Another good day

I love these days. Richie worked a mid again the other night and when he got home in the morning, I got to sleep. He went to bed when I got up and the kids and I didn't leave the house. We went downstairs and built a fort, had a fashion show, read books, and worked on their workbooks.

Here is their standard picture pose.

Seth to the rescue to put out a fire because Grace was burning dinner in the kitchen.

Grace reading to her twins in the cradle.

Grace is still reading while Seth quickly changes roles and starts fixing the leak in the roof.

Seth was the MC of our fashion show and Grace was the star. She even got a gold medal for her performance.

Being a Mom...

is the best thing in the whole world. Having kids changes your life so much. Words cannot explain the joy that it brings about being a "mommy". They bring back being a kid yourself. This summer I really watched the kids grow so much. Seth is swimming now without water wings (still in swim lessons), learning to ride his bike with out training wheels, and being a really good big brother. Grace is learning to hold her own against Seth, talking in full conversations, and wanting to do everything Seth is doing (t-ball, riding bikes). There are sooooo many firsts that you just don't want to miss. I am looking forward to all of them and hope that I am half the mother my mother was to me.

Yesterday was a perfect day. Richie came home in the morning off of a mid shift and got the kids breakfast and let me sleep for about an hour more. When I got up he went to bed and the kids and I were off. We played with toys, dress up, and read some books. We ate lunch and then ran a couple of errands. Richie woke up and did the lawn, where if Richie is outside Seth is right beside him. Grace and I went to the post office and the commissary for dinner things.

I love my kids and wouldn't change a thing about either one of them, however it is nice to be able to spend some one on one time with each of them. Seth had his last t-ball game last night and Grace hadn't had a nap so, I took Seth to the game and Richie stayed home with Grace. Grace was in bed and Richie was napping before he had to go back to work so Seth and I ate dinner and went to Dairy Queen for some ice cream. His t-ball coaches gave each team member a gift card so of course we have to go that night. I didn't argue though.

Here is an example of why I think kids will make your day better no matter what time of day.

When Richie went in to check on the kids before he left for work last night, he came in to get me to see this. Grace was so tired last night she couldn't even make into her bed all the way. She had taken her shirt off and tried to get back into bed. Who knows how long she was like this. I am sure it was for a while. When Seth and I got home from his game it was 7:30 and she didn't make a sound. Richie went to check on her at about 10:00pm. This was just too funny not to take a picture of.

Hanging Out at the Lake...

We had such a good time at the lake with Mom. It is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle. Watching the sunset from the deck was so peaceful.

Hanging out at the pool was the kids favorite.

Gettin comfortable.

Grace is getting ready for her grand entrance to the pool.

Ready or not here I come.

Here is Grace reading Nina's smut book. Good thing she can't read yet. hahaha

Boy, do they grow up fast.

Bridal Caves

Since we go to the Ozarks at least once a year during the summer, this year we decided to go the Bridal Cave and see what it was all about. They were amazing.

They look thrilled to be there, don't they. This was a "I guess I will go, because Mommy really wants to."

The kids were so good throughout the entire tour and didn't touch anything. But the look says it all.

This was a great experience for all of us (even if they all didn't want to go). We got to experience total darkness, where they turned the lights off and you couldn't even see your hand in front of you. There was even a lake in the caves called Mystery Lake. There are no wildlife in it. The tour guide said even if you put a goldfish in it you would have to feed the fish everyday. The lake was formed from the water dripping from the ceiling of the cave and was crystal clear blue. They have held 2087 weddings in the cave since it was discovered.

The Lake

I am in complete amazement when I see the kids in new surroundings. They grow up so fast. This weekend we went to the Lake to stay with Mom. Richie and Seth went fishing the first three days we were there. Seth had his new Pirates of the Carribean fishing rod and Richie took his ocean fishing rod with him (this is the only one he has from the Azores). Richie was bound and determined to find the buffalo fish that we caught and lost last year. Seth caught his first fish with his new rod and was so excited. He kept track of how many fish he caught in those three days (only because he did better than Daddy). The finally tally was Pirates of the Carribean(16)-Ocean Rod(3).

These are the expressions that I live to see. The "I did it all by myself".

Grace caught her own fish too. "Look Nina, I caught a fish!!" I wish I had video of her voice when she caught this one (this was the only one). I don't think she was sure what she actually did.

Keep it over there Mommy.

The competition is on.

Seth learned a lot during his fishing expedition this weekend. He learned to bait his own hook, cast off, reel in the fish, and even attempted to dehook it, but needed help with that still.

Peaches are ripe for the pickin...

I have been waiting all summer for this, (ok, well the better part of it anyway). I missed it last year and swore I wasn't going to do the same this year. I have been keeping really good tabs on the Eckert's Farm website (Harvest Hotline) to make sure we made it there. Today was the first day of the pick-your-own peaches at the farm. Aimee and I took the kids. We always take them strawberry, pumpkin, and apple picking, but this was a little different. The kids were trying their hardest to find the really red peaches.

Here is the clan. What a group!!

Look Mom, I found a good one!!!

How about this one? Grace just wants to eat them.

They were juicy.

Hayden and Seth were really good helpers, carrying the boxes full of ripe peaches.

We are off the Lake tomorrow, so we will see you all next Weds with more updates and of course pictures of the kids. Have a "peachy" weekend.

Bridal Shower....

Tiffani works with some very nice people and they let us help them with a surprise bridal shower for her. Needless to say we should have really tried harder to remember the ear plugs for this one. She was very surprised and had no idea what was going on.

After the shock of being surprised we ate a wonderful lunch. The food was excellent and the company could not have been better. We played a couple of games and got to know the rest of the "family".

Some of Tiffani's coworkers. Grace made a new friend in the process.

Aunt Lisa and Missy having a laugh.

More members of Tiffani's family.

Me, my cousin Hannah, Jessie, and Grace J.

She went home with a lot of things that will brighten their home.

She also went home with things that will brighten up others as well. LOL

We wish you all the best Tiffani and Luke. Have fun in Florida. :)

A party filled weekend!!

Saturday we went to Luke and Tiffani's to celebrate Pearl's 4th birthday. It is completely amazing how fast these kids grow up. We started off with hotdogs and then on to pin the butterfly on Curious George. Then on to the pinata. This was hilarious to watch. All the kids got to swing the bat a FEW times and then Pearl was given a clue as to how to get the candy out of it.

Here is Seth D. swinging for the fences.

Get it Preston.

Here is Seth explaining to Pearl how to hold the bat.

Erin and her friend Grace watching the young ones aim for the monkey.

Grace was more interested in helping Tiffani pull the monkey .

Next it is cake and presents. Pearl is definitely her mother's child. We forgot our ear plugs for the gift opening. Wow, does she have some lungs on her:)

There is no denying this is Grace's cousin. I guess neither one of them believe in spoons. hahaha

After the party the kids put on a fashion show for us. Here is the birthday girl strutn' her stuff.

Farm Fun at the Fair

Today was a girl day. Grace and I got to spend some time together, just the two of us with a friend. Andrea and Abby used to live on our street, but have since moved to a nearby town. They invited us to their home and to the county fair fun day for kids. We started off with a tour of the house (gorgeous by the way, love the area and the lot sizes). After packing up two two year old girls we headed to the fair. They had a really nice set up for the kids. There were about 7 stations they could visit and do different types of activites.

We started off with a picture taken of Abby and Miss Clinton County 2008. Grace didn't want to have anything to do with her. I guess the tiara was too scary. LOL

Next was the Clinton County Humane Society. Grace's thought was to set the cats free. She is trying very hard to get that cage open.

Now we are stamping and coloring our favorite animals.

This was the girls favorite part. Digging for potatoes. After a quick lesson on where potatoes grow and what they are used for they got to dig for them. They were hilarious. They really got into once they realized they could get dirty without getting in trouble, they didn't want to stop.

Grace and her prize potato.

Grace and I petting the goat. They also had a calf and sheep to pet.

Learning to milk a cow. This was sooo funny. They had a wooden cow with a balloon of some sort under it that the kids were milking. Grace learned a lot about farming today.

Think thin baby!!!haha

After the fair we went for some ice cream and then back to the house for some sprinkler time to cool off.

Grace figures if she goes down the slide wet she will go faster.

Dixon needs clean toys I guess.

Thank you Annie and Abby for inviting us into your home and sharing this wonderful day with us. We had a GREAT time.

Scott and Annie, your home is gorgeous and we wish you all the happiness it will bring to your lovely family in the future.