January 31, 2017

(click here for today's pictures)

• Since Whitman fell asleep on the ride home last night, we missed his shower so we did manage to wake up a few minutes earlier so he could have his shower this morning. He was perfectly happy on the couch between his brothers this morning and wasn't pleased at all about his shower. Once he was in the shower, he did warm up to the idea.
• I then made him a cupcake (muffin) for breakfast and poured cereal for Keaton. Everyone had cupcakes or cereal for breakfast-I am not entirely sure how Graham can make such a mess eating muffins or how Reagan can manage to spill cereal everywhere. Thankfully, they are both able to pick up their messes.
• We did our school and Anderson again got a head start by doing a bit of work this morning so he finished before I had finished making lunch. After we worked together, we played my new yahtzee game. 
• Since I made a giant jenga for Christmas, I thought that I needed a giant yahtzee to go with it. We all played and I forgot how long yahtzee can take. It will be great for our upcoming plane trip but wasn't so great for a Tuesday morning right before lunch. We finished half of the game and I promised everyone that we would finish the other half next time we did our science and history.
• I started to make our usual sandwiches for lunch when I saw the leftover pizza box. So it was pizza for everyone. Then the crew started working on chores. They again were done great today-no one wants to earn that extra chore. 
• Then the real work started-Reagan and Anderson both have snacks tomorrow for Bible study. Reagan made white chocolate chip blondies and then Anderson and Campbell made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I decided to double the muffins so they were panicked about the mixer overflowing the entire time. It was close but it never did overflow-I was a bit panicked too since it was like 4 cups of sugar, 6 cups of flour, 2 bags of chocolate chips and the list just went on and on. I will definitely make sure that my next mixer has a bit bigger bowl.
• As soon as the blondies were in the oven and the muffins were in the pans waiting on the oven, the kids all headed outside. They were in and out until the neighbors came out also. I spent some time on the treadmill. When Keaton and Whitman came home, everyone was outside and they were able to play while I finished supper.
• Tonight's meal was manicotti, spaghetti and green beans. The kids begged to have one of the muffins that we made this afternoon for supper so I obliged. Then it was time for a movie before bed. When we were half way finished with the movie, we remembered that we had already seen it!
• The kids were excited that we were going to let them stay up a bit later tonight in the rooms so they could read or draw. We have often been letting the girls do this but not the boys because of Whitman. Tonight though, they were able to try it and so far it sounds like things worked out well.