All because two people fell in love...

Brain Fried

I really got nothing tonight. There is way too much floating around, vying for space, in my little bitty head. So, I'm going to leave you with two images...

1. Imagine an adorable three year old little boy in a t-shirt and shorts all ready to walk out the door to physical therapy. Mom says, "let's go." Child says, "just a minute." Child walks out in cowboy vest, cowboy boots, cowboy hat, and magician's cape over before mentioned shirt and shorts, and proudly states, "I'm ready." Yep. He went to PT just like that. Super Cowboy Cameron.

2. Six year old child, after being told to go make his bed and brush his teeth (something he does every morning) states "this is the worst day of my whole entire life." Who knew dental hygiene was so bad. Fast forward 10 hours, after jumping at the jumping gym, pizza with friends, movie on the couch with popcorn, doing a puzzle, studying Spanish, playing a game, exercising with mom and dad, and a homemade hamburger for dinner, before mentioned child states, "mom you are my bestest mom in the whole entire world God made and today was outstanding." What a statement roller coaster he rode today.

Good night.

Change of Plans

I wrote a post earlier today with every intention of publishing it tonight, and being done. My heart changed from 15 hours ago, though, and while I still love what I wanted to say, and will post it sometime, I feel the need to say something else...

Tell your family you love them. Hug your kids. Hold them in your lap (if they are little enough). Kiss your spouse. Call your grandparents and parents. You never get this back. You only get one chance around. Make it good, and don't leave it left unsaid.

I have family I need to catch up with and friends I keep putting off the phone call because I know it will be long and "i don't have time." Make time. It will be worth it.

Love you all.

~A

Good Ole Fashion Fun

I love a good slip and slide. When we were kids, we wore these things out (literally), and had a blast. My boys love to get it out, but haven't completely grasped the concept of running and sliding; who cares - they're having fun and, personally, I'm ecstatic that my grass is getting watered in the process! A few weeks ago, we invited some friends over for homemade ice cream and slip and slide heat beatin' fun. So, imagine my surprise when I found out these kids had NEVER been on a slip and slide. What's wrong with that??!! So, we made introductions...Drew and Grace meet the slip and slide, slip and slide meet Drew and Grace. They all had so much fun. It was so hot, I was almost tempted to join them. Luckily for the other adults the key word in that sentence was "almost."

Caleb and Cameron pre-sliding

Cameron trying out the action

Caleb getting his slide-groove goin'

Drew caught on quickly

Grace was 'all smiles'

And, the last picture would not cooperate for the life of me. My Dad heard there was homemade ice cream, and came on over. He decided to give Cameron some help on sliding techniques...

Oh where, oh where have we been?

Okay, so I realize I am way over due to post, but it got me thinking, how many (of my two readers) have really been checking?!

So, I am going to attempt a post a day for a week. Albeit, some may be very short, I'm gonna try.

Recap of the summer thus far:

Pool, river, movies, repeat.

Really, though, we have been very busy. In June, we:

* spent a lot of time at the pool or river

* helped my mom have a garage sale

* attended karate camp (well, one of us did)

* packed my mother's entire house for her move after she broke her arm

* helped my mom (in four trips to fredericksburg and brady) move

* the boys spent a week at Greg's parents having a blast and attending their VBS (allowing me time to help my mom and sneak a a few dates with my sweet hubby)

* twice a week visits to the physical therapists - the boys are surprisingly amazingly well behaved while we are there

* started taking Spanish (the boys)

* Father's Day and several birthday parties

*pool, river and more pool and river

*oh, and trying to stay cool during our 105-110 degree days (can anyone hear the ca-ching sound of my electric bill rising?)

For the Fourth of July, we drove to Midland to check out Jared and Kendall's new pad and spend the weekend. We went to Balmorhea, looked at potential houses, ate a lot, watched the fireworks, and got to see rain for the first time in ages.

We are currently gearing up for our church's VBS - I am doing registration again (last year our attendance was over 800). We are eagerly looking forward to a weekend trip to visit with family!! And, I am trying to hang on to some of the summer - it seems to be flying by.

I have some great pics of the happenings around here, and I will post them throughout the week. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer - hope you are staying cool!

Oh, and I'll leave you with some pics of the boys "walking on water"...

Mixed Feelings

So, if you know anything about this day

you'll know how excited Caleb was for his first day of Kindergarten. And, naturally, I was so excited and so proud - just feeding off of his excitement. I cried later. And the day before. And the night before. But never in front of him. He was too excited!!

So, today when I dropped the boy who used to wink at me like this

for his last day as a Kindergartner, I cried a little inside. Outside I was so proud and so excited as he clapped his hands and proclaimed that "after today, I am a first grader, and in just a few years, I'll be in college." Gasp. So, I cried at home. Alone. Where has the time gone?

So, hug your babies, cuddle with your toddlers, read to your children that book you've read to them 3,000 times already this week. It goes by so fast. You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back.

Caleb receiving his awards and Kindergarten certificate.

Calling My Bluff

A couple of weeks ago, at the end of a fun, but very exhausting weekend out of town, I learned a lesson...be ready to show your cards when called on a bluff. It went something like this:

The four of us returned home late afternoon. Greg and I unpacked the car, and actually unpacked (something that if ever, rarely, happens). We tend to be the kind that have to take days weeks to unpack. Greg even went a moon-walk size leap further and vacuumed out the car! Needless to say, we were tired. We decided on a very nutritious dinner for the kids (popcorn, deli meat, grapes, cheese), and attempted to get them in bed at a decent, if not slightly early, time.

Greg and I then cleaned up the kitchen from the meal we had just slaved over for the kids, folded laundry and put it up stacked it in laundry baskets (I mean, really, did you think I was that good?!), started another load, and decided to have our dinner on the couch. We had some leftover Costco chicken salad (amazing) and wheat thins. Upon the first crunch of our cracker and us selecting a show to watch, out emerged two children from their respective rooms. "We're hungry" (did I mention that when we did feed them that five star meal, I made sure and asked them eight times if they were full or wanted anything else) were the next words out. This as they are eyeing my dinner.

At first I said what any good parent would say, "No, it's bedtime. You boys need to get in bed, we have an early morning tomorrow and you both are going to be exhausted."

"But I'm starving." followed right after with "yeah, we staaaahhhhving".

Several looks back and forth between Greg and I, all the while the vultures are eyeing my crackers, and I out of my mouth come the words (directed at Greg), "we have some broccoli in the fridge"; then to the boys "you want some broccoli? If you are hungry, you may have broccoli."

Glee spread across my children's face while shock spread across ours.

"Yay! Yay! We want broccoli!"

So, as not to go against my word...

The boys ate an entire head of broccoli, smiling the entire time, and proclaiming their new found love for the vegetable.