Busy Days of Summer

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I posted to my blog. Even Dominic has told me that I need to update it. Even though summer has just started, it has already been very busy. Our calendar for June has been packed full. July is about the same.

New Highchairs

Brooke and Nathan are very excited to have new highchairs. I really love them. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got rid of the highchairs that they were using since they were born. I was tired of cleaning them and they took up way too much space. I guess anything does in pairs of two. I started using booster seats for Brooke and Nathan. They worked great but they took up two of our chairs at the kitchen table. We only have four to begin with so if you do the math, one of us was always without a chair. We always sit down to eat dinner together and lunch on the weekends so that didn't work. Nunny noticed our problem one day when she came to visit so she bought us two of the wooden restaurant style chairs. We love them. As soon as they arrived, Dominic had to put them together. In this house, you always have three little ones always eager to help with any project. I'm not sure how much help they are but they try.



Father's Day

The kids had a great time making cards for daddy for Father's Day. Brooke and Nathan made some handprints on construction paper with a cute little saying. For Lenny, I asked him a bunch of questions and had him complete some sentences. I wrote down the answers and typed them on a page. My favorite one was when I asked Lenny "I really love it when my dad" and Lenny said "listens to me and he does what I say he needs to do." He really makes his mom proud. He sure sounds just like me. :-)

Lenny and I also made a little picture bouquet for daddy's office at work. We were very proud of it and Dominic was too. He took it to work the next day.


We also got him a few other things and the MarioKart Wii game. (Thanks Lisa for saying how much fun you have with it.) We all love it. I made sure that I got an extra steering wheel and I'm glad I did. It's much more fun when you can race each other. Lenny REALLY loves it. He already knows all the names of the race tracks.

Here is a picture of Brooke and Nathan with daddy on Father's Day.


We also played outside in the Elmo sprinkler and threw water balloons at daddy. All of the balloons bounced right off of him and busted when they hit the ground. We are going to have to work on our strategy for throwing water balloons.


Monster Trucks

Lenny has a new love these days. Oh, Thomas is still first on his list but he also loves monster trucks. We watch the monster truck jam most mornings at 7 a.m. He already knows the names of many of the monster trucks. His favorite is Blue Thunder and Monster Mutt. I like Maximum Destruction. Now Lenny is collecting the little monster trucks and Nathan loves them too. They both race them around and bounce them off of other cars. It's funny to watch them.

The bad thing is that Lenny now likes to race his tractor like a monster truck. Here he is on top of a pile of dirt. He is wild with that tractor.


Just Pictures

I just had to post this picture. When we are getting ready to go to a store, this is the look that Dominic and I get a lot when Lenny is usually saying, "I can get a new Thomas engine because I'm a good boy."


This is just an ornery little girl.


Brooke's New Purse

In my last post, I mentioned that Brooke was using Lenny's safety goggles for a purse. Well, after that, Nunny decided that Brooke needed a real purse so she got one for her. Brooke LOVES it. She carries it around and fills it up with things. The other day we were getting ready to go outside when she ran to get her purse. She put it over her shoulder and started to walk out the door. She's so girly.


MOMS Club

I've also been very busy this month. I was recently elected president of our local MOMS club. I'm looking forward to the opportunity. We had our first board meeting last week and I'm so excited about what we are planning for the coming year. It shouldn't take up too much of my time and it's great for me because it is for the kids mostly. I'm always up for anything that gets them in more activities and having more fun.

From the Mouth of a Four Year Old

This is an old story but I still love it. From the day that Lenny was old enough to notice our cat Wendel, he has been trying to become friends with him or even just pet him. Wendel doesn't care much for kids. Anyway, Lenny and I were upstairs one day and I noticed Wendel laying on our bed. I told Wendel that he is not allowed on our bed and I made him get off. Lenny quickly ran to Wendel and said, "That's ok Wendel. You can go lay on my bed." He then smiled great big and said, "Wendel likes me now because I said he can lay on my bed." The sad thing is, I think Wendel just gave him a hiss and walked away.

Fun in the Sun

Today is our 12th wedding anniversary and we spent the entire day at home with the kids. It was a very nice family day. We spent a good bit of the time outside playing in Lenny's pool. We had to get a new one this year because the one from last year got a hole in it. Lenny was so happy to finally get to play in his pool this summer. He was in it for a very long time today.


After Brooke and Nathan woke up from their naps, they came out to play too. It's funny how deceiving the pictures are on the box for the pools. This pool that Dominic bought for them looked like several toddlers could get in it with space left over. That certainly is not the case.




Having a snack at their picnic table.


Nate being his goofy self.


Earlier in the day Brooke and Nathan had some yogurt for a snack. I don't know why I do this to myself but they seem to love it. You can tell that they still aren't real good at using the spoon for yogurt yet.




It was very hot outside yesterday too. We were all planning to go to the County Family Fun Night at the park to play games and watch the Wizard of Oz. Dominic had to work and then came home to cut the grass in the heat. He wasn't really looking forward to getting out in the heat again. So Lenny and I decided to go by ourselves and leave Daddy and the babies at home. We were so excited to go. We headed out a little after 5 p.m. and even stopped to get some bug juice and water for the trip. It was starting to look a little darker which was worrying me a little. We got there and there was so much to do. We first put our blanket on the ground close to the HUGE screen that they had for the movie. Then Lenny wanted to head straight to the moon bounces. There were four of them. Three of them were too big for him but I still let him go in one of them because it had a slide. He loved it and had so much fun jumping around. Then all of a sudden it started thundering and lightning. I wasn't going to take any chances. Lenny was so sad to get out of the moon bounce but he was very good about it. We picked up our blanket, bought some kettle corn and headed home. As we were leaving the parking lot, I looked over and saw that they had turned off the moon bounces anyway. We were both so bummed about it but at least we got out for about 45 minutes.

Earlier in the day the kids were playing in Lenny's play room and having lots of fun. Nathan was crawling through the lego table for this picture.


Brooke cracks me up because she is such a prissy little girl. Really! The boys were having fun running around pushing around trains and cars and playing with the Home Depot work bench. While Brooke decided (on her own) to pick up the safety goggles from the work bench and carry it around like a purse. She was picking up all kinds of things and putting them in it. It was so funny to look over and see what she was doing. You can see the drill bits in the goggles.



She has to wear these pink shoes all the time and prances around in them like she is just the coolest. If they are somewhere that she can see them, she wants to be wearing them. Of course, I had to paint her little toe nails pink too. I love having a girl! But we already know that she is going to be one to test us with everything.

A little later Lenny and Nathan were playing with some cars. Brooke pranced over to the punching bag and started slapping at it very girly like and squealing. The boys were just staring at her wondering what she was doing. Then she was done, turned around, and walked away with a huge smile on her face. It was the funniest thing.

I just realized that I haven't posted a "From the Mouth of a Four Year Old" for a while. I will add one soon. Lenny certainly does say some funny things.

Memorial Day Weekend and More

Finally, I have an update from our Memorial Day weekend trip. Every year since I was born, we have gone to our family cemeteries for Memorial Day to put flowers on the graves.

We arrived in Elkins on Thursday and celebrated dad's 60th birthday with him. He made dinner and baked a cake on his birthday and we got to enjoy it. Thanks Dad! Even though we stayed at his house, we didn't see him too much. He plays music in a band every weekend and he had to play that weekend too.

Friday we headed to the cemeteries. We have three that we visit in that area and each of them are way back in the country on tiny dirt roads. At some points on the road, it gets kind of scary especially if another car comes because there is no where to pull over for the other one to pass. All you can see to one side is the top of trees and if you look down it's a long long drop. On the other side is a hill that goes straight up. You definitely need to take your car through a car wash after those trips. It is worth the drive because the views from the cemeteries are absolutely beautiful. I can never get enough of it. It really is breathtaking.

We always try to make it to my dad's cemetery during Memorial Day weekend as well but we sometimes can't make it because it is in Preston County, West Virginia and we just run out of time. We do always try to make it there shortly afterwards though. His cemetery also has such pretty views. It's sad and hard to believe that we've been visiting his grave for 36 years now.

Be prepared for picture overload below. I took lots and had to choose a few.

At my grandma and granddad's cemetery, Brooke was enjoying watching her pinwheel spin in the wind.


And picking flowers.


Nathan was peeking through the fence at Meemaw.


Here is a picture that I took on the way to the cemetery.


A different cemetery and pretty view. Lenny and Anthony-Glen are in this picture. I knew Brooke would like this cemetery because there are lots of cows near it.


Saturday we finished our trip to the cemeteries. We also stopped at Valley Head for a community homecoming that they have every year. There's a little parade, a cake walk, some crafts and a few other things. It's very small but we had a nice time. Mom ran into a few people she hadn't seen in 40 some years.

Mr. Joe Cool here.


Here's the rowdy crew--my kids, my sister and her kids. Nathan was screaming because I walked away to take the picture. Silly boy.


That evening we went to our Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner as we do every year. We always enjoy this time with them. Here is a view of the river in their backyard. Wow, how I would love to have this in my backyard.

Lenny had a great time with Aleah and Anthony-Glen throwing rocks in the river. I remember doing the same thing behind my grandma and grandad's house when Kristi and I were kids. Jason and Mikey caught some crawfish so that the kids can look at them and touch them. I also remember doing that when we were young.


Saturday night Lenny was able to play with his friend Issy. You might remember the picture of them from the Forest Festival when they were walking through the park holding hands. They are enjoying a milkshake in this picture and talking about their milkshake mustaches.


We had a really nice time but it went by too fast. I was also able to get in a few games of Guitar Hero with Aleah and Kiana. There's no beating Aleah! She's a pro. Kiana is very good too!


Curtis Park

This past weekend Dominic and I took the kids to Curtis park to play at the playground. We then headed to the lake to feed the ducks and do some fishing.



Dominic and Lenny didn't get enough fishing this weekend so they headed back today. Lenny was proud of the sun fish that he caught.



We've really been enjoying the nice weather. The kids have been having a blast riding their 4 wheelers and Lenny's tractor. It's very funny to watch them. Brooke and Nathan can ride their's but they don't know how to steer yet so there are lots of crashes. And Lenny can steer but tries to crash anyway.

We Love Our Wii

We finally got one and we love it! As I mentioned before, the kids and I went out of town with my Mom for Memorial Day weekend. Dominic had to work so he didn't get to go with us. Before I left, I told Dominic that I would look at stores there to see if I could get one. Anyway, I didn't get a chance to look and Dominic asked me about it as soon as I got home on Sunday. He said that he was a day late at Best Buy over the weekend too. So I was bummed because we still didn't have a Wii.

After we ate dinner that day, we played with the kids and put them to bed at the usual time. A little later I was sitting in the kitchen catching up on my People magazine when Dominic asked me to come to the garage for a minute. He has been sanding and staining Lenny's bedroom furniture. He asked me to look at the difference in the two drawers. He wanted me to open one and then look at the other one. When I opened one of the drawers, there was a Wii. He had it that entire time since I'd been home and didn't even tell me. He said the Best Buy story was true but he was driving by a game store and saw a bunch of cars sitting out front. Being the nosey one that he is, he stopped and found that the store was open early and they had some Wii's. So he grabbed one up.

We finally have one and we love it. I haven't posted this week because we have nightly bowling tournaments after the kids go to bed. It is so much fun. I can't hardly believe it but my muscles are so sore from bowling. Dominic also got Lenny a Diego game for the Wii. He is really good at it. It's very funny to watch people play it. Dominic and I just laugh at each other when we are bowling.

What's really funny about this is the last video game that we ever bought was a Sega that I bought Dominic when we were in college. We just aren't video game players in this house. We are definitely becoming Wii players though.

Next...to get Guitar Hero for it. :-)

Anyone else having as much fun with their's as we are? I would love any suggestions of games for us or for Lenny.

I'll post pictures and an update about the weekend a little later but for now here's a teaser of pictures from the park in Elkins, WV on our second day there. It's not like me to have a post without pictures of the kids. So here are a few.

Dress Up Time

No, these pictures are not from Halloween. Today the kids were playing in Lenny's room and Lenny decided that he wanted to dress up like Thomas. I got the costume out for Lenny (from two Halloween's ago) and decided that the other two should have some fun too.





The funny thing about Lenny wanting to dress up like Thomas is that he normally doesn't like to do the "dress up" thing. Heck, he doesn't even like to get dressed for the day. A new indoor playground opened within 5 minutes of us and they have dress up clothes. We were there a few weeks ago and Lenny wore the Thomas costume the entire time we were there. I was so surprised by that.

Every day when I tell Lenny to get dressed he say's "Where are we going?" He would be perfectly happy to stay in his pajamas all day every day. It's like pulling teeth to get him to get dressed. Sometimes if I don't feel like asking him for an hour or just getting him dressed myself, he will stay in his pajamas all day long while his clothes sit on the couch. Actually, they don't stay on the couch too long because there are two little nosey kids that find and inspect everything in the house.

Brooke and Nathan are completely different when it comes to their clothes. They actually help me get them dressed. And Miss Brookey already takes her pajama tops off all the time. They both take their bibs off as soon as they are done eating and they use the bibs that have full length sleeves in them. They are my little independent kids. They also tell us when they are ready for bed. They go to the cabinet where we keep the binky's and point to it until we give them one, then they grab their cow and blanket, then they point upstairs for us to take them up to bed. It's very cute.

Here are a few more pictures from the past week.

Every time Brooke wears these pajamas, she puts the top over her head and walks around showing her belly.


Nate had to show me his belly button since we were taking pictures of Brooke's belly.


It's been a long week for us--we've all been sick. It started the Saturday before last with Brooke and Nathan and then they shared with the rest of us. The kids and Dominic are finally starting to get back to normal. I'm still coughing and have a sore throat but it seems like it is coming to an end--finally. We did get out this weekend in the backyard so that Dominic and Lenny could plant our vegetable garden. Lenny was so super excited. He kept saying how much fun he was having.


All three of them sat in the chair to watch Madagascar. It lasted all of five minutes but at least it was a start. You might notice that Brooke and Nate are dressed for the day and Lenny is still in his pajamas. I think he was still in them when Dominic got home from work.



Brooke snuck into the bathroom somehow and got into the toilet paper. She was so proud of what she had done. So far, this was the first real toilet paper incident with these two because we usually keep the door closed so that Brooke and Nathan can't get in there and tear up the entire bathroom. They are bad when they team up together. :-)


Nathan was really loving his grilled cheese from Five Guys tonight. Brooke mostly enjoyed the french fries. Who doesn't, really?


You may have noticed that Nathan is not in a highchair. Yippee!! I finally decided that I was getting rid of the huge bulky highchairs. I was so tired of cleaning them after every meal and snack. The booster seats are so much easier to clean and don't take up as much room. I'm a much happier camper now. I am, however, using the booster seats with the straps though. I'm not ready to get rid of those straps just yet.

Have a great week. I probably won't post again until next week. We'll be heading to the mountains of West Virginia with my mom for a long weekend.

A Wonderful Mother's Day

I hope all the mother's had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. I had a fantastic day. It started in the morning when Dominic got up with the kids at 6:30 and let me sleep in. It was great. Then I was called downstairs for breakfast. Dominic made banana blueberry pancakes and bacon. It was very yummy!

All the kids were already sitting at the table waiting for me and there were gifts and cards waiting for me too. I got a beautiful fern for our back porch, a big wooden barrel for planting my herbs, some workout clothes, some summer pajamas which I really needed, and an armband that holds my iPod when I go for a walk. I love everything that I got and it was all very thoughtful.

Another big bonus--I didn't change a single diaper all day yesterday! Dominic changed them all. I didn't cook all day or do anything but relax. It was very nice. Dominic even did all of the laundry. The only thing that I really did was go out with Lenny for a little while to look for some flowers and get some potting soil. Lenny and I had a great time together. I wish it was Mother's Day every day.

Dominic tried very hard to get a Wii for me for Mother's Day which I really want. He has been trying for a month but according to the stores they are gone 1/2 hour after they are unloaded from the trucks. He said that he is really determined to get me one now that it is such a challenge. If anyone has any tips or good locations to buy them let us know. From what I hear, you can really get a good workout playing a lot of those games. Dominic couldn't believe that I wanted a Wii but now he is excited to get one too.

Thank you so much, Dominic, for a wonderful day! You really are blog-worthy!

Check Out the Damage

Those are words that we often hear from Lenny when his Thomas engines have crashed. Last night a Thomas engine crashed right into Lenny's tooth.

Dominic, Lenny, and Nathan were playing last night and Dominic was tossing them on the couch. They would both just giggle and go back for more. Brooke and I were just watching the silly boys and wondering what in the world we were going to do with them. Anyway, Dominic went to toss Lenny on the couch again and we didn't realize that he had a Thomas engine in his hand--Paint Splattered Thomas to be exact. As soon as Lenny got to the couch, his arm hit the back cushion and it pushed his arm and the engine into Lenny's tooth. I heard the crack and was sitting right there. Lenny immediately started crying and then is when I saw what happened. His front tooth was chipped pretty good. Dominic felt terrible even though it wasn't his fault.

Here's a picture of Lenny's battle scars. And don't worry, the red tinge on his cheeks is not blood but rather cherry kool-aid.



My poor boy. And if you know Lenny, he is going to go on about his chipped tooth for a couple of weeks. He keeps wanting to look at it in the mirror. I told Lenny that Paint Splattered Thomas needs a time out for chipping Lenny's tooth. A little later he said that Daddy needed a time out. I told him that daddy didn't mean for that to happen and that he feels terrible. I said that daddy was probably out in the garage crying right now. Lenny said, "He is? I think he's outside sitting on my sandbox crying." It was very cute. He just likes to make Dominic feel bad.

It's funny too because Dominic always teases me about not including him in the blog when he does something good or fun. He jokes about that all the time. This morning we were talking and he said that he felt so bad last night about Lenny's tooth. And then he said that he thought--well at least he would make it into the blog this time. :-) Silly guy. But I guess he was right.

I took Lenny to the dentist this afternoon while Dominic stayed with Brooke and Nathan. Luckily they didn't have to do any x-rays. All they did was put a sealant on it since Lenny said that it hurt when he drinks or eats something. Needless to say, he will be stuck with that nice looking chipped tooth until he gets his adult teeth. They said that if the look of it bothers us after a few weeks we could get it fixed but he really didn't want to put anything on it because if it gets bumped it would come off.

Lenny was a very good boy at the dentist. I was so proud of him. Just for that I took him to Target when we were done and he got a new engine--Daisy. Then we went to the library and got a couple of books and stayed for the Storybook at Bedtime at the library. We had a good evening together.

From the Mouth of a Four Year Old

Earlier today Lenny was playing with some toys and out of the blue he said, "Ah, now I can't blow a trumpet with my broken teeth. Nobody can hear the sound with broken teeth." I have no idea where that came from. We don't own a trumpet and he has never blown one before. I never know where he comes up with half of what he says.