Last week in pictures - creativity, Lowe's Build & Grow Workshop & the Zoo

Here is Noah all ready to be creative and build and something. His finished project is the "monkey" that you see. He also made a "penguin" out of a Cheerios box.

We had a great time at the zoo last Friday. We went with one of Brian's cousins and her two girls. Noah has been waiting too long to see the penguins and he finally was rewarded with some very energetic penguins on our trip. Camden talked all about the monkeys, but when we finally made it over to that area, he has lost his enthusiasm. They both loved playing in the stream and floating rocks down the water.






Brian took both boys to the Build & Grow workshop on Saturday in between birthday parties and picked up the project to make. Later that afternoon, they built their own toolboxes. Each one hammered it together by themselves, then they sanded it and put on the stickers. I am so proud of my "Mr. Fix-It" guys.










More zoo pictures.











This past week, I have been working on pre-school crafts for VBS. VBS starts today and we are so excited. Wa-Hoo!!!! This will be a busy week for us, but I know it will be well worth it!

3 Posts Ahead- Beware!

This is what Brian found when he opened the Peanut Butter today.



A smiley face inside the lid. No we didn't draw it, it was like that when he opened it up.

Water, Water and More Water

This past week was spent mostly in the water at various places around town. Tuesday, we went to Hawaiian Falls for the first time this summer. Noah and Camden were both afraid of the giant bucket that dumps water on you in the kiddie area, so we spent very little time there. Camden's favorite place to be was in the wave pool. He loved bouncing in the waves and diving into them as they came crashing toward him. Noah was tall enough to ride one of the water slides this year and it turned out to be his favorite thing to do. This ride proved to Mommy that she is no spring-chicken anymore. After only one trip down, she has a pulled muscle and a pinch nerve in her back/arm that are very painful almost a week later. We loved Hawaiian Falls so much that we ventured back there again on Saturday.

Thursday we headed to McKinney's Stonebridge Ranch Beach Club. We met up with several of Brian's cousins and had a wonderful afternoon. Here are some pics from last week.

Playing Dress Up

As a child, I don't remember playing dress-up that much. I am sure I did, it just wasn't very memorable to me... except when I dressed up like Olivia Newton-John from Grease. Now, I will never forget that.

Since dressing-up wasn't high on my priority list as a child and now that I have two boys, I just assumed that it wouldn't be that big of a deal to them either. This past week they wanted to dress up like Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi and Jabba the Hut!(gracie) from Star Wars. Here is what we had to work with... pathetic isn't it?

Mr. Fix-It

Brian has been busy this summer doing Handy-Man work. He enjoys helping people who are "Handy-challenged". He has always been creative and this carries over into the work he has done.

This week it seems that our house was the "Handy-challenged" home. The old saying when it rains it pours fit right in over here. During this last round of rain about 2 weeks ago, we discovered a small waterfall coming down our front bathroom wall. A roofer was consulted and we found that the roof is in great condition, we just needed to "touch-up" the valleys periodically. Brian did the roof repair and we waited to see if it would leak again. Things were good to go on the roof so the process of taking down wallpaper and sheet rock began. That is one dirty job! The new sheet rock has been installed, and Brian will begin texturing and painting shortly... or maybe not just yet!

You see, here is where that saying comes into play. It is inevitable that when you have one project going something else comes up. This past week our doorbell decided to quit working. The same day the toilet broke and the air conditioner went out. Could it get even better, oh yes! Now our phone is not working either. Someone please tell me how you are supposed to contact the phone company for repair when you don't have a home phone or a cell phone!!!! Well, we put our brains together and used email. Thank goodness that hasn't stopped working!

Oops, maybe I shouldn't have said that out loud...

It is so wonderful to have a husband who can fix things! Thank you honey!!!

Clubhouse for Kids face painting

The kids have been begging to go to the pool everyday since summer started, but with all the rain it has been difficult to get there.

Tuesday around 4 pm we started to the pool. When we arrived it was thundering and the outdoor pool was being closed, so we decided to head inside to the indoor pool. It was the perfect time to go, it wasn't crowded because most folks were headed home before the rain storm or for dinner. We stepped into the pool and Noah and Brian swam off. Camden who can kick his feet and move his arms, but hasn't put the two together, just dove in and started swimming to our amazement. Apparently, he has been watching Noah and decided he could do it too. Swimming in the pool just took on another dimension with both kids able to swim on their own. After awhile, we started to hear thunder outside and then the lights went out. That was a pretty cool experience being in the pool in total darkness. The emergency lights came on and we all got out of the pool. As we waited for the lights to come on the rain started to fall outside HARD! We finally decided we should head home, but the rain was not letting up instead it was pounding harder and the lighting was intense. We made a run for the car and made it safely. The 1/2 mile drive home was an adventure. The rain which had only been falling for about 1/2 hour had already puddled on the road up to the curb. People were pulling into parking lots for safety, and the rain was falling so fast it made it almost impossible to see. We made it home safely but were a bit shaken up.

Yesterday, the boys and I visited the outdoor pool. What a beautiful day to spend outside in the water. We also went to a park near Noah's new Elementary school. We liked it so much we went back this morning. While at the park today, I found $30 laying on the ground. What a lucky find!!! With the rain expected this afternoon, we are headed to Clubhouse for Kids. Always good for an afternoon of fun.

What's New? That should be the title for this post, but blogger is not allowing me to click in that little section...sigh:)

We tried not to let one rainy day after another keep us in the house. We took the boys along with my dad to see Ratatouille. It was an entertaining but okay movie for me. I have been spoiled by "Cars" for so long now that it will take something really good from Pixar to win me over.

I met up with a friend one morning and took the kids to Animal House Parties for some play time. They LOVED running crazy, climbing, sliding and just wearing themselves out! After play time, we hit Snuffer's for lunch and enjoyed every bite.

The whole family traveled south to have lunch with Aunt Tish at Bubba's Chicken. Wow, that is a mouth watering experience every time I go! If you haven't been, I highly recommend it.

The boys got desperately needed haircuts by a professional this time. Daisy, the stylist laughed when she saw my attempt at haircutting. Here are the before and after shots.





Now, these two don't look anything alike or like their dad, do they?:)

Daddy spent a day with the kids while I went to work last week. I came home to find an elaborate tent maze in the living room. Dad's are the coolest!


The last day and a half I have been trying to see just how much smoke one house can be filled with. The answer to that is ALOT!!!!! The oven is finally cleaned and should be back in working order.

I also took on a new role in our church's VBS this year. I am doing Pre-school crafts. Along with smoke, my house is currently filled with projects in various stages scattered through-out and waiting little hands to finish them.



Finally, Brian and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary yesterday. We enjoyed dinner at Gloria's and a movie afterwards. I am so blessed to have spent the last 16 years with a wonderfully loving and patient man. I thank God everyday for you and our children.

All American Fourth of July

That is just what we had, an all American 4th of July. We took the boys to watch the City parade in the morning. We arrived just as the parade started and stayed until the very end.


We then headed out to my parents house to spend the day. We enjoyed Hot dogs, Hamburgers, Corn of the cob, Watermelon, Apple pie and vanilla ice-cream! It doesn't get any more American than that!



After lunch, the boys slid down their fort slide into the pool and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day we were blessed with. They entertained themselves and us with bug sightings and splashing each other.

Next, ALL of the boys, big and small headed over to the fireworks stand and purchased some "boom poppers". Mark and Brian were our designated lighters and we all enjoyed watching our purchases go up in smoke. The boys had a blast and I am sure this will be a tradition we will repeat.

That evening, we drove home and watched the City's fireworks with Uncle Mark and Aunt Tiffany. We picked a new spot this year to see the fireworks and were rewarded with a great view!