Ready to go!

Oh, the hilarity of getting ready for vacation in our household!  Kiddo 3 and P-Wiggles (the puppy) tag-team to create a little rucus....  K3 likes to find fun things for Wiggles to eat.  Like laundry.  I came in from getting the car ready to find a trail of clothes from the kitchen to the livingroom.  Yup.  She unloaded one of the suitcases and tried to feed it to Wiggles.  Good thing our puppy was not interested in teething on socks and underwear this morning!  Whew!  Wiggles usually makes great use of any opportunity to eat something unintended for her :o)

Well... we are off!  I'll bring the computer.  But I doubt I'll use it :o)  If you don't hear from me....  Have a happy week! 

Bits of summer fun!

Ok... summer is here.  I need to remember to keep a book in the car :o)  I arrived the to pick up kiddo 2 from her summer job at a local horse farm on Tuesday.  And found her far out in the fields exercising one of the horses.  This kiddo will shovel a lot of poo for a chance to ride!  (And she has been shoveling a lot of poo!) 

And here is kiddo 3!  I turned around the other day to find her building block towers on the rocking chair arm.  So beautiful!  Even when her towers kept falling over when she rocked.

And kiddo 4 just had a birthday.  My *baby* is ELEVEN now.  She thought that would be a great excuse to grow another inch or so.  Funny (tall) kid!  Soooooo... how did kiddo 4 choose to spend her birthday?  At the mall.  Ugh.  She's wanted to visit the mall for about six months now.  Have I mentioned that I am a *tad* resistant to anything involving large shopping centers???  When I was a kid, my mom decreed that every other year was a birthday party year and the off years were one-friend-for-an-overnight years.  I'm sure this helped her stay sane with two kiddos with near-Christmas birthdays.  (Yes, I tried many times to convince her that August was a slow enough month to have a party every year.  No... it didn't work...)

 

Whooops... I veered off-topic.  (Nothing new to anyone who knows me...)  Now, with two of my own kiddos with near-Christmas birthdays, the every-other-year-party has been reinstated.  Even for the June kiddo.  Soooooo.... how *did* kiddo 4 convince me to set foot in a...gulp!... mall???  This was a one-friend year.  And she wanted to go to Build-a-Bear.  Yup, I'm a sucker for birthday wishes.  And it actually was a wonderful day!  The girls giggled happily in the back seat while the "air conditioning" (open windows) whistled through the car.  They had a ball choosing the perfect outfits for their critters.  We rode escalators.  And ate icecream.  We had dinner at Applebees where K4 was thrilled to have a special birthday song presented along with a dessert that she was too full to eat.  And when we returned her friend home, the grown-ups (yes, I qualify) sat and visited while the kids played for a couple more hours.  It was a beautiful day.  Even if it included time at a mall.  (And daddy enjoyed the very chocolaty cake and melted icecream when we arrive home!)

  And, look!  Our puppy personalized my hat for me!

Sooooo.... what about kiddo 1?  What has she been up to?  Well... we are headed to Maine on Saturday for the annual Tucker family beach week!  My parents, sisters, their families, and some extras gather for a week of fun.  For the past two years, a murder mystery evening has been part of the entertainment.  Led by my fun-loving eldest daughter and me.  Goofy costumes, lively role-playing.  A night of sheer hilarity!  With one little downfall... we've always used the boxed parties which are written for 6-8 people.  And the kids have been a bit bummed.  They want to play!  So, this year, we are creating our own mystery.  For 14.  It is a bit of an undertaking....  K1 and I have been working most nights for several hours together.  But I am a little short on daytime hours that I can pour into the project.  So K1 has absconded with the computer to her room most afternoons.  What a kiddo!  And what hilarity is bound to ensue!

Well... time to start the day!  Have a happy one!

Summer cold, family and a ball game...

Ahhh... a lovely summer cold. Second kiddo had a bugger of a cold the week before 8th grade graduation. Guess who got whalloped by it right after graduation? Yup. Parts of me that I didn't even know I had hurt. The *insides* of my toes hurt. Air hurt. If I took a breath, I coughed. And coughed and coughed. I seriously considered taking a break on the whole breathing thing. Blick. It was a rough couple of days.

I finally feel like I'm on the uphill swing again today. Not much energy still, but at least I don't hurt anymore. When I talk, I sound like Darth Vadar (not being a Star Wars fan, I probably spelled that wrong), but I'm not coughing. And I have finally ventured past the confines of the house. My cousin is visiting from Seattle. We saw her and the extended family last night. A collection of aunts, uncles, cousins, kids and friends. A camp fire, stilts, baseball game, swings, a circle of people visiting. What a lovely evening!

And tonight we went to a Swamp Bats game. I love ball games! The crowds, the goofy acts between innings, the music, the batmobile, the french fries. Yup. I love the french fries. Somehow, they're just better at a ball game. Oh! And Ribby! Our third daughter just *loves* the mascot :o) She gets all excited and wants ME to shake hands with him. She is suddenly too shy.... Ball games; a riot of color, character, noise and fun!

Have a happy day!

Whew! The end of the school year brings a flurry of activity! But with kiddos to help, we are ready! Bring on summer!!!! We vaccuumed, scrubbed, organized, and cleaned the car! (Oldest kiddo vaccuuming, youngest cleaning the car.) And second-kiddo in her 8th grade graduation dress! Yup... that's what's happening tonight!

Well... I've got to run and pick up kiddo 2 and take her to lunch! Have a happy day :o)

Driving Miss Silly Sassy Girl!

My friend, Terry, visited this weekend! Whooohooo!!! What fun to enjoy a... well... not very quiet cup of coffee together :o) The girls wandered in and out of the kitchen (mostly in) supplying a steady stream of extraneous comments to our conversation. Don ate lunch adding his tidbits of advice and insight. But it was a lovely time.

When Terry went to leave, Miss Silly Girl got all excited! She loves to go for rides... and she was ready to ditch this joint! So Aunt Terry (really, she is Godmother Terry, but it doesn't quite have the same ring...) bundled Miss Silly into the car and took her for a 20 minute jaunt around the neighborhood. Miss Silly was quite tickled with herself for suggesting such a marvelous adventure. She strutted around the yard with a sassy grin when the daring duo returned home.

Well... we got rained back inside. But when the rain stopped, Miss Silly asked for a repeat performance. She ran over to our car shouting "DOE! DOE! DOE!" (translated "GO!..."). Enter a new phase in the Brown household.... I called oldest kiddo and asked if SHE could take us for a ride! Kind of "double duty"... we got some more driving time in for our 15-year-old while driving Miss Silly Girl!

Have a happy day!

Smiles from Shannon!

Our 10-year-old is a budding photographer! She runs around the house and the yard snapping photos of numberous objects. Her favorite subject is... you guessed it! OUR PUPPY!

I wish I had more time to write about all the happy stuff going on right now! Our 14-year-old had a successful shop for an 8th grade graduation dress. Our 10-year-old has new glasses which she loves. They are CUTE! But... I spent so long blogging on Kwilting with Katie that I really need to end computer time now.... If you are looking for a fun read, check out "from this to this" on my other blog :o) http://kwiltingwithkatie.blogspot.com/

Have a happy day!