Charles E. Gouda, Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

We spent last night at Chuck E. Cheese. It was so fun. We went with Greg, Julie, Sage, Gabe, Harley, Suzi, and The Code Man.

Daddy's HOME!!!

Yesterday at 3 CJ and Brian and I went to pick up Kyle at the airport. They don't seem too excited because we got there way too early, so by the time Kyle was coming down the terminal they were bored and ready to ask Daddy for quarters for the games.

The Very Unenthusiastic Turkey Dance

This morning when I dropped CJ off at school there was a reminder note that they were going to do a Turkey Dance. Brian and I got to school early to pick CJ up and instead of playing ball, I convinced Brian to watch the dance with me. I think CJ was the least interested child in her class. She didn't seem to enjoy the dance like I thought she would. Oh well. The hat is cute.

P.S. I finally solved the mystery of which little boy calls CJ "Princess". I should have known that it is Braden. He is the same boy that wears cologne to impress CJ. In this video he is the boy in blue right in front of CJ.

Hey Daddy-o! This One's For You!

Some time last week, out of nowhere, Brian has started making this demand.
I keep telling him we need snow first. He still doesn't stop asking to go snowboarding. I think this maybe the year Kyle finally gets me on a snowboard. Brian and CJ will be the tipping point.

Funny

After nap time I was still tired. I decided I wasn't making dinner tonight and CJ and Brian needed some time out of the house. We went to McDonald's for dinner and the playland. When we pulled up to park there were some teenage boys on their skateboards doing tricks on the sidewalk. Brian thought he was a cool kid too, so when he went to step up on the sidewalk he tried to do a cool trick jump. It had just stopped raining, his foot slipped on the wet cement and he hit his leg. He fell and grabbed his leg and said "ooooohhhh hoooooo uhhhhhh" Peter Griffin style. It was so dang funny. And of course CJ just played it cool and said, "Hi boys".

CJ's Tea Party

Friday after school CJ invited her friend Melissa over for a tea party. This afternoon Melissa and her Mom, Sheri came over. CJ was an excellent little host. She poured the tea (orange pineapple juice) for her friend and Brian, and offered brownies, cookies and apples to go with it. It was just the cutest little party. I think Brian was just in it for the treats. He gulped his tea down in one chug. After tea they played in the kids room. CJ loved having another girl around, and Brian loved showing off for a girl. It was a very successful party

Ready for Winter Cold

I am ready to that winter chill that is sure to start creeping in any day now. I cleaned the down comforters, duvet, and snuggle blankets. After I put the kids in bed I managed (with a lot of struggle) to get two, yes two, down comforters into our duvet!! I've been busy all day washing and drying blankets and sheets for company coming for Thanksgiving; and I thought while I was at it I should do all the throw blankets for the living room too. The kids have their warm PJ's and blankets out of storage and clean. Now I can turn down the thermostat and sleep warm! We are ready to snuggle on the couch on cold winter nights. I am ready for the first time (!) before the chill actually sets in!! GO ME!

When it Rains it Pours

This saying has never really applied to me until today. My washer, dryer, dishwasher, and freezer are in various forms of not working. My struts, glove box and hydralics on the back hatch of my car all needs to be replaced. And I'm lonely. I really don't blame anyone for not wanting to come over, my kids are loud. That's probably my fault too. I just can't wait for nap time.

CJ's Magnetic Art

I bought these magnates that are plant pots, flower petals, leaves and stems. The general idea is to make different potted flowers. CJ decided to think outside the box, or in this case do I say the pot? She used the petals to make a very loooooong stem and then used some leaves at the top for the petals. She was so proud of her creation that she wanted me to take a picture

Oh Thank Heaven

I can sleep easy knowing my children will not fall off the top bunk!!!

Golden Rule

With Thanksgiving coming up it is easy to blog about all the things I am thankful for, (which I may still do). The thing that is a little harder for most people, myself included is to remember to be not only thankful, but to be thoughtful. When I think of thoughtful I think of the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is universal, here are a few reminders.

"Hurt no others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." -Udana-Varga 5:18

"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire law; all the rest is commentary." -Talmud, Shabbat 31a

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." -Matthew 7:12

"No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother
that which he desires for himself." -Sunnab

"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." -Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, 71

"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." -Leviticus 19:18

"Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you." -Analects 15:23

"This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." -Mahabharata 5:1517

I've Become My Mother, let me count the ways...

When most woman say this it's a bad thing, not me. My Mom is by far the most kind, loving, selfless, compassionate woman she has endless pools of love in her heart, I can only hope to emulate her as much as I can. Everyone that My Mom meets tells me that she is a wonderful person in one way or another. These are just a few things that I've said or done that make me giggle because they are things my Mom does.



1. "Oh, that's fun." In reference to the style of an object.
2. My need to feed people, not as strong as my Mom's need, but still there.
3. Unconditional love for my Family
4. I can't let CJ leave the house without doing her hair. I used to. Not so much now. That used to drive me crazy as a kid. So much that at one point I just refused to brush my hair.
5. Some times I open my mouth and my Mom's voice comes right out.
6. I love to do craft projects with my kiddos

There are so many things that I do. I just can't count them all. I am proud of all the times that I catch myself saying, I've become my mother.

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

Women are aristocrats, and it is always the mother who makes us feel that we belong to the better sort. ~John Lancaster Spalding

The sweetest sounds to mortals given are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.~William Goldsmith Brown

Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, sorta

Brian's Guy Ritchie Hat

Brian's Orange Hustler Hat

Brian's (used to be CJ's) Cheesehead Hat

OK, not a hat, but still a head accessory

Brian's BSU hat that matches Daddy's

Brian's Bucket Hat

Brian is working very hard at remaking the book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. He has become quite the hat connoisseur. He loves his hats. We don't leave the house now without one. His BSU hat even matches one of Daddy's hats. He thinks he's a little man.

This morning the kids and I went to get a newspaper and red box movie. They picked out Word World. One of the episodes of Word World, Duck has a sleep over. CJ and Brian decided they wanted to have a sleep over while watching Word World. They invited Howard the bear, who wore his finest pink dress. They spread out a couple blankets and pillows and watched the rest of Word World while I went through my newspaper and cut coupons.

CJ the Little Mommy

CJ is so darn cute. Today she was playing Mommy. She was putting her baby down to sleep. She was swaddling her little baby. CJ even cuddled with her baby. She is so cute, she was so loving to her little baby. The baby's name is Baby. Here's a couple of pictures of CJ with her Baby. Brian helped me take them.

Hot Damn!

I feel like the Queen of the Super Market!! I went grocery shopping today. I always take coupons with me and plan around sales, I do pretty well. I can usually save $10-$20 weekly with coupons. Today I saved $40.33!!!!! Isn't that fan-freakin-tastic?! I was so proud of myself. I even got a free 17 pound turkey. I already bought ours (23#), so I'm taking the free turkey to the food bank tomorrow. $40.33!! I am so happy, I might frame this receipt. I think this is the best I've ever done.

Yours Truly,
Queen of the Super Market

Brian's New Bed

I put Brian's bunk bed together. Ok, I didn't. I got about a quarter of the way through and couldn't do it by myself. So I called Kyle's friends Hope and Jeremy. Luckily the two fantastic engineers were able to figure out what I couldn't and by the time they left last night it was assembled. That is the first picture.
Today I went and picked up the mattress. That was a chore. The people at Mor Furniture do not help you load or secure anything you pick up. Grrrr. I eventually made it home without dumping a mattress or two on the road!! I put one of CJ's sheets on the bottom bunk and let Brian sleep on the bottom for nap time. He totally loved it. After nap time we went and picked up some boy blue sheets and pillow cases. He's sleeping on the top bunk right now. I'm a little worried. I made practice getting up and down, emphasis on down. Then at bed time I made him scoot all the way over to the wall. CJ wanted to sleep on top. When I told her no, she immediately moved her pillow and blanket to the bottom bunk. She's abandoned her bed. Well see how long before she goes back to her bed, if she does.

YeeHaw!

These are pictures of CJ and Brian finding some way to entertain themselves while waiting for Baby Cousin Cody to make his grand entrance.

ssssh Don't Disturb the Sleeping Diva

Ok, I took this picture a few road trips back. I want everyone to know I fixed her seat belt right after I took the pictures. It was just too cute to pass up.

First Thursday

Last week the kids and I went to the Boise Art Museum for First Thursday. They had a little set up for kids art. They were making sculptures. Now in this room there are tables set up with other children and their parents making their own sculptures. Not even one other parent was taking pictures of their children, something CJ and Brian were very aware of. So I convinced them to let me take a picture of their finished pieces. The first picture I took CJ was covering her face. In the second picture you can clearly see the embarrassment I am causing them on their cute little faces.

Beep! Beep! Yeah!

Kyle was going to blog about this but he really doesn't have time. He is a working maniac right now. I just hope he's taking time to relax a little and take care of himself.

Friday night we struck a deal. He would get up with the kids on Saturday, and I would return the favor on Sunday. Saturday morning he took them out to breakfast and then to Toys R Us. Kyle says they were relatively under control. Then he sends me these pictures of them. They look so darn cute and happy. Maybe next time I take them to Toys R Us, I will now know where to go if I want them to behave. I love the smiles in these pictures.