and this little abby....

...screamed all the way home. (but we'll get to that in a minute.)

Today was a whirlwind. Steve paid his ticket from the accident, I dropped of the last piece of my law school application, we went to the bank to get our loan for our the new BUNKWGN. We picked up Jake from school and then we headed up to Bountiful in Cocoa Puff (4 kids, 2 adults, honda accord, enough said) to get said BUNKWGN. Kids terrorized the place but somehow we still managed to get the guy to sell us the van. His office may never be the same.

Here's the scoop on the van (for those who like to know these things). It's a white (do they come in any other color?) Chevy 2002 Express 2500 with a 6 liter V8 engine. It has 27000 miles on it and the interior looks practically brand new. It was apparently the van that Jack Bauer and company didn't take out to blow up bad guys in. (No, really, it was a Fed fleet vehicle in a previous life.) It is also bi-fuel, meaning that it can run on natural gas (CNG) and on regular unleaded fuel. And the bi-fuel is OEM, so it came from Chevy that way and wasn't ghetto converted by somebody's shady brother in their backyard. The fuel automatically changes over, a phenomenon I experienced on the drive home...

when, after being in the car, the bank, the car dealership, and the car since 9am (it was now 1:15) this little Abby screamed all the way home. (here she is cute...this is the way we like to think about her...on the day when she couldn't stand to be the only Bunker not getting a haircut. I think I cut about 5 of the longest hairs on the back of her head. Steve couldn't even tell the difference.)

So she alternated between yell/moan/screaming "Mom" "Mama" "MOM-MAH!" "Mommy" and "I want to go to Old MacDonald's" "Please" "Please?!?" "Please!?!!!" And just flat out crying her eyes out. The whole way home. From Bountiful. For those of you non-Utahns, it was an hour drive. Comparable only to slow, spiraling, downward journey, with a long-lost Italian, to you-know-where.

When recounting the tale to his father, Jake mentioned that all he really wanted to do was go to sleep, but he couldn't because Abby kept begging for McDonald's.

Because the van is 12 passenger, I'm not sure who slept and who didn't. Those in the last two rows might just as well be in China somewhere. I think me and BUNKWGN are going to be good friends...

But we made it home, got Sam, went (at last) to Old McDonald's where all were satisfied with their fairy princess and race car toys, back to the bank, to Daddy's work, and then home. Where we all terrorized each other because we were, in reality, too pooped, to, well, you know...and then I whippped them all soundly (figuratively speaking, of course) and put them to bed.

PS - prego update. I can now not only not see my feet but at most points during the day (due to some bizarre-o pregnancy circulation thing) I generally don't feel them either. Heck, for all I know they fell off somewhere and the kids have been playing Star Wars with them. 21 days.

Love,

M

The many faces of Will...

i love this boy.

i asked him if he wanted a brother for his birthday.

he said, "no mom. can we go to chuck-e-cheese instead?"

3.21.11 - chuck-e-cheese for will's b-day

3.22.11 - bunker5 b-day

the first face is the one the sunbeam teachers love. the second one is the one they fear - it means sunday clothes are coming off and flying their way. true story.

i think his shirt should say football or rugby, don't you?

And His Name Is...Saka!

On Sunday, we picked up the most recent addition to our family. His name is Saka. (For those of you who don't get the reference, my boys LOVE Avatar: The Last Airbender the Nickelodeon cartoon - see here: http://nicktoons.nick.com/shows/avatar/) The brother on the show is named Saka and he and his sister are from the frozen lands. Since Saka is a white German, we thought the name fit.

Oh, you thought I was announcing the new baby? Sadly, no. We still have 28 days until Bunker5 (no, I'm still not revealing his name) arrives.

Here's a picture of Steve, Abby, Will, Georgia (our 9 month old German) and Saka (our 9 week old German). Georgia is a girl dog and Saka is a boy dog. On the way home from Draper, Jake kept saying, it's okay Saka, we're taking you to meet your new bride. The things that kid says.

Speaking of the car ride, Steve was driving our Accord (because our va

n was in accident and totaled V-Day weekend) and me and 3 of the kids were in it. Saka didn't want to be in the car. In fact, he went totally beserk-0 (also a Jake quote). I had him on my lap b/c my hips were ravaged from church and I couldn't drive the manual transmission b/c of the pain. (28 days. 28 days. 28 days. I have to repeat this to myself when it seems like pregnancy will never end).

Those of you who know me know I'm not a dog (or any animal) person. Wrestling this little fella was not a picnic for me. In the midst of the mayhem on the freeway (the kids were going at it in the back seat, too) Steve missed our freeway exit. The next exit results in at least a 10-15 min extension of the trip. Literally 3 miles from the house (after the detour) Saka decides to let me know why he's been hating me in the car.

AND HE VOMITS ALL OVER ME.

So, covered in dog barf with the kids yelling "ew gross" from the backseat, I'm begging Steve to roll down the window before I lose it. (Pregnancy and the sense of smell and my weak gag reflex not a good combo). By the grace of God I made it the last 2 miles home with my head out the window. We pulled up to the house and I got cleaned up. Saka seemed much better (must've been carsick or just stressed from the car) and met his "bride."

Here's a little video, for those of you who love my kids so much you'll be patient with the fact that it's pretty boring. Yes, those are my pregnant legs and yes that is my pregnant belly and yes (to all you boys I consistently refer to as Pills - you know who you are) I can still get bigger and probably will. (28 days).

Love to you all,

The Bunkers

Steve, Meredith, Sam, Jake, Will, Abby, Bunker5, Georgia, and Saka

ps - for those of you who wonder why a person who dislikes animals as much as I do has two dogs, look back up at the smile on Steve's face in the picture above. These are his dogs and he loves 'em lots. What can I say? I'd do just about anything for that man. :)

Where Abby Screwdriver?

I think we've corrupted my daughter.

So tonight after dinner/bath Abby runs around the house saying "Where Abby screwdriver?" (Yes, she speaks about herself in the third person. Unless someone steals her stuff. Then it's - "THAT IS MINE!" Unless it's in nursery where, apparently, she is some kind of divinely angelic child whom I've never seen before who just lets other kids take what they want, rolls with the punches, very "mellow" about everything. insert eye-roll here. why are my kids rock stars for everyone but me? for me they're well, not angelic.)

But I digress. So, to my knowledge, Abby does not own a screwdriver. So I'm a little confused about what she thinks is a screwdriver and why she thinks it belongs to her.

Keep in mind that Abby calls things whatever she wants to call them - regardless of what they are actually called. One of her favorite movies is Tinkerbell. But she calls it Cinderella. Blatantly refuses to call it Tinkerbell. If you ask her if she wants to watch Tinkerbell, she says no, Cinderella. But if she asks for Cinderella and you should, ignorantly, put in Cinderella you will not be met with happy thanks. No, you will not. I don't think you will be met with any variety of thanks, come to think of it.

But I digress again. As I'm picking up toys and she's anxiously running around looking for her screwdriver, I finally hear this "I found it. (obvious relief in her 2 year old voice) Found Abby screwdriver. Mom. Mommy?"

She comes around the couch almost as we re-created it in the photo above, with her "screwdriver" safe and secure around her wrist.

But see, I can understand why she would be confused. First, mommy owns exactly one bracelet. She only wears it occasionally and when it is worn it is called a pretty because it sparkles. Sam owns a black silly band which recently broke, but I'm not sure Abby didn't think he was just wearing a hair tie - also called a pretty - around his wrist.

But in our house, tools (and light sabers) are paramounts to existence. So, it stands to reason that something important, that should be kept near to one's person, would be called a screwdriver. Even if it's purple, plastic, and actually a bracelet. Or a ring for attaching baby toys to a baby schlepper - but let's not split hairs.

Thankfully I named her new baby doll - Sweet (or Sweetie or Sweet Baby). Otherwise, it could've been Hammer Time or something.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

So today Jake brought home a "My State Book" about Utah. It was nice. State flower, state bird, state tree, state animal, state song, state symbol. Nice.

I thought it would be cool for him to make one about Virginia. Call us crazy, but Steve and I are still in love with the homeland. Some of the stuff I already knew. State flower/tree - dogwood. State bird - cardinal. State animal - no state animal. We've got a state dog and oh, this is cool (thank you google) a state insect - the tiger swallowtail butterfly. (look it up.) State song - Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (the lyrics of which we will not be writing in the state book and it seems that state legislators have been looking to replace since the song hit emeritus status in 1997). State symbol - the great seal of Virginia (see left).

It is this great seal and the latin-eese written on it that prompt today's post. How would you explain this graphic to an interested five year old who immediately questions (especially when it is compared with the oh-so-industrious (and obvious) beehive) what is that lady doing? is that guy dead? why is she standing on him? Tyrannis? Like the dinosaur?

So, Sic Semper Tyrannis means - Thus Always with Tyrants. Which in five year old equals - Good Guys Always Beat Bad Guys. That lady is, yes, standing on that dead guy's body because she is the symbol of virtue - or the Book of Mormon word - righteousness - and he's well, dead, because he's the bad guy. Tyrannis means bad guys - kind of like Tyrannosaurus was a pretty bad dinosaur.

He's totally on board with this. Tells Sam all about it when he gets home from school. Side note: 5 year old latin is hysterical!

Then tonight during family scripture we were talking about how Alma's people (Mosiah 23) help the lost Lamanite army find their way home and then the Lamanites break their promise of freedom and set up guards around them and make this totally rotten guy Amulon the king over them. At the conclusion of the chapter - it's a cliffhanger - you don't know how this is all going to shake out. But I looked at Jake and I said, but what did we learn today about bad guys?

Good guys always beat bad guys with the Book of Mormon clarification - if and when they remember their God, keep the commandments, and say their prayers. And listen to their mom. In other words: And it came to pass - Sic Semper Tyrannis! Amen. (which incidentally the children have spontaneously decided to all say as Ah-men instead of AA-men. Not sure why.)

happy random tuesday. love, M

All I Want for Christmas...

Sam had his two front teeth out today, so here's his Christmas greeting:

PS - the mustache was his prize pick at the dentist's office. I think it adds to the overall experience, don't you?

PPS - over a foot of snow today = happy kids :^)

Merry Christmas

Here's our family Christmas photo. These days, it's about as good as we get.

Merry Christmas 2010!!

Love,

The Bunkers

Steven, Meredith

Sam (7), Jake (5), Will (3), and Abby (2)