Random

Today when I went I went out into the garage to get something I was horrified when something hairy and roughly rat sized ran past me. I could hear it rustling around behind some storage bins. I thought I would just rattle a couple bins and flush it out, when I did I was amazed to discover a chipmunk staring back at me. I left the garage open for an hour hoping he would see his way out. Its funny how on can go from utter repulsion (thinking there was a rat in our garage) to total adoration...I mean really was cuter than a teensie weensie little chipmunk kicking it under your husbands golf clubs?

The Aftermath!

We arrived home on Friday night and got a strong dose of reality. Apparently the cleaning fairies did not visit us this year and clean up the disaster we created while trying to leave. Lucy returned from my sister's house covered in some suspicious red gunk that smelled like foul old fish. Our back lawn had a large brown circle in the middle of it, where the sprinklers have chosen not to come on, and Andy confessed that he forgot that he left two "extreme" gulps on the counter filled with soda. The oversight resulted in counters swarming with Gigantor black carpenter Ants that could probably have carried Owen back to their hill. And as a final welcome home surprise, it seems that while Lucy on vacation from guarding our back yard the neighborhood cats discovered our lovely new sandbox.

Its good to be home!

Camp Pictures

Tennis Lessons

The boys got me a tennis racket for mother's day so Andy and I went to play on Tuesday afternoon during nap time. As soon as word got out where we'd been all the kids were dying to play tennis. On Wednesday we picked up a a couple of $3 thrift store racket ball rackets for the kids while we were in Sisters, and on Wednesday evening after dinner and after much pleading and begging we FINALLY took the kids to play.

It wasn't too eventful, lots of swinging and missing, a few meltdowns, and a very few balls that made it over the net. As always when on vacation with all the grand kids cameras were in had so here are some pictures to document their first time playing tennis should any of them become tennis prodigies.

Pool Parties

Some pictures of our pool adventures. The highlight of each day was going to the pool and fighting with the other soccer moms over lounge chairs around the kiddie pool. Times have changed, or I guess more accurately bodies increased (as in having babies) and declined (as in having babies stretching).
We had fun though. It was interesting to see how different the boys personalities are. Linus is always cautious. We could drag him into the big pool but two minutes later he would be saying..."let's go back to the little pool..." He played their safely and contentedly for hours. Owen on the other hand went charging into the little pool. Like crawling around the little pool which made me quite nervous, and loved "jumping" into the big pool. I think he would never have gotten out if we didn't make him.

Feeding the Ducks

Ducks need food, so we will give them some

Cousins

Abby, Grace, Leia, Linus, and Owen ready to go to the pool

Owen and Leia

Way too early in the morning...its becoming apparent that these kids do NOT sleep in on vacation!

All the kids love riding in the minivan. They cry if we try to get them to ride in another car, so Andy and I ended up with all five cousins on our trip to Sisters. Its quite a trip having a van full of kids.

Bike Rides at Black Butte

If there is one thing the folks like to do at Black Butte its ride their bikes. This year we came prepared. Rather than pay more than $30 a day to rent a trailer we asked around and borrowed one from a friend. We also brought our kid seat, so we were ready. On the boys first ride out Linus fell asleep almost immediately. He kept leaning over on to Owen who did not appreciate being leaned on and would shriek each time they turned right.

Kickin' Our Feet Up

The view from the deck

Andy's idea of a vacation involves internet access of course! But at least he had to be outside to pick up the wireless signal.

We're On Vacation Minivan Style

We loaded up the minivan and headed on our first trip in our new ride.

Here's Some Advice For Ya

I am often at a loss as to what to write about in my
blog. When I first started blogging I was hoping to create a nostalgic sentimental little narrative. Unfortunately, as I look back on my posts I am afraid that my voice is much more sarcastic than sentimental. I confess that I enjoy laughing at
life's little ironies. I would love to be more disciplined, and more interesting and therefore be able to blog every day(okay let's be realistic: every other day) but this would involve coming up with some regular topics of interest to my faithful followers or at the very least entertaining...and let me tell you my Mom and sister are difficult to please!

I was pondering these difficult questions when it hit me! I will use my blog to pass on all the useful and not so useful tidbits of advice I have been handed down over the years or gleaned from my extensive reading a research. I will become the John Tesh of the blogging world (please infer grandiose tone). I will badger the blogging world on everything from parenting to garden planting!

The only thing that remains to be done is to come up with a catchy title for my admonitions. Any Suggestions? Here are just a few of the possibilities that I have been kicking around:

Suggestions for Saturdays

Two Cents Tuesdays

Free Advice Fridays

Give Me My Business Mondays

Tips for Tuesdays

What to do Wednesdays

Cast your votes, or speak your piece and I may or may not take your advice
;)

Summer Projects

Blogs I'm told are for crafty home maker things.

I have just completed just such a thing so I must share:

Up until last week when I found this old yellow dresser at a garage sale ($5) we were still trying to cram all the boys clothes into the two drawer in their changing table. Linus and my sister helped strip off the old paint and I was able to use left over paint from when I painted the nursery for Linus three years to complete the project.

The final result. The only thing I ended up having to pay for was new drawer pulls...which were $5. It made me sad to pay as much for them as I did for the entire dresser but sacrifices must be made.

I like the way it turned out, but I wasn't originally planning to put it against this blue wall. I think I might repaint a couple of the drawers green and red, but that I will save for another day.