Off to the Beach!!

Well, we're off! Tomorrow we leave to spend a week at the beach with my family. It will be the first time we have all been together in a while. I can't wait, and I'm sure I will have lots of pictures to share when I get back. Bloggerland has become such a part of my day that I have actually thought, "Well, how am I going to check on all my blogger friends?" OK, maybe I just really need to get a grip, or maybe I just need to get a laptop!!

Anyway, please pray for Cade's toe. I brought him to the doctor yesterday because part of his cut is still open. He said, "Well, he can't get in the sand or water." I just looked at him like, "Well, you'd better come up with plan B quick!" I am so sure that we are going to the beach for a week, and my 6 year old can't get in the sand!! Are you crazy? We have purchased every kind of liquid bandaid, waterproof bandaid, and anything that even looked like it might protect that toe. He has also been stuck inside for the last couple of days. We're trying to get that thing to heal a little before we get there. One of my brothers is a doctor and he'll be there with us. Maybe he will have a miracle!!

I hope you all have a great week. Do one of those activities with your kids that you keep meaning to do!! HA I'll check in on you when I get back.

The Next President

I had to share this paper that Braden wrote in school this year. It was sent home right as the school year was ending, so I saved it for Father's Day. It is so sweet, and Richard got a big kick out of it.

It says:
The Next President
I think my dad should be the next U.S. president. Dad is kind. Once there was a store going out of business and he tried to buy a lot from them to make the owner feel better. He is generous. He gave money to the people that are poor. He is honest and he never lies. He is brave because he was an LSU catcher. He is responsible. He always gets to work on time.

I love the catcher part. Braden played catcher this year, so that must be the bravest thing he could think of. I love it!

The Best Babysitter Ever!

I have the best babysitter I could ever hope for with my boys. One of the teachers at our school has a high school son who loves to play with my boys. He plays baseball on the high school team, and my boys think that is VERY cool! After I thought I would lose my mind the first two weeks of summer, I decided to get Ryan to watch the boys one day a week so I could have a little down time and get some of those pesky errands done by myself. He loves to hang out with my boys and play baseball, games, and this week, build forts. Since Cade's accident, he couldn't play outside, so they decided to build a fort. The following are the pictures of the biggest fort I've ever seen!



and here they are: the coolest fort builders ever. They used every blanket I had in the house, and didn't even break anything! I would never do anything this cool, so I'm glad I have Ryan. (so are my boys!)

Porch Challenge

OK, Jenn tagged me for this porch challenge so here goes. I am going to cheat a little because the porches on the house we are building are so much better than the house we are in now. So, I am going to post pics of both. I'll start with our current house. This is the front porch. It is used by pizza delivery people and UPS.

This is our back porch. We spend a good bit of time out here because I can watch the kids swimming. It's not covered, though, so it gets pretty hot.

Well, I thought I should show you my great talent for beautiful flowers. This is about as good as it gets. My favorite flowers to grow are geraniums. They can live for weeks without water. We get along well.

OK, on to the next house. The porches on this house are actually the best part of the house. We can't wait to be able to use them. This is the biggest part of the back porch. There will be a TV above the fireplace for all of those baseball games. How do you like the classy furniture? We do live in Redneck country, after all.

This is the other side. Downstairs will be the outdoor kitchen (the only kitchen that will probably ever be used).

And, finally, here is the front porch. Doesn't look like much. It should really have a big target on the front because the golfers seem to "aim" for it. We are hoping we won't have TOO many broken windows.

So that's it! We are definitely porch loving people. Now it's your turn, deanna, denise,and becky you've been tagged.

Thanks, Jenn I needed something to keep me busy! HA We wouldn't want to get bored or anything! Everyone needs a reason to clean their porch every once in a while.

Couldn't Resist - I Know, I'm Weak

No disputing, when it comes to shopping, I'm weak. If you must know, some of why we are adopting has to do with me being able to buy all those great dresses and bows I've had to pass up for the past 12 years! Not the main reason, of course, but I'm certainly not dreading it!! Hence, my find for the day:

Yes, I know, it's really cute! I guess I have become a ladybug lover as well. If you weren't aware, they are good luck in China. The best part was that it was on the sale rack! I figure since it's at least two years before a referral makes its way here, I might as well work on the wardrobe. Never hurts to be prepared - right? We'll see how I do on the sizing issue. If I am really off, I'll have lots of brand new girl clothes to pass along.

Well, the lovefest at my house is still in full force. The patient is tough as nails. I found him climbing up the side of the bunk beds just a few minutes ago. It'll be a miracle if we can get it healed before he hurts it again! I do have a sneaking suspicion that the brothers are on the tail end of their "sweetness". I'll bet we'll be back to normal tomorrow. Oh well, it was great while it lasted.

Brotherly Love

As the mom of three boys, I have often marveled at the fact that we don't spend half of our lives in the emergency room. We have been very blessed and have only had to have one head glued together - until today. We were swimming at a friend's house and Cade tripped on some wood and almost sliced part of his toe off! It was REALLY disgusting. I rushed him to the urgent care clinic, leaving the other two behind. He was soaking wet from swimming and I was wet from carrying him. He screamed and screamed, and was just plain mad. I think toes and fingers must hurt worse than almost anything. He was trying to be so brave, but it just really hurt. Anyway, he ended up having to get two shots to deaden it and then got four stitches. He hasn't seen it since then - I am fully expecting him to freak out. I was able to hold it together, but now that I'm not in crisis mode, I am quite queasy. It's funny how that happens. You do what you have to do, but lose it later.

When I went pick up the other two (Cade was with Richard), Braden went right out to the car because he thought Cade was in it. He was ready to offer him anything he could to make him feel better. He said he had tried to call me to check on him, but couldn't get the phone to work right. He kept asking if he was ok and said he feels real bad for him. Since we have been home, he has been waiting on Cade hand and foot. He wants to make sure he's not in need of anything. He even brought him a bowl of cereal. (That's pretty big for Braden)

Bryce was just as sweet. He was very upset because Richard had planned to take him and a friend to see Pirates of the Caribbean tonight. He has been looking forward to that for quite a while. All I had to do was explain what Cade had gone through, and his attitude totally changed. He said he felt really bad that Cade had to go through that. He even offered for Cade to sleep in his bed tonight because he is staying with a friend. That's big!

When we are at home on a regular day, my boys play with each other alot, but they also argue and fight like most siblings do. Although I hate to see one of my babies hurt, it was so sweet to see that when the chips are down, these boys have each other's backs. They are so stinking cute I could just squeeze them.

So, here they are just a minute ago. I will spare you a picture of the toe. Quite frankly, I don't think I could stomach to see it again today. Maybe when it looks a little better, I give you a peek! Tonight I'll leave you with a picture of two of my precious little boys, taking care of each other. It doesn't get any better than that.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

So what do you do when the heat index reaches 108? The only relief was the sprinklers. These sprinklers spray well water, which is freezing! On a day like today, the pool doesn't even seem to do it. These four boys have been outside all day playing golf, baseball, swimming and running through the sprinklers. Then they even combined a couple and played sprinkler baseball (the sprinkler heads are the bases). Pretty smart if you ask me. I guess that's what summer's all about. Of course, Bryce is inside building legos. He thinks they're crazy to be out in all that heat. The actual temp is supposed to be 98 and very humid. All I know is it's HOT!!!

We're getting there

Well, we're back from the beach. It was really nice just to get away for a few days. Now back to reality. We have a baseball tournament this weekend, so we're looking forward to that. Thought I'd post some updated pictures of the house. It has been moving extremely fast. We are completely blacked in. Now for all the little details. I am not a detail person at all, so hopefully it won't drive me too crazy. The boys have really enjoyed being out at the new house. They bring their putters and a ball and run onto the green when there are no golfers. We've already had one person tell us "They're not supposed to be there". They aren't messing anything up or bothering anyone, so Greystone will have to adjust. We are one of the first houses going in and right now, I don't think there are any children living in the neighborhood. There are lots building now, so by the time we are ready to move in, the kids should have taken over. I'm sure it will be an adjustment for the adults who work there now. I love it!


On the upstairs balcony

the cathedral ceiling in the keeping room

our favorite place already, the back porch

Our Astros Weekend

We made our annual trip to Houston this weekend to catch the Astros. My boys (all four) are big baseball fans and really love this trip. A couple of the players are very special to us. Russ Springer, who pitches for the Cardinals now, played ball with Richard at LSU (back in the day). Two years ago, when our house burned down, the boys lost everything. Richard called Russ and asked if my kids favorite players could send them something. They didn't just send "something", they sent each of the boys their glove! Each player has about five gloves in case they need them. Russ, Adam Everett, and Morgan Ensberg each sent a glove. It was a wonderful surprise for my boys at such a difficult time. That year, we were able to get each glove signed by them as well.

We had a great time, just our little family spending some quality time together. These are the memories I love making with my kids. I hope they remember them forever because I sure will.

If you notice, we had AWESOME seats! Thanks cousin David!!

This week my boys are at golf camp. Since this camp is right by Maw Maw and Paw Paw's, they are spending the week there. A whole week! What's a girl to do? Why, go to the beach, of course!!! Richard and I leave tomorrow for a few days of R&R. I can't wait! Don't worry, I won't be posting any swimsuit pictures when I get back. I wouldn't torture you like that!!

Have a great week!