Rotten meat, yellow jackets, lightning and Guatamala.

Friday we went decided that we would go to Williamsburg on Saturday. The kids and I spent the day picking blueberries and hanging out at the pool, so by the time we got home I really didn't get much done in the way of packing. I got up at 4 to make E's breakfast and had every intention of staying up and finish getting everything ready. Shawn woke up and wanted to nurse so I layed in bed with him and watched a Barefoot Contessa episode that I had on the DVR- fell back to sleep and didn't get up until 8! Was in the process of packing the cooler and went out to the barn to raid the deep freeze and found out that the breaker had tripped. Lost everything in the freezer. That just makes me sick! I had so much stuff in there. 8 whole pork loins, steaks, 4 packs of hot dogs, a couple lasagnas, and lots of other stuff. I love to stock up when there is a sale. So getting that all cleaned out put me even further behind schedule. We didn't end up leaving until almost 2 oclock. So much for out by 10! Chris didn't want to come to Williamsburg- since he had things he wanted to do and it is his last week of summer before summer school starts I didn't push the issue. He's staying with Dad and Janet- besides this way he can water the garden and all. This was my first time ever coming to Williamsburg without Elton or Chris. The ride was surprisingly smooth- the kids were great, not a peep out of them. Traffic was o.k. Theres a race in Richmond this weekend, so there were a lot of cars on the road, and then when we hit 64 there was all the beach traffic, but we still made it in under 3 hours and didn't have to stop once. It was ridiculously hot- 102 according to the thermometer in the van. When we got here I unlocked the trailer door, Katherine went in first then Brianna who got stung by a yellow jacket on her way in. I got stung 3 times before realizing that they had made a nest under the top step. We went and checked in and picked up a schedule and bought some wasp and hornet killer, and went back to the trailer to put on our swimsuits (we used the other door!) The kids walked down the road a safe distance and I killed all the yellow jackets. It seems like every time I turn around I''m killing things now! I got a strong sense of satisfaction at their demise! Poor Brianna, its the first time she's ever been stung- she just let out a bloodcurdling scream. We went to the pool and were there a whole 5 minutes before it started to thunder and lightning and they closed down the pool! We went by the members lounge and picked up a game to occupy the girls while I unpacked the van. It is absolutely ridiculous the amount of stuff that we require to go anywhere! 2 suitcases, 2 diaper bags, stroller, take along swing, 2 coolers (a big one for food, milk etc and a small one to keep in the front for drinks.) laptop, digital camera, video camera, movies... Packing light is not in my repetoire! We got to the dance about 8:20- Shawn wanted to eat first. Elton got here a little after 9- he went by the trailer first to eat the dinner I had left in the microwave for him, and came up to the dance. Suprisingly he stayed for the whole thing, we got back to the trailer about 11:15, and he was surprisingly chatty for a work night. I think we went to bed about 12:30- a fact that I'm sure he was regretting when he had to get up at 3:30 this morning! Oh well- when he gets back tonight he'll be off for the next 4 or 5 days. They're still not sure if they will be off for the 4th of July yet. K, B, S, and I will be here until Sunday.

On a totally unrelated note- Lowe's is trying to get their company to be more bilingual. There are planning on selecting some of their Supervisors to go to Guatamala for 3 weeks for some "total immersion" training. I certainly don't want E. to be gone for 3 weeks, but how cool would that be??? I would certainly jump on the opportunity if I was in his place. He was kind of feeling me out about it last night. He's so sweet- sometimes. ;0) I googled Guatemala b/c I know virtually nothing about it- it looks AWESOME! I'm so jealous- I hope he gets the opportunity to go.

Gastropods in the Garden!

(That's me utilizing my Biology degree! ;0) ) Basically we're infested with slugs. I've always thought they were kind of cute until I noticed that several of my summer squash had holes in the ends. Upon further inspection I found one that still had a slug inside (otherwise I would have no idea who the culprit was). I found several "green ideas" on the internet, surprisingly noone in my house volunteered to take a flashlight into the garden at night and pick up slugs! Beer traps (they are attracted to the yeast and fall in and drown), sand around the plants (the texture is too abrasive on their slimy bellies), copper wire (produces a slight electric shock). My garden is the perfect habitat for slugs, it is shady (the zucchini and summer squash have grown to massive proportions and have actually overtaken the onions and okra.) and it is moist thanks to my pinestraw mulch , (which I think is also harboring mosquitoes)- but on the bright side I hardly have any weeds.

The girls and I found a HUGE slug in the garden, he was probably about as big around as my thumb. After a quick biology lesson, he was large enough you could see his mouth and file-like radula, we declared war! We salted him and set him on the deck for observation. Generally that is not something that I would do- it seems kind of cruel, but I've always wondered what it would look like, and like I said: This is war...

We bought some slug killer at Lowes yesterday and I put it in the garden last night. This morning there were white gooey cobwebby looking things althroughout the garden. It looks just like the slug we salted last night, so I'm quite confident that it is working, hopefully it will eradicate the problem completly.

Unfortunatly I can't water for 48 hours- pretty poor timing, it is a scorcher today- 101 and its only 1 oclock. I totally soaked it yesterday evening so hopefully everything will be o.k. I'm so tired of this hot weather! Elton just took Chris's phone into Alltel, its brand new and the screen is completly fried. Thankfully they didn't hassle him about it, just let him exchange it for another one. Anyway- he came home with a half gallon of Cold Stone's Peanut Butter Cup Perfection! He knows the way to my heart!

Six weeks old already???

Wow, its hard to believe that Shawn is 6 weeks old already! On the other hand it seems like he's been here forever. I'm definatly counting my blessings, knowning that for many mothers this milestone also means returning to work. Thankfully I've been blessed with a husband who sacrifices so much so I can stay home with our children. I came across this quote several weeks ago and think it deserves repeating:

When we traded home-making for careers, we were implicitly promised economic independence and worldly influence. But a devil of a bargain it has turned out to be in terms of daily life. We gave up the aroma of warm bread rising, the measured pace of nurturing routines, the creative task of molding our families' tastes and zest for life. We received in exchange the minivan and the Lunchable. (Or worse, convenience-mart hot dogs and latchkey kids.) I consider it the great hoodwink of my generation. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Wishful Thinking...

Tuesday Elton, Brianna, Shawn, and I went to Garysburg to pick up Elton's paycheck. Somehow it hadn't gotten direct deposited. We took 95 up there (boring interstate driving- seen it a million times!) Elton was listening to talk radio the whole way there, leaving me wondering when he had gotten so old and why I had even volunteered to ride along. He picked up his check and the day took a definite turn for the better. We ate lunch at Chick-fil A in Roanoke Rapids. There were tons of kids there and B had a ball playing! She would run to our table every so often to scarf down a nugget or a fry. I don't adhere to the "sit down & eat your lunch & then you can go play" philosophy. She'll eat if she's hungry, and if she waits and eats it in the car who cares??? We were there for about an hour and a half. Elton offered to drive the back way home and we got to see some beautiful countryside. We were having a great time looking at the scenery and picking out houses we liked. In Hickory we saw such a cool old farmhouse that had obviously not been lived in in years and it had a For Sale sign, so I made E. turn around and he patiently waited in the car while I explored. Everything was very overgrown, and I wished that I had not worn flip flops (constantly looking out for snakes) It was so cool! The house was a huge old white 2 story farm house (very Walton-esque) it had front porch and the front door was ever so slightly cracked, I tried to open it, but they had it boarded up from the inside. All I could make out through the crack was hardwood floors, a staircase and a huge room to the right. BUMMER! It had still had an old porch swing on it, and the door had transoms on the sides and top. It was so beautiful. I poked around in one of the out buildings- lots of junk- nothing good. There were some old tobacco barns, that I should have looked through, but I was trying to hurry. There was an old family cemetary with probably about 20 headstones. It was the old Vivrette farm and the oldest tombstone with a date was from 1853. The most current one was from the 1950's. There were several stones with no names or dates, some had only intials. There was a little rectangular wrought iron fence that had been painted white( it may have possibly at one time been a crib) , the paint was chipping off, and inside was a stone about the size of my fist. There was nothing written on it, but surely it was the grave of a baby or very small child.

I wrote down the name and number of the real estate agent and planned everything out on the way home. One of the buildings was in relatively good condition. It would only take a day or two to clean it out, we could put all of our essentials in there and have our trailer hauled down from VA. We could live quite comfortably in the trailer and the building while we restored the house.

I had it all planned out! We would probably even be on "If walls could talk." (we love that show)

When we got home I tried to find it on the internet, and made E. call the real estate agent. The house came with 80+ acres that they were trying to sell as a subdivision. That put it out of our price range- especially considering the amount of restoration the house would require. I've been depressed about it ever since. Hopefully someone will but it and restore it. I hate the thought of it being subdivided. I told E. that if we win the lottery Sat. we are buying that farm. He just kind of looked at me, somehow he seems a little less excited about it than I am! I think he just lacks vision! ;0) Although he did say that we could call out "Good night Shawn-boy" LOL!

Why I live in North Carolina...

Today while I was browsing around Books A Million I came across a little book entitled Why I live in North Carolina. I was waiting for Elton so I decided to flip through it. There were some reasons that were expected: The Outer Banks, Lighthouses, Venus Fly traps, some of the funnier reasons included: we're a safe distance from New York and California, Rules of grammer are subject to individual interpretation, We done in Blackbeard (and don't y'all forget it), When you go to the ABC store they ask about your family (the ABC store is the only place you can buy liquor in NC), We invented the ever versatile word "fixin", and even the most gourmet grocery stores sell live bait.

The truth comes out!

I just assumed that Chris would jump at the chance to take Drivers Ed... He can either wait til school starts or he had the option of going to Beddingfield (another local high school) and taking Drivers Ed this week. Suprisingly he opted to wait until school starts and take it @ Fike. I was so shocked by this decision that I just had to find out the reasoning behind this abberation. First he tells me that he doesn't want to miss football conditioning- (as much as Fike conditions and practices you'd think they were Super Bowl bound!) I knew this wasn't the real reason, then he says he's already commited to do all this volunteer work for the Volunteer Action Committee. I told him that surely they could live without him for a week. Apparently he figured out that I wasn't going to leave him alone until I got an answer that satisfied me. Finally he confesses that he and Oakey (weird nickname I know) are the only guys- the rest of the volunteers (20 some) are girls! Some of them are "hot chicks!" ;0) I'm so glad he's so community minded! LOL!

Trying to stay cool

Shawn wasn't too crazy about the pool. He looked pretty pathetic in the baby float- it basically swallowed him! He spent some time hanging out with grandma in the shade. I'll be so happy when his face clears up. It usually doesn't look so bad unless he's hot or mad.

Mommy's Kitchen Helper!

Last night Breezy helped me make a Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake. It is one of our favorite recipes and it literally takes a minute to throw together- unless you have a little helper- then it may take a few minutes longer!

Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake:

Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Pour in a can of crushed pineapple (juice included) Spread on a can of cherry pie filling. Sprinkle on a boxed yellow cake mix (dry). Add some chopped pecans (approx. 1/2 a cup- or to taste) Slice a stick of butter and arrange on top. Bake @ 350 for approx. 50 minutes.

My (usually) well behaved children

Sweet quiet Katherine & sleepyhead lapbaby Shawn

Such Love!

Every day is Wrestlemania at our house! Chris is the instigator & Brianna is such a scrapper!

Our house

My house... I have always been a little curious about the history of our house... It was built pre-Depression and is supposebly one of those mail order houses. You look in the catalog, pick out a house send away for it, and they ship it to you via railroad. You can either build it yourself or hire professionals. I have been unable to find any information about my house online. We are in the Broad Kenan Historic District- in fact our house is the only reason it extends down as far as it does. I have tried to locate the model of our house from Sears information on the internet- I found one that looks similar- but there are some major differences. The dates make sense, but perhaps it is not even a Sears home- maybe there was another company that provided the same kits. Elton suggested that I check with the Register of Deeds (to find out exactly how old it is)- well I tried that- no info available online. Is it really worth a trip to the courthouse??? Honestly that sounds like such a pain- drag all the kids out, go downtown, try to find a place to park (hope its not parallel- not fun in the van), go through security at the courthouse, actually find the Register of Deeds, pay the money, and hope they have some interesting information for me... Who's to say I wouldn't just deadend after that? I could call LuAnn Munson- the head of the historical society. But do I really want to open that can of worms? She mentioned to my Dad that the picket fence we put up was fine, even though we didn't apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness, because it would be historically accurate. Gee I'm so glad she approves! The way I look at it when they start paying some of the mortgage they can have some say-so in my home improvement projects. We haven't heard whether or not they approve of our paint selection. Technically it is a "historic homes" color combo. That's only because I knew I wanted yellow with white trim and a blue door. The picture in the brochure looked good so I went with that. I am certain that they would NOT approve of the huge deck we built in the back yard, or the 700 square foot addition we added when I was pregnant with Brianna ( 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs). It's not like the house was original when we bought it. Our bedroom, dressing room, bathroom, and laundry room had all been added on. I think its ridiculous that people can form a committee and tell you what to do with your property. We live in a Bungalow from the 1930's in Wilson- not a home on Charleston's Rainbow Row! The picture shows off my July 4th decorations & please note the new rockers I assembled all by myself! ;0)

Wonder what it is about my current obsession with water- too much or not enough... Thought I would pass along these interesting tidbits that I found. Undoubtably I am one of the 75% of Americans who are chronically dehydrated. In order for me to drink water it has to be really hot (the weather that is- the water has to be super cold...) I really need to give up the Mountain Dew's! I do love them... I have been trying to drink more water. I bought a 1 liter bottle of water, fill it up half way with water and freeze it, before I leave the house I fill it up the rest of the way with water from the fridge. This way the water will stay cold, no matter how hot and miserable it is outside, and since I left the Dew at home I will drink it! By the way, the kids are digging the new trend and I bought another bottle- they are pigs... I am aware that because of all the BP's, BPA's or whatever it is in plastic you should not freeze them. The logic I use to dismiss this is: the bottle will only contain a certain amount of B whatevers. Since I am reusing them, this should significantly cut down on the toxins consumed. Makes sense to me... There is a new ecologically friendly brand of bottled water available. The bottles are made with corn- not oil. So they can be recycled, composted, or incinerated. The water is called Primo, I've not seen it locally, but to be perfectly honest- I haven't looked!

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain or up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a ! printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Another drought???

I heard on the news the other day that they're afraid we're moving into another drought. They want people to start conserving water, and Raleigh is considering implementing water restrictions. I think this is just paranoia! Supposedly Buckhorn Resevoir is an inch below capacity. One inch??? Give me a break! It has rained 3 times this week, substancial rain- not just a little sprinkle... We had a really intense thunderstorm about 2 this morning. Tons of really loud thunder (not sure if it was accompanied by lightning b/c I was too tired to open my eyes- isn't that ridiculous?!?! That was my reasoning at the time. It was insanely loud thunder, I would have thought the windows were open. I kept waiting for Brianna to come get in bed with us. She has been great about sleeping on her own! I digress- it rained 1/2 an inch last night, not to mention the other times its rained this week. Admittedly the past 2 years we really were in bona fide drought. We went out to Lake Wilson last year, and it was about half its normal size. There were herons standing all through the lake (apparently made for some good fishing!) not just in the mud flats. The Neuse river was reduced to a trickle. I hope the whole rain trend continues- saves me time & money! The only drawback- mosquitos! I HATE MOSQUITOS!

Thank God for trailer hitches!

Yesterday I was sitting in the living room nursing Shawn and Brianna was playing in her room. (Elton and Chris had gone to see the new Indiana Jones movie, and Katherine was at Micahlynn''s sleepover) My MIL had called to say she was on her way over, I saw her pull into the driveway and heard a big crash. She says her foot slipped off the brake, but as hard as she hit it, I think she probably mistook the gas for the brake... My van escaped unscathed :0), but her car has a huge dent where she ran into the trailer hitch... I'm so thankful that it wasn't the car she was behind, she would have really done a number on that fiberglass bumper! It certainly isn't the first dent that she's put in that car. It looks like she sideswiped something with it, and the paint is blue, so more than likely it was one of the cart holders at Wal-Mart. Of course she denies any knowlege. Yet she wonders why we won't let the kids ride in the car with her anymore!

Shawn is 5 weeks old today. Gave me some beautiful smiles first thing this morning. Of course he wouldn't cooperate for the digital or video camera- Little Stinker! It seems like he's been here forever. He is so precious- I ADORE his little toothless smiles!

Brianna is really growing up fast. Her newest hobby is wanting to reinact things she has seen on cartoons. She will tell you what happened and tell you exactly what is expected of you:

"I'll be Spongebob and you be the noodle. I have a pencil and I'm drawing circles. You run around saying "Nyuh nyuh nyuh" and Daddy can be Patrick."

She is still so sweet and loving with Shawn. In fact her personality has become sweeter in general lately. I was expecting the opposite, with Shawn being around and Chris being out of school (He is quite the instigator! ;0) )

Chris's summer vacation has been anything but relaxing. He's still doing some volunteer work, I've always got something for him to do, and Janet is keeping him busy. It seems like everyday she's got something for him to do: painting (trim on the house), wash the dog, take the trash cans and recycling down to the street. I think she's just lonely with Dad out of town. She dropped by yesterday while she was out for her walk (she almost never does that). It worked out really good though, she stayed and watched the kids so I could take Chris to the Clothes Line.

The garden is still looking good, our 2nd cucumber is about ready to pick. It looks like we will soon have a bumper crop of yellow squash. I've already been looking up recipes and ways to preserve them. The zucchini plants have lots of flowers but no fruit yet. I would have assumed they would have come at the same time. Chris transplanted the tomatos. Hopefully they will do better in the ground instead of in the pots. Some of them have tomatos on them, but nothing close to picking. I'm very glad to get them off the deck- 10 tomato plants and cages made it look rather junky. I'm sure the rosemary and Hens & Chicks are happy to have their sunny corner back!

Loving my Lowes Discount!

We went to Lowes today and spent some of our gift cards. I bought 2 new white wooden rockers for the front porch. (I assembled them myself and am quite proud of the results! ;0) ) They're a nice change from the white wicker rockers that were starting to look a little dilapatated- I could live with them being a little on the shabby side, but on one of them the "rocker part" kept coming off leaving me with a noticeably lopsided chair! They must not have been too terribly bad because they were only out on the curve for about 20 minutes before someone picked them up. I also bought some torch oil, some more grass seed, miracle grow, and a windchime. While looking for tomato trellises, we stumbled across some wave petunias that had been marked down to 75 cents (bought 3) and some sweet potato vine that had been marked down to a quarter! I was quite impressed with the S.P. vine, I thought they only came in 2 colors- chartreuse, and almost black. This is almost a reddish purple color (reminds me of Japanese maple) a few of the leaves are the chartreuse color. I thought they were very pretty and bought 6. I still have more money to spend, so we will probably go back today. It was super hot yesterday and it was getting close to time for Shawn to eat, so we made it a quick trip...

Thankfully the temperature has dropped substancially! It's probably only in the 80's today. We had a storm last night and it really knocked the temperature down... We ended up opening all the windows last night to cool the house down, and here it is 2:30 and they're still open. It rained all night last night, a nice soaking rain, so no watering for me today!

So glad Elton will be off the next 4 days- this leaving at 4:30 in the morning and not getting home until about 8 is really taking a toll on him! He's not used to working this hard! I know he's thankful that the temperature has dropped!

We did "Father's Day" last night, so E. could wear his new clothes to work today. Had a JcPenney's coupon, one of the $10 off things they send you in the mail, and we shopped before 1, and took advantage of the Doorbusters. We got him 3 pair of shorts, and 2 polo shirts. I had a gift card, so the total was only about $23! Normally we would not have bought that much stuff, but since he can wear shorts in the warehouse, he needed some "dressier ones"... and we did get really good deals. I LOVE bargain shopping!

1 month old!

Well Shawn is officially one month old today. He is so precious! He has really cut back on his sleeping. I'm having mixed emotions about that! It's so nice to be able to play and interact with him, but it definatly makes it hard to get anything done. He was actually pretty good today. It was just he and I this morning. C,K,&B spent the night at Dad and Janets last night. Dad left for Washington this evening. Spending 2 weeks. Apparently Trina had a run in with one of her horses and ended up breaking her pelvis- there went their fishing trip to Hell's Canyon! Hopefully he'll have lots of fun anyway. My sister Trish and nieces Jordanne and Devanne may be coming to NC sometime this summer. They will be in for a rude awakening if this weather continues. A huge change from the Washington coast!

C and K wanted to go take Dad to the airport, so Bri came home this afternoon. I had some errands to run, and I was really dreading it since I had both the little ones and no help. They were perfect though! I was very pleased. Bri's been such a Mommy's girl today- I guess because she's spent the last 2 nights away from home.

Very productive today. Got everything watered- we're going to end up with TONS of yellow squash! a couple more cucumbers are growing. Made Chicken Bryan and roasted garlic mashed potatos for dinner. Chocolate Eclair Torte for dessert. That is probably Elton's favorite meal. Since I was already in the kitchen I went ahead and made some Chicken Fajitas- another one of E's favorites. I made some biscuits and sausage pattys that E. can heat up in the mornings. (This getting up at 4 to make his breakfast is for the birds!) He only has 30 minutes for lunch, and Lowe's Distribution Center is kind of out in the boonies- so I end up packing his lunch too. Not real crazy about this fixing him 3 meals a day! We have enough food now though, I won't have to cook for a few days.

I just don't know about this new job- it definatly has some good points- good money, only 4 days a week, LOWES DISCOUNT (I got my discount card today- and I got my $300 Lowe's gift card in the mail last week. can you say SHOPPING SPREE tomorrow???) but I digress: he's training on the weekend shift- so although its only 3 days a week, he leaves the house at 4:30 in the morning and gets home at 8 pm... He is totally wiped out when he gets home. I guess all he does is walk all day long. His area is 1 million square feet (yes 1 MILLION- that is not a typo!) There are still rumors of Leiner reopening and that other pharmaceutical company is opening in 2009.

Today would have been Randy's 33rd birthday. I had intended to go by the cemetary- but it just didn't work out... I wonder what his life would have been like now if he were still alive...

Spoiled Rotten!

Shawn is so spoiled already! Admittedly- it's my own fault, but he's so precious- why wouldn't I want to hold him whenever possible. I was desperate enough to try him in his Jumperoo- it practically swallowed him! he seemed to like it though- briefly. Usually,his wanting to be held all the time is not a problem. There is almost someone around willing to hold him. Today however, Elton was in Raleigh shoe shopping (Those size 15 feet can pose some big problems!), Katherine was at Graison's, and Chris was volunteering at The Clothes Line (a thrift shop whose proceeds benefit the Wesley Shelter- a local shelter for victims of domestic violence). So BriBri, Shawn, and I were on our own. That would have been fine, but I was trying to finish cleaning the carpets downstairs. It went something like this: swing 5 minutes- cry- cuddle, Tummy Time 5 minutes- cry- cuddle- Jumperoo 5 minutes- cry, nurse, sleep, lay down in crib- sleep 5 minutes- cry cuddle, and repeat. Oh well- it all got done... Elton found some shoes, and got a haircut- I just can't get used to it. It hasn't been this short in years! He's always kept it short, but this looks very militant- he's practically bald on the sides! It doesn't look bad- just different. (It is kind of funny b/c he's tan except for the bald sides are bright white LOL! Will have to make it a point to spend some time outside tomorrow! Super big thunderstorm today. Weather Channel was talking about quarter size hail, but we didn't have any. Eerie green light with lots of pressure. No mention of tornados though. I was surprised. C, K, and B have gone to spend the night with Elton's mom (Brianna's first time). They're going swimming tomorrow.

Mental Touts

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at fir st sig ht.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks yo u a q uestion you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mis take, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will he ar i t in your voice.

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

My thumbs are so green!

I am so excited about how well the garden is doing. Except the peppers and okra- but we'll just say that the plants were in poor condition when they were purchased! ;0) I think I'll pick the cucumber tomorrow- it's already quite a bit bigger than the picture (I took it yesterday) tons of tiny yellow squash are coming out. I can't wait for the Sweet 100 tomatos- I ADORE them! Planted some a couple years ago and I don't think any of them ever even made it into the house!

One of life's little surprises...

This was one of the first things that started coming up this spring. I have no idea what it was but since it was green and had nice leaves I decided to leave it in the hanging basket. It grew like crazy and I had been meaning to trim it down. We were greeted by these awesome flowers when we got home from Williamsburg. This picture doesn't do them justice. They are so gorgeous. No idea where they may have come from- I certainly never planted them- I've never even seen anything like them before...

4 weeks old today!

Well Shawn is 4 weeks old today! He actually rolled over today during "Tummy Time"- I was fixing Brianna something to eat and missed it, but she saw it and yelled "Momma Momma He's rolling! He's rolling!" Sure enough there he was on his back looking very suprised! We hugged and congratulated him and put him back on his stomach to see if he could repeat his performance, apparently he was taking too long because Brianna reached out and flipped him over!

His neck is noticeably stronger. He was laying on my chest today and had his head up looking all around- very controlled motions. We tried to show Daddy when he got home from work, but Shawn had just eaten and I guess a full tummy brings the Bobblehead back into him!

Elton says he likes his new job- incredibly hot (no A/C- just fans and this record breaking heat wave isn't helping), lots of walking. Hopefully, he'll get adjusted quickly.

Home Sweet Home!

Well we're home again! As much as we love Williamsburg its always nice to be home. We had a great time at the campground. Kind of a chill vacation- it was unbelivably hot! Heat index of 106- yuck! Bobby, Tracy, Chelsey, and Ashley came up Friday night and brought Chris with them. It was so good to see him- I missed him this week. We had a good time, did some laying out at the pool. B, T, A, C, and Chris went to Water Country Saturday. We had already gone that week, and it was so hot, we just stayed home. The girls and I went to the pool, and Elton kept Shawn in the air conditioning until he got hungry. The girls did campground activities. We cooked hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill, and went to the dance. They had the horrible DJ again, but it was still something to do... All 4 kids slept all the way home- we've got some Gypsy kids! Chris did a bang up job watering while we were gone! The garden is doing great and the grass has really grown- it must like the heat. It is kind of splotchy and we will have to reseed some places but I was very excited to come home to some grass! I'll have to post some new garden pictures tomorrow. It is awesome! We have a cucumber, a few yellow crookedneck squash, and some tomatos. Pepper plants not looking so hot, but they are flowering, and the okra looks pretty crappy... Oh well, the zucchini, cucumbers, and yellow squash more than make up for it. The corn is looking good, a couple of the plants are kind of layed over though- don't know whats up with that... Brianna asked me if Grandma Grace was at our house when we got home, then she said she wanted to go to her house "right now". She had to settle for calling her on the phone. Nice to talk to mom- wish she were still here, but so glad she missed this horrible weather! Apparently Brianna thought that G.G. was coming over since we called her, because after we got off the phone she asked me "Is Grandma Grace here yet?" and insisted on going to the front door to check! ;0)Elton starts his new job tomorrow- hope he loves it, and this is where he is meant to be. He is having mixed emotions about it, excited b/c he really wanted this job, thinks it will be a good move for him. Dreading it too I'm sure, he's gotten used to being home! We've gotten used to having him home too, and I'm really going to miss him. At least he only works 4 days a week- that will be condusive to some nice long weekends in Williamsburg. We love it there. Didn't take too many pictures while we were gone. Shawn was having a bout of infant acne, and not looking so cute, but it seems to be going away now.

Just hanging out @ the campground...

Cleaned the trailer today. Helped Katherine with her math- she is really getting the hang of it- I'm very proud of her! We did 2 loads of laundry, and spent a couple hours at the pool. Elton has been reading all day long- he's obsessed! I'm waiting for it to get a little darker before I wash off the outside of the trailer. You're not supposed to wash the outside of your trailer. Too bad for them! It's all moldy- once a year is reasonable... Think I will get busy spraying on the Tilex.

Shawn's 1st trip to Busch Gardens.

Shawn was so good on his first trip to B.G. He didn't fuss at all until we were on our way out. It was so hot! The thermometer in the van read 97 degrees when we left about 7 oclock- that's not factoring in the heat index! To escape the heat we went to the Abbey Stone Theatre and watched Emerald Beat. The girls were so engrossed in the dancers! Irish Thunder (which I feel was far superior) was always one of Katherine's favorite shows- we had to go everytime we went to B.G. Bri was really into it-she was really cute to watch. We also went to the Festhaus and watched the show- more about that in the previous post. Found out that the Festhaus has a "Nursing Station"- that was awesome. Privacy, air conditioning, and a comfortable chair! In retrospect there was probably one at Water Country- will have to make it a point to pick up a map the next time we go. After we left we went to the Used Book Store- they didn't have anything E. wanted, and then Wal-Mart. This woman almost ran over Brianna with her cart and Brianna yelled "RED LIGHT!" then she got out of the way and told the woman "Green Light!" It was too funny, I thought that woman was going to die laughing! Bought Shawn a couple of really cute outfits. Summer is definatly here! Guess we are just going to chill out at the campground tomorrow. I need to do some laundry- need to clean up the trailer- things sometimes get a little TOO relaxed while we are camping. I bought some Tilex Mold and Mildrew remover to clean the outside of the trailer- It has gotten rather funky!

Brianna- Feeling her German heritage...

To escape the heat, we went to the Festhaus and watched the show. Brianna was selected to go up on stage and do the Chicken Dance. She didn't hesitate a bit! Here are some cute pictures. I've really got to learn to upload video on this thing...

Water Country USA

We went to Water Country today and I forgot to take my camera! That is so unlike me, but in my defense- I have a lot more stuff to carry now! I'm surprised the hitch wasn't dragging on the van on the way to Virginia! I had 3 diaper bags for Shawn, his stroller, & his take along swing!
He was so good at Water Country, he didn't get wet- figured that the chlorine wouldn't be good for his delicate 3 week old skin! The girls had a ball! We went straight to the Wave Pool and I took the girls- Daddy's not big on water... Then the girls went to the Critter Corral, we spent quite a bit of time at Cowabunga- Katherine and Brianna probably went down the waterslide at least a dozen times! We ate dinner at the Hot Spot- Shawn decided to nurse- I hate nursing in public and having a bathing suit on made it very interesting! The girls rode Big Daddy Falls about 6 times waiting for Shawn to finish up- they LOVED it. I wish I had remembered my camera- their faces were priceless! We spent the rest of our time at H2O UFO- Elton finally got wet there- the water was only a foot and a half deep! ;0) A new JCPenney's opened up right next to W.C. so we went there- looking so chic after our all day adventure at Water Country- bathing suit coverups and all! LOL! Bought Katherine a couple pair of desperatly needed shorts. We went back to the Children's Place on the way to the waterpark- they don't let kids wear the floaty bathingsuits (all Brianna has...) got her an ADORABLE bathing suit- bought Shawn 2 pair of sunglasses, a baseball hat, and a pair of winter cargo pants. Didn't feel like going home, so we went to Target- Brianna was beastly- so we cut that shopping trip short- she was exhausted! Bought some paper plates & plastic cups- we were out @ the trailer and I'm tired of washing so many dishes! We're home now (well our trailer home) and watching a Planet Earth video on caves- our newest obsession- they are awesome! Think we'll go to Busch Gardens tomorrow- I WILL NOT FORGET MY CAMERA!

Saturday in Williamsburg

Yesterday was a good day. We went to the Library ( they have an awesome Friends of the Library section), Katherine got a book & Bri got 3 singalong tapes. The Children's Place was a little disappointing- only bought Bri some tennis shoes for next Fall ( very cute & $4.99!) and 3 headbands for the girls. I took the girls swimming, and then we went to the Ice Cream social. Brianna, Shawn & I took a nap while Katherine went to Candy Bar Bingo- she was only one away from winning the Jackpot ( "I-16- I'll remember it forever!"- the Jackpot consists of 5 candy bars- so hence the disappointment! ;0) ) She did end up winning a Twix- so it wasn't a total bummer. The campground had a dance last night & the girls had a blast- they shook their booties all night! Today is Coloring Fun, Pool Games, and Family Movie Night. The campground is surprisingly deserted this weekend, figured it would be packed since this is "camping season" Guess the high gas prices are keeping people away...

Pictures from the Science Museum