Story of my life

And this was just today. I was going to take a picture of him surrounded by the hundreds of thumbtacks he had dumped out... but that would be irresponsible of me, right? I'm not sure a thumbtack in his heel would even slow him down. That kid is like a walking Looney Tunes character. 

Bloggity Blog Blog Blog... CATCH UP!

Phone photo/video style...


This is what breakfast with Asher looks like.


This is what after-breakfast with Asher looks like.


Lunch with Asher.


Lunch clean-up.


Aunt Diane, in case you were wondering if we still use this toy... we definitely do.


I've been training for a 10K. Sometimes I see gross things while I'm running. Ick. The best kind of rattlesnake is a dead one... a FOR SURE dead one.


He had a birthday.


Clark has graciously spent many hours reviewing Arizona sentencing guidelines with me. Pillow talk with a lawyer... I love it.


We're still swimming... less frequently though.


No matter where I hid this thing, Asher will always find my wire mesh strainer and then STOMP it flat. This kid kills me.


He likes to climb to the kitchen table and hang from the light. Also, I can no longer throw out the trash without checking it first for shoes... or flush a toilet without checking it first for toothbrushes... or try to print something without pulling a few crayons out of the printer tray first... I could go on and on and on...


Booker is obsessed with karate lately so I signed him up for a little 4 week course. I wish he was more eager to do his homework (do something responsible or respectful) and less eager to practice his moves on his brothers.


Often, we'll find Ike asleep in funny positions. Did you know he loves Scooby Doo? Yes, yes he does.


He participated in an Itty Bitty golf tournament and had a blast.


I wish I was blogging more, but things have been busy... trying to keep this one from tearing down the house. 

Ike's Fourth Birthday

Ike had a birthday a few weeks ago. I love this guy for so many reasons, one of the top five being his sweet, good nature. Thank you Ike for being the type of kid who gets "TRIPLE-DIPLE" excited about your mom's piece of garbage Scooby Doo cake. He seriously loved that thing. In my defense, Ike and his bestie Porter shared a mini-birthday party a few weeks prior and the store bought cupcakes were much cuter, but I totally failed to take any pictures.








He was pretty stoked about his Dream Lite Pillow Pet...


And a remote control car.


I love you so much Mr. Teichert Blaine. If all my kids were like you, I'd probably have 10. Happy fourth birthday, Ike!!!

Returning Home

I've had a tab open in my internet browser for almost a week now, a blank blog entry waiting to be filled with accounts of Ike's recent birthday, Asher's latest antics and misbehaviors, Booker's newfound love of karate. And then some terrible things happened in a region of the world that has always felt like home to me and I can't seem to untangle my thoughts and emotions from it all. I find myself watching this video over and over again... weeping like a baby, pausing it to fill a sippy cup with milk or wipe a bum... then back to watching and weeping.



Clark often accuses me of caring too much. When I heard that Kuwaiti protesters were gathering outside the US Embassy and chanting that they wanted to expel the Ambassador, I called my dad to make sure his feelings weren't too hurt because mine sure were. It's a good thing his heart doesn't seem to bleed as much as mine. He just chuckled and then reminded me that he was receiving far more messages of condolence and support from Kuwaitis than calls for his removal.

Since I can't hop on a plane right now and give him a hug, I'll show support in other ways. I'm trying to pull myself up off the ground and get back to blogging so at the very least, the AmBABAssador can have some accounts of his grandkids to peruse between calls to Washington and security briefings.