Cheever Girls

We had Kathy,Chelsea, Rachael and Kaitlin visit us this past weekend. It was fun. We have not seen them for several years, and honestly, have not had a lot of contact with them since we moved to Colorado 11 years ago. I was glad to see the kids have a good time together. The girls really liked taking care of Waverly. Apparently, she is the reason they came out at all! :) Cannon liked that they would read to him and play with him. It was crowded in our little house, I think this was the first time there were more girls here than boys. We joked about sending Cannon home with them in a suit case. He thought that sounded like a lot of fun. He did not realize that he would not come back... When they were getting in the car to head to the airport, he said, "mom, remember I am going with them. We need to go get my backpack." I explained that he was not really going with them, that I would miss him and he might miss us too. He told me that he did not want to live in our old house with all these stinky brothers any more. In the end, he stayed here.

I will post pictures and more detail on the weekend later!

Unplugged

Inspired by our Random Memories blog and the fact that the kids, particularly Cannon, spend too much time on the Wii or movies or computer, and Matt and I spend too much time on computers, we have started Unplugged Week.We switch between plugged and unplugged so I am not completely depriving them of all the fun. During unplugged weeks there is no wii, no movies/tv and no computer other than homework, church work, paying bills ( I do not think anyone would take my unplugged excuse for late payments) FBI, and I can check e-mail 2 times a day.

Tomorrow will start unplugged week #2. The kids were really good about it during week #1. A few complaints, of course, but they survived. Cannon complained the first day but the rest of the week he just asked when it would be Monday so he could be plugged again. They were creative players and had some fun.

I noticed that it is harder to stay off the computer than tv. No blogs, facebook, googling for information etc.. I also realized I accomplish a lot more without the distractions of electricity. I spend more real time with Cannon and our evenings, when we are actually at home, are more fun.

One week at a time is not much. I am hoping that maybe I can start some good habits with the kids finding other way to entertain themselves and I will get myself back in gear after not accomplishing a whole lot since the baby. I really want to have an unplugged summer. That may be asking a lot.

So, tomorrow starts unplugged week #2. I will check back next Monday!

money back!

I have been dealing with the hospital where Waverly was born and a crazy bill lately. I received a phone call telling me they would like to help me set up a payment plan for my balance. I did not realize I had a balance after paying over $500! The said balance was $986! I then was told that this was not my responsibility and to disregard the bill. I got another bill in the mail, called again and was again told not to worry about it, they are still working things out with my insurance and that it looked like the insurance company needed to be reimbursed. A week ago I got another bill only this time they told me we were being sent to collections unless I called to make a payment plan. I called really quickly to tell them that my payment plan was not to pay! Yesterday I received a phone call telling me that all is finally settled with my insurance and I over paid by about $160 so I get reimbursed, yahoo! I always like getting money back.

Nc Department of Revenue does not believe us!

We are expecting a tax return from the State. I admit it is too big and we need to make some changes on Matt's W-4. We received a letter in the mail the other day from the State Department of Revenue telling us they need "additional information" before they can process our return. The information they want is proof that we have 5 kids. We have to send in a copy of our federal tax return, copies of everyone's social security cards, copies of all the kids birthe ceritifcates, a statement indicating our relationship to all dependents, and a statement indicating the physical address of all dependents.

Matt is really ticked off. He feels like it is persecution for having a large family. I think it is kind of funny, annoying, but at least I am being audited for something very easy to prove. I do not have Waverly's birth certificate yet, so I hope they accept the certificate from the hospital. I intend to send in a copy of a family photo along with all the other documents. Our statements regarding our relationship and address may have a bit of sarcasm in it. I thought about taking all of the paperwork and all five kids to their office and ask if they need any more proof.

I guess it is just unbelievable to some that people actually have more than the average 2.3 kids in this country anymore. One of Matt's facebook friends made a remark about the average family size in our country. I commented back that we do not believe in doing anything average at our house!

I have made all the appropriate copies and will write a statement to prove that we really do have five kids. To me, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Runners, take your mark...

Tuesday I got to attend Madsen's first ever track meet. It was very nostalgic to say the least. I enjoyed just watching the kids hanging out in the field and cheering on their teammates. I remember doing that as if it were yesterday. I could feel the pain of the 400m and wanted to cheer every single runner just for being out there. Madsen ran the 800m in about 3:13 ( I timed on my cell phone and was not at the finish line so this is an approximation). He did not win and he did not lose. He did just fine. He did look like a little boy out there amongst older and bigger and faster kids. I am afraid that he is his father's child when it comes to sports. I did get butterflies in my stomach as soon as the race was announced and I watched with great interest and sympathy as he completed the run. It is not easy to try to sprint for a half mile. Today after practice he told me he is switching to the 400m. I think he might do better at this distance. It seems to me like the coaches are not coaching a whole lot on how a race should be run. They do not get much personal attention, which I really understand since there are 60 kids on the team. I am sure I could be of some help here if my kids would only take my advice and believe that I do know what I am talking about! I did spend 6 track seasons running these races! He is having fun being part of a team and I am loving watching it. It is so much more fun to watch than baseball.

A few of my favorite things

This is my favorite girl! I love her little smile and the change she has brought into our family. SHe is a sweet little baby and I look forward to having a lot of fun with her. I will have lots of years of just her, so I plan to really enjoy her. Her Daddy already plans to spoil her. I love the tender ways the boys take care of her. They each have their own little ways with her. Cannon loves her feetsos, Declan likes to make her fly, Sully dances with her to make her happy and Madsen likes to carry her around in public, particularly around his friends (she is an attention getter) and he loves to snuggle her to sleep.

This is my favorite alien. My dad and Declan have this special thing together. Grandpa calls him an alien and asks about his alien powers. I know Dad does it to make Declan feel special since he is the middle child and sometimes feels unimportant. We have carried it on since the last granndparent visit and it just makes him smile. Dec is pretty small but he is fast and a pretty good little athlete. I like watching him play soccer. He draws good pictures and writes good stories.

Here is my favorite leopard. He found this in the costume box a couple of months ago and wears it all the time. It is jammies or play clothes, unless friends come over, than he needs to change. A while ago he came down stairs in the morning carrying his stuffed leopard, sat on my lap and asked if he is my favorite leopard, of course he is! I can't really explain Cannon, he is just a character and makes me laugh. I have had so much fun with him being my little buddy since he has been the only one with me lately. He will go to kindergarten in the fall and I will miss his company.

These two are my favorite big boys. I am amazed at how fast they have grown up. They are really great boys. Madsen has really matured and improved in the last few months. He is kind and usually helpful and has become more pleasant to be around. I enjoy seeing him find and develop talents and participate in things. A couple of weekends ago he competed in a Battle of the Books with his school. His Battle coach called to make sure he would be at the competition and told me that he is the very best on the team. The boy loves to read. He is now on the school track team and I can not wait to watch him run. Sully has a special place in my heart. He is tender and kind and smart and talented. He is one of those kids that things just come easy for. He is also the kid that other kids want to be around. I have always been impressed by his goodness. He has developed a fun sense of humor and I enjoy teasing him.

Just a little brag post on my boys. They are my very best blessings. I did it again! Notice the boys, some day I will remember to include Waverly! She is a great blessing too!

What is that smell?

This morning I got out a new blanket for Waverly to lay on. It is one that my grandmother Madsen had made. I breathed really deep and it still smells like Fairview. That smell evokes many memories and emotions. Only happy times happen in Fairview so that smell is very comforting. I started to think of smells that bring back memories and smells that I love. I love the smell of rain and dirt and my parents garage. Pine trees make me think of Bailey and the fun we have had there. Sometimes in spring I walk out and it smells like track. In the fall I smell cross country. Freshly bathed babies smell so yummy. Fresh baked bread or cookies feel like home. A fire in the fire place smells warm and comforting. The ocean has its own smell, as do mountains. North Carolina has it's own special smell too. It is amazing how something like a smell can make you think of times and places and people. Of course there are less pleasant smells with unpleasant memories, but this morning as I smelled Fairview and thought of all the love and peace of that little town, mostly just one house and yard, I only want to focus on the smells I love!