October 19th

Today . . .

1. 5:45 Parker & I up, 6:30 Carson up, 7:00 Cooper up, 7:30 Josh & Emma up

2. Breakfast

3. Emma & I ran errands: picked up Carson's pictures for his V.I.P. week, bought 2 cans of frosting & food coloring for Carson's harvest party at school, bought stuff to make Halloween cupcakes, picked up In & Out for Josh & I

4. Lunch, Emma's & Josh's nap, boys and I made Halloween cupcakes

5. Emma & Josh up, the kids played, Josh watched sports, I entertained Parker

6. Dinner, treat time, gave Parker a bath

7. Bedtime

Also . . .

1. Emma has adopted a high pitch scream to get what she wants, it's even louder when she has something taken away, it hurts your ears!

2. Cooper tried wearing underwear this morning and did fine for about 2 hours and then a major OOPS, "next time mom, next time"

3. Our cupcakes were pretty good, nothing special, just cute decorations.

Question of the Day . . .

Would you rather play on the beach or play in the snow?

Shannon- snow

Josh-

Carson-

Cooper- beach

Pictures . . .

1. Carson helping change Parker's diaper

2. Cooper teaching Emma how to line up her toys

3. Craziness
4. Carson & Me
5. Making cupcakes
6. Decorated cupcakes

October 18th

Today . . .

1. 5:40 Parker & I up, fed him, took a shower, watched some TV, came downstairs at 7:00, Carson up, 7:40 Josh up, 7:50 Cooper up, 8:00 Emma up

2. Breakfast- donuts & coffee

3. Bathtime then off to Target to get Parker's diapers (size 2!)

4. Home, lunch, crafts, Emma's nap

5. 2:00 I actually took a nap (a first in many years, probably since it was just Carson)

6. 3:20 Emma up, crafts, toys

7. Dinner

8. Cooper played with his guys, Emma played with her baby, Carson played on the computer, Josh watched sports, I entertained Parker

9. Bedtime

10. Josh watched "Band of Brothers", I worked on blog, got some pictures ready for Carson's VIP week, checked email

11. Bedtime

Also . . .

1. Carson felt a little better today, still has a bad cough and snotty nose.

2. It was in the mid-80's today, is it ever going to be cool???

Question of the Day . . .

When Josh gets back from Iraq, where do you want to go on vacation?

Josh- Disneyland

Shannon- Disneyland

Carson- Disneyland

Cooper- Disneyland

Pictures . . .

1. Fall tree project

2. A creative mess
3. Just hanging out
4. Tummy time
5. Parker & I

October 17th

Today . . .

1. 6:15 Parker & I up, 7:00 Josh & Cooper up, 7:30 Emma up, 8:00 Carson up

2. Carson still sick, couldn't eat his donut

3. Carson rested all morning, Cooper rested & played with some of his guys, Josh cleaned the upstairs, mopped downstairs

4. 11:00 Parker's 2 month check-up & shots, I took him, Josh stayed with the rest of the kids

5. Lunch made by Josh

6. 12:15 Parker & I home, Carson felt a little better, up and playing some

7. Emma's nap, made Haunted Houses with the boys, Josh went and got the oil changed in the Suburban, got more medicine & a movie for tonight

8. Dinner

9. Watched TV, watched "Losing Sara Marshall", bedtime

Also . . .

1. Today is our 9 YEAR dating anniversary!

2. Parker weighed 12lbs 9oz and was 21.5 inches long, he has gained 5 lbs since his 2 week check-up

3. Parker is 10 weeks old!

Question of the Day . . .

9 Random Memories from the last 9 Years

Josh- I will always remember . . .

1. High school football games

2. Our wedding

3. Our first year together in Little Rock when we didn't have any kids

4. Finding out you were pregnant 4 times.

5. Our first kiss

6. When I had to come rescue you at work because you couldn't drive in the snow.

7. Our first big family trip to Disneyland.

8. When we decided to get married.

9. Spending the night in the shed.

Shannon-

1. I will always remember that at HS football games Josh always wore a hooded sweatshirt and hat.

2. I will always remember while I was at OSU all the many weekends he came down to visit, not too mention all the times when he was supposed to be in school.

3. I will never forget when we decided to get married, it was sort of, "well, do you want to get married, or what"

4. I will always remember his graduation from Basic training when he wasn't supposed to hug or kiss me.

5. I will always remember our drive to Arkansas was full of adventure: not being able to find the lake in Salt Lake City, flat tire leaving Denver, major thunderstorm/tornados through Oklahoma, getting lost in Little Rock, and finally arriving at the base

6. I will always remember the look on Josh's face all 4 times we found out I was pregnant, a little bit of shock, a little bit of how did this happen, and a little bit of pure happiness.

7. I will always remember the trip to Six Flags (my freshman year at OSU & Josh's senior year) with my family. First, I got home and my brother Sean & him decided to bleach their hair, which DID NOT work. Then we took the train which was Josh's first time. He felt trapped. But we had a great trip!

8. I will always remember the cockroaches that came into our house in Little Rock, and I, who was really pregnant, had to kill them.

9. I will always remember our first kiss, our first dance, losing my rings the day before the wedding (we found them), him almost passing out every c-section, how tired he was during the hospital days, and how much fun we had in Disneyland last summer.

Pictures . . .

1. Still sick this morning

2. At the doctor
3. still sick, napping
4. Spaghetti, again
5. Keeping Parker asleep
6. Balloon Fun

October 16th

Today . . .

1. 5:50 Parker & I up, 6:30 Josh up, 7:00 Carson up, 7:20 Cooper up, 7:30 Emma up

2. No school today, Carson got another bad cold (I can't imagine if all 4 were in daycare, they would be sick ALL the time)

3. The boys played with their new halloween stickers and coloring books I got them last night. Emma found the DVD holder and changed the movie probably 5 times before giving up

4. 11:00 Josh's graduation (no, we won't be there, I wish, but can you imagine having all the kids there???)

5. Lunch, stickers on the couch, Emma's nap, more stickers and rest

6. 2:00 Josh home

7. Emma up, Josh & Emma went to Sam's Club for diapers & bread, Carson took a little nap, Josh & Cooper went to the tower so Josh could check his email, dinner

8. Carson had a high fever, watched Star Wars for awhile, fell asleep downstairs, slept with Josh

Also . . .

1. Poor Carson, I hate seeing him sick!

Question of the Day . . .

What is your favorite candy?

Josh-

Shannon- Snickers

Carson- M&M's

Cooper- M&M's

Emma- whatever Josh sneaks her

Pictures . . .

1. Resting & Doing Stickers

2. Josh's Graduation (I was not there to ensure a good photo!)
3. Already to go-go (purse & baby in hand)
4. Program from Josh's graduation

October 15th

Today . . .

1. 6:15 Carson up followed by Parker & me, 6:30 Josh up, 6:45 Cooper up, 7:15 Emma up, breakfast

2. Took Carson to school

3. Got home, checked email, switched laundry, helped Cooper line up his guys, Emma played with her baby doll and watched Mickey

4. Picked Carson up, got home, lunch, kids played outside

5. Emma's nap, the boys played outside and colored

6. Josh home, dinner- McDonalds for Cooper & Emma, Burger King for Carson, Taco Bell for Josh, Starbucks for me

7. Bedtime

8. I went grocery shopping, then we watched "The Shield"

9. Bedtime

Also . . .

1. Josh passed his last ALS test, graduation is tomorrow

2. Cooper tried wearing underwear, AGAIN, did not work

Question of the Day . . .

What is your favorite Disneyland Ride?

Josh-

Shannon- Indiana Jones

Carson- Buzz Lightyear

Cooper- Buzz Lightyear

Pictures . . . 

1. Yummy Yogurt

2. I know, bad mom, but McDonalds is go easy sometimes
3. Miss Mess Maker

October 14th

Today. . .

1. Josh up at 5:30, Parker & I up at 6, Carson up at 6:20, Cooper up at 6:30, Emma up at 7:10

2. Breakfast-chocolate chip muffins, off to school

3. Cooper played with his guys, Emma made a new collection, ate some footloops, laundry, finished blog post from yesterday, took some pictures of Parker on his tummy, talked to my brother

4. Picked up Carson, found out he will be the VIP at school next week (shhhh, he doesn't know, its a surprise), got home, made lunch

5. Emma's nap, got the mail (great mail day, birthday card, present, scrapbooking magazine, and the kids got their costumes from Grandma Michele!), Parker doesn't want to sleep nor does Emma, both up early

6. Kids played outside, colored, begged to put costumes on

7. Dinner, Josh home

8. Baths and finally they got to wear their new costumes before bed

9. Bedtime

Also. . . 

1. Only 3 weeks left until the election

2. Found some great Cupcake websites Bakerella and Sweet&Saucy

Question of the Day. . .

What 5 words describe Emma?

Shannon-smart, giggly, wild, copycat, shy

Josh-cute, smart, crazy, silly, goofy

Pictures. . .

1. Tummy time

2. Carson's writing
3. Playing in the bark
4. SuperMan
5. Spiderman
6. Cinderella

October 13th

Today. . .

1. Up at 6:30, breakfast

2. Josh took Carson to school

3. Watched Gray's Anatomy, played with Cooper & Emma, Josh unloaded the dishwasher

4. Went to Target, Cooper got a new Transformer, I got Carson his first box of 120 crayons

5. We all picked Carson up from school

6. Lunch

7. Emma's nap, Josh's nap, the boys organized the new crayons in rainbow order (just like I would have done), colored, played outside

8. Emma up, the kids played outside, dinner outside, forced to come in at 6:30.

9. Bedtime

Also. . . 

1. I have been meaning to put Parker's schedule on here. He is on a 3 hour schedule during the day. So, he wakes up, has a bottle, is up for about 1 1/2 hours, then sleeps for about 1 1/2 hours, then repeat. He is up around 6:00 and has a bottle. Then he has a bottle at 9, 12, 3, 6, 10ish before I go to bed, then usually around 2:00. Not bad for 9 weeks, a little behind what Emma did, but we are getting closer to 8 hours straight at night, the longest he has gone is 5 1/2 hours. Hopefully, it won't be much longer!

2. Playing Outside = throwing rocks, playing in their playhouse, sitting in chairs talking, playing hospital (Carson lays down with a baby doll and pretends he is sick (like when I had Parker), Cooper is the doctor, Emma helps take care of the baby), riding their bikes, sword fights, rolling in the grass . . .

Question of the day . . .

5 Words that describe Cooper

Shannon-funny, organized, stubborn, loving, fearful

Josh-shy, a slow walker, caring, organized, cuddly

Pictures. . . 

1.  the 1st thing you do with a new box of crayons

2. Just like Mommy when I was there age
3. Playing together
4. Big eyes
5. Emma's collection of the day

October 12th

Today. . .

1. Parker was very fussy from 5-5:45. Up at 6:20. Carson up at 6:25, Cooper 7:00, Emma 7:20, Josh 7:45

2. Breakfast: Emma-footloops, Cooper-footloops, no milk, Carson-3 pieces cinnamon toast, Me-Starbucks hot chocolate with a shot of espresso (too cold for the usual), Josh- peppermint mocha, cereal

3. Cleaned up the house, kids took a bath, then started coloring.

4. 12:00 Josh went to study.

5. Lunch: all had dino chickens, even Cooper

6. Emma's nap, boys played outside for awhile, then back to coloring

7. Emma up, played outside

8. 5:00 Josh home, dinner

9. Played outside, dance party, bedtime

10. Watched TV, scrapbooked, bed

Also. . .

1. What we watch on Sundays (at least tape and watch at some point in the week): Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, The Unit

2. Bedtime Routine: Debate on who is going to do Parkerr & who is going to do the rest of the kids (on one hand Parker can be very cranky at this time, on the other hand, bedtime for the other kids is alot of work), if you choose Parker you have to keep him happy and give him a bath, if you choose the kids you have to get them upstairs, read a story while they sometimes listen, sometimes play wildly, lay Emma down, tuck the boys in 3-4 times, answer all Carson's questions, at some point they will let you leave the room, followed by them coming to the top of the stairs asking for a drink, saying they need to go potty, or telling on each other, bedtime lasts about 45mins before they are all asleep

3. Trying to figure out what my winter coffee will be: Today, hot chocolate with a shot of espresso, not bad

Question of the Day. . .

5 Words to Describe Carson . . .

Shannon-creative, helpful, talkative, caring, a leader

Josh-smart, sensitive, helpful, funny, a leader

Pictures. . .

1. Long hair!
2. Daddy brushing out the knots
3. Playmat
4. Outside fun
5. Coloring with Donald
6. Spying on the kids in their own little world together
7. So silly
8. the Big boys
9. Bedtime stories
10. Bedtime

October 11th

Today . . .

1. Up at 6:30

2. Breakfast-Coffee & donuts, realize fishy is dead

3. Grocery shopping

4. 11:00 went to Gray Lodge Wildlife Refuge and walked around

5. 12:15 Home, lunch

6. Emma's nap, Josh studied then did yardwork, the boys colored, of course, Josh & the boys took back the pop cans

7. Dinner- Josh cooked mashed potatoes and chicken while I kept Parker asleep

8. Bedtime

Also. . .

Question of the Day. . .

I love Daddy because . . . 

Shannon- he works hard supporting the family and keeps the house spotless.

Carson- "I like to play Hulk, Transformers, spiderman and all the guys with him"

Cooper-

Pictures. . .

1. My handsome boys

2. Gray Lodge Wildlife Refuge
3. Just adorable
4. Run, Run, Run
5. Naptime (her pink curtains make her whole room glow pink)
6. Another nap
7. Getting some energy out