adopt your own virtual pet!

Got your baby, got your blanket, got your bucket of ...Guinness and Pinot Grigio (I dont like beer)

Well, it took me so long to figure out how to get 3 pictures in here that I dont have any time to type! These are a few California pics for those of you (ANNIE) who have been asking. That sweet Sam is the best, and, No, we are not all usually THAT tan. --dirksgirl

Acting out. . .

The latest news at the Warren/Slaughter house is that six, count'em SIX of the residents of the house are going to be involved in drama this fall. No, no, I don't mean the kind of drama that takes place year 'round--"He was making a face at me but I didn't hit him!". . ."I know I left my math book in the kitchen and now it's gone and can I go play now?". . ."Dad come quick! I didn't do anything but there's blood all over the trampoline!" This year we're gonna teach the kids to do it RIGHT and be believable when they tell us their stories! Nathan, Bethany, Shelley, John Caleb, Timothy, and Molly are going to become thespians, spending a good part of their Thursdays every week with a large drama troupe made up largely of home schoolers. Actually, Bethany and John Caleb are more interested in the "techie" side of things, but all of them will spend some time learning both the "art" and the "science" side of theater. We're pleased that so many of the kids are interested in the same activity this year--cuts down on the driving! And I'm sure most of you will be approached about buying tickets to the big productions. . .if they're anything like the one in the spring, you'd be treating yourself to come and enjoy :-)

If you're really bored...

.... here's a semi-fun thing to do (and I stole the idea from Jane's website). Click on this link http://www.world66.com/myworld66 and make a map of all the states you've visited. Don't laugh, I'm trying to kill time while the baby sleeps.

Annie

Walking Man...and Woman...and lots of small people

We're BAAAAACK! Yes, the Russells are home again (a few of us w/ Disneyland colds) from our almost annual jaunt to California. We visited w/ the Big Russells, went to the aformentioned Disneyland, ate waaaay too much sugar, Samuel ate lots of sand at Hunington Beach (which we are still finding if you know what I mean!), and had some great weather. I have calculated that we spent exactly 53% of our visit on the beautiful highways of Southern Cal. I was amazed that it can take 1hr to go somewhere and yet take 3hrs to get back home. The laws of nature that most normal people live by do not apply in California. I have several more examples I will save for another day.
The best part of our trip were the stares, comments, gawks, and a few back-handed insults w/ got about the size of our family. We had the 4older boys dressed alike for the airports and DL and were the topic of conversation everywhere. DL employees even stopped us much to MILs embarassment. I am grateful I am married to a man who not only is not bothered by it but relishes it. Hes so cool he even wore the same outfit as the boys at DL.
The children are now being put through DeTox. ALL they got for breakfast from their boring old parents was oatmeal and a plum. Oh, horrors.

i think i hear a fiddle. . .

(Tevye)

Is this the little girl I carried?

Is this the little boy at play?

(Golde)

I don't remember growing older

When did they?

(Tevye)

When did she get to be a beauty?

When did he get to be so tall?

(Golde)

Wasn't it yesterday

When they were small?

(Men)

Sunrise, sunset

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly flow the days

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers

Blossoming even as we gaze

(Women)

Sunrise, sunset

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears

~~Golde

Happy Birthday, Kristen!!

This is Kristen - she is one of my big sisters, one of my best friends, and one of my heroes. Wish her a happy birthday!

Ahh, the sentiment of love...

Found this picture that we took at Sea World in the spring. Even then, Carrie already loved her Papa and I think he likes her, too. She is even more of a Papa-fan now, but seriously, who isn't? I think Dad could very well be the most popular human on earth (next to Pop, maybe). He's a wonderful Papa, and I'm so glad my kids have him.

The winds of change. . .

. . .are blowing through here. I see bags of stuff going in and out of rooms. . .CJ is paring down and deciding what she wants to take with her. . .other people are poring over the leftovers and plotting what to do with the space she leaves behind. How come it seems like we've never done this before, huh? It's not like we've never had a daughter decide to just up and desert us--we should be pros by now! But NOOOO. . .we have to go and get all weepy and morose every single time. John says we're not gonna let this happen any more. I'm trying to figure out how you do that. . . ~~the Matriarch

More Sand...

Another warm welcome to our newest blog link, Johanna :-) We hope you like it here!

The IT guy's wife

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the links of our blog

I have now added Il Bussola to the family link list. Please visit Shane's blog and give him a warm Warren welcome!

I'm not saying anything... But I'm thinking a lot.

If you would, please turn your attention to the right side of the screen: For your perusal and reading pleasure, I have added links to some of the other family blogs. If there are others (pertaining to family or friends, or interests of family and friends, or of family interests, or any other combination of family, friends, and interests that I might have forgotten) that anyone would like added, please email me the links and I will post them if they pass muster. Since we have already established who is Boss and who is King, THEY will have ultimate say-so on what gets published. Sorry, Suze - no Izlie links here.

The IT guy's wife

It's too sad!

Come see us!!!! we miss you!
Caleb--Don't look at the camera! Oh, wait.
Annie--There was a time when love was blind!;-)
Erin--tell mommy to let you have green beans now cause you have a tooth!

This is a Test. A What? A Test. A What? A Test. Oh! A Test!

Hey! Listen up, Everyone!!!! Crystal Sea Drama Company is doing a play for a competition in Waxahatchy(if that's how you spell it:-D) called This is a Test. As most of you know, Nathan is acting in it and Bethany is the Stage Manager. Well, they had practice last night at Gracepoint Church and i went to hang out w/ my friend Brandon cause he had to be there because his brother is in it. Well, they were short one person in the play so Mrs. Miller asked me to be in it! It's a Highschool play and most of my friends are in it(they're highschoolers) and Mrs. Ripps said i could pass as a freshman! I don't have very many lines--mostly ad lib-- but still, it's gonna be soooo much fun! We're also going to perform it at Gracepoint before the competition, to COME SEE IT!! The competition is in November and we'll al bus up there together and stay in a hotel and all that jazz. Bye!

~~Shelley

Johnny Depp rocks!!!!

Let's take a vote. Comment on which Willie Wonka you think did a better job(unbiased) Johnny Depp or Gene Wilder.
Go.
~~Princess Vannetts ;-)

You can hear the ocean roar, in the dangling conversation...

Ok, I just have to say, for the record, that all this blogging, complete with pictures of Erin, is making me more sad that ANNIE AND CALEB AREN'T HERE!!!!! Come visit, quick! Carrie isn't sure she remembers Erin today. --Kristen

Darling shouldn't i be the one wondering, after all, I'm the one who is gone.

I was just wondering why Lyric isn't posting on here! she's am important member of this family! you know what i think? i think SOMEONE--i'm not mentioning any names, MOM--forgot to tell her that there is a family blog! if no one else want's to then i will have to!
~~Shelley, the caring one

If you've gots the poison, I've gots the remedy....

This is my favorite pic of the boys. This was at the zoo, and is a preview to their days as ladykillers. kristen

umm......hi!

don't we look beeeaauutiful? whoever took this picture is AWESOME!!! oh, wait, that was Bethany.........nevermind!.... :-)
the only downer in this picture was that i couldn't open my eyes because the sun was looking right at me!

I'm outy. ~~shelley

"Then I was young and unafraid...

... No song unsung, no toe untasted!" Disfortunately, Erin will usually choose toes over even the brightest and most alluring toys. Why do I bother spending the money?

I'll catch my breath, and count to ten, and open my eyes...

I figured we need some naked picture on this blog, and I'm not sure that Dave would appreciate it being me :-) Carrie loves bathtime. --Kristen

Single But Bold

Abby has been waiting for me to post a new "makeup" picture of her. This was one of her "lip-gloss days". She says hi to her Baby Enin.

Please make me young (at least for the moment)...

This is my oldest, Molly, since I hadn't posted a pic of her yet. She's 7, and a know-it-all (aren't most 7-year olds?), but very sweet and loves to kiss everyone. She's a good big sister, and a very good bosser. I think she took lessons from her Auntie (you know who you are).

Kristen

from The Matriarch

the electric bill and the temperature in my room by 3pm tell me that it's the dog days. i'm longing for the first signs of fall. . .admittedly very easy to miss here in the south country, but there are a few for those of us who look closely. the lawn is struggling, the crape myrtles are past their peak blooming season, and the school supplies are picked over at target. perhaps a night dipping into the high 60's isn't far behind, and light sweaters after that. i can get pretty excited just thinking about it. . .

too hot to handle...

I thought that we'd be further along by now.

This is me and my mom, and we're sad because my dad has to work all weekend. Does anyone want to come visit? I have an extra bed in my room and I'm a great roommate - I even sleep through the night!

Ok, they look silly, but I thought I should post of the pictures of the Slaughterhouse boys. These are their matching birthday outfits from Grandma Slaughter. Matching clothes make them look a bit alike, though they are complete opposites in reality. Warren and Henry both say "Hello" and "Welcome to our crazy world where Papa is King, Granny is the Boss, and everyone else is lucky to be here".

this is shelley

i have taught her well:-D
abby knows everything that there is to know about makeup(mostly lipgloss thanks to me:-D)
not a good picture of me though:-/




--later days, shelley

A post, by me

A hush falls over the crowd. There is no noise left in the building, except for the occasional sound of the stirring trees on the back porch. Then a loud voice..."This is it, the moment you've all been waiting for", and everybody's eyes search the darkness. And then once again the booming voice makes one last statement and disperse,"Bethany is posting!!!!"
And the crowd goes wild with amazement and disbelief. They are jumping out of their seats, trying to be the closest one. They are knocking each other over just to be first.
And then all at once....she appears!

"Goooooood morning ladies and gentlemen, and what a fine morning it is. Especial in the warren household, where nothing is out of the ordinary or un-normal. Ok, I lied. But still, things over here are running rather smoothly. This is our third school day of this year, and we are all pretty excited! (except for Henry in the back corner who wants Wes' toy).
"I trust all of you lovely folks are having an amazing morning also. And that nothing wild or crazy is going on in your homes.
"And now, my beloved fans, it is time for me to depart. Farewell. I wish you the best of days today (unless you want to save your best day for tomorrow, and that's fine too). I leave you now in a state of solitude so that you may see my true convictions about ending this post. Goodbye."

---Bethany

HotDok!

I figured I'd post a pic of the hottie who made this all possible: Give it up for the ghetto-fabulous Dok!!!

castle

this is the castle in which i work. next week i will move into the apartment in the back of the house. fancy, eh?

--sis

Room for two, fuel for thought....

Ok, my baby is at least as cute as the much-photographed Erin, though with thighs not as easy to pinch. Our baby misses that baby. This is Carrie and her Daddy, who is very cute as well (teehee). I'll put pics of the other kids later, but babies matter most, yeah? Dok rocks for making this blog, because us older sisters aren't tech-savvy. Now everyone will be privy to the tribe's dirty laundry, dirty diapers, and dirty language...oh wait!!!! Kristen (from the Slaughterhouse)

All is Quiet on the Eastern Front (There Appears to be a Lull...)

Erin Says:
Since Dok put my picture up first, I'll start things off... My mom took me to three weddings this weekend. Thanks to nursing I know how to count and three is a LOT, especially for weddings. Mom passed me around and lots of people I don't know kissed me and pinched my thighs. I humored them until they broke out the camera and started exploiting my cuteness. See picture. This was my last nerve, and these two silly ladies were getting on it. Mom says they're our friends so I try to be nice. I laugh at Auntie Cindy (left) when she dances. Ok I have to eat and go to bed now. I miss my family in Texas!

From the Patriarch

We thank CJ (or Sis) for creating our family blog. Thus far our teenagers have been our most prolific bloggers (CJ, Nate and Beth) but now the rest of us can start catching up.

We don't pretend to be the greatest family in the world, but we do have a lot of fun, love each other tremendously and most of all, we love the cause of Christ.

Drop us a line, a note, a letter, a hint, an inuendo, a bad habit, whatever. We'd love to hear from you.

Dad (The Papa - sung to the tune of Fiddler on the Roof)

baby erin

family grandstand

Welcome to the life of the Warren Family. Here we will recount, rephrase, recreate, rethink, or retell the goings on in the life of our family. If you're ever ready for a good laugh or a good cry or a good laugh, please read.

Cast of Characters: (not in order of appearance)
Dad
Mom
Dirk
Aubrey
Dave
Kristen
Caleb
Annie
CJ
Nathan
Bethany
Shelley
Caleb
Jonathan
Timothy
David
Molly
Joshua
Warren
Isaac
Henry
Abigail
Carrie
Samuel
Erin

Not all of these people (especially the shorter people) will be allowed to post on this site. Maybe though...maybe we'll let them when we're in a really good mood. You will generally read accounts from the perspectives of anyone Nathan and older. So yes, have fun.