Smart Boy

It's raining outside. But that didn't stop Max from bringing his stick half-way inside to enjoy it where it's dry!

It's a Race!

 Well, life goes on in our household.  Just because things don't go as planned doesn't mean you can't still have fun.  The girls competed in a watermelon eating contest at our church picnic.  All three girls wanted to compete:

Their watermelons are placed in front of them.  They are ready to chow down!

The rules are whoever eats the most in three minutes, wins!

They chomp:

 

And chew:

And chomp and chew:

And kept going and going:

Until the time was up:

Kiera ended up winning!  Yea!  We knew she loved some watermelon!



Date Night Spoiled

 Charlie and I head out last night for a dinner date at Red Lobster.  I had got rid of the kids for the night and wanted some us time before our two week vacation.  We were having a great time talking and smiling and was really looking forward to a good meal.  All of the sudden...

Wham!  We got hit from behind which then made us hit the vehicle in front of us (we had stopped for the car in front of us to make a left turn).  The guy behind us just wasn't paying attention.  Immediately, he checked on everyone to see if all were ok.  We all were thank goodness!  He said he was sorry and made the call to the police.  Our air bags DID NOT deploy.  Further investigation and we found out that they were under a recall but were not fixed before it was sold to us.  It could have been much worse and those air bags could have been needed!  Makes me so much madder at Five Star Dodge for not handling that for us. 

A total of four cars were involved.  Ours was the worse.  The guy who had hit us was in a new truck and was able to drive away with a busted headlight.  The car in front of us had damage to part of their bumper and was also able to drive away.  Originally, I didn't know there was another truck involved in front of that vehicle but they too were able to drive away.  Ours on the other hand did not fare well.

We received front end damage: 

And rear end damage:

We are very thankful that the kids were not with us. They could have been hurt badly.  And we are very thankful that everyone walked away unharmed besides some aches and pains.  We have talked to our insurance company and his insurance company on what to expect.  We have already gotten the ball rolling with that and the inspection.  We are waiting on the police report to come and also word if our car is repairable or totaled.  Either way it will all be taken care of.  Hopefully we will have it settled in a few days and we can have it all fixed while we are away on vacation.  Crossing our fingers!

I Would Like SMORE Please

 The girls are camping out with their friends tonight in our backyard.  They are having a blast.  We had hamburgers and hotdogs cooked on the grill.  Mmmm...Yum!  Once the sun went down and the night settled in, it was time to make smores.

Charlie is setting up our impromptu fire pit:

 The girls are patiently waiting to roast marshmallows:

 It wouldn't be camping without hearing the crackling sound of wood burning and being mesmorized by the fire's flame.

Ooey, gooey, goodness!

We made sure to put away all the lighters before going to bed from these piros:

                                        

After the Rain

Finally, it rained!  Not just a quick sprinkle, but a good drenching rain!  This was Max's first time seeing the rain.  He ran through it and loved it, but I made him come inside and watch it poor from the door because it was lightning.

The plants really took off since Mother Nature appeared.

The plants love the rain too.  They are spreading like I had hoped.  Hopefully it will continue to rain so that we won't have to water the grass and the plants anymore.

Look Who Has a New Smile!

Jasmine got her braces on this week. She was so excited. She'll have them on for the next two years followed by the removal of her wisdom teeth (because they are coming in sideways) and she will have crowns put on her two side teeth because they didn't form correctly when they came in. She says she's not in any pain. She's happy with them and can't wait to show everyone her new smile. I'll she how she feels later when all the newness wares off.

Apparently I'm Old

My age doesn't show it, nor do my looks from what I'm told. I'm old. Let's just face it. I forget things even when I write them down. I forget things I was suppose to do. I forget things I was suppose to pick up at the store. I forget what I was doing on my way to doing it. But this, this tops them all...

I threw my back out by not doing anything at all. I didn't twist or turn too fast. I wasn't playing too rough outside with the kids. I wasn't moving furniture around the house. Nothing.

Last Friday I woke up and my back felt kinda sore. I took some Motrin and went on about my day. We had a picnic in the park at Charlie's work. Really, we just did nothing but hung out and talked all day. We had dinner and came home and played cards.

Saturday I woke up and noticed that my back really felt hurt. I could still move around and do stuff but decided to not help out with the yard work and take it easy. By that night I was laid up on the couch nearly in tears. I was in so much pain. Sitting hurt. Standing hurt. Laying down hurt. It all hurt. But I was determined to make it through the weekend and see a doctor first thing Mon. morning.

I didn't sleep at all that night. Pain was all I felt. Sunday morning came and I finally decided to see a doctor once the clinic opened up. He did a few tests and determined that I only had a muscle spasm. He gave me an anti-inflammatory medicine and a muscle relaxer. Immediately, I took them and fell fast asleep.

It took a few days of sleeping in, the girls and Charlie taking over, being waited on hand and foot and not getting up unless to use the restroom. By Wed. I was over being laid up in bed. And I was feeling much better, yea!

I still don't know how it happened unless it's true that you can throw your back out by just being plain old. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now. I'm looking forward to the end of next week when our vacation begins!

Frogger

This little tree frog is trying to stay out of the sun and keep cool hidden in the leaf of a plant in my garden.

Maya's New Do

I knew it wouldn't be long before another one of my girls would want their hair cut like their big sister. After seeing how fabulous Jasmine's new haircut looked, Maya wanted her long locks cut as well.

The stylist measured her hair a few times to see if they could donate it to Locks of Love as they did Jasmine's hair. But they were just one inch too short. Maya didn't want to wait another month to let it grow. It was just too hot this summer to keep the long hair.

I really like her new haircut. It's cool for the summer and it looks great!

Church in the Park

We had church in the park this week! Summer is a great time to get out, meet new people and share the word!

There was great singing:

Songs for the kids:

More great singing by my fav :)

Time to get into the word:

Let's get serious about communion:

Then it was time for bar-b-q and fellowship:

The teens had a good time hanging out together:

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It's spring here but feels like the middle of summer. It's hot, really hot. Today the temps. reached a record 103! And did I mention our area is 8 inches below normal rainfall? We need the rain badly! We haven't hit restricted water use yet but I'm thinking it may come soon.

We've still been able to keep the garden growing in all this heat. It's actually thriving! I've never had a garden before and was not confident in keeping it up but I must have a green thumb after all.

The lentalias came back:
The inpatients are growing:

And growing:

The mums even bloomed again! I did not know mums bloom twice a year, spring and fall.

The birds of paradise are just about to bloom. It's going to be huge!

I found a praying mantis in the leaves of this one.

I picked out this double impatient. It looks like a rose but doesn't have the thorns or the upkeep of a normal rose bush.

We planted the flowers with the hopes that they would get big and spread. They are really starting to take off.

I still can't believe the mums bloomed again. They are beautiful!

Hopefully we will get some rain soon. We drive by a small lake everyday and have noticed that it's nearly dried up. I mean really dry. Another few days of heat and it will be just dirt. The farmers had an official prayer for rain. They really need it. I'm hoping it will come soon.