This boy of ours....what a hoot! We noticed last week that Kyle has "grown" another dimple! I couldn't believe it....does this really happen? I must admit that I am no expert on the study of dimples, but I have never heard of this before....
Anyways, I was trying to capture this amazing new development and as you can see.....no such luck! I have a great camera but I just couldn't seem to get a clear picture of it. So instead we have several pictures of our sweet boy trying to show me his best dimple face! Kinda cute....if I do say so myself! If you are wondering.....the dimple should be above his left big dimple (when you are looking at him)

Mom, guess what I heard......

.....mud is good for your skin!!!! Really? Is that why you felt the need to go and slather yourself in it? Of course! Why not? If it's there.....use it! That is Kadin's philosophy in life. One that has gotten him in trouble too many times to count!

I felt a little bit contradictory taking these pics. I did get him in trouble for disobeying me, then, because I just couldn't resist, I hauled the camera out. I think that may have sent him a mixed message. Especially when he called after me, " Mom, make sure you don't forget to show Dad!"
If there ever was a boy that was ALL boy it is Kadin. The dirtier, the messier, the louder and the rougher you can be.....the better. Much to the dismay of this mother who usually gets herself tied up in knots at the silly boy. Over time I have relaxed somewhat. But who wants to wash five loads of laundry a day just because mud is fun?! Oh, pardon me, because it's good for your face....lol.
We also love to play fight....Kadin and Daddy that is. I would rather keep my sanity and my pride. Kadin is a very strong 6 year-old and I am doubting my ability to actually put him on the ground and keep him there. Marcel and he were play fighting the other day. Marcel finally told him that if he didn't quit punching him that the next time it was really going to make him cry. Kadin's smart response? "What are you gonna do? Get an onion?" As if his poor old Dad was not able to possibly lay a punch on this little tuffy that would actually be able to hurt him.....hahaha.RIGHT!
Anyways, we love this ALL boy....and I know deep down that it's not actually a bad thing. Boys were made to be this way.....(I hope) I will enjoy him while he is still so uninhibited.

The Merits of Veggie Tales...(the bad ones?)

So, the other day we were reading the story Bible after supper....the story of the day was Daniel and the Lion's Den. Pretty basic, not alot of questions. Until our dear boy Kyle opens his mouth to regale us with abit more of a tale.

Kyle, " Daddy, do you know what Daniel said to the lions when he left the cave?"
Daddy, "No, I didn't realize he actually talked to them..." ( Now we were totally confused, right?) Kyle, " Daniel said, See ya, and thanks for the pizza! Dad, lions don't eat pizza!"
Okay, so after that we were really laughing. Of course Kyle thought that we were laughing about the lions not eating pizza....but the truth of it is, you should have seen the look on his face! Absolutely priceless. To be honest, on my part it was also a little of a embarrassed, nervous giggle. Seriously, does he really think that Daniel had a pizza party with the little old lions? Actually, I think he does. It's not the first time we have heard an interesting addition to what we think are basic Bible stories. We will continue to have open lines on communication about these things and try to gently guide our children in truth. Maybe the Veggie Tales have got to go? Or should I be grateful that my kids want to talk about these things....
Lots to think about and lots to pray about. Especially when it comes to raising our kids in the WAY they should go!
Blessings to all of you who read this....

A Belated Birthday Post.....

Kadin and his new Calgary Flames hat!









I can't help laugh when I look at this picture and see that saying on his shirt...he even knows it by heart!








Kadin specified a
blue and red race
car and Auntie
Jess delivered!
He was thrilled...




I am not sure I can believe it! Our boy is 6! Time flies. It seems like a short time ago that we were in the hospital meeting him for the first time....These days we are seeing him mature into a great kid who is usually quite willing to help me out or watch his siblings so they aren't wandering off or doing something dangerous! I always have to laugh in the morning when I see Kadin first thing. He is so intent on getting out of bed the moment his little eyes open that he stumbles around rubbing his eyes trying to figure out where he even is. Amidst my laughter I have tried to explain that it would be okay for him to stay in bed for a few seconds longer to orientate himself first.....but to no avail! He has very exciting things to all get done in one day and it is such a waste to lie there one second longer than necessary....I mean, why bother? Mom is very good at helping him get his bearings. " Kade! Look out bud...the table is in front of you! Kade, the toilet seat has to be up BEFORE you pee! Hello!"

Such are the joys of our very special son. Some days are more trying than others but with patience and lots of activity Kadin thrives! We have definitely noticed that his love language is quality time so I try to take an hour or two every day that he's not in school and build lego with him.At this point he is still enjoying Kindergarten....they have started home reading. I think they teachers give this assignment to help the parents learn patience. I have started to wonder if it's about the reading aspect at all! lol Marcel and I are looking forward to another fun-filled, interesting year ahead of helping Kadin grow into a young man who heart belongs to Jesus. Pray for us as parents. What an amazing, wonderful, HARD, trying job God has given us!

Who's cakes is this anyways......








Instead of having a birthday party with a thousand 6 year olds running around....we went with another family who's son was also turning 6. After we bowling (the kids beat some of the adults...oops) we went to Montana's for supper. They always give you these moose heads to wear while they sing to you. Kadin decided that they were weird and there was no way that he was going to wear them. Notice in the picture his hands on his head. He didn't remove them till they walked away....hilarious!

Monday mornings....and bread crusts

" Mom, I am not so sure I like these!"

"You wouldn't make me eat these, would you?"

hhhmmmm, I guess you would...."

YUM!

" I know you don't think I'm funny Mom.....but I gotta try!"

And...another Monday morning @ the Tootsies! How we love these mornings! After Sundays, the house is upside down, the kids are a little crabby from the routine disruption and I am happy as a lark and ready to get it all fixed up! I LOVE Monday mornings....and Monday afternoons if I could possibly convince my 4 year old and six year old that they are REALLY tired and maybe a sleep would do them good? and....then the bribe, "if you sleep, then you get to stay up..." (that said with a very cajoling tone a voice, of course!) I had this thought that morning as I watched Kamryn, our 2 1/2 year old push her crusts around her plate ( I really think that she thought if she did it long enough they really WOULD disappear!) Oh, right....the thought--Life is like bread crusts....we "eat" up all the good things and hope that the stuff that is a little harder to deal with will just disappear and that we never have to "eat" them. As we mature in life we will start realizing that the good comes with things that aren't always that pleasant. We need to experience life as a whole so that we reap the blessings of a full life, lived out for Jesus Christ...--
So, that was my thought on a Monday morning while trying to convince Kammi to eat her crusts. I don't think she hates them as much as she likes me think....look at that face! She actually imagines this whole scenario(which is a daily confrontation) is funny! I must admit, being her mother, that I did have to laugh. I also have to remind myself to keep laughing because not all of life goes smoothly and if I wasn't laughing....I most definitely would be crying.
(and no one wants to see that, right?) Besides that fact, I think my kids would start singing "A Joyful Heart is Good Medicine" to me instead of vice versa, and could I handle that? Probably not! My best advice to myself....keep your chin up and trust in your Heavenly Father to help you along....amidst bread crusts and all!



-

This is a picture of Kadin that was taken this past summer at Heritage Park. I have a little story about something he said and I wanted to post a picture with it. This is one of my favorites.
Anyways, the other day Auntie Jess was over and Kyle very innocently asked her if she has a baby in her tummy...Auntie Jess assured him that there was indeed a baby in there. At that moment Kadin chose to walk into the dining room (and obviously having overheard the conversation) decided to add his own two cents. Dubiously looking at Auntie Jess' protruding belly, he said very nonchanantly, " It looks like you have a whole house in there!"
I don't know exactly how Auntie Jess felt about that brutally honest statement, but I personally thought it was roll on the floor hilarious. Don't tell Jess you thought this was funny! ( for the record, she also laughed her head off....she actually is the one who told me this.....)
So.....now that you are done laughing, you can thank me for giving you a chuckle today. ( or rather, Kadin) I don't always have things to report on Kadin. He is in a little bit of a stage right now. A little of a show off, and a attitude to rival a stubborn, MALE, bothered, donkey! But he can be very sweet and helpful and we appreciate his contribution to our household....

I wrote this Valentine's message for MOPS today and I thought I would share it with you.



I read this saying the other day….“A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what it’s comprised of.” (Leave it to me to come up with a saying related to cooking) Anyway, after much thought ( because I don’t always understand everything I read right away…and because three kids leave my brain not cooperating as well as it used to) I have decided that this is a quote worth remembering. We all know what goes into our casseroles. No one else does, but as long as it tastes good, no one needs to, right? Unless of course it is SO fabulous that we all need the recipe. (that would be the day….) There are many different ingredients that make a good a marriage. One of these ingredients in my marriage is hefty dose of humor. The things that endear my husband to me never cease to drive me crazy. For instance….I have totally given up on being surprised by a gift. Actually, let’s make that surprised by anything! My husband has this innate ability (that means it has been there since birth…don’t worry I checked with his mom, it’s true) to give away everything and anything he has planned. He doesn’t believe me but I even knew exactly when he was going to propose. I would say though, as much I have resigned myself to never being surprised, I would not trade this for anything. Do you have any idea how cute a 30 year old guy can look when he’s trying his best not to give away a secret….and it’s not working? Absolutely ADORABLE! (let’s not tell him I told a room full of ladies that) Another healthy ingredient(depending on the day) that accompanies our marriage is thankfulness. Who couldn’t love or appreciate a man that brings you hot chocolate in bed, cleans the house quite regularly, says romantic things and loves his kids like crazy? Or how about when he says you look beautiful even when the mirror wonders who the freak with pimples, smeared mascara and dry, frizzy hair is…… Okay, back to the point of this little story thing. Marriage is wonderful. I am not saying that it is always easy and that you will never get frustrated….but I believe we have been given an amazing gift when we are blessed with marriage. And like the quote above, none of us really knows what goes into anyone else’s marriage. I have been blessed with good friends, great family and many encouraging comments over the years. (The not so helpful ones I tend to forget) To sum this all up and to say what I was trying to say this whole time is… marriage takes all different kinds of compromise, patience, trust and most importantly LOVE. ( a little peace and quiet and some time alone, mixed with some chocolate….also helps make a good casserole…oops, I mean marriage! LOL

A Beautiful Morning

I just could not resist getting out the camera this morning. I looked out the window to see lots of fog....and then-there, I saw the sun trying valiantly trying to peek through and shine for us. Just gorgeous! To me it is a reminder once again how every morning starts fresh and new. Yesterday was not a good day in the life of the Toeters. I don't know how we managed, but Marcel and I got very sick.....together. If it hadn't been so terrible I might have actually laughed. Every time the kids needed something we would look at eachother and try to decide who was sicker....of course the person who lost had to get up and deal with the kids. And trust me when I tell you that the kids really don't care if you are sick. They STILL want breakfast.....Anyways, we got through the day all right and we both woke to better health....and like I was saying, a fresh new morning.

Well, the new year has begun. Things have once again started going smoothly again. Don't get me wrong, I do love the holidays. We had a fabulous time with my family. We were priveledged to meet my second niece(apparently the Meinen's aren't that great at producing girls) Anyways, little Rachel is a doll....almost had me wishing for another one. Notice the"almost". I enjoyed holding her and lavishing some love. It will be awhile till we see her again.
Kadin and Kyle are still really enjoying going to school. They are always disappointed when they wake up and find out that it's not a school day. Next year will be very quiet with Kadin being gone all day......I might actually miss all the crazy conversations that we have. Today he needed to know why we drink "skin" milk. Like would would seriously do something like that? Ironically he loves skim milk and knowing that, it kinda puzzles me why he would be willing to drink it....I mean, come on---would you drink something that you thought was made out of skin? NOT ME! lol
As for Kamryn...we are still enjoying getting to know how little girls tick......if they even tick. When I think of ticking I imagine something that stays consistent. Little girls are NOT consistent. One day it goes.....the next day it doesn't. Definitely keeps us on our toes. Here's a little snapshot of the princess in this family!