The White House

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-11T22:22:00.002-05:00

Snow Kiss Green Christmas

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The Fine Arts and Weapons

2010-04-07T16:47:00.005-04:00

The Toledo Art Museum has a really great program called "Hands On at the Museum" where kids can make a special craft and it's FREE. Since "the brothers" are home on Spring break, they asked if we could go to the museum. I'm thinking, "Excellent idea, the boys will be able to create something fun and maybe even improve their cutting and gluing abilities" (they are all kind of...well..."delayed" in this area). So off we went to the Art Museum.

Upon arrival they discover the craft of the day is either a bug or flowers. "OK," I think, "they will make a bug." Nope, they aren't even the least bit interested. Joel and Drew immediately leave the craft room and head to the play area. Evan makes a simple craft and then joins his brothers to play.

After playing a while we decided to head into the main part of the museum to see some real art. The brothers actually enjoy the art museum way more than I ever thought they would for children who are themselves art-deficient. Joel even looked at one painting for a while and made the observation that the people in the painting looked lonely. Interesting and insightful. I'm impressed.

As we were leaving the museum the lady at the information desk asked the boys if they went to the children's area for the "Hands On" craft. After I tell her that we did she asked if they made a bug. "Uh...no...," I said slightly embarrassed, "he made a gun." Yes, there were buckets and baskets full of free, fun art supplies and my kid makes a gun! I am trying to expose my children to the fine arts and Evan's making a weapon.

I guess no matter what I do, boys will be boys.

I Love This Year

2010-03-05T13:05:00.002-05:00

This is the best school year yet! I love that I have alone time with Drew each morning and then Evan comes home from Kindergarten at 11:45, followed by Joel at 3:30. It's perfect. Each kid has their own moment to talk about their day and I am not bombarded with three boys walking in the door at the same time.

I still wish Drew and Evan were 2 and 3 years old (oh my gosh do I miss having a three-year-old in the house), but this year it's been so nice for each child to have a moment when the attention is solely on them. I'm hoping this year goes a little slower so that I can savor each day.

It's O.K. To Be Shy

2010-03-03T12:44:00.006-05:00

With two extroverted children living in our house I secretly hoped my last child would be a quiet child. I got what I wanted -- Drew is a shy, quiet child particularly in unknown situations, but now there are times when I force him to be an extrovert. Today was a prime example.

I enrolled Drew in a gymnastics class at the YMCA and he's been telling me he didn't want to go unless I was in the class with him. I explained I would be watching him and would not leave the room, but he was still apprehensive. When we arrived at the class he asked where I was going to be. "Upstairs in the viewing area," I said. Then he started crying and said he wanted to go home. I told him I would stay downstairs and watch but he still wanted to go home. The class started, he did NOT want to go and started clinging to me. I felt bad about forcing him to go in, but I knew he would love the class. The teacher took his hand and off he went and the crying stopped immediately.

He appeared to be having fun the entire class -- using the balance beams, spring boards, parallel bars, etc., but after class he told me he didn't like it. I think he is just being stubborn because when Evan came home from school, he told Evan all about the class.

Sometimes it's difficult for extroverts like me to understand introverts, but thankfully I have a husband who helps me understand the "shy" person. Ben has helped me see that just because Drew is quiet doesn't mean he's not having fun or that he's not completely happy just observing.

Drew is happy being shy but so many times in life he is expected to be an extrovert. As his mother, I am trying to teach him that being shy is O.K., but he may not be rude. i.e. When someone he does not know greets him, he must be polite and say "hello" and give answers to their questions -- like how old are you?, etc.

I have also learned that I need to prepare Drew for what to expect before going into a situation where I know the attention will be on him. For instance, at Thanksgiving we always go around the table and tell for what we are most thankful. If I didn't prepare Drew for this he would just sit silently, but with preparation (and sometimes rehearsal) he does fine.

I am already concerned about him starting preschool next year. Before preschool starts the teachers always ask if there is anything they need to know about each child. I am all ready for my answer to this question: "Drew is shy and that's O.K. Please allow him to be that way."

Now, I don't want a child who is not listening or not participating in group activities, but I also don't want him forced to "perform on command." He will not be the kid jumping up and down and doing motions to "bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon." Do I expect him to be obedient? Yes. Do I expect Drew to come running when the teacher announces auditions for the class play? No. :-)

Joel and Evan couldn't wait for preschool and loved every minute of it. Drew? Well, I don't know how the first few days of preschool will go, but I'm sure there will be a few tears shed (from Drew and ME!).

1 Dad 1:1

2010-02-04T15:53:00.004-05:00

Remember the days when we used to put book covers on our school books?

When I was in the middle of my 8th grade year I brought my Social Studies book home to put a new cover on it as the old one was destroyed. I diligently cut-up a brown paper bag, wrapped the book and taped the cover in place. Perfect. I left it on the kitchen table to be taken to school the next day.

Social Studies was one of my least favorite subjects and, even though I was a pretty good student, I really struggled in this class. Apparently my dad was very well aware of my difficulties in this class because when I woke up the next morning, written on the brand new book cover was the following:

"Thou shalt dwell in this book all thine days which art left in thy school year. I Dad 1:1"

I smiled then and I still smile today when I think if that "verse;" it's one of many wonderful memories I have of my dad.

The Sound of D

2010-01-10T20:11:00.004-05:00

In Kindergarten Evan has been learning the sounds of each letter. Last week he had to draw pictures of things that started with the letter D. Here are Evan's drawings; can you identify each? (Yes, he gets his artistic abilities from me.)

Let me help you a little:

Dice (that was an easy one); his blue Nintendo DSi, a donut with sprinkles, a daisy and at the bottom is a dog. But what or who is the guy in the middle? Dad? Nope. It's a "dude" of course! He's riding on a skateboard. I had to laugh out loud when he showed this to me! He might not be an artist, but Evan certainly is cool. :-)

Macy's Parade, Memories and Delicacies

2009-11-26T13:14:00.004-05:00

I was so excited this Thanksgiving morning. Why? Excited about a wonderful meal? Gathering together with family? A day to sleep in? Well, while those are all true, I was most excited because my boys, ALL three of them, watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with me! I absolutely love this parade and I've never been able to pass along the excitement of it to Joel, Evan and Drew, but this year they actually watched it and liked it. (I don't think they quite loved it, but there's always next year.)

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday but it really doesn't stir up a lot of emotion for me. I told my mom this and she agreed. We think it's because for many of my Thanksgivings as a child my dad had to work so we just celebrated with a meal whenever Dad was off (maybe the day before or after). There is one childhood year for which I do have a distinct memory: right after school let out on Wednesday at 3:10 p.m., instead of getting on the school bus all three of us kids were picked up at school by Mom and Dad (in the big blue van) and we drove straight from school to Grandma's house in Columbus two hours away. For some reason that was so much fun to go straight from school to Grandma's.

One Thanksgiving tradition my mom started that we still do is to take turns telling what we are most thankful this year. I asked the kids what they are most thankful for this year and they responded:
Joel: "My family, friends, God & Jesus, and food & water."
Evan: "God, Mom and my family."
Drew: "Candy."

This year I am most thankful for my dad and mom, for a wonderful husband and three smart and loving boys, and an amazing extended family. With the death of my dad this year it really hit home what a wonderful family God has blessed me with. I love them with all of my heart!

One final thought: I cannot blog about Thanksgiving without mentioning my favorite Thanksgiving delicacies:
my mom's stuffing, Grandma Heibel's pecan pie and my mother-in-law's corn casserole. Oh. my. gosh. They are the BEST! Gotta run and go put on my bigger jeans.

Hillbilly, Ninja and Hawaiian Tourist

2009-11-05T15:59:00.008-05:00

Two days before Halloween Ben took Joel shopping for a costume. Two phone calls to me later, still no costume. Every costume came with a mask and Joel did NOT want to wear one. Joel finally decided on a costume -- one that I really did not approve of, but I kept my mouth shut because I was trying to not control the situation -- yeah, a first for me, but it was not a hill to die on. Anyway...the next night as Joel was getting into bed, he decided he hated the costume (it was uncomfortable) and he wasn't going to wear it to the school Halloween party the next day. I suggested I pick him up from school before the party, "NO." I finally came up with a "Hawaiian tourist" idea from things we had around the house. It worked; he liked the costume. For the school parade he even carried a surf board he had made months earlier out of cardboard. So it ended up being a cute, homemade costume. Yeah for Mom!

Then there was Evan's costume. About a month ago he came up to me and announced that he wanted to be a hillbilly for Halloween. I told him I didn't know what a hillbilly looked like and he simply looked at me and said, "Google 'What does a hillbilly wear?'"

He was right! I'm not exactly sure why, but there are several websites that answer this question. (Why in the world???).

So when Evan first dressed in his costume and went to school, he came home and told me the kids in his class thought he was a farmer.

He then gave me instructions that he needed patches on his overalls and he wasn't going to wear the hat. Here is attempt #2 at dressing like a hillbilly. I think Evan was right, this is a little better.

Drew: He wanted to be a pirate until the night before Halloween when he decided to be a Ninja. Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandpa White who have given the boys TONS of costumes in the past. Drew had SO many choices!

The only problem was that Drew had a 104 degree temperature yesterday and now he's trick-or-treating. H1N1 alert: Drew is running the neighborhood and looks like this:After trick-or-treating for 70 minutes, Joel came home and proclaimed that he was done. When I asked him why he didn't want to keep getting candy he responded, "I'm happy."

Good answer.

Meanwhile, the hillbilly and the ninja stayed out with Dad for two hours (apparently they weren't happy until they had enough candy to choke a snake!).

Evan came home and weighed himself after eating lots of candy. He was amazed to discover that he'd actually LOST a pound! I told him it was from all the walking he'd done. ??? Sounded good to me. :-)

Drew's On Two Wheels!

2009-11-05T15:26:00.005-05:00

I am so proud of Drew -- he learned to ride a two-wheeler and he's only 4 years old! Yahoo for Drew!

Drew had been riding his bike with training wheels to school almost every day to drop off Evan and Joel, and then we would make the return trip in the afternoon to pick-up Joel. The total for each day is 3 miles! When he got really good at pedaling, I moved the training wheels up a little so that he had to balance a little more. Then one day I took the training wheels off completely. After chasing Drew through the house (he took off RUNNING when he saw me take them off), I grabbed him, put him on the bike, gave him a push and OFF he went down the street! I couldn't believe how well he did! As soon as he got back to where I was standing he said, "Can I show Kristen?" (our neighbor) and then "Can I tell Kaitlin and Whitney and Joshua?" (church friends). He wanted the world to know that he was on two wheels!

As Drew was riding around, Evan asked, "How many (old) was Joel when he learned to ride a bike?" Then, "How many is Drew?" Then came, "I should be able to do it too." So Evan got on the bike, grabbed the handle-bars and immediatly jumped back OFF the back. "Instead I'm not." haha! I guess peer-pressure doesn't affect Evan too much.

Here is Drew showing his "V" for victory sign

Evan's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-31T21:42:00.000-04:00

Today was Evan's first day of Kindergarten. I am so thankful that it's only half-day because I miss him so much! Drew and I were sitting on the porch 15 minutes before his bus was scheduled to arrive and then the bus was 20 minutes late! Drew and I are just lost without our entertainer; he is the kid who comes up with the ideas for everyone else to play.

When he came home Evan told me he made another friend and this boy (Evan can't remember his name -- haha!) said that he only had three friends so Evan would be his fourth friend. Isn't that cute?

I just hate seeing my little birdies leave the nest. When Joel went to Kindergarten it was easier to send him off because all of this "school stuff" was new and exciting, plus I had two little ones at home that kept me very busy. But now that Evan's is half-way gone (he's only gone for three hours!) it's just so quiet. I will be an absolute basket-case when Evan is gone all day next year and then the following year when Drew leaves. Oh my...I'll probably have to get a dog! ha! (No way!)

Here is Evan's teacher, Mrs. Klagg.

How To Make Applesauce

2009-08-28T22:30:00.009-04:00

Evan and Drew wanted to make applesauce today but I sure didn't want to do it so I told them it is something you do in the Fall (and I was secretly hoping they would forget about it by then). So then they asked if we could get the "cooking books" out. I pulled out the kids' cookbooks (thank you Grandmas) and they started looking through them for ideas on what to make today, but they never got away from the idea stuck in their heads to make applesauce. So after much prodding and whining (it was ME doing the whining!), they finally convinced me to try it. So I got online and found a recipe and believe it or not, I had everything I needed.

So, we started peeling...

Drew said that peeling the apples was too hard which prompted Evan to say, "The little guy's right, Mom."

And cutting...

And boiling...

And mashing...

Note: I don't have a real masher so I used a bacon press! haha!! Who in the world has a bacon press but not a masher?

And tasting...

And reviewing...

Yeah for me! I was so proud of myself!

Breaking the Ice on New Friendships

2009-08-28T22:21:00.005-04:00

In my last blog entry I mentioned being sad that Joel didn't have any friends in his class this year. But, I'm happy to report that he came home today talking about a new friend!

At school the kids had indoor recess today because of rain and Joel came home telling me about playing a game called "Break the Ice" with Devon. I acted shocked and said, "What?! Is he a new friend?!" Joel grinned from ear-to-ear as he said, "Yes -- and Devon said he wants to play the game again on Monday."

Of course this is when I pulled out the "I told you" phrase (because I told Joel on Wednesday that he would have a new friend within a week), and I was happy to do it.

Now I'm praying for rain and another indoor recess so that Joel can literally "break the ice" with his new friend. :-) Yeah!!

3rd Grade!

2009-08-27T16:32:00.005-04:00

Joel and his over-loaded backpack full of new school supplies!

Joel's first day of 3rd grade was yesterday and I'm in HEAVEN with just Evan and Drew home all day. Evan starts school on Monday and I'm dreading it because he and Drew play SO WELL together. I played with them a little bit today, but only because I wanted to -- not just to keep the peace. :-) They play and play and play. But without Evan, Drew is just lost. I am so thankful that kindergarten is still only half-day; Drew and I will have our noses glued to the front door waiting for that big yellow bus to drop off Evan at 11:30.

So far Joel likes his teacher, Mrs. Nicholson, but he says none of his friends are in his class; this makes me a little sad for him. I told him to give it one week and he'll have a new friend.

I think 3rd grade is going to be hard on Joel AND me -- on the very first day of school they started learning cursive! Wow! I've always heard that the "odd" years are the hardest (1st, 3rd and 5th); with learning cursive and multiplication, it probably will be tough this year. Math is easy for Joel, but handwriting...well, that's a whole different story! I guess he takes after his parents -- neither Ben nor I have nice handwriting but it sure didn't hold Ben back. Maybe with Joel's bad penmanship he too is destined to be a doctor. haha

Joel and Mrs. Nicholson

It's a LONG Way Down

2009-08-26T16:47:00.005-04:00

Two of our boys learned to jump off the high-dive at the pool this summer! BUT before they could jump, the life guards require them to take a swimming test and BOTH boys passed. I didn't think Evan could do it, but he was so determined to jump off the diving boards that he swam like a fish (it wasn't a "pretty" stroke -- he still doesn't know how to breathe correctly while doing the freestyle so he just brings his head up in front to breathe).

After passing the swim test, both boys started jumping off the low dive. I told them that if either of them got the idea to jump off the high-dive to come and get me first so I could watch. But did they listen? Noooo! I was lounging in my chair catching some rays...oops, I mean I was busy playing with Drew and teaching him how to swim...(cough, cough) when Evan came running over to me. He was breathless with excitment telling me how he had done it. Joel was very excited for Evan, but Joel admitted that he had climbed up the ladder and then back down. :-) Evan, quite the saleman, was finally able to convince Joel that it was fun and Joel finally took the plunge too. Now they are expert jumpers and are trying "cannon balls" and "can openers."

Now I just need to get Evan off his bicycle training wheels...oh yeah, and teach him how to tie his shoes. But isn't jumping off the high-dive much cooler? :-)

My Shadow

2009-08-22T19:30:00.003-04:00

It's been a strange weekend for me -- Ben and Evan went on a church father and son camping/canoe weekend, and Joel is at my mom's house (he did NOT want to go with Ben because he's afraid of the canoe?!) so it's just been Drew and me at home. And Drew is now my little shadow. Every where I go, there he is. I took a shower, he's turning the bathroom lights off and on; I'm in the kitchen making oatmeal, he's helping; I even mowed the yard and he actually walked behind me!! (OK, he didn't walk behind me for long, but I could not believe he even did it for a minute.) He seems so lost without his brothers, but at the same time he loves the attention I'm giving him.

This weekend we played Old Maid and Cariboo; read numerous books; went on a bike ride, got ice cream; went to a family movie night at a local church (he stayed up until 11 p.m. -- I'm guessing this will be the first thing he tells his brothers because they all usually go to bed between 7 and 8 p.m.); and he even got to sleep with me.

I've...rediscovered...no...refreshed...my love for my littlest 4-year-old boy; it's so nice to have this "alone" time with him.

It's been a nice, calm weekend with just one child. I forgot what it's like not to yell at someone for an entire weekend! But, there's always tomorrow when everyone will be home. :-)

How To Play Checkers

2009-08-18T23:13:00.004-04:00

Since Evan and Drew were going to Grandma’s together for an overnighter, Evan wanted to teach Drew how to play checkers so they could play with Grandma.

Evan: “When you play checkers you have soldiers and they go over to the bad guy’s side and when the soldiers get there, the bad guys make you a king. Got it, Drew?”

Drew: "Are the red ones the bad guys?"

Evan: "No."

Drew: "Are the black ones the bad guys?"

Evan: "No...(pause)...the OTHER ones are the bad guys."

Drew: “You need to write that down so I can remember. Is that all?”

(Write it down? Even IF Evan could write, Drew can't read!)

Evan: “You move the soldiers and they can jump over the other guys but when they get to your side and you make them a king, then they can move anywhere.”

So there it is -- checkers instructions from a 5-year-old. Pretty good, eh?

In Loving Memory of My Dad

2009-08-07T16:38:00.028-04:00

Recently I have been avoiding blogging because I wanted to write something in memory of my dad and I just haven't had the ability to do it yet. I want to honor his life with a written eulogy here on my blog.

On Saturday morning June 27, 2009 a piece of my heart was torn out when my mom called to tell me that my dad had died suddenly of a heart attack while undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma (cancer). I cannot tell you how great of a loss his death is to our family. He was an amazing, godly man who lived the fruit of the spirit every single day of his life -- he was the epitome of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I know that we will join him in heaven some day, but today I miss him terribly.

Now, a little about my dad:

Not only was my Dad’s college degree in teaching but teaching was his passion. Unfortunately, after I was born he realized he couldn't afford to raise a family on a teacher's salary so he had to find another career. But the love of teaching never left him.

As children he made us do things we didn’t really want to do, all in the name of "educating" us:

We had to go to the Cincinnati art museum and the conservatory. We had to see a movie about Amadeus Mozart that none of the three of us kids wanted to see. We even had to learn to ride a city bus downtown just in case we ever needed that later in life.

Even with his grandchildren, he was always teaching. Each grandchild caught their first fish with Grandpa; they learned how to drive his John Deere lawn mower and how to shoot a B.B. gun (my boys thought it was so much fun to shoot Grandma’s flowers in the backyard).He taught them things they didn’t really need to know…like he was the first person to introduce them to video games! And Grandpa actually got pretty good at the Scooby-Doo game!

He even taught them how to Monopoly. My dad and mom spent two days playing one game of Monopoly with my boys. Oh the patience he had! (The picture below is of my dad wearing a Native American headband Joel made for Thanksgiving one year -- Joel named Grandpa "Patience Chief" because of his great patience.)Another passion of my dad’s was missions. When we were children Dad’s mission field was right at home – his three children were his mission. His mission was to teach us to love and serve Jesus.

When we were grown, his mission field became the world – traveling to many countries using his talents to help others and to teach them about Jesus.

His mission started at home, then went out into the world, and finally when his children grew up and had children, his mission field became his grandchildren. His mission was to show through love and by example what Christ’s love is like.

He left a legacy as a Christian father and Grandpa by teaching us and, more importantly, by demonstrating to us what it meant to be a man of God. I want you to know what a great man my dad was, but he would want you to know what a great God our God is. He lived the scripture: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul.”

Now, about those grandchildren...

This past December my dad was diagnosed with cancer and although that's not what took his life, he did struggle with the effects of the disease. He was tired most of the time and seemed to keep to himself much more than normal. But, as my mom has told me many times, the thing that made him smile most were stories about the grandchildren. Anything they said or did made him smile -- the more ornery the child, the bigger my dad's smile.

Here are a few more pictures of Grandpa.

Teaching Joel how to bake

(here they are baking cookies,

but cracked wheat bread was his specialty).Teaching Joel about paleontology

(digging for dinosaur bones).Teaching Drew how to hit a baseball.Class: Tools 101 Instructor: GrandpaTeaching Drew how to make ice cream.

If Grandpa wasn't busy teaching the boys something, he was busy just watching them -- his grandchildren were his favorite subjects.

My Dad and Joel, Evan and Drew's Grandpa

LeRoy Robert Heibel, Jr.

December 12, 1940 - June 27, 2009

Dearly, dearly missed, but he ran the race and won!

Stink Bomb

2009-06-17T15:21:00.002-04:00

While sitting in a room full of people, Drew quietly turned to me and said, "stink bomb."

I wasn't sure what he meant until the smell started burning my nose, and my eyes began to water.

Drew, you are disgusting!

Flying Squirrel Update

2009-06-11T12:16:00.001-04:00

Update on last blog entry:
While riding in the car the other day, Drew randomly said:
"I know everything -- I know Santa Claus is real and the Easter Bunny...(pause)...but I didn't know about flying squirrels."

Flying Squirrel

2009-05-31T22:15:00.002-04:00

Drew appeared beside my bed at 6:30 this morning totally naked and asking, "Is there something called a flying squirrel?"

"Get some clothes on kid and come back at eight!" was what I wanted to say.

But instead I pulled him into bed with me and educated him on flying squirrels (well...I gave him as much info as I could recall at 6:30!!).

Then here comes Evan. Evan wanted to know all about bats. Seriously?! Where is Daddy when I need him? Ben was working so this "The More You Know" segment was brought to you by Mom.

Pomp and Circumstance

2009-05-28T21:16:00.006-04:00

Evan graduated from preschool last week. sob. sob. I cannot believe he is getting so old and will be headed to kindergarten in the Fall. It seems like once kids go off to school they become "part of the world" and are not just little babies in mama's nest. At least next year it's only half-day kindergarten; I'm really not ready to send this little birdie off yet. "tweet, tweet."

Once again, for Evan the best part of graduation was wearing the costume!

Where's Drew?

2009-05-18T19:58:00.005-04:00

Tonight I told Drew to get in bed and I would be in to tuck him in. Here's how I found him in his room:He is hiding under a little circle Ikea rug I bought for his room. The picture doesn't show it, but he was originally covering his butt with his hands -- I'm guessing he expected me to smack his butt for not following instructions. But instead...I ran to get the camera! Third kid, what do you expect?!

After realizing I wasn't going to punish him, he showed me what he calls "the taco."

Another Drew story:

We were getting ready to go though the car wash today and I was teasing Drew and told him that I was going to open his window in the middle of the wash.

Trying to convince me that it was a bad idea he said, "Remember, you love me."

Evan's Career Goal

2009-04-26T19:41:00.006-04:00

Well...here it is...Evan's lifetime career goal via another preschool project. This one was posted on the wall for ALL the other moms and dads to see. On the left side of the picture is a chair for his clients. In Evan's left hand is hair gel. Of course, what else would you expect a hair dresser to have in his hand?!

OK, so maybe Evan being a hair dresser isn't exactly what I had planned for my son, but at least I'm not Haley's mom -- Haley wants to be a hula-hooper!

Side comment:
Why does the chair in Evan's picture look exactly like his hand? And would I allow a man with wild googly eyes and hair like THAT do MY hair?

The Sisters (and a Brother Too)

2009-04-23T17:47:00.004-04:00

The three Heibel girls on Easter Sunday:
Me, my sister-in-law Robbon (she's married to my brother, Mark) and my sister, Mindy.

I couldn't resist posting this picture too because I think it's SO GOOD of my brother's family.

Evan's Shish-Kabob Recipe

2009-04-23T09:14:00.004-04:00

In Evan's preschool class each child was asked to submit their very own recipe for the school "cookbook" and the teachers surprised the parents with a copy. Apparently Ben made quite an impression on Evan a few months ago when he made shish-kabobs with the kids because that's the recipe Evan submitted.

Evan's Shish-Kabobs
"You put all the things you need, in a pattern, on a shish-kabob stick. You can put on chicken and hamburgers and tomatoes, but make sure the tomatoes don't have big holes in the middle. You can also put on bacon and broccoli. You can only put a honey and spice sauce on all the stuff. After you put it on the stick, then you put it in a type of dish made of metal and it has lines on it. You cook it in the stove on warm for five seconds and then you eat it."

Attention future dinner guests:
You're getting shish-kabob's for dinner -- made by Evan! I hope you like your meat a little on the "rare" side.

No Fancy Easter Dresses

2009-04-21T08:49:00.011-04:00

No, I don't have any fancy Easter dresses in my house. None. Not one. And yes, it makes me sad, but little Drew in this tie makes me smile.

Evan's Self-Portrait Gift

2009-04-21T08:37:00.003-04:00

Evan (5 years) drew this self-portrait for my birthday. According to him it is a "picture of me (Evan) holding Millie (our cat) and there is a string in my other hand. I was going to draw a broom, but it looked like a spider, so I made it into Millie.”

I asked, “Why were you trying to draw a broom in your hand?”

“Because I am sweeping the floor for your birthday.”

The floor never got swept by Evan, but at least he thought of it. And truthfully, I'd rather have this picture than a clean floor.

Fancy Fingernails and Fat

2009-04-20T19:41:00.003-04:00

Is it just me or does anyone else love it when their nails look nice?

Over Spring break Whitney and Kaitlin came for a visit -- they are the "tween" daughters of my friend, Cheri. They love taking turns spending the night at our house because they like hanging out with my boys (and of course they love me too -- cough, cough). Lord ONLY knows why?! I'm pretty sure that as a young girl I would NOT have chosen to play with three little boys (unless of course they had a very cute older brother....). Anyway, when they are here, I can come and go as I please and they baby-sit for me; it's like I have an all-day "hall pass." One day I went grocery shopping and ran errands and another day I got a mani/pedi combo at the Asian nail salon just down the road. It was SPRING BREAK for me too thanks to Kaitlin and Whitney!

Ever since my manicure my nails have started to grow in so nicely. For me, pretty fingernails ranks just above a great dinner out and just below a freshly styled salon hair-do. When my nails begin to grow I polish them constantly and...my favorite thing is...clicking them on the counter or the car steering wheel. Why?! I don't know, I just love the sound they make. I think it makes me feel pretty.

Now, when I say that my nails are "growing," I simply mean that I can just barely see the nail tips peeking over my fingertips. I've never had long nails and quite frankly, they would get in my way. One time in my life I had fake nails and I loved them, but they do tend to get in the way of some personal hygiene if they are too long.

Side note: Have you ever noticed that the fatter the woman, the longer the fingernails? Does she think they are like high heels and will make her look thinner? I think there is some of that thinking in me: "If I paint my nails a blazing hot pink, no one will notice the size of my butt."

Now I must go and polish my little fingernails and then click away on the counter.

Top O' the Mornin' to Ya!

2009-03-17T18:54:00.004-04:00

Today when the boys flushed, GREEN water filled the toilet! Those crazy leprechauns. Then at dinner, I poured white milk into cups and the milk magically turned green! Now Evan is praying to see leprechauns (literally!) and Drew is afraid to poop because he's scared the leprechauns will get him.

Disney Vacation and Jedi Training

2009-03-04T17:02:00.019-05:00

We just got back from a fabulous Disney World vacation! We've been to Disney before, but this was the best visit yet. Drew and Evan LOVED meeting the characters, although Drew chickened out of going up to Buzz Lightyear and Woody. Drew especially loved Donald Duck and was grinning from ear-to-ear when Eeyore (the donkey from Winnie the Pooh) accidently stepped on his foot (for some reason Drew thought this was funny). One of the highlights from Disney was that Drew and Evan were both chosen out of the audience to do "Jedi Training" with light sabers. They were so engrossed in the whole "training" and were very serious about it. After "training," from behind a closed door off-stage, two storm troopers and Darth Vader appeared and he challenged each child to a light saber battle. When it was Drew's turn, he was called forward and was so scared that he told the "trainer" (another Star Wars character) that the didn't want to do it. The audience all responded with "awww" and the trainer said he would help Drew. It was so cute! (Spoken like a true stage mom.) Another highlight was that Drew was able to ride almost every ride with us -- including the Tower of Terror, Test Track, Soarin', Splash Mountain and other big rides because the cutoff for these "big" rides is 40 inches. After measuring Drew several times before our trip, I discovered he is 42 inches with shoes. After every ride I asked if he liked it and he would only respond in a monotone voice, "yes." (Note: If you have young children and are considering a Disney vacation, my suggestion is to go when they are at least 40 inches tall.)

Evan LOVED meeting the Power Rangers!

He's telling the Power Ranger that he knows karate. :-)Joel wasn't thrilled to greet the characters, he wouldn't go and see any of them except Mickey Mouse.We also had great weather and enjoyed two full days in the pool (one pool had a sand beach next to it). The brothers attempting to bury Evan in the sand -- they didn't get very far. I apologize for the pictures. Isn't it awful looking at someone else's vacation pictures? Believe me, it makes me sad to look at them too -- I wanna go back! Now...I'm just depressed. Is it worth going on vacation when coming home makes me so sad?! Coming home to cold weather didn't help either. Ugh. But at least we all got some good sun and lots of energy run out of little bodies (and big bodies too!).

(Joel, 8 1/2 years old; Evan, 5; Drew, 3 1/2)

"How Many Am I?"

2009-02-19T12:22:00.005-05:00

Drew is preparing for our Disney World vacation by drinking milk and eating lots of vegetables (including asparagus!). After he eats or drinks something healthy he says, "Mom, see how many I am" and he pulls out the measuring tape. After I measure him he asks if he is big enough to go on Space Mountain. He desperately wants to be big enough to ride the same rides as his big brothers.

Drew's New Look

2009-02-17T09:43:00.003-05:00

Here's the new haircut. Yes, of course he's still adorable, what did you expect with Ben and me as his parents?!

Handmade by Aunt Debbie

2009-02-16T18:51:00.005-05:00

This picture is for my lovely Aunt Debbie; I want her to see Drew in this sweater. Aunt Debbie made this sweater for my firstborn and now it's gone through THREE boys! I always get compliments when the boys wear it and the best part is that everyone asks if I made it -- I smile and say "yes."

Note #1: Obviously this picture was taken BEFORE the "I cut mine hair" incident.

Note #2: The kid actually does have an upper lip contrary to what the picture shows. :-)

"I Cut Mine Hair"

2009-02-13T14:47:00.004-05:00

I walked toward the bathroom and out came Drew holding a pair of scissors and looking quite humble as he said, "I cut mine hair." Yeah, I can see that!

Here he is trying to get the cut hair out of his eyes (serves him right!).Here's the new "do."

The Boxing Brothers

2009-01-30T09:21:00.003-05:00

I was busy on the computer one morning....O.K., so I was playing on Facebook, but anyway.....Evan and Drew disappeared into Evan's bedroom for a few minutes and when they reappeared they came into the den dressed like this:
I couldn't believe it! I didn't even know they had two pair of boxer shorts (or as they call them "boxing shorts") and how in the world did they even know this is how boxers dress?!

Why do kids have to keep growing? I would give anything for them to stay this age!

New "Costumes" for Evan

2009-01-29T10:03:00.007-05:00

Evan has been waiting for SO long to take part in "big kid" lessons and now that he is 5 he is finally able to participate. Evan has chosen to sign up for karate and soccer. I'm not sure which is more exciting for him: learning the sport or just wearing the outfit.

Here he is during his second karate lesson after he received a white belt. He can't stop staring at it. haha

Then there's the soccer outfit that he wore for 5 days straight! He even wore the outfit to bed -- shin guards and all! The only reason he took it off was to change into his karate outfit.

Please Listen

2009-01-20T21:45:00.005-05:00

It's controversial and might even make you mad, but I'm asking everyone who reads this to listen to this sermon. Believe me, it will change your life. This is NOT my pastor so I am not endorsing any church or religion, I'm just endorsing Jesus Christ. Also, from the site you can download it to an MP3 player (i.e. iPod) which might make it easier to listen to than sitting in front of a computer screen.

Just click on this link, then either click "play" and "open"; or click on the little square picture to see the video. Or, to download it, click on "MP3".
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?keyword=52906154239&entiresite=true

It's All Downhill...

2009-01-14T12:28:00.005-05:00

Sledding is so much fun, even as an adult I enjoy it, but today I am SICK of the snow. How many more days until Spring?! And why do I live in Northwest Ohio?!

These pictures were taken last week, when I was excited to see the snow. Oh what a difference a few days (and a foot of snow) can make.Yeah, Drew looks sort of "simple" in this picture. haha He is trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue!

Andrew? Drew? Andy?

2009-01-07T20:11:00.003-05:00

We call our three-year-old child by many names -- Drew, Andrew, Andy and Droopy -- so tonight I asked him which name he likes to be called the best.

His response: "Wally."

WHAT?!

Annual Traditional Pajama Picture

2009-01-03T00:38:00.003-05:00

Every year Grandma and Grandpa Heibel give the six grandchildren pajamas as one of their Christmas gifts. The bad part -- they have to pose for a picture. Ugh! Next year I'm going to take Valium before trying to get everyone to smile on cue. My 17 year-old niece, Suzanne, complains about it EVERY year (she hates being the only "old" grandchild) but doesn't she look adorable? And let me tell you -- she was extremely relieved she didn't get stripes too! haha

Left to right: Drew, 3; Joel, 8; Mia, 3; Suzanne, 17; Ashley, 14 months; and Evan, 5.

Water Molly

2009-01-01T14:50:00.009-05:00

When I was a little girl my dad frequently told my brother, sister and me a story he wrote about a molecule of water named "Molly." Since my dad's college and career background is in science, the story tells from a scientific perspective the process a molecule of water goes through -- from precipitation to condensation. We loved the story as children and now my children know and love the story.

After getting the story copyrighted as "Water Molly" in 1982, one of my dad's life goals was to get the story illustrated. This year for Christmas, with the help of Lori Strohmaier (an illustrator friend of mine), I was able to fulfill his dream.

Here are two pictures of my dad opening his surprise gift (he's laughing and crying!). It was a wonderful moment for the entire family!

Post for Grandparents in Montana

2008-12-30T19:10:00.005-05:00

We just wanted to show the Montana Grandparents what you're missing -- six cousins (8 years old and under) all together for a pajama party! It's been a lot of fun, but quite loud at times.

The Award for Mother of the Year Goes To...

2008-12-17T16:08:00.007-05:00

NOT me, I'll be busy making license plates in prison. Look what Evan took to preschool today.

What kind of mother lets their five-year-old take this to school?! And the best part is that I didn't find out until another preschool mom told me. Great. Gotta love that.

I dropped off Evan at school this morning but didn't pick him up because he went home with a preschool friend. Later in the day I went to his friend's house to get him and the friend's mom hands me a grocery bag and says, "Mrs. S said Evan had these at school today."

I started laughing so hard! What are the chances my kid would take not one but THREE knives to school?! And not only does the teacher know about it, now another preschool mom knows. Oh. my. gosh! Fortunately the other mom was able to see the humor in the situation too (thank God!). Apparently Evan had them in his pocket, showed his teacher one knife and when she confiscated it, he reached into his pocket and innocently said, "I have these too."

For Evan's next act, we're going to see if he can get through airport security with his arsenal.

This Makes a Mama Proud

2008-12-03T18:55:00.008-05:00

My "rockin' cousin" (mentioned in a previous post) has a very special talent -- a talent above and beyond being a rock-n-roll legend. She can put her entire fist in her mouth! Are you amazed or what?! After telling my kids about this talent of Angela's, the boys all tried to live up to the legend of Angela. Here are the photos of my somewhat talented boys (not quite as good as Angela, but they have years to practice):

Drew Learned Two Things Today

2008-12-03T12:57:00.002-05:00

This morning Drew learned:
A. Silly putty sticks to the TV remote control.
B. Remote controls should NOT be washed by immersing them in water.

And what did Mom learn today? That remote controls are free from Buckeye Cable as long as you turn in the "damaged" one. (This fact saved Drew's life!)

Rock-n-Roll Cousin

2008-11-28T19:24:00.003-05:00

Here's a video of my cousin Angela rockin' at the "White House" while she was visiting us for Thanksgiving weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T18:46:00.005-05:00

This is a picture of our fireplace. I thought it looked very "fall-ish."

This year I'm thankful for a wonderful family, a house, church and friends I love and I'm thankful that we still live in Ohio and not Reno! I'm also thankful for missionaries like our friends Drs. Tom and Karen Asher who are leaving this week to serve for three years in Sierra Leone, Africa. Thank you God for people like them who have a heart for Africa and are willing to follow your great commission.

For what are you thankful this year?

Announcing an Addition to the White House

2008-11-27T18:27:00.005-05:00

Yes, it's true, we have a new addition to the White House -- "Cheesy" is Evan's new hamster. Isn't he cute?! Evan has been begging for a mouse or a gerbil, but I hate tails; since hamsters have no tails, Evan and I compromised and he got Cheesy for his 5th birthday. I was very reluctant to get another pet -- we already have our geriatric goldfish, Dorothy and our cat, Millie -- a card-carrying member of AARP (or is it AARC?) and quite honestly, I have absolutely NO "need to be needed" and didn't really need another creature looking to me for care. But, I finally gave in to a hamster when Ben agreed to clean the cage (he promises to clean it once a week).

Now here's the secret -- I'm the one who has bonded with this rodent; I now officially love him. Evan wants Cheesy in his room at night, but after Evan is asleep, I go and get the little thing out of it's cage and hold and play with him. He's SOOOO cute! Shhh! Don't tell Ben I love the hamster, he might make ME clean the cage. mwahaha (evil laughing)

Leaf Pick-Up or Mess-Up?

2008-11-15T18:49:00.005-05:00

I spent my morning raking to the curb what little leaves we have so that the leaves could be picked up by the city trucks. About two hours later the pile of leaves was discovered by Evan and Drew who thought the leaves were raked just for them! Evan was so incredibly thrilled to find leaves to jump in that I didn't have the heart to tell him "no." So my work was "un-done" but it was well worth it when I saw how much fun the boys had.

This is Evan trying to put the leaves back on the tree (?!).

She's NOT Dead

2008-11-14T15:51:00.006-05:00

This is Dorothy. She's NOT dead. So if you come to my house and see her floating on her back on top of the water, please don't be alarmed; this is just how she relaxes at the end of a long day ('cause we all know fish have rough lives).

Dorothy is the goldfish that Ben and I have had for...well..we really don't know how long we've had her, but we do know she's been with us for at least 14 years. Yeah, I know, you don't believe me, and I can't be positive, but we do know she's very, very old. She used to be bright orange and now she is white.

The story is that I bought two goldfish when I was in college. When one would die (as goldfish do quite easily) I would replace it with another one because I heard goldfish are "social" creatures and that they prefer a "roommate." At one point I ended up with one fish and every time I put in a new roommate, the new fish would die. One even committed suicide by jumping out of the bowl. I finally determined that this fish wanted to be alone so I let her(?).

I really don't know when I got this fish, but it was sometime between college and when we moved to Kansas City because I distinctly remember taking this fish with us to Kansas City and that was in 1994! It wasn't until we had our first child that she(?) finally got a name; Joel watched Sesame Street so we named her "Dorothy" just like Elmo's fish.

Dorothy has a "gimpy" fin and spends most of the day on her back at the top of the fish bowl, but every single morning when I come into the kitchen, she goes crazy and swims fast and furious slapping the water waiting to be fed.

My sister Mindy thinks Dorothy is suffering and my sister-in-law, Robbon, says I need to "find someone who will lovingly take Dorothy to the 'other side,' " but I think Dorothy is fine -- afterall, she recognizes me in the morning and is excited to see me! (Not many people want to see me in the morning!)

Why is the Sky Blue?

2008-11-12T14:26:00.001-05:00

If you ask my dad what time it is, he tells you how the clock is made. Recently, after Joel spent some time with my dad, he and I had the following conversation:

Joel: "I think I'm the only kid who knows why the sky is blue."

Me: "Why is the sky blue?"

Joel: "All colors are bent but blue is bent more so your eyes see blue first." (Not an exact quote, but close.)

Me: “Did Grandpa tell you that?”

Joel: “Yes, but I made it shorter.”

Crocodile Diorama

2008-11-11T18:52:00.004-05:00

Joel had to make a diorama (a.k.a. shoe box habitat) for a 2nd grade school project. His was on a crocodile. Isn't it cute?

The picture below is what he drew on the outside of the box -- it's a bird with a sad face because "it's going to get eaten by the crocodile."

Not to be outdone, Evan created his diorama with Joel's leftover pieces.

Hand-Me-Down Trick-or-Treat

2008-11-11T18:37:00.007-05:00

My three trick-or-treaters:

Buzz Lightyear, a gladiator and a Power Ranger.

And next year, Buzz will be "retired" after three boys have worn it, but the other costumes will appear again (just on a different child).

I have to try to find the "good" in having three boys, and one thing that's great is that I don't have to spend a lot on costumes -- I just buy one costume every year (lucky Joel, he gets to pick whatever he wants) and then it gets passed down through all three boys.

This year however, Evan got lucky and borrowed the Power Ranger costume from a friend and we let the friend use one of our old costumes. But next year, unless Evan finds a friend to borrow from, he will be the pirate that Joel was last year.

FYI: It's mid-November and we still have candy all over the house! Ugh!

First Lost Tooth

2008-11-11T18:21:00.005-05:00

It happened -- Evan lost his first tooth today. He came up to me yesterday and said, "I don't know how to say this....(pause)...my tooth is loose." Having a loose tooth shocked him so much that he was at a loss for words (that's another first for Evan who always has something to say -- hmm, I guess he's like his father in that way. Yeah, right).

Crazy as I may be, I got all teary-eyed when he showed me the tooth because I realized he's getting so big. He's only four, but he turns five at the end of the month. sob, sob, sob

Here he is showing off his tooth. Oh so proud.

Here is the special tooth super-hero I have been saving for this very day.

A Special Note from Ben

2008-10-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

It’s not often that I have a “guest writer” on my blog, so it is with great pleasure that I welcome my husband Ben to my blog.

Dear family and friends,
As an Ob/Gyn I witness the miracle of life almost daily and work tirelessly to promote the safety of a baby in the womb. Then I hear from Barack Obama who thinks these very precious lives are not worth saving. He wants to “spread the wealth” to everyone – but wants to kill babies. AND, he wants you to pay for it -- Obama endorses spending taxpayer money (YOUR money) on abortions.

When we talk about the treatment of the “less fortunate,” let’s not forget to include the most vulnerable group -- unborn children, who do not yet have a voice of their own. Just four weeks after conception (just as a woman discovers she is pregnant) a baby has a beating heart. It is truly unthinkable for me to interrupt the safe environment of a woman’s womb yet Barack Obama wants to do just that – he wants to stop that little beating heart.

It’s NOT OK to kill unborn children. Why would you, by your vote, want to endorse a man who stands up for and supports this form of holocaust? Abortion is not some small issue like some want you to believe; it has a powerful bearing on the whole future of our country. When you vote for a pro-choice candidate, you are voting for abortion.

Please, when you go to the polls to vote, remember that, as my sister-in-law Teressa put it, “we cannot lose sight of the fact that there is much more to the presidency than the economy.” A human’s life is on the line and the littlest citizens of all are counting on you.

Ben

Jeremiah 1:5"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose.”

We're NOT Moving

2008-10-26T14:29:00.004-04:00

To those of you who may not have heard, the White family is NOT moving to Reno, Nevada. Sigh! That's my big sigh of relief that we're staying in Toledo. Who would have ever thought I'd be happy to stay in TOLEDO?!

Here's what happened to our Reno plans:
When two of the local Toledo hospitals discovered Ben was interested in changing employers, they called with offers trying to get him to stay here. We still weren't sure what to do, until things started to fall apart with the hospital in Reno. For example, when Ben first interviewed in Reno, they told him he would be sharing "in-house" days (when Ben would be in the hospital for a 24-hour shift) with five other docs. Then when the final contract came, Reno executives said it might only be three other docs on the "in-house" schedule. That meant Ben would be living in the hospital for two or three days/week (24-hour shifts) and it's an EXTREMELY busy obstetrical hospital. Then after the in-house days, he'd still have to do his regular work: patient office visits and surgeries. All of this seemed like it would only make Ben's stress level worse, not better.

So now we're staying in the house we love and near family, friends and our church. And to our Montana family: you are being so nice about all of this; I know you're disappointed we're not moving closer to you guys. And truth be told, I was kind of excited about a big move and living out West (with no humidity), but it would have been so difficult for us to leave here. Ultimately, this was a decision that Ben made with his gut and through a lot of prayer. I'm just thankful Ben has had so many options and opportunities available to him. I'm also grateful for Ben's education, his work ethic and his character. But I'm most grateful that I don't have to pack up this house!

(For the original post about us moving to Reno, click here:
http://whitehouse5.blogspot.com/2008/05/were-moving.html)

Pumpkin Farm Field Trip

2008-10-21T14:38:00.009-04:00

Oh, it's that time of year again -- time to head out to the pumpkin farm. It seems every year I find a better one than the year before; this year we went to Trabbic Pumpkin Farm in Michigan with Evan's preschool (Joel was at school and Ben was at work so they didn't get to join us). It was a wonderful place and the owner/farmer told all the children how he and his family get up every morning at 3:30 a.m. and pray for every visitor. Isn't that cool?Evan and Drew's favorite activity was playing in the hay maze -- they played in this thing for over an hour! Then I spent an hour digging hay out of sweatshirts and shoes.

The boys also loved the pumpkin train -- isn't this the funniest looking thing? When the train driver told me the pumpkin spins while the train moves forward, I decided moms aren't allowed on the train, only kids. Ugh!

We also enjoyed seeing lots of animals, picking some field corn and warming up with hot cider. If you're looking for a great pumpkin farm (or just for a fun way to spend an afternoon) I'd highly recommend this place.

Extreme Dune Buggy

2008-10-21T14:17:00.003-04:00

I have three boys, ages 8, 4 1/2 and 3, but it's the youngest of the three who figures out how to ride the dune buggy BACKWARDS. Oh what my future holds with this one.

Joel's Cardboard Testimony

2008-10-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

Recently at our church our pastor talked about life before Christ and life after we invite Jesus into our hearts and our lives -- Jesus makes all the difference. At the end of the sermon, he had people from our congregation give their "cardboard testimonies." Joel was asked to be a part of this since he is a "miracle baby," born 3 months early at 2 lbs. 7 oz. The video is kind of long, 6 minutes, but I hope you take the time to watch it.

Note: the sound is pretty bad because I just used my digital camera to record it -- it really didn't sound that bad at church. :-)

Note 2: Joel comes in the video at the 4 minute and 45 second mark.

Click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nECPqKgMIxg

Peanut Crusts and Fevers

2008-10-06T14:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Drew was eating a bowl of peanuts in the shell and wanted an additional bowl for the "crusts." (a.k.a. the shells!) haha

Just so you can feel sorry for me, I have been stuck at home for almost a week straight because of two sick kids! Evan had a high fever for 4 days straight and then two days after his was gone, Drew came down with the same thing. It's awful because the boys have gotten SO HOT (I don't know exactly how hot -- I'm a third-time mom so I never take temperatures -- I just throw ibuprofen down their throats) and at its worst, they just shiver. With Drew, as soon as the medicine hits his system, his fever breaks and then he soaks his clothes. Two nights in a row I've had to completely change his pajamas and put a towel on his bed because it was so wet.

The little guys' fever has also been accompanied by bad dreams. Drew dreamt that a "green guy with no hair srew (threw) me into a zolcano" (volcano).

Now for the "bad mom" part of me -- I kind of like it when they are sick (without puking) because they are so sweet, lethargic and cuddly. It's not often that they want to sit on mom's lap and just cuddle so I'm enjoying that part of the "sick bay" at the White House.

When you grow up…

2008-10-02T10:11:00.003-04:00

Me: What are you going to do for a job when you get older?

Evan: I wanna work at Bob Evan’s cause they get lots of money. People eat slow but it’s still fast. (???)

Me: Do you want to cook the food or serve the food?

Evan: I want to be the man at the end because he gets the money (the cashier).

Me: What are you going to do with your money?

Evan: When I’m a man I will buy dishes for my mom.

Me: For me?

Evan: (funny look on face)

Me: Do you mean you will buy dishes for your wife?

Evan: Yeah. Dishes and forks.

Watch out Mrs. Evan -- you’re going to be gettin’ some great Christmas gifts. Haha. I found it so sweet that he wasn’t going to buy things for himself, but for his wife.

"If I'm Cute I Won't Get In Trouble"

2008-09-27T22:47:00.003-04:00

This is Drew's new look when he gets caught. For example,
"Drew, are you eating candy?"
"No" (face).
"Drew, did you just hit Evan?"
"No" (face).
He must think that if he smiles and shows all of his teeth, I won't punish him. Or maybe it's sort of an animal kingdom response -- "Showing all my teeth will scare off the mom." (Sometimes it actually works!)

If You Don't Have Enough Wind for a Kite...

2008-09-27T22:32:00.006-04:00

...create your own wind! Evan found a kite in a closet this week and of course wanted to fly it. I tried to explain that there just wasn't enough wind for a kite but, within minutes, he had THREE fans, carried them all outside, plugged them in and tried to fly his kite. Ben Franklin, eat your heart out. Evan didn't discover electricity, but he sure is resourceful.

Ode to Mrs. Richter

2008-09-27T21:58:00.006-04:00

I immediately knew I was going to like Joel's 2nd grade teacher when on the first day of school I asked if I could get a picture of Joel and her together and she leaned over and put him in a headlock. This is the picture. Joel's huge smile told me he was going to like her too.

About two weeks into school Joel told me that Mrs. Richter is his favorite teacher so far because she reads to the class. She has told the class and the parents that she is an avid reader and hopes to instill the love of books in her students too. Yahoo! She also has a great sense of humor (sort of sarcastic) and loves science. What more could a boy ask for?

In case I didn't already love her, she said something last week that just "sealed the deal":

On Monday Joel got a brace for his left leg that helps him walk better. His gait isn't awful, but his left heel doesn't touch the floor and he kind of slaps his left foot when he walks (from a brain bleed caused by being born three months premature). Anyway, this brace, or "AFO," isn't really obnoxious, it's just a simple brace that fits in his shoe and goes up just below his knee. I wasn't going to make Joel wear it to school until it was "long pants" weather so that he wouldn't be embarrassed, but the next morning he just got up, put it on and went to school. I later asked about the kids' reactions to it and most kids just wondered, "What happened? Did you break your leg?" It wasn't until the next day that I got more of the story.

The next day Joel didn't wear the brace and I thought nothing of it, but when I picked up Joel from school he was standing with Mrs. Richter waiting for me. As he got in the car, Mrs. Richter said, "Joel, don't forget your special tool tomorrow, you didn't wear it today so make sure you wear it tomorrow. She then looked at me (sort of trying to explain what she was talking about) and said, "We talked yesterday about how many people need tools to help them, but Joel didn't have his on today." I immediately started crying, quickly thanked her and drove off. Joel filled me in on the story saying that when the kids asked "what happened to Joel's leg?," Mrs. Richter explained all about special tools (i.e. glasses, braces, etc.). How wonderful that a teacher, instead of ignoring the obvious, takes the time to truly educate children and to make Joel feel special that he has a "tool."

Don't you love her too?!

Toilet Monster

2008-09-08T21:49:00.003-04:00

Drew decided to follow Ben into the bathroom while Ben was...um....shall we say..."using the facilities." Ben told Drew there was a toilet monster and that one time a man was sitting on the toilet and a little boy turned off the lights and shut the door behind him. When the boy came back into the bathroom, the toilet monster had sucked the man into the toilet and all that was left were the man's clothes laying on the floor. "So," Ben says to Drew, "don't you dare turn the light off and leave the bathroom."

Of course Drew, being a defiant little three-year-old, did exactly what he was told NOT to do; he turned the light off, exited the bathroom and closed the door behind him. A few seconds later Drew peeked into the bathroom to find Ben GONE and his clothes laying on the floor.

Drew's scream could be heard throughout the house! Ben quickly threw open the shower curtain and jumped out of his bathtub hiding place.

I wonder -- how long do you think before Drew is on Dr. Phil talking about his fear of the toilet?

Wedding & Hurricane Ike

2008-09-07T13:46:00.005-04:00

I'm supposed to fly to Louisiana this Thursday for my cousin Becky's wedding and now hurricane Ike could ruin my plans (not to mention Becky's plans!). Can you imagine getting married this Saturday in Louisiana knowing that a hurricane is headed straight for you?! You know me, I'll go anywhere for a party, but I'm not sure Continental Airlines feels the same way.

Ben has been away for five days and I am in desperate need of a break; I am so looking forward to this coming weekend, so please, if you wouldn't mind, say a prayer for my cousin's wedding.

You can track Ike by clicking the link below.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26295161?preferredName=Hanna

My Tarzan

2008-08-11T15:18:00.007-04:00

So we went camping this weekend and here's what kept Ben busy.

Isn't this hysterical?! The kids tried it too, but swinging on a tree vine is much funnier when the "Tarzan" is 42 years old.

Here are a few more camping pictures. We had such a wonderful weekend with the Powlesland family at Pokagen State Park. The weather was georgeous (except for a short rain shower one day) and it was nice and cool at night. All three boys were most fascinated with the fire. What is it about fire that captivates boys so much?One of the highlights for me was telling ghost stories I found online. I have some GREAT ones (that aren't too scary) if anyone is interested. If you see the boys, make sure you ask them about bloody finger, red sloppity lips, and the purple gorilla.

We're Hooked!

2008-08-08T14:37:00.007-04:00

The boys and I went fishing with Grandma and Grandpa at a little pond owned by a friend of theirs. Neither Ben nor I are big fishing fans, so it's a good thing that both Grandpas like to fish (and teach). This was Drew's first fishing experience and boy was it a good one! All three boys caught at least one fish -- even I caught one! When we got home the boys went running in the house telling Dad all about the bluegill they caught -- except Drew, he said his was a "white gill."

"Kung Fu Panda" Under Water

2008-08-03T15:14:00.005-04:00

OK, this blog is mainly for the Grandparents to see Drew swimming. The rest of you (all two of you) can just smile and nod.

(Make sure your speakers are turned on.)

Tool Time

2008-07-28T15:46:00.009-04:00

Thank God for Lowe's!

On Saturday Ben and I had a showing of our house so we had to leave from 10 - 11 a.m. Ben was at the hospital so it was up to me to find something fun to do with the boys. I mentioned to my friend, Kristen, that I needed something to do and she recommended going to Lowe's for their children's project time. How perfect!

At Lowe's there is a special room where the children go and get to pick out a project to make. Each child got a free apron and goggles and all project materials needed to complete a "quickie" handmade craft. (Did I mention everything was FREE?!) Joel chose a "land sail" (a car with a sail) and Evan chose a periscope (because he likes to play spies!). I couldn't believe how fun it was! Joel was able to complete his project with almost no direction from me; Evan needed a lot more help and kept asking, "Are we done?" He quickly tired of hammering nails and just wanted to play spies.

They were so excited to show Dad their handiwork! When we got home Daddy set up a work station where the boys could practice hammering nails and using screwdrivers; of course Evan had to put on his "work clothes."

Thanks Kristen Merrick for an awesome idea!

Ornery Drew

2008-07-28T15:32:00.003-04:00

I am very sad to report that my "baby" turned three this month! I cannot believe it. I've begged him to stay little, but it just doesn't work.

It's not very often that I get a picture of Drew laughing, so I just had to post this one. A friend of mine, Pam, hosted a "combined" b-day party for her five year old, Michael, and for Drew. There were two set of candles on the cake -- one set for Drew to blow out and the other set for Michael. Michael hesitated to blow out his candles so Drew seized the opportunity and proceeded to blow out all of the candles! We told him not to do it, lit the candles again, and once again Drew blew them all out. This is why Drew, my little sinking, ornery child, is laughing. He loved every minute of being a meanie.

4th of July Parade

2008-07-10T22:10:00.010-04:00

In 1976, when I was a very young child (cough, cough), my mom planned a neighborhood parade to celebrate America's bicentennial; this year I did the same for my neighborhood. I invited the entire neighborhood and was thrilled to have about 30 children participate. At the end, we all met in the park where Ben was handing out popsicles. I hope we created a memory our children will always fondly remember.

The Art of Coercion

2008-07-06T22:16:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday I told Ben that I wanted a bicycle. His response, "We'll get you one eventually."

Me: "I want one today." (I want to be able to ride around the neighborhood with Joel.)

Ben: "I don't know where our budget stands."

Me: "Earlier you mentioned you are going shopping for fireworks this week and you never mentioned 'budget' then."

Ben: "Kids, get in the car, we're getting mom a bike."

I am now the proud owner of a beautiful new Schwinn bicycle! Thanks Ben, I love it! (So if you see me walking funny, that's why -- my butt is killing me!)

The Three White Boys

2008-06-30T14:23:00.004-04:00

Here they are, the three White boys, ages 7, 4 1/2 and 2 (almost three).

Home Makeover

2008-06-26T15:20:00.006-04:00

Our house enjoyed a makeover this past week with every single wall on the first floor getting a fresh coat of paint. Even the deck got "prettied up." Check out the new look! Anyone want to buy a house?

"Strawberry Superheros"

2008-06-26T14:42:00.007-04:00

We took a literal "field" trip on Tuesday to a strawberry patch to pick berries. I wasn't sure how long the picking would last, but I thought the boys would enjoy it -- and they did. Each boy wanted his own quart basket to fill. All three were very tenacious, but Drew was the one who just sat in one spot and silently picked as many as he could. At one point I saw him stomping what I thought was a bug, but it turned out he decided to stomp several of his strawberries! After I told him we could go home and dip some in chocolate, he decided saving them was better than stomping them.

I told the boys they could eat a few while they were picking, but Evan replied, "I'm a hard worker and hard workers don't eat while they're working." Who only knows where he came up with that idea?! It certainly wasn't from his mama! When we got in the car he commented, "I was a hard worker, now I can eat some."

At the end of picking I told the boys to smile for a picture with their berries. It was Joel who directed this shot, telling his brothers to hold the berries above their heads, but it was Evan who said, "We are the Strawberry Superheros!"

Drew's Helicopter Outing with Mom

2008-06-08T16:16:00.013-04:00

Drew got to ride in a REAL helicopter at the airport near Grandma and Grandpa Heibel's house! This was a special "Drew only" outing because Drew loves helicopters so much -- he has told us for about six months now that when he grows up he wants to "drize (drive) helicopters." When Grandma/pa heard about the opportunity to ride in a helicopter, they knew Drew had to try it. He was very quietly excited and only nodded his head quickly up and down when asked if he wanted to take a ride. He absolutely loved it and silently took in every minute of the brief 5-minute ride. (Grandpa and Mom accompanied him and we loved it too although Mom wasn't quite as silent! ha!)

After the flight, the people at the small airport gave drew a little airplane for him to play with. The kid played with that little toy for over an hour all by himself (after some aerodynamic flight tips from Grandpa of course). Drew was completely in his element; it made me smile just to see him so happy -- and without any older brothers bothering him. Recently someone asked me what energizes me as a mom. My answer: spending time with just ONE child. Yesterday's outing with Drew re-confirmed that with me because I found myself falling in love with Drew all over again. (The honeymoon didn't last long -- this morning he was spanked once and in a time-out twice!)

We're Moving!

2008-05-29T11:02:00.002-04:00

The White Family is moving to Reno, Nevada!

Ben has been interviewing for a new job since April because he is unsatisfied with his current job situation. He was offered several jobs including one in Tennessee and one in Reno. After a lot of prayer and discussion, we decided the job in Reno looked like the best opportunity for our family.

Please allow me one minute to say that I am so proud of Ben. The Reno Hospital staff interviewed many doctors and the recruiter and the hospital Vice President told us that Ben was “their number one choice.” In addition, the CEO of the hospital in Tennessee wanted Ben to join their staff so badly that after Ben declined the job, the CEO called and emailed Ben asking him to reconsider. This process re-opened my eyes to what a wonderful, smart, compassionate person Ben is.

(Wow, that was sort of like reading a Christmas letter from the “perfect family” who live in their dream home and have amazing vacations with their fabulous children who are all on the honor roll and excel in sports.)

Ben and I visited Reno in April even though we knew of Reno’s reputation for prostitution and gambling – before visiting Reno I actually told several people that even though Ben was interviewing, I was “99% sure” we weren’t going to be moving there. (I was…do I have to say it?….I was…wrong.) As we flew into the city we were both shocked at how beautiful the landscape was. Reno is a city that is a little smaller than Toledo and it sort of sits at the bottom of a “bowl” that is surrounded by mountains. It is at one-mile elevation so the year-round temperature is very similar to Ohio, with all the seasons just minus the humidity (yahoo!). The people were so friendly everywhere we went and we immediately felt like we “fit in.” After Ben’s day of interviews, we spent the next day with a realtor looking at houses. We were quite disappointed with how expensive houses are and how SMALL the yards are, but we were amazed at how family-friendly the town is. As the realtor was finishing the tour, I began crying – I knew this was a town in which our family could live and that Ben and I were beginning to fall in love with Reno.

After some negotiations, on Tuesday Ben finally accepted the job offer in Reno. We are looking at moving near the end of summer or early fall and are going to take another trip out there in July to look at houses (particularly looking for houses that are earthquake proof!).

Yes, I will have to be on anti-depressants for several months before and after the move. I cry every time I talk about it, but I know it's in Ben's best interest (which is ultimately in the family's best interest). I will severely miss my family, friends, church, house (yard!) and neighborhood. On the flip-side, we will be 4 hours from San Francisco and just 30-45 minutes from Lake Tahoe! I guess Ben and the boys will have to learn how to ski.

And the best part about living in Reno -- if Ben's job doesn't work out, I can always work at the Bunny Ranch.

The Best Job in the World

2008-05-17T22:19:00.006-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love this stage in my life? Too often I hear mothers complaining about being home with their children and that they can't wait to "get away." And so many times people say to me, "Being a mother is the hardest job in the world." Well, let me say that I LOVE my job. Don't get me wrong, I definitely have moments where I need some Calgon to "take me away," and, our baby-sitter's number is on speed dial, but I do cherish the time I have with three young boys.

It's so fun to see Joel experiencing a whole new world outside of our four walls. He comes home from school with stories of things that happened that day, nuggets of knowledge he's gained, and/or friends he's made. So many times he surprises me by knowing something that I didn't know he knew yet (i.e. I had no idea he was getting good at telling time). However recently my heart broke when he casually mentioned that another student had made a derogatory comment to him one day; I think it bothered me and hurt my heart more than it bothered him. Joel has also become more knowledgeable and aware of being a Christian. After church one day he told me they spent most of their time in Children's Church worshipping Jesus. He has also occasionally volunteered to pray at the dinner table. I love to watch Joel grow because he's our oldest child; I enjoy experiencing the world over again through the eyes of a first-grader.

Then there's Evan -- he just loves every minute of every day. Evan puts his heart and soul into playing, especially when he's being a four-year-old super-hero or a Power Ranger. He's so good at pretending that he's beginning to "rub off" on Drew and now Drew is getting better at make believe. Evan and Drew play so well together! It amazes me every day how little they even need me for entertainment -- that is until it's time to clean up the mess they've made. Evan has also been extremely polite and well-mannered recently. I'm not sure what's gotten into him, but he says "yes ma'am" and "thanks Mom for ____" twenty times a day! He thanks me for everything! Evan is also very style conscious. Every morning he comes into my bedroom and asks, "Can I wear cool clothes today?" "Cool" to Evan means picking out his own outfit and the shirt must have something on it -- a football shirt with lightening bolts on it is his current favorite, especially because it makes him go fast. I dread the thought of Evan going off to school in a year because quite frankly, he is my entertainment every day.

At this point in Drew's two-and-a-half year-old life, he's all about Mommy. When he's hurt -- it's Mommy he chooses (even over Daddy) to soothe him. And when he's somewhere new or he's unsure in a situation, it's Mommy he clings to. I love this so much because the other two boys would choose Daddy ANY day over me, but Drew is a mamma's boy -- at least for now. (There is one exception to the rule -- if Daddy's calling the boys to wrestle, Drew is all about DAD!) Drew also loves to help me cook. No matter what I'm making, he wants to be seated on the counter watching and helping. However, Drew is the most ornery of the three boys -- many times he laughs while being disciplined because Evan laughs when Drew gets in trouble and if Evan thinks it's funny, then Drew thinks it's funny. And one thing that is hysterically funny to both a 2 year-old and a four year-old -- poop and butts. My friend Shelley, mother of an 18 year-old boy, tells me boys think that's funny even when they're 18. I guess I'd better get used to it!

I just wish my boys would stop growing right now; they seem to be at the perfect age for my maximum enjoyment. There have been times through the last 7 years that I wanted them to grow out of certain stages, but right now I am in heaven! I just love where they are now. I was telling my sister, Mindy, recently how much I have been enjoying the boys and, wondering where my optimism was coming from, she questioned my caffeine consumption for the day. I laughed but also wondered if it was true -- did I have an extra cup of coffee that day that made me feel euphoric? But now I know for sure that I really do love this stage of my life -- because it's 11:30 p.m. and I haven't had any coffee since this morning, yet I'm still blogging about how much I thoroughly enjoy my boys.

So, if I knew there was a job opening that was posted as "the hardest job in the world," I'd be the person filling out the first application because this is the BEST job in the world. I love being a mom!

Quiz Team and Mind Games

2008-04-28T09:32:00.004-04:00

Joel had his first official "Quiz Team Meet" this weekend and he did a GREAT job! Quiz Team is an activity sponsored by our church where children (first grade through junior high) memorize biblical facts and then compete against other church teams throughout Ohio. The older kids have many meets throughout the year, but the first and second graders only compete once a year.

Joel started the year kind of slow because Ben and I didn't study with him as much as we should have. But about a month before the competition I recorded all the questions and answers onto a tape and had Joel listen to it at bedtime. Ben and I weren't sure how much Joel had memorized so I was a little nervous about how well he would do. But Joel did an awesome job!

To get points for an answer, the child must be the first to buzz in (sort of like "Jeopardy") and answer the question correctly. Once a child answers five questions correctly in a round, they "quiz out" and are not permitted to answer any more questions until the next round. Joel quizzed out three of the seven rounds!

The meet was two hours away and started early in the morning so just Ben and Joel spent the night in a hotel, hung out at the pool hot tub, quzzed all day and then went to Red Lobster for dinner and to an arcade after that. On the way home Ben asked Joel what his favorite part of the two days was. Joel's response, "Quizzing."

Ben and I are so proud of him! Ben commented that Joel was "in his element" while quizzing; he really seemed to love it. The funniest part was that at the beginning of one round Joel was leaning back in his chair with his head leaned back as if he wasn't even paying attention. The question started and Joel was still just "hanging out" in his chair. Then, just as it was time to hit the buzzer, Joel jerked up and was the first of the eight kids to smack the buzzer and answer. When Ben and I were talking and laughing about it after the meet Joel told us he was just pretending to be tired so the other kids wouldn't think he was going to "buzz in." Joel has obviously mastered the art of "psyching out the competition." smile

The First Broken Bone

2008-04-23T16:32:00.009-04:00

Joel has just earned the distinction of being the first person in our family to break a bone. Although with three boys, I'm guessing this won't be our last break. I made sure to introduce all three boys to the orthopedic doctor so that he would recognize us when we make a return visit! haha

Here's the part of the story where I win the "Mother of the Year" award...Joel broke his arm a WEEK ago and I just took him to the doctor today. Yes, I feel awful! (Once again, my dear sister Mindy who works for Children's Services, please don't report me for this!)

Last week I took the boys to a local playground and Joel fell off a large climbing rock landing on his side with his arm taking the brunt of the fall. After Ben and I both looked at his arm and had him move it in all directions, we were both convinced there was no break. Joel didn't complain much about his arm except occassionally he said it was sore, but after giving him ibuprofen the pain would subside. However, yesterday I noticed he was holding his bent arm against his body and protecting it with his other hand. But for Joel to have his left arm slightly bent is not really abnormal (due to the affects of his extreme prematurity at birth). I started asking him to move it all around and he could do everything until I had him lift his arm like a chicken flapping its wing -- he couldn't do that at all (or maybe he just didn't want to look like a fool!). That really concerned me, but not enough to lose any sleep. :-) This morning after Joel took a shower, he couldn't even raise his arm high enough to get his deodorant on (yes, he's 7 and needs deodorant!). Now this is when I was really concerned -- a stinky boy in this warm weather with NO deodorant?! Off to the doctor we went.

The break is a simple "buckle" fracture at the very top of his left arm, close to the shoulder, so they couldn't cast it. The only "fix" is to have Joel wear a sling for the next two weeks. The part that concerned me the most was when the ortho doctor told me it could affect his growth in that arm (meaning it might make his left arm slightly shorter). My dad recommended a solution: Joel could wear a super-heavy watch on his left arm for the next 10 years in hopes the weight of the watch would stretch his arm! haha

In closing, I would like to say two things:

1. Thank you to my brother Mark. Just this morning I was in three different doctors' offices (radiologist, pediatrician and orthopedic) with all three boys. Let me tell you, my faithful blog reader, there is not much for boys to do in a doctor's office. We were entertained for a while with a matchbox car and two laser lights (sorry, Dr. Radiologist, I hope your sight is back to normal now) that the kids happened to have in the car with them, but when those toys became boring, I resorted to tracing kids' hands on the paper exam table covers. Then...as a last resort...I began to tell stories of my brother Mark's adventures at the hospital as a child. All three boys had their eyes glued on me and listened to every single word of each hospital visit Mark had. And believe me, this took up quite a lot of our waiting room time. So, thank you, Mark!

2. Ben, my dear doctor husband who said Joel's arm was fine, please stick to examing pregnant women!

Conversation Exhaustion

2008-03-19T10:07:00.004-04:00

This morning I left Evan and Drew alone in the car while I made a quick dash into a store (I could see the car from the store and yes, I locked and alarmed the car). When I came out I found Evan out of his seatbelt. Then the following conversation ensued:

Me: “Evan, what were you doing?”
Evan: “What did you see me do?”
Me: “I saw you out of your seat."
Evan: “Well, that’s all I did.”
Me: “Drew, what was Evan doing?”
Drew: “Ezan spit.”
Evan: “NO I didn’t!”
Me: “Then what did you do?”
Evan: “I forgot.”
Me: “If you forgot then I’ll just punish you for spitting.”
Evan: “I didn’t spit!”
Me: “What DID you do?”
Evan: “Drew will tell you.” (Then Evan covered his ears so he couldn’t hear Drew spill the beans.)
Me: “Evan, you have three seconds to tell me what you did or you’re getting punished for spitting.”

At this point I was all prepared to hear some huge, horrible act that he had committed.

Evan’s crime? “I took the batteries out of the remote control” (to the DVD player).

And THAT conversation is why I am tired at the end of every day!

Sledding and Slush

2008-03-18T16:28:00.002-04:00

Ben came home from work early one day last week and announced that we were all going sledding. It was the perfect day for it -- 40 degrees, no wind and the snow had melted into ice -- this meant fast sleds and we didn't even need to wear boots. We had an absolute blast! Drew went down the hill several times by himself and a couple times he insisted on lying on his belly in the sled. He has no fear.

On the final "descent," all five of us rode down on three sleds side-by-side. What a perfect family photo -- EXCEPT that my loving, sweetheart of a husband pushed my sled right into a slush puddle at the bottom of the hill. The boys (all FOUR of them) loved it! Even I managed to laugh.

My biggest regret from the sledding outing is that I didn't take pictures. But, as my friend Elizabeth says, "My heart took a picture." (groan!)

World War III

2008-03-08T09:10:00.004-05:00

I am going crazy! The boys have been fighting non-stop and I'm ready to send them all to Grandma's house. (Any volunteers, Grandmas? I'll even send them to someone else's Grandma.) The fighting is only bad when all three boys are home. So poor Joel -- he comes home from school and instantly the fighting starts. At first I thought it was his fault, but then I realized it's not him, it's just the fact that all three are home and when you have three, someone is always being left out.

They fight over toys, food, attention from Mom and Dad...they even fight over seats in the living room! Last night I told them I was DONE with it and there was to be no more fighting in MY house; "if you fight again, I'm putting you outside!" Within the hour Evan and Joel were both on the front porch in their stocking feet and no coats. I'm sure the "Gladys Kravitz" of the neighborhood was wondering what I was up to, but I didn't know what else to do. ("Gladys" has also seen my boys running laps around our cul-de-sac when they get too rowdy inside.) At first the boys fought on the porch too (throwing snow at each other), but within three minutes they promised to be nice to each other and were back inside.

(FYI, sister Mindy who works for Children's Services, the boys were only outside for THREE minutes. I promise!) smile

When Ben came home from work, we took all three boys to a "sports center" where they played on gymnastics equipment and jumped on a trampoline. This helped burn off some energy and I got to "vent" to some other moms. One mom, a friend of mine, said her three boys have been doing the same thing and she attributes much of it to being stuck inside all winter. I'm praying she is right and that soon, when the weather warms up, my boys will once again be friends (or at least not try to kill each other!).

Any brilliant (or even not-so-brilliant) suggestions for nixing the fighting are welcome.

Singin' In the Rain

2008-03-04T20:35:00.006-05:00

Yesterday afternoon it was cold, windy and raining -- perfect weather to stomp in puddles, right? If you're a boy, ANY weather is perfect for puddle-stomping. So, all three White boys donned their boots, coats and umbrellas and went outside for some wet fun. Evan's quote, "This is AWESOME! Today is a good day!"

For the actual historical record of the day, I will add that 20 seconds after these pictures were taken, Drew fell in the COLD water and began sobbing and, I now have NO working umbrellas.

My Resting Heart Rate

2008-02-29T23:11:00.002-05:00

Now, I know you all are thinking, "What in the WORLD is she blogging about NOW?! And why in the heck do we care?!" But I have to share my exercising success story with you people who love and care about me so much.

I want you to know that I have been faithfully exercising FIVE times a week since just before Thanksgiving and I am so proud of myself for that. HOWEVER, I have not lost any weight, nor are my jeans fitting any looser. I was getting depressed about that until just recently when I took my resting heart rate -- it has dropped SEVEN beats/minute! What does this mean? This means even though I don't look any better on the outside, I am getting beautiful on the inside (and everyone knows "it's what's inside that counts"). I may die of obesity, but I surely won't die of a heart attack anytime soon. Wahoo!

Walkie Talkies

2008-02-26T09:08:00.002-05:00

I've had walkie talkies for years but just pulled them out yesterday for the boys to play with. Evan hasn't stopped talking since I put batteries in them. Yesterday he was on the toilet talking to me on his walkie talkie. The conversation from the toilet went like this:

Evan (into his walkie talkie): "I hope the poop doesn't get on my hands again."

Me (into my walkie talkie): "Evan, put the walkie talkie down before you wipe your butt."

Evan: "Got it, Mom...(pause)...I did it...bye.....(long pause)....I love you, Mom."

Rambo I and II

2008-02-21T16:13:00.006-05:00

Here are my tough little Rambos. I'm so proud. Ugh. Whatever happened to the Cinderella and Snow White I thought I would have? (Make-up and tattoos courtesy of the Valentine costume boxes from Grandma and Grandpa White.)For Valentine's Day, I purchased the boys each a book. Nice idea, right? Not quite! Ben, who didn't know I had aleady bought the boys a gift, walked in from work and presented each boy with his own toy automatic gun with laser lights, and army vests. Guess which gift they liked best?! Next year, I'm buying each kid a pony!

If Batman and Robin had a child together...

2008-02-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

OK, I know it's impossible, BUT if Batman and Robin had a child together, this is what he would look like.

Grandma and Grandpa Popcorn (White) sent THREE Valentine boxes FULL of costumes for the boys. Drew immediately picked out the Robin costume, but he wanted the bat wings on it too. So here he is..."Batrob!"

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!

Grammar 101 Taught by Joel

2008-01-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

My current "Joel project" is to change the way he corrects Evan's grammar.

The other day Evan said, "I catched the ball, Joel!"

Joel then said in a rude tone, "Evan, what's wrong with this sentence? 'I catched the ball.'" (It was rude, but I had a hard time not laughing at the way Joel said it.)

I scolded Joel for being rude and he responded, "Well how am I supposed to tell him it's wrong?" I suggested he repeat the sentence, the correct way, back to Evan in the form of a question. "For example, you could have said, "You caught the ball, Evan?"

Just yesterday we had success. Both boys started to play Candyland and Evan said, "Mommy teached me how to play."

Joel: "Mommy taught you how to play?"

Yeah, Joel! I rewarded him with a marble in his jar for that one!

FYI: The "marble jar" is our new behavior modification technique. When the jar is full, Joel gets to go to an arcade with Dad. He loves getting marbles and quite honestly, it is working extremely well.

"The Box Givers"

2008-01-24T22:30:00.001-05:00

Evan came running upstairs today and excitedly proclaimed, "Somebody knocked on our door and it's the box-givers! Maybe it's for me, Drew and Joel."

UPS had delivered a package. Unfortunatly for Evan, it was only a scrapbook I had ordered online, but his new name for the UPS driver made me smile.

Germ-a-phobe Joel and Prayer

2008-01-22T09:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Evan was really sick with the stomach flu and now Joel is scared to death that he will get it. "I don't want to puke" he keeps telling me. He was at Grandma and Grandpa's house when Evan came down with the flu, so he told them he didn't want to go home until nighttime.

At 6 o'clock when Joel walked in the door, he briefly greeted me and went straight up to his bedroom and closed the door. I went to check on him and he told me to "close the door quick, I don't want the germs getting in here." When he went to the use bathroom, he held his breath until he was "safe" in Mom and Dad's bathroom with the door closed (he wouldn't use the kids' bathroom because "that's where the germs are").

Do you think I have a germ-a-phobe like Howie Mandel on my hands? I recently heard Donald Trump is also a germ-a-phobe. Hmm, I'm thinking...both guys are making lots o' money... maybe it's not such a bad trait to have?

Anyway, I'm getting off the subject here (yes, I've had coffee!). After Joel was tucked in bed, he was so worried he'd puke that he asked me to pray for him. I prayed once and then five minutes later, risking catching a germ in the hallway, he came to find me and to ask me to pray for him again, "I feel better when you pray, Mom."

First think this morning when Joel heard Evan awake, he ran to Evan and asked him if he was feeling better. Evan said he was better and Joel proudly said, "That's because I prayed for you this morning. I prayed for you, Drew and Mom and Dad." Evan responded with a hearty "Thanks, Joel!" Joel repeated the same thing to Drew when he woke up.

Now here's what I need you, my faithful readers to do for me:
Please, PLEASE pray that Joel does not get the flu! He has all the faith in the world that God will keep him safe. I also believe that God will keep Joel safe, but I also know we, as sinful men were cast from the Garden of Eden and now live in a world where we are exposed to many germs. (Wow, one cup of coffee and now I'm preaching!) I just want Joel to experience the power of Jesus and of prayer.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

Batman, Spiderman and Scooby-Doo

2008-01-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

Almost 24 hours a day Evan is thinking about superheros. This week he came downstairs dressed in his Batman hat, cape and socks and his Scooby-Doo shirt and sunglasses. I couldn't resist taking a picture. This is what he told me yesterday:

“I did like this (pointing finger down) on your new couch and something felt like it bit me, that’s how I have spider-sense. Cool, huh? That’s because now I can do this (climbing on cupboards) and now I can dribble (a basketball) with one finger. I can climb like this on the window too.”

This superhero thing also works for eating well. "Evan, you have to drink your milk and eat your dinner if you want to be a superhero." Grandpa tried this tactic first and it worked so well that now we use it at home almost daily.

If Evan is a superhero, what does that make me -- Wonderwoman?! Oh yeah, baby!

Drew or Britany?

2008-01-16T15:52:00.000-05:00

Here's Drew with his favorite Christmas present, his baby "Sarah." Sarah goes everywhere with Drew and here he is pulling a "Britany Spears" with her -- she's riding on his lap in the driver's seat of his Jeep. Where are the paparazzi now?!

FYI, Sarah was named after his Aunt Sarah in Montana; she is Ben's youngest sister.

Drew's Room

2008-01-15T19:17:00.000-05:00

I have finally finished Drew's room and I'm so excited because it turned out great!

Ever since our trip to Africa this past summer, Drew has been fascinated wtih airplanes. So, I used airplanes as the theme for his room. I didn't want it to look like a baby's room and wanted it to be simple enough that he could change it up as he got older. So...TA DA, here is his new room. The airplanes and clouds look like they are painted on the walls, but they are actually adhesives from "Uppercase Living," a new product that my friend sells.

Suzanne Pictures

2008-01-06T17:19:00.001-05:00

According to my niece, Suzanne, in the Christmas pajama picture she looks like an "elf." So to redeem myself for putting her "elf" picture on my blog, I'm posting two pictures of her from this week at homecoming. FYI: She is 16 and a junior in high school.

All Six Grandchildren

2008-01-02T20:10:00.000-05:00

My mom's new Christmas tradition is to buy matching pajamas for all of the grandchildren. This is the first year that we can say our family is complete. None of my parents' three children are having any more babies, so here they are -- ALL six grandchildren.

Ben and my three boys: Joel-7, Evan-4, and Drew-2
Mindy and Jeff's daughter: Suzanne-16 and
Mark and Robbon's two daughters: Mia and Ashley, ages 2 and 10 weeks.

Did you notice all the blue belongs to Ben and me?! How did my sister and brother get all the girls?!

On another note: I haven't exercised in 1 1/2 weeks due to a severely painful pulled muscle near my shoulder blade. I have, however, enjoyed three visits to a chiropractor and some good muscle relaxers and pain medicine. Quite honestly, the pain is almost completely gone today but I'm not going back to the YMCA until Monday.

Goal Accomplished

2007-12-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

Once again I am proud to "announce" that I accomplished my goal of working out 5 times this week! Yahoo! Tuesday was looking bad -- I couldn't figure out how to get to the YMCA because of a sick kid and a busy schedule, so Ben came home from work over lunch so that I could get to the Y. What a great guy!

I am so tired from all my exercise that I went to bed at 8 p.m. last night! I'm feeling much more energetic today.

Now, I just have to figure out how to give up my night-time snacks -- then I might actually lose some weight. I'll have to wait until January 1 to make that resolution. I can't do it ALL now -- then I wouldn't have anything to "resolve" for 2008.

Ode To Evan

2007-12-08T21:35:00.001-05:00

This is a little late in publishing, but my little three-year-old Evan turned 4 on November 24 and it was one of the saddest days of my life as a mom. I LOVE three! Three is the best age because Batman, Superman and Spiderman are REAL; Mom and Dad are perfect; it's still OK to be bad sometimes (because "that's what toddlers do"); and discoveries happen every day. I begged Evan to stay three but he said he didn't want to because "I like birsday cake."

Evan is so much fun to be around -- he finds a friend wherever he goes -- and he gets so excited and animated about everything. One little boy, Matthew, in Evan's preschool class particularly likes him because Matthew, who has major speech delays, knows sign language and apparently when Evan waves his hands excitedly about something, the boy interprets Evan's hand gestures for the sign for "play" -- Matthew thinks Evan wants to play with him all the time!

Now, I'm NOT saying Evan is perfect (he's recently taken to lying!), but I am saying I wish he would have stayed three forever! My mom says four is the perfect age; we'll see, I don't know how it could beat this past year with my Evan.

Exercising Sucks!

2007-12-08T21:20:00.000-05:00

I managed to accomplish my goal this week -- I worked out FIVE times even though one day school was delayed two hours because of snow.

While playing in the snow with the three boys, I tried to justify not working out because, after all, isn't pulling a two-year-old on a sled up a hill exercise enough? But then I thought of you, my faithful blogger readers, and I knew I had to meet my goal or I would really hear it from you. Thanks for keeping me on track! (Now, where are the kudos? Pats on the back? And wonderful words of encouragement?)

Here's one cute picture of our snow day -- Drew loved the snow (for about 20 minutes).