Monday, June 26

Tying a Shoelace

Okay, I thought potty training would be the hardest thing I'd have to teach my kids... until I tried teaching Samuel how to tie a shoe!! This is not as easy as I had hoped it would be. Are there any tricks or good ideas on how to master this skill? Mom, when did I learn how to tie my shoes?

Thursday, June 15

Home Depot NASCAR

I think Sammy is brainwashing our kids to love NASCAR as much as he does! When he found out the Home Depot car was going to make an appearance at our local store, he made sure he had an excuse to be there! How many times have I used my kids as an excuse to be (or not be) somewhere?!? More than I can count, I'm sure!


Feeding the Turkeys

Mimi & Papa have flocks (is that what a group of turkeys is called?) of wild turkeys that visit their backyard several times a day. Mimi is very protective of her turkeys and throws food out for them daily. Sydney & Samuel love doing this when they go visit. They follow Papa around, throw out corn for the turkeys and attempt at making turkey calls while doing it! It is so funny to watch! Apparently, Nick has joined in on the fun now...

Bastrop Park





Feeding the ducks at the park:
Mimi says this is how hot it was... even the squirrel was pooped!

Capital of TX Zoo

The kids visited the Capital of TX Zoo while staying in Bastrop. Here are some cute pictures from their day.

On our way in our new monkey caps:
What are these strange creatures?
Funny looking llamas:
A PIG... kinda looks like our brother, Nick!

Mowing with Papa

The kids really enjoyed "helping" Papa mow the lawn!

Hanging out at Mimi & Papa's

Nick & Gigi watching TV together:

Snuggling on the sofa in our new Mexico blankets from Gigi:

Fun in Bastrop

The kids had a great time at Mimi & Papa's house in Bastrop. They went swimming, they went to the zoo and to the park, they "helped" Papa mow the lawn, they fed the wild turkeys and enjoyed spending time out in the country. They were anxious to get home, but once back in their bedroom, they wanted to go back to Mimi & Papa's home! Go figure! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week...

Nicholas wanted to wear big brother's swim goggles:

I LOVE this picture of Sydney hugging Nick on their picnic:

My Incredible Hulk:

Rosy Centerpiece

As someone who has a very hard time keeping plants & flowers alive, I am VERY proud when I have something to show for my efforts. This is definitely worth showing...

I'm hoping they will help sell my house! Wishful thinking...

June 15!!

I cannot believe it is already June 15! This month is half over!

First of all, thank you, Rachel, for your reassuring comment on my last post. Although it was pretty traumatic at the time, Sydney will now proudly tell you all about her allergy test. The doctor tested her for the 8 main food allergens and included a separate test for egg whites and egg yolks. The scale runs from 0 to 4, with 0 being no allergen present and 4 being a severe allergy present. Sydney tested negative on all main food allergens, but scored a 2 reaction to egg whites and a 3 reaction to egg yolks. So, although it's not severe, she definitely does have an allergy to eggs. And, thankfully, it only seems to be direct contact with eggs... scrambled, fried, etc. She can eat foods that have eggs baked in, such as cakes, cookies, breads, etc. Apparently, the property of the egg changes when it's cooked in a product. Good to know! So, we will go back in 6 months to re-evaluate the severity of this food allergy. (I'm going to make her Daddy take her next time. That was torture hearing my little girl cry for a good 15 minutes & not being able to hold or comfort her.) Hopefully, it will go away with time.

Well, today was the big day... our house was listed on the market! WHEW! After about 2 solid weeks of hard work, sweat & several curse words, I'm sure, we have finished all the necessary repairs to make our old 1962 home shine! Sammy & his friends installed wood laminate flooring in our bedroom & the hallway. We had the carpet & tile professionally cleaned. We repainted our bedroom, three living room walls & the entire ceiling running through our kitchen and both living room areas. Sammy repainted the exterior trim. A good friend of mine sealed & painted over nail holes in the walls. And, we have cleaned this place like it has never been cleaned before! I think it looks great & I really hope we get some interested buyers SOON! Because, it is HARD keeping it neat & clean with 3 small children. This is definitely not going to be fun... but, I sure hope it will be worth it in the long run. Here are some pictures:



The kiddos spent a week at Mimi & Papa's house while Sammy & I were working on our home. I've got some cute pictures to share that I'll post in a later entry.

Enjoy your June 15th!