Things are in full swing here! B has yet to bring home homework, which is fine by me! Does not have much to say at the end of the day either. The other two love getting to the school early and playing outside. It is probably one of my most favorite times of the day. Sitting under the big ol' tree, in the shade, just hanging out and watching the kids. There is a boy who was in 3rd grade last year but is now home-schooled, who loves little JB. His mom is the cross guard, plus his little sister is in B's grade, so he still comes up to the school just to see and play with JB every afternoon. We have also been getting to school early in the mornings so the boys have 20 minutes to play on the playground. Just trying to get them out as much as possible and just play with them.

B had his first soccer practice yesterday. His soccer ball and one shin guard is MIA. I know the shin guard is around here somewhere. The coach's wife was not real impressed with the fact that I made him play with only 1 shin guard. How else do you teach responsibility than receiving a good ol' kick in the shins? (Thankfully that did not happen). She made it pretty clear that you can't play or practice without them, and yes, he was the only one without them.

The other day the boys and I set out on bikes and we stumbled upon some of B's friends from scouts who also live in the neighborhood. I felt like it was the little second grade brat pack. We followed all the other boys on their bikes to the irrigation ditch and they played and played. They did not seem to mind that I was hanging around. Then they came back to our house for a bit. The next day B wanted to go to one of their houses so I set him off by himself on his bike. It was just about a block away but we are now moving into new territory. Getting older and wanting more independence. Lots of prayer and this is where some of what you have been teaching all these years hopefully comes into play. If nothing else, I made it very clear to him what would happen if I found out he was out without his bike helmet on, even if others did not wear theirs, or if he ended up someplace I did not know he was going. Responsibility is a common word these days!

Jbird had his preschool orientation today. He loved it! There are actually 6 boys and 3 girls in his class, so will be fun to meet some more kids for him to get together with. The boy also has an appetite! This morning he had 2 pieces of cinnamon toast. Then a little later we met some friends at McD. He had two sausage biscuits and two hash browns and was still asking for more food by the time we left. He loves to make himself 2 sandwiches for lunch. We recently got on over the oven microwave oven. It is huge and he loves to microwave his own stuff. I have to make sure he does not push an extra zero, but boy is he learning his numbers.

JB has just figured out how to ride his three wheeled scooter. He is very proud of himself as he puts one foot on the scooter and pushes with the other one. The speech therapist said today she is starting to see some phonological patterns, which is good. They are immature, but patterns none the less. He tries so hard to produce some sounds but just can't.

One thing we have been doing a lot lately is playing games. I just love games and so fun now that the boys are getting old enough to play by the rules and provide some competition. B loves Sorry and even gets to stay up later than the others and often indulges in a few games (he is the kid that does not seem to need much sleep). Jbird has beaten me pretty badly in Candyland too! Poor little JB wants in on the action but what he mostly seems to do is just mess up the board. We are trying to teach him though.

I am managing to keep all my plates spinning. I seem to have quite a bit going on right now, although it sounds like more than it really is. I am teaching Jbird's Sunday School class once a month and will be a leader in B's AWANA every week (plus praying about doing story time). I am helping to organize our fall women's retreat and the PTC school Fun Run. I am the team parent for the soccer team and still doing registrar and treasurer for Cub Scouts. I have not found a bible study yet for the fall but have enjoyed my mornings of curling up on the couch with my devotional and bible and blanket. (Yes the mornings are cool enough for blankets).

Off to finish a few things while the house is quiet and then hit the sack. Looking forward to a low key day tomorrow.

I have been working with JB on trying to get himself dressed. He gets the basic concept but still struggles with the actual doing of it. Sunday morning I helped him get his clothes on and then told him to go find his shoes and put them on. He was so proud of himself when he walked around the corner.....(he was all bent over when I took the picture)

I did not have the heart to tell him those were not (techincally) shoes, so that is what he wore to church. Fortunately our church is very laid back and everyone thought it was great!

Here is my new second grader.
He got three days under his belt this week. He says so far it is boring because all they do is talk. (I guess the teacher spends the first 3 days really trying to do some team building, which I think is great). He will have a different teacher for math and reading, so will be interesting to see how that goes.

JB has passed another milestone, one I am not excited about. He can now turn door knobs and open doors. This creates a problem when I put him down for a nap in the big bed, shut the door and head downstairs. I assume all is quiet upstairs, but instead, twice I had found he had come out and was looking for trouble.

Jbird will have his preschool orientation this week. He is very excited and I am curious to see how it all goes.

JR is working away. His responsibilities at work are changing somewhat. He is also finding lots of side jobs to do. With hunting season just around the corner, we probably won't see him much in the near future.

I am finding I love just being at home. (I have my fall schedule worked out and Tuesdays and Thursdays are my stay at home/have no commitment days) Some days though I seem to struggle with what to do. Organizing and getting rid of stuff means less for me to take care of, which is good. I can now focus on hanging more with the kids. But when they are having quiet time or playing by themselves, there are times when I find it hard to just sit...always feeling like I need to be doing something. I know the cold weather is coming up and looking forward to those afternoons of curling up under a blanket and reading.

Tomorrow is the first day back to school. Hopefully I will remember to take a picture - and have time to take one. The clothes are laid out, (along with socks and shoes - usually the biggest thing to find in the mornings.)

The other day I sent the boys upstairs to brush their teeth. Jbird came back downstairs using an electric toothbrush. I asked him if it was his toothbrush and he said no. I told him we don't share toothbrushes, that it is gross. He looked at me very matter of factly and said "yeah, we share a toothbrush just like Kenna and Kolby share a cell phone." (their cousins). It is amazing how healthy we stay around here with all the sharing toothbrushes.

Some other random things said lately around here, some of which makes me scratch my head....Today we were driving and B for some reason started talking about turkey. He said 'Mom, I don't think we should have turkey this Thanksgiving. Turkey is just...just... all turkey. We should have hot dogs instead'. (I am thinking hot dogs are a lot easier and cheaper too!) Jbird seems to think that his friend John always gets the cool fun snacks. Yesterday he asked me why John always gets soda when his mom gives it to him (not sure where the question was there). Tonight I made chicken nuggets. (Finally found a quick easy recipe that does not dry out the chicken - chicken with mayo rubbed on it and then the crust is crushed corn flakes.) Jbird was telling B how good they were and said 'I strongly advise you B to put ranch dressing on your nuggets'. I hear so much of myself in them!

Headed to Wal-mart for some back to school shopping. Also picked up some food items, one of which was chicken. I specifically put the chicken in a plastic bag in case it leaked. Loaded up the rest of the cart with erasers, pencils, glue, folders, bathroom stuff, bike stuff, etc. At the checkout, I went to grab the bag of chicken. Chicken juice got all over the stuff in the cart. The cashier and I are wiping everything up with paper towels and she is trying to salvage all she can. (All the while the people behind me are not happy about them being delayed.) After we were done cleaning, she pointed to a trash can behind me where I could throw my paper towel. I turned around and slipped and fell in chicken juice. Not a happy camper. Fortunately it was not a hard fall and I managed to catch myself just before I totally hit the ground. Needless to say, the staff were right on top of me to make sure I was okay.

Things are starting to gear up with cub scouts, Awana, soccer and PTC. Will be a busy fall but excited that it is busy with boys' stuff. Always so thankful that we are in a position where I can stay home with the boys and be involved in their lives. I hope to never take that for granted! God gives those working moms a great ability. I am sure I could pull it off if I had to but very thankful that HE provides just enough for us and that our lifestyle is such that it does not require me to work!

Yesterday B and I attended the Celebration of Life for his principal. (They are still not sure what happened, but calling it a heart related event.) He was 53 (and very fit and athletic) and I think the fact that it happened during the summer made it much easier on the kids. I cannot imagine how it would have been more difficult if they had just seen him yesterday or the day before. It was a wonderful service. I did not know him very well and honestly, what little I did know, what tainted by the opinions of others that worked with him on specific things. However, at the service, it was very clear that he was very serious but also incredibly humorous. He was always looking for ways to combine technology with the classroom. The superintendent talked about how his annual review was in July and all the values he was passionate about. His wife and three kids were there. Two different slide shows were shown. All the elementary school staff and kids present went up on the stage and did their school chant. The service was closed with all of us scooting across the aisles, arms around shoulders and we swayed as we sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". (He was a HUGE Red Sox fan.) Will miss seeing his smile and watching all the 'knuckle punches' with the kids. I think he could call all 535 students by their first name, or atleast close to it.

Today the boys and I set out on a hike with the cub scout troop. It is always fun when I hike on a trail I have never been on. This one is just across the street from a very well traveled on, but nice to get a different view.

We found a shelter built up top. This is a shelter! Assuming it was built a stick here and a stick there by many different people.

Taking a break! I took JB out of the backpack for a while and he hiked almost 1/2 a mile, most of it in the sun!


Had the bumper on the van replaced. The great thing about the fender bender is that the most dinged up part of the car was the bumper, so replacing it makes it look much nice.

Have a quiet rest of the weekend planned. The only thing on the agenda is shopping for school supplies and with Back to School Night Monday, time is running out. B found out his teacher. A lady who took last year off (due to a medical leave for a family member I think) but has about 20 years experience with Kindergarten, First and Second grade. If she is the teacher I am thinking about, she loves to sing in her classroom. This would be awesome because B learns so much through song!

This past weekend we found some inflatables at the local park. This is the first time we have seen this one. It is a lot harder than it looks since the 'holds' are not real solid.



Twice recently we have been out and about and JB goes to sit on a bench or chair and manages to fall through the space between the chair part and the back part. Not sure how he manages it, but just fits right through there and gets just the right angle. He has started using the word 'off' in the right context, so we now have about 4 words. Baby steps!

Today we set out on bikes to hit a couple of parks.








We also hit the library and a few other stops. Jbird has been doing well riding on his bike without training wheels, so we ventured onto a street with a little more traffic (not tons). We were riding against traffic and a policeman came towards up and rolled down his window. He told me the boys needed to be riding with the traffic. I told him I disagreed and wanted to know the reasoning behind it. He told me to catch up with the boys (who continued to ride on) and he would turn around and talk with me. I made it very clear that I was not trying to be argumentative but that as a parent, trying to teach my children to ride on the side of the road, I felt much safer with them going against the traffic. It was easier for them to see what is in front of them than to try to listen to a car come up from behind them. He said he understood but the law was since they are allowed on the road,they are considered vehicles and they need to be going with the flow of the traffic. He admitted he did not know if going with the flow or against it was safest, but it was the law. I told him I appreciated his concern and taking the time to pull over. I also told him how frustrated I was that there are not more sidewalks in this town and how do you teach your child to ride on the side of the road unless he rides on the side of the road. (I remember reading that 'law' a couple of months ago and at the time thought the same thing...). He was very nice and understood my viewpoint too. I just wish our 'outdoor' loving community had more sidewalks and bike trails.

Not too long ago we were reading in the kids' devotional book. Came across the verse of the day. Ecclesiastes 6:9..."It is better to be happy with what you have than always wanting more." The mileage I have gotten out of that verse. There are times I will start to quote it and one of the boys will say 'remember that it is better.....' (That makes a momma's heart proud.

Friday B and I will go to the memorial service for his principal. He was 53. They are still not sure what happened, calling it a cardiac event. Not sure if they will ever now, but sure would be helpful for the family in case it was something that could be hereditary.

I have always thought all of my boys were pretty smart and attentive, but JB has me running scared. Monkey see monkey do. That little kid lets nothing hold him back. He will watch any one of us do something and when I turn my back, he has followed in our footsteps. Not bad with some things, but when it requires him dragging over chairs and step stools so he can climb on top of the counter to get what he is looking for..... One more reason I always pray for a hedge of protection for my boys. I have always believed more in houseproofing my child but he might be the first that I childproof my house for. When he gets the stern "no", big ol' puppy dog face and huge tears start forming....then we say 'don't smile' and within seconds the whole demeanor has changed - drama king/clown. He has also started challenging me more in public, especially when it comes to him wanting me to carry him and I say no. He will have a big stand off with me, all with curious onlookers. I think I have won most, if not all, of them.

Soccer begins in 2 weeks for B. I am the team parent this season, so will add a few more responsibilities to my plate for a bit. Awana also begins early September. I will be teaching Cubbies this year with Jbird. Heard this past week that our school board, as well as the neighboring town's school board, are looking into year round school for our district. Exploring the pros and cons. Have mixed feelings about it but I would think the pros outweigh the cons. (Anyone reading this a part of year round school and if so, how is it working out?). Last night B's principal at his school died. He never recovered from his collapsed artery or whatever it was. School starts in 10 days.

This weekend I helped cater a rehearsal dinner. There were 150 people and I think every one of them were from Texas. Still not real sure how they all ended up north. It was a high faluten (spelling) event. I walked around and served appetizers. Jalapeno bites with gargonzola and cream cheese and candied bacon. I did not know that bacon could be candied but I have already googled a few recipes. Delicious. As was the smoked pheasant on grilled brioche (some kind of bread that has a ton of butter) with flathead cherry jam and carmelized shallots. It was a 4 course plated dinner. I never knew the ins and outs of kitchen cooking. I know now how they get food out so quickly - huge assembly line.

A couple of meetings lined up this week, few playdates, some tennis and getting the back bumper replaced on the car. Supposed to be nice weather so hopefully some more bike riding!

We are trying to transition JB from a sippy cup to a regular cup. He usually does great, not spilling anything. However, look what happens when you leave a newly 2 year old unattended in their chair with a cup of Fruit Punch Powerade.


Hit the courts again with my new tennis friend. Just love hitting with someone that is just about my level. He is in better shape but has a few more years on him than I do, so it evens out the playing field. I took a babysitter to the park with us while I played, so made it even better! I was telling him that the raquet I play with is the same one I played with 25 years ago. (Shows you how little I have played the last 20 years). I can't bring myself to upgrade. However, he assures me that technology has changed so much that I would be surprised at how rackets have evolved. Might try to demo a few this weekend.

Working a few hours this Friday night. There is a huge wedding party and the reception is a seated, plated dinner. They are bringing in about 30 additional staff for 2 hours so that everyone can be served at about the same time. I can't imagine being on the set up and clean up for that one.

Found out yesterday that the principal at B's school is in ICU. He was running and collapsed. First thought was a heart attack but now thinking a collapsed artery. He is still in a medical induced coma. The man is in incredible shape and probably somewhere around 50. Needless to say, everyone at the school is panicking. Back to school night in 10 days!

Our garden, our dismal garden. It does not help that it has been neglected this summer and not watered as often as it should have been. The pepper plants are just starting to grow. The corn is getting tall. We have corn planted in two different spots, one received full sun and the other does not. Interesting to see the differnce in the two. The carrots, poor carrots. I did not thin them out, so don't have a lot of room to grow. However, Jbird pulled one up that was about the size of a finger. I was quite pleased as he stood in the backyard and ate it, right from the ground. A good flavor. We need to do some work before next summer and find some good topsoil. I wish we had the room for a raised bed. JR has built a playhouse in the back yard, along with the sand box that is there, so not a lot of sunny spots left in our yard.

The weekend was crazy. I put in 17 hours of catering two weddings. On Friday night I was driving home in the van and got rear ended. The first wreck I have been in in probably more than 10 years. It was low impact. We were both stopped at a stop sign and I pulled forward a little. The guy behind me thought I had taken off. He was really cool about it but I felt bad for him because of his wife. She came across as the type that would not let him forget this and bring it back up for weeks on end. I got a quote yesterday, $1035 to replace the back bumper. Fortunately it is all cosmetic, no other damage. The other insurance (State Farm) has already called me and approved the repairs, offered to pay for rental if needed, etc.

Then on Saturday evening, I was headed home again from working and came about 6 inches from taking out a dear. All I could do was thank God that it changed it's course, cause that time I was in the little Toyota and not the van.

Sunday we celebrated JB's birthday. Just the family with cake and ice cream. He loved the cake and insisted on eating the ice cream with his hands.

I finished off the weekend watching Soul Surfer. A great, inspirational movie! I have never really had a person I consistently played tennis with but the one guy I played with the most, died over the winter. So I took the opportunity to approach an older man I saw playing recently. We got together this morning and I think it is a pretty good match up. Hopefully we can get out 2 or 3 times a week. Felt great to play again.

Happy 2nd birthday to JB. What a delight he is! So full of adventure. (Just today I found him standing on top of his tricycle trying to climb on top of the car. The trike had just about rolled out from underneath him - yet he was undeterred and climbed back up to try again.) For a little guy that always has a smile on his face, this is all I could get on his birthday.

So thankful for the last 2 years and look forward to many more to come. What an amazing blessing you are JB>

Earlier this week, I decided to tackle a problem area in our house. The boys don't keep any toys, books or clothes in their room. Yet there is always stuff laying between the beds, under the beds, etc. So, I reconfigured their room and turned the double bed the other way, so there is no walkway between that bed and the bunk beds (a perfect fit). Thus eliminating alot of the access to under the bed too.

Can you guess what it took them about 30 seconds to figure out....bingo. They can jump off the top to the bottom. (Why they never tried it when there was a foot of space I don't know.) What is a mom to do. (I don't want to tell them it is okay but I am smart enough to know that they are going to do it regardless of what I say.)It does seem perfectly harmless and quite honestly, if I was a 4 or 7 year old boy, I would want to do the same thing. (Shoot as an adult it looks like fun.) So, they have been given the warning that it is not the safest thing to do and if you do it and get hurt, don't come crying to me about it. We will see how long this continues.

The boys have gotten into raiding my tool box. The other day they both had screw drivers in hand and asked if they could remove the switch plate covers. Sure, why not. Jbird got 5 of them off in the time it took B to take one off. Then yesterday Jbird took off the training wheels off of his second bike (it had been 'lost' for a while but now find). He took some scrap wood and started nailing things together! A little carpenter.


At the end of the school year B slipped in his math scores. So I decided we would do some math throughout the summer. That has been difficult. Then I had the bright idea of trying to have him do some online math games.

Still not the best idea....I cannot make him do his homework at this point and not real sure how to win the battle. (Other than his grades suffer during the school year - which I am willing to do for him to learn responsibility. I just hope he can turn things around. He is very, very strong willed!)

Took B to the orthodontist the other day. He has an upper crossbite, which in essence means his palate (upper teeth) is not as wide as his jaw. There is no room for adult teeth to come in up top. I find it even very difficult to floss his upper teeth. So, looks like a palate expander is in our near future. What we are waiting on is his 6 year molars (yes, he is 7). They have not come in yet so they have nothing to attach the expander to. One of them is just starting to break through and the other one can't be seen. We have a follow up in 6 months and hopefully they will be in by then. (The boys and I were all in the exam room - younger two played in the corner. The orthodontist was not impressed with my younger two. At one point he yelled at his dental assistant to come into the room to watch my boys. It was frustrating because the assistant had told them they could play with some stuff but the ortho was not having it. Guess it did not help that they had been in the house all day. Note to self, run them crazy before the next appt.)

I have started sitting in on JB's speech sessions. Not sure why I have not done this before...thought I would be a distraction plus having to watch the other boys. The older two boys have done fine in the waiting room. Has been very interesting to watch the interaction in the therapy room. She is very focused with him and he always knows what to expect. He walks into the room and sits in a chair, ready to work. If he gets distracted, she immediately stops and redirects him. I even find when I use the words (and sign for) 'work first' (like she does), at home, he will often give me what I am asking for. He is tolerating the drills really well. He is trying very hard to please, just not always able to produce the right sounds. I have to work at not just cracking up because there are times he will put his elbow on the table, chin in hand, tap fingers on his other hand on the table and just look at her like "what now lady". Such a ham.

I am working two different weddings this weekend, so will be a crazy, busy, tiring weekend for me.

August is here. I am sure I probably am not in the norm, but I am ready for school to start. Maybe I should say that I am ready for the routine and schedule. I am so not disciplined, in just about every area of my life, yet I thrive with a schedule. So, after much pondering, I woke up this morning with things in place for a schedule. Not a real rigid schedule. But my week planned out before it starts. Putting breakfast menu on paper, deciding what kid activities we are doing on which days, getting back to my weekday chore chart for myself. Doing the prep work the night before to make mornings smoother. Getting the kids on a set morning routine so none of the 'hurry up' yelling when school starts. (Some thrive on the hustle and bustle but I don't and our lives are really such that I have time to stop and smell the roses, alot, if I will just get disciplined.)
I am shooting for being in bed by 10pm. Last night I crawled into bed at 9:58 with hopes of getting great sleep to get up at 5am. Well, I forced myself to stay in bed last night until 11pm. I guess I was so excited (how weird is that) to have something in place, I could not wait for the day to start. So got back up and did some work until 1am. When the alarm went off, I was up and going! Now if I can keep from napping today bedtime should be easier tonight. My biggest time waster culprit...the computer - specifically the internet. Not big chunks of time, but 20 minutes here, 10 minutes googling this, 15 minutes there. It all adds up and quickly. I think the boys will do much better too! Time will tell.

Jbird continues to love his training wheel free bike. No more crashes! I had two major victories in the kitchen this past week. My kids FINALLY tried hamburger helper. I know it is not the best, but quick and easy. They finally tried it and liked it. They had it three days in a row. My oldest has always decided, even before seeing some food, if he likes it or not. Often if he comments negatively, then this quickly persuades Jbird not to 'like' something either. Then the biggest shocker, the oldest, finally tried oatmeal and it was a hit. Yeah, a hot, cheap, somewhat healthy (minus the brown sugar), quick breakfast. (Of course mom has a mental aversion to hot cereal (maybe it was the cream of wheat growing up?) but they have yet to figure that out.) I am so excited!!!

Since this week is operation schedule, next week will be operation food. Trying to simplify foods so that when Soccer, AWANA and cub scouts starts, our evenings, complete with homework, are much smoother and my attention is on the kids and not the kitchen.

My computer time is about up. Off to make bead bracelets with the older two while JB naps!

With the exception of a 1-2 hour visit this weekend, we have said goodbye to the family and friends for the summer. Since we got home 2 weeks ago, we have had people coming and going. The air mattresses are put away. The one word this summer that my boys have come to love is 'reunion'. They will now forever know that it means lots of people, playing, swimming, running outside, food and staying up late. Has been a great summer.

This past weekend my crazy Jbird has become even crazier. He is now riding without training wheels. He thinks this is really cool because he can make sharp, zig zag turns. On more than one occassion though, he has turned so sharp his pedal hits the ground, promptly followed by him. We have also run into mailboxes! He is so proud of himself and hopefully I can tame him a bit before B goes to school so he is safe on the road while we bike to and from school.

JR is home for a breather. Over the weekend he backpacked a total of 23 miles and spent two nights in the national forest. He said, although I have not seen pictures, he came within about 20 yards of a small bear. He saw something up ahead on the trail and realized it was a bear. He grabbed his bear spray in one hand and his camera in the other. Then let out a whistle. The bear gingerly looked his way several times, appearing not to feel threatened. JR raised his hand to take a picture and the bear took off the other way. JR was able to get a few pictures before the bear snorted and growled. Then JR knew it was time for him to depart. He is headed back out tomorrow morning for a few more nights in a different mountain range.

Week before last I hiked several times with a friend. I ended up logging 22 miles for the week and hit several new trails. We have not yet camped this summer, so need to plan at least one trip before school starts (August 24th).

Last night I worked my first formal event for the catering company. A wedding and it kicked my tail. Never realized all the hauling and setting up. I am told it was an easy event because it was only 100 people and the bar had plastic instead of glasses. I hope to work 2-3 events a month. I really like hospitality/serving in an adult setting.

Will try to load pictures next post.

Just can't seem to get back into the groove of things here. Allergies have hit Jbird and I since we have been back. Does not seem to matter what time I go to bed, still wake up tired and wanting to nap. Aside from a small handful of days, the heat is tolerable though - the evenings and nights very nice. Great way to cool off the house since we don't have A/C

JB has gotten back into speech therapy. Talked with the therapist this morning. She is pretty convinced that it is motor planning, which is what she suspected all along. It has just taken him producing more sounds for her to know for sure. One of the signs of motor planning is not being able to produce the same sounds over and over. You will ask him to say hammer and the first time it is 'hamber', the second time 'hamf' and the third time 'humfer' and the fourth and fifth still something different. Usually the first try is the closest. So she will begin a round of very boring, monotonous drills where she will touch a part of his mouth and hope to continually produce the same sound (a finger on the lips and he should say 'b' or 'p'. Hoping to get 3 minutes in the first couple of sessions and then build up to 5 minutes several times a session. She says most kids get it but there are some kids that never fully develop a properly spoken language. The brain knows what it needs to say, but just can't get the right sounds to the mouth. He is still very young and is producing more sounds than some of her other clients. It does appear that we are still in it for the long haul though, in regards to how long speech will continue. It is just interesting to look at our language. She said, for example, JB has some good consonant sounds, but not vowels. She said that the only vowel sound that really has 'reference points' is the 'e'. Meaning the tongue should feel the back of the teeth. Most other vowel sounds are just different placement of the tongue in the mouth, without it actually touching something. Either way, he is still such a joy and as my cousin pointed out, his smile is default. So happy and easy going.

Signing the boys up for VBS next week. One last hurray before school starts later in August. Will be a nice break for me because JR will be on vacation next week. He is heading into the wilderness with a backpack, bear spray and gun. A much needed break for him. He has been putting in lots of extra hours doing odds and ends for people. Almost like starting a small side business to see what kind of interest there is out there.

I finally downloaded all the pictures from our trip and will post some pictures once I have gone through them all. Off to get lunch and then maybe a nap.

We got home on Saturday. Thank God an uneventful trip back. We went over 4,000 miles. There has been lots going on since we got home, so have not even downloaded more pictures. Hopefully will get that done early next week (more family and friends passing through the next couple of days)

Happy happy birthday to my big ol' 7 year old. Hard to believe. So thankful God has given me 7 awesome years with this little guy. I look forward to the many more years to come and all the ways He will continue to stretch me and grow me through my oldest son.

The trip is going great. I have loved not having phones ringing or feeling like I need to get on the computer. I am in the process of uploading pictures and hope to have them posted soon.

This has been the best trip so far. Everytime I come to Texas I always try to squeeze in so much and see so many people, since my trips are only once a year, at best. This time I decided I needed a break. I needed to slow down and relax and enjoy things. So, I have just been hanging out and enjoying being away from normal everyday life at home. My phone is not ringing, there are days I don't get on the computer and a lot of days I don't even get in the car. It has been hot, very hot. This is proof that my car's thermometer was well into the triple digits.

Early on, JB ended up with his first black eye. Got knocked over and hit something - probably the wall? We never knew for sure. (I forgot to wipe the spaghetti sauce off of his face...)

The boys got to go riding on a golf cart - the easy simple things about some people's lives that really entertain/intrigue them.

Spent some time at parks. Did not stay long cause just really hot.

The boys have racked up a lot of time in the water this trip.

Fortunately JB is still taking a nap a day. Sometimes crashing whereever he gets still.

Boys enjoyed feeding carrots to a donkey.

Got some go-cart action in.



And some putt putt golf.

Did a little bowling one day.

Played in some forts.

In Austin, during the summer, there lives a huge urban bat colony. The largest in the world. They live under the Congress Street bridge and it is quite the sight to watch them all fly out just before dusk. You can see some of the bats in this photo, but imagine them streaming out like this for about 10-15 minutes every night. The later in the summer it gets the more there are. They appear as long dark streaks across the sky.

After the bats we wandered over to a Hyatt. I have always told my boys about glass elevators and they had one. Again, one of the little things that you are never exposed to living in a non-metropolitan place. (We were with an ol' college roommate and her daughter Hannah.)

Some more swimming...

Probably my favorite picture so far....This little kiddo, as well as the other 2 seem to have some of the olive coloring that they get from their daddy.


We spent 4 days in Austin, where my dad's side of the family had a reunion. Great to catch up with everyone. Later that evening, we all congregated at my cousin's house. The kids had so much fun running around and playing outside, that my boys just about saw the day go from pm to am. (I hate when the kids are up late because it means for grumpy kids the next day, but when it is beautiful outside and they are having so much fun being social and running with their cousins - not to mention mom is enjoying herself - hard to put them to bed. They have been playing so hard that not once this trip have they woken up in the middle of the night and found their way into my bed. Which translates into great sleep for mom.

One night in Austin we got a hotel with my sister and niece. The sole purpose was for the kids to swim, swim and swim...plus getting together with a brother/sister pair that we have known since birth. The kids swam from 2-10pm, only stopping to have pizza poolside for dinner.

I have managed to stay with two old college roommates and has been so fun catching up with their families. How my boys love playing with their kids, all of which are almost 10 years older. Seeing the bats in Austin, riding the glass elevator, riding escalators and fighting traffic.

This weekend will be getting together with my mom's side of the family. Should be a great time. Still have another 6 or 7 days before we will start the trek back.

We have made it to Texas. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful. We spent two nights in Denver, where we stayed with one of my old college roomates. She has 4 kids, the oldest is a 17 year old girl and then 3 boys, around the ages of 16, 15 and 13. My boys absolutely loved playing with her boys. They learned new trampoline games, had a blast with the nerf guns, played with a huge bucket of legos and got a little bit of soccer in. Putting them to bed was very difficult.
Spent one night in the Panhandle, at a hotel. (I have learned the hard way about driving when tired...) Fortunately the roads were all open from a forest fire the day before.
The biggest issue we had on the drive down was a feather pillow that got ripped in the car. A huge mess but amazing how you can clear out a car going 70 with the windows down. We don't leave them down for long though, because our car was getting an outside temp of 113!!! That is just plain hot. I am not sure if the wind blowing makes it better or worse.
We are at my dad's and will be here for 5 days. The boys have gotten an arsenal of water guns and water balloons. They are having fun. Tonight we went out for dinner. Jbird wanted some ranch dressing for his french fries. So, I handed the bottle and did not give it a second thought. Next thing I know, the dressing is going all over the chair and the floor. Poor kid felt so bad and was so shocked, it did not even occur to him to turn the bottle right side up. The bottles we have at home have a small opening when you take the lid off, but not this one. He took the lid off and it came rushing out! I think he poured half the bottle on the floor.
Hopefully I will get some quiet time in the morning, as Grandpa takes the boys out for an hour or so and then heads down to the University for them to ride bikes. Hopefully getting back home before the double digits hit again.

We have had a lot of rain this spring and it was finally warm enough to go play in the rain. Around these parts, warm enough is 60! JB had a blast!


It did not last long though, because it was followed by some hail, so they took cover.

Today we made it a family day and headed to a nearby hot springs. Glad it was only in the 60s because the water was really warm. You had to get out about every 10-15 minutes and no one was really 'playing' in the water. Here is a picture of me and JB. This is what he has to wear in non-treated (non-chlorine) water because of the tubes in his ears. Fortunately he fought it just a few times and then gave up.


A few pictures of the drive! Yes, we still have snow at the higher elevations.



I just love it when the boys find ways to entertain themselves and their laughter rings through the house. This is what they were up to.


The older two boys had a great week at VBS and B attended 2 days of Cub Scout Camp. It has been a busy week and tomorrow morning, we head out for our road trip. So excited. The car is packed! I am forcing us to leave a day early (our first destination is for Tuesday night) so that we enjoy it more and not rush through the drive. There are some cool rest areas with lots of room to run, so plan on long stops, a few detours and camping somewhere the first night. We have the bikes attached to the back of the car and all food handy! I can't believe how many blankets I am taking for camping, but with my wild sleepers, even if it is 100 outside, I still will have covers on me! Not to mention needing lots of padding to sleep on.

Hope to be able to post pictures every weekend!

Here is a picture from the last week of school. Since B has a summer birthday, they celebrated it early. The birthday person gets to sit in a special chair all day long.

Here is a picture of him with his first grade teacher. She was wonderful. The school, due to overcrowding, is considering a combo class next year and she is one of the teachers being considered to teach it. She is just that good!

I am in my 'to-do' mode. We head out next week for our road trip. Estimating about 4000 miles round trip and will be gone just over 3 weeks! Really excited! Might even plan on pitching a tent a few nights on the road instead of pushing for 12 hour days.

This kiddo was salsa-ing the other day with his dad. He has some moves and I am pretty sure he did not get them from me.
(Seems to be hit and miss if it will work...hopefully you can get it to work)



JB has started producing more sounds this weekend. Actually started using certain sounds for his brothers, although I have yet to hear them. He has given me 'mo' on several occassions for 'more'. I am quick to celebrate every new sound.

Both of the boys have been really great with JB lately...trying to help him talk, teaching him things, just really looking out for their little brother. Jbird decided he wanted to get in on the bike action with JB. So, why not. I like this set up.




(I know, no helmet and JB is not strapped in...it was just the trial run) He actually pulled the trailer about 8 blocks today before he decided his legs hurt too much (one had on a helmet and the other was strapped in). Probably not what the manufacturer had in mind, but we were able to rig it up. Maybe that is one reason he was asleep before 7 tonight!

We have a new neighbor, who is really nice but somewhat keeps to herself. The boys struggle with that because they always want to talk to her. Her name is Heidi but guess what Jbird calls her...Hiney! I was so embarassed the first couple of times, but now we all just laugh about it. No matter how often I correct him, he still resorts to Hiney.

JB is learning how to jump. When he walks along you will see him try to sort of skip. So fun to watch.

B has 1 1/2 more days until he is a second grader! Today his class and a few other first grade classes had an all day field trip. He went to the local fish hatchery where there were 15 stations set up for kids to rotate through and learn all kinds of science/environment things. Then they went on a hike! He enjoyed it!

At B's school, they don't have any fine art classes, so the PTC pays to have an artist in residence come in and work 2 times with each grade. This is the picture his class worked on, a red winged black bird. I was quite impressed. I think he has his dad's artistic abilities.


This picture just cracks me up...I love when he sleeps in this pose, which is a favorite of his.....

Our afternoon and evening.....

Picking up rocks to throw in the river

Digging up and collecting rocks


Playing on the bridge


Sliding


Counting while playing hide and go seek


Climbing trees


Hiding


Catching some air

Climbing on top of tunnels



Underdogs


More swinging


Learning soccer moves


Resting


Playing more soccer


Chase


Getting mad


Even more soccer


Blowing dandelions


Blowing more dandelions....spreading those seeds

Then finished off the day with one of these


Had some of these (not the best picture with the sun in the back)


Oh how good they were


So thankful we did not get the overnight or early morning snow showers they were predicting and that it warmed up to be a beautiful afternoon and evening.