Merry Christmas 2009!

A little late, but still merry, nonetheless! No funny (to you, definitely not to me, until much, much later) mishap stories on this post... just a picture that makes us look half-way normal, until you get to know us in real life. :)

Our gracious neighbor took this shot in our back yard on one of those uncharacteristically warm days in late November. We told her she could wait to walk over until after the Colts game was over, and I promised it wouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

Because some of us don't have attention spans any longer than that.

(Cough) Tyler.

But, he was flexible enough to wear a puffer vest, so I have to give him props for that.

Thanks babe. I think you look hot in it, for the record.

On that note, I'm off to join my hot-in-a-puffer-vest husband downstairs for a little Guitar Hero Van Halen.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

The Christmas Tree Hunt Strikes Again...

I should know by now that life with four young children is anything but predictable. But we got a little too confident on this year's trip to the Christmas tree farm. We've been going to the same farm for the past eight Christmases straight, and we thought we had our little routine down pat.

Now, we've had our minor bumps in the road in years past. There have been freezing children, starving infants who must go back to the van with momma to eat, the time we almost lost a boy or two between the rows of trees, and who could forget the year that the pregnant momma peed her pants? Ahem. But nothing that has taken away from the thrill of the hunt as a family.

Until this year.

(Look closely to see a brother about to get tackled. This actually makes me smile... such real life, and we caught it on film!)

The day was gorgeously warm and we had just finished a wonderful breakfast as a family at Bob Evans. I love that place. The half-and-half in the tiny creamer pitcher alone makes me happy. Everyone sat like little angels (a complete miracle in itself) and ate all of their food in record time. They were so good, in fact, that a sweet family at the table next to us commented on their behavior. And said that they could see Jesus in us. Because this has never happened, I know that it's the start of a very good day.

After breakfast we headed out to the farm. Tyler and I drove separately, because from all of our past tree-farm-with-small-children experience, we know that it takes a vehicle for the children and a vehicle for the tree. We're getting good at this.

Or so we thought.

Tyler and the boys headed over for a little hayride down the long lane to the trees. I decided to drive Tess back to the trees in the van. You know, just in case someone got cold, or hungry, or.........decided to vomit their entire breakfast up.

It started with a cough, then a little whimper. And just as I parked the van, there it was. Her breakfast. Covering every inch of her body, the car seat, and the floor of the van.

While I'm van-deep in clean-up mode (and still processing what just happened), Tyler and the boys - with the biggest smiles ever - hopped off the wagon and motioned me to join them. Maybe they missed the naked baby sitting on my lap.

About this time I'm thinking back to breakfast and about that sweet lady's comment. Yes, I should have expected this.

I motion Tyler over and the situation becomes clear. The boys are already almost lost in the trees. I think I might have to go to the bathroom. And somebody needs a bath. Bad.

Tyler gathers the boys, and after some quick problem solving, we decide to let Tyler pick our tree out this year by himself. The boys did catch a tractor ride, so they are surprisingly OK with riding home with me before the tree is cut.

Whichever one it is.

Tyler starts to hug me goodbye, but I stop him just in case I need a bath too, and we both got a good laugh out of that.

Life is never predictable.

But we did get a great tree.

And we still have Jesus, after all.

Thanksgiving firsts...

We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tyler's brother Deric and his wife Jenia at our house this year. We figured out that the last time the brothers were together on Thanksgiving was when Tyler and I lived in Scottsdale the first year we were married, over 12 years ago.

Deric and Jenia just moved from Phoenix back to Indiana in October. We thought maybe a holiday dinner with all the fixin's - plus lots of kids to distract them - might make them forget about all the cold weather they now have to look forward to this winter!

And here's our 25 pound bird! We've been doing our own turkey every year for quite a while now, but this might just be our biggest bird yet! Tyler created one huge menu, and he and I had lots of fun cooking together over a couple of days.

Ah...cooking together.

Something we wish we could do more of... it is such a fun hobby for both of us. Tyler has lots of detailed, creative, gourmet Food Network ideas stored in his head. Some to use now, and some, when we have all kinds of kid-free time. Hmmm... like when we're retired or something.

So, so much to be thankful for.

And all the credit?

To God alone.

Next up? The annual trip to the Christmas tree farm. Ah yes... another "Never a dull moment in the life of the Daughertys" kind of story. Stay tuned. :)

Glimpses of hope...

This fourth one is a clingy one. And that's putting it mildly. Since I'm all for keeping it real, I'll even admit that I almost lost it at small group bible study last night just talking about it. And I don't lose it all that often, in case you didn't already know that. Duh.

You'd think I'd have some mature way of handling this, since numbers one and three were the same way, and we all survived somehow. And then there was Trey. Sweet, simple Trey. Who I forget half of his babyhood because he was just so darn content.

There's no need to bore you with the details. I'm not setting records here or announcing anything new that lots of moms haven't already experienced. But it is a real part of our daily lives. Complimentary at best, and exhausting at it's worst.

So when I spot her playing on her own like this, do I run around as fast as I can accomplishing everything I think about when she is hanging on my leg, crying to be held? Of course not. That would be the smart thing to do.

First, I run for my camera. Seriously, something this rare needs to be documented. I peek in - making sure that she can't spot me (or it's all over) - and marvel at how God gave her to us. I think about how cute she is, and how I love it that she loves books, and I record in my head all of the babbles that come out of her mouth that actually resemble words - just maybe.

I look at the bow in her hair and think about how fun it is to dress a girl and figure out girl hair. I even notice that her mullet isn't quite as noticeable as it was a couple of weeks ago. I smile because I think about my mom saying in the softest, sweetest voice, "Oh dear, her hair looks just like yours did when you were a baby."

I think about her brothers, and how proud they are to have her for a sister. Trey's prayers come to mind; the ones where he thanks God for all of his family members by name, but when he gets to Tess, skips her name and says instead, "my sweet baby sister". And my eyes get watery just thinking about it.

Water.

Toilet water.

Ugh. She loves toilet water.

Do I have time to clean the toilet before she realizes I'm not in the same room?

And then, just as my thirty-second daydream is coming to an end and I'm in toilet-cleaning mode, she looks up. She spots me and smiles, getting ready to crawl my way.

I look away, as if that will magically make me invisible. You know, just until I get my toilet cleaned.

Then I spot the Batman guy eloquently hanging upside down from my blind string.

And just like that, it's back to reality.

Halloween fun!

The night before Halloween, we decided we needed to carve our pumpkin before it was too late. The project really did start with every boy fully dressed...

But in no time, the shirts were off! When one boys strips, they all strip! If there's even a hint of a reason to take your shirt off in our house, the boys will do it. Just ask the Schwann man, or anyone in our old small group bible study. :)

Shirtless boys are standard for the summertime, but on brisk Fall evenings? These three are hardly bothered... although we did only stay out long enough to light Jack Jr.'s candle and take a quick pic!

The boys raided from the dress-up stash once again, and the only thing we had to buy for costumes this year was an extra black cape. And trust me, a ten dollar black cape will definitely get it's money's worth in this house.

Daddy had to work on Halloween night, so Hali and Cameron (our amazing friends/babysitters!) offered to hang out with us and take the boys Trick-or-treating. These two seriously are amazing, to Trick-or-treat in the pouring rain, and with Cameron's non-functioning gall bladder! We love you guys!

The troops getting ready to head out to houses in our subdivision... Our good buddy Bjorn joined us too! The boys thought his costume was hilarious, but Tess was a little scared by his crazy wig! We almost talked him into cutting some hair from his wig and taping it onto his chest, but he never did give in to that. :) Man, we are blessed with such godly, fun influences for our kids.

My favorite little cow hung out with me, taking candy out of the bowl and throwing it all over the entryway handing out candy as Trick-or treaters came to our house. The turnout was low due to the rain, so we quickly became famous for giving out handfuls of candy. I think we may have even seen a repeat customer or two. :)

Taking a break for Fall...

Change...

What have I done?

I am trying to become un-boring.

My wardrobe is mostly solids.

I thrive on order and as little clutter as possible.

I have a plain ole silver minivan. Just like the other 27 Odysseys parked in the preschool parking lot.

I'm as non-frilly as it gets.

I'm horrible at accessorizing.

I've carried the same solid red billfold for the last 10 years.

And now...

I've changed my blog.

I don't think I can do it. I went for a change (um, to be honest, I changed the background about six times, hoping one would grow on me). And now, I want the plain, old boring black back.

But it's late, once again.

And I'm all backgrounded out.

Maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow.

I don't know. Maybe it's not so much that I'm boring.

Maybe I just don't like....

Change.

Randomness

Sick, but sweet...

Random thoughts...

...to go along with my thinking abilities at the moment. Tyler is somewhere between Oklahoma City and St. Louis, driving his brother's car across the country, helping him move from Arizona back to Indiana. I have four sick kids, plus a teething 15 month old, plus an inability to think clearly due to severe lack of adult conversation in the last four days. I've missed church five out of the last seven Sundays due to someone - anyone - multiple ones - being sick. That in itself is grounds for one really bad mood. I need my sermons to keep me sane.

But you know what?

I'm good. Really good.

Because being away from Tyler makes me realize how much I love being with him. And that is a really good thing. And I have realized that I can do it on my own (with the Lord's help, obviously), but that in God's mercy and provision, I don't have to most of the time. I'm thankful for my husband.

My kids are sick, but what a weird blessing it has been. I've barely had time to think about Tyler being gone, and have had a sick buddy in my bed every night keeping me company while he's been away. Jack told me this morning that he really enjoyed sleeping in my bed last night, because "the other boys weren't around to talk so much". Jack was awake at 11pm with a fever of 102, and instead of trying to sleep, we turned on the light and called Daddy. We even watched a little Discovery Channel. It was almost fun.

Today I realized that we hadn't stepped foot out of our house in four days. Everyone was getting a little stir-crazy, but with fevers still hanging around, I couldn't justify taking them out in public (the planned pumpkin patch outing will have to wait). So what do you do when your husband is who-knows-where and you have to get out of your house before you crack?

Load everyone up.

Put a Baby Einstein video on. In the van. Which is against the rules in town. Which was totally worth it.

Hit the McDonald's drive-thru to buy Happy Meals for three sick boys. Knowing they probably won't eat much, and what they will eat won't really be that good for them, but getting it anyway because the toy alone was worth it. Just this once.

Make a spontaneous turn onto the interstate, not really knowing where you're going. Just taking advantage of the fact that everyone is strapped in. And happy... momentarily.

Decide on the Arby's drive-thru for me. Because I haven't eaten anything but cereal in four straight days. Yes, Arby's sounds delightful.

Answer the request for a car wash across the street. Because this is yet one more thing you can do with four sick children strapped happily in their carseats, watching a Baby Einstein video.

Hit the Starbucks drive-thru. Because it's a drive-thru. And it's Starbucks. And because I've not yet tried the Venti Non-fat Pumpkin Chai Latte with Whip Cream this Fall. And because the Starbucks girl is always super talkative. And she's an adult.

(Tyler's theory: Starbucks charges a dollar for every word in the drink title. We laugh really hard when this actually holds true, which happens more often than we care to admit.)

So we hit four stops without ever leaving our van, and I'm telling you what, we all felt refreshed.

But I'm pretty sure the car wash guy thought I took a little too long deciding on my 2 wash options.

Should I get the wheel brite or the underbody wash?

I don't know.

Can we talk about it? :)

I'm pathetic.

But it's all good.

This girl's not a baby anymore...

Hmm...can you say spunky?

For us, October brings....

school in full swing...

kids who keep passing croup back and forth to each other...

Tyler to Arizona to help his brother move back home to Indiana...

a season of thankfulness...

a month-long adventure of Halloween costume planning...

a love/hate relationship with living in the woods....

Tess finally taking her first steps (consistently, that is!)...

new living room carpet (can I get an Amen?!)...

a trip to the Pumpkin Patch...

Fall baseball...

hot chai, candles lit for no reason, and then some more chai...

lots of friends and family...

and...

FALL!!

Love, love this season. What does October bring for you?

A little peer pressure, please...

To celebrate the end of summer (well, you know what I mean... I would never, ever actually celebrate the end of summer!), Tyler took the older boys on a much anticipated trip to Chicago on the Amtrak. This picture is my absolute favorite from the many Tyler took that day.

Check out those eyes... just like his daddy.

For the record, I have no idea what that structure is in the background. Because I wasn't there. And maybe I should just know what it is anyway, but I don't. Because being pregnant four times has fried a lot of my brain cells.

That's what I like to tell myself anyway.

I missed this trip, because a three and one year old would have been on complete meltdown around hour three of the seventeen hour day. And you already know that we just don't do that.

But, we also want to take advantage of the ages that Jack and Trey are now. Fun, energetic, curious, learning ages.

So sometimes, we split up.

And it works.

For us.

Back to those amazing pictures.

There's no way I'm doing them justice. Because minus one famous Chicago building, and the ones who have the titles printed right on them, I'm pretty clueless about what is what.

So, I'm asking for a little help here. If you have a spare second (and you must because you're reading this!), leave a comment in the comments section (duh, where else!) encouraging Tyler to post about their fun adventure to (on the train) and in Chicago.

Maybe enough "votes" will convince him to share...

I think he definitely wins on the brain cells anyway, so I vote him.

A little peer pressure, please... :)

College town...

I love living in a college town for lots of reasons. MY college town. At first we wondered what it would be like coming back to Purdue country as a family instead of as college students. What we've found is a great balance of university energy and family friendliness.

During the school year, we don't get to campus much. It's a busy place. Don't get me wrong - I actually look forward to when the students arrive in the Fall. The city comes alive, and it brings back some great college memories (along with the other memories of Organic Chemistry... oh dear). But traffic gets a little hectic, parking becomes more difficult, and I have to redevelop my skills in dodging fearless jaywalking pedestrians.

I'm quick on the ol' minivan brakes, don't you worry.

But summertime. Oh, sweet summertime in this town...

We take advantage of walking around the quiet campus. The boys play in the fountains, and I tell them where I first kissed their daddy. Tyler and I reminisce about when we were young and thought we had so little time and so much responsibility.

You heard that right.

That's what I thought when I was taking approximately two naps per day. In between eating breadsticks at the Union and hanging out way too much with four guys who lived on Littleton Street when I should have been studying.

But do cut me some slack, if for no other reason than Organic Chemistry.

Sounds like a good time to change the subject.

So we played in the fountains and I tried to get a sweet brother picture after they were done.

Because when there are great flowers in the background, every mother wants the perfect frameable picture.

Why I try, I'm not quite sure. I think I must have told Trey 10 times to keep his gum in his mouth.

...which caused even more distractions...

...and more...

Until finally I made him throw the gum in the flowers.

There.

I can live with that. :)

Summer memories...

A trip to Tropicanoe Cove with Grandma and Grandpa Fincher... Lots of bike riding with friends...

Four weeks of swimming lessons...

T-ball for Trey (and coach Dad)...

Fun at the ballpark for Chaser...

First year Pinto for Jack...

Still here...

...and with lots to say... I'm just one busy momma! The last week or so has been packed full of good, but busy stuff. Just for fun, here's a glimpse into our lives these last few days:

- We spent our last few play times with our great friends, the Zuyderwyks. Tyler and some other guys helped them load up their moving truck last week and we said our tearful goodbyes as they began their new adventure to New Mexico. My boys have grown up with Brock and Tristan, and they're going to miss their good buddies!

- Hosted an awesome Father/Son camp out in our backyard over Labor Day weekend! The original plan was for Tyler, Jack and Trey to try out a campground for the first time, but everything was booked over the holiday. So, they opted for our backyard instead - this time with our brand new tent! The Beaver boys joined us overnight, and they enjoyed lots of pudgie pies, S'Mores, ribs, backyard creatures, light saber duals, biscuits and gravy, sticks, and general boy stuff. Fun!!

- Chase started preschool!! That cutie - he loves it. And I love it that he finally has something to call his own after watching the big boys do their thing all this time. He goes Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-11:30am, just enough time for me to lay Tess down for a nap and start a load of laundry. :)

- We've had a some neat opportunities to minister to some families this past week. We've taken some meals to friends who've had babies, plus another one to a busy, recovering momma with a recently repaired ACL.

- The hatch on the van door finally got fixed! This seems terribly lame and insignificant to even mention, until you try to unload your groceries with a baby in one arm, a grocery bag in the other, all the while propping the hatch up by your forehead. Yeah. Hopefully no one in town actually spotted me doing this.

- The big boys started Fall baseball (Trey's crazy into it. Jack, not so much), and the-momma-without-a-nursing-infant-for-once started attending a Ladies' Workshop at church on Wednesday nights.

- One very sweet husband spent his morning off work taking care of the little ones so I could make an early morning trip to visit the Paschals at Riley Children's Hospital last Thursday. It was an emotional trip for me for many reasons, one being the fact that we spent many hours in the same hospital treating Jack's urinary reflux a few years ago. Nolan is doing great post-surgery... please continue to pray for his recovery!

- We even squeezed in a garage sale (ok, it dominated our lives for days on end) with our neighbors last weekend. I am seriously a glutton for punishment. I thought about throwing in the towel half-way through pulling out every item out of every cabinet and closet I own, but then realized that I'd be stuck with one huge mess if it didn't all go. Somewhere. It ended up being time well spent after all: we lost some significant clutter (even after all of the men in my life carried at least one thing back into the house...), and gained almost $600 bucks to show for all of our junk. Sweet.

- A baby shower for my cousin back in my hometown, plus our first meeting for our new small group bible study rounded out Sunday. All of this in one week!

Did I mention the two sick kids, the girl who learned to climb up onto everything overnight, and the rebellious three year old?

Never a dull moment, folks...