Snapshots from Christmas

David, Noah and my great-neice playing on Rock Band.

Ethan opening Backyard Baseball for Wii.

Noah loves his Florida Gators!

David opening another Wii game.

The kids are loving all of their new "stuff". Noah is currently building his 2nd lego set that he received. David has been playing Rock Band everyday and Ethan has been enjoying his new Star Wars toys.

Stimulation Overload

My 3 boys are all on stimulation overload. Besides playing too many hours with all their new electronic gadgets, they are also spending a few days hanging out with cousins at our house. There are currently 6 kids in my house, 5 are boys and 1 girl. It's noisy, chaotic and fun all at the same time.

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas. I pray that we all enjoy our time with our families and that the real reason we celebrate is not forgotten.

How many days left?

Today is the first day of Christmas break for the boys. They kept busy for most of the day and have now reached the "I don't know what to do" portion of the day. Noah cleaned his room - and he's our pack rat. He did this on his own mind you, I am so proud. David cleaned their bathroom and vacuumed the 1st and 2nd floors. Ethan put away his clothes and made his bed. After lunch, Noah had a saxophone lesson and sounds much better thanks to Zach. We have friends coming over in 2 hours for dinner and yet, they don't know what to do. I am already thinking of what we can do tomorrow to fend off the "I don't know what to do"s. Oh, they found something, I hear them jumping upstairs - my guess is it's off of David's futon. Sigh.

Peace on Earth

"Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men" is running through my head. This verse sums up what I witnessed at the Cincinnati Ronald McDonald House last night. Our family served dinner for the families that are staying there. Along with 5 of our neighbors, we prepared food for 75 folks. Families stay at Ronald McDonald House while their children are being treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Shriner's Burn Institute. The reason "Peace on Earth" is resonating with me is that there are 47 families currently at the house from as far away as Kuwait, to as close as Lexington, KY. All nationalities, all there for one purpose: healing their children. They gather for meals, donated by volunteers, and support. Our family has helped with meals 6 times and we always are amazed at their strength, their gratefulness and the spirit of the children we see. I see Jesus with skin on in the faces of the volunteer staff. I thank God for Ronald McDonald House and pray for all of the families there.

Christmas Party Hop

Today was Ethan's Holiday Party for 1st grade. The kids wore their pj's to school, Ethan chose to wear sweats, and they watched "The Polar Express". I got to help out since I have become fanatic about reading labels for his egg allergy. The kids were definately wound up, but were very well behaved. They had snacks, exchanged books and made a really cute craft. The craft was a bell like in the movie. Ethan hung his on our tree. I found it so cool that all of his teachers and the principal came in and wished the kids a "Merry Christmas" not have a happy holiday.

I am looking forward to our break and the excitement of celebrating Jesus' birthday!

Today's Lesson: Chemistry

COSI on Wheels came to Ethan's elementary school this week. COSI, located in Columbus, has a science program that school's can bring in for the students to have hands-on experience. This is great for our students since our school district eliminated field trips. Josh volunteered yesterday and I went today. Now, I was not very good at Science in school, so I wasn't sure how I would be helpful to students - basically I didn't want to give them wrong information.

COSI set up 10 stations for the kids to have fun at. I chose the Ultraviolet Light station for 2 reasons: 1. I didn't want iodine on my clothes 2. It didn't have too many "big" science words to say. It was fun, and exhausting and I am more appreciative of our wonderful teachers after spending a day at the school.

Ethan's favorite part: making slime and bringing it home:)

Nerf Update

Noah does have a corneal abrasion. He has to have antibiotic eye drops 2x day in each eye with a follow-up appointment with our doctor on Wednesday. Tonight, the boys and I will be gathering all Nerf material and placing it in a cabinet until I feel comfortable with them playing again. Life with boys, sigh.

Nerf Battle

Ethan and Noah were playing Nerf Battle today with a few of the Nerf guns that the boys have. I have never had a problem with them playing before,the nerf darts are soft and majority of the ends of them are rubber. Well, Ethan must have aimed right at Noah's face and shot. Noah was hit directly in his left eye with a dart that had a velcro tip on it. His eye is red and you can see where it hit. I am calling the eye doctor in the morning to find out what can be done. The Nerf guns have been banned for a while with strict instruction that if they get them back, they have to wear the goggles that came with them. Adventures with boys, what can I say.

Countdown is On

The boys have one more week of school until Christmas Break. This year they get 2 weeks off, usually it's about 1 1/2 weeks off. I have a lot on my list to finish before next Friday. I bake pumpkin bread for gifts that they can give to their bus drivers, Art, Music and Gym teachers and our dear neighbor that drives them to the bus stop in the cold months. I use my Pampered Chef mini-loaf stone and they little loaves of bread are wrapped in treat bags. That is my goal for Monday - to finish baking. On Tuesday, I am helping with the 7th grade party and on Friday I am helping with the 1st grade party. Think there is much difference with 1st and 7th graders? Should be fun!

Gotta Love It

Me: What did you do for indoor recess?

Ethan: I played Chest.

Me: You played what?

Ethan: Chest, you know the game that's like checkers.

Me: Oh. (Thank goodness it wasn't something else!)

Meeting the Queen

Today our family met the Queen ... of Hearts. We went to the Cincinnati Art Museum today for Family Fun Saturday. The boys went on a Scavengar Hunt in Alice in Artworld. Very cool way for the boys to see different styles of art and have fun at the same time. We also had our family picture taken in front of a piece of art from Rookwood Pottery. One of the best things about the museum is that it is free!

Memories From a Tree

One of my favorite things when decorating is putting the ornaments on the tree. When I married, my mom gave me all of the ornaments that I had been given as a child. On our honeymoon, we bought 2 ornaments to remember Gatlinburgh. Each year, the boys receive an ornament in their stocking so they will have them to take when they move out. Some of my favorite ornaments are our "First Christmas" ornament, the boys "First Christmas Baby" ornaments and anything with snowmen on it. I kind of have an unhealthy thing for snowmen - shh don't tell hubby! I do love how all of the ornaments add to our memories of Christmas each year.

Baby it's cold outside!

Brrrr! I am listening to the wind howling outside of our windows and seeing some snow flurries. Oh, I wish we had a fireplace right now. This would be a good day to stay inside and hide under the covers, but with 3 boys, that doesn't happen often. It has been a busy day already for our household and it's only lunchtime. I took David and Noah to school (before the sun came up) since they had their band instruments. I then took Ethan for a routine ENT check-up and left with a prescription for antibiotics. His virus that I blogged about before is now a sinus infection. Took him to school - hey no fever, he goes to school. I am meeting a friend for a quick lunch, then off to pick up the older two after school to go to David's physical therapy session. Rush home, get Ethan off the bus, do homework and then we are all going to Costco. I hope they have some yummy samples today - like chocolate!

O' Christmas Tree

Artificial tree vs. Real tree - Real tree you get the good smell and the upkeep of watering it. Artifical tree you get the joy of looking for where the pre-lit lights plug into each other.

Happy Thanksgiving

So many things to be thankful for this year. God, family, health, a roof over our heads, friends sum up the most for me.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Here We Go

You know it's not good when you hear one of your kids say "Mooooommmm" in that pitiful voice. This came from David last night as he was getting "sick" in bed. Since last night, I have washed 4 loads of clothes/bedding. Praying this is just a 24 hour bug.

Do Over

As we were getting ready to head to school, Ethan was telling me that there were only 2 days of school this week. He said "We have a re-do week at school". That made me laugh and ponder at the same time. Can I have a re-do week or re-do day? Sometimes it would come in handy.

Proud Mommy Time

Just wanted to share some photos from the week. In the top photo, Ethan and Josh are leading the Cub Scout Pack in the Cub Scout Promise. Ethan received his Bobcat that night. In the middle photo, David is headed out the door to his 7th grade band concert. He plays the baritone. I didn't get to attend since Ethan wasn't feeling good. They played 3 long songs, one of them was the soundtrack for "Lord of the Rings". In the bottom photo, Noah is ready to play his Alto Sax in the 5th grade concert. They played an assortment of learning songs. All in all, proud mommy moments and another busy week for our family.

1st of the school year

Ethan has come down with a cold - the first one for our house this school year. So far, no fever, just stuffy nose and a cough. As I went over the instruction of coughing and sneezing into your elbow, he informed me that the kids that sit by his desk don't do that, they just cough and sneeze on him and others. Nice. I so dread winter for this reason. Last school year, one of my 3 boys was in the doctor's office on average 1x a week from November to March. I joined them for my turn in February. Time to stock up on Vitamin C.

Weekend of Scout Events

This weekend has been full of scout events for our household. David had a Boy Scout campout that included hiking 6 miles with his full pack on and the weather wasn't really good either. He hiked in rain all day Saturday in about 40 degree weather at its warmest. Saturday evening was a Cub Scout Pack meeting where Ethan received his Bobcat. This is the first rank advancement in Cub Scouts. Noah's patrol also participated in the pack meeting with a skit. On Monday we are taking a group to tour the Toyota factory in KY - no school day for us. Whew! I'm looking forward to Tuesday when the house is all mine :)

Are you happy?

I am slowly catching on that David will open up and talk to me about anything if I'm in a good mood. Last night as I was getting Ethan to bed, David came in his room and said he wanted to hang out with us. After a few minutes of goofing off, he asks if I'm happy now. Me being me, says I'm o.k. He then lets me in on who is new girlfriend is - yep one of the girls that came to our door on Tuesday. I did have the grace to say, she is welcome to come over - just give me advance notice. I'm taking baby steps with this new world. Part of me wants to hold on tight and the other is ready to let him go take small steps into growing up.

Don't Open That Door

Today was a cold, dreary day. I was expecting a friend to stop this afternoon and upon hearing our door bell ring, assumed it was her. David got to the door before me and informed me that it was for him. Being the concerned (nosy) mom that I am, I peeked over his shoulder to see 2 girls standing on our porch. I didn't know them, didn't know they were stopping by, therefore I became Momma Bear. I didn't really want David hanging out with them, so I didn't invite them in. I had him talk to them outside. I know, not showing God's love at all there. It really bugged me that they came over, so I began to think if I did things like that in junior high. Yep, I did. I decided to bring him in within 10 minutes. Apparently I didn't scare the girls off, they showed up as we were sitting down to dinner. Help me now - I may not make it through junior high.

Green Dragons Tourney

The soccer season came to an end today for Noah. His team placed 2nd and went to the state S.A.Y. tournament in Milford. They played a rather rough (read: pushing, elbowing) team with a loud coach. Noah's team, the Green Dragons, played well but lost 3-2. The tournament field is bigger than regular play and they played 11v11. I am very proud of Noah for all of the running he did with asthma. Next up: Basketball!

What's my role?

I am pondering my role as my parents' daughter today. I have gone from needing them to drive me places and taking care of my needs to now going to the doctor with them and asking questions they would not think of. My dad saw a neurologist today for "the shakes". He has been experiencing depression/anxiety for at least 2 years or more and has developed tremors. This was the first time I went to a doctor appointment with my parents. I felt as if I should have a medical degree to answer the questions or at the very least, a copy of his file from his family doc. It was heartbreaking to listen to my dad try to answer or comprehend what the doctor was saying. Even more was that I had to answer my dad's questions of "When am I getting that MRI?" and "When do I see him (doctor) again?" three times before getting in my car to go home.

You see, my dad was a very large man when I was growing up. I mean large in size and has lost a huge amount of weight without trying - he at times as lost 10lbs in one week. This started the depression since no doctor could determine why he was losing weight. I have watched my dad go from a hard, factory worker to a depressed, no energy man. Our family doesn't always want to go to Papaw's house because he is never upbeat and is always complaining about shaking. I think what bothers me the most is that my boys don't have active grandparents in their lives. My parents live about 15 minutes away and my in-laws are in Florida. This saddens me very much.

Prayers for our family would be appreciated. Prayers for my role as daughter are coveted.

Exercise your Right

Election Day is upon us and soon all of the election ads will stop. For that, I am thankful. I am also thankful that we can vote without fear. I may disagree with you and you may disagree with me on who we think is the best President, but we both can vote with freedom. I have tried to stress to my boys how unique this campaign has been. I was excited to hear that my 5th grader will get to "vote" at school on the Presidential election and my 1st grader gets to "vote" to accept Heifer International as their mission. I have already voted and look forward to the outcome.

My Little Pumpkins

Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend for our household. Noah and Ethan went to Boonshoft Museum with the Cub Scouts. Cool place near Dayton. Noah also had a soccer game that afternoon and they won - they now get to play in the tournaments in 2 weeks. Very exciting time as they were 3rd place but with the win, got bumped to 2nd place. David spent Sunday afternoon trying to sell wreaths for Boy Scouts - 2 sales - he was bummed. I spent the weekend literally laying around, hoping my back would cooperate with me. Alas, I am off to the doctor today. Enjoying the quiet at my house.

Say It Ain't So

This afternoon as I was looking thru my 7th grader's papers from school, I found this on the back of one: Preston (heart shape) Karis. BTW that is his name at school - don't ask. My heart went a little south at seeing that. I remember writing stuff like that in school, but now my kid is - ugh! I feel old.

Friday Fun

Top 2 pictures are from Kings Island last Saturday. The middle one is David at his last game and the bottom picture is from one of Noah's soccer games - he near the ref.

Fall Fun

Over the weekend, Josh and the older two boys went camping with the Boy Scouts. That left Ethan home with Momma. What should we do just the 2 of us? We went to Kings Island to ride some rides and enjoy their Fall Festival. Ethan was bummed when a few of his favorite rides were not open since it isn't the regular operating schedule. He did enjoy the Fall Festival set-up they had. He painted a little pumpkin, received some candy and trinkets and hung out with 2 of his good friends. A good day for both of us. We went to church on Sunday with our neighbors and enjoyed it as well as lunch out after. It was different just having Ethan - no fighting over which rides to go on, and it was easier to say "Yes" when asked to go out to lunch (cheaper on the budget). As soon as I get the camera software loaded on the new computer, I will post pictures.

No Yolk About It

My 6 year old's life just got a little crazier. He tested postive for an egg allergy. My husband has this also, but knows what foods to avoid. For our little guy, this is going to be hard. We don't know if he can have it in baked products, but a blood test will soon let us know how much he can tolerate. I am very proud of him - this morning he said he was going to have to tell his teacher so that Mr. G wouldn't bring in treats that have eggs in them. Ethan was happy to hear that due to his egg allergy, he can't get the flu shot. At least there's a bright side for him!

It's A Girl Thing

Last night I had the opportunity to see comedian Anita Renfroe at a local church. If you haven't seen her, just go to youtube and type in her name. She is hysterical. I laughed so hard, my cheeks hurt! When was the last time you laughed that hard? She takes popular songs and makes a parody out of them. For example, she took Josh Grobin's "You Raise me Up" and did an ode to underwire - you may spit your diet coke out now. She did one to a Carrie Underwood song that originally talks about getting back at a boyfriend with a baseball bat - Anita's take on it was to sing about sneaking down the fridge late at night. Who hasn't done that?

I encourage all of my gal pals to go out for an evening of fun. If you can't see her in person, check out her website www.anitarenfroe.com.

And the beat goes on

This was playing in my head when I woke up this morning. I am now in a fog from the migraine meds - yeah me. Hubby helped out since I watch a friends 3 kids in the morning. Now off to rest before teaching a computer class for senior citizens at the Y. Anyone jealous?

Yet another injury

David has injured his shoulder from football - go figure. If you don't know our son, he is prone to injuries. We were expecting him to hurt himself, just not so early in the season. After an MRI, the doctor has decided it is a Shoulder Strain and will go to PT 2x a week for 4 weeks. Sigh.

Hurricanes and Olympians

Our area had Hurricane Ike come through on Sunday - we live in Ohio! Thankfully, we didn't lose power, though we lost our phone/internet and about 40% of the front of our roof. Kids missed 2 days of school but went today with a delayed start. It was so weird feeling those winds and seeing part of your house being destroyed. We now play the waiting game with insurance and roofers.

On a brighter note, our dear friends Jen and Rod and their daughter Sydney and a great experience this week. Sydney was asked to participate in a photo shoot for P&G with 3 of the Olympian gymnasts. How cool is that!

Another First

Ethan has learned to tie his gym shoes. It is a very exciting day in our house for our 1st grader.

Show Me The Money

The 2nd week of school has just been completed and our family has been hit with 3 fundraisers, 2 school pictures taken, 1 soccer picture taken and 1 football picture taken. That was on top of paying school fees for 3 kids. I know 3 more fundraisers will be coming home soon for the schools and 2 for Scouts as well. I am used to the school fees and though I don't like the fundraisers, I know they come home. I declared to the family that we won't be participating in all of the fundraisers, but the kids get hyped up school to participate. The fundraiser companies go into the school and do an assembly to talk about the "cool" prizes they can win for selling to us parents. The prizes are usually junk and I think it stinks that they hype the kids up over it. What is a parent to do?

Dance to the music

Last night I got to chaperone the 1st dance of the year for the Junior High School. My son didn't want me or my hubby to chaperone, but he has no choice. I did say I wouldn't dance, but if Dad went, you could count on him dancing or something crazy. So off I went to the hot, hormone filled gym. For about the first 20 minutes, the kids just walked around. The DJ got a clue and played a group dance where they all do the same dance moves - this song actually tells you what moves to do. After that, more kids were dancing. My son was not one of those, saying he doesn't dance.

The music was loud and the kids seem to like to jump more than anything. What totally cracked me up was the DJ played "Thriller" and most of the kids knew the dance - thanks to YouTube. I of course asked a young lady, was "Thriller" popular now. Little thing says "Yes" - my reply was "It was popular when I was your age". Yes, I have become one of those adults who says stuff like that.

My son did eventually dance and said he had the best time. It was fun to watch him with his friends. I do have to say that I can't understand how parents let their young girls dress in skimpy, spaghetti strap tops and short shorts. Though, they may not know that the girls are. Then there was the boy with his jeans hanging off his bottom - I can't stand that. If you ever see my boys doing that, please tell them to stop and then tell me.

I think at the next dance, I will request some music from when I was in Jr. High. They will think it is old school.

Boys are strange

As a mom of 3 boys, I have accepted the piles of cars, trucks, Nerf guns and other "boy" stuff in my house. I have come to understand that they instinctively make a car noise at an early age. This did not prepare me for what I dub the football version of "Braveheart".

At David's football scrimmage last night, the boys were warming up. They do this drill where they run in place and when the coach blows the whistle, they hit their helmets and make a quarter turn and repeat. This was odd to me. Then after all of the warm-up is done, they gather in with the coaches for their pep talk. All of a sudden they just start screaming and roaring and charging from the end of the field to the middle. All I could think of was Mel Gibson in "Braveheart".

I found the whole scene just weird and odd. Why do they need to hit their helmets? Why do they need to roar like cavemen? Hormones must be raging in those boys is all I can say. I am sure this is only a small "taste" of what is to come.

Snaggletooth

"Mommy, is my tooth loose enough to pull?" This was asked everyday for one week. Finally on Friday it was.

"Mommy, I lost my tooth. I pushed it out with my tongue!"

He is now ready for 1st grade.

Meet and Greet

This week we have 3 Open Houses to meet the boys teachers. Noah got to meet his 2-team teachers at the Intermediate School last night. Ethan meets his teacher tonight - a male teacher (a first for our kids) and David has open house on Thursday night. School starts on the 25th and all 3 will be gone all day! Yahoo!!

Rock On!

Picture 5 suburban "soccer" moms rocking out in a band. If you've every dreamed of playing in a band, you have to try "Rock Band". I had a blast tonight playing at my friend Andrea's house with 3 of her neighbors. You can sing, play drums, play bass or play guitar. I had more fun watching all of us being rock stars and we didn't get booed off the stage. I didn't try the drums - very challenging. I did sing to "Should I stay or should I go" and played guitar to a Wheezer song. I highly recommend all moms rocking out - great stress reliever!

The Great Outdoors

We spent the weekend in Hocking Hills with our friends the Hall's. We tent camped in the state park Friday-Sunday and enjoyed great weather. We hiked Old Man's Cave, Rock House, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave. There were 5 kids hiking and they did great. My favorite was Ash Cave - very beautiful. The pictures above were taken at Old Man's Cave. David cooked pancakes for our Saturday breakfast over the campfire. Josh cooked Beef Enchiladas in the dutch oven for our Saturday dinner and David made Peach Cobbler in the dutch oven for dessert. The kids rode their bikes and played Uno with Miss Nicole - a very long game of Uno! We enjoyed watching "Nim's Island" Saturday night at the amphitheatre. We are very tired and very much appreciative of the great outdoors in Ohio.

Sad Little Guy

Ethan has taken to saying he is packing his bag to leave when he gets mad. Last night he actually did pack a back pack with some clothes - ties, underwear, socks, shinguards. A little odd on his packing, but what concerns me most is what happened after that. After we calmed him down and got him to come inside, he really broke down. He wanted to leave because he said his brother's don't play with him. Sometimes they do. sometimes they don't - they are 4-6 years older than him. After some hugs from his brother and a request that they have a sleepover in David's room, he seemed fine. Out of the blue, he says "Where will I live when you and daddy die?" then proceeded to cry his eyes out. Not sure why he asked that, but Josh and I tried our best to assure him that we planned to be around for a very long time. But if God chose to take us home earlier than our plan, that his Grandma and Grandpa Florida would take care of him and his brothers. We just kept telling him to trust God and to be a soldier for God. Prayers for Ethan are appreciated.

Let the games begin!

Football and Soccer practice started this evening. Already I am feeling frustrated with having the practice schedule. I have a hard time adjusting from summer care-free to having a set schedule with sports and school. Schedule conflicts are already happening and I don't like it. Yes, I am whining but I just need to let it out. I feel anxiety for the boys - will they learn and have fun with their sport of choice? Will they get playing time? Will they show respect for the coach and will he respect them? I am trying to hold onto the last few weeks of summer break and have fun with the boys.

Taxi Driver Needed

You know when summer is almost over and school is close to starting - you start driving more for sports. Next Monday, David starts football practice everyday and Noah starts soccer practice twice a week. Can we say Taxi?

In search of forgiveness

Forgiveness is a hard thing to do when a dear friend has been hurt by someone who is supposed to be the hands and feet of God. How do you forgive the hurt that you are feeling for yourself and your friend? I am fully aware that nobody is perfect and yet we put leaders on a pedestal all the time. It is time to move on to another church and be fed again.

Heat Wave

The summer heat is finally here. It is hard to breathe when you walk outside. We spent Wednesday and Thursday at the waterpark trying to stay cool. I believe the heat affected my thinking because I went on a rather large water ride there on Thursday with Noah. If you are familiar with Kings Island's waterpark, they have a ride that you can see from the highway. It is blue and orange, and my kids call it the toilet bowl - it looks like one. I'm sure that it has an actual name, I just don't look at the signs. Anyway, you sit on a raft that holds up to 4 people and go through a dark tunnel that then drops you straight down into the bowl. You then proceed to whirl up onto the sides and feel like you are going to flip over. Noah loved it, I am still not sure. At least it was dark in the tunnel and you couldn't see the drop coming! My friend that I was with said I was a very brave mama to go on that ride.

Last night I enjoyed a girls night out with 2 good friends. Today, David and I went to the Y to walk and lift weights. Third time this week that I worked out!

Stay cool friends!

Big Day

Ethan learned to ride his bike tonight without training wheels! He had not been interested in learning to ride since he got his bike one year ago. He tried last summer and was teased by some of the kids in the cul-de-sac - charming. But yesterday he asked his daddy to get his bike down when he got home from work today. I think he was motivated to learn since two of his friends down the street just learned.

We did the ride thru the grass thing about 10 times and then he headed for the sidewalk. He did fall once, but no major blood or fits! I am so proud of him for learning. Look out Maineville, here comes Ethan!

Boys to Men

My oldest son turned 12 on July 9th. He is becoming a young man rapidly before my eyes. I admit he has his kid moments, but everyday I see more maturity from him. He is more willing to play with his younger brothers and help our 6 year old. He knows what he likes when it comes to fashion - do not buy him clothes - he has to pick them out. He is understanding more about healthy eating and living - today he ran on the treadmill for 10 minutes and used the weight machines. He is excited about playing 7th grade football - a new sport for him.

It is true what the older ladies say - children grow-up quickly. Cherish them!

Prayers for Friends

Please keep our dear friends, Kevin, Tonni and daughter Grace, in your prayers this week. They are traveling to Cuba on a mission trip. Pray for their other 4 kids that they would have a good week with mom and dad and big sis gone.

They did it again!

Nothing beats hearing your husband say "Holy Schmoly - who ate all of the granola bars?" from the basement. Since there is no pantry in our kitchen, I have a storage area in the basement for extra food and such. The little darlings had been playing playstation in the morning this past week and had decided to help themselves to the granola bars that were being stored in the basement. Upon discovery, we got the "stupid" look when asked why they did that. The "stupid" look is what they do when they are trying to think of an excuse - I can't stand that! It turns out they just didn't think to ask if they could have the granola bars, and oh, btw, they didn't just eat 1 or 2, there were 20 wrappers in the garbage can!

As a result, I now have a very clean basement and garage thanks to the little darlings. And the playstation has been taken away. If you are wondering why the title is They did it again - David and Noah were caught in the spring hiding pop in their rooms. Do they ever listen to us?

Fun in the Sun

Today was a beautiful, sunny, day and we spent it at Kings Island waterpark and Sharon Woods. The boys had a blast at the waterpark with friends from church - 3 boys also! Two moms plus 6 boys = lots of eating between riding the water rides. Ethan tried the surfing ride there for the 1st time and loved it. Amazingly, he didn't throw a fit when he wiped out the first time.
After 4 hours there, came home and packed a picnic dinner to take to Sharon Woods with our neighbors. The kids had the playground to themselves and we enjoyed our picnic dinner in the shade. We explored the creek and the kids ended up with soggy feet. All were tired and ready for bed when we left. It was a good day for our gang.

Honeymoon Phase Over

The first major breakdown happened today ... the honeymoon phase of summer is over. Noah is very moody lately, so anything tends to set him off. This is not usually the norm for him - I say he is my more "go with the flow kid". Maybe hormones are kicking in - who knows. He got upset today with David over an excercise ball. I heard several times that he didn't know what to do today. This was the first day this week that we didn't leave the house - the boys had to figure out what they wanted to do at home. I am not the cruise director and I can tell that the lack of a school schedule has them out of whack. On the upside, we had a date night since our church hosted a "Parents Night Out" for two hours. Bliss!

Did you know?

A wasp can sting you thru your swimsuit and it still hurts like mad ... icky creatures that they are.

Poison Ivy

It was parent's night at Boy Scout camp last night. The younger two and I went to visit and to take food. The parents get to eat with the scouts in their "camp" and so I was designated to deliver the food. We enjoyed a very simple sandwich dinner without the cicadas - yeah! We also got a tour of the rifle range and a few othe places. I didn't take pictures of their campsite's latrine - way too smelly! There is a bathroom on the camp with running water, but it was just about as scary as the latrine.

David is participating in the Chaplain Aid program and I was so proud of him last night. Chapel is optional for the scouts to attend. At the Chapel service last night, we sang 2 praise songs with an acoustic guitar and a small drum - very cool! David and 2 of his buddies were up there singing with the Chaplain and a few other scouts. David also read scripture and was not nervous at all. It was such an amazing worship service - simple and awesome.

After chapel we went down for the campground campfire. About 300 scouts are at the camp this week. Their song for this year is "Poison Ivy" and it is now stuck in my head. There was way too much testosterone flowing, but it was fun to watch the boys be goofy and have fun.
I even received a hug from my (almost) 12 year old as we left.

Bugs Galore

The invasion of the cicadas really needs to go away. I felt quite smug that they had not invaded our neighborhood - until now. Within the past few days, I have seen and heard them in our yard. Our first encounter with these ugly creatures - yes they are Ang - was on a campout the first weekend of June. Our middle son, Noah, turned 10 in May and to celebrate, we took 6 of his friends, plus our crew, to Morgan Canoe Livery Campground. O.K. in my defense, it sounded like a good idea, then reality set in. The boys ran around and made as much noise as those icky bugs. Anyway, as Ethan, our 6 year old, was climbing into his tent, we heard a blood-curdling scream. Seems as if 4 of the bugs had found his tent to be a cozy place. Ethan came screaming out of the tent saying "I'm going home" "Those bugs freak me out". So, Ethan and I climb into our van to rest and now anytime he sees the bugs, he says "They freak me out". Oh - we slept in the van the whole night, along with the birthday boy because he had a headach and it stormed during the night. Sounds like fun doesn't it!
Happy Father's Day to all of our friends out there! My hubby is spending today and the rest of the week with our oldest, David, at Boy Scout Camp in Ray, Ohio. God Bless Him!

Chaos reigned with our boys tonight. Hubby and I tried to take them out for dinner to Red Robin. All 3 boys had been told that if they whined or threw a fit, that we would go home and no dinner out. As we were walking up to the door, our 6 year old got mad that we called him by his nickname - who knew? He began throwing a fit, so we headed back to the car, while the 6 year old was saying "Let go of my arm" - we did get a few stares. At home, youngest goes to his room and we order LaRosa's for the rest of us. Who knew raising boys would be so hard at times? Later in the evening, our soon to be 12 year old was outside - no big deal right? As he came up the driveway, he had a slingshot in his hand. Upon asking why he had it, I was told he used it with rocks! Hello, did he not see the cars and people in the road and driveways? He said he didn't aim it at either cars or people, but on the ground. Needless to say, he received a lecture and sling shot has been put away. I truly question if the warmer weather warps their brains or if it's just them trying to see what they can get away with. I love them dearly, but they are the reason for my hubby going very gray and for my blond highlights.

A Day with the Boys
Summer is here! My 3 boys spent today having a Nerf gun fight in our basement. To distract myself from the massive chaos and noise, I hid in our room to veg and watch the TV. The boys are age 12, 10 and 6 - so you can imagine the noise level they can create. We are off to Kings Island waterpark on Wednesday to have fun with friends and hopefully, tire them out!