Are we having fun yet?

Okay, the move is Saturday. I spend every day wandering around wondering what else we're not going to use so I can pack it. I start one box in a room, then wander to the next room where there's probably a box already started...and this continues all day. Then I get ambitious and try and clean something only to find an hour later the children have messed it up again. And, lucky me, we get to move into an apartment and then pack and move into our house 2 1/2 months later. Somebody please shoot me. The sooner the better.

Neighbors...

I don't know about you, but I've generally had good luck with neighbors. This lady who lives next door is renting...she's kind of, well, shall we say...white trashish? But, she takes immaculate care of her yard...better than the owner used to. Anyway, she's been banned from the elementary school for being a psycho. But, she's always been nice to me. She asked me yesterday, "So, when's the big move?" I answered Saturday. She then said, "Now, what are you going to do about the daycare you have?" For a minute, I didn't know what she was referring to, then I realized that she thought since I had so many kids, I must run a daycare. Nice. I thought that was really funny, but then I ran into my neighbor on the other side...a 50something Columbian guy. He's very jolly and happy. So, I was in the garage getting our swim stuff ready and he came over and started talking. After like 15 minutes, he said, so you're going swimming? I sad that we were. He said with big eyes and a wide grin...are you wearing a bikini? I laughed and said no (thinking to myself...time to go!) Then he said, I love to look at women in bikinis. They are so beautiful. I don't do anything, just look...Wow...I don't think he realized he said that outloud. He's a little cooky. Nice, but cooky.

milestone for Em

Last week Emma called me outside to look at something and she was riding down the street on our neighbor's daughter's bike with no training wheels. Who knew? Easiest kid I ever taught to ride a bike! We took the training wheels off her bike yesterday and she cruises around looking like a pro. She picked up swimming in a similar fashion, just calling me to show me what she had taught herself to do. She must have at least a little of Justin in her because I have no athletic talents whatsoever--unless you count the ability to paint my own toenails when I am pregnant. Emma is also working on loosing her third tooth and will be starting second grade in less than two months!

the love interest

It's true, I can't deny it. Here he is, in all his stained shirt, short glory! This is Ethan Lovejoy, Emma's betrothed. But when you have a kid as beautiful as Emma, you have to expect this, right?

Guess who put me up to it...

CALL THE ZOO!!!

Kristin, this first one's for you. Mostly I was just trying to recreate the "Mary was happy but sad" moment. I think I nailed it, but I'll let you make the call. Here's Adam pressing the flesh with our nearest ancestors. I'm not going to lie. I had SEVERAL moments where it took all the restraint I could muster not to pull a dad and scream at the monkeys/chimpanzees/apes "Hey Mackenzie. Get down off that tree."

By far, my favorite moment at the zoo was in the gorilla exhibit. I mean, this thing must have weighed 3 trizillion pounds but he was behind some pretty thick glass. When we got there, he was leaning up against the glass wall but doing a Rene Zellweger pose all looking over it's shoulder. ANYWAY, this little boy about 2 years old pounds on the window and says "Hey Monkey! Come over her and bite me!" Ahh, kids. Hilarious.

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen"

Folks, this is Brandiggity Dawgs Rocking 8th Birthdee Bash. You know you wish you'd been there. Here is the little man pictured directly above with his little buddy Marquise. And all the way up top, feast your eyes on Brando's little love interest. Her name is Sophie. For those of you who haven't heard the tale, before they moved to Provo (and subsequently back to the big D) and Brando came home from school one day and said "Daddy, Sophie kissed me at school today...but I didn't make her stop!" Big ol' Pimp, that kiddo. Making us all proud. In any case, I have it on good authority that this may be the real one for Bran-the-Man. Turns out he told Adam and I when we were babysitting one night that Sophie is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. So you see folks, the next generation of Lisonbeakers are as big of heartbreakers as their incredibly good looking and humble predecessors. What? You want proof? Here goes: Carter and Elizabeth, Brando and Sophie, Emma and her 2 inch shorter boyfriend who I'm told has proposed and whose proposal Emma has accepted...feel free to confirm, Kate. What can I say? We just might need to start wearing shirts that would rival Dad's "I can't wait for tomorrow because I get better looking every day." You know we could rock that look. I can see it in my mind...and we're breathtaking.