Midwest Keech

Today is my mom's birthday. Don't get me wrong, I really like living where I am. But, sometimes I envy those people who live very close to their families. My family lived in AZ for a very long time. Then in 1999, my dad took a job in Corning, NY. All of this happened very quickly. In February, my brother, James, left for the MTC...My dad left to start work in NY...And, Bry & I (8 months pregnant) had to move out of our place & stay with family until our house was done. Crazy! All while my poor mom tried to pack and get the family home ready to sell. SUPERMOM!! My mom was one month shy of 18 years when she got married - very young, especially by today's standards. Now that I am a mom, I kind of have a new respect for her. Motherhood is not easy & she pretty much still had some growing up to do. I am the oldest of 7 children. I don't know how close I was to my mom growing up. I mean, I was able to talk to her when it counted. But, I hear others talk about how...

OK, so lately I've been looking at a couple of blogs that have hairstyles & little-girl do's . My faves are Girly Do's & She Does Hair . Well, I came across a post on how to do rag curls , and I decided to give them a try. I like the girls hair curly, but (like many little girls) their hair seems to need a lot of product to help hold the curl. So, I gave the girls a bath & put rags in their hair, so they would be bouncy for Sunday. Aren't they just too cute?? When Adelaide woke in the morning, she found 2 of her rags had fallen out. She was upset, because I had to ld her that night NOT to pull them out. Once she realized I wasn't angry, the water works stopped. She didn't really care. I think maybe Adelaide's hair was too short. It was harder to do hers too. I ended up using my straightener to curl her hair under a little. She's still a cutie though. What a great smile! Amelia loved the idea that she would have curls. We have 1pm church ...

Adam's first day of school was last Wednesday. They do things weird here. Wednesday was a 1/2 day, then Thursday & Friday were full days of school. Anyway, it's been a whole week since the 1st day of school. I know Adam is sad to see the summer end, but I think he is looking forward to a new school year. He is sad that some people are in different classes, but I think he likes his new teacher, Mrs. Stout. These are a few pics of the 1st day - Sporting some new clothes & a spikey new do.

What a funny morning. The girls had some coupons for a free doughnut & Adam had a certificate for a free soccer ball (from a local tire place). We...well, I decided that we would get dressed, go get the free ball & then grab some doughnuts for breakfast. Right now, (because I haven't put them away) the girls' clean clothes are in a hamper in my room. Adelaide was proud that she found her own dress out of the "hamster" in my room. Then, Amelia was talking about how she needed a shirt & was the "hamster" still in my room. It cracked me up! I just thought it was SO cute & funny that I didn't even correct them. Maybe next time. Here's Adam & the new ball that he's all excited about. He asked all about why they would give out free balls. I talked to him about the fact that it's advertising. We had to give them a certificate with our name & address. And, their company name is on the ball also. Hey, Free is Free. - Besides, I...

I know that a lot of schools may have already gone back already & some may not start for a little while longer. Adam's first day in the 4 th grade is tomorrow. It's exciting and kind of sad at the same time. On the one hand, I'll be thankful to get back into some form of routine. I've had a really difficult summer & I fell like the kids (all 4 of them) have just bulldozed me. And, let's face it...One less kid at home is...well, one less kid. On the other hand, Adam is a really good kid. Yes, he drives me crazy, and I feel like I'm always telling him to be nicer to his sisters. But, he really is a sweet boy. I know that he loves his sisters, and sometimes he is very helpful & loving toward them. I know the girls will miss him while he is at school. We all will. Here's a video of Adam & Mia. I'm pretty sure he was in Kindergarten. Isn't he just the cutest thing? This was at Adam's Kindergarten graduation. The song is c...

Last week, my brother, Daniel, passed through Bloomington on his way back west from Chicago. It was good. The kids were able to see his truck this time & they loved it. We picked Daniel up from the truck stop. Adelaide was excited that I put her up into the truck. Amelia & Allison...Not so much. Adam thought the whole thing was just SO cool. After dinner, we brought Daniel back to drop him off. Amelia decided she DID want to get into the truck, so we had to do it all over again. Adam was obsessed with the fact that there was a bunk-bed in the truck. I let the kids get up there for a minute. Here's Adelaide's "scared" face. I think she was being silly. Everyone got to sit in the big seat behind the steering wheel. Just a pic of Daniel & the kids in front of the truck. Too cute!

Well, another year has passed. Some days, I feel a lot older than I am & some days I don't feel old enough to even be on my own. It's crazy, I know. So today was a pretty good day. I definitely feel loved. My hubby got up very early, so he could bring home Krispie Kreme donuts for me & the kids before going to work. My oldest friend, Jessica, wrote a very sweet blog for me this morning. A couple of my good friends brought me some very simple, thoughtful gifts. Thank you all...I really needed it. I also received several phone calls from friends & family with wishes for a happy birthday. Thanks so much. I really feel blessed to have so many people who care about me. Thank you. Bryan & I even got to go out to dinner tonight...just like a real date! We had E, a YW from our ward babysit the 4 kids. She seemed to do great. The girls really liked her. I'm pretty sure Adam spent the entire time watching TV. (no big deal - at least he was good) Adelaide & Ame...

I don't know if anyone else is on Myspace, but this video was on the homepage. I only clicked on it because they looked like missionaries. Whether they are or not, it's pretty cool anyway. Bible In A Minute - barats and bereta

We're missing grandma & the boys since they left. I found a few pics that I hadn't posted yet. Here are all the kids. Allison did not want to cooperate (maybe she was just annoyed that Adam was trying to grab her). Good looking bunch I might add. I thought this photo was cute. I know Allison is missing, but you can't have everything. Ryan, Griffin & I built the small arch @ the children's museum here in town. Then, we let Griffin knock it down. :-) Ryan played with Adelaide a little bit. I think she was trying to drive screws into a piece of wood? Adam enjoys climbing in this thing. I like it, because it is really high & goes up to the 3rd floor, but kids can ONLY enter/exit on the 2nd floor. - No running up to find my kid! Ricky had to prove that he actually did help while he was here. And, thanks to my FIL, Dave, my basement has lights & electrical. It's good to know an electrician. We went to Ming's while everyone was here, and Bryan had to ...

I am in a funny mood today. I guess I'm rying to remind myself that I don't want to get-rid-of my kids? They seem to be driving me a little crazier than usual. The older 3 just seem to be fighting & quarelling a lot with each other more & more. Yesterday, they all spent the afternoon on their beds. So, I happened to start going through my video clips of the kids, and I found a few I wanted to share. Adam is a good boy. He has a great sense of humor & loves to laugh. I hope he continues to make me laugh & find humor in things without having to be the "class clown". He's picky...but he'll eat underwear?? Amelia loves to sing & she is a great big sister (most of the time). She wants others to participate with her & have fun. She will be a good leader & can be very loving toward others. Mia really liked the Wiggles for a while & Rock-a-Bye-Bear was her favorite song. She's just so cute. Adelaide is my "mama's girl...

Last night, for dinner, I made a mexican layered casserole. I used a bag of frozen spinach, a can of green chiles, some chicken & sauteed onions mixed together. Then, I layered this filling with corn tortillas, monterey jack cheese (& a little cheddar) and green enchilada sauce (that I mixed with a can of evap.milk). It turned out really yummy. It was very cheesy & delicious. Adelaide, who doesn't eat much at dinner usually (because she's picky), wouldn't even taste it. Allison either, which is a surprise. Amelia likes spinach, so she tried it right away & liked it. Adam was SO funny. First of all, he knows that he HAS to eat what he is given & that there's no use arguing about it. I thought he liked spinach, but apparently, it's "OK", and he eats it beacuse he has to. Anyway, he tried the casserole & his statement was, "This is really good mom." I said, "Thank You." Bry said, "Yes, it's great....

OK, I know it's not my only weakness....But, I picked up some Ding Dongs. They are just so yummy. I let the kids have some this evening & it proved to be entertaining. Adelaide (of course) has it on her face. Mia is usually pretty good with stuff like this. She eats very daintily & careful. Allison got her whole face into the action. She was pretty messy when she was done. When they finished, they all tried to get some more. Sneaky, sneaky... We have to save some for another day...

I love breakfast foods. BUT, I hate getting up to make breakfast in the morning. So, I enjoy making breakfast for dinner. Bry sometimes disagrees, but I like it. It's usually easy & yummy. I like to have French Toast, but it seems like everyone else would rather have pancakes or waffles instead. When I do make French Toast, I usually make too much (expecting them to eat more I guess). This time, I think I used 20 slices of bread (this is a lot considering I have 2 adults & 4 picky kids). I made them super-cute though. I cut them into heart-shapes with a sandwich cutter I have (that cost me all of 25 cents at a garage sale). They were SO yummy. I mixed brown sugar (I ran out of white) & vanilla in with the egg & milk. They were delicious with just a little butter on them. Mmmm .... Wow, how blog-happy am I? I know I'm crazy. I was making these Saturday & HAD to take pics for the blog. I think I can admit that is an obsession. BTW - The kids ate them ALL! Ev...

Allison's birthday is Valentine's Day, February 14th. That means that on my birthday, August 14th, Allison is 18 months old & officially old enough to go to the Nursery @ church. Adelaide is in the nursery until January (when she goes to Sunbeams). This morning, we asked Adelaide if she would like Allison to go to nursery with her. Adelaide's reply was something like, "Yeah. When Allison is a big girl, she can come to my nursery." Well, I took Allison into the nursery this afternoon to see how she would react. She was fine. I stayed for a while, but then slipped out to go to YW. The teachers said she did great. So, it's technically a week early, but my BABY is in nursery. It's a great thing, but I still have mixed fellings. She's so little. Can she really be this big? On the other hand, I can actually participate & enjoy my other meetings without her. Bry said that Allison was so excited to see him. I love that! It's awesome when the kids a...

This one is for Syndy & Jessica who corrupted me....I mean, got me onto the Blogger bandwagon. 67%

53 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test! I actually did BETTER than I thought I would.

On Tuesday night for YW, we had a swimming activity. It was lots of fun with games & races & lots of fun. It was funny to hear some of the girls "playing" princesses. I used to play the same way as a kid in my parents' pool in AZ. This also reminded me of something I found on another blog I read. It's a Princess Quiz. Which Princess are You?? You Are Ariel! Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom. Which Disney Princess Are You?

They're gone. Everybody left last night, so they could fly out from Chicago early this morning. My poor kids. - They were really sad to see them go. Adam took it really hard. I'm pretty sure he cried himself to sleep. Adelaide also cried that she wanted Grandma to come back. We really liked having them here, but it's always so hard to say goodbye. We'll miss you guys. We love you.

So, Sunday I got a call from my brother, Daniel. He has been training for his CDL to drive for Swift Trucking. Well, he was on his first real solo-run. He realized he would be passing within about an hour of me. He was about 150 miles from his destination & couldn't deliver his load until Tuesday. Basically, he was going to have to take a day and a half break. I invited Daniel to come spend Monday with us & my in-laws. So, I got up in the morning, drove an hour to pick up my brother & turned around & came back home. It was really cool to see his (or rather Swift's ) truck. I never really thought of just how big these things are. When I stood next to the open door, the seat was higher than my head. Daniel seems to enjoy driving. I thought it was hysterical that my van looked SO small compared to these big trucks. Too bad the kids didn't get to see it. I'm sure there will be another opportunity. Daniel is committed to Swift for, at least, the next 13 mon...