More Klondike photos and TJ's masterpiece

TJ snowshoeing - not as easy as one would think
TJ coaching Trevor during a skill event

Our house has hot water base board heat and I drew a picture of what I wanted and TJ was able to create this!!! So much better than the beautiful painted metal in designer 60's colors!!!

Klondike Derby or Insane Asylum??

With the Boy Scouts TJ, Trevor and Tom particpated in an "extreme" event. First, they created quincys ( a snow hut) and slept in them over night. I think the temp was 7!! The other boys and leaders had the sense to go into the scout masters after a few hours... The next morning they packed up and headed to the derby itself which consisted of a sled race and various tests of skill.

School doesn't have to be dull...

No children were harmed in the production of this project... It was papier mache masks this month. We are studying Africa and the boys were to make tribal masks. I will post a finished product when they are done. We had too much fun making them. Let's see, covering your brother's face with plastic wrap, shoving straws up his nose, covering him with slimy newspaper and lying on the dining room table - could an art project get any better?!?!

January 2007

Great Winter Fun???? The boys taught Tian how to use a squirt gun. Yes everyone and everthing is soaked. Usually she is so busy concentrating on moving fingers she doesn't realize she has hit you, but she does have incredible aim...




Here Tj and Trevor participate in their youth goup's annual ice cream sculpting contest - yes it is outside, yes it was FREEZING and yes and the kids go to ( had to) eat it when they were done

Christmas 2006

Ty's brothers managed to find the best gift of the season - a replacement BB gun for Ty. You'll have to ask him why he needed a replacement. It has something to do with trying to shoot a match out of the old one...no it didn't quite work like he imagined.










Tian, our little elf, got a kitchen set. Funny, how Mrs. Santa knew that Santa should have put this together before Christmas, but Santa insisted that the elves had somehow assembled it already ( I don't how he thought it was possible in that little box...) Santa did not leave WI until well after 2 am...He should really listen to the Mrs :o) hint, hint



Trevor finally go the electric guitar he had been pining away for. What was Santa thinking!!??? All he plays is Ozzy Osbourne's "Iron Man" over and over and over....( note the burnt orange cushions in the window seat - somehow Tom found a way to get me to stop talking about wanting a window seat and still feel like he won the battle )


TJ got his much longed for hip waders - we are hoping this is not a fashion statement...remind anyone of Steve Erckle??

The dolly- mama

Tian received a beautiful new dolly from her Aunt Nicole. In her red China dress she seems so sweet. We left the pictures out of "baby" being thrown at her brothers. Overall, she is a good littly mommy, but is very annoyed when we pretend the dolly is insisting to be held with Tian's trademark "up" demand.


Gotta love that carpet :)
Here Tian is enjoying "second breakfast" with big brother TJ. At this point in the morning she has already had breakfast with dad, her own, a taste of Trevor's and now has moved on to another victim.

The Rocky Horror Boxing Show...

Yes, Tom couldn't resist seeing the latest installment of Rocky. The 4 boys ventured to theater last night and all came home singing its praises - they give it 2 gloves up

Tom was surprised when the boys flew home from the theater and started digging through boxes to find the gloves....



Here Ty is putting up a valiant fight in Round 1

Tom declaring a victory -

Tom giving it up to the heart of the real champ

December

Tian and TJ

Tian having her first tea party. She may not be good at pouring drinks, but she makes up for it with cuteness

Finally pics from December

Tian playing peek-a boo
Tian is an incredible girl ! At 16 months, she helps unload the dishwasher. Unfortunately, she doesn't care whether the dishes are clean or dirty... Here is she clapping for herself after throwing a handful of silverware in the drawer . Note those beautiful kitchen cabinets and the floor is to die for ( painted plywood)
The look. This is the look that means " I said I want it and I am not giving in...ever"

still more...

TJ sledding out back during our 12 inch snowfall in late November

The back of our palace

Not a great picture of ou rlittle elf, but had to show the proof a "dimple"

and yet, there's more

Tian and Bootsy Barker ( the cat) enjoying and "All American Breakfast"

Tian in pigtails for the first time

Trevor and Ty built a forge in the backyard. The made a brick oven and are using a bicycle pump as a bellows and a piece of granite for an anvil. They are hammering some rebar to make swords. ( I know a little ( a lot) scary, but they are having fun by the hour)
PS I don't think the swords ever turned out like they imagined.

more pics

TJ is a hit at our church Halloween Trunk or Treat. He is "the monster" and sits in the back of the car. He enjoys giving little children nightmares...

Tian's reaction to tasting the inside of her pumpkin

Ty really getting into it..

Months of pics

This is the deer TJ is waiting for everey morning while sitting in a tree. He took this with a "Trail Cam" he received as a gift from the Winterset Vet clinic. Need I say how much he loves it...

Tian trick -or -treating. She couldn't quite figure out how come everyone only gave her one piece of candy. After all, she is the Empress, however, she usually managed to talk them out of a dozen or so..

Long time no write...

I know, I know and yes, Tian has changed a lot since October, bt once we found the computer we had to find the mouse and once we found the mous we had to find the keyboard,and once we found all that,where was the camera, the passwos to add to the blog etc, etc?.. you get the picture.

We are in our new "home," but hardly settled. We will probably be in boxes for months to come... Tian is a great help and has mastered the skill of dumping faster than any child in the world ( Yes, I am sure) She can also climb and get in precarious situations quite masterfully and even on occasion has been caught running with scissors. She is a woman of extremes and keeps us on our toes day and night. It would be difficult if she weren't so darn happy and cute all the time. Just when you want to throw her out the window she grabs both sides of your head and plants a kiss that could melt an iceberg and then wraps her little arms around you in a way that could make Attila the Hun go soft. Her brothers are completely and happily at her mercy . Did I mention Tom? It could make a sick to see how tightly he wound around her finger...

The boys are adjusting and Tom enjoys his job. The people seem genuine and the work is interesting. Does it get any better? TJ has even mustered the courage to go out a few times. Trevor and Ty have enjoyed sledding until they are nearly frostbitten. I just hope to get a shower every couple of days...

I will post some pictures and some of our '60's palace" to boot. And for all who are wondering, the boys and I tore up the carpet in the kitchen ( plywood is better than carpet I decided) and the "Jeffrey Dahmer" ( in other words, could fit an entire human body comfortably inside ) chest freezer that was in the kitchen ( did I mention in avacado green?) has found a new home in the basement.

Tara

More pics

Grampy hoping for hug...
Tian playing peek - a- boo
The new Empress - post accident getting the royal treatment with Ty her royal servant
Tian convincing Grandma Tessa to let her have her sunglasses

October 19 - meets and miracles

After a great team effort - TJ's team was unable to qualify to go to the state meet. He was VERY disappointed, but assured me next year he could come back and the coach did offer to let him stay at his house... It was a fun evening and since it was the last meet we finally learned to bring the stroller and Tian loved going "four wheeling" through the golf course where the meet was held.
Tom's dad and Tessa also met us in Atlantic for the big meet. So although it was a disappointing day , it was great to see family. The younger boys had fun rolling down a big grassy golf course hill, Tian had a great time wearing out Grandma Tessa climbing the hill over and over.

Today for the first time, Tian ventured down into the basement playroom alone. We had lost her for about 5 minutes. I thought Ty was playing with her and he thought she had come inwith me - we found her downstairs playing She couldn't wait to show me the toy closet she had discovered.

Our latest chapter in the Turner saga happened late yesterday afternoon, but it does have a happy ending. TJ's team had a big group dinner planned and as he was leaving he ran completely over our 5 1/2 month old puppy, Daisy. It was a long ride to the vet where TJ has worked the last couple of years. She was wheezing and I was pretty sure that we would be one dog short for this move. The vet treated her for shock and gave her a shot of Vitamin K to help with clotting for whatever internal bleeding there may be. Other than that he admistered fluid and waited to see what would happen. He was extraordianrily kind with Tj and spent some time showing him that she still had positive blood pressure etc. and assuring him that although it appeared to be serious, there was hope. We left her to rest and hoped for the best. Well, this morning, we picked up a stiff, but otherwise happy puppy.. I knew she would be okay when she started searching the kitchen floor for Tian's leftovers. She was certainly the Empress of the day. So another miracle..yes, he ran completely over her on the concrete in the garage. She has always ben very cautious about the car....I am sure now she will be even more so.

We wind up another day thanking God for simple tender mercies and HUGE miracles.

Tara

Pictures

Tian was a little excited to get her picture taken and in her pasta covered shirt and was hoping to get the camera ..
Big brother TJ put her on his shoulders and she discovered she could bang him on the head and make her other brothers laugh

A BIG day..October 17

For the very first time Tian grabbed my face and kissed me spontaneously - out of the blue - for no reason. Up until today she would hug and kiss when I asked her, but today was all on her own. Talk about a heart melter...

The boys say this BLOG is entirely too much about their sister - so here goes:

TJ also had a big day. If you remember, over the course of the last 8 years he has had 15 teeth pulled because his teeth were to big for his mouth ( I am holding the jokes in here) ( all but 4 were baby teeth - so he does have some teeth left :o) We went to the orthodontist for a regular check and presented xrays of TJ's Wisdom Teeth - and drum roll.. He does NOT have to have them pulled. YEAH!!! TJ's jaw has managed to grow with the rest of him this year so he has room for them now.
Thursday he will run in a District meet and if their team places in the top 3 they will go on to compete at the state meet on October 28... We will keep you posted.

Trevor continues to work hard on scouts. This week he has been making miniature armor for some toys - it is pretty cool. I don't know if their is a metal working merit badge - but I am sure he has earned this week. ( oh - his teeth look great too)

Ty had a fabulous week making potions. I cleaned the medicine cabinet and closet of all the expired bottles etc and he made probably the stinkiest potion of all time. It literally gave me a headache.He jumped up and down - proud that his potion worked... hmm, I don't think he needed a potion to give me a headache..

Tom continues to work on "money pit" err I mean our fabulous new house. Two bathrooms have been demolished and await rebuilding. I know he has had extra fun tearing off the grass wallpaper. This week he is hoping to get the plumbing finished so new fixtures can be set in the bathrooms and new flooring in the living room ( yes, I am so mean I said the gold shag carpeting had to go.) If anyone would like some 60's decor I know a great source...

I am just trying not to go insane carrying around the Empress. Today ( now the 18 th) she refused to drink out of a plastic cup and insisted on glass like the boys. Tomorrow everyone is drinking out of plastic becasue when Tian is finished with anything - a banana, an apple a glass she tosses it over her shoulder. Our house is a wreck and we only allow her to eat in the kitchen! I had forgotten how quickly a toddler and destroy a house... It is hard to even upset by it because she is so happy doing it. I just hope no one wants to see the house before we move...

Take care -
Tara

A ride to remember

Okay - the stroller. Remember the DOLLY stroller I mentioned Tian received from her Aunt Stacy, the one with the warning label that states"DO NOT use with a real child" ? Ty, I might mention, he can read, had the fabulous idea to push his 25 lb sister in it. She thought it was great idea too, so she managed to squeeze herself into it. Yes, she looked ridiculous. She even allowed him to fasten the belt. ( A thin strap with a tiny piece of velcro). Ty then proceeded to take off at top speed through the kitchen, into the entry, and then the death defying doughnut spin in front of the staircase. I nearly fainted and Tian - well, her reaction was just what you'd expect of a little girl with 3 big brothers- she squealed with delight and begged for more. We slowed things down a bit and changed the course, but "Big Bertha" in the stroller had a great afternoon with her big brother. Other than that, things have been rather quiet. No, we haven't just let have everything she wants - just almost everything. Tian is learning some sign language ( she know the sign for "cookie please" quite well) and we think she is a genius. She is trying to say more words - so I am guessing in the next few months we will be buying ear plugs to stop the chatter.

The other picture is Tian baby sitting - get it? TJ was pushing her stoller around to tease her and she fooled him by sitting on top of her baby.

Just another day....

We still think Tian is terrific...most of the time. Today she threw a tantrum for 10 + minutes because I walked into the kitchen and she wanted me to carry her. I know she is the empress and I should do whatever she wants whenver she wants.... We had quite a battle of the wills. I tried to hold out, but I finally met her 7/8 of the way.

We are studying the skeletal system so the project of the day for the boys was to build their own creature from the bones they have found in the yard ( I know it is extremely gross, but a houseful of boys living in the country... Well, somehow they have found quite a collection- from cow to oppossum. No the bones are not moving with us) Trevor and his friend Grant followed the instructions and used solely bones and wire, TJ, Andrew and Ty stretched a little and used some PVC pipe. Don't you think they will help us sell the house? Enjoy the pictures - oh, and the one of Ty and Tian - in the 30 seconds it took it snap the pictures she almost fainted from lack of attention while she stood inside :o)