why I havn't been blogging...

number one...

'nuf said... ok, moving on...

number 2...

ugly as sin, but now super clean and ugly as sin... these hideous things are our basement stairs which have not been mopped since Mazzy was alive...(for those of you who do not know the history of our doggie Mazzy, I am not going into detail because that would allow you to realize how disgusting that last statement was. For those of you who do know how long it's been since Mazzy died...well...know that I am ashamed...)

number three...

A mad attempt to get my husband to overlook the chaos that has become our lives, and fall madly and deeply in love with me all over again...(hopefully the pie turns out...still in the oven as I type)

number four...

the "help" I received doing number three and the clean-up it required...(look out Jamie Oliver!)

number five...

and we've come full circle...hello sweet girl!...she's awake...

until next time...

Parkapaloosa 2010

I found a great idea in the last issue of Family Fun. A Mom wrote in with her idea about ending summer with what she called "Parkapaloosa". She'd wake her daughter up one morning and they'd hit one park, then another, and another...all day. She packed breakfast and lunch and headed home about dinner time. So cool.

So, feeling ambitious, I decided the Friday before school started we would begin our Parkapaloosa tradition! To make it even more perfect, Sarah and the kids would be back visiting from Tennessee. She bravely agreed to join in.

Eden - 6mos.

The clowns! Ty, Holden, Colin and Asher

Eden and Sloan...a blossoming love?

Park no. 1 went well. Weather was beautiful. Holden, Colin and Ty decided to "swim" in the sandy "volleyball court". Asher being smart enough to avoid that mess! We decided to move on when I got a text from Chris that stormy weather was heading our way.


Park no. 2. Big hit!

The boys couldn't get enough of the "spider web".

Sloan and Eden remained pretty content. We hit a school playground within walking distance and left when it started sprinkling. Parkapaloosa would be rained out! Bummer! But we did have a small trick up our sleeves... an indoor playground! Thank God...we salvaged it a little bit.

Bottom line, the kids still had fun. It was totally worth it...

And we all got worn out... i.e. easier evening for me and hopefully a sleepier bunch for Sarah's long drive back to Tennessee Saturday morning!

*miss you and love you TN bunch!

3 weeks ago and $70.00 richer....

Meet Rex. Then say goodbye. RIP Rex. Victim of Ick. (Here I thought only Henry Huggins' fish got Ick and died...I guess not.) He was Colin's pet for less than 2 weeks.



Meet Max. He had ick too. He survived. Yea.

Now, meet the snails.

These are but two of the hundreds...no, I am not exaggerating...of snails who are currently taking over our 5 gallon tank. Apparently snails can reproduce at a seriously, crazy rate. It's called 'snail infestation". Infestation has never been a word that I wanted to use to describe anything happening in my home. But here we are...

"If I'd known then what I know now" applies here, I think...

If you give a boy a camera...

he will probably elicit looks from his brother that no one else can.

He will probably reveal why he gets those looks...

You may see some things he likes.

He is sure to reveal his muse...

If you give a boy a camera, you will see life through his eyes...

and it will be a gift.

The End.