yikes aroni!

ok ok! this is absolutely it! i promise! just looked at the posts i added today and LOVE how you can't read what it says next to Miki's pic! what is up with that?! well, if you use your kidneys, you will be able to figure it out i think! something to do with her 'enoying her oreos'... anyway, when i figure out how to publish with pix, and the pix actually end up where they're supposed to, then i might have a decent blog! in the meantime, hope you can put up with my goofs! guess little Madi really gets its honestly after all!

yes, well...

just because i like the different colors, here's yet another!



ever take the laundry OUT of the washer and suddenly wonder if you forgot to add detergent? funny thing is, the clothes were clean and smelled fresh, just not like the detergent i've been using! i dried them anyhow; who has time to RE-WASH stuff anyway? then when i took that particular load out of the dryer, they all 'zinged' with static and well, guess no one will have to worry about allergies! i definintly didn't add softner!!! hope no one gets electrocuted as they go running across the carpet!!!

well, all the little monkeys are 'resting'. i'm sure no one is sleeping, although M&M are no longer chattering up there, and the 'ker-boinging' has ceased; maybe... i am NOT going to go check! :) J&J just went to lay down as well, JennaMae was starting to act tired and 'sick' again, guess its about that time of day! don't know what we'll do tonight about mtg, Duane doesn't seem to be getting this 'thing' yet; my throat is just a tad irritated- but i would love to get out of this dry, statticy house! statticy? is that a word?

hope everyone out there is well and none of you have this nasty bug thingy! you should probably 'fer sure' not come around here! take care!

...no more monkeys jumping on the bed

'...give them tylenol every four hours and motrin every 6, they should feel better soon! let us know if they don't improve in the next several days!' well, this morning i heard the infamous 'ker-boing ker-boing ker-boing' of the mattrasses being pummelled over and over and over... no wonder the sheets are getting ripped at the corners! and... THEY'RE BACK!!!!! well, mostly! the monkeys all are still running slight fevers, but a whole lot better then the last couple of days! Yay!!
just so everyone can see the kind of monkeys we have, here they all are grinning because of 'food, glorious food'! mostly, its oreo cookies, or as the biggest monkey likes to say, 'mint cheerios'! i just can't quite bring myself to correcting him! anyway, the mint oreos are the absolute favorite at the monkey house!

ah, happy little monkeys! Miki really did enjoy the oreos! and Madi was actually (actually?) just being goofy! she's pretty good at that! anyway, these two are in bed, not sleeping, but talking . suprise suprise! they send their smiles your way! 'ker-boing! ker-boing! ker-boing'! :)

Momma called the Dr. and the Dr. said...

well hello all! this has been the most interesting past few days here at the Monkey House! for those of you we haven't talked to yet, we've got some sick little monkeys here. Justin started out with a fever on Thursday evening. I went to town, and after Duane fed the kiddos supper, Justin came down stairs and got on one of the recliners and just fell asleep! very uncharastic for the little J-boy. during the night, before we had gone to bed, he woke up and came back down stairs to us. I let him sleep in our bed so we could find out if he needed anything during the night. when he woke up on Friday, he had a cough and fever again. his congestion kept him pretty miserable over the weekend. Sunday, I stayed home with him and the twins, and Duane and JennaMae went to meeting. last night JennaMae started not feeling good, and threw up all over herself and ME! Duane got her washed up and changed and I got the clothes in the washer, including her precious pink bunny. I ended up sleeping in her bed with her, Justin slept with Duane... totally terrified she'd throw up all over her bed and me again! she didn't, but she's not feeling much better today. she now has a fever as well!

well, Madi and Miki had scheduled Dr. appointments today, and that worked out pretty well, since they both woke up with fevers this morning! whew! what a fun day! this is the first time we've had four monkeys all sick at the same time! just how are you supposed to give each the attention they really need? oh yes, I forgot to mention that Madi woke up around 1am with an ouchy tummy, so I was up with her till she got back to sleep, put her back in her crib, and got up with her again about an hour later. this time I brought her to bed with me and JennaMae. she slept off and on there, but really just wanted her own bed, so finally I put her back in her crib....did I mention that I've got a bit of a sore throat too? this evening all four monkeys still have a fever! poor little monkeys!

we also got some news from home; several from our Michigan meetings have passed away. one, Paul, from our meeting before we moved here, and Ken, from my meeting as a child. the really weird part is this, my two brothers' names are Paul and Ken!! would have loved getting back for the services, but since we had appts and sick monkeys here... well, you know!

ok, you're likely wondering about the pix at the top, and why I put fish on here! just didn't have any pix of sick monkeys to add! the goldfish are JennaMae's fish; Princess and Aerial (yes, she named them), and the shark is one of Justin's ; Popsicle and Icicle, ok, he only really named Popsicle, I'm not sure how Icicle got his name. his remaining snail also seems to have died now, so we are down to the 4 fish and the algea eater, Louie, we just got.

it was a beautiful day today! I went for a quick walk after I got home from taking M&M to the Dr. haven't done that in way too long! it felt wonderful! now I just need to find someone interested in coming and staying with the 4 monkeys about an hour a day while I get out of here! anyone up for it? ah, but the weather is not gonna stay coopperative too long now is it?

hope you all are well! take care.

Mikaela Anne

here is my littlest or at least my youngest monkey!!!! ah, so sweet is the slumber, or maybe just those in slumber! here is my tiny little Miki at just weeks old! remember this Auntie A? i remember those days as not much sleep and lots of feedings! never a break for those who offered their wonderful help either! when they told me to wake them up during the night to burp or change a diaper, i did! thanks to you all!! i could not have kept my sanity without your help!

had to add these pigtails too! and the ever tasty fingers! Miki has them at the ready for when she's tired. good thing they're attached; she can't loose them! this is my chatty little monkey. she's always repeating words we say. she loves horsies and kitties and always says '' 'tank you" after you've helped her get her shoes on... she's very polite and sweet these days. but she also knows the word 'NO' and uses it often! and she sings! all the time! just mention the words 'kite', 'row row' or 'rosie' and off she goes- not too off-key either!

here Miki is wearing JennaMae's brand new birthday tiara and playing with the wand! the look on her face was somewhere between a shy, proud smile and almost an unsure frown: 'can i have this? is it ok or will it be snatched away?' this was while big sis was still opening her presents, so...i smiled at her and she melted into a very pleased and satisfied smile. 'whew! i got away with it!' they know and understand the rules of ownership in these parts!

Miki is my girlie girl; she loves getting all dressed up and wearing her big sis's shoes, boots, and dresses, as well as her big bro's shoes! She saw one of her Sunday dresses the other day and started saying 'dess dess, Momma, dess' and shoving it into my hands demanded that i put it on her! this one will be the piano master one day! she already loves to 'play' it; she's very gentle, unlike her co-monkeys! she is mostly happy- just not when her blue bear is in the washer! Yay!!! the washer's done!!!

Madeleine

here is my little ray of sunshine for this very cold night! what a bright and cheerful smile! we took the highchairs outside for the littlest of the monkeys several times during the summer. here Madi was ready for her after dinner treat: an ice cream cone!

alright, is this a mischievous grin or what? we were on our way east to my Dad and Mom's at Thanksgiving time and the two littlest were just full to busting with the giggles! they get so tickled over things... tonight Duane and i took them up to their bedroom, changed diapers, kissed them goodnight and tucked them in bed then left. 30 minutes later i suddenly realised they were bouncing with delight, not even close to sleeping. what is going on? usually they are 'out' pretty much right away! well, upon investigating, we find that their light is still on! and yes, they were having a glorious time! this one doesn't need a bunch of buddies to have the room turned completely upside down, just an audience of one will do!

aw, remember when....? i had to put this picture of 4 week old Madi in too! how tiny was she? that was almost 2 years ago! that is crazy! she's laying on a bouncy seat, and is pretty well swallowed up by it!

this past fall i gave the little monkeys some sidewalk chalk to use on the slab 'out back'. Madi got right into the art making; she loved it! we had a fun round of 'ring around the rosey' the other day. JennaMae and the twins all shrieking with delight and trying to sing with me as they held tight to each other's hands and twirled round and round the basement. the best part always came a bit pre-maturely, i'd barely get to 'a tissue a tissue' and they'd collapse in a heap, happy and out of breath! ah, life is sweet when you're under 3 feet tall!

JennaMae aka 'The Princess'

hmmm, going backwards is fun! i keep having to add from bottom to top! so maybe by the time i'm done, we'll all be dizzy from trying to figure it out! this is my little 'princess' who loves all things pink and puffy and flowery! she also likes trains and playing in the dirt, so she's a very well balanced princess! this was my little biddie when she was about nine months old; her hair still fit under a hat! as you can see, that isn't the case anymore!

Jennamae loved the little dollies that came 'in the mail' (mail is always BIG-TIME fun :) ) for her birthday. these two are from Mommie and Dawdy- also always a treat to get something from Dawdy's! she imediately took the braids out of the one, and soon had both dollies out of their dresses! all the dolls and barbies here are without their clothes! she has her own favorite 'pink' dress on, even tho the dollies apparently aren't allowed to keep their's on!

now i'm convinced i really don't know what i'm doing on here! guess if you can read it, it doesn't really matter too much? this is my little monkey shine just a few weeks ago after meeting. big smiles! she thinks the pictures are 'WONDERFUL WONDERFUL!'

ah, pink for a princess! little Miss JennaMae is growing sooo fast! i can hardly believe how much she's changed in the past year! let's see if this will come out right! this is JennaMae in the infamous glasses. i thought she looked rather like a librarian - only perhaps somewhat small? you can see what BIG eyes she has! ah, what a sweetie!

Justin

I was looking at my old pictures of this little monkey and thought it might be fun to add a few. The many faces of the Justin Monkey! We had just gotten home from meeting a few Sundays ago and I got the camera out and snapped away. He's getting to like having his picture taken again! Yay!

This is from earlier this fall. The glasses are an old pair of sunglasses that Justin thought should be 'real' glasses; so the lenses came out! He loves to wear them, acting all 'smart'!

Here's the oldest of the monkeys in Indiana, almost two years ago! He was sitting on a stool in the only part of the house where there was no carpet, getting ready for a haircut. I had to take some pictures because I liked the longish hair! Naturally, he was being a MONKEY for me!

And, oh! This picture has always melted my heart! Little cowboy in his first 'real' boots and hat! And so very photogenic! He was all dressed for meeting and Daddy took him out to the back yard. This was in the fall of 2004 before another monkey came to live with us in December. Look how much he's changed!

introducing some little monkeys

greetings to all kin, and kindred spirits! ah, dreaming of the day when all the snow is gone and the grass is fresh under bare toes again! are we there yet? have to keep the coffee coming to stay warm these days! but with plenty of cocoa, it is pretty good! who needs starbucks, anyway? well, uh...actually, I DO! but at least my concoction is too hot for the little monkeys! they wait till it has cooled considerably, and by that time, i'm not too interested anymore; it is afterall meant to keep me warm!

speaking of little monkeys, there are several on the loose here! pretty cute ones! the oldest has started writing his letters and numbers; all together at times then asking me what it says! try this on for size: UANSV . that is the name he gave to the dolphin he drew yesterday. i was instructed to 'say it' for him. he is totally fasinated with sharks, dolphins, whales... and the glorious DINOSAURS!! he can tell you all 'bout them too! i learned yest that the 'long-necked' dino's neck is 'this long (arms outstretched) when he lays down'. wonder how long it is when he's standing up? he just turned five and oh my, how we've grown!

the second little monkey is currently sacked out in my recliner! she is wearing her favorite outfit; a pink dress and her birthday tiara (which she refers to as her 'ring') with the pink 'jewel' and pink fuzz on it! thumb is still tucked in her mouth, but just barely. she is holding her beloved pink bunny and is partly wrapped in her pink princess blanket! oh, and she loves pink! she calls me 'momma patch', why, i don't know! she is very dramatic, and loves to tell stories! she even reads, at least one story. and when i read Dr. Seuss' 'Oh Say Can You Say Dinosaur' book, she repeats every last name back to me! very entertaining! she has the biggest eyes and silliest grin ever! ah, what a princess! yes, refers to herself (in 3rd person of course) as the Princess! she got a big horse (about the size of a half-grown lab pup) for her 3rd birthday, and is finally sharing it!

the last 2 monkeys came as a package deal. but they are nothing alike! the first is all energy and ramblings! blond as can be, blue eyed. sweet smile that just oozes mischief! ah, naughty little monkey! no more monkeys jumping on the bed! but still she bounces! grinning wickedly and giggling hysterically. this one likes noise! she and her partners had a chorus in the tub last night! and this morning they embarked on an adventure of twirling round and round as they screamed 'lets go fly a kite' at the very tip top of their voices! she's very much the instigator of many a devious plot to destroy someone else's stack of blocks (wonder where she gets that?), or neatly laid pencils and crayons; she doesn't want them for play, rather to prevent someone else's idea of play. THAT'S her idea of play! it's all fun and games till someone takes HER pink bunny or special plaything, whatever that happens to be! oh, and be sure that she and the last little monkey have their OWN blankie when they are FINALLY ready to go to sleep!

and that brings us to monkey number 4! she shares a room with the 3rd monkey- they can reach each other over the tops of and thru their cribs. she is all emotions- happy and sunshiny one moment, and oops, SOMEONE took off with her blue bear and so waling and tears the next! this little monkey loves all things healthy: fruit fruit and more fruit! and also the delicious things: chocolate! a monkey after my own heart indeed! very sweet, her smiles. very naughty her 'NO MOMMA' 's and her little chubby fingers as she grunts her disapproval and points at you when she doesn't like the verdict! but so very sweet are her smiles! what is a person to do? ah, when the bouncing in the cribs stops, and quiet comences then you assume the 2 littlest of the monkeys might be sleeping, so very quietly and bravely (or maybe just plain stupidly?) you open the creaky door to take a quick peek and even quicker then the peek you zip back and close the creaky door and heart beating you lean against the wall... wait... were you seen?...chatter chatter chatter... well, even if you weren't seen, they're NOT sleeping! or maybe they are, and when you peek in at them, they are peaceful in their sugarplum slumber, both on their tummys, the littlest with her hair all over as if she'd been dropped and it just 'settled'- maybe she did just drop from being plum tuckered out from all the jumping and bouncing! and then you make sure they have their pink bunny ad blue bear close to their hands, and are warm and tucked in...ah... sweet! then you can leave at a normal pace, close the creaky door and smile a well deserved smile!

tis the life of a parent of four little monkeys!