If these walls spoke...

Celebrations.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Rugger was baptized on Sunday, June 2nd and we rolled that event and the girls' birthday celebrations into one big, happy lunch party at our house afterward.

With presents.

And cake.

On Ryleigh's actual birthday, all she wanted to do was make cupcakes. Easy enough! She had the day off from doing chores, picked all her favorite meals, and we went to Jazz in June in the evening with some of our buddies.

Reise was happy to find out that it was National Donut Day on her actual birthday! We had fun making homemade donuts and sharing with the daycare kids ;) We took some friends with us to the spray ground and hit up the library at the birthday girl's request. It was a fun day.

There aren't adequate words to do justice the pride we feel when we see these kids of ours growing yet another year older, and making big decisions. Big love.

Becky

Jazz in June

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:43:00 +0000

One of my favorite parts of summer is meeting our friends and sitting around at Jazz in June on Tuesday nights.

Rugger is such a clown. I just snapped away as he tried to look cool tipping back in his tiny kid chair, and then proceeded to collapse the chair and fall all the way down. I took more of him attempting to untangle himself and get up while saving his bagel, but they really aren't flattering and even though they were doggone hilarious, I thought I would save him a little tiny bit of dignity. Hahahahahaha!! He slays me. He's honestly been copping such an attitude lately, I had just said, "I feel like he's gotten just a tiny bit big for his britches" and then I realize in moments like this that no, he's just 8. I've still got this. Maybe he does need a bigger chair ;)

Notice the bagel never touches the ground.

Saved it.

Nights like these make me feel like everything is right in the world!

Becky

Get Away.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Wed, 29 May 2013 03:09:00 +0000

We made a super duper quick trip to Kansas City to watch the Cardinals play on Memorial Day. The kids do really well on the road, and they loved the game.

Such a crappy photo because I just wanted to snap it quick before they noticed me. Just having some banana phone convos. So serious. Look at Reise! They really are a riot.

We were literally about as far up as you could go. That's what you get when you plan these things less than a week in advance. Pretty sure the kids didn't care ;) Pretty sure we could have made them sit in the car and listen to the game on the radio and they would have been happy as long as they had cotton candy and funnel cakes coming at them on the regular ;) Not that we would do that. Orrrrrrr, maybe we would.

Fun little road trip!

Becky

Phone Photo Friday

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Of course I only have phone pics for the last week or so. Whatever! At least there are pics ;)

Finally started and finished my pallet furniture project. It really didn't take much time or effort, and I think they look pretty darn cute on the deck and basement patio! The weatherproof fabric, foam and plywood to cover one seat cost about $35, and the pallet was free. Not dirt cheap, but probably worth the money for the amount of seating it created. I used outdoor paint, and assembled everything with a staple gun.

Sent this picture to "the guys" who were missing him at BW3's after they all helped moved a friend's piano. He came home afterward to help me instead, and look how happy he was about it!! For the record, I told him to stay out. I guess he just missed me, what can I say? Hahahaha! Handsome and handy. Love him.

I had to have a discussion with the kids about the difference between picking weeds at the pond and picking flowers out of people's yards that live near the pond. Whoopsie Daisy! Pretty tho ;)

The kids are into using goblets and champagne glasses for water right now.

Rugger and Truman are hoping to see their Lego creations featured in the next Lego Club magazine. Fingers crossed.

Last week was warm enough for water stuff outside nearly every day. It's going to take me a few weeks to adjust and start ignoring the mess this creates inside. The floors are constantly wet, there is forever a pile of wet clothes in the main floor bathroom, and the deck is always covered in towels at various stages of drying.

Such is summer. Bring it on.

Our dog is nearly perfect. Really, for a rescued 4yr old (basically a middle aged Dane), we got SUPER "lucky" with her. She has bonded to us and is really well behaved the VAST majority of the time. Besides stealing mass quantities of food, she really has had no major behavior issues.

Once in a while she gets mad that we're outside and she's in.

The JDRF garage sale was a success. Huge thanks to our friends the Paulsen family for hosting it. Their neighborhood sales brought by a lot of traffic, and it was a great location. We had a LOT of stuff to sell, thanks to awesome donations. In the end we made $985 to donate to JDRF, which sure isn't shabby.

This pictures doesn't do it justice. So. Much. Stuff.

We skipped naps and swung over to watch our buddies sing a duet at their school talent show this week. So FUN.

My little audience members were very respectful!

Sonic Happy Hour after sitting so perfectly for aforementioned talent show. I'm sure the car hops think it's weird that I ordered 8 green apple slushies. Peer pressure!

We ran into some rad weather on our way home from Grand Island last weekend. This storm passed through town while we were there. We left for home and ran into it again, passed through it driving, and beat it to Lincoln. Then, just as we were tucking the kids into bed, it came through Lincoln! Same storm 3x.

My brother thinks I do nothing all day except Instagram pictures of the dog. Maybe that's partially accurate.

Today is the last day of daycare transition from school-year kids to summer kids. There's usually a week in the spring and another week in the fall when my summer kids are here already but my school-year kids haven't left yet. It could possibly look a bit overwhelming to anyone passing by, ha! It's a great way to semi-start a new routine since it's a little chaotic anyway.

By the start of next week it will feel like a breeze in comparison. Looking forward to afternoons poolside, sprinklers, Popsicles on the deck, and lots of fishing after a long weekend with my favorites ;)

-Becky

Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:38:00 +0000

Ryleigh will have grey hair from worry before she hits high school. Bless her. She's got way too many brothers and a fearless sister to fret over 24/7. My gosh I love it. I just love the whole thing.

Sometimes a fun morning at the zoo with my favorites goes a long way in reminding my that I love staying home, I love homeschool, and daycare is a great option for me. The days with crying babies and dirty diapers and whining about math and fighting over chores and on and on and on can get long, y'all. Then, we meet up with some buddies, feed a few goats, eat a packed lunch, and come home to a clean kitchen and naptime, and all feels right in the world. I do love it.

Maeson had kindergarten orientation last night, which makes me feel a tiny bit of panic at the thought of him missing fun stuff with us next year. He loved going off to see his new classroom all by himself with a bunch of other tiny itty bitty teeny weeny 5 yr olds. I know he will be an excellent student and have a blast in school. Still. Sad. Summer is going to fly by and August 13 will have me boo hoo'ing before I know it.

Speaking of school, the homeschooled Sallingers are "done" for the year. Praise the good Lord. Reise and Rugger need a lot of reading practice over the summer, and they'll all do daily math practice just to keep things fresh. I am personally thrilled to have a break from managing that mayhem for a while. Summer is going to be a great time to just take a minute away from being in it constantly, so I can reevaluate everyone's material before fall. Then I will add Rowen to the mix which will probably make my brain explode again ;) We shall see!

For now, it's summertime and the livin's easy!
-Becky

Etc.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:14:00 +0000

Because, there's not really much going on around here...but so much going on at the same time. Etc. : additional odds and ends; extras.

So, I turned the A/C on in the house today. I broke my "wait 'til June 1st" rule, and I just wanted to be honest about it. I decided it was in everyone's best interest for me to be cool and calm today, and that's that. (Like you care!) It's been way too long since I pulled out my camera. Months. I finally dumped my phone pics and filled in the blog here and there with posts of stuff I really didn't want to leave out. Everything else I dumped into this Etc. post ;) I will try to keep up from here on out! Might even dust off the Canon.

(Here are links to the posts I added in: Mother's Day Marathoning Boys' Birthdays Easter)

*********

Rugger recently pulled a tooth that had been loose for over a year. Literally. I have no idea how it hung on that long. He had been to the dentist TWICE since it was discovered to be loose initially. So weird. Anyway, after all that, I accidentally poured it down the drain. In my defense it was sitting in a random cup full of water on the kitchen counter. I had no idea. Thankfully, the Tooth Fairy is super understanding.

And, speaking of teeth. Pretty sure we didn't document Reise's first loss on thee blog. Rugger gave it the final yank after she punched herself in the mouth to get it good and loose. I can't make these things up. Ask Reise for a reenactment.

A random neighbor I had never met before knocked on the door one afternoon last week and asked if we would like a gallon sized Ziploc full of pepperonis. Um, yes please.

That's not weird, is it? They're delicious.

Crumb snatcher. The dog is getting really bold with her eating stuff off the counters and tables. She loves butter in mass quantities and digests Saran Wrap with no problem. The volume of food she can scarf down in seconds is pretty astounding.

Every dog has it's tricks.

Rugger saved his money for months and finally bought his electric motorcycle. The thing is pretty sweet. Now that he's made that big purchase, the next item on his list is a new remote control helicopter. He's about $3 short. Actually closer to $4 after he bought his mom a Snickers for Mother's Day with his own money. So sweet! :) Love that he's so determined and has figured out a little money management!

We lost a hen about a month ago. The kids found her one morning, stiff with feet straight up in the air, and they were pretty "farm kid" about the whole thing. It was sad, but these things happen, and it was just a chicken. It's still weird to see the pair out in the yard now, pecking around without their 3rd wheel. The other white hen (Esther) started acting really weird...sitting around, not coming out of the coop, not laying eggs. We thought she was sick, did some googling, poked at her a bit, and after a week realized she was probably just depressed that her friend was gone! It sounds weird, but evidently chickens do that! Sure enough, after another few days she started coming out of the coop, pecking around, acting normal again. She still hasn't laid an egg since. Hopefully she'll be back to her old self soon. We learn new things every day over here.

Nice weather has slowly returned. Really looking forward to regular late nights downtown again!

I'm in a decorating phase lately; these things are usually short-lived ;) I finally painted and hung a window I have had for months. I need to find something to go over or around it, and I want to find some topiary flower balls for the teal pots on the mantle. Next up, patio furniture! I love our deck and patios, and I want to use them more this summer. I may actually log into Pinterest for this project...

DJ Steele is churning out the weddings already, which is pretty early for wedding season it seems. The kids know wedding season means meetings in the Haymarket and Ivanna Cone for them! Turns out, I find a way to incorporate ice cream into meetings, even if they happen via phone after the kids have long been tucked in for the night ;)

Rowen. "What?"

Dakota deserves an award for most patient dog ever.

I know this may seem ridiculous, but this year's Valentine's Day gift from the love of my life has given me more happiness over the last 3 months than is probably healthy. I absolutely love having my nails painted. I feel like I'm a fairly low-maintenance gal, and for goodness' sake if I want to keep my nails shellac'ed all year 'round then I should probably just go ahead and make that happen. Then, I get all practical and realize I don't have the time to spend an hour at the nail salon every two weeks, and I really hate to spend the money! Turns out...you can do it at home. All you need is a UV lamp (link to the exact model I have, and I have no complaints about it!) and gel or shellac polish (Target, Walmart, Beauty Supply...). I'm telling you what, I have never been happier about the convenience to do it myself on the weekends while I'm watching Netflix and DJ Steele is working. The initial cost is about what you'd pay for two salon manicures. Totally worth it.

You're welcome.

May Day! It was cold and rainy, and we did it anyway. (Memory makin' and all that.)

Rugger started playing flag football this "spring". I don't know any of the rules. I honestly would give a 50/50 guess if you asked me if he was playing offense or defense. Not kidding. I am just so uninterested in football as a sport, I can't even spare a few brain cells to try and figure that one out. Don't even try to talk to me about downs. I understand touchDOWNS and I think I have the extra point figured out. Anywhooooo....

You know how crazy I am about my kid, right? So if he wants to play football, I will go to all the games and take cues from those around me as to when I need to cheer really loud.

If he has the ball and appears to be running in the correct direction, I cheer really loud. If he's running after the other guy who has the ball, I will yell, "Get 'em!!" That's about as far as I can safely go without looking like a fool.

Rugger has been so lucky to have three sets of grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends show up to cheer him on. I've really slacked with the pictures lately, and I'm kicking myself for my lack of photo evidence that our family is amazing. I stole this one from the kids' adopted little sister's mom ;)

Well, it's nearly 100 degrees outside so I sent my bigs out with water guns and told them not to fall into the pond. At least one of them really requires more supervision than that, so I'm off ;)

-Becky

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:42:00 +0000

Ryleigh and I volunteered at the JDRF gala Saturday night, and when we got home at 11:15pm there were a dozen roses on the kitchen counter. So nice. So normal! (Love that it's normal.) Sent a thank you text to my main squeeze, and nearly an hour later found another dozen roses in the bedroom. Big sweet love right there. It IS Mother's Day weekend after all.

We somehow accidentally booked DJ Steele a wedding on Sunday. Mother's Day. In Omaha. I say "we" because I'm the one who checked the date, sent out the contract, recorded all the info, sent out a confirmation... (Basically, I should say "I" booked DJ Steele a wedding...) Anywhoooooo, since we're into making lemonade over here...

Fun day with my favorites in the Old Market in between DJ set-up and actual start time. Swung over and saw my mom for an hour on the way, so it worked out really well. (Lemonade!)

Called my brother on the interstate on the way home and he said, "Did you bring your waxed paper?" Funny you should ask! We did not, however there was plenty to go around. Turns out the waxed paper was way too much for Rowen to handle. Poor kid. Flew off the end so fast and hit the ground so hard all the spectators did one of those, "oooh" in unison things. Dang!

Much better with the big brother. Whew!

Ryleigh, usually fairly reserved, definitely enjoyed herself on the slides ;)

Old-school phone booth at Spaghetti Works.

Super relaxing day, honestly. I was dreading driving back to Lincoln by myself but the house was pretty well picked up and the kids were so tired bedtime was a cinch. Not a shabby way to spend a Mother's Day if I do say so. Love them. Missed my Maesonater, but he sent me a text and I'll make up for lost time over the next 3 weeks (and 3 weekends in a row!) and then it's summer schedule time!!!

-Becky

Marathoning

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:14:00 +0000

So, marathon week.

Running buddies for my last weekend run.

Did a little DIY screen printing to make the kids festive shirts. Traced the design onto freezer paper, cut, ironed onto shirt glossy side down, painted, peeled, dried, done. Super slick!!

My sister-in-law has been doing this for a long time now, using her cricut machine to make detailed designs. I would say if you're hand cutting-keep it simple ;)

Mayor's Run on Saturday! Such fun memories for me, since we did this every year when I was in elementary school.

Rugger...like a gazelle!

Reise and Maeson are naturals. We maybe need to get them into a track club or something.

Rowen struggled but made it the entire mile! Ryleigh just said no. Gotta love that she knows her strengths.

So cold! Seriously, just about miserable with the wind that morning. We had the kids all run in the same heat and we were in and out ;)

Half marathon on Sunday!

Most of my bests here. Love them so much.

I swear Rugger dead seriously asked if I won the marathon. I said, "Almost!" Hahahahaha!!!!!!! My gosh. I'm going to keep training for another half in September. I was pretty disappointed with my time, and I think I can do better. I don't want to wait another year to try it again ;) Anyone up for a road trip over Labor Day weekend should join us in Green Lake, WI. I will make you a 13.1 t-shirt!

Sweet little crew, totally deserved Chipotle for lunch after all the hard work they did following me around town. :)

Big love and thanks to my handsome husband for hauling these kids around and meeting me several times on the route to cheer me on. Loved seeing their little faces, and Mitch seriously saved my life bringing me my jacket. I would have frozen to death if he hadn't. Slow runners like me just don't generate enough body heat for 44 degrees and cloudy.

-Becky

Family Tree Wall

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:17:00 +0000

Fewer things make me happier than productivity. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I'm probably OK with it whatever it is. I love killing two birds...multitasking...and all variations of those things.

I've wanted to get a "family tree" picture wall up for months. I think I started taking pictures of our family last October to put on the wall. Finally this weekend we ran around gathering the supplies, googling DIY sites, and busted these canvases and shelves out like it was nobody's business.

So happy!!

The picture canvas project wasn't hard, but a little tedious. Basically I printed 8X10 pictures onto tissue paper, then mod podged onto the canvas. It takes a little finesse, and my first attempts weren't awesome but they're on the wall anyway ;) Once it dries it really looks pretty cool, you can't tell anything is sitting on the canvas at all.

These shelves are Ikea knockoffs that my handsome and handy husband knocked out rather quickly on Sunday. He really doesn't enjoy these types of projects so when he does them happily it literally makes me swoon. I think they turned out great, and they were dirt cheap.

Family: if you don't see yourself up there it's because I don't have your picture! Email me a goodie of your fam for my new wall!!! :)

I decided to hang them with the kids instead of waiting for my handyman to come home from work to help me. Among other things, the bigs learned out to find a stud in the wall by tapping and listening for the sound to seem more solid than hollow. It's an art that I will make sure they have mastered before they leave my nest ;) They were a fantastic pair of helpers.

Reise made herself useful by running a baby nursery out of the way of the power tools. She kills me.

Just another fairly successful day at the ol' Sallinger Academy over here ;)

Becky

FIVE

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:51:00 +0000

Unreal. These boys will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Big ol' five year olds!!!

They celebrated with family and their buddies at the Joyo Theater. What a hoot. I'm creeped out by ripped up upholstery and questionable flooring in an old movie theater, but it was fun.

So fun! Love that these boys get to grow up around such incredible families. Our crew is the best.

Big love to my big boys.
xoxo,
Mommy

Easter

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:36:00 +0000

Hosanna!! Love Palm Sunday. Love big church and big traditions and memories for my kids to keep forever. Church has been so weird lately-staff changes, me not working there-things seem uncertain at best. Sundays like this help me see a bigger picture. (Speaking of pictures, I am evidently in a scatterbrained phase and can't remember to bring my camera anywhere. This is why we have months worth of iPhone pics with weird lighting. Sorry, green-faced Rugger.)

We did a little egg paper mache for some fun the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. They turned out pretty cute. The kids painted them and bedazzled them, and we hung them in the entryway to be festive ;)

Dyed eggs...

Frosted cookies...broke my 11+ year old electric mixer beaters. Major small appliance fail on a holiday weekend!

Everyone got a little nuts with the frosting bags at the end. What can I say?

The Easter Bunny left quite a stash, along with a note that said the candy must be shared, and there must be zero crying. No crying on Easter!!! Note to E. Ster Bunny: Goonies is way too scary for this crewsie. It's going to sit at the bottom of the DVD drawer for a good 5 years.

Egg hunts at both the Grandma's ;)

Best days.

-Becky

Lazy.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:24:00 +0000

Saturday Singalong

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 02:02:00 +0000

Just a little Taylor Swift singalong in the van on a dreary Saturday.

{I could not love them more.}

-Becky

Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 01:28:00 +0000

Friday night = at the pool.

In case you ever wondered.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:19:00 +0000

This is what your receipt would look like if you borrowed 81 items from the library.

Seussing it up.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:45:00 +0000

We met up with some buddies to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday at the mall last week.

We were among the first 25 to donate books to charity, and received these sweet hats. Ryleigh reminded me that she is officially too cool for little kid group photos. *sob* Whatever, girl. ;) She had a good time, and was a super huge helper keeping track of tinies in that crowded mall. Love her...

Maeson clearly enjoyed himself on the carousel!

We had some Dr. Seuss fun at home, too. Green eggs and ham for breakfast, a little crafting, some book reading...

Ryleigh and Rugger both read several of their favorites to the little kids throughout the week. I absolutely LOVE listening to them read. What better way to practice reading aloud than to a little group of preschoolers.

Love an excuse to do something fun, ya know. Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” -Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

It's too much.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:13:00 +0000

Love.

Monday Nights.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:52:00 +0000

Priceless.

Be Mine.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:45:00 +0000

A quick V-day photo shoot with my favorites this morning.

Big Love.

-Becky

Own it.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:56:00 +0000

I could take a lesson in self-confidence from this one.

"Waist Line. Age. Days Sober. Wherever you're at. Own it."- Carlos Whittaker

-Becky

This happens, sometimes.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:37:00 +0000

That's Reise with a chicken. In the house.

WHY is the chicken in the house? Well, sometimes she gets spooked and flies over the fence into the front yard. Then, she doesn't know how to get back over because she can't fly like that unless she's in a panic. So, we have to run out and help her.

She loves the "help". It's super easy to catch her when the kids are squealing while running and chasing after her. Once she's caught, it's easier to go through the house to the back yard than it is to mess with the fence gate which is barricaded to prevent people accidentally opening it who may not know there are chickens back there.

Sometimes all I can do is shake my head and hope the neighbors aren't home.

-Becky

Doggy Love.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:33:00 +0000

Way back when, before marriage and kids and college graduation, we couldn't wait to own a house so we could get a dog. In fact, that was the first thing we planned to do after we moved out of our apartment. We would move there with no kids and no minivan and get a dog. Then, we started having babies. Human babies. Next thing you know we've been home owners for almost NINE years and have ZERO desire to add a dog to the chaos that is our house.

Then, we ran across this dog rescue organization (Big Dogs Huge Paws) selling hotdogs as a fundraiser outside the Super Saver. Be still my heart. I fell in love with those Great Danes. That was in September. We applied. Since we had kids under the age of 5 and had never owned a giant breed before, we had to wait.

We applied again three weeks ago. We had to provide references, they called our vet, we had an hour-long phone interview...THEN a home study. A HOME STUDY. FOR A DOG. We were approved last Thursday. They had no dogs available who met our criteria. The dog had to be over 4 years old, perfect around kids, OK with cats, zero prey drive (hello, we have chickens and a rat), and no major health concerns. We told the kids it could be months before we were matched with the right dog.

Friday, Maeson prayed at dinner, "please let us get a Great Dane tomorrow!"

God has such a funny sense of humor. I guarantee there couldn't have been a better way for any of us to be reminded that no prayer is too outrageous. I found Dakota Friday night on a random website we had never visited before while we were looking for dogs (petfinder.com). Her "foster mom" sent me an application for the rescue agency she works through (Homeward Bound) and we were off to meet her before 10am on Saturday! She had been a puppy mill mama for five years or so, and was rescued to a ranch outside of Omaha. They had her for just a few weeks before we took her home.

You will not meet a sweeter dog, I am sure of it. I am also sure I have turned into a crazy dog person normal people make fun of. I'm constantly taking pictures of the dog, worrying about her separation anxiety, freaking out about bloat, buying crib mattresses off craigslist so we have one in every area of the house.... Oh, Lord.

But seriously. Isn't she sooooooooooooooooooo cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute?????

She follows me everywhere I go. Everywhere. I take it as a compliment ;)

She is perfect with the kids, and if anyone would be good at testing her patience it's Rowen. He just cannot keep his hands off of her, and she doesn't seem to be bothered by it in the least bit.

We were warned about the first few weeks of transition between "foster home" and "forever home" (yes, we know ALL the lingo now!). Diarrhea, chewing, barking, refusing to eat or drink, separation anxiety, acting out by destroying your house.......!!!!!!!! We bought a giant kennel and prepared for the worst. So far we've been pretty lucky and she hasn't done much but sleep and follow me around constantly.

She is absolutely unphased by the cat, couldn't care less about the chickens, and sniffed around the rat for a minute then proceeded to ignore her.

Biggie is enjoying life as a homework assistant and snack test-taster. She kind of grosses me out still, but the kids just love her to death.

Diddy is a little offended that we brought a dog into the house. By a little, I mean he has been hiding all week. If he happens to cross paths with the dog, he bats his declawed paws at her sweet doggy face, hisses, and runs away. Dakota stands there like she isn't sure what just happened. Surely the cat will relax, eventually!

I know I've gone over the edge into crazyville but I just think it's so dang cute that her ear is flopped over the side of her doggy bed!

All that work I thought I didn't want to do for a dog? It turns out that maintaining a few backyard chickens is a lot more hassle than this pooch has been so far. (Check back with me after she's had her first bout of diarrhea in the house and see if I am still singing the same tune.) She's still really nervous around new people and doesn't like to be left alone. Who could blame her? Sweet girl.

It's doggy love ;)

-Becky

Super.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:50:00 +0000

"To the rescue!"

Siblings by chance, friends by choice. -Author Unknown

Too big.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:20:00 +0000

I just booked the boys' birthday party. In related news, if you need me today I will be nursing my depression with carbohydrates.

Five is too big; I don't think I can do it.

I will say I'm so proud of how big and smart they are, and talk about how fun it is to watch them grow up. Really tho, I just want them to stay babies forever.

I need medication. Or lots of ice cream.

B

2012 Etc.

noreply@blogger.com (If These Walls Spoke...) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 02:21:00 +0000

Because, there's not really much going on around here...but so much going on at the same time. Etc.: additional odds and ends; extras. A year-end wrap up. So many fun times I don't want to forget!

: : : Snow Day : : :

There's just something about an unexpected day off with fresh snow to play in. The kids are in and out, bundled and unbundled a dozen times, the wood floor becomes a sopping wet mess, the quiet play that happens in between. Love.

: : : Rugger turns EIGHT : : :

He wanted sledding, Uno, snow ice cream, waffles, burritos, chili and cinnamon rolls. Pretty easy requests from the birthday boy!

: : : Sunday night rituals. : : :

: : : Christmas Eve : : :

Rugger went thru the grocery story bellowing out "Ho Ho Ho" and giving out candy canes. He said it made a lot of people laugh, and some people just looked at him like he was a weird-o. Hahaha! I love him.

: : : Christmas Morning : : :

It feels surreal sometimes, to do mom things. I am an adult. Actual real live human children are depending on me to do things for them because I'm their mom. Sometimes I get to do fun things that they will hopefully remember fondly, like wake up early and make them special breakfast on Christmas. Weird. Awesome.

Sallinger Christmas Day...

Rugger is saving his moo-lah for an electric motorcycle. He's finally got enough, and now we're just looking for the perfect bike. All the kids got DOT helmets so they can ride with him when he finally buys it! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa ;)

: : : Cousin Fun : : :

Dog trial run. We've been telling the kids we would get a dog when the boys turned five. That's coming up here in 3 months. Oy!

Icy pond.

: : : Family Day Out : : :

The plan was to let the kids run while we sat in a booth and planned Rugger's birthday party. Next thing I know, this guy is stealing the kids' tokens and "trying to win the kids tickets".

Reise spent her Christmas money to get her ears pierced. She woke up and asked randomly that morning and two shakes later she was in Claire's picking out her new studs. Such a different scenario from when Ryleigh got hers done. Different girls, different rules, I guess. So far she has been super responsible about taking care of them and she couldn't be prouder of her new accessories!

: : : Rugger's Birthday Party : : :

Poor Christmas baby ;) it's a good thing he's laid back and low maintenance. I sent out his invites weeks ago, but then gave it nearly zero thought until the day before. We threw together some treat bags, whipped up some cupcakes, and I think it was a success.

We were missing seven kids due to illness...and I would guess several of these kids ended up catching something from that germ-ville we sent them into!

: : : Buss Christmas : : :

Only at Buss Christmas once a year: chess cakes.

My huz, practicing for when we're in the old folks' home playing Bingo with a half-dozen cards each.

: : : Best Wishes, Bill!: : :

We took our five tinies to a bar to celebrate my uncle's 31 years at Capitol City. Ryleigh was so concerned. I assured her we would not let her get drunk. She did not find that amusing. At all.

: : : New Year's Eve : : :

The absolute best night of the year with some of my favorite people on the planet. Honestly, there are few other situations that could make me any happier. Love my house packed to the gills with my besties and their babies.

16 adults and 24 kids altogether (and missing 4!).

Diet rootbeer and Rum Chata. Hello, heaven.

We watched the ball drop and then I shuffled these chickens into bed at around 12:30. Bittersweet that they can hang all night these days.

: : : New Year's Day : : :

The first day of 2013. Otherwise known as the laziest day you'll ever see me have. I woke up at 7am to de-party the house while Mitch slept, started some laundry, and threw together a batch of cinnamon rolls. By 10:30 one would never have known 40 people had been there the night before. DJ Steele woke up in shock at my productivity (thankyouverymuch), and from then on I did absolutely nada. The kids snacked and watched movies all day. I napped on and off (for real, actually napped. what!!!!), showered, napped some more (yes I did), ate here and there by the fireplace and dumped pictures off my camera and phone.

In other words, it was quite possibly the best day ever. Welcome, New Year.

I have clearly been too busy (napping) to set up any formal goals for myself this first day of the year. I did sign up for another half-marathon (May) so I will obviously need to make a plan for that. Otherwise, it may just be another year of the fly by the seat of my pants and make sure everyone stays fed and in clean clothes kind of thing. ;) ;)

Happy New Year!
Becky