A Typical (Lazy) Monday

Mondays have always been our day to just hang out at home , recovering from our busy weekend. The kids and I rarely even leave the house on Mondays. Sadly, our tradition is about to change when Dylan heads off to Pre-K in less than a month. So for now, we savor our lazy Mondays.

It was boiling hot outside today. And horribly humid. Of course, the kidlets wanted to go out to play, so I obliged. Can you really say no to this face?

Didn't think so.

So we ventured outside, and even took a hike up the ginormous hill behind our house, to see the farm and the tractors.

I'm not sure how Lexie managed to climb the hill with an armful of stuffed animals, a lovey, and two of Dylan's Star Wars figures clutched in her fist, but she did it!


After our little excursion, Dylan spent some time on his play set...mostly jumping off of it.


Yes, he's going to give me a heart attack.

Good thing he's cute and sweet.

Only 3 more lazy Mondays left before the school year begins. We're going to enjoy each and every one of them! The truth is, I love the time spent with my babies!

P.S. If my blogging starts getting sparse, it's because we're busy with this:


Anybody want to provide a lifetime supply of paper towels, floor cleaner, and character undies?

Not Me Monday

Welcome to another Not Me Monday, a blog carnival created by MckMama. It's a great way to "admit" your imperfections without actually admitting it! Head on over to her blog for more Not Me Monday fun!

It wasn't me who let a certain 4 letter curse word, starting with the letter S, slip out of my mouth when I realized there was no possible way I could make a left turn out of a parking lot. My darling Lexie did not start repeating said word, to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." I will never think of that song the same way again.

I did not run the most miles yet this week...in a thong. I do not have a rather painful scrape in an unusual location. It is not a literal pain in the butt, nor am I rethinking my choice of underwear while running!

I did not scoop up the spilled contents of Lexie's snack container in WalMart, and then hand it back to her. Twice. I'm not thinking that it canceled out the effect of using the Clorox wipe on the cart handle.

It's not me who used the wrong category list in a game of Scattegories. I'm more with it than that!

I did not have a really crappy weekend, nor am I glad it's over. I am not really disappointed in some family members right now.

I did NOT let my kids stay up until 1 AM on Saturday night, during a get together at my house. After everyone left, I did not find Lexie hanging off the edge of her crib, begging to go to bed. I did not find my son like this:


It wasn't me who was in the midst of potty training horror last week. After cleaning up what felt like the millionth pee spot, I did not stomp off to my room, declaring that I was taking a nap. Now. Before I had a temper tantrum of my own. Anybody want to take over this week?

I did not visit my horse at his stable, and find a for sale sign out front. I am not stressing over where I'm going to move him.

The fact that Dylan is starting school this year, did not hit me hard after a school shopping trip. I am not feeling overwhelmed by how quickly my baby grew up.

I did not feed my husband a perfectly nutritious meal of pizza rolls and mozzarella sticks last night.

I do not despise this 90+ degree weather. I am not completely dreading taking the kids outside today.

I Heart (Silly) Faces and Pets

The themes this week at I Heart Faces are Crazy, Silly, Funny Faces and Pets.
I chose this photo of my 4 year old son, Dylan. He and my husband were having a funny face contest while having lunch at the zoo!


I chose this photo for the Pets category. This is obviously not our pet, but if Dylan had his way, it would be! We were in the shark tunnel at the zoo, and I took the picture as the shark was swimming over us. I loved how I captured the blue sky, the clouds, and the rocks in the polar bear exhibit, as well as the ripples in the water!


If you want to see some absolutely amazing pictures, head on over to I Heart Faces!

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

In just 21 short months, four boys were born into my family. My sister, Andrea, started off the boy trend by having a baby boy in September 2003. The following year, Andrea, my sister, Gretchen, and I were all pregnant at the same time...and we all had boys! Holidays and parties are crazy in this family with four very (make that VERY) active boys running around!

Meet Brady. The Ringleader. 5 years old.


You know Dylan. Age 4.

Then come the youngsters. Brandon and Jackson. Also, 4 years old.

The cousins are very close. They love playing together, and see each other at least once a week. Fist fights are infrequent, but have occurred. The boys plot their adventures, and always find a way to cause trouble.

My mom is used to having girls. Having raised 5 daughters, 2 stepdaughters, and a stepson, she mostly had experience with all things feminine. She's used to the mood swings and drama, but not rough-and-tumble little boys!

Don't worry, her loving daughters did rescue her within a few minutes!

Lexie is the only girl in the group. She has visits with her cousin, Aubrey, who is 3, every few months, but all she knows is boys!

Poor Lexie Bean! She idolizes them, though, and I know they'll take good care of her when she's a teenager! ;)

They may be a handful, but they are blessed to have each other, and to be so close in age. They have been together since Andrea moved back home last July, and hopefully they won't get torn apart. I'm not sure they'd know how to exist without the others! They really are best friends!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Come for a walk with me down Memory Lane!
And if you have a "Memory Lane" post, head on over to Scottsville to join in on the fun!

I've been following Erica's A Walk Down Memory Lane posts for a while, and figured it was time to join in!

I'm going to start off with something I was just thinking about a few days ago. The year was 2004, and Grant and I were still living in our tiny, pre-kids house with our pets. It was the middle of summer, and I was pregnant with Dylan, and suffering from extreme morning sickness.

I was a mama bear when it came to our pets. Grant's friend came over for a visit, and although he was a frequent visitor, and knew better, he held the door wide open, for about a minute, while he was leaving. Sure enough, my strictly indoor cat, Cosette, shot out the door. Grant and his friend chased after her, which was a big mistake, because she was timid around anybody but me.

I searched for hours for my cat, called every rescue organization in the area to describe her in case she was found, and finally came in when it was getting dark. I spent the evening in tears, just wanting my cat back.

Finally, Grant heard her meowing in the woods behind our house. She was high up on the steep hill, and every time Grant attempted to get near her, she ran up higher. So it was up to me. I climbed as far up the hill, as possible, fighting off waves of morning (HA! Make that all day!) sickness. I was a few feet away from her, and completely exhausted, when we heard a very loud car approaching. Cosette tensed up, and I knew she was ready to run, so I gave it all I had and dove through the air, and landed on top of her. Now that I had her in my arms, it was time to attempt to go down the steep slope. I just gave up, and slid down the hill on my butt, clutching the writhing cat in my arms. I never expected to have a rock climbing adventure in the dark, while pregnant!

It's now five years after the fact, and Cosette has never attempted to escape again. I think we were both traumatized by the event! Good thing we found her, because she and Lexie are best buddies!

Five Favorite Things About Summer

I was tagged by Erica at Scottsville, to write a post about my five favorite things about summer. (By the way, if you haven't checked out Erica's blog yet, you should...her photo posts are awesome!)


I love the countless hours spent in my backyard, playing with the kids. Whether it's sitting and reading a magazine while the kids play, or pitching to Dylan, or chasing the kids around with water guns, I love it!

I love the endless picnics and outdoor birthday parties. I love our hikes and trips to the zoo.



I love sundresses and flip flops. For me, but mostly for Lexie. There's a reason that Lexie has 40+ summer dresses!

I love the yummy summer food...fresh fruits and vegetables, corn on the cob, potato salad...I'm hungry just thinking about it!

I love the sights and sounds of summer...the vibrant green grass and trees, the smell of the honeysuckle and mint in my backyard, the sounds of the birds and crickets, fireflies, and the long summer days.


What do you love about summer?

Just for fun, I tag ALL of you!

Snipe Hunt

After missing out on the snipe hunt at the family reunion, we decided to have a hunt of our own.

It all started while I was on the sunporch, feeding our cats. It was around 11 PM Sunday night, and I heard what sounded like an injured cat or a kitten. I stepped outside and listened for a few minutes, before calling Grant for assistance. I can't seem to resist a distressed call.

Grant stepped outside with me, and we listened to the creature calling out in the dark, unsure of what it was. I finally whistled to it, and it responded. Then, it added a bird call to the original sound. Grant and I stared at each other in fascination, and we both ran inside, to put on our shoes. Armed with a flashlight, Grant headed toward the woods. My brave self stayed in the backyard, "talking" to the creature.

And it responded to my calls. Every time.

My imagination went into overdrive, and I began picturing those cute, little dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, that lured people with their sweet voices, then surrounded them for the kill.

I was very grateful when the sound ceased, and Grant came back down to our yard. We went inside, wondering what, exactly, was in out there. To be honest, I'm kind of glad we didn't find out!

Before he went to bed, Grant told me not to go outside alone to find the little creature if I heard it again.

Trust me, I had no urge to do that.

Family Reunion

On Saturday, we went to our annual family reunion. It was so nice to see members of the family that I only get to see once or twice a year. Truth be told, my dad's side of the family is so large, that I don't even know half of the people there! My dad has at least 20 cousins, and they have kids...who have kids!

We didn't get to the park until late afternoon, because we came home so late the night before. Grant's work picnic was Friday night, and we were both exhausted on Saturday. I wish we could have spent more time at the reunion! We had such a good time! It's hard not to, when you're around my family!

I didn't take too many pictures because I was busy talking, but I did get a few good ones...I'm not in any of them, as usual, since I'm the one behind the camera all the time!

The kids had a great time playing with distant cousins they didn't even know by name!

Lexie hung out with my nephew, Brandon, all day.

This sweet baby, Serenity (a distant cousin), gave me a crazy dose of baby fever.

Lexie desperately wanted off the swing!

The big game at the reunion is the horse races. I put my money on Dylan...

...and it paid off.
I added my winnings to the money D won, so he'll be able to buy a nice toy this week!


The elders of the family finished off with their own race. My dad is now an elder! ;)


We love hanging out with my Aunt Jackie...she is the world's coolest aunt!

Lexie had fun on the big swing!
Grant played some football before we left. Awww, look at the hubbs being sporty!

When we left, Dylan wanted to stay behind with his cousins, so my sister took him home with her later in the evening. After we left, the older cousins took the younger ones snipe hunting in the woods. When my sister left, her two boys passed out in the car, and my brother in law spent the next hour trying to bribe Dylan to go to sleep.

We spent a few hours hanging out at my best friend's house. I got to snuggle her newborn all night, and Lexie and her BFF got into some trouble. We heard them cracking up, and found them playing Wii!

Oh, those two are going to be trouble!!!

We picked up Dylan at my sister's house on the way home, and the kids passed out in the car. What a fun day!