Jumpin'

I've been busy chasing children and often my brain can't catch up. I write thrilling blog posts in my head and never make it to a keyboard. I do apologize and will try to do better. Here are the boys enjoying the rare winter sunshine on their Christmas present from grandparents and great-grands.

We are all looking forward to camp outs and star gazing on our fabulous trampoline as the weather warms!!

Spring has come

We have been blessed with not one but TWO extremely boyish, as in dirty from head to toe with glee, outdoor toys. Tim took some scrap wood and made a dirt box just the right size for small dump trucks, backhoes, excavators, and taste testing. Poppi, also known as my Dad, created a masterpiece due to withstand many years of imagination. He built a large "sand box"  and filled it with all size rocks. He built it under our large shade tree and I foresee many years of joy ahead.

 YES! That is dirt and snot adorning this precious child's face. I'm building his immune system..DUH!!

 The coolest dad ever with the coolest dirt pile ever....

 Already tasted it-YUCK. Now what do I do with this stuff???

 Say cheese for momma!

I don't believe my living room has been haphazardly covered in toys since this warm weather spell. My boys would much rather be outside exploring and I'm perfectly okay with avoiding house work. Bring on the pollen season. I'll sniffle my way through these beautiful God given days of spring!!

Snow Days

WE have enjoyed our white wonderland! From daring Daddy to do crazy shirtless stunts to sledding down hills, building snow mans and last but not least partaking in down home crazy fun! Enjoy the show! :)

Didn't see our crazy stunts? Well we didn't get any picture so use your imagination! Tim dug up an old car hood. Attached it to his truck with ropes and off to the pasture we went.  Lots of screaming, multiple failed attempts and snow in the face best describes the experience. Tim said next snow he will do some "tweaking" and we'll be at it again!!! 

Feet First

     How do I begin? FIRST, I married my husband for his charm and whit. In turn he gave me adorable handsome sweet boys, many moments of laughter, and godly sense to keep me straight.
     Let's fast forward to today. It's cold and icy outside but I needed a breather and so I volunteered to make the Wal-mart run. As I was exiting the house Tim reminded me the front steps were iced over and to be careful. "Uh-huh" was my reply as I balanced a jug of hot water for my windshield, my grocery list, purse, and large winter coat. I gingerly took my first step and knew I could tackle these steps with the grace of a ballerina.  The second step sent my feet up towards the sky, my bum accepting all the weight of my body and my back catching the remaining force as I slithered bounced down 3 front steps. MY blond moment was NOT in the second step but in the fact that I tried to save my hot water jug and not my body.... WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?! My knight in shining armor heard the crash and responded in record time. After my bruised pride began to calm I paced around the yard determined the fire in my bum could be lived with and I would proceed to run my errands.
     Armed with goodies for my sweet husband I returned home limping and ready for the couch. Sadly I should have foreseen the charm and whit were not to be wasted on my clumsy episode. The rest of the evening I endured wise cracks I shall not utter on this child-friendly blog. That fire still simmers as I bare a blue and purple memory that scans the whole of my left posterior... so because I cherish and adore my sweet husband who couldn't keep his pie hole shut.  This is for you dear-est! :*

p.s. All wise cracks towards my husband are in good faith. Please enjoy the humor of the moment!

Punkin' Pickin' Goodness

We braved the crowds and headed to Tate Farms this past weekend.

We climbed tires and pretended  to measure our height. 

We checked out the petting zoo, climbed around in a cool vintage fire truck and enjoyed an array of climbing gear.

We took a trip on the corn train and made several stops at the corn bins.

 A short ride out to the pumpkin field and daddy and Samuel picked some good looking pumpkins,  while David and I played in the hay. 

Exhausting but fun day!

How to make Chores fun

Even now I can here my mother's voice telling me, as a child, that I could make chores "as fun as I want them to be." Of course I listened closely, rolled my eyes, and stomped off to grumble my way through toilet scrubbing and bookshelf dusting. NOW as an adult and Biblically-minded wife and mother, the list of chores only grows longer and more tedious. I want to pass on a bit of my mother's advice to my children. Often this is best shown by example. 

Today I needed to wash our flea invested dogs. UGH-UGH-UGH! I also needed to blast way spiderwebs, dead bugs, and leaves that had accumulated on our outside toys. Oh! And wash the porch and water the flowers. I dressed the boys in fast drying clothes and we headed outside for our water party. Since we live with Alabama summer,  we must stay hydrated to beat the sticky clingy heat that even a shady tree can't chase away.  So we brought along...

Ice cold water (arrangement by Samuel)

I planted David somewhere safe 

And proceeded to wash the dogs. I do NOT have pictures because it was an ugly mess. I tether each dog to the tree and make a soapy mess all over the driveway as I wash them down. Upon release of their captivity they both promptly go roll in the grass to remove the nice smelling flea and tick soap I've used. Hopefully I've killed the army of unwelcome pests. 

Then Samuel "helped" me wash down all of the toys. His giggles were worth his impeccable aim as he showered me with cold hose water.

The giggles could have been due to his mom shrieking and running while shielding the camera.. 

Mia helped dry the toys while Dakota stayed far away from a possible re-bathing.

I then reacquired the water hose and doused the plants, porch, and Samuel. We finished off by filling up the pool and came in for an AC break and lunch. I'd say today's chores were worth the gritty wet mess the kitchen floor now displays.

Tea time and Honey Suckle

The sunshine beckoned us outside this afternoon and so we took our snack with us and enjoyed dodging barn swallows, wasps, and mosquitoes. We had a wonderful time.

This lovely concoction is only for grown ups. Milo's finest if I might add!

Sitting on my own and taking in everything around me

Graham crackers were the menu special

Dakota took care of the crumbs

Guess its time to go find where Samuel has gone exploring...

Ah-ha! Found my deep woods explorer. Looks as if his runaway car had the nerve to land in some sweet smelling honey suckle. It's been awhile since I've tasted of the fine flower nectar...

Samuel is at a fun age right now. All of his 22 months wants to be everywhere at once. Its exhausting, yet rewarding at the same time. I'm slowing discerning how much he comprehends, how well he CHOOSES to follow directions and what motivates him to listen to mommy.

Here is a PRIME example of sheer cuteness topped off with immediate obedience. After returning from the grocery store this evening I was multitasking distracted with groceries and realized Samuel's bedtime had come and gone without a MUCH needed bath. I promptly left the thawing food on the counter and started his bath water, yelling through our thin walls for Samuel to get in the bath. I assumed this would simply encourage Samuel to head in the general direction and I scurried around getting David in bed and finishing up in the kitchen. I was interrupted with a loud and stressful "mama...MaMa...MAMA!" Back to bathroom I head and this is what I found: 

Needless to say, I told him to sit tight while I hunted my camera down and then congratulated him for obeying so well. "Nuff Said!'