Summer Fun

Kevin did a great job of updating the blog (last entry)...I have to admit I've been slacking. There is just never enough time...I keep telling him if he'd get me the Blackberry I want I could update on the go in many convenient locations....(my birthday is soon approaching!!!) but for now I will continue to attempt regular updates here at home... I had to come down to blog after the conversation I had with Olivia. (background info)...The kids have been playing so nicely today (I am still in shock) and finally made their way from the bedroom fort outside to the blustery day we are having. They came in early on to inform me there was a small rare green frog on Gavin's bike. They wanted to catch it to relocate it to which I told them they just needed to wave a hand at it and it would hop away. A bit later they come in yelling for Olivia to not touch anything because she had been petting the frog. I took her in the bathroom and washed her hands telling her that she couldn't go outside and play if she continued touching the frog (partly because eww..and partly because I know Olivia too well and she generally ends up squishing or stepping on small bugs/things on the ground) She assured me she wouldn't touch the frog again:

O: But mom I prrrooomise I won't touch it again.

M: Olivia I don't think you can stay away from it.

O: But I caaannn mmooomm I prrrooomise.

M: Ok...where is the frog now?

O: Over by the cheeto Gavin gave it.

M: (giggling but not too loudly) He gave it a cheeto?

O: Yes, he (the frog) doesn't know where his mom is and he's hungry.

M: Gavin...frogs don't eat cheetos.

G: oh...ok.

I almost couldn't contain my giggles.

So while outside I snapped a few pictures. Enjoy!

Camping and having fun!

These are some pictures taken this past weekend at Icelandic State Park, our new favorite place to spend the weekend. This year's theme was "Halloween". Some pictures below of the kids enjoying nice weather while trick-or-treating. Something our friends in Alaska know nothing about. Well, for that matter, our friend's in North Dakota don't either. Last year we were MO for Halloween and the kids had to trick-or-treat at the hotel. This year they will get to trick-or-treat twice. What a treat! They also had a fishing derby fo the kids. Payton caught his first fish ever---literally 1 minute after they blew the whistle. Gavin had no luck, but had fun. Look close, there really is a fish there!

By far the cutest lion around! He did pretty good with the costume. Lasted about 15 minutes.

Halloween at the park for kids weekend. What adorable kids!

This is a picture taken this past Wednesday! It was a scorcher. We finally are having some decent summer weather. Too bad school starts in 2 weeks!

This and That..

Well....summer is flying right on by and we only have 6 weeks left until school starts....YEAH!!! No, really I do enjoy summer with the kids but with a new baby our summer activities had to be altered a bit...Camping has been a blast..I wish we could camp all summer. We have another trip scheduled for Aug 7, 8 & 9, Kids weekend at Icelandic State Park, and my plan is to haul the camper and kids out around July 29th thru the 9th for a whole 10 days...I am so excited. So here are a few pictures of last weeks trip plus a few random pics from home...enjoy!

Olivia applying eyeliner...

Weston napping...we did a lot of napping!

He finally stretched out enough to reach the toys....he's growing too fast!

This really made me irritated at first...you know how dirty those rocks are..and we were camping and he had just showered and put on clean clothes and then about 10 minutes later I realized how ridiculous I was being...glad I got the picture!

We made Gavin get a job to pay for all the extra food the boys seem to consume!

This is why it is nearly impossible for me to get my runs in....She is always wanting to get on the treadmill....love the fashion sense!

Oh yeah...and Weston is finally reading! lol...

Hope your summer has been fun and full of memories!

Extracting the Squirrel

Removal of a squirrel requires the proper equipment and training....it is not a task to be attempted by just anyone...especially not me! See the delight in the boys faces....lol

Here you see the proper technique for squirrel removal.

And the job is completed! See the amazement and joy in the boys faces!

Catch Up....again

We have been busy...so busy. Summer is in full swing and finally we are getting some heat. Where to start... well we traded in my Pacifica ( I shed a few selfish tears) for a 03 Suburban and camper. I really LOVED my Pacifica but with 4 children and all that goes along with them we needed more room... I don't have a picture but have no doubt you all know what a black Suburban looks like. So the obvious thing to do next was go camping. We took our first camping trip of the season over 4th of July weekend. Icelandic State Park is just 6 miles down the road and is by far the best campground I've ever been to. The fact that it is so close is also a big plus. The kids had fun riding bikes and playing baseball. Most of Kevin's team was out camping so they had a few impromptu games. No fireworks (they aren't allowed in the park) but no one seemed to mind...or miss them. Olivia isn't particularly fond of the noise...she is even afraid of the tee-shirt gun at the football games so....she wasn't the least bit upset for missing them. We had a lot of fun but I realized today, while downloading the pictures, I only got a few shots of Olivia and Weston and a little incident we had at our campground... So on our last day we were packing up and Kevin and the boys were up visiting friends at another campsite. Olivia, Weston and I were cleaning up and she asks me if she can go swimming. (Our friends brought an inflatable pool) I said sure. She comes back in the camper and said, "Mom, there is a chipmunk in the pool." I disagreed with her and went to look. Here is what I found:

Needless to say I am so glad Olivia was paying attention! I made Kevin get it out....good times!

What I said vs. what I've got

When I was 17 or 18, well before I was considering having children, when I knew so much and had grand ideals of how things should be, I used to say that when I finally did have children there would be a few simple rules to follow...

1. They would always have clean faces and body parts.
2. They would always have clean, neat attractive hair.
3. Their clothes would always match and have coordinating accessories.
4. These rules would always be followed, both in private and public, and of course my children would agree and love all of the above rules.....

I have successfully raised 3 rule breakers....and she is the biggest rule breaker of all...but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Who knew those bridesmaid shoes would be loved so much!

We still have rules but I am the one being taught to follow....

1. Always give lots of kisses and hugs
2. Always say I love you every chance you get
3. Always try to have fun
4. Laugh as much as possible
5. Spend as much time as possible being thankful..the time we have is entirely too short.