Special Treat for Devin and Liz

Devin and I decided to hire a landscaping crew this year and do our landscaping around the house.  This was a nice change for the "do it yourself" family we are and what would  have taken us a week to complete they crew finished within 4.5 hours with 5 guys. Hopefully we won't need to have it done to this extreme ever year as long as we maintain it.  The landscapers also buried all the downspout extensions; therefore, no more moving them around while mowing or water freezing over the sidewalks.  Ironically, I was looking forward to waking up and not being sore or tired from all the hard work; unfortunately, I still woke up feeling that way.  I believe it could be me witnessing the work that was done or just the fact that I am getting old.  Hmmm?

Sully the Bruiser

Sully and Romie had a head on collision yesterday and Sully came up the loser.  It was a total accident and he really wasn't too upset about it until we try to put his little boo boo ice pack on it.  Once he was babied a bit by Mommy and Daddy he was right back to chasing and playing with his sisters.  Today it isn't as swollen as when it first happened which is good because Devin was afraid it was going to swell shut. It is just black and blue.  It is a bruiser that any little boy would be proud of and I am sure it won't be the last either.  The first picture posted is shortly after it happened and the second is what it looked like when he got up this morning.

Silly Kids

Here are a couple photos over the past couple days. I hadn't planned on posting them but why not.  These are of the kids being funny.  Romie disappears on us and this is where we find her.  She pulls about 20 books off the shelf and "reads" them to herself.  I can't really get mad at her for making such a mess but it does get old picking up the book mess daily. I found her looking a German workbook the other day matching word stickers with their match. She was actually doing it correctly. I really should sign her up for a book club!Sully has learned to put his feet up on the little gator toy so that his sisters can push him around.  He sits down, feet go up, and he yells for one of them for a push. Smart little booger. We took the girls to see Cars 2 the other afternoon and Addie insisted on wearing her new Cars shirt.  She really liked the movie and said she can't wait until the third one comes out.  I think the last of the photos I am putting on this post are of Addie and Romie  putting rubber gloves in their feet and acting like ducks.  Devin was cleaning a drain in the bathroom and Addie found the gloves and for some reason realized if she put them on her feet they would look like duck feet.  Clever!  Don't worry these gloves had never been used.  Romie and Addie had a great time playing ducks with their other animals.  Funny how little things like that can be so entertaining but yet we have a house full of toys. 

Splash!

The kids got a nice treat on Wednesday evening.  I was hooking up their sprinkler ball when the neighbor popped over and asked if they would like to come swim in their new pool.  At first I thought it might be a bad idea because I will now be asked daily by Addie if she can go swim next door but it was a nice treat so why not.  Addie was in the water in a spilt second splashing and having a great time.  She also has a new "twistie jump" she has perfected.  Sully was happy in his float even though he would have rather been out of it playing with Addie. He doesn't quite understand he can't do that.  Romie played on the steps of the pool and on the lounge chairs around the pool.  Romie is still very nervous about the water after her little jumping in incident last summer in Siesta Key.  She did get down to the third step yesterday so she is getting a bit more brave.  Devin enjoyed the pool the most I think.  He was not complaining that was for sure.  I sat on the side playing life guard and enjoyed watching them play.  That was a nice little treat to our week.  Today we are off to check out some old cemeteries where the Benz family resides and eat at a The Sherman House.  Should be a fun little day trip.  I am sure I will have some photos to post in the near future. 

Father's Day

I think that Devin had a pretty good Father's Day this year.  He got to sleep in which is always a bonus and we made him french toast with cinnamon bread for breakfast.  The kids got him a new cordless power screwdriver and nice dark chocolate bars.  Romie had made him a magnet with their picture in at school and Addie drew him picture of all of her bears.  The day was pretty laid back.  We hung out around the house all morning and then went to Shelbyville later in the afternoon for a cookout.  I feel really bad because I had both cameras with me in Shelbyville but did not get one out for any pictures. That was pure laziness on my part.  Here are some photos of Devin and his kiddos.

New Photos

Here are some random pictures of the kids that I took. Sully's are of him just hanging out and wearing his new pirate hat from Mamaw and Papaw.  Romie is wearing her favorite pink dress that Mamaw repaired. She wore the dress for two days straight after we got it back from Mamaw. Romie doesn't have a security blanket but I would say the dress is a security dress. I am not sure what we will do when she grows out of it. I should have bought it in bigger sizes for the future. Addie's photos are of her in her soccer camp gear. She had a great time and wants to do it again next year. Her Fall soccer season starts in August and she is already excited for it. 

Painted Faces

We took the kids to the zoo the other day and let them get their faces painted.  We usually don't do this but today we had no reason not to and the girls have been dying to have it done.  I was not surprised by the choice that Romie made with the princess tiara. Addie, on the the other hand, picked a butterfly. They had sharks, dolphins, and tigers which we figured is what she would go for but she didn't. I assumed that there were so many to choose from she just picked the first one she saw.  It is really hard for her to make a decision on anything so this was tough.  They both looked cute and at the end of the night were happy to take it off. Nobody had a reaction to the paint which was another good thing.   Yea! for a positive face painting experience.