Post Christmas Fun

The weather has been so mild that we have been able to get out and enjoy the new toys the kids got for Christmas.

Lee got a Rip Rider from Mawmaw and Pawpaw that he L-O-V-E-S!
In the instructions, it says that a "helmet is not required" because it can't turn over. Hmmm....

Next up, Lee was itching to try out his new BB gun that Paw got him.

And the baby got a turn on the dangerous toy:-)

Matt was pretty excited to try out the BB gun, too. He put Lee in the back of his truck, so he could lean against it to shoot.

Lee was a good listener and wanted to do it all right.

I didn't get a picture of the target, but the two of them wore it out! They were awesome and had a blast.

Meanwhile, I was in charge of keeping the puppies and Little Bit out of their way.

No problem, since Wade has learned to climb and slide on his own.

He could do this for hours!

Keep the sunshine comin' so we can keep playin'!

Beaver Baby

See this precious angel of mine?
Well, he loses his halo and turns into a beaver when he gets into his high chair!

Those precious teeth right there have done a number over the past couple of weeks on his high chair. My dad bought us a cherry high chair when Lee was born, and I immediately had visions of it being a sweet heirloom to use for many years. I don't think Lee ever took a bite out of it. However, Beaver Baby can't get enough of it. He has one particular place that he sharpens his teeth at each meal. We quickly stop him, but not before he leaves his latest mark. Last night, we decided it was time to get tough. I suggested putting something that tasted bad on it. Matt jumped up and grabbed the hot sauce. (Okay, maybe something a little less cruel!) Lee suggested vinegar. (Wonder how he knows it tastes bad:-) Bingo! Vinegar to the rescue. I dabbed some on the appetizing spot, and not only did it not deter the Beaver, he couldn't stop licking it! Next, I found some tomato pesto seasoning that is VERY strong. I sprinkled it on there, and he licked it a couple of times and then stopped. I forgot to "pre-treat" the spot this morning before putting him in for breakfast, so after his first bite, I grabbed the first spice I could reach, which was garlic powder. Not only did he lick off all the powder, but he kept licking his fingers and "dipping" them back in the spot where I put the garlic. So back to the tomato pesto we went. It did stop him, if only temporarily. If you see us out and about today, don't be alarmed at the strong stench of garlic, it's just my baby!

Out of the high chair, he resumes his angelic ways. I suppose one day when I'm a grandmother, I'll tell his son the story about when his dad left those precious teeth marks in that very high chair in which he is sitting. But for now, I'm going to keep spicing him up until he stops!

June Birthday Girls

Gracie celebrated her birthday party on my birthday this year. When her mom told her that, she requested that her birthday cake be Dirt Cake, which is my favorite dessert her mom makes. I thought that was so sweet of her. Of course, she loves it too:-)
This kid was pretty skeptical until he took a bite...oreos, cream cheese, powdered sugar and gummy worms...what's not to love?

Gracie asked me to get her a movie over a month ago that she claimed was "very hard to find." So she was beyond excited when she opened it.

Having a summer birthday is the BEST! Every year, Shayanne has planned a swimming party for Gracie's birthday. Like I do for Lee's birthday parties, she goes into it, just planning on the weather being nice. Every year, it has been perfect for both Lee's and Gracie's. Today, it was storming and raining before we left, but by the time we got there, it was sunny and beautiful. Another successful swim party is in the books!

Lee's cannonball

Brylie's splits

Wade did not enjoy getting in the water, but he loved being semi-naked and splashing at the side.

After the party, we all headed out for supper with Paw to celebrate the birthday girls! Brylie is the next birthday girl, and she will be 5 and headed to Kindergarten!

Little Builder

Lee and I went to the Little Builders' Workshop at Lowe's today. The project was a flag holder. Here is the before picture, and we're about to begin!
Basically, I read the directions to him, and Mr. Independent went to work putting it all together.

Even though I really wanted to help, he did a good job alone.

I love this face he makes when he is really concentrating.

Ta-Da! Finished project=

One happy boy!

Lee goes to College

Lee participated in UTM's Kid College this week, which was held at PES. He chose all his own classes, and the ones he chose were all space related.
He had the BEST time and would get in the car each day chattering non-stop about what all he got to do during class. An added bonus was that the instructor was the mom of a friend from high school. And Heather took the week off from work to come and help her mom. We didn't have a lot of time to catch up, but it was nice to see an old friend.

At the open house, Lee requested that we stop for "refreshments." He can't pass up a chocolate chip cookie! We were amazed at all the freebies Lee got to bring home through the week. We had a lot of fun looking at the kids' work from the week, and Lee said he is already making plans to go back next year.

Here is Lee's biggest fan, with his newest bump on his head. This time, he was standing right next to me and just started crying. He didn't fall or stumble. I have no idea what he hit his head on. He is just an accident waiting to happen these days. After the open house, we went to see Cars 2. Lee loved it, as expected, even more than the first one. Wade enjoyed the previews and then slept through the movie. It won't be long before he is making his own movie requests, and I feel sure they will include Mater and McQueen, too.

Family Picture

We recently had family pictures made at church for our new directory. Even though our photographer wasn't very kid-friendly, I thought the kids did well. We were there less than 10 minutes, and she took about 15 pictures and at least 5 poses, if that tells you how manic the session was! I was thankful to see that we got this shot.

Happy Father's Day!

This might be my favorite picture of Wade ever!

This is my favorite of all my fellas!

Little did I know 10 years ago when I married my fabulous husband that I was also getting the best daddy to my babies I could ever imagine. He's hard working, disciplined, independent, loving, smart, handsome, and the funniest person I know. Most importantly, he is the spiritual leader of our home. He leads by example, and I have complete faith that he will continue to help raise these wonderful boys of ours in a loving, Christian home. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for our little family!

Yuck!

Matt, Lee and I HATE green peas. The smell, the look, the texture and most importantly, the taste...it's all bad to us! However, Wade loved the pureed peas when he was eating baby food, so I felt bad keeping the real thing from him just because we don't like them. So I bought a small can this week to try out on him.

He ate 3 and had this reaction each time. YUCK! He would spit them out and then throw them across the room.
But he loved playing with them.

He spent the next 5 minutes dumping them out and putting them back in the bowl while I fixed his lunch.

He was proud of his new little game. I have to admit that I wasn't too disappointed that he didn't like the peas.

Fun day with AK

Lee has been begging me since school let out to have Ava Kate spend the day with us. We have had something almost non-stop since then, so we haven't had the chance. Today was the day Lee has been begging for for 3 weeks! It worked out perfectly, because AK's big sister is off at church camp for the week, and she is sure missing her. I think getting to spend the day with Lee helped take her mind off Ella for awhile. I am so excited that Lee and AK will be in the same first grade class in the fall. They get along SO well. She is hands down the most easy going, smiley child I have ever been around. She just goes with the flow no matter the situation. I gave Lee the usual "pre-visitor talk" this morning reminding him that AK was our guest and to let her choose the game, go first, etc. He agreed to everything, but more than once, I entered the room to see her participating in a light saber battle or playing a Cars game. I'm pretty sure those weren't her ideas, but she was grinning from ear to ear and playing along. I can't say enough how much I adore this girl. She is a ray of sunshine.

To further prove my point, these pics were snapped randomly of her as she was telling me a funny story about how she and Lee were planning some elaborate trick on the water slide. She is so animated when she talks. It's hard to pay attention to what she's saying, because I just keep thinking about how darn cute and funny she is!
Wade sported his swim apparel today, too. He is a fan of minimal clothing, but he is not a fan of applying sunscreen. That requires sitting still too long for him.

Here is the new walker toddling around the yard. He L-O-V-E-S walking in the grass, so it doesn't hurt when he crashes.

We had a storm come out of nowhere this morning, and it sent these 2 into panic mode. They had been planning their water adventures since AK got here, and they were afraid it was over when it was storming. They quickly morphed into storm spotters and were giving me a play by play at the window. One would say, "Oh this won't last long." Then the other would chime in, "Nope, it's just raining now. It will be over soon." This went on the entire time it stormed.

When they saw the sun, they were on cloud 9! You've never seen 2 kids pick up toys and eat lunch so fast in your life.

Wade was always in a stage of undress. First the hat, then the shoes, and by the end of our water time, he lost his swim trunks.

One happy boy!

Wade was not about to let those big kids forget him!

He had no interest in getting in the pool, but he sure loved to splash.

The big kids were very patient with him and let him splash for about 5 minutes until he was ready to move on to other things.

I love AK's face in this one.

All 3 had a popsicle break. I was too nervous to get the camera out during the popsicle eatin' so this is the only evidence I have of it.

He was amused at how his hands kept sticking to his belly. He patted and giggled for about 5 minutes.

We were outside for 3 hours, and these 2 were just like this the entire time. They had the best time.

Here they are planning a trip down the slide at the same time. I heard Lee say, "I want to hold my nose, so you hold yours too." It was one of those times I was glad I was standing close by and I had my camera handy.

Success!

Another one of those times was when they decided to "float in the pool." How cute!

A fun day was had by all, and I can attest that 2 out of 3 of these kids had no trouble going to sleep tonight!