"But I'm trying...."

Tonight Cael got a nasty bump on his eyebrow and had quite the cry about it.  In my efforts to console him, I reminded him that I knew just how it felt.  "Remember the story I told you about when I got hurt there and had to get stitches." (my older brother Andrew threw a tin can at my head and it sliced open my brow.  He also pushed me off the bathroom counter causing my chin to split open...more stitches...but that's another story).

Apparently the mention of this story caused Isaac some serious concern.  He followed me with haste as I exited the room.

With a great look of hurt Isaac asked, "Mom.  Why was Uncle Andrew so mean to you?"

To which I replied, "Well...why are you mean to your brothers sometimes?"

As I go on to explain that siblings just get frustrated with each and hurt each other, etc, Isaac interrupts to answer my previous question.

"But, I'm not."  (frowning)  "I'm trying to do what is right.  I'm trying to be like Jesus."

His husky little voice was pleading for me to understand.

I was such a proud mama at that moment. 

Yes...he IS trying.  He's been praying for help every night to do just those things.

And so I reassured him...

"You are right.  You are trying hard, aren't you?"

and then taught him a small lesson about repentance and forgiveness...

"And I think Uncle Andrew was trying too.  Sometimes, even when we are trying, we still mess up.  Then we need to say we are sorry and try to do better."

He looked mighty relieved.  "Okay!" he says.

And off he went.

What a truly sweet (even if he is my most naughty) boy.

 

We call him Mr. "Mini Rob"...

Isaac REALLY is a "Mini Rob".  

Check out these two.

(photo cropped from my desktop birthday calendar for 2012)

From birth he looked so much like Roberto we just KNEW they were destined to be a lot alike.  And they are.

Today we celebrate his 5th birthday with a few of my most favorite photos (and one super CUTE video) of my Isaac (aka Little Lincoln).

Sweet Baby Boy #3

Isaac and Grandma H. sharing a tender moment (Love this pic!)

Isaac means "he who laughs"

"I wanna help unpack"

Always smiling

7 staples to the head and I'm STILL smiling

This boy LOVES him some bugs

Typical Isaac face

again...very typical

This naughty boy got into mommy's "feminine things"

and made a mess of flour and sugar

Makes one ADORABLE pirate

and a killer monkey face, too!

He's a completely loyal "boyfriend"

and loves to monkey around

Isaac is an energetic, rambunctious, very curious, even more independent, and extremely lovable boy.  He has kept me on my toes, and knees (in prayer) from the get go.  Our home wouldn't be complete without his dimpled smile and love for all things "little".  

I can't believe he is FIVE!

Love you Little Lincoln.  :)

I leave you with this incredibly adorable video taken on his first birthday (the quality stinks but still worth watching).  It brings a smile to my face EVERY TIME (and we've already watched it 20+ times between yesterday and today).

(actual birthday post to come later.  Be sure to come back and check out his super simple and super cool Batman birthday cake.  I'll even post a tutorial). 

Shake, shake, shake....shake your booty

We used to dance a lot around here.  It doesn't happen nearly enough anymore.  But...for some reason, on this particular morning, we let down our hair, dusted off our rusty bones and shook, shook, shook our booty's.

Here are a few snippets of Kian, Gabe and Isaac as proof.

And yes....the old Reebok Step is STILL the favorite dance platform (see bottom video).

"It's going to be LOTS!"

Conversation I just had with Isaac (4 years).

"Mom...when are we going to have more babies?"

"Well, sweetie...we'll have more babies when Heavenly Father sees fit to bless us with them."

"Ooooooookkkkkaaaayyyyy."

...then (I hear him mumble to himself), "it's going to be LOTS!"

**Big Smile**....sort of.

and then...."Maybe some girl ones."


The kids are all pining for more babies....they keep asking "when".

(What do I look like....a baby factory?)  :)

At least they're all hoping for girls.  Even Rob's ready to have a girl next.  

And since Rob seems to get whatever he wants, there may be hope after all.  :)



(P.S. THIS IS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT!)

"But it's not 'cold cereal' day."---Adventures in Frugalness

I woke up, or at least got out of bed, this morning to the sound of "a waterfall of little somethings" cascading down onto the floor in my kitchen.

"Little Red" (the informant...aka the tattle tale) comes bursting into my room, "Mom, [Mini Rob] just dumped Kix out all over the floor."

UGH!.......

I get up, put on my robe, and head out to survey the damage.  I brace myself as I turn the corner into the kitchen.

"Mini Rob" is standing there with the, now mostly empty, box of cereal, outside the pantry door (while Little Red and Mr. Golden Locks are squatted down shoveling as much of the contraband into their mouths as they can).

I look inside the pantry and groan....it's EVERYWHERE! (they were on the TOP shelf, after all).

"[Mini Rob] what are you doing?"

"I want these...I'm hungry."

"That's great, but, it's not 'cold cereal' day, you can't have them," I say in my frustration.

"But.....I waaaannnnnneeeeemmmmm."

"Too darn bad....it's not 'cold cereal' day.  Now, go get the vacuum and clean up this mess."

Ah.....the weeping and wailing.

(I've gotta hand it to the kid, though.  He has never been one to shy away from getting himself food when he is hungry...(while my older two will just whine and complain until someone else gets it for them) and he is pretty efficient at cleaning up after his messes...(since he has been doing it since he was just 20 months old).

No...I'm not a bad mom that wants my kids to go hungry.  I was just enjoying the warmth of my bed this morning rather than concerning myself with the welfare of their empty bellies.

And....it's not my fault he can't have the cold cereal he just worked so hard to acquire (although like I said, "Little Red" and "Mr. Golden Locks" were enjoying the fruits of his labors).  I am merely following the "Breakfast Menu"...the one we all worked together to come up with and agreed to follow.

Anyone can see that Monday is NOT cold cereal day.  It's oatmeal day.  Hello!  (despite the fact that "Mini Rob" is only 4 and can't read...it's in plain sight)

(please don't be jealous of my insanely good photography skills...

oh...or my crafty/scrapbook-y skills either....

they just come naturally.)

We are now on our third week of said "Breakfast Menu".  After having many many days of "breakfast issues" (see Stubborn Syndrome vs. Starving Children in Africa), I was given some very solid advise to make a menu and stick to it.  And we have (other than one of the days my family was in town and my sister and I tried to put cut up apples and cinnamon in their oatmeal....heaven forbid).

This way, there are no surprises as to "What's for breakfast?"  Plus...it has been a HUGE money saving devise mostly because we only eat cold cereal twice a week now (oh, how I miss the days when I used to make $22 by picking up 21 boxes of cereal at the store---story from my other other blog).

All in all it's been so nice to have.  Thanks MOM (aka queen of frugalness and good ideas)!  :)

Just one more "adventure in frugalness", saving my family from being eaten out of house and home.

Even if they don't appreciate it every morning....they'll thank me in the long run....when the snow starts falling (IF the snow starts falling) and they are snug in their beds instead of freezing to death on the streets in a cardboard box somewhere.

What's on the menu for tomorrow?  Eggs and muffins....YUM!

SO WHAT DO Y'ALL FEED YOUR FAMILIES FOR BREAKFAST?
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Huggies and Heroes...

Huggies Slip On's---What's your take?

Well, here's mine.

To be honest, I don't normally buy Huggies diapers.  As a first time mom I experienced severe absorbency issues (newborn boys maybe?) and in babies more recent...allergy rashes.  I'm just not a huge fan. 

But...I thought I would give these puppies a try and ended up scoring them for only $3.99/Jumbo pack (using some mad couponing skills)...hoping, of course, that the newborn skin sensitivity was a thing of the past for Mr. Golden Locks.  

(Warning:  Possible soap box moment below)

While they have generally been fine, I have had concerns with the snuggness of their fit.  The whole add campaign revolves around easy diapering for the active baby.  I find that simply slipping them on does not secure them to the babies form and therefore having to take the time to undo and readjust the "adjustable straps" then deafeats the purpose of their whole creation.  Am I right?  I mean, if you then have to lay them down in order to adjust the velcro-ish thing-y's (because let's face it, in my experience, no active baby is going to stand still long enough for you to adjust them without trying to run off, right?) then Huggies whole campaign is blown out of the water, right?

(Excuse me while I step down...)

So...as a stubborn consumer, hail bent on using the product as intended (whether or not it actually works), I haven't been making the adjustment (pure laziness on my part).  

Let's just say that there has been a whole lotta' butt crack going on over here as of late. 

Other than that, no real problems.....

Until today.

I'm cleaning up after lunch and "Mini Rob" comes into the kitchen, "Mom...Mom...Moooooooooom....come here, come here, come here."

"Just a second,"  I say in typical "mommy's concentrating on something else" fashion.

He persists....

So do I.  

Then I get a feeling (I call them "Mommy Revelations")......and think, maybe I should listen to him.

"Okay [Mini Rob] what do you want to show me."

"Come here....come here."

He drags me off to the toy room.  When we reach the outskirts (aka the door) he pauses, points towards the corner, and says,  "Look."

I do as I am told. 

There I find Mr. Golden Locks squatting down...playing with some toys...with the "Niagara Falls of Poop" cascading forth from the back of his diaper.

I spring into action.  

Running over to Mr. Locks, I grab him around the waist, swing him upside down and start yelling orders as I sprint over to the "changing area"...."'Little Red' towel....'Mini Rob' garbage bag....'You' (pointing at the little Mr.) stop wiggling.  Hold still.  NOW!"  

The crisis was soon over, damages assessed....a sigh of relief.  

It could have been much worse.  The blob of brown goo was quickly loosing ground....gravity was winning....it could have ended up on the floor, and who knows how far it could have been tracked then.

Sigh...

"Mini Rob" wins Hero of the Day!   Thank you for you attentiveness and saving me from a lot of grief.  

Thank you Heavenly Father for sending me a "Mommy Revelation" to remind me that maybe, just maybe I should listen to my children every once and a while (and therefore be saved a lot of anxiety and work).

As for the diapers....not super impressed.  But...be as it might, I have two packages left....I guess I will just have to make the most of them (and pray for the best).

So...have you tried them out?  What do you think?

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Eclectic fashion in our home of XY's

We used to live in the land of outfits.

Drawers and drawers of matching items.  It was blissful.

Well, as you can imagine with four boys...those kind of luxuries were short lived.

Shirts are stained, ripped, distroyed...eventually earning them a home in the nearest landfill, leaving their matching counterpart sad and alone...but still very functional. 

Pants generally sprout holes rather quickly, within a matter of DAYS sometimes, and are repaired accordingly until there comes a time when they can no longer be recognized as pants.  Hello shorts.  But after time, even the shorts start to sprout holes in the most unusual of places, looking a bit like Swiss cheese (does this happen to you?), and they end up joining their long lost friends in the landfill.

Add to the eclecticism, the boxes and boxes of clothes people give to us (and believe me...we get A LOT!)  You know...The survivors from THEIR children's wardrobes...some most of which have already parted with THEIR matching counterparts as well.

The pile of eclectic fashion grows.

My point...

We have the makings of some VERY exciting outfits under our roof.  VERY exciting!

Here are some of my favorites!

 Our 4 year old

 (he's going to be SO excited when winter finally comes and we actually get snow...if we get snow)

 and

Our 5 year old

 (Sarcasm emphasized in italics)

Between the thumping of the moon boots and the clicking of the cowboy boots, these two turn a lot of heads.  Once the heads are turned the comments fly.  It's AMAZING!

My reply, "Well...at least they get themselves dressed in the morning."

I mean, really....that's what matters to me.

I wonder if I would feel differently if they were girls.  I'd like to think I would....you know, that I would want my girls to be cutesy and pretty and put together all of the time....but in reality, I'm not so sure. 

I guess it really doesn't matter...since I they aren't and I don't.

By the way, a sweet sweet friend of mine recently dropped off another box of clothes.  I'm currently somewhere in the process of sorting and washing.

Just think....A whole new world of interesting. 

Can't wait to see what they will come up with next!


P.S.  I just wanted to emphasize that we are always VERY grateful for the offerings we receive.  We have a hard enough time feeding a house of boys, let alone clothing them. :)  We have truly been blessed by others generosity.

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Stubborn Syndrome vs. Starving Children In Africa

My children have a tendency to be quite stubborn.  I'd like to blame it all on their father...but that would be a lie...because let me tell you, when it comes down to a battle of wills....I do NOT back down...at least not all the way.  I like to call it "consistency"...some people have other ideas, I am sure.

Because of our new money saving strategies (born out of desperation to hold onto what little we have) we have been forced to experiment a lot more with food budgets and food consumption....which has led to a HUGE change in our breakfast menu (as in branching out from large portions of cold cereal everyday...and sticking to the olden days breakfast of champions.  Oatmeal...Oatmeal...and, you guessed it, more oatmeal.

The kids don't seem to mind, but I am thoroughly bored with it, which is actually quite ironic since when we did have cold cereal I CHOSE to eat oatmeal everyday (at least most days) and now that I am "FORCED" to eat it...I don't want to.  Honestly!

Anyway... I've been trying to experiment and add a little variety to "the norm" some mornings, which has resulted in some pretty unsavory tantrum throwing.  My kids do NOT like to try new things unless there are super human amounts of sugar involved.

This is what a typical conversation on "experiment morning" sounds like...
Them- "WHAT is THAT?"
Me--"insert food name here"
Them--"That's DISGUSTING", "That's not what I asked for." "I'M NOT GOING TO EAT IT!" "WAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
 Me--"Well...suit yourself...but this is what we are having"
Them--"I'D RATHER EAT NOTHING!"
Me--"Okay...well that is your choice."

Typically after rehashing this conversation over and over, I loose my patience and go off on my "There are starving children in Africa (which is the argument I heard when I was young) who have no food to eat...and you are NOT going to waste this and mock their suffering...you should be grateful for what you have" speech.

"Well...I'm still not going to eat it."

"That's your choice," I reply, "but you can not eat anything else until this is gone. PERIOD."

And I stick to it....I do.

Well...this morning was no exception.  All I tried to do is add a little germade to the oatmeal.  You would think I had taken away their birthdays with all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.  HONESTLY!

The two oldest eventually relented, because they REALLY wanted some cinnamon butter toast (which I would only let them have AFTER they had emptied their bowls of whole grain goodness), but Mr. More Stubborn Than Them All (aka 4 year old Mini Rob) was not about to give in.  Typical!

He held strong...all day long.  Through snack time and even though lunch time...choosing to go take a nap instead of eating, though he was totally complaining of hunger.

I had to do something.  As much as I want to stick my ground, the poor kid had not eaten all day and was getting grumpier by the second.  So when he woke up from his nap I had two things to consider.

What could I offer him to entice him out of his stubborn stupor (I mean, the poor kid was starving)?  and What could I do to make his experience more enjoyable (maybe heat up the now refrigerated mass of goo that was formerly recognizable as hot cereal)?

In answer to the first question...I decided to pull out the big guns.....HOT CHOCOLATE!  Mini Rob's favorite!

and the second...I relented and heated up the cereal for him....yeah, I'm that nice. 

Worked like a charm.  No matter that it's 100 degrees outside right now....the mention of hot chocolate was too irresistible. 

He scarfed down the now warm raisin filled goo and got his hand on some "Schocowate.  I wuv schocowate."

I'm a genius...I know.

Although...maybe I should stop experimenting for a while....avoid the situation all together.  Makes me all agitated from the day's get-go and it sure doesn't make them happy either.  Lose-Lose kinda thing.


My mom suggested that I possibly make up weekly a breakfast menu and start changing it up a bit.

"Yeah....but that will take a lot of effort," I whined in a yeah-that's-a-good-idea-but-I-don't-wanna sort of way.

I just wanna be lazy...stay in my bed in the mornings while they pour themselves a bowl and chow down.  Is that too much to ask?  sigh....

If I were rich I would spend all of my money on cold cereal and milk dispensers for my kitchen and a never ending supply of food to fill them.  Yeah...it means that much to me.

Although...now that I think of it, if I were rich I would probably send lots of money over to Africa for those poor starving children.  That would be the more Christlike thing to do, right?

Maybe I could do both..........when I'm rich someday, of course.     Hmmmmm....



P.S.  Don't tell my kids...but about the germade/oatmeal...I had to gag it down myself.....blegh!


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Mini Me silly pants

I'm not sure why our best "funnies" happen in the bathroom.  (Best place to think, maybe?)

Although, this one has nothing to DO with the bathroom...that just happens to be where we were when it happened.

Anyway...I was washing my hands after helping Mini-Me (as in our 4 year old Mini Rob) with his bathroom needs...I looked over at him and noticed that something on his face was a little "off".  I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but he looked to be concentrating really hard on something.

It wasn't until he said, "Hey...there are two mommies."  that i figured out what he was trying to do.  You see...he has been practicing crossing his eyes a lot lately.  He must have finally gotten it right.

"Oh yeah,"  I said, "there are two of me?"

"Yeah..." he says with his insanely deep and husky voice (watch out ladies...he is going to be irresistible as a man).

and then he get's a quizzical look on his face and says,

"Mom, do those two mommies have two spirits?"

I couldn't help but laugh.  Where did that come from?

"Nope...Silly boy....it's just me and my spirit."

"Oh...."

he finishes his business and runs out of the bathroom, leaving me in a wake of confusion and wonder.

Strange questions, don't you think?

I am still curious as to what was going on in his head.

I guess I should have asked him.

Silly boy.

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Queen of "cripsy"

"Hey [Mini Rob],"  I yell from the kitchen, "Do you want a tortilla (quesadilla) for lunch?"

"Yeah," he yells back, "but not a burnt one."

Well then....

My kids know me far too well.

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It's a wonder I have a self esteem at all...

So I haven't been feeling at my tippy top best lately (read other blog post here) and with comments like these, I'm not sure that's bound to get better any time soon.

I showered today (which is no small feat for me) and put on my NEW favorite "OWENGE...the color of a warrior" shirt (What am I talking about? read here).

I'm sitting on the couch, G-McBabe (8) walks by and says, "Wow Mom.  You don't really look good in orange, do you? 

Um....RUDE!  (even if he does have a point..I am a red head after all)

About an hour later I'm sitting at the kitchen table playing a game with Mini Rob (4) and he says, "Mom...you stink."

Double RUDE!  And I totally showered today. Apparently for no reason.

(Although, the more I think about it, maybe I have spent far too much time around my children unbathed.  They don't know a good smelling mama when they've got one.)

HONESTLY!

Kids...gotta love the blunt little buggers.

I mean, who needs a self esteem anyway?

Just don't expect to see me out of the house anytime soon.  Blotchy red eyes don't really go with orange shirts either  (sniff, sniff)
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Craziness--established **PICS

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go out on the water with my husbands family (thanks C and B for the use of your water craft).

It has been YEARS (probably a decade and a half) since I have been out on a boat...and this time, I got to share the experience with my husband and kids.  Nerves were in abundance...the "unknown" and the "haven't known for a long time"...but we mustered up our courage and ventured out onto the monster tube, three at a time.  For some of us, nerves were quickly replaced by adrenalin...others had a good time but were not as anxious to give it another "go"...and then there were some that would have rather stayed planted in security on solid ground.

Mini Rob kept yelling "faster, faster"....I could have been mistaken for a hitchhiker with my ever present "speed up" thumb...G-McBabe laughed cautiously and finally exclaimed, "that was fun," once the boat slowed down a bit...Roberto, after a few minutes said, "I don't even know why I wanted to do this," and Litte Red just wanted to be done.  Mr. Golden Locks...well, he stayed on the shore with grandma to take a nap...smart kid.  I was really proud of everyone for giving it a try...I was pleasantly surprised.

Melanie, Rob,Mini Rob

G-McBabe, Rob, Mini Rob, Little Red

Little Red and Cousins

Later in the afternoon I left the kiddos with the husband on the "beach" and had a chance to go out with some other family members.

Melanie, C, H

Melanie, C, H

Melanie...all by myself.  :)

 It was a blast!

To let go of the monotonousness of stay at home mommyhood and do something "thrilling" for a change was awesome.

We got back on shore and my brother-in-law, who happened to be the driver of the boat, said to my husband, "Man...your wife is CRAZY!"

I laughed...

...didn't we established that a long time ago?

My husband just nodded...he of all people should know the truthfulness of that statement...on multiple levels.

He does have to live with me, after all.


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Lack of Balance, Salt and Pepper, Atheism, and Exercise

I've been out of sorts all morning.  Not only did I stay up WAY past my bedtime, e-mailing a new atheist and depressed acquaintance (find a post on MMUB about it here and his blog here), but realized this morning I had forgotten to take any of my medications/vitamins yesterday.  Not so good when you are taking an anti-depressant. 

When I finally dragged myself out of bed I was feeling a little groggy, a little nauseous, an a whole lotta unbalanced-ness (as if anything is new, I mean the name of my other blog is Methodical Musings of an Unbalanced Woman ha ha...just kidding), meaning I was dizzy.  Right off the bat I had a bum to wipe, a baby upset about being trapped in his "jail" (aka crib), 4 hungry boys and a really messy house.  Such a wonderful way to start off a Monday.

I scrambled to get ready to head out to our local church, where I freely give of my semi-fine tuned Jillian Micheals-like services twice a week (aka teach aerobics--boot camp, mean lady style).  I love it.  It's a fun outlet.  Unfortunately it's not the same as teaching in a gym...I don't get paid (which I am totally okay with) and my kids have to go with me (which I'm only semi-okay with).

It was while we were there, at our church, that the fiasco of the morning occurred.  It was one of my previously mentioned little bundles of energy (the 3, almost 4 year old) that was in the middle of it.

I'm working up a good sweat, kickin' some lady butt (including my own) when #2 comes to me with yet another complaint/question/thought (he's always interrupting).  I heard something about Mini Rob (3 year old), salt and pepper, and glass.  What did I do...ignored him.  "Please go away until I am done."

We're finally done....cooled down...ready to leave when #2 saunters back and requests my attention.  "Okay, Little Red...what do you need?"


"[Mini Rob] and ***** (neighbor boy whom we love and whom M.R. LOVES to get into mischief with) got into the salt and pepper shakers in the kitchen and dumped them out and broke some glass."


"HE WHAT?"


Yeah...they dumped out somewhere around 20 glass salt and pepper shakers and then decided to throw and shatter them all over the church's kitchen floor.  Lovely...just lovely!  At least Mini Rob was wearing shoes, ***** wasn't.  And he managed to escape with only one cut.  Don't ask me how.  Glass was EVERYWHERE!!!!!

*****'s mom and I (with the help of another lovely friend) finally got it cleaned up, amidst the sneezing, while another mommy held my shoeless, screaming one year old.

What a nightmare!

Now it's nap time.  I'm so happy I could cry....but I think I will just sleep instead.


Tell me..what kind of naughty things have YOUR kids done?

Lifelong dream DO come true!

I have ALWAYS wanted of one of these....

I used to spend all day, every day trampoline hopping around the neighborhood (since we never had one).  I loved to jump.  I still do.

We ordered it online.  It arrived site to store while we were on vacation.

So...instead of unpacking and putting my house (and life) back in order, I spend the day putting up this puppy.


Took me 3 tries and most of the day but I finally got it put together 100% correctly...at about 10:00PM.

IT.  IS. AWESOME!

Kudos to Roberto hubby.  I couldn't have finished (and finished, and finished) without his brute strength.

I know what you are thinking...injuries, injuries, injuries....but it can't be any worse than putting your child in football or gymnastics and both Rob and I survived those without brain damage (at least I did...he he he...Mr. Five Concussions Man).

Little Red and Mini Rob also put good use to the boxes.  They used them as "beds" last night.  We didn't think they would actually fall asleep like this....but the did.  Too funny!

I'm happy to say that I have not been on the trampoline yet this morning.  I have been getting down to business and taking care of my responsibilities.  Already I have...

De-laudryfied the laundry room

Washed the Leaning Tower of Pisa replica-made of dishes

and swept the floor

Now I will feel guilt free as I spend all afternoon throwing tricks and just all-out-enjoying myself on my (I mean, my kids) new toy. 


Questions?
What is YOUR favorite thing to do on the trampoline?  Any favorite games?  Any rules I should consider?  Any warnings?  Tell all...we are newbies at this.



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