my super heroes

this summer i have turned the tv off (except for a few cartoons in the morning) and limited (really limited) the computer time for the kiddos. i have loved listening to their pretend play. they have been fishermen, teachers, doctors, psychiatrists, construction workers, swim stars, track stars, movie stars, award winning vocalists and song writers, super heroes, and (my favorite) house keepers... ok, i made them play that.

this is a picture of the boys putting on their super hero masks.

they used electrical tape... if that ain't usin' you imagination, i don't know what is!

we made them take the "masks" off before we went to lowes... but it left black lines all over their faces.

nice.

wedding showers

my baby sister is getting married in august.

i can't hardly believe it... but i'm super excited!

we gave her a "family" wedding shower last weekend.
"mmmmm... don't that look good?!"
"shhhhh... don't tell her what's in those boxes"

i love it when all my family gets together. they're so great... they make me happy!

and... they bring out the best in me! i love them for that!

the beach

we vacationed at the beach a couple of weeks ago... it was great! we went with my mom and some friends of ours.

we swam in the ocean

we played games

we saw dolphins... while on a big boat

my mom kept all the kiddos so that we could go on two... two double dates. these are pics from the first one. my sweet friend and i did not plan our attire... it just happened. i must admit... she's got great taste.

we even posed for some pictures

and finally... the picture that breaks my heart... everyone is in this picture except my mom. she was the one taking pictures the entire vacation. she was one of the reasons our family had a better time this year than any other year we've gone to the beach. she was funny, helpful, sweet, the kiddos loved... loved that she was there. and yet... i didn't have enough sense about me to get her in the picture with us. ugh...

seriously?!

today the boys accompanied me as i shopped for my mom.

other than them racing to push the handicap button that opens the doors; and super t knocking over a display of shoe boxes... oh, and stone forgetting that he had wrapped his knee in a nasty ace bandage which dangled from the bottom of his shorts... things went pretty well.

in the car on the way home, super t pushed the button that lets the seat in front of him fall forward. after doing it several times, i finally told him to stop. of course... before we made it home, he did it again.

as punishment, i told him that he was not allowed to ride in the third row seats again.

not 5 seconds after i get that out of my mouth, stone says... well, super t, you better do it one more time since you won't ever be back there again.

oh my, this is how his brain works... and he's tryin' to convert his brother.

the little princess and i

little princess and i had the opportunity to go to a concert last friday night.

music is something she loves. the first time little princess sang an entire song for the boss and me... i almost cried. her voice is just so sweet.

she wants to sing and play the guitar and play the drums... for a living. so, she was pumped about going to the concert.

it was really fun... long... but really fun, and little princess loved every minute of it.

we ended up getting really good seats. this is some of what we saw.

did we miss the mark???

i knew this day was coming.

this is the conversation i had with little princess on the way home from school today:

little princess... you know billy bob?
me... yeah.

little princess... well, he sent me a note today. then the teacher came into the room, so i threw it away really quick.
me... oh, really? (the thoughts in my head... smart girl... no need to read those silly notes from boys.)

little princess... well, after school, i asked him what the note was about.
me... yeah. (the thoughts in my head... big mistake!... i hope it's not what i think it is.)

little princess... he told me that he wanted me to be his girlfriend.
me (very composed on the outside, i must add)... oh really? what did you say? (the thoughts in my head... yikes!!! it is what i think it is. please tell me you've heard what your daddy and i have been saying...)

little princess... i told him that i just want to be friends and that i don't want a relationship.
me... oh, that's so good. you're very smart to tell him that. (the thoughts in my head... aaahhh, that's my girl. i hope that word gets around. i'm so glad that she's been listening to us. i'm such a proud momma. thank you, Lord! um... she said relationship... that sounds so weird coming from her, i don't like it.)

fast forward to right before supper.

little princess... momma, i don't want to have a boyfriend now.
me... that's good.
little princess... yeah, i don't want a boyfriend until he's old enough to have a car and a job... that way he can take me on dates and pay for everything.

i was speechless.

for the entire afternoon, i was beaming... really. i was thinking she didn't want a boyfriend because she's heard and believes the wise words of her parents. the wisdom about the heartache that comes along with having boyfriend/girlfriend relationships too early... the wisdom about protecting her heart.

all that wisdom... freely given, and she walks away with the desire to wait until the boy is old enough to pay for everything. oh well... at least that gives me 6-8 years to have the other stuff sink in.

super t's new hairdo

super t has beautiful curls... i love 'em.

but... every now and then, the boss gets the urge to cut it all off. not trim it, not tighten it up, but shave all of it off. this typically happens while i am distracted. this particular time, i was heavy into laundry and didn't notice the buzzing sound until it was too late...

super t was super excited to have a mohawk.

and he was super disappointed when he found out that the mohawk wasn't here to stay.