Memorial Day

We Went to a Veteran's Celebration of Sorts,

that was Rather Interesting and Touching

and We got to Check out the Army Helicopter.

Then We Got a Bundle of Flowers,

Divided it Among the Boys,

and Went to a Local Hot Spot-

Er, I Mean,

Cemetery.

We Don't Have Any Body Buried Locally,

So we Let the Boys Put Flowers on Graves,

that Don't Have Any Flowers.

They Like to Look for Babies and Veterans.

[Cleaning off Graves]

Then We Checked out Kung Fu Panda II.

Look Who Came With Me

On My Early Morning Run.

He was So Excited to Come with Me,

He Could Hardly Sleep.

He was a Bit Chilly,

and at the end,

Said it Wasn't Something He Was Really Interested

in Doing Again with Me.

I Kept Trying to Get Him to Tell Me How Awesome

He Thinks His Mom is,

but He Kept it All Inside.

Real Good.

Float-ees

We Live in a Community that Does Summer Parades Forwards and Backwards,

All Summer Long!

And with Parades, come FLOATS!

I'm Talking

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Floats Here,

Folks.

All Big

and

SPARKLY!

I've Always Wonder How They Make those Things,

and Now,

I've Had the Opportunity to Help With One!

Our Family Helped to make a Bug Family

and I've Been Able to Help with a Few Other Projects

Along the Way:

The First Volunteer Day I Went,

I was Given the Task of Designing a Variety of LEAVES

Shown Here, in Various Stages of Done-ness.

And?

I Was Quite Flattered when They Referred to Me as

Their "Leaf Hero"

and Did a Little Ditty on

the Parade Float Blog

[Aw. Shucks!]

It's Been So Fun

to Learn What Goes Into

Building a Float,

and

to be Coated in

GLITTER!

Muffins & Movies

Spent a Sunday Night

Munching Muffins

Lazing on Our Pillows,

and

Watching a Flick

[We've Decided to Make it our Newest Tradition]

A Rowdy Game

of Neighborhood Football

And I'm Pretty Certain

the One Who Had the BIGGEST Blast,

Was Much Older Than Eight.

Nacho Night

05.20.2011

Menu: Macho Nachos and Ice Cream Cones

Movie: The Princess Bride

Formal PJ Wear

Special Guests: G'Ma and G'Pa P

Stowaway

Dad Usually Has a Pretty Full Truckload
of Posters and Signs,
and Marketing Jazz

And on this Day

a

Stowaway

He Would Have Been Pleased as Punch,

to Ride All Crunched Up,

and

Get to

Go to Work

with Dad.

Growing Up

8 yr. Old B:

In Reference to the Nest of New Baby Birds We Have In our Grill, Which We Can Hear Chirping Away, Even as We Are In the House. We Only Open the Lid and Check on them Once a Week to See How they are Growing. We just checked a Couple of Days before, yet, B was Wanting to Take another Peek. Thinking He could get Me to be more willing if I thought that they had developed a ton more in the Last Two Days, he said, " Listen, I Think those Sound Like Teenage Chirps, Mom"

*

B has Also become Quite the Smarty Pants. I was Amazed that While Outside picking Up Rocks, he was able to tell me all about which part of the Earth's Layers and Such it Must have Come from.

And about Electric Eels.

*

Often While Going Through His Backpack,

I'll Find Art Work that He will Tell Me is from a Girl In His Class.

I Asked What He Says and if He Ever Gives Them a Picture,

He Said He Always Says, "Thank You"

and Gives them a Note.
*

He Still Plants a Kiss on My Cheek,

Each Morning Before Jumping Out of the Car at School.

*

Told Me His CTR Ring Helps Him to Not get Angry.

*

6 yr. Old C:

In the Mother's Day Card C Gave Me,

He Wrote a List of Things that I Do For Him,

My Favorites:

"She Drives Me to School Every Day. She Drives Me Everywhere".

and

"She Makes Cookies for Me."

[Aw, Sweet. He Thinks I Make them for HIM]

*

He Got Some Chapter Books from His Grandma,

and was So Excited to Have his Own.

He's been Working Hard at Reading them.

*

He LOVES to Go Out to Our Basketball Hoop and Shoot Baskets.

He LOVES to Play Catch with the Football and Dad.

He LOVES to Show Me How Fast He Can Run.

*

I had to Take Him an Extra Shirt to School,

due to a Bloody Nose.

I had been Cleaning House,

so Pulled on a Jacket,

left quickly and went in my Exercise Clothes.

His Expression Said it All:

MOR.TI.FIED.

He asked Me to Please NOT Wear

My Workout Clothes

Next Time,

because Usually, I Look Pretty Nice.

*

Won't Kiss Me in the Car at School,

but Will Turn Around and

Slyly Wave

Over and Over,

as He Walks to His Line.

*

Has a Quick Wit.

*

I Asked Him Why He Didn't Run Fast

at All During an Entire Soccer Game,

He Said "I'm Just Saving Up My Energy"

*

LOVES to Sneak His Little Paw

into His Dad's Hand as They Walk.

*

3 Yr. Old J

LOVES To Do Whatever "The Brothers" are Doing.

*

Watching a Bird Eat Ants and Bugs,

"Mom, the Bird is Eating the Ants. That's GROSS, Huh!"

*

While on a Hike, we Told the Boys to Watch out for Snakes,

he Said, "Baby Snakes? Big Boy Snakes? and Daddy Snakes?"

*

Tacks the Phrase

"You Know"

onto the End of Lots of His Sentences:

"I was just Playing, You Know"

"I Don't Like This, You Know"

"I have to Go with The Brothers, You Know"

Also Uses, "Never Mind"

*

Likes to Help Me Pull Weeds.

He Sits Right Next to Me,

with His Little Hand on My Thigh,

and Wants Me to Sing,

"Oh, My Darling Clementine"

*

Loves to Have his Brothers Read to Him,

or Play Lego's with Him.

He Misses Them LOTS When they are At School.

*

Mother's Day

Breakfast and Sweet Notes in Bed

A Photo Shoot with the Darling Rowdies,

A Delicious Dinner,

And

Chocolate Cake Galore.

[Thanks for the Loving, Special Day, Family!]

Race for the Cure

05.07.2011

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k

{Save the Tots}

{The Ladies}

My Sister In Law

{Pink Hat, 5 Yr. Survivor}

Always Puts Our Team Together

in the Name of the Family Biz

[Thanks, C!]

[Me and My Niece, E.]

One of the Things I LOVE

about Doing this

is the

VIEW

With a Sea of 20,000 People,

This was the View Behind Me,

And In Front of Me!

And the Other Thing,

We Really Like,

is Reading the Dedications on the

Back of People's Shirts-

No Fail,

Chokes Me Up.

We LOVE Being a Part of This!

Go PINK!

[Thanks Again, C!]

05.06.2011

Took the Gang for
a Friday Evening Hike

Here:

[MillCreek Canyon]

And Then Returned for Our Dinner Reservation

In the Ol' Back Yard.

04.29.11

Nacho Night

Menu: Nachos & Ice Cream Cones

Movie: Bridge to Terabithia

{Cuddling Thoroughly Enjoyed by All}

04.24.2011