road trip secrets unveiled TO YOU!

when we were kids,

my dad and sandie would wake us up before the sun came up,

drive to SFO international airport, and standby on flights all day across the country to make it to iowa every june.

and do you want to know what i remember most about the getting there?

the gallon sized treat bags, and activity sets sandie would pack in our bags for the trip.

she put reeses peanut butter cups in mine every time. and giant everlasting gobstoppers, or whatever they were called? the big white ones with spots on the outside that you had to suck down through the rainbow layers, and they were just a sugar cube ball like the grandparents put out for the deer in their backyard, and they were awesome.

we always went to TCBY frozen yogurt if we went through denver,

and we were always super disappointed if we went through chicago and missed out on the soft serve ice cream with sprinkles. at least, i was. i don't think adam liked going through denver. he called it the "black hole." i think that was because the layovers there were always longer or the standby flights were harder to get on from there and so we got stuck there more. it's just ALWAYS been about the food for me, hahahahaha. really though:)

so today,

as i was packing our food bags for our upcoming road trip,

i was remember those treat bags that sandie always packed for us on those iowa trips,

and it hit me.

i've turned into my parents.

and it felt pretty awesome.

there are two things that make a successful road trip:

#1. food

#2. movies

in

that

order.

because if you don't have food, the movies don't even matter,

but if you're dvd player breaks, let's say 2 minutes into your trip {which actually did in fact happen to us last april on our way to arizona}, you know you'll be ok, as long as you have food.

true story.

here is my method:

TWO BAGS.

one for the way there,

and one for the way back.

this includes breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, treat, treat, treat, snack, snack, DRIIIIINKS.

both ways.

did i mention i do one bag for each way?

i learned this lesson the hard way.

two summers ago.

so now, i'm smart about it.

i even label them.

and sometimes i draw a picture of the state of utah.

or a huge sun for the states of arizona and californa.

last time, my arizona bag also got a cactus.

i'm actually feeling like i cheated myself not drawing waves on my CAL bag 

this time, as i sit here and typing this.

the feeling will pass.

or i will doodle one in the car on the way there.

so these are the necessities in each identical bag i pack

every

time

we

go

on

a

road trip.

ANTI-FAIL EMILISQ 

ROAD TRIP FOOD BAG:

{in no particular order--this is serious guys, PAY attention}

1. teddy grahams, entire box in each bag.

2. red vines {barf--these are for sean.}

3. twizzlers for me 

{this time i bought the bite sized ones, so excited.}

4. pringles snack packs

5. pb m&m's {i eat these WITH the pb m&m's when i get to that hour of the trip where my mouth starts screaming 

"SALTY! SWEET! NOOOOOW!!!" 

mmm i can hardly wait for the salty, chocolaty, sweet goodness.}

6. apples, strawberries, and grapes

7. veggie sticks {this is second breakfast for me, 

always with a coke. oh yeah}.

8. speaking of cokes...COKE. don't leave home without them.

they will fix all of your wake up at 5am after you went to bed at 1am and now you feel like you're gonna puke woes.

9. juice boxes and chocolate milks for the kids, and usually i let brennan have half of my coke in secret in the back. max is banned because her bladder is the size of an actual black ant. i kid you not. i am already freezing hi-C's AS WE SPEAK as an added surprise for them on friday. they are gonna flip. slushie orange hi-C as it melts. mom.of.the.year. yesssssss.

10. bags of cereal {this is breakfast. you don't like it, you go hungry until mom decides to open the veggie sticks for her mid morning snack.}

11. granola bars and fruit snacks.

12. keebler elf striped cookies

13. fishie crackers

14. reese's sticks {walmart was out. i almost cried.}

15. CHEETOS:)

16. peanut butter sandwich crackers.

17. regular crackers

18. ham and cheese sandwiches for max, sean, and me.

19. peanut butter and honey sandwiches for brennan and chase.

20. six empty sandwich baggies for me to fill with fruit, cookies, or whatever else i need to shuttle launch back to each kid from the comfort of my netflix on my phone watching self 

in the front shotgun seat. i am the smartest:)

21. one empty gallon sized bag for puking purposes. this was a recently added item, as brennan got carsick last sept, and my catlike reflexes dumped all of the treats out of their gallon bag {i have all the fruit/healthy stuff in one gallon bag and all of the shelf sustainable/not so healthy snacks in another}, and had max throw it back to him to barf in. then we zip-locked that barf baby up, and never even had to stop. GENIUS, i know:). ok, right now though it sounds kinda gross...

we only stop to pee and get gas.

and we only spend money on gas and sometimes sean needs a fountain coke, because let's be honest, they're just better from the fountain than in a bottle/can/whatever.

that's it.

the peeing machine max usually ads about 3-4 road side pee stops to the trip. heaven bless the life of littles who have no nudity shame. we can be off the road, and back on in 3 minutes. it's amazing. sean strips her from the waste down, carries her around to a downhill pee spot in the dirt, i hand a baby wipe out the window, we put it in the car garbage, and off we go. it's magic folks, MAGIC:)

brennan can go 16 hours without peeing. we found this out NOT on purpose, i swear. he just held it once for that long and refused to pee when he was potty training the first time, and we took him to the pediatrician because we just assumed something must be wrong bc WHO ON EARTH can go 16 hours without peeing and not die?! brennan. brennan can. and god bless him for it. he's our best traveler. chase is too, but he's still in diapers, so the verdicts still out on if he will be able to hold it as long and also receive the prestigious award of 2nd mate to brennan and his road trip traveler status--i vow to do a better job at changing chase's diapers this trip. he's just easy to miss when he doesn't make a peep the entire way. NOT A PEEP. it's amazing. we also let him have his binky the entire time. guys, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

all shoes are kept in a shoe drawstring bag.

HOT PINK.

for easy locating.

no searching for lost shoes under seats when we need them. 

nope, my genuis husband came up with the shoe bag method, and it's been road trip life changing ever since.

each kid has a backpack at their disposal with books, toys, clipboards, paper, markers, and drinks in their cup holders.

i have mastered the art of changing the dvd player without even having to look at the buttons.

MASTER!

oh yeah.

we are this fine tuned, well oiled road trippin' machine!

it just makes things painless, and actually pretty fun.

i love our little rituals, and that i always pack all of the same snacks and treats,

and i just know that when our kids are all grown up,

these 10+ hour road trips will be some of their very best and favorite family memories.

all together in the car.

or maybe max will say that she was tortured to pee on the side of the road,

and brennan will have life problems for being forced to puke in empty gallon sized bags,

and chase will never learn to say his "S's" right because his parents let him suck his binky for 10+ hours straight...

.

.

.

NAAAAHHHH!!!!!

they'll love it!

i give you....

my road trip food shopping partner in crime.

aka THE BABY MAN.

who decided today that he actually doesn't fancy the actual doughnut,

{at least not the hostess packaged ones--FAIL!}

just the chocolate around it.

and by the end of his doughnut pack,

he even spit that part out too.

thumbs down on the packaged doughnuts for him.

they used to be brennan's favorite.

but not chase ray.

negative ghost rider.

negative.

next time, i'm buying him the real deal. 

note: see those yellow packages right there??!! 

THOSE are caramel wraps folks,

say it with me:

CARAMEL WRAPS!

AND

YOU

NEED

THEM!!!

you.need.them.

i absolutely will not make carameled apples without them anymore.

you peel the caramel off like a sticker from the paper it so beautifully and perfectly lays upon 

{i think 5 wraps come in each pack for about $3},

cover your green sour apple in it like a sticker, pop the Popsicle sticks in your apples

{which are provided in the pack--the sticks, not the apples;)},

heat them in the oven as explained on the back for about 5 minutes,

and BAM you're done.

no peeling caramels,

no melting caramels down,

and no too thick caramel that sags down your entire apple 

leaving your apple naked from the waist down.

{please hold your applause until the end}.

they are hard to find, and go really fast.

i've only found them at winco the last several years,

so i literally screamed in walmart today and loaded 4 packs right into my cart.

the lady next to me FOR SURE was not sure about me.

i wouldn't have been either.

good times.

no shame!!!

it's all for the caramel wraps:)

i can't wait to make caramel, white chocolate, oreo dipped apples when we get home.

adios muchachos!

see ya real soon!

vacation life is upon us.

and i just can't wait:)

{now...applause. A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E.}

{sing the song, go ahead. applause, applause, applause, 

i live for the applause...A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E.}

WITH sound effects

all day,

every day.

preferably by himself.

sound effects included.

{2 yr old boys might just be my favorite.}

wednesdays are the day i usually forget to eat lunch.

wednesdays

7am-first alarm goes off

7:05am-second alarm goes off

7:10am-stagger downstairs for my short order chef and lunch making duties {i actually really love this part of my day as long as no one is fighting or yelling. most days it's just brennan up, and sean entertains him with reading books. team work baby. i am one lucky girl.}

7:40am-wrestle clothes onto brennan, brush his teeth, give him his pills, and cuddle him on the front stairs until susie shows up.

7:45am-brennan out the door for school

8am-wake max up, coax her to eat, bribe her to let me do her hair with my phone, 

8:30am-max out the door for school, get chase up, feed him leftovers from the other kids {i love toddlers because they don't have opinions about eating scraps yet, yessssss}.

9am-clean up breakfast, feed myself, read my scriptures, get dressed, make beds, throw in laundry, wrestle clothes onto chase while he watches cars 2 and plays with his bucket of cars 

{this is his most favorite daily ritual}, unload or start dishwasher, take my vitamins, 

wash my face, change my underwear, and stuff like that.

10:45am-plan next week's meals and make shopping list.

11am-grocery shopping with the baby man. i usually give him a fruit roll up FIRST THING to guarantee our shopping success. i love that he has no flavor preference yet.

11:45am-pick preschool carpool up, which pick up time starts at 11:30, but i barely get to them by the last allowed minute of 11:45 because i never leave enough to get to the grocery store and there without a rush. it's just how i roll. then i drop carpool off, and try to talk max and chase into washing their hands while i bring all of the groceries in and put them away.

12:30pm-feed max and chase lunch.

1:30pm-drive max to dance class {her favorite activity of the week}, 

where chase lines up all of the cars he can find in my purse, and whines for treats and milk. 

he also begs to go in and do ballet every time. i love boys with big sisters.

2:50pm-drive home from dance.

3pm-finally chase gets a nap, i throw in another load of laundry.

3:10pm-hannah or hadley from down the street show up to stay with napping chase, while max and i leave to pick up the all day kid carpool.

3:45pm-drop off kids from carpool, pass out otter pops, make snacks for brennan {usually pepperoni, cheese, and crackers}, let brennan play computer games. sometimes this is when i realize i've forgotten to each lunch. almost always this when i realize i have forgotten to each lunch:)

5pm-homework time. 

this is my most dreaded time of the day. 

i always have a pit in my stomach because i never know what to expect, or how it's going to turn out, and doing homework with an ADHD child who's meds wore off on the way home from school is just challenging. on good days chase is still in his crib napping or laying there quietly in his crib enjoying his binky, and max is watching movies on my phone in a completely different room. all outside stuff HAS to be removed for him to focus. on bad days, max doesn't want to watch a show, chase wakes up early, and three friends ring the door bell wanting to play. we only survive with treats to bribe him through, and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner on those days. also, we never get all of the enhancement homework done even on the good days because 30 minutes is brennan's unmedicated max:) spelling words, math worksheet which thankfully always uses manipulatives, and if we're lucky he practices his math facts, 

5:30pm-flag football for brennan. we are always late.

7pm-dinner and baths.

8pm-bed for chase, and book readin with the bigs. most days i take brennan by myself, and sean takes max into her bed, and i just love sitting on my bed listening to brennan read to me, with sean reading to max at the end of the day. everyone smells like pink johnson and johnson baby lotion, and i feel so accomplished. mmmmmmm. but wednesdays sean works late and so usually max comes in with us, brennan can't focus and read, and i just end up reading to them both and don't make brennan read to me at all.

8:30pm-prayers and bedtime. there are no funnier prayers on the planet than 6 and 4 year olds. most nights brennan and max stay up talking and laughing until at least 9:30pm, and sean and i make threats to get them to fall asleep like you don't get to play with your friends tomorrow, or you won't get to go to ballet next week. sean does paperwork on the couch, i play on my phone, and sometimes we watch the news through the weather bit. i've learned that even after two years, room sharing is STILL a work in progress. also, we usually vow to finish the basement sometimes during all of this. we are 3 nights in a row without any threats and right to bed kiddos, 

so we're feeling pretty awesome right now. 

but bascially that means tonight they won't fall asleep until midnight:) and we'll be calling the bank for a loan on the basement by friday. fingers crossed!

11pm-oreos and peanut butter dipped in milk or whipped cream and nutella. i just love a good bedtime treat.

11:30pm-brush my teeth and read until at least midnight all cozy in my bed, with my cold feet on sean's furnace of a body. there's almost nothing i love more than reading, all cuddled in my bed, in a quiet house late at night, to the sounds of sean and the kids fast asleep.

sometime after midnight-i turn my lights off, realize i never finished the laundry, go downstairs, switch it out {or leave it wet to run again in the morning}, come back up stairs, get scared in the dark on the way, and drift off into dreamland back in bed curled up next to warm sean.

and that's what i do every wednesday.

BOO-tiful

it's the moooooooost

BOO-tiful

tiiiiiiime offfffff THAAAAA yeeeeeeaaarrrr!!!!!

happy october!

SO VERY

glad

you're

here.

especially when root beer floats are involved

family night.

where we put treats in their mouth so they will be our captive audience for at least 5-7 minutes of a scripture story.

the bigger the treat, the longer we have them sucked in. 

this is our method, and it's a good one. oh yeah.

i love little people.

go team gibson.

miracles can happen! 

especially when root beer floats are involved:)

letters to emily/beth {life in germany is all set up, scripture power, and huff and puff hiking/german immersion, finally writing about ADHD, and scripture power}

tuesday september 9th, 2014 6:01am

dear emily,
i LOVED the picture of my little twin (except she is far better than i) eating oreos AND the water!!! and the fact she wanted to walk to church...she is a true romantic. in love with life:). We finally have everything we need for survival here in Germany: bikes, check. bike trailer, check. air filter machine, check. organic cleansers for the house, check (bear is allergic to the other ones). friends for bear to play with, check. okay we are set! i can't help but love the cobble stone streets and seeing the castle every day here. i really love those things, but there is something even more amazing that helps me, the scriptures. man, it's the only thing that holds its ground for me. you would have laughed at us the other day. we climbed a hill on our bikes, huffing and puffing away! and we got to the top and bryce and i both just sat down and couldn't believe we did it...now we have gone a few more times and we don't huff and puff as much:) it really feels like the sound of music at the top of the hill. well, i hope none of your kids get the respiratory sickness, and i hope you have a great day! have you "emified" anything lately, as in made it 1000000 times better?
love,
beth

 monday septermber 29th, 2014 9:01pm

dear beth,

oh my word, it has been a ride this past several months. i have so much to tell you i just don't even know where to begin, and so i guess i will start with a good laugh, as it is always what i need at the end of every day. i give you, brennan's german body part test:

after several hours of analysis,

i have concluded a few things for you to note:

1. it's not a long penis. if you look closely, you will see it's actually a regular sized penis with a long stream of pee.

2. the dots on the crotch and buttox are just there for no reason other than his seat neighbor put them there. this is what he told me when i couldn't figure out what they were.

3. it's actually a girl. see the girl hair flipped out? yep, a girl with a penis. very 2014 of him i thought.

4. the picture on the right is not a rear view of the penis, as i thought at first. no, it is poop. i spy some poop.

and that my friend can pretty much turn any monday into a friday. are you still laughing? i'm still laughing, and it was from last week. every time i look at it, i laugh. brennan is the funniest guy i know. other pictures of brennan's german homework i know you will appreciate:

it's only been a month, and he's already learned so much. you really have to see it to believe it! i truly BELIEVE that brennan going to german immersion was DIVINELY guided. it's like he was meant to speak german. his teachers...DIVINELY guided. heavenly father specifically picked them for brennan. i KNOW this. i get to start going into his english speaking classroom in two weeks to start helping out on a regular basis, and i couldn't be more excited. this kid is like a completely different kid, and i mean that in the best way. he comes home with 100% on EVERY test. he doesn't have any behavior problems in class at school, and his handwriting? well, it's better than a 3rd grade girl, i kid you not. i forgot to give him his meds on saturday, and well, i was partly glad because sometimes i sit back and wonder, is he just maturing out of adhd or does he really have it? see, the meds help him SO much, that sometimes you question. you just do. and well, questions answered. NEEDS THE MEDS:)

i feel like this past 6 month journey has been such a roller coaster. i have never been through anything so challenging in my entire life. sean and i agree, it's been one of the most difficult things we've gone through together. it's weird though, because the further removed we come from it, the more positives that come out of it, that road we took to find the right med {once we decided TO medicate--A SIX YEAR OLD}, the less and less painful the memory of it all is becoming. it kind of reminds me of pitosin labor pains with brennan. i remember thinking that was the worst pain of my entire life. i remember in the moment truly realizing that i would never experience anything worse ever. and now looking back on it, i think, "meh, i could do it again." maybe it's not as bad as child birth though because just thinking about doing the beginning of the med road again with a 6 yr old brennan, and two parents that had NO IDEA what we were in store for, makes me shudder. traumatized for sure:) now, with that being said, i have never been so grateful for anything in my entire life. meds are not right for everyone, but they WERE RIGHT FOR BRENNAN. we spent months trying to decide if it was right, if he "really" had adhd, and were there ANY other roads or methods we wanted to take before. like i said, one of the hardest things i've ever gone through, and i think mainly that's because i felt so alone in it. sean would leave for work, the meds would kick in, and i would have to be the judge of was the dose right, were the symptoms balancing the side affects, and i have just never felt so UNDER QUALIFIED for anything in my entire life. by the time sean {the reasonable methodical one} would get home, the meds would wear off, and i would have to try to recall the day and how i felt it went, which was usually just plain awful. i didn't feel like i could talk to anyone. people would tell me he was "just being a boy" and "he would grow out of it." they meant well, but i just had to stop talking to people who just didn't know what we were dealing with day to day. it was more than just boy behavior. i knew it deep down in my heart and received confirmation of it. did i ever tell you that the summer before kindergarten i thought he had a learning disability? i knew something was off when he couldn't remember any letters of the alphabet other than "B." i got that mommy gut feeling in my stomach, but i just figured, hey, i was an elementary school teacher, i've got this handled. i will just catch him up, do my magic, and we'll be right back on track. i laugh at myself now thinking about it like i had some sort of control over the matter. #1 thing i've learned in motherhood: there is no control--there is only the ILLUSION of control, LOL!!! we didn't talk to our family about any of it, and not because we were ashamed or anything like that. it was just too hard to take in the comments and feedback while we were going through it. so we kept it to sean, the pediatrician, me, and two other moms who i'm friends with who have children with adhd and had been through the challenges of the medicating process. it was really the first time in my life where i really kept something private. let me tell you, i haven't felt so insecure in a very VERY very long time. i am a sharer! a talker! this was so challenging for me, but i knew it was the only way we were going to get through it. we weren't sleeping because the meds kept him up. i think i told you about that 8 hour middle of the night pacing episode. awful. made having a newborn look like a piece of cake. he was so sensitive to the meds that he would have major emotional outbursts, like something was taking over his body for 16 hours when the meds that were supposed to last 10-12 hours would finally wear off. he was irritable and angry about little things. it was exhausting. i'm just so glad it's behind us. i was angry at heavenly father. i remember one day saying in my prayers how i was angry with Him! sobbing my eyes out, asking why he was doing this to our family. i've always been so melodramatic;). but really, this was after brennan had walked downstairs one morning and punched max in the face just to "see what it felt like." oh, impulsivity {brennan has the combined type of adhd--impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness--some kids just have the impulsivity and hyperativity, and other kids may only have the inattentiveness}. i was in desperation. i have never prayed so hard for something other than when we couldn't get pregnant with brennan. how about that huh? i just think that's so deeply connected. and how did i get through all of this and finally find a positive outlook? god and the book of mormon {and 20 mg of methylphenidate--basically new and improved ritalin, as adderall and quillavent/concerta gave horrible side affects to him}. i have NEVER turned to the scriptures in my life like i have the past several months. i've been following this user on instagram called @bofm365 and every day they post about 15 verses to read with a question to ponder and respond to if you like, and beth, oh my word, it was the thing that filled the void. i could go on and on how my testimony has grown. the perspective the war chapters in alma gave me on the whole thing, man, i will just never forget them. who would have thought that i used to dread the war chapters? now they are my absolute favorite. "Scripture power keeps me safe from sin. Scripture power is the power to win. Scripture power! Ev’ryday I need, The power that I get each time I read." you and me beth, we are SO on the same page right now what all of it! i wish you were on instagram so you could follow join in and do it too. it's really reminded me of the girl i was before i was plunged into all of the demanding day to day things of motherhood that i love and take great joy in. i just let my love for the scriptures and prayer get swept to the wayside. it's a great place to be in now that i have rededicated myself to it all.

and THAT my friend is most definately NOT what i was planning on writing to you tonight about. good gracious, i've been wondering when i was FINALLY going to be able to write about ADHD, and there it is. all laid out and gathered together from my brain. i feel like a weight has been lifted.

other amazing things we've done in the past little while you would appreciate:

applesauce from grandma's tree {it took two separate go's at it because we picked THAT many apples, AND i also talked sean into chopping all of my salsa stuff up the same night at the first applesauce go and so i had to cut applesauce short to get the salsa going with the best chopper this side of the mississippi.}

 

{best and biggest apples i've seen on her tree in years!}

{chase kept eating all of the apples that were rotting on the ground, while we were busy picking apples from the tree and not watching him--also it was 99* in sept that day, and i wore jeans so i was just a big sweaty mess cursing myself for wearing jeans.

anyway, we were sure he would have a belly ache after all of those apples he kept grazing on in the grass, but no he did not. i can't believe it. WIN!}

{we make half plain applesauce, and half red hots applesauce--shawn ray's mom's recipe if you knew her--b/c max doesn't like the red hots, but the rest of us do. just add, melt, and can. delish! how have i never had you try this at my house before? put it on the list for next time...}

{this was from round 2 and the garbage can was literally filled to the brim 

with only peels and cores by the end of the night. thank goodness for my trusty helpers 

and my neighbors gigantic pots. thank you shana.}

{if you've ever made and canned applesauce, you KNOW what an undertaking it is 

to get 13 quarts in one go. these were all from round 2.}

annual homemade salsa {i couldn't do it without sean. he is my right hand man chopper extraordinaire, and it's only fun because we get to be in the kitchen together for 4 hours straight getting it all done. he pinches my butt and kisses me, and i usually just play hard to get. typical emily!}

{oh he is so cute.}

{i had to cook and process it all the next morning because after sean did all the chopping i still had to cook and can the applesauce. 24 pints of salsa and 5 quarts of applesauce and 12 hours later, i was done with the first go at it. all together from both go's we got 18 quarts of applesauce!!! i'm thrilled!}

thomas the train art on a saturday morning and my peach pecan leige waffles {really took the waffles to entirely new level. is it peach season again yet??? you will die and go to heaven eating them.}

{i was conjuring my inner-beth}

family bowling {where some lady refused to let my kids sit and eat their pizza at the table behind our lane--this was a work party, but they weren't part of our work group, they were part of another work group BUT I THOUGHT they were part of our work group so i just smiled and held my tongue and acted really nice so i wouldn't make sean look bad a work and such--b/c she said it was their table that they needed to sit and eat at, BUT THEY NEVER SAT AND ATE AT IT ONCE. it literally sat there empty the entire time, and max cried and cried because the girl just needs a seat to eat. i'm so proud, haha. finally by 8pm some bar stools opened up behind us so i had them eating there, but brennan kept swiveling his chair and max got her fingers pinched, and then she was crying again, and i finally just gave in and let them all watch movies on my phone while we took turns bowling with the 9 pound pink ball that was my favorite. it was actually some of the best pizza and breadsticks i've had out to eat before. who knew at a bowling alley? a family that bowls together, stays together. amen.}

{this is my FAVORITE picture of sean and chase!!!}

{the infamous bar stool swivel chairs--i forgot to mention there were only 2 and so max STILL was late on the draw and didn't have a seat until brennan's turn to bowl came up, and she snuck in and took her place in the hot seat. 2nd child. gotta take what you can get.}

i finally took the plunge and bought an aquarium pass {i was ready to go ask for my money back, totally disappointed at first--i think this was mainly bc brennan wasn't with us, and let's be honest, bringing the ADHD kid that hyperfocuses on animals is just magical and brings the party to life in a whole new way, if ya know what i mean--not to discount the gifts of my other two--it's just that we are all still adjusting to doing things without brennan during the day, almost like we're having an affair on him or something really weird like that--he just has a way of teaching us all everywhere we go, especially when it involves animals--so anyway, then we found the shark tunnel and i was all, "um, this is amazing!" and max looked at me and said, "MOM!!! we HAVE to bring brennan back here tomorrow!" and chase kept telling me it was "way CARRIE MOMMIE!!!" {way scarey}, and we couldn't wait to bring brennan back, and i was just feeling so sad we didn't end up going when you were here. we will have to go on my pass next summer. liz, that means you come too. you will love it.}

{we came back a week later when brennan had the day off of school, and i let max and brennan bring a friend. me and 5 kids under 7. nailed it;) it made me fall in love with the new aquarium, but i still miss the old one and all of the memories i have of taking 2 year old brennan and newborn max when we were killing time waiting for sean to get home from school.}

{the shark tanks really take the cake. i can't wait to take you next summer.}

and also today, i organized my book nook by collections {because my inner librarian self took over, and every time someone pull all of the books out i get a little excited because i know i'm going to create a shrine in one little corner on the right hand side of the second shelf down to all of my collectible series {curious george, froggy, 5 little monkeys, disney favorites, if you give a mouse a muffin, biscuit, and then a section devoted to my most VERY favorites: ferdinand, the giving tree, corduroy, bad case of stripes, love you forever, baby beluga, snowy day, alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day, runaway bunny, goodnight mooon, stuff like that. books i have loved since childhood and gathered since college, and through my teaching years, and since no one bothered me the entire time i was organizing away it happened today. and it was magic! i have the urge to go over there right now and flip through the pages of them all, read the bindings, and think of all of times i have turned their pages.} 

other things you just have to see....

{he is her personal dress up baby doll. nothing will stop you dead in your tracks for a good solid laugh than walking into something like that with the headbands, although the princess dress up dresses are my personal favorites.}

{we got to go without kids together. amazing. also, one of my high school friends sang in the mini-choir at the session we went to. small town salt lake city yet again!}

{above: BOLT.}

{above: the day two gibson's never wore shoes, one gibson never wore pants, and we only made it to half a game of flag football. and by "we" i mean brennan, because the rest of us didn't get there until the ending huddle when the game was over. wednesdays are rough. also, i think max peed in her pants on the way home because she said she didn't need to go 5 minutes before when we left the house to get brennan. i didn't like that day all that much.}

{"max is the ninja princess and WE are her ninja guardians!" -brennan 

and then chase was all "yeah yeah! ME ME!" and then they all struck a pose. i kid you not. click:)}

i love this life.

so very very much.

ADHD, books all over the floor, crying max, hard wednesdays and all.

how are you? how is school going for the boys? 

how's the swing of a school-going man going after a nice summer break? 

what fall treats are you making? 

what is halloween like in germany? i love you dearly and think of you often!

with love,

emiline