Happy Birthday Jake!!!

My oldest was 6 yesterday!! Where did all the time go? We had a little family celebration. Went to the Zoo...in the 100 degree heat. The kids wondered where all the animals were. Well...they have a bit of sense to stay inside when it's hot!!! And we rode the train which is always a big thrill.

His party is at the pool on Saturday. The excitement is building!!!!

What's wrong with this picture?

It was really really windy this afternoon and looked like a storm was coming in. A couple hours later we walked outside and found this. Hmmm....our very sad backyard just got worse. Not that this limb is down, the whole tree will have to be cut down. It was bad before, but now there almost nothing left of it.

Notice the brown grass and dirt. The drought is SO bad. Things have to change. It's raining a little right now. I guess we'll take anything we can get!!!

The boys....

Every now and then Jake will sit down to play with Joshua and it's pretty cute. Joshua has learned to roll the ball, so he'll sit and play with the older two. They're usually the ones to get tired of it first. I guess he's happy to keep playing because he's finally get some "good" attention from them.

You think you have bad morning hair???

Sophia got up this morning with the craziest hair I've seen in a long time. I just had to take some pictures. It was too funny!!!





And check this out...all 3 kids playing with the same thing...and everyone is happy. Wow!!!

Wedding gift...

This is my $10 wedding gift...and I think it's pretty cute. Just 12x12 scrapbook pages put into frames and ready for 5x7 pictures. The wedding next week is for a cousin and she and the groom are both very young...20 or 21. So, I thought this would be a cute way for them to show off pictures. Better than just buying something off their registry (at least that's what I think).

The littlest one...

A day in the life of Joshua....


Breakfast is so good that it deserves some clapping. It's especially good when you rub some yogurt in your hair.





Caught in big sister's room when she's not there. Future chef, maybe???


Third child...eats dirt and plays with the dog's ball. What a life!!

A trip to the park....

We went to the park this morning to feed the ducks, eat a picnic and ride the train. What fun. I was hoping it would wear them out for nap time...but no such luck. They did have a good time though.

Joshua is probably wondering what the heck is going on!!!
The train ride. Jake got to sit all by himself (what excitement!!) and Joshua refused to sit down the whole ride.

Sew much to do...

I have several sewing projects that I need to work on during the next week. Here's an apron I did while the kids were in their rooms for quiet time...which wasn't very quiet. But, I did manage to whip this out in about an hour. I think it's very cute!! I hope the person this is going to likes it too!

A day in life of kids....

This is what happens after you throw a major fit and then pass out. Sophia kept it up for a long time: screaming, crying, throwing stuff...until she couldn't do it anymore. When it got quiet, I figured she had either escaped out the window or fallen asleep. This is how I found her.

What started this fit??? I told the kids to get their swimsuits on so we could go to the pool. My patience was already running low. I was putting on my suit when I hear complete mayhem break out. Doors slamming, kids screaming...it was nuts. So, I told them forget it, we weren't going to swim. They got SO mad. And finally I told them to go to their rooms. Things didn't get really really bad until I asked them to close their doors (the horror!!!). That's when it all hit the fan!!!


Joshua was in our room this morning while the blinds were still down and closed. The dogs kept barking...yes...dogs (plural)...we're dog sitting. Thankfully he goes home tomorrow. Anyhow...Joshua kept looking around trying to figure out where the barking was coming from. It was really cute. When I opened the blinds and pulled them up so he could look out, he got the funniest look on his face. He stood there for a long time just watching. He's such a funny little guy. So serious and thoughtful...just taking it all in.

Huh????

Jake and Sophia were sitting at the kitchen table coloring while I was cooking dinner. I overhear this:

Sophia "I'm stylish. Are you stylish?"
Jake "Yeah...I'm stylish."

Huh??? Where did this come from???

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and my mom's. Double the celebration!!! We had dinner, cake, ice-cream and opened presents. This weekend the party continues on Saturday with pedicures, dinner at The Salt Lick. Sunday we're having dinner at Shirley's with the Wille family.

The kids and I were in charge of cake making. We made chocolate with peanut butter frosting. My favorite!!



Such concentration!!




Sitting at the dining room table like a big kid. Notice the extra special strap holding him in!

Joshua was ready to celebrate!


Yep...that's my first born!!! I'm so proud!



These are some very fun sandals that my friend Debbie gave me. I love them!!!

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What a difference one kid makes!!!

This past weekend Jake went to the ranch with my mom. It was a very last minute thing. She had been planning to go all along because a bunch of cousins were going to be there...including Adah, who is just a couple days older than Jake. But, at about 12:00 on Friday my mom asked if we wanted Jake to go...and about 12:30 they hit the road!!

It's amazing how being down just one kid makes a HUGE difference in the house. The dynamics change so much. Both Joshua and Sophia were sick. Ear infections and some fever all around. So, we had a low key weekend.

Jake on the other hand...had quite a weekend!! I'm not sure what all went on, but I know there was lots of fun!!! And I've heard talk of several sodas, ICEE's, ice-cream and a 11:30 bedtime one night!! He and Adah got along really well and my mom said Jake was really good. So, I'm glad he had a good weekend and we got a little break with only 2 kids home.

Ranch Fun...

We've spent the last 6 days at the ranch. It was 4th of July weekend and the first annual Cousin Camp. What fun!!! I had the great idea of starting Cousin Camp this year so that Jake, Sophia, Joshua and Grant would have more time to play together. And Mary and I would get some time together too. 4 kids, 3 days, 2 adults...what was I thinking??? But, I think everyone had a good time. The pictures say it all!!

And, we also had 4th of July fun complete with the Pledge of Allegiance (need to work on that one!!), a parade (down the driveway) and fireworks.

At the park next to Lake Waco.


The kids loved sparklers, but they made sure to keep them at arms length!! If you're thinking "why are they doing fireworks in the daytime" that's because it wasn't getting dark until about 9:00...and there was NO way we were keeping kids up that late!!!

Getting dirty is the best part of the ranch!!

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance before the parade.

First annual 4th of July parade down the driveway!!

And...my favorite picture! This makes all the craziness worth it!!!! I can just see the future pictures of the kids (maybe more can be added to the mix!!) in front of the Cousin Camp sign!!