Wow, there is absolutely no way I can fit into one post all the amazing things this woman has brought into my life in last eight years.  You can see her there with three of her finest works, but they’re just the beginning.  I am so happy that I get to spend every day of my life with my best friend that I can’t imagine what it would be like trying to do any of it solo.  Thank you for sharing your life, your dreams and your fears with me all these years.  You have given my life purpose and made me feel more useful than I ever thought possible.  I’m thankful for our past,  in love with our present and excited about our future.

Oh man, so much happening, so little time, and I’m so lazy!  In a rare situation, both the boys are asleep and so is Hazel and Jenn’s out on the town with a friend so I’m going to type as fast as I can to try and bring you some much needed IHJ love before somebody starts crying or something suddenly needs to be cleaned.  Anyone who has recently stubbed their toe in the dark on the suitcases still sitting next to my bed knows that the most recent news was that the entire Richards clan just made it back from an all-out Washington fiesta at the end of July/ beginning of August.  There was way to much fun had and friends seen to cram into one post, and quite honestly I don’t even have all the pictures in one place yet, so I’ll start at the end since that’s what I’ve got.

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You think your bedtime routine is tough?!? Most people just have to get their kids in bed, not quell a fully armed uprising; at least we still have Hazel.

While Chris was at SOS last month the kids and I drove to California to visit with family and friends. My mom was brave enough to fly out to Abq and drive with me. It was an adventure. The drive over there included a stop in Colorado Springs to see some friends, a trip to the emergency room when Calvin got both his legs full of splinters and an almost towing when Jonah managed to silently render the passenger side door of my van unclosable. Fortunately Mario at the Reno Kia service center was able to help me fix it over the phone. We were so close to Elk Grove we didn’t know if we could stand taking the rest of the day to get towed to Reno (from nowheretown, NV) and get the car fixed. After three days in the car with three kids and a dog I never thought I’d say “I’m so glad to be driving again!” But I did. So here are some random pictures, possibly in no particular order. If I feel like it I’ll do another post later with more pictures.

The boys took swimming lessons while we were there (I got the idea from reading sirmaxalot when Christen took her boys to swimming lessons in WA.)

Jonah is the one floating.

Calvin and I did a class together.

The last day of the class the kids were offered the chance to jump off the diving board. The boys were so excited to do it. There were not many kids that wanted to, so they each got to go a few times.

While the boys swam Hazel hung out with my mom and snacked it up. (more…)

Chris helped me find an easier way to do posts. My Mac was not wanting to work with our website, so I was having a really hard time doing quick posts and so I wasn’t doing it. So here are few pictures to get the ball rolling.

Chris and Hazel having a conversation.

The boys being cute.

Ellie wanted to sit on Hazel’s lap. Turns out babies don’t have much lap to work with, but she found a comfy spot.

I like this one because Hazel looks so serious and you can see her little toes sticking out from under Ellie’s collar.

So excited!

Sometimes there are ninja fights before bedtime. Naturally they must wear their goggles.

We’ve been swimming as much as possible. Hazel gets tuckered out. (So do we!)

So we wanted one of those cute pictures with all the kids heads together, but trying to accomplish that with seven kids under seven is just silly. Hazel kept grabbing everyone’s hair. Here are the best ones.

Here’s just some random pictures from this week

We went bowling. As you can see I still didn’t win, but I at least beat Jonah this time. I’m not sure if that’s more sad for me or happy for him that beating him is a step up for me.

The boys took turns holding Hazel while we bowled, sometimes arguing over who got to hold her. They sure do love their sister.

Calvin isn’t quite ready to hold her on his own (well, at home he can, but somewhere like the bowling alley, not so much) so he sat on Chris’s lap and she sat on his lap.


Silly faces at breakfast.

A friends and her daughter came over the other day. She and Hazel did a good job entertaining each other.

Hazel sleeping with the teddy bear her Aunt Rayna and Uncle Noah got her for Christmas. She often rolls onto her side when I put her in bed and reaches out so she can feel the bear. Then she’ll go to sleep.

When is the last time you’ve been bowling. It is SO much fun! However, the picture is true… Jonah beat Jenn and I at bowling. At least we both beat Calvin – although it was neck and neck for awhile. Jonah’s bowling dance must have directly lead to his victory. No other explanation. Yesterday we had a babysitter come over to watch the kids while Jenn and I got tattoos! Hooray! Jenn’s turned out SOOO good, but her touch up was a little painful. Jenn got “Do not be afraid; Let it be” on her right wrist and I got “Ephesians 2:8; and so it is” on my chest. Jenn will love it but needs some encouragement so comment how much you all adore her tattoo!

Here are some Jonah quotes from yesterday…
“Girls wear panties and boys wear underwear.”
“What do planets do when they don’t have any people on them?”
“I remembered it by using my brain.”
Answer to what he would do if he won the lottery (after explaining what the lottery is)
“Well, I would buy my own cactus. Then I would buy all the cups in the world. And I want to buy my own phone. Then, I would get tattoos for everyone in my family, including Ellie. They would all be anchors. After I ran out of money I would make more by being the fastest car in a race and buy a hamburger. Then, when I’m an old man I think… I think I would die and then I’d have my story at the end. Auntsie can you please sing me my story now?”
Here is video of the Calvin snack since he hasn’t received much web time.

(Auntsie here) Sunday night we had family movie night and Jonah and Calvin watched Homeward Bound for the first time. I had no idea what an emotional movie it would be – both boys were so concerned. I have a badly lit clip that isn’t very clear, but I was trying to get Jonah’s reactions (Homeward Bound reaction 2) to parts of the movie (the camera died just before he saw Shadow make it home as well, so it ends with Jonah very worried – no worries there was a happy ending). They were so genuine and precious. Yesterday we went to the park (park moment) with Calvin and Hazel to meet some friends and then Jonah came home from school (after school) and we had dinner and skyped with Chris. We shall return later with more pictures…