Ferris Family Fun

Toothless Joe, err Nelson

2011-05-17T13:02:00.003-05:00

Nelson lost both top teeth. I ask him questions just to listen to him talk... It sounds so funny.

Easter

2011-04-25T09:54:00.007-05:00

We had a great Easter weekend! Travis participated in the Easter service at our church, we had Grandpa and Grandma Nelson here for the entire weekend, and we did lots of family bonding. Coloring eggs was a lot of fun, but there are no great pictures of that, sorry.

Eggs were left in the shoes! We have gotten smarter over the years, when the eggs are put in the shoes, the dogs are put behind a locked door until morning.

All the baskets waiting for the kids to wake up. We didn't have to wait long, they were up and digging though them by 6:15AM.

The best picture I could get of all 4 kids. There were a crazy amount of out-takes.

All six of us! Tallie wanted nothing to do with the camera, she was hiding behind the chair.

Ninjas, rain, and bread pudding.

2011-04-19T08:11:00.005-05:00

Maddox found a "friend" in the basement this morning while heading down to get a bat mobile. He's since named the "friend" Ninja-Mouse. I've named the "friend", Dead. I don't want him in the house. Hopefully he loves peanut butter as much as the dogs do (who now have to stay out of the basement because they are getting the trap stuck on their noses trying to eat Ninja-Mouse's peanut butter.

I don't know about you, but when I'm stuck inside because of Spring thunderstorms I always eat conversation hearts, that are leftover from Valentine's Day and pose with my superheroes while watching Super Why.

Since it's a dreary day, I'm going to bake! I haven't done much of that since starting work again in the fall and I miss it. Today's delight is going to be Magpie's Bread Pudding. Thinking about it makes me really excited for the end of today :) I'm also going to try my hand at London Broil, it's been YEARS since I've done that. As a matter of fact, Travis banned it about 6 yrs ago when I started our oven on fire with the last London Broil I attempted. Hopefully tonight's will go better, not be charred beyond recognition and taste as amazing as it does in my head.

New "Faces in the Ferris House.

2011-04-12T11:28:00.011-05:00

Recently, we discovered that Maddox had this terrible habbit of never making eye contact, but mostly when he was in trouble. When his teacher noticed it as well, we realized it was always his right eye that was never looking at us, so we made an appointment with the eye doctor. We discovered that Maddox has a lazy/wandering eye, so naturally, we felt like stellar parents for constantly yelling, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

The doctor was very helpful and thinks that with the correct prescription, his brain will start relying on both eyes for sight, rather than ignoring the one with the bad picture, which was causing his eye to wander. At first, we were concerned that Maddox would not like the idea of glasses until he interrupted us say, "2 things, first I want blue glasses, and I want them to look like Clark Kent."

I suppose when he's older, he'll figure out that Clark Kent's glasses are black, but I figure, I'll buy anything that makes my kid happy about wearing glasses! Maddox was so EXCITED to pick up the glasses, that he even wore his Superman cape to pick them up to make sure they made him look just right.

He looks pretty stinkin' cute in the glasses and I'm happy that he's adjusted well to wearing them; he let's every stranger he meets that he can only take the glasses off for showers, swimming, and sleeping.

The dogs, not wanting Maddox to be the only Ferris with a new look, tried out being heroes for a day. Neither lasted more than 3.7 seconds with the mask on. They have a lot of work to do if they plan to make a career out of going incognito.

Spring Break, part 2.

2011-03-18T16:30:00.006-05:00

Thankfully, the weather became more "normal" and we had a day of overcast/rain and a day of almost 80* and sunshine! The kids enjoyed both days.

Cooper and Nelson helped Maddox and Olivia construct forts in their rooms and the hallway between the rooms. I enjoyed the 7.5 minutes of no fighting that came with the forts.

When it was sunny, and breezy, and perfect outside the boys and the neighbors made kites out of plastic grocery bags and spent over 30 minutes running up and down the street playing with them.

Spring Break!!!!

2011-03-15T10:12:00.003-05:00

Yep, this is what we woke up to on Cooper and Nelson's first day of Spring Break. They loved the movies and picnics inside, the forts and snowmen outside and the extra dad time! Travis came home at lunch yesterday and took today off to hang with the boys (and help me a bit around the house). Hopefully when Maddox, Olivia, and I have Spring Break next week, there will be sunshine and warmer weather!

Cooper is 9!

2011-03-01T13:13:00.007-06:00

Cooper had a birthday just over a week ago, but managed to stretch the celebration to last 8 days! He got the day before his birthday off, so he went to work with me and got to celebrate there with my classroom and Olivia's classroom (they celebrate half birthdays if your birthday is over the summer). Then he got to celebrate on his actual birthday with his choice of activities for the entire day. We began the day with monkey bread and candles, that was an adventure! Red Robin was his choice for lunch (Travis and I were thankful we didn't have to eat pizza). For dinner we went to visit some friends from our old church and he got sung to again and had ice cream and brownies, complete with more candles.
This past Sunday he had 4 friends over and they played dodge ball, war, and made more noise than I thought humanly possible.

Finally, in front of the camera :) Mommy and Liv waiting for our burgers at Red Robin.

The 3 boys excited about lunch.

Roller blades, "Just what I always wanted!" The great part is, Travis and I have pulled ours out and we've found another fun way to spend time outside with the kids as the weather gets warmer. (A wonderful neighbor gave Nelson a pair of blades so he can play with us)

This years cake creation! Seriously, Travis is amazing with designing cakes.

Wow, look at ALL those candles.

A game of "war" in the backyard while the kids were waiting to be picked up by their parents.

Just hanging around the house.

2011-02-18T19:53:00.004-06:00

We've been really productive around the house lately. But, when Travis and I are productive, it's usually because we are not spending as much time with the kids as they would like...
Travis sat down to watch something on TV with the boys, when he sat down on the love seat, the boys were all over the floor and on the couch. Within less than 2 minutes, the boys all migrated to the love seat and to Travis.

Olivia is turning into quite the fashionista, she's always accessorizing, primping, and looking for an opportunity to wear her cowboy boots. When we told her it was time to go to bed, she told us she couldn't sleep without her pink sunglasses... (and yes, they are on upside down).

One morning after the boys left for school, Maddox and Olivia put on their superhero capes and went onto the deck to chase away the bad guys. I loved it, they were out there for almost an hour just running around in circles.

What a great weekend!!!

2011-02-08T07:56:00.007-06:00

You know how you set out with really good intentions to get lots accomplished, enjoy yourself along the way, and try to have a little fun? That was this past weekend for our family. There was a lot to do after being in the house for over 4 days. We had things planned starting when Travis got off work on Friday afternoon and going through Sunday night. Most of it was for me or Travis out of the house... Most of what needed to be accomplished was in the house.
1. We had GREAT family pictures taken and had a lot of fun doing it! Portrait Innovation is FANTASTIC! We had a great photographer and the price is amazing.

2. Saturday morning we started by cleaning the boys' rooms. Spring Cleaning... moving beds, dressers, emptying closets. It was way overdue and way necessary. Maddox decided he wanted his bed "up high, in the sky" so we lofted it! He has bunk beds, we just never put them together. He is in love! His favorite activity is climbing up and down the ladder. Cooper and Nelson's beds also got bunked again. I needed it done for better management in the room. They had gotten out of control with the clothes, books, toys, and junk! With the beds bunked we can put a bookcase in there for them to display all their "treasures" if it doesn't fit on a shelf, it doesn't go in the room. As of today, Tuesday, they are still working on putting their clean clothes away...

3. Back to the fun, I discovered that McDonald's is running a promotion by us. $1 Big Mac sandwiches daily from 11AM-4PM. I told Travis about this and in less than 7 seconds he decided that's what we were doing for lunch on Saturday. The kids loved it!!!! Cooper declared it "the best burger he's ever eaten" (I know, huge parent FAIL). Maddox called it a "man burger" and asked if he could have one every day (that's a negative). Nelson inhaled his and asked for another (I said no).

4. Saturday afternoon was spent doing laundry and grocery shopping. All in all a productive day.

5. Sunday we went to church and then home for 2+hr family naps, this was my favorite part of the entire weekend!!! That night we went to some friends' house for the football game. The only thing that would have redeemed that half-time show was "The Lift" at the end featuring Fergie and Slash. I'm just sayin'.

This week is shaping up to be "normal", something I haven't been able to call a week since Christmas! I'm very excited.

Snow days

2011-02-01T18:10:00.011-06:00

We have had 6 snow days since Christmas. If we reach 10 we don't have to make them up at the end of the year.

When the news started reporting a blizzard people went crazy! They were all nervous about running out of bread, eggs, and milk; I never knew french toast was such a popular snowed-in food! I wasn't worried about those 3 things, I have 3 loaves of bread in the freezer, 2 dozen eggs in the fridge, and 2 gallons of milk (this is normal with 4 kids and me trying to only grocery shop once every 2 weeks). We were out of much more crucial things... ice cream, pop, and wine!!! I did venture out Monday afternoon to make sure we had plenty of the "essentials".

Toby hates cold so much he would rather sit on a person than on the floor. Maddox was nice enough to let Toby sit in his lap for a while (read 30 seconds).

Travis and I decided to do something "fun" for dinner tonight. We roasted hot dogs in the fireplace. We called it an indoor camp out! I made pasta salad and cookies this afternoon so we would have all the makings of a good ole' fashioned camping meal. I love that I'm inside (warm and dry).

Toby and Tallie were fascinated with the snow. Toby hated the cold, so he would go out for 45 seconds, come in, and then go out 30 minutes later. Tallie was very content outside for as long as I would let her be out there.

Spirituality by preschoolers.

2011-01-25T09:34:00.002-06:00

"Olivia, God says share!"
"No, Max, no share!"
"God is right next to you, Olivia."
"No he not, can't see him."
"God is invisible, he's a superhero. He's going to give you a swift kick in the pants."
"No swift kick!!"
"Olivia, he's sad, you won't share your princesses with me."

I love sitting back sometimes and just listening to the kids play. It's never a dull moment.

Holidays are over, but the fun isn't!

2011-01-10T20:59:00.003-06:00

We've been trying to get the boys to read more at home. Cooper took it upon himself to read to Olivia this past weekend. She brought him almost every book off of her bookshelf and he just sat there and kept reading.

Olivia has embraced the primping time on Sunday mornings. She pushes me out of the way, if I'm trying to get myself ready. Don't send hate-mail. The coffee cup was mine; seconds before this picture was taken I was standing where she is (without a step stool) and finishing my hair and make-up.

Winter fun

2011-01-03T13:23:00.003-06:00

Travis had to ge in on the sledding fun with all the kids. He and Maddox pretended to be Superman. I love where we live; there are always kids outside playing (most of the time within view of one of our windows, so we can watch from the warmth of the inside.

Toby loves his new chew toy that Santa brought him; it's a new record, the toy is still in 1 piece after 3 weeks of "love".

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2010-12-15T23:05:00.005-06:00

This year I have a huge amount of excitement surrounding Christmas. There are the "firsts" and the fun favorites from years past. But, I'm also very overwhelmed... This is the first time, in a long time, that I'm trying to do everything while being out of the house almost 30 hrs a week. This is the first time I'm hosting 20 people for Christmas! I can't wait to have all my siblings and my nieces and nephews, and parents here, but it's very nerve-wracking. I have parents that have taught me everything I know about planning and hosting a party, let's just say I have really big shoes to fill!!!

Thankfully I have kids that can quickly put it all back into perspective. The boys love Advent! They love the Luke 2 Christmas story, they love to put the Advent ornaments up, they love to take turns re-telling the story. There isn't a part they don't enjoy. Liv... Not so much. I'm hoping it's because she's only 2, that the importance of this time of year hasn't quite sunk in for her. If it has, she's really missed the mark and we are in really big trouble in the years to come. When we ask her who is "coming" (in reference to Advent), she gets a really big grin on her face, yells on the top of her lungs, "SANTA!", and then quickly adds, "with lots of babies for me!".

Thanksgiving fun!

2010-11-30T09:06:00.008-06:00

My parents came to St. Louis for Thanksgiving. It was the first time in 30 years that they were not hosting. Talk about big shoes to fill!!!! I don't know if I did it as well as they have, but I had a lot of fun trying and hope to host again.

Mom and Olivia enjoying some cuddle time.

All four kids dressed up and ready for lunch.

An appetizer of Garrett's Popcorn.

The table(s) set and ready for an amazing lunch (if I don't say so myself).

Mom enjoying an afternoon nap. Apparently the football and ads couldn't keep her interest; she went off into the living room for some R&R.

Decking the halls!!!!!

2010-11-30T08:58:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving preparation

2010-11-24T08:40:00.003-06:00

soup made
cranberries made
pecan pie made
pumpkin pies made
stuffing made
sweet potatoes made
apple sauce made
rolls made

Now we just have to wait until tomorrow to roast our turkey and make mashed potatoes!!!! YUMMY!

Every Thanksgiving preparation needs a fairy to help!

Better late than never.

2010-11-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

Holloween was a lot of fun this year! All the kids really got into trick-or-treating, sharing candy (all kit-kats come to me), and enjoying their friends and neighbors. We had a weekend celebration here in our cul-du-sac. Liv mastered saying, "tick-o-teat!" It was so cute watching her knock on doors.

The boys have gotten to her!

2010-11-14T11:09:00.000-06:00

Liv now sports a cape for most occasions.

Pumpkin carving fun!

2010-10-24T17:15:00.005-05:00

Friday we had "Family Fun Night" like any other Friday. We washed, drew on, and carved pumpkins. For 2 adults and 4 kids, it wasn't too bad!

Maddox wanted nothing to do with the inside of his pumpkin! He drew a face, helped cut the face house, but refused to touch the inside of the pumpkin. He kept saying, "this is gross. This is so gross Dad! I am not touching pumpkin guts!"

Olivia worked very hard at cleaning out all of her pumpkin guts! She loved it.

The aftermath.

The finished product! The kids did a great job!!!!

Holloween preview

2010-10-22T12:43:00.004-05:00

The cutest Supergirl and Robin!!!! Maddox was so excited to find a Robin costume (who cares that it is 4 sizes too big!).

Cooper and Nelson wanted to pose in their Batman and Superman costumes. Hopefully we will locate the necessary capes by next Sunday (they are in the house and were seen within the last week).

Travis and I will also be getting in on the Superhero fun. Travis will be donning his Green Lantern garb and I will proudly be sporting my Wonder Woman gear for some Trick-or-Treating fun.

Fun few weeks!

2010-10-02T22:33:00.008-05:00

I've gotten into a great routine with working 3 days a week. Everyone seems to have adjusted well.
With the cooler weather we've been able to enjoy some great outside time on the deck, on the swing set, and with the neighbors. We live in the best neighborhood ever, SERIOUSLY!!!!!

In case anyone was wondering/worried. The dogs are doing great! Toby has mastered sleeping anywhere! At 11yrs old, he's finally not hyper 24/7, now it's just 24/5.
Tallie being the good calm protector!

Travis riding a mechanical bull at a "family circus" at a church in town. That entire day was amazing!!!! The kids spent 4 hours bouncing, tye-dying, eating, and giggling. The best part was, it didn't cost us a thing!!!!

Maddox celebrating his 4th birthday (it's crazy to think my baby boy is 4)

Maddox and all his "batman" friends.

First Day of School part II

2010-09-08T19:27:00.003-05:00

Today Maddox and Olivia went to school. Maddox loved every minute of it. Olivia, not so much. She cried every single time the left the classroom, or she saw me. Friday will be better (I hope).

Labor Day weekend; almost perfect.

2010-09-06T20:23:00.006-05:00

We decided to take full advantage of the long weekend and the beautiful weather! Travis labored by building a shelf in the front closet for the kids to put their backpacks. lunchboxes, and shoes. The boys liked the idea of making them beds.

Sunday was spent at church, napping, and then going to a birthday party. It was a perfect family day :)

Monday, we all slept in (relative term in this house, the kids let the sun rise before they rose). After breakfast (and before showers, this is important information for later) we loaded the kids up and headed to Grant's Farm. The kids loved riding the tram, petting the goats, getting their clothes eaten by the goats, going to the elephant show, petting a friendly camel, and being silly,goofy kids.

We got home in time for late afternoon naps and then made dinner and enjoyed eating on the deck. After a family game of soccer we had everyone go inside to take showers and baths. That's when things started going downhill... We had no hot water. Travis went into the basement and was greeted by 50 ish gallons of water (the contents of our water heater). After cold showers, frantic phone calls (a girl is never too old or too far away to need her Daddy), and a trip to Home Depot we have a guy coming tomorrow to bring us a brand new water heater.

new routine.

2010-09-02T12:15:00.001-05:00

School started 2 wks ago for the older 2. I had orientation and open house this week for my new job as a pre-K teacher. The younger 2 and I start school on Wednesday. I have to say, I like having the structure and routine. I'm getting a lot more accomplished only being home 2 days a week. I don't like having to be showered and dressed before noon, that's taking a lot of getting used to.

Happy Anniversary (ies)!!!!

2010-08-23T20:45:00.002-05:00

Erin and I have had a lot in common since we met 15 yrs ago. Saturday, we added one more thing to the list. We will share a wedding anniversary from this day (well August 21) forward. I am not objecting at all!!!!

Erin made a BEAUTIFUL bride. Her sister did an AMAZING job capturing the day.

All of my kids were thrilled to witness the wedding. (Nelson was excited too, I just don't have a picture of him from that day)

Happy Birthday, Olivia Lynn!

2010-08-18T23:24:00.004-05:00

Olivia turns 2 today. Time has really flown by! So much has changed. Her hair is getting blonder and blonder, she's talking more and more, she used to be content just lying on pillow and watching her brothers play, now she has to be in the center of it!

Liv, thank you for your annimation! We love watching you play dress up, loving your dolls, and chasing after your big brothers.

Happy Birthday, baby doll!

First day of school!

2010-08-18T08:55:00.005-05:00

This morning was very exciting! Cooper and Nelson started school. Grandma Nelson got up with us and made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then we all marched to the school (since we live less than a mile from it, we no longer can take the bus). The boys were very excited to get into their classrooms and meet their teachers. Tonight we are going to celebrate at http://pizzastreetinc.com/ and then Travis and I are going to go meet Cooper's teacher and find out what to expect this year. (We'll meet Nelson's teacher on Tuesday)

Olivia's birthday party.

2010-08-14T22:10:00.010-05:00

This coming week is going to be one of the busiest weeks we've had in a long time. We are going to have the first day of school, a second birthday, a wedding to end all weddings, and an 11th wedding anniversary. The festivities start Wednesday and go until Saturday. We decided because of all that craziness we would celebrate Olivia's second birthday before her birthday, rather than after. We had a great time with family and friends!

The happy Ferris Family!

All 4 kids ready to party hard!

Travis made an amazing castle cake for Liv.

All ready for presents!!!

Olivia sitting with all of her presents.

I was really excited about her first Barbie dolls!!!

Being the center of attention; and soaking it all up!

She doesn't really look like she's having fun, but she loved every second of her birthday!!!!

Too hot to do much!

2010-08-10T14:45:00.004-05:00

It's been so hot this week, we've been hiding out in the house.
Maddox decided today the heat was so bad that he would just hang out in his boxers all day. I'm glad that I was able to find enough to do around the house and give him a day of boxers.
Lincoln Logs are always a good way to pass the time.

Olivia decided to stage her own shoe fashion show! It took me 4 pairs to find the camera. Then, when I snapped the picture, I noticed Maddox's arm behind her. Now she looks like a three armed freak.

bad parents!!!!

2010-07-27T09:06:00.002-05:00

We had friends over Sunday night. New friends! Fantastic people. Seriously, Travis and I had so much fun getting to know some new neighbors. They are roughly our age ( or 5-7 yrs younger than us), have 2 adorable boys who play really well with our boys and treat Liv like fragile heirloom china, and they asked us to get together again! Yes, we didn't scare them away. :)

Here's where the bad parenting comes in... We were having so much fun watching the kids play, Liv went to bed over an hour late. You may be thinking, "that's not awful". You're right, it's not terrible. But, letting your other 3 kids stay up almost 3 hrs past their bedtime, that's bad parenting at it's best!!!! 2 days later, I'm still paying for that lapse in judgement.

ice cream party

2010-07-24T20:08:00.004-05:00

We hit a huge milestone in the Ferris house this past week. For the first time in yrs, Maddox did not wake anyone up during the night. He went to bed, without crying and complaining, and stayed in bed all night long!!!!

This accomplishment...

Gave us this yummy reward.

Maddox gave it all 2 thumbs up!

Playing in the rain.

2010-07-22T08:37:00.006-05:00

It started raining as Travis got home from work last night. The older 2 boys asked if they could go out and play in the rain as long as it wasn't thundering and lightening. I said yes. About 4 minutes after they walked outside Travis threw a pair of his old shorts at me and told me we were going out there too.
We ended up playing with our 4 kids and 3 of the neighbor kid for over a half hour. Some of our kids liked the rain and puddles more than others... Maddox cried when rain drops got on his "favorite" shirt. We had to coax and plead to get him to sit in Cooper's lap for one picture. Liv loved the rain and puddles! She went as far as to "swim" in a large puddle right in front of our driveway.

Olivia is a "big girl"!

2010-07-21T00:05:00.000-05:00

After a really good temper tantrum, that had Olivia doing a back bend 0ver her crib rail. I got scared! I didn't want her falling out. I didn't want appendages getting stuck. Travis came home from work Monday, and the two of them assembled Olivia's big girl bed. It's a transition bed. In 3 weeks she'll be getting a beautiful cherry wood sleigh daybed from "Aunt Erin".

Night #1, immediately after being put in bed.

Night #1, 10 minutes later.

Night #2, 10 minutes after being put in bed.

Fun in Orland Park

2010-07-20T21:11:00.002-05:00

I packed up the four kids early on a Monday morning and drove up to Orland to spend a week with my family. We packed tons of baby holding, great-grandma visiting, swimming, and party-ing into the week and had a great time!!!!!

EARLY EARLY Tuesday morning. Seriously, butt-crack of dawn. It was 4AM when the youngest 2 woke me up and by 4:50AM the older 2 joined us for some Littlest Pet Shop meets Little People Western Town fun.
Doesn't Liv look tired in this 5AM picture?
How about this one? Notice the DARK that's outside the family room windows? Yeah, I watched to sun rise. I would have rather not seen that.

Maddox held and cuddled Claire, and loved it!

Liv got some Claire cuddles in too.

Great-Grandma came for pizza Friday night. We (my mom, my grandma and myself) worked for over 30 minutes to get Liv to say, "yes please" when we asked if she wanted an M&M. We would ask, "Do you want an M&M?" She would say, "Uh-huh" or nod. We would ask, "Can you say, 'yes please'?" She would say, "Uh-huh", or nod. She knew exactly what we were saying and exactly what she wasn't saying. She knows the phrase, "yes please" she spent the afternoon saying it in the pool while I would fill a water gun for her to spray her brothers with.

My boys all worked really hard at perfecting their mad swimming skills! I was so proud of them by the end of the week. They turned into fish. By Saturday morning they were doing front flips off of the diving board! Maddox only went in one time without his floaties, it scared him just enough to remember to put them on before leaving the deck. Olivia had zero fear of the pool. She went down the slide and would just jump into any one's arms, or no one's arms from the side of the pool.

We ended our week at my cousin's housewarming party. It was so much fun to see her and her new house. Travis sat down and held the 2 youngest girls. It was the first time I saw so many little girls in his arms. :)

Clint, who hates matchy-matchy clothes, showed up in a white polo, just like my boys. I had to get a picture of it! Usually Sheila and I show up in similar or matching clothes without consulting each other. I love to see the "twin thing" extending to husbands and children.

Branson Vacation - Day 6

2010-07-06T12:35:00.010-05:00

For those traveling with multiple kids, I have 2 words for you.... adjoining rooms! It's going to be my new way of vacationing. The money spent was worth the time saved from visiting the local nut-hut that I had already dialed from the yellow pages. I would have been admitted, if I didn't accidentally hang up on them while breaking up a fight over the TV remote.... twice.

But after a few deep breaths, and utilizing the TV's in both rooms, we were able to give the kids some much needed down-time, and I was able to regain some much needed sanity. Compaired to last night, this place seemed like the Taj Mahal, even though it listed the exact same amenities as the previous location.

A good night's rest and tasty continental breakfast helped us recover from the heat and exhaustion of 2 wonderfully fun-filled days at Silver Dollar City. But still numb from sticker-shock at the price of some of the souveniers, we searched for stores that could provide toys on a kid's $10 piggy-bank budget.

Three of the 4 found their souveniers quick enough between Silver Dollar City, the Disney Store, and Wal-Mart. And one would think that a pair of cowboy pistols with matching holsters would be easy to find in Branson... or anywhere in Missouri, for that matter. But after 5 different stores in Branson and 2 extra hours added to our drive home as we hit 4 more stores: a Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Target, and Walgreen's, I finally gave up and ordered them on-line.

So, while the younger kids play with their parasole, golf clubs and Batman (don't ask), legos and GI Joe, and Sheri organizes her new Coach purse, I'll be teaching our oldest about the www.UPS.com/tracking site.

Which all of a sudden makes me wonder, "Hey, where's my souvenier?"

Wife here: I can't think of any souveniers better than the looks on the kids' faces.

However, that's very easy for me to say as I grab my fantastic new purse and head out the door!

Branson Vacation - Day 5

2010-07-03T09:07:00.013-05:00

I suppose every vacation has it's do-agains and not-to-do-agains. The sleeping arrangements for last night definitely falls in the "not-to-do-again" category! The place sounded great when we made the reservations- pool, free wifi, continental breakfast, 3 miles from Silver Dollar City- about the same as almost every other place, except for this one was cheaper.... and now I know why! Grateful that we checked in while it was still daylight, I'm not sure if this no-tell motel looked more like one that horrors Freddy or Jason frequented after dusk, or a place the Griswalds would have stumbled upon. The musty smell of the room didn't do much to cover up the fact that this used was probably rented out last as a smoking room, and the air conditioning unit could only cool the air, not circulate it, so those in the bed next to the door froze, while those near the bathroom slept in a hot, sticky sweat.

What made matters worse, is last night was Sheri's turn doing the toilet dance in a bathroom so small that only a contortionist could comfortably maneuver. I wasn't much help as I was overheated and dehydrated from the day at Silver Dollar City, and the kids were cranky because they were too hot to fall asleep.

Fortunately, by morning, we felt safe enough to release the chain and dead bold locks on the door. I'm sure the fresh air helped to refresh us but the real motivation was the prospect of checking out of the motel putting some distance between it and our rear view mirror!

Silver Dollar City was a blast again, and we were glad we decided to visit the park over 2 days. We re-visited many of the rides from yesterday-- a kid-coaster, Pirate Ships, and Frogs were the top favorites-- as well as some new ones like Fire in the Hole, Flooded Mine, and a train ride.

We also had time to watch the Saloon Show, see how knifes are made, watch glass blowing, and make our own candles!

And with all the other areas we weren't able to see, either due to time or due to the age of our kids, SDC is definately a do-again... assuming we have different accomodations next time!

Branson Vacation - Day 4

2010-07-01T21:23:00.008-05:00

I woke up fully rested at 5 am. Of course, going to bed with the kids last night helped. I actually had one of those "too much sleep" headaches. Something I hadn't seen since my 11am Saturday rousings in high school.

A shower and Tylenol made yesterday's memory of misery fade as fast as a New Year's resolution and the only thing on my mind now was whether I would pack the van again in Sheri's way, or re-pack it the "right" way. After a good look, I realized that after 10 years of marriage, either she was getting better at packing, or I was getting better at seeing things her way. Satisfied that either outcome would be a positive one, and since my way consisted only of swapping positions of the pack-n-play and the stroller, I decided the right answer was whichever was closer to completion and closed the hatch door.

Unconcerned that I just lost a mental arguement with myself, I smiled as I passed the kid's chalk drawings on the driveway from the night before. I hollered for the kids to load up and off we headed to Silver Dollar City with our friends.... via Dollar General for some flip-flops. Apparently, one of the kids was too excited and forgot to put on shoes before getting in the van!

One thing I learned early on with kids, is that life is an adventure!! And the fun part is even with the detours and the 30 min drive, we still arrived within the hour the park opened. We had a blast, and managed to capture some pictures with a disposable camera. You should have seen the puzzled look on the kids faces when I tried to explain that they won't see the pictures until sometime next week!

And even better news, the pool folks found our camera! Praise God!! Actually, I would have been just as happy if only the picture card was returned. But after trying to meet each other half way, passing in opposite directions, a few u-turns, and a sneaky hand-off in a cemetary that would make any ATF agent suspicious, we have both the camera and picture card back. Compelete with a "present" from our fantastic friends.

Just in time for Silver Dollar City - Part Deux.

Branson Vacation - Day 3

2010-07-01T20:03:00.013-05:00

I learned my lesson last night with the hide-a-bed -- a lesson I would not repeat again. Tonight we put the kids to sleep in the bed, and after we were finished packing up, we moved them to the hide-a-bed!

"Ahhhh," my body spoke as I sunk into the king bed with crisp sheets and down-filled duvet. Unfortunately, my slumber was cut short at 3am with the same sound my children gave me Friday and Sunday evenings as they hugged the nearest toilet or trash can. The good news is that I knew it would be relatively short lived; the bad news, we were on our way to see my college roommate who I haven't seen in 3 years.

The exertion of putting on clothes exhausted me to the point of having to lay down again so I could manage the stairs to the car. I would have had one of the boys tie my shoes if they hadn't been helping Sheri pack the van. Fortunately, I was able to avert danger and managed my way up the concrete stairs and into the van without stepping on my other shoe's laces. Once inside, I muttered incoherent directions that Sheri deciphered with the assistance of broken hand signals, but she was a great pilot and got us to a nice remote, er, secluded place that was yet plotted on Google or Bing maps.

Luckily, our hosts are a nurse and doctor by trade, so the Zofran they had in stock and some Imodium AD we purchased en route helped tremendously. Shortly after arriving, we had fixed both ends of my illness, but I was still achy and exhausted, but was determined not to miss out on the fun that was being had with both family's kids.

Everyone had a great time picnicking in the woods and splashing in a creek.

Even though I could only muster less than a zombie-esque countenance, I still got the touch when it comes to putting kids to sleep, (Who knew that an official Brazil away jersey could double as a blanket?) and I loved seeing Maddox show off his adventuresome rock climbing skills

before we headed to the pool to cool off-- and subsequently leave our digital camera.

Back at the house, we had a great dinner: Mac-n-Cheese with hot dogs for the kids, lasagna with garlic bread for the adults, and yogurt and 2 pretzels rods for "sick-boy." But I actually felt hungry for the first time that day, so I didn't complain.

Tomorrow, we're off to Silver Dollar City. Not sure how that's gonna turn out with no camera.

Branson Vacation - Day 2

2010-06-29T21:14:00.015-05:00

Sleeping on a hide-a-bed gave us a rough start this morning. For some reason we thought it would be better to put all 4 kids in the bedroom so we could have some downtime sans kids. Of course, we never contiplated that the lack of sleep from the night before, a long drive, and a full afternoon of swimming would have made us too tired to reach for the flat screen tv remote. Instead, our quality time consisted of unfolding the bed.

A few hours of tossing, turning, and making room for a child or two that needed comforting in order to fall back to sleep in a strange place and I was bright as, well... an overcast day. For a man that can't stand the taste of beer, I began to wonder if this was what a hangover was like.

Surprised that I could stand fully upright, I agreed to work out the kinks by walking to breakfast, an all-you-can-eat smorgasboard breakfast foods, from eggs, bacon, sausage, diced potatoes, pancakes, biscuts and gravy, fruit, cereal, juice and milk.

After breakfast, we played a quick round of miniature golf while we waited for the pool to open. We swam until lunch and Sheri took the older two back for more adventure while I gave the younger ones a nap. It ended up being a win-win as I had the chance to catch the Portugual vs. Spain World Cup game and the mermaid got to hang in her habitat for a bit. It worked out well, because when I joined up with them after naps... er, the game, the older two were swimming across the shallow end without stopping to touch. And after showing off to me everything they learned with mom, the boys had to show off all their other tricks. Even the younger two joined in the fun!

We took a cue from the kids that snack time meant dinner time and afterwards we headed to the outlet mall. After hitting all of Sheri's favorites, Gymboree, Gap Kids, and the Disney Store, I forced her to duck into the Nike store so I could get my man-card back. Although disapointed in their selection, I had enough man-strength in reserve to last through one more store, which Sheri decided to spend it, and my money at the Coach store.

I was surprised it didn't take her long to find something she liked. And I was more surprised to find that my 2 year old girl knows the word, "buy". You'd think she'd get confused and start waving to someone. But NO... this girl turned about-face and started walking to the cashier! All she knew was there was some purchasing going on, and she was going to be a part of it!

I've resigned myself to the fact that this is not the last time I'll watch my little girl spend all my money. I just hope she doesn't need to stand on the counter to do it.

Giddy with their spoils of the day, the girls led us back to the van.

Us guys, however, were anxious for some man-tivities before bed.

Branson Vacation - Day 1

2010-06-29T14:11:00.009-05:00

Technially, vacation started Friday @ 4pm when I walked out the door from work. Saturday, Sheri and I began our last minute preparations while Sunday had church and Cooper's last baseball game. Finally, it's bedtime, the night before departure on our first ever true family vacation and Sheri and I can't sleep a wink. Not because of the excitement and anticipation 3 of a 3 week countdown that began after receiving the e-receipt confirmation in my inbox, it was because Olivia was throwing up. Sheri worked on the bed, while I managed a slimy, smelly, screaming child in the tub. Countless "involuntary reflexes" over a garbage can and 4 hours later, Olivia had enough and passed out for the night, along with an exhausted mom and dad.

Doughnuts at home kept the kids occupied while the van was packed and 6 people were all buckled in an hour ahead of schedule! I was impressed, until Sheri discovered we forgot the stroller. Not quite a false-start, as we hadn't left the driveway yet, but the foreshadowing indicated this was shaping up to be an interesting vacation!

Irony proved it would not disappoint. Stroller in tow, and only 2 minutes down the road, we discovered we had no coffee... nor had we told any of the kids to go to the bathroom before we started on our 4 hour journey! So, to the gas station we went, my gauge reading a solid 'F' and irony not caring one bit that we made a special trip last night for the sole purpose of filling up!

Once inside the bathroom, the fun continued, for I quickly discovered that what one kid had coming up last night, another kid had coming out the other end this morning. So while Sheri worked on the coffee, I worked on a pair of underwear, and so spend the better part of our first 2 hours of vacation doing the same thing, all while trying to convince Maddox that we were not lost, that we had to take the backroads to get to the interstate, and find that magical speed where the kids could be entertained by the roller-coaster roads, while keeping Sheri from repeating Olivia's ordeal from the night before.

But soon enough, we made it to the interstate. I took I-44 west, and the steady speed and rythm of the interstate settled the bickering, the tummies, lulled some to sleep, and allowed others the peace of mind to just think.

Just then Sheri broke the silence with an alarmed, "Oh, no!"

My heart sank. "What is it," I asked?

"I forgot to say 'good-bye' to the dogs!"

She climbs...

2010-06-23T17:06:00.004-05:00

Olivia is FAST!!! Lightening fast! In 45 seconds (the time it takes me and Travis to set up the 2o foot ladder and go into the garage to get a box of floodlight bulbs), Olivia made it over half-way up the ladder. Travis then had to find a way to climb carefully (didn't want to shake it!) and in such a way that didn't scare her. She was scared of NOTHING! She grinned and giggled! When I came with the camera she even tried to wave, we encouraged her to keep 2 hands on the ladder at all times.

Father's Day presents that keep giving!

2010-06-21T13:06:00.008-05:00

Remember as a kid how much fun empty boxes were? They gave endless hours of entertainment! We are huge believers in "free fun", and although the items inside the boxes were not exactly free, they were, however, insanely on sale! :) While at the store Maddox lovinly refers to as, "The Orange Store", Travis informed that Home Depot was having a huge sale on patio sets. Knowing how badly I want a patio set, he mentioned it again Sunday night (after an amazing meal of marinated chicken breasts, baked potatoes, and scalloped veggies, if I may say so myself.) I asked him to go look up the store hours while I cleaned up and put leftovers away. I couldn't contain my excitement, so I changed my mind and left him with the table, dishes, and kids and ran upstairs to quickly find the store hours. If we hurried, we had just over an hour to go check things out.

We got to the store and found 2 sets we really liked! Both at 55% off. Travis made the final decision, it was Father's Day after all, and I'm getting a patio set like I've always wanted!! We found out since we had a store account we would get a free rental for the truck, which means we could get the new furniture home and the truck returned all before bedtime. So, we paid for everything and were in the process of giving insurance info and Travis' driver's license when he realized he had left it at home. Rather than having to wait to get the boxes home, I handed them my information. Yep, I drove "The Orange Store" F-350 flatbed truck home and back. It was kind of fun, and secretly, I wanted to run something over!

Now we have an amazing patio set (pictures coming after it gets assembled, it was dark and too hot to deal with last night) and the kids had a box to play with! They have been coloring and playing in that box for almost 2 hrs.

Everything is better from the countertop!

2010-06-21T12:57:00.004-05:00

My kids love to climb, some more than others. But, none the less, they love to get as high as they can and just perch. Breakfast a couple days ago was no different. While I was digging yogurt out of the fridge, the monkeys were staking out their spots!
Olivia is getting quite good at getting the kitchen chair pushed up to the counter, getting on, and getting situated in the window above the sink, all in the time it takes me to get something out of the fridge, or put something back into the fridge.

Maddox's big night.

2010-06-07T18:58:00.006-05:00

Maddox got to go to his first professional soccer game on Saturday night. He loved riding to the game in Uncle Tim's pick-up and having Daddy and Uncle Tim's undivided attention.

Maddox chanting, "Chi-ca-go FIRE"

Standing with Uncle Time outside the stadium.

Sitting with Daddy, clapping and taking in all the excitement.

The Fire lined up ready to go! (They won)

Happy Birthday Nelson!!!!

2010-06-07T18:53:00.005-05:00

Seven years ago Nelson Chase came into our lives! He's taken us on a fantastic journey ever since. You never know which superhero, Star Wars character or G.I. Joe person is going to meet you every morning, but with Nelson, you know it's going to be fun!
We love you Nel-bomb!

Boys' Night Out

2010-06-04T08:31:00.005-05:00

We had a friend offer us Cards tickets at 7:30 Wednesday morning! Travis and I talked about it and thought it would be a perfect activity to kick off the boys' Summer Break! He loaded up the boys and headed into the game. They. loved. it. Maddox is still talking about it 2 days later. I love summer.

Big day!

2010-06-02T14:52:00.005-05:00

Cooper and Nelson are celebrating their last days of 1st and 2nd grade!!!!!
Olivia caught Tallie and is playing "Puppy Beauty Parlor". Her nose is out of the picture because she was in the process of making her get away when I snapped the picture. Both dogs are getting good at the game of "Keep Away" when Olivia is in the room with them.

Maddox thought his Dino needed a nap this morning. I agreed, Maddox and Dino woke up at 6:15 ready to eat breakfast and watch Playhouse Disney.

"Just what I always wanted!"

2010-06-02T14:28:00.009-05:00

When we told our kids we were moving a year ago, all they asked for was a swing set. Seems like a very simple request. It was probably the simplest request we hear seeing that we sold our house without it ever going on the market, and Travis and I were asking God for a newer/bigger house than the one we had just sold. Back in August, I started combing http://www.craigslist.org/ for a wooden swing set. I found 3 or 4, contacted the sellers, heard back from 2, and only 1 still had the swing set available. We emailed him with a request to get directions to his house to pick it up, and he never emailed back.
We moved, got settled into the newer/bigger house that God helped us find, and enjoyed a nice winter! The yard was huge and empty, perfect for sledding, building forts, and having snowball fights.
Once spring came so did the requests for a swing set. I started looking again, nothing was available and I refused to sell a child, kidney, or dog to afford a brand new one. That's when the neighbors saved the day. They came over and asked if we would be interested in TAKING their swing set (as in, just come get it!) their daughters had outgrown it and they wanted to get rid of it to make room for a big trampoline. Travis spent a few nights taking the swing set apart. He moved it to the yard, and put it together on Memorial Day. Maddox and Olivia are loving it!!! I'm sure this afternoon Cooper and Nelson will start loving it as well (today is the last day of school).
In 2 days time Maddox has overcome his fear of slides, has learned to "pump" on the swings and has managed to knock Olivia off the rock wall once, push her down the slide once, and kick her in the chest twice while he has been swinging. I'm sure she's planning some sort or retaliation.

Wedding weekend.

2010-05-24T12:45:00.008-05:00

Chris and Rebekah got married this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception, at the Hilton Frontnec, was amazing. The boys were absolutely perfect! Travis and I were so proud of them. They were able to ride from the church to the reception in the limo with the entire wedding party. Travis and I were a nervous wreck about it, but we got reports that they were angels :) The cocktail hour and horsderves were so good, the dinner was perfect, and the cake was to die for. All in all, a perfect way to spend the weekend.

Around the house

2010-05-06T10:05:00.005-05:00

Toby always finds the places he's not supposed to be and then makes them his own. Most recently, it't my pillows.

Olivia took out her pots and pans and decided to lay out a nice spread for Toby and Tallie.

She can be so sweet.

2010-04-27T21:07:00.002-05:00

Two things you may need to know before viewing this picture:
1. No drugs were used to induce sleep.
2. She is very much still loved!
(I know I said 2, but there is a third... We are re-reading the Strong Willed Child. I may need Dr. Dobson to move in for a while)
Olivia has hit the "terrible two's" early and hard. If there were an award for "Best line drive with a sippy cup" she would win. If there were an award for "Best pout, tears, and scream" she would win. Seriously. She can throw a tantrum like a pro! You would never know she's only an amature, being at it for a mere 10 months now.
When she grabs her hair, and lays her baby on her chest, I just forget about the screaming, kicking, throwing, and tears.

Make your own baseball practice

2010-04-27T21:01:00.003-05:00

Looking at these pictures, you would never know that it rained all. weekend. long. Seriously, if I hadn't seen a little rainbow I would have thought that God was re-nigging on that promise 1,000,004 yrs ago. The boys' practices were cancelled, so Travis did a mini-camp in the backyard. Much to our amazement, something clicked in Nelson tonight and he actually hit the ball, on purpose. I was a proud mommy! Cooper did really well too, he can catch, throw, and hit. He's an all-around athlete. :)

I Think his tractor is sexy.

2010-04-19T17:48:00.007-05:00

Thanks to my Uncle Scott walking me through some tractor stuff, we got the gool 'ole Cub Cadet working!!!! Travis and the kids all had fun on it after he got home from work today. My backyard looks amazing!!!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:43:00.008-05:00

This Easter there were a lot of firsts in the Ferris house.
It was the first Easter, in a long time, all the eggs stayed in the shoes and did not end up in the belly of a Boston Terrier! We got smart; Toby slept in our room, and we remembered to close the bedroom door.
The kids were up before us, and managed to get into their Easter baskets before we could even get out of bed (I blame the bedroom door being closed).
We were ready for church with time to spare (and even made it to the early service). This one is blamed out our "smart" alarm clock. It sprung forward an hr and so when I woke up in a panic at 7:15 concerned about having to be out of the house in an hr I jumped into the shower. It was only after getting out and stumbling downstairs to get coffee that I realized it was in fact only 6:25AM.
I hope everyone had a blessed, fantastic day and were able to celebrate and reflect on the awesome gift of Christ and the empty tomb!

The shoes, lined up outside the bedroom doors.

The baskets on the table.

Travis was able to get a picture of the kids checking out their loot (I know, we need to get around to painting that wall)

The four kids all decked out in their Easter gear.

We made an Easter dinner tonight and had 5 friends from church over. It was wonderful to be able to entertain!!! I loved every minute of it. Travis helped me make a ham, a lamb, veggies, potatoes, jello salad/pudding, and he was nice enough to create and Easter egg cake minutes before our company came.

Beautiful weather!

2010-04-01T08:19:00.003-05:00

With the beautiful weather we have had all week, has come the fist injury of the season. Maddox fell out of the wagon and scraped his face along the driveway. As soon as I asked if he needed a bath to feel better, he stopped crying and dove right into the tub.

Olivia loves being outside, this picture was taken at 8AM, she had already gotten Maddox to open the back door, had her shoes off, and was pushing her car around the deck. I will have to drag her in for lunch and her nap. It's a good problem to have.

Fun week and weekend

2010-03-29T08:46:00.005-05:00

We had a busy few days! My Aunt Deb and two cousins came to town on Thursday afternoon and stayed until Saturday night. We had so much fun together!

Thursday night we went to the high school and watched Nelson's first grade musical, "ARF". It was so cute!! Nelson was absolutely adorable as Corporal Schnauzer.
We made pretzels with almond bark and M&Ms, all the kids had fun with that activity! Tammy was also amazing and so willing to help with my kids. She watched them for me on Friday afternoon so Tracy, Aunt Deb, and I could get away for some shopping.

Saturday afternoon we went up to the top of the Arch before I had to bring them back to the train station. The Mississippi was flooded so it made parking very interesting! :) But, we found a spot and enjoyed the incredible view from over 600 ft above the city.

For Mom and Dad Nelson

2010-03-22T13:44:00.004-05:00

In honor of the many Saturdays I spent "helping" clean out the garage, I thought you guys would appreciate this post.

Maddox became OBSESSED with the broom, Travis couldn't finish making a cut on the wood and he was there with the broom sweeping up the mess. It got so bad we had "ground" him from the garage until Travis was finished using the circular saw.

Peg board, the new love of my life. It organizes things so easily!!!! I already have instructed Travis to go buy 2 more sheets of it. I can find lots more things to susspend and hang.

Busy, productive weekend

2010-03-21T19:05:00.010-05:00

Travis took advantage of the craptastic weather this weekend to get a lot of projects finished around the house. We had a few lingering things that we kept saying we wanted to do, but then other things would come up (fun things) and we would push the project off for another weekend. Travis declared this weekend, THE WEEKEND! If we we wanted to do it, had the materials in the house for completion, it was being completed! Right after Christmas bought 30 knobs/pulls to put on the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.
I'm happy to report, 60 holes, 30 knobs/pulls/ and 4 hrs later, we have cabinets that look amazing!

The only thing I can safely say I miss from our old house is the shed that was in the backyard, it was like a one-car garage that held our lawn mower, wheel barrow, rakes, shovels, fertilizer spreader, leaf blower, and other odds and ends that we needed to store so we could use them once every 3-5 years. When we moved we had lofty plans to put a storage shed on our nice large patio behind the garage. It wouldn't interfere in our fabulous 1.5 acre yard or large fully gated party decks! The homeowners' association said, "negative". No shed for us. We had to try to find a way to make everything fit in the garage and still have room for 5 bikes, a bike trailer, a lawn tractor (apparently to call it a riding lawn mower is just offensive), garbage cans, recycling bins, and 2 cars... Yeah, the garage needed major help!!!
Travis took Friday off to try to tackle it. He not only tackled it, he organized it, and made it one of my new favorite places to hang out.

Building an 8x4 shelf to suspend from the ceiling
Proudly displaying his shelf, I offered to throw a sleeping bag up there and allow him to make it into his "man cave". He didn't want to.

Cooper sitting on the new shelf, Travis and I decided maybe we should make it a hangout for the 3 boys so when they were driving me crazy we could send them climbing up onto the shelf (and then move the ladder forcing them to stay up there) Again, we thought about it for a while and realized it might not be the best idea.

Using the shelf for what it was intended for! I love that slowly everything is getting a place!!!!

Gotta love the green!

2010-03-17T18:46:00.006-05:00

Travis found out about 6 years ago that his Ferris relatives came from Ireland. Since then, we have tried to do something special on St. Patrick's Day. Before we had 4 kids we used to go to a fun restaurant that had live bagpipers and enjoy food and entertainment. (by the time we were seated we would be more than over the bagpipers, but it always kept the boys entertained) After we had Maddox I started cooking corned beef and cabbage (made popular by Irish Americans, not anything from Ireland). Every year we find another way to make the day fun. I will take a moment to brag, this year the meal was my best, by far!!!!!

The kids all ready to begin a day of green!!! We managed to have green at every meal today, thank goodness for food coloring! :)

Green chocolate chip pancakes to start our day of green and celebration.

Travis found shamrocks and Irish flags and cut them out to make a banner for the wall and windows.

The table is set and ready for everyone to dig in.

Sitting down to our yummy green themed dinner! Everyone loved the corned beef and cabbage! Maddox and Olivia had 3 helpings of each.

Literal Math

2010-03-13T12:15:00.007-06:00

Last night I was reviewing Nelson's math homework when I came across a bonus question he forgot to answer.

The instructions were very clear, stating, "Be sure to show how you got your answer." I handed the homework back to Nelson, and he came back a while later with this....

Furiously, I asked him, "Why were you drawing instead of doing your homework?"

To which he replied, "Dad, it said that I had to show how I got my answer, and the picture shows me counting on my fingers, 4 take away 2."

Gotta love a literal child!

Free At Last, Free At Last!!

2010-03-08T21:04:00.011-06:00

Sunday mornings are quite busy for us without the added stress of getting 4 kids fed, dressed, and in the car so we can attend to our Sunday Service prep responsibilities. Like a pack of wolves tracking a herd, the kids subconsciously lie in wait for the perfect opportunity for Mom and Dad to be pre-occupied before they pounce on their freedom to misbehave.

Despite the repetition of each Sunday's events, (the instruction, the disobedience, the correction, the even stronger correction, followed by short-lived compliance which eventually gives way to disobedience, followed by my frustration, furious correction, and a pre-emptive one for good measure) what occurs in my house every Sunday is proof that children can only remember up to 6 days. Like Bill Murray, this is my perpetual Groundhog's day.

But this past Sunday, I was determined to change fate. Olivia hadn't woken up yet, and I figured the best way to keep quiet 1 boy who decides it's his job to control the remote, 1 boy who can't whisper, and 1 boy who instigates anything he can, is to shove food in their mouths.

In a pre-coffee stupor, I fumbled around the kitchen searching for something... anything, that would keep me from having to say, SHHHHHHH! every 30 seconds. I spied some left over cake from Cooper's birthday and invented the excuse that since this fine Sunday morning was Sheri's birthday, I would give them some "used" cake. Somehow, I managed to rationalize this as a perfect mix of spoiling the kids a bit, while at the same time, helping my wife by clearing out the refrigerator. Besides, it would keep them occupied long enough for me to take advantage of first-ever Sleeping Beauty and take a quick shower.

For the most part, it was a success. I was now clean, Olivia woke up in a good mood, the boys were all fed, and had somehow managed to stay out of trouble despite being hyped-up on sugar. It wasn't until 15 minutes later when I heard the strange noise of dog-tags tracing the floor, tongues slurping up the stairs and the cutest call of, "Da" as my little girl was searching for me.

When I poked my head out the bedroom door, I was greeted by a giddy little girl, squealing with delight as 2 dogs licked at her frosting covered hands. With a reaction time faster than my college-day reflexes, I managed to keep my pants from the laundry as I picked my daughter up, holding her at arms length, unable to cradle her in the cake smeared pajamas. Trying to stifle a laugh, I called in backup.

Following the trail of cake crumbs that the dogs were gobbling up now that the frosting covered fingers were out of reach, it didn't take us long to realize that although we fed our 3 boys, neither of us fed our daughter!

Undeterred, she wrestled a chair out from the table, pushed it over to the counter, climbed up and enjoyed a breakfast buffet of cake in a still-open Tupperware container. A quick calculation of the pieces left, minus the pieces served, indicates that she ate 2 large pieces of cake.-- more than any of the boys.

As Sheri's thoughts turned toward worry that Olivia might have an upset stomach, I became excited, realizing that with 4 self-sufficient kids, I can almost taste freedom again. At last!

Of course, there's still the issue of potty training, but, one can dream, right?

This is how I feel

2010-02-23T07:35:00.002-06:00

We came home from a long, but amazing, day on Saturday. It was the longest we had ever been away from the kids (9 hrs). We had 2 amazing babysitters split the day up and play with the kids. Maddox was so excited to have us home he wouldn't slow down! Finally Travis convinced him to sit on the couch and just relax. Within minutes, he was sound asleep.

Time for a new adventure...

2010-02-18T09:23:00.002-06:00

I have been a stay at home mom for 8 years (tomorrow). In September I'm going to try something new... I'm going to be a stay at home mom and a teacher. I have been offered the opportunity to go back to work, take Maddox and Olivia with me, but not have Olivia glued to my hip. The latter gives me great joy!!!! I love that little girl, but she makes the spider monkey we reffered to as Nelson look so tame and mild. I can barely shower without her pounding on the door and screaming becasue she's not touching me for those 6.3 minutes (seriously, it's that short! I can't take the screaming after that.)
I will be away from the house 3 days a week from the time the older 2 catch the bus until about 45 minutes before they come home. I guess that means I have to take this spring and summer to create an actual schedule to maximize my 2 full days at home every week.

Superbowl Sunday, Ferris syle.

2010-02-07T17:26:00.005-06:00

We were invited a few different Superbowl activities tonight. We decided, since the boys have school tomorrow, we would throw our own party at home.
We let each person pick a food; Cooper wanted pizza bites, Nelson wanted nuggets, Maddox asked for puppy chow, and Liv wanted apples and dip. We through some leftover taco dip out there and some juice boxes and declared it our own party!

The 3 boys showing their fierce faces.

All 4 kids lined up with their footballs, waiting for kick off.

Mommy and Liv showing off their stylish Superbowl attire. Jammies make every party a better party!

I have really good intentions...

2010-02-04T09:25:00.003-06:00

I set out daily to play with the kids. Make fun games, dress and undress dolls, make train track designs around the couch... I set out to do that. In reality, I can be found huddled in the corner, trying not to show fear, with this book in my hands.

Lucky you!!!

2010-02-03T18:23:00.001-06:00

2 posts in one day!! How did you all get so lucky?!?!?!
I know, it's becasuse I love you and I know that some of you have lost sleep over the dry spell of 3 wks...
I'm back to blogging about my cooking!!
www.crazycookingwomen.blogspot.com

I know, it's been 10 months since my last post, I'm ashamed.

Happy 100th Day of School!!!!

2010-02-03T07:42:00.004-06:00

The 1ooth day of school is a really big deal. It wasn't a big deal when I was in school and it wasn't a big deal when I was student teaching or teaching... But, it's a big deal now!
Nelson had to find a shirt or hat and affix 100 of the same objects to it. He chose to wear a white T-shirt and attatch 100 rubber bands to it using safety pins. He grouped the rubber bands in 10's, 5's, and 1's.
Cooper had to bring in 1oo of some food item to share with his class and make trail mix with. Thank goodness he's got me for a mom!!!! We are never short on chocolate chips (just so you know, 100 chocolate chips don't look like a lot when they are counted out and in a sandwich bag)

BIG WEEK!!!

2010-01-11T13:55:00.003-06:00

Olivia decided to pick up some slack around the house. She has taken it upon herself to start cooking for the family. She's already mastered multi-tasking. She was eating pizza and preparing dinner at the same time.

Maddox dressed himself completely unassisted!!! Yes, the pants are on backwards, but with those pockets, it makes it much easier to put Lightening McQueen and Chick in there for trips around the house.

Family Fun weekend!

2010-01-02T20:52:00.005-06:00

This past weekend has been great! Travis had Friday off, so we were able to get a head start on our Family time. We spend all Friday together as a family building with Legos, playing Star Wars, dressing babies, and coloring. Saturday was spent picking out cabinet door pulls and then had a family outing to Home Depot (our home away from home the past couple months) we found a new ceiling fan for the family room, picked up paint for the dining room, and plywood to build a "fort" under the basement steps for the boys. By dinner we were exhaused! Saturday night we made homemade ice cream (that didn't turn out so we will have vanilla ice cream soup).

The spread that Travis put together for the 6 of us Friday night. The deer sausage was amazing! Now I have to go on a hunt for some more.
Indoor picnic fun! Followed by Up! (great movie, loved it)

Cuddling with Daddy and watching G-Force.

Lounging with Toby and watching TV.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T17:45:00.006-06:00

Christmas Eve was spent with the Nelson side of the family. We had tons of fun!!! All the kids loved playing together and the adults enjoyed brief moments of conversation between all the crazy activity.
Travis got laser tag from my parents. The boys gave him a set as well so all 4 of us could play in the backyard. :)

Sophia and Olivia posing before the kids got to tear into all of their presents. We have discovered Liv is quite the little ham. I can dedicate an entire post just to her and all of her little poses when she sees a camera.

My boys always get matching shirts for holidays (Christmas and Easter), yep, I am that mom... Sheila and I usually end up in matching outfist for the holidays too. Keep in mind, we don't shop together and live in different states. This year, we had different outfits on, but we ended up buys the same shirts for our boys. Gotta love the twin connection.

The kids posing with the milk and cookies for santa.

Favorite Christmas Presents

2009-12-27T17:41:00.004-06:00

Cooper and Nelson posing on their skateboards.
Maddox and Travis showing off the train table we gave Maddox (Travis put legs on Maddox's old bed) to go with the train set Santa gave him.

Olivia pushing around her new baby in her new stroller.

Maddox met my best friend, the funnel cake.

2009-11-23T15:43:00.000-06:00

the other shoe just fell...

2009-11-18T09:58:00.003-06:00

We've gotten pretty settled into the new house. I was completely caught up on laundry, had a cleaning schedule down, and was planning to go through a few random boxes in the basement and organize all the Christmas decorations and already purchased gifts. I went down to the basement to get a chicken out of the freezer, and found the boys' toys floating and bouncing against the walls. Maddox thought we had a big pool down there, not so much.
I called Travis in a complete panic, couldn't get in touch with him, ran to the neighbor's house to see if they had a shop vac, which they didn not have, but found out he is a plumber! SWEET!!!! He came back to the house with me, found the source of the water, dead sump pump, and told me it was an easy fix. All that was great, what made it better, is Travis got my frantic messages and was able to take an extended lunch and come home. I love living 10 minutes from his office!!!! We went to Home Depot and were back home in time for him to go to work and the 2 little kids to go down for naps. The neighbor came back and had the new pump installed and working before the older 2 got home from school. All in all, the crisis was averted! Now I just have to keep using the squeegy to get the water out of the boys' toy area, the freezer area, and the storage area.... Such is the life of a home owner.

The cardboard boxes hold Travis's Cisco books, I think he cried a little bringing those soggy, heavy books upstairs.

Serving and protecting!

2009-11-11T14:45:00.004-06:00

I have the best little heroes to protect me while Travis is at work and the older boys are at school. Now, if only I can get these heroes to pick up their toys, play nicely, and take good naps my life would be perfect.

Family room finished!!!!

2009-11-09T13:22:00.002-06:00

We have blinds and drapes hung! I have an empty fire place hearth! I'm so excited. Now, we just need fireplace doors, tools, and wood.

Sunday picnic

2009-11-09T13:21:00.002-06:00

House (48 photos), by Sheri Ferris

2009-11-05T14:49:00.001-06:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Holloween Fun

2009-11-05T14:29:00.003-06:00

I woke up Saturday morning and couldn't find any of my kids. I did find Bumble Bee, Optimus Prime, Buzz Lightyear, and a Love Bug.

Kids, adorable kids.

2009-11-05T14:10:00.005-06:00

The boys cuddling on the couch watching a movie to celebrate no school on Thursday and Friday.
Olivia being her cute self! (runny nose and all)

brace yourself!!!!

2009-11-05T08:37:00.002-06:00

This afternoon there are going to be TONS of words and pictures!
House
Trick 0r Treating
Cute kids

All of it!!!

new hairstyle

2009-10-12T08:29:00.003-05:00

Olivia is moving up in the hair accessories world. Now, in addition, to the barettes she's had since birth she also has hair ties. I think she makes a very cute "pebbles". Maddox likes having something to pull on when they are on the floor together. Travis likes seeing her hair long and up on a pony-tail.

house progress

2009-10-12T08:09:00.005-05:00

We moved everything that wasn't a bed, dresser, or desk this past weekend. Thanks to my laptop and memory, I was able to move all of my cookbooks. Mom, this one's for you! Instead of a bookcase overflowing with cookbooks, I now have a cabinet. It's not even full!!! I guess that means I can get more cookbooks to pour over and find fabulous recipes :)

No fridge is complete without Diet Coke (the coke is in there becasue a dear friend of ours made an emegency trip out to the house Saturday night to repair a pipe and install our dishwasher.) He's a coke purest, so I wanted to make sure he had the right kind of "motivation" to get my water turned back on.

The kids enjoying snacks in the new kitchen while Travis and I got things packed up (AKA organized the many piles and chaos that flowed through-out the house).

Happy Birthday, Maddox Carl!

2009-09-29T15:18:00.002-05:00

Three years ago you came into our family and have made us laugh ever since! Thank for being a great little brother to Cooper and Nelson, a fantastic big brother to Olivia, and mind and Daddy's baby man! We love you!!!!!

My new house!!!!!!

2009-09-26T20:54:00.004-05:00

The front door (now just imagine it red).

Doesn't it look like the cars just "fit" ? :)

The huge backyard.

This is going to be my favorite part of the house! My own bathroom, no more tripping over toys to get in and out of the shower.

My boys

2009-09-26T20:51:00.001-05:00

Cooper and Nelson love to walk home from the grocery store. We can see the back of the building from our front door. The other day, they wanted to walk home, and I said yes because Travis had just pulled into the driveway (no I don't have X-ray vision to see through the neighbors' houses. He was on the phone with me while I was packing the groceries into the van). Maddox wanted to be a "big boy" and go with. I told Cooper he had to hold his hand the entire time, not to let go for anything. Can you believe it!?!?! He did. All. the. way. home.

I broke the baby.

2009-09-26T20:47:00.001-05:00

Thankfully it's hard to see, but there is a raspberry on the side of Liv's eye. While transporting boxes to the basement, she decided to follow. Head first. Down every step. Talk about my stomach sinking. I felt awful! This was somewhat expected with the first child, but by number four you would think I would have the whole close the door behind you thing mastered. I thought the door was closed. It was, just not latched all the way. She was able to open it and go headfirst down the steps. :(

Chaos for the next month or so...

2009-09-16T07:25:00.002-05:00

We are renters for the first time in over 9 yrs. The good news is, we won't have to be renters after Oct 31!!!! We close on our new house Sept 30, and then take the next month to move out of this house and into our new, wonderful house. So far, we have 2 closets full of bins and boxes that have been packed, and so much more to go!!!! Olivia is loving the empty cabinets, they are new toys to her, I love having empty walls and somewhat empty closets. I'm aslo finding some great "treasures" that I didn't know I had.

Catching up!

2009-08-26T09:20:00.002-05:00

The boys have been in school for one week and they love it!
Maddox is slowly adjusting to being the only boy around the house during the day. He's stopped asked every 3 minutes when his "brodders" are going to be home. It's now every 7-8 minutes.
Olivia has embraced 1 with fervor! Temper tantrums are a regular thing around here. Thankfully they are short lived and she moves on rather quickly.
Travis and I celebrated our 10 wedding anniversary last Friday. It was great to go out to an adult dinner (The Melting Pot) and just enjoy each other's company without being interrupted by the kids.
We close on this house this week. We are still looking for our next one, we have seen several, love lots of things about lots of them, but haven't settled on the "perfect" one yet... God knows what we want, He knows what we need, He will show us the perfect house for us, we are confident.
Pictures are coming soon, I promise! I have lots from the first day of school, fun times with Grandma Nelson, and more from Olivia's birthday party.

Happy Birthday, Baby Doll!!!!

2009-08-19T06:43:00.002-05:00

Today our baby doll is 1!!! We can't believe how fast this year has flown by. Happy Birthday, Olivia Lynn.

First day of school

2009-08-19T06:40:00.002-05:00

The boys had their first day of school. They loved it!!! Cooper loves being in 2nd grade. Nelson loved 1st grade as well. I hope the excitement doesn't wear off too fast.

The crazy week has begun!

2009-08-17T22:17:00.002-05:00

1. I survived, without tears, Olivia's birthday party. I can't wait to post the pictures. SHE WAS ADORABLE! Now, I just have to survive Wednesday, the actual birthday.
2. Tomorrow is a HUGE day in this house. By 8AM I will be with 1/2 the children I gave birth to for almost 8 hrs every day. Yep, school starts. Cooper has his "nicest" shorts and polo shirt all laid out, with his backpack and shoes ready to go. Nelson... I had to convince him that shorts with lots of wear holes are not the best choice and will not make the best first impression on the 1st grade class.

Lots of pictures coming tomorrow, lots of pictures. 1st day of school and birthday party fun.

Ferris Family happenings...

2009-08-05T09:24:00.002-05:00

Not sure where to start, and what to share. I don't want to share something and then have to come retract it...
1. School starts 2 wks from today!!!! (I can share this, it's an absolute that won't change.) Cooper and Nelson are both really excited. We got school supplies last week. 1st and 2nd graders require a lot of "stuff". Nelson is very excited about going to school all day long. Cooper is excited that he's in 2nd grade, apparently that means he's going to be in a different part of the building, away from Nelson. (K and 1st share a wing)
2. Olivia turns 1 2 weeks from tomorrow. (I can share this one too, time doesn't stand still as much as I've tried to get it to.) It's crazy. We are in the midst of planning our last "1st Birthday Party", very bittersweet.
3. This one has me leery, but I'm going to throw it out there. We are scheduled to close on the house we are living in Aug. 27. We will be renting it back from the new owners while looking for something else (read: BIGGER). All the inspections have come in and are clear. Now we sit and wait until the day we sign papers.

Don't need us anymore...

2009-08-04T13:36:00.007-05:00

I love when my kids gain confidence and Independence. I don't love it when they all do it at the same time!!!

The older 2 boys insist on swimming alone, no need to have Mom and Dad with. Who cares that they can stand on each other's shoulders and still not be above water... (insert eye rolls)

Maddox has decided that he can shop alone. He looks at me and says, "where is my number(read: size)? "

Miss Liv has decided, she doesn't need Mommy or Daddy to feed her, spoons and purees are over rated. Just cut everything up (that the rest of us are eating) and toss it on the tray, she can take it from there. The spaghetti was a huge hit! The tub was a huge clog after the bath. I never knew a child could hide so many noodles in so many places during one meal.

New shoes!!!

2009-07-21T13:24:00.002-05:00

Olivia was given these shoes within days of being born. Now, at 11 months old she can wear 3-6month shoes. we are so excited. Thanks "Aunt" Betsy!!!

Funniest. Face. Ever.

2009-07-17T21:24:00.003-05:00

Liv manages to purse her lips and do a funky snort out her nose! It's hilarious. We catch ourselves trying to get her to do this face all the time. Seriously, it's all the rage.

Let the summer begin!

2009-07-17T20:57:00.010-05:00

Cooper finished summer school today! We are all really excited. Travis and I decided earlier this week we would celebrate the beginning of the Ferris summer with a fun family activity. The bag and cooler are common sights around our house. They are usually packed for a long weekend. But not tonight! That bag was stuffed to the point of not being able to close with towels, shirts, toys, and a blanket. (that bag holds 3 outfits, 2 pairs of shoes, and all my cosmetics, with room to spare when I go away. We require way too much stuff for mere hours away.) We headed to the park mere seconds from our house for some water fun and a picnic dinner.

All of the kids loved the different fountains. Maddox took a little while to warm up to the idea of water splashing him everywhere.

The easiest and fastest way to dry off before the picnic was to swing and let the wind do the job!

Nothing says, "I love you" like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, and juice boxes!

(don't worry or send hate mail! Liv had a jelly sandwich, no peanut butter for her yet.)

More Family Fun!

2009-07-10T12:29:00.009-05:00

We went to Chicagoland for the 4th of July. The highlight of the long weekend was July3. That Friday the weather was perfect!!!! We were all in our suits and in the pool by 10AM and stayed there all day long. I loved it. As the day went on, the boys got braver and braver with the pool. The older 2 went off the diving board and Maddox went down the slide once (in my arms). I was able to float and visit with Tracy (no worries, I saved you all from that picture).

Cooper jumping off the diving board. This was HUGE!!! he was sitting on the edge of it in a huge tube and just dropping himself into the water. I finally told him to "Man Up" and jump for a picture. We managed to get him to jump for 5 or so "pictures" :)

Nelson had little fear, he got to the end of the board and just lept off. We were really proud of him.

Maddox only went off the slide this one time, after that everytime someone went near the slide he ran to the other end of the deck. He didn't like that water splashed up into his face. He never went under the water, but the splash was just too much for him to handle.

Olivia just loved being outside and the center of attention. When she wasn't jumping around in the exercauser she was enjoying being held and played with by her cousins.

Saturday was a dreary day and we were trying to figure out what to do with all the kids until nap time and time for us adults to get ready for the wedding. Karl came up with the idea of going to McDonald's to play and eat. We all loved the idea of getting out of the house, not having to clean up the mess of toys or lunch and drove over to McD's. Olivia, who started crawling the beginning of the month (3 days earlier to this picture) was more than ready to try out her new skill in the playland. Thanfully Travis drew the short straw and got to climb with her and follow her all over the place.

All the cousins posing for a picture right before lunch came. This picture is the only documentation of Layna playing. She wasn't a huge fan of the playland. She was much happier just watching her cousins play.

Lunch is served! Olivia ate her first chicken nugget and loved every bite of it!!!!

4th of July festivities.

2009-07-04T09:37:00.005-05:00

We are in Orland Park for the holiday weekend. We swam all day yesterday. Cooper and Nelson even got brave enough to go off the diving board, we were so proud of them. Maddox sat on my lap and went down the slide. He hated all 7 seconds of it. You could hear him screaming, "I'cared!!! I 'cared!!!!" all the way down.
Today it's dreary, rainy, and cold. Cooper and Nelson are enjoying Lego's Indiana Jones on the big screen TV.

Maddox pulled out all of Grandma and Grandpa's matchbox cars and convinced Travis to play with him for a little while.

These are the kinds of family vacations I enjoy; lots of fun and lots of relaxing.

Olivia's current milestones.

2009-06-26T13:06:00.004-05:00

Lately, Olivia wants nothing to do with pureed or mashed foods. She wants to pick the food up and feed herself. I love the ease of this. I just pull veggies out of the freezer, throw them on her tray and she has a meal. She's also learning how to use a sippy cup. It's a slow process. She's much better at holding her own bottle.
This past week she's figured out how to crawl forward, but still prefers to just stand. Today she managed to pull up on her toy box and then wave to me when she saw the camera.