Summer Days

The oppressing humidity is gone and it is absolutely gorgeous weather this week. We have been hanging outside this afternoon just enjoying the breeze & sunshine. The kids are doing a mix of helping & playing while I'm trying to work on school stuff for this fall. I keep getting interrupted so we'll see how much I actually get done. Lol.

We picked our first Tennessee zucchini today. The kids are so proud!

The free cherry tomato plants have their first yield. I'm quite impressed considering the condition the plants were in when we got them.

My cozy spot.

The gardens keep growing & growing.

Garden #2

Elvis pushed Princess in her swing for awhile.

Bugsy was bored so I told him to go hunt for bugs. Here he is catching a spider.

Hello, Spider friend!

Even the "black brothers", Sky & Bailey, enjoyed some playtime in the shade.

See how my herb garden pot & lettuce have grown. This is my second yield of lettuce.

My various assortment of sunflowers, squash, pumpkin, parsely,& geranium. I'm very pleased at how all my container plants are doing this year.

After a bit Elvis decided he could swing AND push Princess. He must have done a good job b/c she ended up falling asleep. =)

Boo Bear rescued some of my sunflowers by staking them. Dave had thrown the grill cover on them & they weren't doing well. One didn't make it but I think the rest will pull through thanks to her TLC.

Doesn't it look much better and very loved?

She helped out my tomato plant too. Thanks, Boo!

P-O-O-L!

Last week Dave set up the pool. Exciting does not even come close to describing the feeling in our house. I could have asked pretty much anything of the kids and they would have done it in order to have a chance at that pool. I know that will wear off as the summer goes by but in the meantime I'm using it! LOL! The kids whizzed through their chores even using teamwork! Wow-zah!

The boys worked as a team to get their chores completed. They celebrated with hugs and exclaims of, "You're the best brother ever!" Music to my ears!

Finally in!

Princess LOVED the water!

After swimming for awhile Sweet Pea took Princess inside. Bugs was done as well & ready to get warm. I asked Boo & Elvis to scrub the outside of the pool as it was pretty dirty from being stored all winter. They did a great job & were rewarded with another dip in the pool. This time I joined them. It was chilly but amazingly refreshing especially after working in the garden for an hour.

Princess was so tuckered she fell asleep before Sweet Pea could even get her out of her swimsuit.

The kids had a great time in the pool. Later that day I rewarded Sweet Pea with a free swim time alone in the pool since she had been such a great help with Princess.

Birthday at the Beach

Not exactly the beach but the local lake. We like to call it the beach because there is sand, water & sun. And face it, in Tennessee it's the closest we are going to get to the beach. Lol.

We gave Elvis some choices of where to go for his birthday. He chose the beach/lake. The best part was that Grannie & Grandpa were able to join us! Elvis went absolutely CRAZY when he found out. So fun! On his big day we packed a picnic lunch, a bunch of beach toys, drinks, a stroller, a change of clothes for all, sunscreen, towels, hats, goggles, and what seemed like everything but the kitchen sink. We drove in the direction of Nashville happy that the day was sunny & hot. We had a great day swimming, building sand castles, eating & being together. The only downer were all the bees. I don't know where they all came from as we did not have this happen the last time we were there. They were all over our picnic! The only humorous part was watching Dave & Dad come up with creative ways to get rid of them. (Sorry, PETA people but they were warned.) That was a show all by itself.

Here are some pics from our day of fun at the beach/lake:

Pals

Grannie takes the troops down to the lake.

Jumping in with no hesitation!

Ahhhhh...........this is the life.

Bugs is so proud he can swim all by himself now.

The deluxe sand castle.

The kids that came from camp were very impressed!

Tuckered out

Little Fishy

Dave & Grandpa were kept busy throwing kids in the air.

Grandpa & Boo doing a handstand.

Grannie kicks back.

More pics to come!

Lions & Tigers & ........Fleas?

Now the first two I could always imagine being fearful of but fearful of fleas? You bet your booty! They may be tiny but they are vicious little devils. We have been plagued with them. I have no idea where they came from but I wish they would return and never come back. They are NOT welcome here! They have taken up residence in our house & on our cats. Though we have bathed the cats & treated the house several times with natural remedies they refuse to leave. We thought we were winning the battle as they were reducing in number & in sightings but they have now returned with a vengeance. We are all being chewed on but Elvis', Bugsy's and my legs are the worst. We look like we have broken out in some strange hives or something.

I have tried to stay away from chemicals but we are now desperate. Dave went and bought some flea powder at the pet store tonight & is treating all the rugs. Tomorrow we will bathe the cats again this time using flea soap. I pray this works. The next step will be an exterminator and i have no idea how much that will cost. We need to get rid of these buggers once and for all. The scratching & itching is driving us all crazy! And I'm exhausted from all the extra cleaning & washing. =(

Playtime, Pizza & Pals

Friends came over for a few hours on Friday. I told Dave it was like having 3 sets of twins! LOL! The kids got along wonderfully as always & kept themselves busy running from one activity to another. I had Sweet Pea bring out the sand/water table and Boo brought out the picnic benches for a picnic. Their favorite by far was the pool. They splashed, played mermaids & sea creatures and let their imaginations go wild. I tell you my kids slept hard that night after all that playtime. =)

A Picnic Lunch

Pool Fun

A Fun Family Day

On Saturday we wanted to do something fun. Our visits with Daddy are so short and far in between that we needed this time to be something other than cleaning for an Open House or chores. We chose to go to the Westfield Fair. Boy was it a great choice! We had a fantastic time. It was the perfect fit for us - not too far away, not too big, not too small, and not too much $.

Walking Into the Fair

Notice Bugs is holding Boo's hand? Love these moments!

As many of your know Bugs LOVES chickens! He simply had to say hello to these ladies.

Witness Protection Program? Just kidding!

There was a stall where the kids could safely pet all the animals.

The kids even got to feed them & it only cost me 50 cents!

This calf was precious.

Elvis really enjoyed feeding all the various animals.

Why, hello!

Hey, UP There!

This cow kept bellowing at us from the next stall over. Not sure what she was so upset about but she had a lot to say!

Finally his face! Lol!

The Bunnies Were Precious

Watching Sister

The Army had this cool climbing wall set up. It was free but there was a long line. Boo wanted to go and we were all eager to see her climb.

Here She Goes!

She almost made it to the top! The guy told her she made it a lot higher than most of the climbers. That made her feel 10 ft. tall!

Then she did some push-ups in order to win a little football. I was so proud of her for stepping out of her shell and doing both the wall & the push-ups!

A Full View of the Wall

This Thing was Cool

We never go on the rides b/c frankly it's way too expensive. This time since it was an extra special outing with Daddy we splurged.

This was Bugsy's first time on the carousel. He wasn't one bit afraid and had the best time. He grinned the entire ride! I think I did too watching his enjoyment. I let him pick what he wanted to ride & he chose this reindeer.

What a Family!

After the older kids finished their ride Bugs' was still going. They came over and every time he came around they cheered like crazy. Bugs thought this was the best thing going. He was the most popular kid on the carousel!

Elvis & I went on the Ferris Wheel. At first Boo was going to go but she got scared of how high it was. I didn't want Elvis to miss out so I went with him. He loved it! I haven't been on one since I was a kid and it used to be my favorite ride. Oh it was fun! Sweet Pea took pics for us.

We ended up with 3 extra tickets so Dave took Bugs back on the carosel while I was on the ferris wheel with Elvis. This time Bugs chose a rooster. I think he would have ridden that ride all day if we had let him. =)

Next we went to watch the Demolition Derby. Here is Bugs exclaiming over all the cars crashing.

This is what I had been looking forwrad to! LOVED IT!

This was Elvis' favorite.

Toothless Grin

What a Ham!

This was Sweet Pea & My Favorite

Oh Man!

While towing the car off the lot the truck rammed it right into the cement barrier! Ouch!

Aftermath

Round #2

Hurting

See the front tire? He was barely wobbling out of there.

The van was nearby so we walked over for a water break while the cars got ready for their final free-for -all round.

Glug, Glug, Glug

Waiting for the Final Round

We were in a different spot this time so I didn't get clear pics. But I was happy to be able to sit down! =)

Watching the Excitement

In a nutshell this last round was for anyone that could get their car back in the ring. Then they had a big free for all and the last car running was the winner.

The Winner Standing On His Car

You can't see it from this pic but Sweet Pea's & my favorite was the winner! We were thrilled b/c this car was raising $ for a little boy with cancer. I'm so happy this $ went to this brave little boy.

At the end Sweet Pea used some of the $ we gave her for a ride to buy her siblings a toy. Wasn't that sweet?

Green! Her favorite color!

Bugs had me in stitches! He was swinging this thing around like a madman. It would ricochet off his head, off his legs, fly through the air, one time he almost wrapped it around an electric wire he threw it so high (he wasn't holding on to it then).........none of it phased him. He just kept on going!

Going Crazy

Dave stood nearby so as to protect passersby. LOL!

Playing with Daddy

We saw lots of exhibits, ate a budget friendly lunch, had cotton candy & had an overall blast.

Definitely a day for the memory book!