Monday

 
 
 
 
It was nice to have a day off today. Swim lessons for Colby, a picnic at the park and playing at the playground. Came home for an afternoon of swimming and riding four-wheelers. Glad I have a few more days of the same. 

Shake Your Tail Feathers

Creighton watched Chicken Little tonight and was dancing to "Shake Your Tail Feathers" with Colby's pink scarf. I'm pretty sure Greg wouldn't think that was something I should be publicizing :) It was very cute--I couldn't resist.

Kathy

 











To Kathy - Thanks for entertaining us, feeding us and for listening. You are awesome! (and you make a mean enchilada!)....oh, and I can't forget Harry--you are awesome too--Creighton misses you :) 

At the fair

  Treats at the Fair are the BEST!














  Creighton was mesmerized at the tractor pull. 

County Fair

Yesterday Greg took the kids to the Co. Fair while I worked. When I got off I met them there to go to the tractor pull. Greg failed to mention that a newspaper reporter interviewed him and took a picture of him and Creighton. Today it is on the front page of the Journal. Very cute (and of course it is the only picture we have of their fun day since Greg isn't the family photographer :-)

I took some pictures last night, but my battery is dead in my camera and I can't get them loaded until I get a new battery.

Not sure what the week will bring, but I am off work until the 28th and after Sunday Greg is off through August 3rd. We have a few things planned with the kids and a few days out of town too. So hopefully it will be a good week of relaxing, playing and reconnecting with the ones I so dearly love and miss every day.

Pictures to come soon :)

Broken

It hasn't been a good week. I found myself discouraged, disappointed and frustrated with this broken world and it's irrational happenings. There is just so much junk that we have to carry as a result. Found myself wanting to fix what I cannot fix and control what I cannot control. Longing again for the time when it is all "fixed" and perfect again....as it was intended to be.

A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success. --Unknown Author

Boundaries

I cleaned, organized, sorted, filed and de-filed all day at work. When I got home I was still in the mood so rather than tackle anything in the house I decided to clean the garage. It is now 9pm and I just finished (I did take a break to feed the kids and get them to bed). That garage was disgusting! The kids have an area where they play and it looked like a pigpen. Greg does his little projects and never cleans or picks up the tools he used. We have a multitude of animals that live in there too (puppies, cats, kittens). So, it was in desparate need of some attention. I did some cleaning, sweeping and a little organizing. Greg is working tonight and I have a feeling he isn't going to be as excited about the (somewhat) clean garage as I am. The first time he can't find something it will be MY fault. I may have just overstepped my boundaries. Oh well, it looks good to me :)

Colby's Sunflower

 
Greg was able to plant sunflower seeds out in the field again this year. So far there is just a few of their pretty little heads peeking out. Colby took some of the seeds and planted a few in our pumpkin patch. This picture is of one of hers. There is just something about sunflowers that I love.

As far as my other flowers that were so beautful about a month ago. Well, lets just say that several pots have been pulled and put away for the year. They didn't survive the heat very well this week and some of them were fried.

The weeds were starting to overtake my landscaping too. So I asked Greg to get out the Roundup and go on weed patrol. It looks like he pretty much killed everything green--the good plants and the weeds. I can't complain though as I'll get the standard response - "Then do it yourself next time". So, I'll bite my tongue and be thankful that I have a few less plants to water :-) 

Hot Wheels

 
Creighton got a Hot Wheels computer game for Christmas. Never played it, not interested. Now suddenly it's the hottest thing at our house--including nightly arguments over whose turn it is. 

What Am I DOING!?

It is 3am. I can't sleep. Came downstairs for a drink of water and decided to get on the computer. I should have known better! Now I am wide awake and probably won't get any more sleep. Only 3 hours till I have to get ready for work. I just stepped outside and it is very nice out. The humidity is down and it actually feels cool out there. Hopefully, the day is a little more tolerable.

My family is sleeping peacefully and for some reason I can't. I hate nights like this--makes for a long day to come.....

Done

 
 
These kids are just done this afternoon. They have spent hours upon hours in the pool this weekend and despite the heat they have been active as ever. Until this afternoon. We were all in the pool. They went in the house. I stayed in the pool--feeling a little pale so I thought I would work on my tan a bit :) And this is how I found them when I came in...Colby in her PJ's eating popcorn and watching a movie and Creighton still in his swim trunks asleep still sitting up! They are just exhausted and ready to relax in the air conditioning for awhile. I'm sure by this evening they will be raring to go again and we'll be back in the pool. But, for now I am enjoying the peace and quiet.... 

Slow Down Buddy...

 
Creighton is trying really hard to grow up this week. Much too fast for my liking. Earlier in the week he informed me he was starting kindergarten the next day. Yesterday he told the sitter he could drive a car. And today he told her that he was having a birthday party tomorrow with a Spiderman cake and he was going to be 5 years old. He said that he is going to be big tomorrow so he could go to camp like Colby. He also told me that his teeth are big and strong now and can chew up trees. Wow, can't he just stay 3 forever? 

Nothing

Nothing significant, or insignificant for that matter, to report today. Not a lot happening. Colby had camp, I worked, Greg is working now. Kids are in bed. Thats it. Thankful the weekend is approaching and even though Greg isn't around, the kids and I should be able to do some work around the house and veg in the pool. Sounds like it will be a hot one. I am off to do some reading and hope to hit the sack early tonight. (The pictures are just random selections. Nothing too exciting)

A LONG Day

 
 
 
Tonight was Colby's last softball game of the season. She played one of her best games ever, 4 hits and stopped a couple of ground balls and made an out at third base. I was proud of her. She had a long day today with camp all day and then had to get ready for her game as soon as she got off the camp bus. We got home at 7:30pm tonight and she had just enough energy to go swimming! I don't know how she did it. She played hard all day at camp, had a great softball game and had fun in the pool with her dad and brother tonight. I am wore out thinking about it. Is is Friday yet? We are all in need of a relaxing weekend at home. Can't wait.... 

Moving Up

This morning on the way to day care Creighton informed me that today is his last day of daycare. I asked where he was going to go tomorrow and he responded "kindergarten". So, apparently Creighton has decided to skip preschool and will be starting kindergarten tomorrow, at age 3. He is brilliant :)

A Sad Day In Chicagoland

  Jimmie Johnson during the race introductions



  Jimmie leading Earnhardt--LOVE that!



Back today from the Chicagoland Nascar weekend. It was awesome with the exception of the outcome of the race. My goal is to NOT ever attend a race that Jeff Gordon wins and I did. Although he should be ashamed of the way he did it--taking Kenseth out with a cheap shot. Well, I'm sure that anyone who cares about Nascar watched it and doesn't need a re-cap play by play from me :)

We arrived at the track around noon on Friday and camped on the infield until Monday. It was SOOO awesome. Nikki and I even got a hold of a couple of garage/pit passes so we got an up close look at some of the stuff we usually only see on TV.

That is about all I can tell you. The rest of it falls under the category of "what happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago"! :) 

Too Much To Ask?

 
Is is to much to ask to get just ONE decent picture of the kids and I??? It sure seems to be. Either someone is mad about having to sit there, sticks their tongue out, has eyes closed, etc. It just never works out like I plan... 

Just pictures

 
 
 
  Just a few more pictures from the 4th. 

It's late and I'm tired

 
 
 
 
I don't have the energy or the brain power to come up with words describing our 4th of July. So just thought I would put up a few pictures and call it a night. Cookout and sparklers at gramma's, parade, fireworks. It was a good day/night. Fun was had by all. I have picked up a rotten cold somewhere along the way so it's off to bed for me. I have to be up for work in 6 hours. 

Coming....

I was too tired to stay up and post pictures of our fun day yesterday. We got home at about 11pm last night and everyone had to get up early today. I did take time to load my pictures on the computer, but I had taken 161 pictures so I did not stay up to sort them out. I was a little suprised that I had taken so many pictures, but I usually do that in hopes that I can at least get a couple good ones out of the bunch. Not sure if I accomplished that yesterday or not, we'll see!

So, with our busy week who knows when I might get our holiday post done! Hopefully soon!

Good Night, Sleep Tight My Little One...

 
 
After a big day at Gramma and Grampas the kids were exhausted. Creighton fell asleep on the couch while eating his before bed snack. I found him asleep with his hand still in the popcorn bowl. They will sleep well tonight.... 

HELLO, HEllo, Hello, hello

 
It is so funny to see the kids do the exact same things that I did when I was a kid. For instance, here I found them at the end of the driveway, one on each end of the culvert, yelling back and forth listening to their voices echo. I remember doing the very same thing with my brother. However, we usually would dare eachother to go in and see who got the furthest without whimping and backing out. (Yes, Mom, despite you telling us a million times to never go in the culvert, we did it anyway. Can you believe we survived??? HA :)

(This picture is tough to see, but one kid is bent down on each side of the drive. Have to look close) 

Lucky 13

 
Found Patches down in one of the buildings in the bottom of a 55 gallon barrel and she had recently given birth to a load of kittens. That ups our cat/kitten total to about 13. Colby is already having a fit about giving the kittens away. She thought maybe we could just give ONE away and keep the rest. I DON'T THINK SO! :-) 

Dreaming

 
I had my camera in my purse this morning and thought I would snap a picture of the kids when we were at breakfast. They were just daydreaming looking out the big window. I could just see their little minds whirling. Dreaming about all the activities of the day that were to come. 

Strike 2

Went to breakfast in West Liberty this morning and once again got pulled over. 70mph in a 55. Amazingly enough the very kind officer said, "It's a holiday weekend, you have kids in the car, slow it down. OK I will TRY my hardest however I have a severe case of leadfoot. I am sure that the next strike will be a big fat ticket.

The last time I got pulled over it was a holiday weekend and we were going through West Liberty to go to breakfast. HMM...I don't think we'll be going out for breakfast on Labor Day...