Summer Plans

The big question around our house this week is "What are we going to DO this summer?"  Hmm...good question.  I have been meaning to sit down and really plan some fun this year.  Fun that doesn't necessarily involve lots of money or 2 parents to wrangle kids (summer is Ricks extremely busy time at work).  My ideas seem a little self centered to me (read, sew more, exercise every day), so I gave everyone a sheet of paper and asked them to write down anything and EVERYTHING they want to do this summer, no matter how big or small.

Here is what I found out: 

1. They would really like to travel.  Florida, Tennessee and Branson, MO all made the lists.
2. They are okay with free or cheap things too.  Picnics, parks and hikes all were listed. And
3. They really had fun being in on our summer plans.

So this week we will sort through all the ideas and come up with a plan.  Although I don't see travel within the next 2 months, I see alot of other things getting checked off the lists!

What are your plans for the summer?

In the Process...

It seems like lately that I am "in the process of (fill in the blank)".  I am in the process of losing weight, making a summer fun schedule, looking for a new house, making a quilt for my son's bed, teaching my daughter how to sew and most of all, writing regularly on this blog.

Somedays I seem to have it all together and accomplish much.  Then there are those more common days of floating around "wishing" I would have done more.

Maybe it is the heat.  For the last week and a half the temps have been in the 90's.  Ugh.  That kind of heat makes me want to stay in the house and read or play a game with the kids. Maybe it is just a case of "beginning of summer vacation blues"- the constant barrage of "I'm bored" or "Can I have a snack?" or "He's touching me!" 

Whatever it is, it is here.

Then I remember what Psalm 46:10a says "Be still, and know that I am God." He knows that I am "in the process" and He is here - with me - waiting for me - to be still.

Recovering from the Weekend

Whew - everyone is back to school and work today and we can relax a bit and I can finish recovering from the cold I came down with on Friday!

We had a wonderful three day weekend that began when the hubby ordered pizza for dinner Friday night (yay to not having to cook)!  Saturday was beautiful so we thought we would visit the St. Louis Zoo.  Well, it seemed that pretty much everyone else had the same idea, so we changed plans and went to the St. Louis Science Center instead!  What a great time we had - the crowd was light and the kids had a blast interacting with the exhibits.  But the coolest thing was the Navy Week expo outside in the planetarium's parking lot.  There were 5-6 booths set up with everything Navy, including a dive tank and a flight simulator that Rick and the kids got to ride.  Way cool!

Saturday afternoon the kids and Rick went outside so I could get some rest.  The girls had an impromptu play date that evening with a family from school, and the house was so peaceful.  Actually, the house could have fallen in and I wouldn't have known.  I was feeling so awful by that time that I didn't even know that Rick had gotten all the kids to bed!

Sunday evening we had a friend over for dinner and we had the most awesome pork steaks, grilled to perfection by the hubby!  Topped off by a berry cobbler and ice cream.  Delish!

Monday started with a movie Despicable Me, which we loved, a quick trip around the mall and ended with my parents over for barbecue and homemade ice cream.

It was a wonderful weekend - what did you do?

The Best Day of Their Lives!

That is what our three oldest have said about our trip this week to Six Flags.

They didn't care that it was hot, they didn't care that they didn't go to the arcade and play, they didn't care that we didn't ride very many rides.

What they loved:

Riding the Log Flume two times in a row to get soaking wet
Ross riding the roller coasters (his favorite) with dad
Riding Thunder River and getting soaking wet
Gigantic turkey legs
Souveniers
Riding the Tidal Wave and getting soaking wet
B.o.b. in concert (Rap artist - not dads favorite)
Riding the Colossus ferris wheel at sunset
Glow in the Park Parade
Being one of the LAST cars in the parking lot

We arrived at the park around 2:00pm and left the parking lot a little after 10:00pm.  It was a fun day despite the heat, with little whining from any of us!  It was fun to see our kids having so much fun with each other and looking out for one another. 

A few pics from our day:

l-r: Bryce and Lily in Bugs Bunny Nat'l Park; Rick and Ross on Tony Hawks Big Spin; Bryce looking out from the top of the ferris wheel; Ross and Bryce getting wet; Haley, Lily and Bryce resting and rehydrating; Haley pretending to give Bryce and Lily a ride!
  

Maybe I do have a green thumb?!

We have a joke in our family about my "black" thumb. 

You see...

I tend to kill plants. 

This year I have already killed the following:

a hydrangea (I was still pregnant - too distracted to keep it watered)
two purple fountain grass
half a flat of pink petunias (like I thought I would actually plant them before Carson was born?)
cilantro
carrots (I got tired of waiting for them and pulled all the sprouts out)
two hanging planters of purple and fuschia petunias

So imagine how surprised I am that my garden is actually flourishing!  The 2 raised beds were my Mother's Day present.  Maybe it is all of the love that went into them that is producing all this bounty?!  Here is what we have growing in three raised beds:

1 yellow squash plant
1 bell pepper plant
1 jalapeno plant
1 banana pepper plant
2 cucumber plants
1 basil plant
1 roma tomato plant
1 cherry tomato plant
1 grape tomato plant
1 better boy tomato plant
2 "clearance" tomato plants from Lowe's - not really sure what they are!

The best thing - I have been able to pick something almost everyday for the last 2-3 weeks.

Today I picked our first yellow pear tomato, 2 grape tomatoes, 4 cucumbers and 2 jalapeno's.  It has been great to serve my family something I grew!  And guess what - they are surprised to be eating from the garden!

Oh - do I have dreams for next years garden...I see more raised beds...more plants...more bounty...

Things that make me SMILE

My hubby, Rick...

My kids...

Carson - 2 months
Ross - 11
Lily - 6
Haley - 10
Bryce - 4









Fireworks...

and tons of things I don't have pictures of:

cucumbers and yellow squash from my garden

the bunny that likes to escape the heat in my cucumber plants

sidewalk chalk drawing on my driveway

flavored creamer in my coffee

homemade ice cream

rain when the sun is shining

butterfly kisses from my 4 year old son

warm cookies

hand made cards from my kids

clearance plants that are blooming like crazy

a phone call from a friend

nuzzle from my cat, Pearl

Hot, Hot, Hot!

It was quite a hot one here today in Missouri - heat indexes over 100 degrees! The kids needed to cool off so out came the baby pool, the sprinkler and the ice pops! I love these moments - where there is no bickering or fighting - just loving and sharing.