hot, hot, HOT

I got a fun sinus infection this week. I am sure it had nothing to do with the twenty-two children I taught last week at VBS at our church. I am positive it didn’t have anything to do with the child I had to keep a close eye on because she would wander away; who came in with a beautiful, runny nose on Friday. Nope, not thinking it was any of that stuff while I lay on my couch with my ‘To Do’ lists racing through my brain.

Getting sick during a heat wave is double the fun.

I wasn’t quite sure if I had difficulty breathing because my head was so stuffy or because my house felt like a sauna by midday.





I think I dropped a pound or two from (a) sweating in the heat or (b) nausea from the medicine I am on. I was convinced it was the heat making me exhausted and dizzy until it was cooler yesterday and today and I was still shuffling through the house hoping no one would notice if I disappeared and took a two hour nap.

They noticed.

My husband took the boys out on a boat this morning so I could catch up on some things. Sleep sounded like a good thing to catch up on. I fought it off for an hour while I cleaned the kitchen counter my way. I love my dear husband, but there are his and her ways of cleaning. And the counter actually thanked me when I was finished.

This is what happens when I am sick:

I wake up in a sweaty fog and hear nothing. There is always noise in my house. So clearly something has gone awry. I support myself against things as I try my best to get through the maze of toys on the floor. I pull back a curtain and blink through the sun light and then see this out my window.

Yes, my husband thought it would be a great idea to put bubbles in our outside blow up pool. The boys were clearly thrilled! I could only shrug my shoulders and snap a picture.

And I also see stuff like this…

Mentos and Diet Pepsi explosions

Click here if you don't have enough ants in your back yard and you think your children would like this experiment. Cool, exploding fun stuff for boys!!!

I am not sure what other things happened while I was in bed but I think other stories will surface soon.

:: Good Times ::

my superhero

Thanks to my superhero husband
for taking care of me while I was sick today.
He fed the boys, cleaned the dishes, set up the pool
and actually got in the pool with them as well.

Thanks, Honey!

xoxo

At The Top

He is a quiet force that keeps things flowing.

You won’t find this guy in front of a microphone belting out his favorite Rolling Stones song.

No, you would see him at the gym every morning, bright and early, keeping his body strong, listening to the Rolling Stones as he diligently runs on the treadmill.

He is reserved, observant and patient and has a hearty laugh!

He is loved by his family and especially his grandchildren! Thank you, Pappy, for all the homemade ice cream, awesome grilling, gardening tips, yard work help, baby setting, cleaning up and dishwashing at the parties!!

Thank you for all that you do for the family, we really appreciate it!!

We love you and you are on
The Top Of Our List!

the setting sun & Hello Kitty

This is me watering my garden at my favorite time of day.
I absolutely love the evening when the sun is highlighting all the different greens fluttering over my head and around my feet.


The warm glow of the setting sun blankets everything with the promise of a new day!



It is so peaceful.




I painted a Hello Kitty on my hand at my nephews’ birthday party. I also painted a cupcake, bracelet, Pikachu and a flower on little hands and arms. My nephew turned six.


He is full of energy and spunk and could barely contain his excitement to open up his presents. Happy Birthday!

mischief

Things have been very busy lately. Some expected and unexpected events are keeping us running around the clock.

Here is a quick photo as I haven’t found much time and energy to post lately. I was resting on the couch with my hubby and looking through some pictures on the camera. I held the camera up and snapped a picture of us.
When I looked at the photo, this was the face he was making.

Nice.
I tried a couple more shots and he wouldn’t stop. So this is what he gets for misbehaving…a permanent place on the world wide web of his mischief.

Love ya honey!
xox


I will post about our fun LEGO® party soon!

boys vs. girls

I found Captain John Smith tied to one of my wooden, doll house chairs secured by a shiny, pink ribbon. I don’t know what he did, but I don’t think he is getting away very soon. For some reason, I can’t recall my sister or me using my doll house’s formal dining room chairs in this manor.

hmmmm...



:: Little Boys ::

the 4th

Happy 4th of July!

We spent the 4th with friends, old and new. There was corn on the cob, gilled chicken, hotdogs, watermelon, veggies, chips, pasta, apple pie and ice cream. One of the young girls told me she loved my pasta dish and asked me for the recipe. Yes: bowtie pasta, Italian dressing and grated, parmesan cheese. I know. It was very complicated. She copied the recipe on an index card and took it home. So cute.

Today, I loved hearing the stories exchanged between our friends, singing and playing music together, (Three Bean Salad – it’s a money song!) watching the children laugh while playing twister and hearing the oooh’s and aaah’s as the fireworks lit up the sky.
I really, really love being in a country where I have the freedom to live and worship freely.

I hope you had/have a safe and lovely day!

2010 fireworks

it's oh so quiet

It’s peaceful and very quiet in my house right now.
There is just the hum of the refrigerator and me.
My sweet husband took the boys out camping.

I love that he is willing and brave enough to stand up to the midday heat, relentless mosquitoes and inevitable camping mishaps.
Oh, the stories they’ll come home with.

I get to relax or race if and when I want to. I rarely get long stretches like these and, boy, do I need them. They are gone just long enough for me to begin to miss the CiRcUs AtMoSpHeRe again.

It is nice to have quiet in one's life.

The ebb and flow of mothering is constant, and yet always changing.
They are growing. I am growing.
It is a fun dance when you learn when to lead and when to follow, when to speed up and when to slow down.
But mostly, when you make a mistake, learn to pick yourself back up, smile gracefully, grow from your experience and pass your wisdom on to someone else.

Each time the boys come back from camping with dad they seem older. Their voices are deeper, they have grown an inch, they have learned new skills (like using a two-man, hand saw to cut firewood; Oh, they can skip that story!) and they seem to be growing beards.
I think the beards are sticky remnants of s’mores and dirt but I really can’t be sure.

I do know they haven’t been coddled by a mother and they need that time as well.
There isn’t a hovering mother wiping dirty faces, forewarning them about the dangers of campfires, cautioning them to be careful in the lake and reminding them not to pee under that tree.

The boys need their quiet too.

I will welcome their sweaty hugs, stinky laundry, tall tales, the spider that hitched a ride in their backpack, the deeper voices and then...after all the adventures have been told…………………then I will check their heads for ticks and let them soak in the tub until they are squeaky clean again.