.
10:37-I uselessly ask Elli to stop turning the shower head off and on.
10:38-I have a couple of minutes, so I call Taylor's scout leader to ask about some scout camp details. I'm sure it's hard to understand why I am excited to be able to go up to scout camp for 3 days later this month:)
10:45-I go outside and tell Taylor he needs to stop his yardwork and get ready for his Faith in God appointment.
10:48-I I come back in and Sophi looks up at me, waves her little foot in the general direction of her bottom and says "tinti, tinti!" which means: "I have a stinky diaper and I need you to change it now. I obviously have a comprehension of when I need to soil myself, but I somehow find pleasure in telling you after the fact so that you have to deal with the resulting mess instead of just taking me into the toilet and letting me do it there." Or something like that.
10:54-I wash Elli's hair, get her out of the tub and dress her.
11:02-Lexi asks for an ice cream sandwich. Sophi hears and asks for one also. They both get one.
11:07-11:45 Graci and I go into the computer and work on setting up her iPod. We sync it and make sure she has her playlist together. I tell her she can choose 5 free apps plus one that I will pay for. She takes 15 minutes to pick the first one. I tell her she needs to hurry it up. She asks me to search for "princess," which I do. We find another app. She asks me to search for "girly games." Remarkably, there are a few which come up. One is "Girly meter: femininity scanner." We download it. Graci puts her finger on the screen. It calculates for a minute, then declares her a "girly man." I try, and it says I am a "butch girl." We delete the app.
11:46-Taylor comes back, having finished the requirement. I assign him another requirement to go and do.
11:48-A pest control salesman comes to our door and hits me with a sales pitch I've heard multiple times over the years. Lexi repeatedly disrupts his presentation by trying to hold his hand, extending the misery. I will never get those 10 minutes back. He is the 3rd pest control salesman who has come to our home in the last 16 hours. Not including a family friend who came to visit who also happens to sell pest control.
12:01-Taylor reports on his latest assignment. We discuss it for a few minutes and he goes off with another assignment.
12:09-Xander asks if he can go over to Aaron's again to ask if he can play. "ABSOLUTELY!" I reply. One less body to take care of.
12:12-Sophi starts to scream. I find her and Lexi fighting over the door. Lexi loves to shut doors. Sophi abhors shut doors cuz' there is no way she can open them. I think Lexi finds some devious joy in making Sophi scream. Lexi has also put on Christi's calf-high boots (which come above Lexi's knees), thus creating an imminent danger that Soph will have one of her delicate little toes smashed by Lexi's rather clumsy stomping. I tell Lexi to stop shutting doors.
12:15-Sophi continues to scream at Lexi. I think Sophi finds some devious joy in following Lexi around and finding ways to get irritated by her. Then she screams at Lexi or yells "No, NO, NOOO!" I tell Sophi if she yells no again, she will have a time out.
12:16-Sophi has a time out.
12:18-I let Sophi out of time out.
12:23-Taylor and I have another discussion/assignment to continue his work on his Faith in God.
12:39-I sit down to start blogging about how CRAZY our life is and how much I am appreciating what Christi does on a daily basis.
12:40-Jesi comes in and says "I want lunch!" I tell her I will get it as soon as I am done blogging. Jesi doesn't have a really great sense of personal space requirements. If she doesn't get what she wants, she will often move her face closer and closer to yours until noses touch. With eyes wide and glaring (and 1 inch away) she will repeat her request. She does this now. "I WANT LUNCH." We have a discussion about personal space. She acquiesces and I have about 4 minutes to blog in peace.
12:45-Jesi come in and says "I want lunch." I realize I'm fighting a losing battle. I get up and start working on lunch for 6 kids. (Parker's at camp and Xander's at Aaron's house.) I go through the leftovers and come up with different dishes for just about everyone. I also throw a few things out that do not pass the sniff test. Lexi and Sophi have Mexican manicotti. Elli starts on some, but won't eat it, so I finish it. Graci has chicken over rice. Jess has spaghetti. Taylor has tomato soup. Sophi and Lexi want more and get some salad. I have a bit of just about everything as I'm preparing it. Thanks, Grace, for feeding Soph!
1:35-Lunch is over. I wash up Lexi, Elli and Sophi. Sophi goes down for a nap, without any protests, no less:)
1:45-Xander comes home and needs lunch. He has spaghetti.
1:53-Taylor is finished with his Faith in God!
2:00-I finally get a chance to actually work on my post.

So that's a 4.5 hour slice of our life. The times are not exactly to the minute, but the timeline is pretty accurate. And this really isn't even close to everything that came up. There were more phone calls, tiffs between siblings, trips to the bathroom, diaper and clothes changes, and other examples of the delightful opportunities that arise when you are a parent. It's also impossible to convey just how much of this is happening simultaneously. Is it any wonder that Christi and I go to bed absolutely exhausted every night. But it's comforting to know that we have exhausted ourselves in a good work.

Oh, and I just went downstairs and found that we have a huge puddle of water under our air conditioner. I'm hoping it's just condensation, but who knows. Wish us luck!!!

Jer

Kindergarten Graduation

I figure if I do at least three posts a night, I might catch up in a month or so!!!

Xander had his kindergarten graduation a few weeks ago. I am so proud of how far he has come this year. For the whole first half of the year, he couldn't seem to get the concept of letters/sounds AT ALL. By the end of the year, he was reading simple words. GO XANDER!!! I am so grateful for his good teacher, who is patient and loving (he needs both!) and worked so hard on his behalf. I'm also so grateful to have him at such a great school. This year we have balanced having three kindergartners in three different schools-- yikes! Next year, Lexi will be moving to the same school as the other kiddos. Elli will remain at her school (for kids with special needs) and we are so grateful to have her there.

Congrats, X-man, on surviving kindergarten!! I think you are the most handsome guy of the bunch, and I still think you are going to be student body president someday with your awesome personality! (:





Xander with TA

Xander with principal

Xander with teacher

Princess Festival

Anyone that knows Graci and Jesi know that they LOVE LOVE LOVE princesses! So when we heard of "The Princess Festival" we knew that there was no question we would take them. (: Graci was so excited for a chance to wear her Make-a-Wish dress again!

The Princess Festival is one of the neatest organizations I've known. It's mission statement: To touch the hearts of young girls and communities to empower them in acts of service, kindness, and courage through the creative engagement of imaginative characters, stories, and events.

Every year, a new princess is introduced, complete with a book and everything. The goal is to have princesses that girls can both relate to and look up to. This year's princess was "Mila." I spoke to the founder of the festival and she said that Mila was invented because girls with short hair felt like they couldn't be princesses. Next year, they are looking to find a princess with down syndrome. Awesome. Wouldn't it be cool to have Lexi or Sophi as one of their princesses a few years down the road??? (:

As soon as they walked through the doors, they were sprinkled with pixie dust and given nametags, so that the characters could address them all as "Princess Jesi, Princess Graci," etc.

At the festival, there were princesses of all sorts. All of the classics, of course, but without the Disney twists. There were six different fifteen minute "adventures" including some fantastic plays. One of them was hearing the story of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" told by the twelve princesses themselves, and learning a dance with them.

All of the princesses and other characters were volunteers. There were also little service projects that the girls could help with throughout the day, and all of the proceeds of the festival go toward different charitable projects. It is amazing to read about what has been accomplished with this festival!

Graci and Jesi ate the whole thing up. Jeremy and I had such fun watching the magic in their eyes. I sure love my sweet princesses. (:

#1 Brother

Summer is flying by!! With baseball, dance recitals, playdates, late nights, baseball, gardening, picnics at the splash park, deep cleaning, baseball, dates with Mom and Dad, fun times with grandparents, summer walks/drives, and more baseball, we have definitely been keeping busy around here!

A couple of weeks ago, we passed around the stomach flu. Graci was the only one that didn't get it, and boy is she lucky!! It was miserable, and I am very happy to be done with not only the flu itself, but the clean up from others having the flu!!! It took almost two weeks to pass through all of us. UGH!

The day that I had it the worst, Jesi had it as well. She ended up in my bed with me and we were there all day and night. I could tell she was getting dehydrated, and knew I was as well, so I would tell her, "I'll drink a sip of gatorade if you drink a sip." It was the only way I could make myself drink! At one point I realized she hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and told her she really needed to pick something to eat. I called Taylor in (the big kids were taking care of the littles while Jeremy was at work) and told him he needed to get something for Jesi. He asked her what she wanted, and her reply was, "spaghettios." Well, after a thorough search of the pantry and food storage room, Taylor found that we didn't have any. He suggested every other food imaginable, but her heart (or stomach) was set on spaghettios. He asked me if he should go to the store and get some, and I said, "Whatever..."

What was I thinking?

I'm not sure-- just know that I wasn't really coherent. In my normal state of mind, I would never have let an 11-year-old go to the store by himself. Especially when it meant crossing a busy street. But I was in and out of consciousness and so miserable that I didn't really think about what I was telling him.

So this sweet boy got his own money and jumped on his bike. He rode to the nearest store, Smith's, and bought Jesi her spaghettios. Over a three mile roundtrip by himself on a hot summer day, just to help his sister. He came home, warmed up the spaghettios, and brought them to my room-- expecting a happy sister, I would imagine. Jesi brought the spoon up to her mouth, then put it down without so much a nibble, saying, "I'm going to be sick!"

Poor Taylor. Poor Jesi. I still think he wins "brother of the year." (:

Better late than never...

Every summer we have a Green family reunion. My parents and as many of my siblings as we can get together at one spot enjoy a week together. More often than not, we do this at one of our favorite childhood vacation destinations: the Oregon Coast. Last summer, we went to Lincoln City, OR and had a fantastic time. In fact, on the last day, Taylor told me that it was the best vacation he had ever had. (Admittedly, this was before our Disney cruise, but it was also after several trips to Disneyland and Disney World.) So he really does enjoy all of his aunts and uncles and cousins:) I have been meaning to blog about our trip in 2010 for almost a year now. In fact I promised to do so here. But things got crazy and I never got around to it. Until now. I figured we've got less than 3 weeks until we leave for our 2011 trip, so it's now or never!!!

On the way up to Oregon, I drove the 6 (at the time!) kids by myself. Christi flew up and thus was blessed with 48 hours of time to deep clean the house. On the way, we stopped at the home of my childhood best friend, Mikkel Nelson. He now lives in Boise, ID. Mikkel and his wife, April, are fantastic people. They have a beautiful family, and we have stayed with them several times as we've traveled to Oregon. Thanks, Mikkel!

We stayed there two nights and had a great time with them. One of the favorite activities was a trip to the local splash park. All the kids loved it. They also loved Mikkel's cute little dog. Here are some pics:




Xander with Mikkel and his dog:


Look out below!!!





Cute sunbathers:)





April was also generous enough to watch all of our kids plus her own and let Mikkel and I go out and play a round of disc golf together. I had never played before and I quite enjoyed it.

After golfing, we went back to their home and watched a movie in the back yard. They put up a big sheet on the outside of their home and used a projector to watch "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." The kids loved it! Thanks, Mikkel and April for being such great hosts. We love you guys and hope to see you again before too long.

So there is the first part of a week-long trip. I really will add more pics and stories in the near future. But it's getting late, and Mary Tyler Moore is waiting...

Jer

15 Minutes of Fame

We love to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We found out yesterday that they just started building a home 15 minutes from us! So of course we had to go check it out. It's really an amazing undertaking. In addition to the property they are building on, they require acres of extra space for their equipment and volunteer tents and who knows what else. We've gone up twice so far, once in the day and once at night. At night they have dozens of generators powering huge lights so they can go at it 24/7. It's really fascinating.

Today we took the kids up to see. It is Xander's favorite show, and we were hoping he might be able to give a high 5 to Ty Pennington. No such luck today, but we may try again later. While we were there, we saw many of the volunteers in the blue shirts and white hard hats. One of these volunteers walked by us, then stopped and said: "I know you guys! I read your blog." So, I guess we've now had our 15 minutes of fame. It really was a neat experience to talk to someone we've never met, but who has been touched by our children and their stories.

So here's a shout out to Andrea from Provo. Way to help out by volunteering for this great family and their new home. And thanks for stopping to say hello:)

Jer

PS. You can read about the home makeover project here.

Hopes and Dreams

I dream a lot. I never really give much thought to meanings behind my dreams. Sometimes I will mention a dream to Christi and she'll say something like, "Oh, that was probably because of such and such an experience you had the other day." And I'll see the connection. A couple of nights ago I had a dream, and it was the first time that I ever remember a dream really representing something to me or sending me a message.

It wasn't very in-depth. I dreamed that one of my siblings was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. I was overwhelmingly suffocated by the realization that this person whom I loved so much would be locked away without chance of escape. My sibling's hopes and goals for the future had been crushed. I had the opportunity to call and talk to my sibling in jail. Through this conversation I was able to empathize with him and feel the crushing weight of his complete and utter confinement, his intense desire to be set free, and his complete inability to make this happen. These feelings in my dream were intense and real and remained with me after I woke up.

I was awakened by Elli screaming. This is not a common occurrence in our lives right now, but it does happen now and then. It was morning, so I got up, got a drink, tried to shake the cobwebs from my head, then went down to see if I could help her stop. I cuddled on the bed with her and talked to her in the patronizing language and tone that one uses with an infant. I was finally able to calm her down to some extent. As I lay there next to her, I suddenly saw the metaphor of my dream. My sweet, dear Elli is in a prison. One even more confining than the brick and mortar jail of my dream. There is no escape. There is little hope for parole or freedom, even 20 years from now. Communication with those outside her cell is as if through a semi-soundproof wall, so that most words are obscured and only the most rudimentary of concepts can be conveyed.

My poor little Elli. I have no idea what her mental capacities are. Physically, she is strong and powerful. She can cause her limbs to wreak havoc on the people and objects around her. But to what extent she has control over what she does with those limbs, I don't know. Inside her cell can she think like a typical 6-year old? At what neurological level is the breakdown that causes her inability to communicate? Does she yearn for escape? I am pretty confident that, at least to some extent, she does. There are times when both Christi and I have felt that her angst and anger are the result of the lack of an ability to let us know what she wants or needs.

My sweet Elli. As I lay there on the bed next to her, I was filled with a renewed desire to at least provide a comforting and loving environment for her to grow up in. To do what I could to help her feel wanted and loved. To help her feel like she is part of a family. A family that will be with her throughout this life. And after. For though hers is a life lived in a prison, there is One who came to break the prison walls. One who overcame death. One who ensured that all who have suffered physical and mental infirmities in this life will be resurrected with perfect, beautiful, eternal bodies. So, my sweet Elli, there is hope for escape after all. There will come a day when you will look at each of your family with your stunning eyes, and those eyes will work. They will penetrate the gaze of each of your family members in turn.

I hope to be there when you look for the first time into Parker's eyes. Wonderful, amazing Parker. Of all the people in our family, Parker it is who never gets frustrated with you. Who has nothing but Christlike love and empathy for you. I hope to be nearby when you share that first, fully comprehending look at each other. When you first embrace him and say "Thank you, Parker, for the way you treated me."

I aspire to someday be like Parker. To someday show you the same unconditional love he shows you. To be able to endure middle-of-the-night crying fits, tantrums during which you pull my hair, and standoffs where you leave your food in your mouth forever before letting it dribble down your chin and clothes. To be able to love you at those times as much as I love you when you are singing joyfully at the top of your lungs or repeatedly pulling my head close for hugs and kisses or finding great happiness with one of your myriad musical toys.

I am grateful for Father's Day. I am so grateful to my almost-perfect wife (really, if she was any better, God would take her into heaven immediately). I am grateful for the seven WONDERFUL children who wished me Happy Father's Day this morning. And I am truly grateful for the eighth child. The one who hasn't wished me Happy Father's Day, but who someday will.

I love you Elli.

Dad

Party planner

Jessica just came in and handed me a "pamphlet." It is entitled, "Jessica's For My Birthday."

for my birthday brefckist. Sochich, backin, and fruit.

kind of party. Princess

Deckrashins. Baloons and pink and purple stremrs.

Food. Cake.

Presents I do not no.

games. put the crown on the princess. Princess bord game. Make crowns.

Being as how her birthday isn't until August, I was impressed.

Just a few months...

...was all the time you needed to change my life in so many ways. With that short time you had, you wrapped me around your tiny little finger, and I will never let go.

With just a few months, you taught me life lessons, made me fall in love, and awakened tender, sacred feelings that I will never forget.

With just a few months, you gave me one of the hardest jobs a mom can have-- being a mother of an angel.

With just a few months, you refined me.

You broke my heart, and you healed my heart.

You led our entire family on a journey that gave a family to precious children we never would have known.

Your tiny footprints left their mark in this world.

Would that we would all accomplish so much in just a few short months.





Happy Birthday, little Jake.

Light the way home...

Gotcha...

First, Christi's sickness was just your average flu-like symptoms. She's doing better now. However she is exhausted. Not sure why?!?

The IRS is forcing me into 6-8 hours of making copies as they are requiring me to send in documentation of all of our 2010 adoption expenses before they will send us our refund. I'm not a fan of the IRS. On so many levels.

I tucked Lexi into bed tonight. Before I left the room she loudly proclaimed: "I need happy!!!" (Happy is her stuffed animal that talks to her.) "Where is happy?" I asked. "Happy is right there in front of you!" Hmmm. Remember, this is coming from a little girl who can't see. Apparently she's heard that line before. Funny thing though...Happy WAS right there in front of me:)

Tonight Jesi and Xander went to the neighbor's house to play night games. After awhile a notice a little blond head appear then disappear at the front window. I wasn't even sure I had seen it. I checked the front porch, and there was Jesi in her pathetic little cuteness. Tear stained face and sniffles. "What's wrong Jess?" "The big kids are watching a movie and I'm too little to watch!" "Why don't you play with Annie?" "Annie's sick." "Why don't you play with the other kids?" "Well, Gracie (not our Graci) used to be my friend, but now she found other friends and she doesn't want to play with me any more." Doesn't your heart just break for your kids? Life is so cruel when you're young and EVERYTHING revolves on how popular you are and how much the other kids like you and want to play with you. So dad tried to give some moral support. I suggested she go ask Gracie and her friends if she could play with them. Jesi was convinced that they would not like her games and she would not like their games. I told her that sometimes when you are trying to make friends, it is best to start out playing the games they want to play. In fact, if you try them, you make like them! I tried to give an example of this. I pointed out the unthinkable to her. At one point I didn't really like baseball! I couldn't stand to watch it on TV. I only played it minimally as a kid. When Taylor and Parker first started T-ball, I didn't know how to coach baseball at all. But I told her that as I watched them play and learned more and more about it, I came to love baseball! "In fact, Jess, we're kind of alike! At the beginning of this year, you didn't even want to play baseball, but I made you. Now you LOVE baseball. We're like twins!!!" Jess: "Well except that I'm a girl and you're a boy and we're really different." At least she stopped crying:)

Jer

Christi's quote of the day (While dying of sickness-induced pain)

"I'm pretty sure my left ring finger doesn't hurt."

Poor girl!
-Jer

Vote for Kylie!

Kylie is a young woman that goes to our church. She babysits our kids from time to time and she is fantastic. All of the kids love her. She ran for student body office at her high school this year, and asked if she could take some video of our kids to help her campaign. This is the result: (Make sure you double click on the video to watch it in it's own window.)

Needless to say, she won an SBO spot!

Jer