whatever

only in june.....

the lightning bugs come out.
just when the sun is down low but not quite dark yet....

 


grabbing a jar and loading it up with these little guys is a SUMMER MUST.
 

 

 you have to be careful when you open the jar....they try to escape.


 

they had over twenty that night.


 
 

when the kids go inside to bed i open the lid and let them all go...freedom!

it is another one of GOD's truly amazing creations.
and i love that they don't bite and are so easy to catch.
thank you Lord for these bugs in june.

amen.

(click to see my pics from last year's bug catching....love them...talby changed so much already)

 

the weekend.

i was on my own this weekend.....with all the kids.

craig was away with guys from our church.  
at a lake?  in missouri?   or arkansas?  
mostly golfing i think.
i was happy for him to get a break.

really....i was.
i know how badly i need them....so i was happy for him.
if i can keep my attitude in check then a few days on my own holding down the fort is ok.

i took pictures of saturdays good stuff.

i did sleep in.
the benefit of bigger kids....they let you sleep because they don't need things like diaper changes or bottles.
they can turn on the tv and computer by themselves.
they make their own breakfast.

so i get to sleep.


and they let me get ready in peace for almost an hour!
that rocked.


i snapped a shot that i decided to use as my new profile pic...i have been so happy with that mirror in the kitchen.



 
most of the kids finished their chores and it was almost noon.
scott was already gone at his basketball practice.
we dropped off sean at his friend's house.
lauren was still asleep.
the little girls and i went to the nursery.



annie was dressed for a birthday party.  
she had come into my room and said "don't i look fancy for the party?"  it was boy party!  :)





my ginormous geranium was my passenger on the way home....
sparkling lemonade....
bloom bag from the pleated poppy!!! 

we dropped annie off at the birthday party (forgot the gift!)
talby and i grabbed groceries at the walmarts.
and a cute swim suit cover up for her.
(and a gift for the party)
then came home and her friend came over.



my dinner.
 
dinner for everyone else was make-your-own.  (aka: cereal or chicken nuggets)

sean came home.
scott was back.
lauren and her friend came home.
annie came home.
and two more friends showed up.



 
lauren announced to the 8 of us that she is making a campfire.

(time for me to join the group instead of listening to everything from the kitchen windows...fire is involved)


 
they did it....very well in fact.


the light was almost gone.....that is the museum that we live next door to behind lauren.

we made smores with reeses.
the marshmallows MAY have had ants in the bag....but we were desperate..... 
people in other countries eat ants right?
it's protein.
right???



 
expert fire makers.
we have them to thank for our nice end to the day.
it was great....for real.



i wrangled in two for baths.
one started her laundry.

i got the three youngest to bed.
the two older watched a movie.
and i crashed.

it was a good day.

i have flowers to plant.
the house is a wreck.
and half the groceries i got are already gone.
i guess that is what happens when 10 kids are in your house in one day....

and it's fine.

perfectly fine.



 

 

not so good....yet.

so i tried cutting waffle's hair this weekend.

it's not easy.
i was so worried about cutting him....then after one hour the first day....and 30 minutes the second day
i just went for it.
and this is what we have so far!



HA HA HA.
 

 
i am nervous to get to the feet, tail and face.
but it will get done....soon enough.


 
i had a girl day with just this one yesterday.

we hit old navy...target....and orange leaf.

both our first times.
she said it was the best place in the whole world....wants to go there on her birthday....in 7 months.
it was really goooood.
not on jillian's meal plan....but good.
i restrained myself to only a small bowl.
banana yogurt AND peanut butter yogurt!
holy cows.
mmmmmmm.

annie said during foozball with she and i against craig:

"we're winning!  i think it's cause of my muscles!"  
(by the way...we did not win....i am AWFUL at foozball.)

then a few moments later shouted to craig  "GET READY TO EAT MY GUTS!!!"

when she runs hard and then stops she says "OHHH! my heart is beeping so fast."

and my favorite annie-ism....overheard through the window while the kids were jumping on the trampoline....

"SEAN!!! YOU JUST KICKED ME IN THE NUTS!" 

she is such a hillarious little girl. 

 

i have lost my mind.

i decided on vacation that i was SICK of tv and video games.
while on vacation i loved the kids' relaxing morning tv time while i slowly woke up.
but then it was just hard to get it OFF again.

so i decided that until school starts....no more tv or computer.
 

the sign is just a reminder for them.
  
it has been very different.
we have NEVER done this.
my kids are so confused.  disoriented.  lost.  zombie-like.  

they have no idea WHAT to do.

i have entertained them all that i know how.
i need some ideas.

WHAT do you do with your kids?!
what do they play?
my kids don't know how to play?!!!

it's 100 degrees outside.....they won't go out except for a short bit to swim.

help me ladies.
i have crafted my heart out and they need something to do ON THEIR OWN.
 
*******************************************************

conversation overheard yesterday with annie and her friend:

annie:  let's make cards!

friend:  yeah, let's make a card to give to your mom that says "you're mean"
            for not letting you watch tv.

annie:  i don't know how to write.
      
*******************************************************
ps....this no computer and tv rule does not apply to me.

all my work is on my computer.  
and i don't watch much tv except at night when they are all in bed.

wednesday.

ok...today is better than the past two have been.
i feel relieved by that.
the pool is filling up.
the rain is gone.
the boys' nerf guns have been confiscated.
i think we are going to make it.

i received a shirt in the mail....and i love it.

you can get them here at DOTS.
it is so soft and light.
i really really like it.
and i want to make cupcakes when i wear it.
i thought this one was cute too.

the porch is my favorite spot in the summer.
yesterday i set up memory on the bench/coffee table.
it took the entire top...and was hard to remember with such a long line of cards.





guess which set of matches is mine?  
i told you it was hard for me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
some questions were asked about the summer list yesterday...i will clarify.
 
*WORLDS OF FUN is an amusement park with roller coasters in kansas city.
*PEPPERNUTS are little spice cookies...we love to eat them but i have never made them.
 here is a website about them.  
 they are a mennonite thing...craig has mennonite roots and so does our hometown.
*a BLOCK PARTY is a street party with our neighborhood (our block).
*the FROGGIE POOL is our public pool...it has a frog shaped slide.
*DEMO DERBY is the mud pit where cars crash into each other...that we pay money to watch!

we bought journals yesterday and the three youngest were so pumped about it.
they filled up the front already with stories and stickers.  
very sweet.

my man sean

my boys usually don't hang around where i am...which is where my camera is...which is why annie
is usually in so many pictures...she's right beside me all the time.

but i got sean this week.
caught on film...or cf card? whatever.

his best friend let him borrow his RipStik.
i had no idea what it was until he brought it home.
it's a skateboard...with only two wheels.  
It's all about balance.
it took him about 2 (very frustrated) hours to really get it...

and he hasn't quit since.

     
could you do this?

i know that i couldn't.
none of my other kids can do it.

i think he looooooves that part.

it's something only he can do.



then...he even let me take some pictures of just him.

the only other person with green eyes in our family besides me.  :)
 



he does this with his arm all the time...glad i caught it.
 

oh man...you have got to love the braces.

sean is growing so fast.  
his shoes are 9.5. a size and half bigger than me!
he is VERY into reading now...a different chapter book everyday.
i know that he turns on his lamp & reads after we say to go to bed but how do you get mad about that?
he also loves club penguin.com. 

i love that boy.
i may not always understand him...but i try my best.  
i am his biggest cheerleader.
i want him to succeed so badly.

i love that boy. 
   
did i mention that already?