Happy Fall, Y'all

Well, I've taken a little sabbatical from blogging. Mostly because our computer crashed, but also I've felt like I don't have much to share lately. My kids have sucked all the existing brain cells from my head and there's not much left. I don't know what it is about the fall season beginning that get kids so out of sorts. It seems like all of a sudden, they've forgotten all the house rules, including, but not limited to, how to fall asleep on their own, not to punch your brother in the mouth, my belly is NOT a beanbag, and watch your tone of voice when you're speaking to your mother.
I had to reteach them a few things...some of this came back to memory fairly quickly, others are taking a little longer. In midst of the chaos, we've still managed to enjoy the season. The leaves were beautiful a couple weeks ago. The boys have enjoyed making piles of leaves in the backyard and jumping in them. This provides entertainment for hours on end, the only downfall being that Sampson's "piles" hide very well under the leaves. I've loved the cooler weather and all the smells from my favorite candles and some yummy, home cooked food that goes along with the season.
A month ago, we celebrated the evening by carving our jack-o-lantern. Please excuse the quality of the pictures, I took them with my phone. Even more so, please ignore the horrendous wallpaper in the background. I swear, we ARE getting closer to renovating the kitchen. I know, we've only been saying this for the last 18 months.


Jon...not enjoying gutting the pumpkin.



My sweet "Jack"-o-lantern...get it?!







We even roasted the pumpkin seeds. These were a big hit for Jack, Cole...not so much. He has a weird gag-reflex.



The front porch.


Happy fall, y'all!

Happy Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween from Spiderman and John Wayne! I'm still throwing away Halloween candy little, by little. Hopefully, one day soon, I can get rid of all of it!

My Three Sons

We went to the ultrasound appointment a few days ago to find out the sex of the new baby. I asked the boys what they thought it was and they emphatically said boy. I asked them, what made them so sure it was a boy, and Jack said he knew because since I'm the princess of the castle, I would have to be surrounded boogers, and toots, and dirt forever.
I watched Jon looking at the TV screen watching the tech measure the baby's head circumference and show us the beating heart. He was biting his nails in nervous anticipation. I knew he was hoping for another boy, but terrified that it would be a girl. I had decided I was going to be happy with whatever it was. Of course, having a girl would be fun, but I feel comfortable with my guys. I feel cherished and loved so much that I can't seem to split myself evenly between all three of them without someone saying they want me to themselves.

The tech told us it was another boy and Jon's face regained color and he spit out his fingernails. I on the other hand took a survey of the room.
Jon...Jackson...Cole...and now another one. I started to feel nauseous.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my boys for the world, and while I felt relieved to still be in familiar territory, I felt overwhelmed. Three boys...three men, really.
Over the next few days, the reality began to sink in. I'm raising three little boys who will one day grow into men. Men who I hope know the value of hard work, keep their word, tell the truth. Men who will be leading their own families. I felt an incredible amount of fear in knowing what a huge task this will be. I started doubting what God was thinking. Me...able to do a job so important...me?

Even though the fear hasn't subsided, the excitement has increased. Three wonderful boys...to love and to love me. Being the princess of the castle, just like Jack said. I can't think of anything more lovely.


"When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor. Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life." -Proverbs 4:3-10

We're Expecting!

16 weeks

15 weeks

8 weeks

10 weeks


God has blessed us with another little life that will be here around the first of April! We are so excited and the excitement is growing since we are in the 'safety zone'. I'm now 17 weeks along and I'm feeling movement which is fun and reassuring to me that this pregnancy is healthy and progressing like it should be. I hesitated to announce anything for awhile due to us losing the last one. I didn't feel confident even though I've had two healthy babies in the past. One miscarriage really makes you gun shy and it's easy to let worry take you over. I've had to really commit myself to prayer and trusting that God is in control. This has been really difficult for me even though I know that there's nothing that I can do to keep this baby alive and healthy on my own. But as the movement happens more frequently and my belly grows bigger, I'm doubting less and trusting more and thanking God every step of the way.

POP's

On a cool fall Friday night, we took a quick little road trip to Arcadia to go visit Pop's. Pop's is a gas station/restaurant that boasts of having the largest selection of soda pop...or as we Oklahomans call it..."Coke". Everything is a Coke. They have over 600 different types of "Coke," anything you could ever want. We enjoyed cheeseburgers and fries and the boys washed it down with neon colored, fizzy drinks. I opted to have a cookies n' cream malt instead and I think I made the best choice of anyone. It was a fun experience to do something a little different for family fun night.

Man's Best Friend

Last month, we had a big scare in our family. Sampson, our first-born was hit by a car. I guess it was just a matter of time, really. Usually, Sam is pretty good about lying in the yard when we're outside. He likes to nap in the sunshine and watch the world go by while do yard work or when the boys play basketball. Occasionally, since he just lies there...we forgot he's even outside with us. That's exactly what happened that night and I didn't even notice he was missing until I went to let him outside before bed. It was too late, he was no where to be found. After searching the neighborhood for half an hour, Jon called the pound and sure enough, he had been picked up.
They mentioned to Jon that he was limping and may have possibly been hit by a car in the neighborhood. They said he seemed to not be in any pain, and he was just probably a little sore since he's getting up there in his years. We were told we could pick him up the next morning, but when I was able to get him, I knew immediately that something was wrong. Call it mother's intuition or just that I know my animal better than animal control, but I rushed him to the vet right away. Much to our surprise he hadn't been hit by a car in the neighborhood, but on a main street outside our neighborhood at 35-40 mph. Someone called the pound when they panicked seeing a dog rolling in the street, unable to get up. He was in a lot of pain and the doctor had to put him to sleep just to get an x-ray. Turns out Sampson had a broken tailbone, an air pocket where is muscle tore, and black and purple bruises all over.
It was a very emotional situation for all of us, but we were just grateful to still have him with us. I thought about how he's been with us through almost every step of our married lives. Jon and I bought him a couple days after Christmas when we had just been married six months. He was our first responsibility as a married couple-he trained us for the messes and frustrations that children would later bring. He was there with us through two moves and new changes that life brings. He loves and protects my children and has become a great playmate for them...putting up with being ridden like a horse, costume changes, and being dragged around that backyard on a leash. He's been a comfort to me when Jon has been out of town and I was scared to be alone.
He's often overlooked and ignored. He's been a source of anger for me when tracks mud on my carpets and i find his hair on EVERYTHING. I've seen him as a financial burden when I go to the vet to update his shots and $300 later, I'm finally able to leave. I've cursed his name as a stepped in a big pile of fresh poop in the backyard. But, these days, we're just counting him as a blessing. He's had a few more home cooked meals and ear rubs, and I even let him up on my "pretty" furniture in the formal living room. We are so grateful he was a fighter and is still with us.

Dirty Laundry

I hate laundry. Let me say it again...I LOATHE laundry. I can tolerate the washing and drying and even the folding...sometimes that feels therapeutic to me. It's the putting away and the hanging up that I hate. Since we moved into this house a year ago, I've been falling behind on my laundry duties. Lugging the laundry downstairs to clean and then upstairs to put away makes my disdain for it even stronger. To top it off, this summer it seems like all three of my guys have been wearing more clothes in one day than a house full of teenage girls. Jon changes clothes when he gets home from work. The boys change from jammies, to clothes, to a swimsuit, to another set of clothes, and back to jammies. I HATE laundry!

First Day of School

A couple of weeks ago, Jackson had his first day of kindergarten. The night before, we celebrated with his requested meal of mom's hamburgers with grilled corn on the cob. For dessert we had chocolate fondue and lots of goodies to dip. Jackson went to bed early and fell asleep right away. Mommy, on the other hand...that's another story. When you're a kid, you never hear of your mom being nervous the day before school begins, but it happens. Actually, my nervousness trumped any butterflies that Jack might have had. I kept going over the details of the next day, making sure I had everything on the supplies list, making sure it was all labeled, making sure his clothes were ironed and laid out. I wondered if he would cry when I left him, who he would sit by at the lunch table and who would be his friend on the playground. This year was extra difficult for me since Yukon schools approved all day kindergarten for this school year. I wondered if this was the right decision for a barely six-year old "baby" to be away from his mommy for eight hours a day, five days a week.
I woke up before my alarm went of the next morning and drank my coffee and packed his lunch. I wrote a note to put into his lunchbox telling him how much I loved him...just in case he forgot...by noon, you know. I sat on the porch swing and prayed for him...and me. i think mostly for me. I thought of how I'd imagined this day in my mind since the day he was born...dreaded this day actually. You hold your newborn in your arms and think that the next 5 to 6 years won't fly by, but it does. It flies...overnight. He woke up in a good mood ready for his new adventure. We decided to walk to school since it's so close and I figured that would work out any jitters he had. Sampson made the walk with us, and I think that was especially comforting to Jack. I did notice, that he packed Raffi (his beloved stuffed giraffe) in his backpack. I had to remind him that Raffi can't come out of the backpack at big school like he did at Mother's Day Out. He assured me he wouldn't take him out, but he said that it made him feel better just knowing he was there. Jon and I have had many conversations with Jack, jokingly asking if Raffi would attend his first day of kindergarten, his college graduation, his wedding day. So far, he's still hanging around.
I walked Jack into his room while Jon, Cole, and Sampson stayed outside. I helped him hang his backpack, find his name tag and put his supplies away. I kissed him goodbye and told him I would be praying for him all day. He smiled and cautiously made his way to the carpet to sit. I stood there watching and biting my nails as I saw him looking for who he might be friends with. He sat in the group of boys and I watched and listened to their conversations about superheros and what characters they had on the backpacks. I began to stereotype the kids...the jock, the troublemaker, the nerd who wore 1/2 inch thick glasses and wanted to find all the kids whose names started with a 'C' like his, the bookworm kid who wore Velcro shoes with navy socks and drooled as he stared at the reading list of books. Not much ever changes, you know. I started to feel like he was going to be okay after I saw that Jack's label was going to be somewhere between the older cool kid/role model and the ladies' man....not that I want my kid to be a ladies' man, but I did notice that he was the best looking and the little girls noticed too, so I'm just saying.

As I left, his teacher handed me this poem. i didn't have time to read it til I got home and Cole was settled in watching his cartoons and drinking chocolate milk. I read this poem, and felt peaceful knowing that she's a mother and she's been through this experience before and she must understand how I feel. The poem was called Jack and the Beanstalk, and I couldn't help but feel like it was written especially for me since the boy's name was Jack. Then, I had a good cry.

Three o' clock couldn't come fast enough for either Cole or I so at 2:30, we headed to the carpool line and parked at the catwalk and made our way to stand at Jack's door. As his teacher began sending them out, one by one, I couldn't help but smile. He ran up to me with his face beaming, and yelled, "Mom, I had a GREAT day!" All the preparation, doubt and worry disappeared as I saw the joy on his face and knew that he truly did have a great day.

Here's the poem Jack's teacher gave me:

Jack and the Beanstalk

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand-new book bag. Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother.

Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year...

Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word.

He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balance there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother.

She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside.

"Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk."

She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down the urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peak at how he was doing. I better not. What if he saw me? She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications.

"It's not that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him." Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself.

"Today's the day he starts practicing for them...And today's the day I start practicing something too: Cheering him on and waving good-bye."

(Author Unknown)

You Make Beautiful Things Out of the Dust

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the
new has come!" -2 Corinthians 5:17


God's is taking the ugly things in my life, my character, my attitude and he's shaping me to be more like him. I'm so far from where I need to be: I'm selfish, I use my tongue as a weapon, I dwell on the past, I hold grudges, I judge others, I'm a quitter, I'm stubborn, I let fear control me, I still try to do it all on my own. But...I'm growing. I'm learning to work on these things which will, for me, be a lifelong process considering what a mess I am, but that's all part of the journey, right?
I don't have a sweet story...it's ugly truth and shameful secrets and a past that I don't like to remember, but God is still showing me how I'm not defined by these things. I've come a long way from the kicking and screaming that I used to do, when he wanted me to use my testimony to glorify him. There used to be a security in perfection. The first year Jon and I were married, our biggest argument was about cleaning the house...not the lack of cleaning, but the obsessive cleaning. I couldn't sit still. I was always up scrubbing something or switching the laundry over or mopping the floors for the 3rd time that day. Jon wanted me to sit and relax and spend time with him, but I was held captive by the irrational thought that everything had to be perfect. It had to be perfect or I was afraid he would leave me. Looking back, I laugh at how little I knew about my husband then. He is not bothered in the least by a mess. He doesn't even notice. Isn't this just like God, and how He's not bothered by what a mess we are? We don't have to fix ourselves or 'clean house' before we begin a relationship with him. He says, "Come as you are." I'm starting to think that maybe a tattered, torn story really is what's beautiful. He's taken me and he's turning me into the opposite of what I used to be. Isn't that what a relationship with Christ is all about anyway? Many times in scripture God talks about making things new through Him...not by own merits or accomplishments. I'm a hard worker and I was taught that if you want something, you have to do it yourself. But God tells me exactly opposite...He tells me that Grace is something I can't earn, He tells me to rely on him, He tells me to ask.
He's turning something ugly into something beautiful...beautiful only because His name is written on it and His hands have touched it.



"He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." -Revelation 21:5

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." -Isaiah 65:17

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." -Isaiah 43:18

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." -Ezekiel 36:26

My Baby is 6!

My, how time flies. Six years ago on July 21st, God blessed me with this little bundle of joy.




We had a great time celebrating Jack's birthday. This year instead of having a birthday party, Jackson chose to stay in a hotel downtown that he had been asking about for some time. It has a indoor pool perfect for kids, plus you can see the ballpark from your room. To top all this off, we got the room for free through a friend so we were really blessed and it made it even more special. We started out the evening by eating at Earl's, Jack's choice. Then we made a trip to the cupcake shop. We went back to our room and ate cupcakes and watched a little baseball.











After the game they did a fireworks show. I've never seen fireworks this close, it was incredible. Then we did a little swimming. It was a great birthday for a great boy and I can't think of a greater way to spend it.

Learning New from the Old

This weekend, my in-laws went out of town. Gary's mother has Alzheimer's and has been living with them for the last six months. Yesterday was my Mother-in-law's birthday and Gary wanted to take her away for a couple days to go fishing and relax. We have had the joy of spending the last two days caring for Mimi. I say joy because in these last twelve hours I've reflected on what's really important in life. I've been watching her: sit in her favorite chair and pick at her nails, and drift into and out of her own little world. Every now and then she comes back to us and carries on a conversation. Even though she repeats the same things over and over, I never grow tired of hearing stories of her childhood. Stories of living on a farm in Calvin, Oklahoma. She is a hard worker and has led quite a life. The wrinkles in her face seem to tell her story. She's a stubborn woman...stubborn in a good way. She's having a hard time letting go of her independence even though she seems to know she's not quite capable of keeping it up anymore. One thing seems to make her happy and that's the boys. Whenever they are around, she smiles and laughs and tells them what good boys they are. She doesn't seem bothered by their orneriness. She'll smile and say, "That's what little boys are supposed to do."

I worked in an Alzheimer's unit at a nursing home in college. I was a Nurses Assistant and the Activities Director. This disease has baffled me for quite some time. It's heart-wrenching to see someone revert back to child-like tendencies, to wander around aimlessly wondering what to do with themselves. Last night, she must've asked us where Gary and Gloria were four times. She seemed to get a glimmer in her eye when she asked, "So, I'm here alone this evening?" I had to explain to her that Jon and I were spending the night here too so she wasn't quite alone. Her face dropped and she closed her eyes. "I can stay by myself. I'll be just fine. So, you now have the burden of babysitting me, do you?"

"No, Mimi...we have the joy of spending time with you. You are NOT a burden." I put my hand on top of hers and her chin started to quiver. "I don't want to be a burden." My heart breaks for her. I'm holding back tears as we discuss how she just wants to go home. She tells me that she wants to go to her house and sit in her spot on her couch and be alone with her things. There's something comforting to us about "home". We learn this early in our lives that it's a place of solace, peace, a place where you feel at ease. I want her to be at ease.


We continue to talk a while and finally around 7:30, she tells me she's headed to bed. This morning she seems refreshed and ready to start over again. I know the same questions will happen today just as they did yesterday.

It made me think how this earth is not our home. Our home is with our Heavenly Father. It makes me long for Heaven. So, today I'm thankful for simple things. I'm thankful for health, for my independence, for a roof over my head. I'm thankful for my children and the innocence and joy that only children can bring. I'm thankful for being able to pick veggies out of the garden this morning and the sun that beats down on my back. I'm thankful for the cool relief from the swimming pool. I'm thankful for my mid-afternoon nap that I'll take. I'm thankful for my dog to keep me company. I'm thankful for good memories I have. I'm thankful for Mimi. I'm thankful for what joy she has brought to our family and lessons that she still teaches me today...whether she realizes it or not. Her worth is invaluable to me.

God is Close to the Brokenhearted

I heard this song today and I felt like it summed up my journey right now. This year I've endured the biggest heartaches that I have ever walked through in my life. It was an encouragement to me and reminded me that God is close to the brokenhearted. I hope it's an encouragement to you as well.



"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

Dirty Little Secret

So, today I did something I've been putting off for a really long time...I vacuumed under all my couch cushions. I was appalled at all the stuff that was in there...embarrassed, actually. Most of my friends know me as a very perfectionistic cleaner, but this would make some of my friends' eyes bug out. Let's just say my kids haven't eaten jelly beans since LAST Easter...LAST, not THIS Easter.

Anyway, here's some of the loot, minus the two year old jelly beans, thousands of crumbs of something, a lollipop stick, cereal, hair, old popcorn, 2 Cheez-Its, and something sticky.



We did hit the jackpot though when we found the lost DVD remote, and Jack's Iron Man action figure that he lost sometime last year.

The old Iron Man and the new Iron Man.


Cole enjoyed his day while lying in his tent made with couch cushions and blankets. He was a real peach today...and by peach, I mean turd.





Who knew cleaning out the couch could be this fun?

Confessions of a Mommy

I have some confessions I'd like to make. I really need to get some things off my chest that I've been feeling a little guilty about. So...here goes nothin'.

Confession No. 1: When vacuuming, I sometimes purposely suck up Jack's Legos. I know it's terrible but I get so sick and tired of telling him to pick those little pieces up and I also get tired of bending over, so...

Confession No. 2: I ate half of the carton Blue Bunny Pralines and Cream frozen yogurt the other day at nap time. When Jack asked what I did during nap time, I told him I folded laundry.

Confession No. 3: When Cole asks me to "Watch dis Mom," I usually look away right as he's doing it and say, "Yay!" He says, "Did you see dat?" and I say, "Uh-huh...that was awesome!"

Confession No. 4: When I've had a day where I'm about to lose it because someone is yet again pitching a fit about something, I sometimes get down on the same age level as the boys and antagonize them a little bit. For example, Cole starts crying because he doesn't want to take a nap, so I call him a crybaby. And he says, "I not a crybaby." And I'll say, "Yep, crybaby. That's why you still take a nap, because you act like a little baby and cry, crybaby." It's really juvenile and mean, but it usually makes him stop crying and it just makes me feel better...so, there.

Confession No. 5: Sometimes I lock the kids out in the backyard while they're playing and ignore all the, "Hey, moms'!" About 20 minutes later I'll finally go unlock the door and act like I never heard when they called my name 142 times.

Whew! I feel better, now. Thanks for listening to my mommy confessions!

Money, Money, Money, Money...Mun-nay!

We're on a new debt diet. Jon and I have decided that there are many areas of our life where we need more restrictions and finances is just one of them. We've been discussing the pros and cons of this for a couple of months now, but it's taken us this long to actually do something about it. After much prayer and self-realization, we have realized that we spend entirely to much of our hard-earned cash on frivolous things instead of necessities. Did you know that eating out and HD cable with DVR are NOT necessities? I didn't either. In fact, they feel VERY necessary to me. At the end of a long day with two boys, all I want to do is sit in my "Ma chair" and watch Housewives...of NYC, New 'Joisey', OC...it's a ridiculous addiction and I'm not proud to admit it. And when it's literally a boiling 192 degrees outside...okay, not literally, but it sure feels close, I don't want to cook. Even as much as I do enjoy cooking, I don't like the preparation of making sure I have everything I need from the store, because I never do have everything. I don't like the heating of my kitchen that comes with using the stove top or oven, and I don't enjoy all the cleanup. Sometimes a girl just needs some good Mexican food, ya know?! Jon added up how much we spent on eating out the last month and it was absolutely appalling. And the most sickening part of it was that most of it wasn't even good food...it was quick drive-thru meals on our way to tball practice or soccer games, or out of desperation because there was no way that I could make a meal out of the only three ingredients I had in my fridge that day. It was wasteful spending. We got to looking at what other wasteful spending was going on in our checkbook and it was nauseating. So...thus, the debt diet. Not even debt, really...so, financial restriction diet, I guess I'll call it.
Isn't it interesting how you can look back over the years and see that the more your income increases, so does the spending? I can remember the first year Jon and I were married. We both worked at that time...although I hardly really ever got paid. I made a measly $12,000 that year as an office manager for a dental practice, but it was still a great job. Jon has always been our breadwinner. His first year as a salesman he worked inside and when he became an outside salesman, he began making commission on top of his regular salary. His first commission check was $900 and we both had to pick up our jaws off the floor when we opened that...we thought we were rich...what young, in-love idiots we were! Now a $900 commission check would leave us starving. But instead of staying within the realms of how we lived that first year of marriage, we upgraded on many things...things that we never really needed. Things that really have since then not been so beneficial...such as 700 cable channels. Who in the world needs 700 cable channels? So, as we sat and watched our 700 cable channels, and ate our dinners out, and accustomed our way of thinking to the "we need more" mentality...our butts got bigger, we spent less time talking and reading and enjoying nights sitting out by the fire pit, and taking our dog for walks. So...we're going back to the necessities. We're focusing on the cheaper side of life, and the more beneficial. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh...could one of you please DVR Housewives for me? I might go through withdrawals if I quit everything all at once, you know? I mean...safety first.

Summer Days

We've been doing a lot of swimming this summer. My in-laws have a pool, so the boys go there pretty often. My best friends parents live close-by so for a change of scenery, we spent the day at their pool.






I promise my kids aren't wearing speedos-they swam in undies that day. We love summer days!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Last Friday, our church went to a Redhawks game together for a fun night out. This was the first game we had been to this year. The boys had a great time. We stuffed ourselves full of peanuts, cotton candy, and a $5 bottle of water...I felt violated after that. They bank on moms like me forgetting to pack my own water bottles in 104 degree heat. We followed all that up with an after-game trip to Marble Slab for some ice cream.


Sweet Colie enjoying his peanuts.



Whack! That is perfect form right there!




Look at that pitch!



Cole and his buddy Cross.



Sweet T enjoying her dippin' dots.



Jack and his peanut fingers.



Check out Jack and Tatum-I think he might be a little sweet on her.




The night ended with a fireworks show!




It's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out...at the ol', ball game!