Gruesome Threesome!

Got a spring pic of the kiddos!!!

Welcoming in a new year!

Well... thankfully, the kids are back in school and the routine in shaping back up! Two weeks off of school is really too long!

Little J has been practicing basketball and is getting prepped for his first game.. he is really excited, yet part of him is sad.. he really wanted his Grandpa to be able to see him play. Gotta love that kid!

Big Al is struggling daily to keep up his grades so that he can start wrestling... Grades... ugh! Our family deal is no "D's" or "F's" in a class, then he can practice AND compete... we'll see what happens!

I took this cute picture of the boys with good ole PJ.. PJ still loves to be involved in whatever they are doing - and thankfully, they love him so much that they will let him lay on the puzzle for awhile before tempting him off with a cookie!

Halloween - just a few days late!

I forgot to unload the pictures off the camera! We kept Halloween really simple this year... as it is one of those "you regret it" later if you don't kinda things!

Big Al was an Army Ranger... he didn't get to pick out a costume this year - I pushed the date and then forgot about it! He was happy about it...

Flash, aka "Little J" and Dora, aka "Miss O" were busy frosting and decorating cookies at Boo Central at the campus... they had alot of fun there... we only stayed about an hour - which was about 2 minutes shy of perfect timing!

Had to get the back of Miss O... you really can't tell that she is "Dora" from the front... so here is the backpack! She was a little put off that I did not buy the matching black Dora wig... oh well!

We had a fun time trick or treating downtown in the afternoon.... being a Saturday, most the businesses were closed - so that meant less candy (yay!).... It was ok though - as I made a deal with the kids to sell me all their candy minus 15 pieces of their favorites... they really liked that!

I hope everyone else had a tremendous time!

Time to bring on the Turkey!!

Current photo of the gruesome threesome!

I took this picture at the Cave B Harvest Festival - which was a major flop... really cold, windy and sorta lame! I had won tickets for the BBQ, which is why we went... This was the only picture I managed to take while freezing my fingers off!!

Amy

The last week in pictures (and comments!)

The last week or so has been fairly uneventful! We have been busy enjoying summer and then cursing the wind when it ruins things! haha!

The photos are sort of backward... so here goes! Above is the boys releasing some of the "mystery" fish that they caught at one of the lakes we went to. They released them into our pond.. probably not the "best" place for the fish... but who knows!

Little J is the "master".... he just Looooooves fishing! He caught four fish on this trip... we were only there an hour - but apparently he had the touch - yet again!

Big Al finally caught his first fish about 15 minutes prior to leaving... Little J let him borrow his "lucky" pole! Big Al ended up catching another fish shortly after this one!

Big Al and Little J had to do all the work! The hubby and I keep procrastinating on getting our fishing licenses! So the boys had to be pretty self sufficient (like usual) with the fishing... AND helping their little sister! Miss O caught one fish - loved it and then was done! She is a fair weather fisher-woman! I don't blame her - I get bored pretty easily too!

Both boys have been busy working with their piggies daily! They have to practice walking them and also getting the pigs used to bathing.. which is almost comical! This weekend the piggies will be weighed, informally, to see if they are on track for the fair.. keep your fingers crossed!

Little j just loves to read! He could be riding his boke, or scooter or motorcycle on this glorious day - but no - he's sitting down with a good book!

Miss O has been a busy little beaver! Here she is drawing with sidewalk chalk! Her constant buddy, Phebe is "helping"! Phebe likes to take the chalk and eat it! Yuck! Miss O also likes to play "birthday" with Phebe... trying to get her to hang out with her in the back yard and have a little party where she sings to Phebe... its really cute!

The hubby and I went away for a night to Cave B winery and Inn... it was reeeeallly nice! I don't drink wine - but the food and the scenery was amazing... and it was sooooooo quiet! It was a nice 18 hour escape that we really needed!

This was the view from our room. Our room was actually built into the hillside and resembled a cave - it was super cool!

Hope everyone else is having a great summer!

Long time - no post!

The last 3 weeks have been pretty darn busy! It seems the only times I am sitting down at the computer have been to pay bills and check a few emails! I just downloaded pictures from last month and thru the 2nd... boy am I behind!

I have had a bad head cold for about 2 weeks - I am finally able to sleep at night and get threw the day without any meds... whoo hoo! I have been busy wrapping up my activities at the kids school - what a relief! And basically trying to keep all the critters around here alive... which is a tough task! I am about ready to take our "sweet" little lab, Phebe and find her a new home! She had killed off my second batch of chickens and 3 guinea hen babies! So, out of the 24 chickens I have had at different times this spring - I have 4 left. Not a good ratio! I am hopefully getting my last and final batch today... third times a charm???? We'll see!

Big Al got back from 5th grade camp... 2 days in the woods with no sleep - and we are still enjoying the effects of that! He has been busy each day working with his pigs and winding down to the end of his elementary career.

Little J has been a pistol. He has been a turd at school and at home...so ALOT of energy has gone into trying to manage (and not strangle) him and his behavior. It has been challenging to say the least! He is enjoying his new piggies too!

Miss O has been doing really well... still growing like a weed! She had her training wheels raised up on her bike - and now she does not like riding it at ALL! She has reverted to the trike! That's ok... she is still really young to be riding a bike anyways!

Other than those things... just trying to get back to getting ready for summer and having three kids home for 2 months!!

What a slacker!

I have to say that the last two weeks have been long and drawn out - yet flown by! Not too much has been going on - other than the usual! :)

I have been busy with a sick calf - who has taken up alot of my outside time, poor thing - we are hoping that he gets better soon! Phebe - the (hopefully) last Lab we will ever have - has been on a roll of mass destruction! She destroyed a planter full of flowers after I got them all ready, then she dug a hole in the new area of yard that we just leveled and seeded, she chewed up a shoe, she chewed up some irrigation drip line.. and then she killed all but four of my baby chicks! ARGHHHH....

The kids have been busy in school.... Little J has been having some "challenges" coping with other people lately, and that has taken alot of redirection and "patience" that is starting to really exhaust me! I hope that with a new month coming - I can get back to keeping the blog up to date... heres to hoping!

Easter fun

Sunday was a gorgeous day! We were able to have our Easter Egg Hunt outdoors! The Easter Bunny went easy on the boys - who decided after last year that there was no such thing as an Easter Bunny! Neither boy complained or had any negative feedback this year - what a relief!!
Since each kiddo had their own individualized hunt for eggs and prizes - they worked together to help each other!

Big Al hunts around a tree for one of his clues.. while lil sis is telling him to look for an egg! We heard the word "duuuuuuhhhhh" muffled - but not quite enough!

Miss O had to be involved in EVERYTHING! Here she is helping Little J try to open his egg to find a clue!

Miss O and Little J seem to work pretty well together when it comes to stuff like this... unfortunately - they are very much like two peas in pod when it comes to behavior!

Someone had a clue to check for eggs in a hen-house!! How original!! Good thing the hens did not get upset about it!

The gruesome threesome enjoyed the beautiful morning while doing the hunt.. we all probably walked about 2 miles before it was all said and done!

The Easter Bunny must have been on a tight budget - or he/she finally figured out that the kids (Big Al) literally make themselves sick by eating all the candy in 15 minutes or less! This year it was more little toys and less candy! Here - Big Al is showing off his goods!

Miss O had a blast! She really gets into parties and celebrations of any kind... she squealed most the morning and had to talk all about the "wab-it" that brought her stuff!

Little J, who was the nay-sayer last year had only good things to say about the easter bunny this year - hmmmm imagine that!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful day with their families!!

Wow- has it been that long......

To say that we have been busy is quite the understatement! I realized today that I never finished some of my blog entries! Yep - its been busy! So - here is a brief summary of what's been going on in our household!!!!!

Miss O - Finished her first session of swimming lessons - aka the starfish level! She did really well and just LOVES swimming! She will be repeating the level again, as I think she had more fun than actually learning anything! She has been enjoying playing outside, helping to water our (weed) garden, watching her brother care for his pigs, and been doing alot of growing!

Little J - He finished up swimming as well, he is at Level 3, and gets to repeat as well.. he really needs to repeat it.. he tends to "swim" but not go anywhere! He is really ready and happy to go back to school and to start soccer again (more on that below!). He has grown ALOT this summer - his legs and arms are getting gangly!

Big Al - well... he finished level 4 in swimming - and even though he has made amazing strides - he'll be repeating it again as well! This is a boy with negative body fat - he does NOT float - he sinks! Swimming is hard and really challenges him in that degree - I LOVE IT! It is one thing that truly wears him out... he HAS to work hard - or well... he'll drown! He has finally got it thru his head that yep - you stop swimming - you sink! He enjoyed swimming alot this time - so we'll be starting up again after soccer is over! Currently, though - he is on piggie duty... 24/7! Lately, our lives have revolved around 4H and getting Wilber and Charger ready for the fair - which starts in two days! UGH - that will be a whole seperate post! Big Al is NOT excited for school to start - is excited for soccer to start and the fair to start!

We were unable to really take any vacations this summer... we spent a night or two away - but no real vacations! I guess we'll see what fall has to offer and try again!

I am getting ready to go "back to school" as well... some crazy people on our PTA think that I should be President again... ugh - I draw the line at two years - so I'll finish this school year off and take a break - since I have been a board member for 4 years...
I decided to coach soccer again this fall... I will be coaching Little J's U10 team. I am looking forward to it in many ways... in some ways I am thinking - "boy are you an idiot for getting into this again!"... but reality is that both boys will be playing - and I am NOT big on having soccer practices and games 5 days a week! We will be having our practices the same time! Yep - way to go Mom! My friend Jenny's husband is coaching Big Al's team - so it will all work out well!

I guess that is the ramblings for now! I need to get in and finish editing some posts, and then find my camera - UGH - which seemed to go missing over the weekend!
Amy