Okay, so really, it's been moving day for the past five days, but whatever. We've moved into the condo right next to our old place. It's extremely convenient. I didn't have to pack a single thing! We're nowhere near settled in, but we're sleeping and eating here, so that's a start. I'm happy with the new place, even if you can hear every word the neighbors say. Sucks for our neighbors...I'm a screamer. Get your mind out of the gutter...I'm talking about when I'm trying to get my kid's attention! So anyways, I'm liking the place. It's pretty much the exact same layout as our old place, so at least I know where to put everything! The move is going slowly, but at least everything is being put in it's place rather than just sitting around in boxes.

The girl's went to Sea World today with their friend. They had a blast. I feel like they're missing out because we're not able to take them to fun places like that. It just costs SO much to take the whole family anywhere :( I really think I'm going to have to break down and start taking them camping. Some people LOVE camping. I think I just did so much of it as a kid that I got tired of it. My family went camping ALL.THE.TIME when I was growing up. We went as a family, where we would just drive to some random place, pull over and camp...no bathrooms, no showers, no water...nothing. All Dad needed was a river for fishing and he was happy. Then we started camping with church friends. At least we had bathrooms and running water on those camping trips! I have such incredibly fond memories of trips to Turlock. The Sunday water fights, the random hikes, floating down the river in inner tubes...it was a blast. However, I just have no urge to take my kids camping. It all just seems like such a huge hassle. Drake would love to, I know that, as would the kids. My dad said once that he thinks that every other generation goes camping. He took our family. I don't take mine. Maybe my kids will take their families camping to make up for their lack of childhood dirt, bee stings, and showerless weeks. As for me, I'm happy in a hotel.

I'm hoping to get the kids to Disneyland next year. It would be a shame to live down here and never go to Disneyland. They're getting older, and while Disneyland is a blast when you're with friends when you're older, I just don't think it's the same when you're older with your family. So, I really want to get them there when they're young and still enjoy hanging out with mom and dad. In fact, there are times that the kids even think we're *gasp* fun. Shocking, I know. I really think they would enjoy it. Of course, Sera is too young to enjoy it, but the older kids would love it. Caitlin LOVES roller coasters, so I think Disneyland/California Adventure would be such a thrill for her.

Anyways, that's about all for now. If you don't hear from me for a while, it's because the new house has eaten me. :(

Today is my 27th birthday. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's odd. I feel like I'm officially not young anymore. 26 still seemed fairly young. 27 just doesn't. I'm not sure why I'm not all that happy about turning 27. "Young" really isn't a number. Heck, by all accounts, the fact that I have five kids tends to already put me in the "old" category. So, why is this number bringing me down? To me, 26 means you can make stupid mistakes and people will brush it off as being "young." How stupid is it that I feel that way? I guess I kinda feel like 18 isn't an adult...27 is. You're no longer early, or even mid 20's. You're late 20's. You're an adult. I don't know...it's odd. All I know is that I feel like I've left "young" behind. It's not like I'm sitting here thinking, "I should have my life together. I should know where I'm going. I'm 27 and I still have no direction in my life." I have my life together. I know where I'm going. I have direction. Like I said, I really have no idea why it all feels so odd.

Anyways, a few pics of my gorgeous kiddos:

Cole, Ethan and Emma "pop the collar":
The kids with Josh Peck from "Drake and Josh" on Nickelodeon:
The girls and Seth at the zoo:

I'm a total boob and forgot to wish Tara a happy birthday when I saw her at the grocery store, so I'm announcing it here for the online world to see...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA!!!! Tara's an old lady :P

Speaking of birthdays...mine is on Thursday. What are you sending me? ;) I can't believe I'll be 27. I don't feel that old. I'm no longer a young mom. I always enjoyed people saying, "Oh my goodness, you're only X years old and you already have kids?" Granted, they still say, "Oh my goodness, you're only 26 years old and you have FIVE kids?!?!!?!?" But still, it's not the same shock as being really young and having kids. I'm getting old :(

I told Drake that I was going to start counting backwards on birthdays now, so I'm really turning 25. He told me I wasn't allowed to because he didn't want me teaching the kids that getting older was something to be ashamed of or wish wasn't happening. He told me I am incredible and I just get better with age. Awwww, does my hubby know what I want to hear or what? He also added that I'm absolutely gorgeous, which, of course, I always love to hear. Granted, when I'm 70, losing my teeth, old and wrinkly and have boobs down to my knees, he'll still think I'm gorgeous, so I think he's a bit biased.

We're moving on Saturday! Granted, it's just next door, but we're still moving. I hate moving. The only thing I like about it is starting off in a new house with everything organized. Of course, that quickly goes out the door, but it's nice to have a fresh, clean, organized start!

Sybermoms parenting board is holding a 2-day, online auction at www.sybermoms.com to raise money for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation. Registration and valid e-mail address are required in advance to bid. All money raised will go directly to the Flutie Foundation.

(PRWEB) March 31, 2006 -- Message board members will once again be participating in a two-day online auction at www.sybermoms.com, which is scheduled to begin the evening of April 6th, 2006 with a 24-hour auction and to close out Friday evening, April 7th with a live auction.

“The days leading up to the auction are always filled with tons of work and stress, and you find yourself thinking, ‘I can't wait for this to be over,’ said Megan Perkins, Sybermoms' Auction Co-Coordinator, mother of three and home business owner of The Fanciful Frog. “And then when you get an early count of how much has been raised, all of the hard work, the time and effort, the sleepless nights -- they all fade away. Because it's at that moment that you are reminded what you are working toward. How many lives you're going to touch. How amazing, truly amazing, it is for virtual strangers to come together to do something of this magnitude.”

This auction, to benefit The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Inc. (www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org), is the latest in a long history of philanthropy from Sybermoms.com. This is the sixth auction the board has hosted in three years

“The volunteers have done such a beautiful job,” said Kristi Mildon, a Sybermoms co-owner. “They have spent endless hours behind the scenes coordinating donations, displaying and describing them, and then making the whole thing run smoothly; they have done a fantastic job! It really makes me feel lucky to be a part of something so wonderful and to be able to help those who need it most.”

Michelle Waters, co-owner of the parenting message board and owner of Watersweb Solutions LLC, the Enid, Oklahoma company that hosts the site, said that there have been hundreds of items donated for the various auctions from people in countries around the world, including Japan, Great Britain and Australia.

“Sybermoms are amazing. Several women have been planning this auction, step by step, for many months. They are volunteers from across the United States and Canada who have never met – but have come together to raise money for a cause that has touched each of them deeply, particularly as parents,” Waters said.

The donated items typically include hand-made crafts/clothing, regional and specialty-themed gift baskets, collectibles and memberships at the site, among other things. Members go to great lengths to offer unique, unusual items they know will appeal to the bidders. Each member who donates an auction item also agrees to be responsible for shipping that item to the winning bidder. Additionally, several businesses are solicited for further donations of items to be auctioned off. These vendors can be viewed at www.sybermoms.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=528

Sybermoms have historically shown generosity and goodwill in their auction donations and purchases. Members formed a team to walk the Susan G. Komen Foundation's Breast Cancer 3-Day in the United States and the Weekend to End Breast Cancer in Canada, raising nearly $60,000 in 2004 and over $60,000 in 2005 for breast cancer research. That tally was raised almost exclusively through Sybermoms, both through donations and online auctions in December 2003 and the spring of 2004 and 2005. The auctions alone raised more than $40,000.

In addition, Sybermoms held an auction in December of 2004 to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, raising $7,169, and pledged a combined $21,343 in bids during a similar, collaborative two-day auction in February 2005 that was donated to the American Friends Service Committee (www.afsc.org/tsunami/default.html), who in turn donated 100 percent of the funds to tsunami relief efforts in the affected countries.

Sybermoms.com, Inc. is a California company owned by several women from across the United States and Canada. The site started as a parenting community for mothers in May 2002. Waters said the site’s philosophy is to provide a place where parents can speak their minds – and support one another in their efforts to raise and protect their children.

Emma donated a set of wine glass charms for this auction. You all should go and bid on them ;)

We went to the zoo on Saturday! We had SO much fun. My friend, Seth, came down from Los Angeles and watched the girls Tae Kwan Do classes, then we all went to the zoo. The kids were just absolutely BEYOND thrilled. A great time was had by all...except for my pants. :(

So, a while back I bought a new pair of pants. I LOVE these pants. They're my absolute favorite pair of pants. They make me look smaller than I actually am and they do an AMAZING job of hiding my flaws. They're khaki. I've only worn them once. Why did I only wear them once if I love them so much? Well, the ONE time I wore them, I brushed up against my car and it left this HUGE dark mark that was incredible noticeable. Sucks that my favorite pair of pants show dirt so much. As a mom, I definitely can't afford to wear pants that show dirt

Okay, so let me tell you about my friend. He's gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. So anyways, I'm thinking that I need to look at least semi cute so people don't wonder what the heck this gorgeous guy is doing with this ugly chick So, I decide to wear my favorite pants. Now, wearing these pants that are incredibly easy to get filthy probably isn't the best idea when you're going to the ZOO of all places But, I decide I'll just be really careful about where I sit, what I brush up against, etc.

All day, I did great. My pants stayed clean and I felt semi attractive. (I might also add that my boobs looked great in the shirt I was wearing...it was an all around good clothing day ) Then, we sat down to eat lunch. All was well....UNTIL...Ethan spilled a large orange soda all over my pants So, here I am with orange soda all over my favorite pants after spending all day trying to keep them clean.

To make matters worse, about an hour later, Ethan bonked his mouth on a bar and it started bleeding. What's the first thing he does? Come running over to me, hugs my leg and is screaming into it...leaving a bloody mess on the leg of the pants that didn't have orange soda on it.

So, by the end of the day, I had orange soda all over one leg and blood all over the other. HOWEVER...there was not a single speck of dirt on them. GO KATIE!!!!