Fishing derby

With Tadd taking a class all day Friday and all day Saturday, I had to get the kids out of the house for at least a few hours today. When they all woke up at 7am I knew it would be a long day and said "get in the car kids, we're going fishing!" A nearby town was hosting a free fishing derby for kids today, and while I had read about it, it's not the sort of thing I would attempt taking my 3 kids to without daddy, unless faced with an entire 15 hour day with no plans and 3 bored kids.  So I packed a few snacks and bottles of water and we were on our way. They provided bait and fishing poles at the derby, so all we had to do was set up our chairs in the 87 degree heat (plus humidity) and get fishing! This pregnant mama just wanted to find shade, but hooks don't bait themselves, so I had to brave it.

 Ok! So Henry caught a fish.... now what? You mean I have to dig that hook out of its mouth? What did I sign up for?

 "Mom, this worm is too big, I think we need to break it in pieces" .... uh, with my fingers? GROSS

 Luckily rent-a-grandpa was wandering around and noticed we looked like we needed a little help, he brought a tool and took the fish off Henry's hook, but I was on my own to break the worm into pieces.  Luckily Uncle Nate and Grandma showed up to lend a hand right about then and I had some reprieve from the hook baiting and worm breaking.

 After the trophies were awarded (sadly, we came home empty handed) they provided hamburgers from McDonalds for all the kids.

Then everyone got a ride in a speedboat!! The kids were thrilled! He really did go fast and I think was even kind enough NOT to smoke the cigarette hanging out of his mouth while sitting next to my kids.
After we'd been outside for the better part of 4 hours, we were nearly melting in the heat and grandma kindly offered to take us out for ice cream.

Which we readily accepted and thoroughly enjoyed. Despite the heat and blistering sun, we all had fun, it's a day we won't soon forget.... nobody told me being a mom would be so much fun!

Six!!

So my big boy turned six on Tuesday, you may remember in years past how we've celebrated his birthdays in grand style. This year, Harrison has been begging for a new bike from a BIKE SHOP, not Craigslist, or a hand me down, but a real (expensive) bike. So I decided I would give him a choice, either he could go to a bike shop and pick out his very own bike, or he could get a smaller present and have a big party with his friends. To my delight, he chose a new bike, without hesitation. So off to the bike shop we went and he picked out this...

He rides it down the street and yells "I feel so alive!" What a kid... Of course we still had to celebrate so we went to his favorite place in the entire world...

The pool! He loves to dive into the 12 foot end and swim back to the edge.

He also loves the climbing wall! He's meant to be a swimmer, he loves the water!

On his actual birthday, we met a few friends at the park and I brought cupcakes to share, of course he had to light the candle...

This child handles a lighter like a pro... don't worry I keep them all hidden.

Harrison and his two best girlfriends Juliana and Eleanor...

After the park we headed to Grandma's house for a hot dog roasted over the fire and some pop and chips.

He didn't get his eating habits from me...

We topped it off with an ice cream sandwich and 6 candles (and more pop) what a day! Harrison is such a delight- his strengths include, his love for his mother and family, his quick mind and his knowledge of right and wrong (even if he doesn't always make the best choices!) He loves to tease his brother and sister mercilessly and can't wait for his new baby sister. On his 6th birthday, Harrison is 45 1/2 inches tall and weighs 42 1/2 lbs. We love him to pieces!!

Growing....

I was talking to my mom the other day and she mentioned that my brother didn't know I was expecting, "What!! I said? How can anyone NOT know I'm expecting. My stomach is huge!!" Then I realized that of course he lives in El Paso, and hasn't seen me since last August, when all this was happening. In February when we found out we were expecting again, I didn't tell anyone, I thought maybe if I said it out loud, I would jinx myself or something, I didn't even tell my mom and sisters (and I tell them everything!) for about 3 months or so... in fact, I didn't ever make any big "announcement" I just let people guess and wonder.... well there is no mistaking it now, I am expecting in October.

We're so thrilled, the kids couldn't be more excited, we found out a few months ago that we're having a baby GIRL!! Harrison is over the moon excited and will be the best big brother any baby sister could wish for. The first three months I felt awful, really awful, but that passed and now I feel great, even though the kids remind me every day that my stomach is huge! Yesterday Harrison informed me that I had the biggest belly button he'd ever seen. We feel very blessed to add a new member to our family, so far all is well and everyone is healthy. More updates to come!

Storm cleanup

A massive but quick storm blew through our area on Monday morning, causing major damage. Trees were lifted from the roots, some fell on homes and cars, 800,000 people were without power (some still don't have it back on) we were without power for 3 days. Thankfully the only casualties were half of our willow tree, and some perishables from our fridge. The first night was so hot in our house, it tipped 90 degrees with the sun down and was sweltering with high humidity, so we had a family sleepover in the basement.

 The damaged branches had to come down, Tadd was more than happy to oblige..

 Like a kid in a candy shop, Tadd loves to cut down trees- maybe he's in the wrong profession?

 This is a curly willow tree, it's constantly dropping these curly branches when the wind blows, it's no wonder this was the tree to break in the storm.

 The kids were such great helpers, they dragged all the branches to the curb, they're still there, waiting for the chipper to come around and turn them to mulch.

 Henry called this branch his "space ship" and nestled himself in the branches for a good part of the cleanup effort.

Yes, this is Harrison with a saw and Henry with a lobber. Harrison sawed through quite a few branches and really helped Tadd out with the cleanup. This storm was such an eye opener for me, I realized I need to be better prepared in case of an emergency, I also realized just how many electrical appliances I can live without (and exactly which ones I cannot live without *ahem, my blowdryer*). It's good to have a wake up call every once in a while, just to make me realize how blessed our family really is...

Faces....

 In recent months Henry's sweet,  easy going nature has given way to a tantrum throwing, bull headed, demanding little three year old. I thought two was supposed to be rough, but two doesn't hold a candle to three!

Also? The only foods he'll eat are: chicken nuggets (from a fast food restaurant), hash browns, pizza (from Little Caesars,  chips (from anywhere) and maybe cucumbers if ranch dip is available. Oh and of course candy. Seriously folks, that's all he'll eat. Let's just say he goes hungry sometimes...

He can be a charmer when he wants to be, he's very outgoing, he'll have a conversation with anyone. I took the kids to the pool the other day and Henry spent the day chatting up the life guard instead of swimming in the pool.  He's also very sensitive and always wants reassurance that we still love him when he gets in trouble.

We love this bull headed little three year old!

I Made it!!

A few weeks ago I came across a pattern on MADE for a beach robe, since we go to the pool nearly every week day, I thought it would be perfect to make a few of these robes for my kids. I've really been excited as I shop for materials and study the pattern. The first robe off the machine is for my adorable god-daughter Sophia, who is turning 4 today!! Here is the finished product, I hope to get a few pictures of her wearing it at her birthday party this afternoon. I admit that I unpicked more than I sewed, made a huge mess of my loft (terrycloth isn't the easiest to work with), but despite a few little flaws, I'm happy to say it turned out adorable. but I'm excited to try my hand at 3 more of these babies in the next week or so...

First of the season...

My dear boy Harrison shares my love of garden fresh cucumbers. We've been eagerly anticipating our first cucumber since... well since our cucumber plants froze last November. We planted our garden in mid May and have been carefully tending it ever since. Harrison ran inside a few days ago and excitedly pulled me to the garden to show me this beauty, it wasn't quite big enough so we've been patiently waiting for just the right time to pick. Today it was finally big enough and boy was Harrison thrilled, he brought it in the house, washed it, peeled it, retrieved the cutting board and knife, sliced it perfectly and sprinkled it with salt... I was sure he would sit at the table and devour it, but to my surprise he got down one of my crystal bowls, arranged the slices and proudly presented it to me. "Here mom, this is for you"

My heart just melted- what a gentleman!

I think I may just love Harrison a billion times more than the first garden fresh cucumber of the season.

(and that's saying A LOT)

ps I did share it with him!