The Last of Summer

Well same old story here. No time to update the blog. Jason leaves for 2 weeks on Wednesday so maybe I can get caught up. But with soccer practice, football practice and LIFE I wouldn't count on it. Here are a few pictures left from this summer and a life update. :) Kyle still has to climb everything. No change there. Just this morning I heard him talking about one of the things he wanted to play was "climb doorways". We are still working out his stomach issues and some things have been discovered that makes my mom heart worry. I hate how much pain he is in sometimes and that Dr.'s haven't been able to figure out how to make it go away. We go for some more tests tomorrow so hopefully soon we can get him healthy. Kyle is super sweet always looking out for the needs of others. If someone needs something Kyle notices and gets it for you. If you run out of candy and he has some left he offers to share his remaining stash. He is also quite the comedian without really knowing it. The other day I was frustrated with something and called it "stupid". All the kids were in the room and Kyle said "Mom you really shouldn't say that in front of your children."

Love this face! She is 100% a stinker! She has been a challenge lately in biting her brothers (no one else so far thank God) and spitting. I told her the other day she was going to get pepper on her tongue if she kept spitting. She repeats me in everything so here is a little conversation we had the other day. ME: "Ryleigh please sit still and eat your lunch!" RY: "Mom, I going put pepper on your tongue." ME: "Ryleigh you can not talk to Mommy like that, mommy was not spitting or saying anything bad." RY: (totally ignoring me and putting her hand to her ear like she is on the phone) "Yes Daddy, Mommy needs pepper on her tongue." ME: I don't remember what I said - I was just trying not to laugh! RY: "Ok Daddy. Bye. (puts down her pretend hand like she is hanging up a phone) Mommy, Daddy said you need pepper on your tongue." She definitely keeps us smiling around here.

The three stinkers.

A moment of sibling love caught between Ryleigh and Kyle. This was not staged. I was in the kitchen and looked out to see them sitting like this on the deck. I ran outside and caught the moment! Even though she bites and spits at her brothers she adores them! She says with pride "I got 2 brufers" and holds up 2 fingers.

Aiden - our little man. I wish I would have known that 2 is not the only terrible age. It seems 7 is the magic one for Aiden. He has always been a headstrong little guy (I admit he gets it quite honestly from both of his parents) and as he gets older he is using that stubborn streak more and more. He keeps Jason and I on our toes in the parenting department. Thank God Jason stands behind me, I don't know how I would do it without his support. I just hope we can direct his strong willed spirit into the right direction. But on the whole he is a sweet boy. His hugs are amazing and he has such a huge love for all of us and everyone in our family. He started flag football last week and he loves it! Glad to find a sport he enjoys, he wasn't really into soccer.On the way fishing. Ryleigh dosen't get to go and it kills her. I always tell her that we are the girls and we have to stick together. She likes that and now tells me that all the time "We da girls mom, we stick gether!" But she still has to get her picture taken with the boys. :)Gosh he is growing up fast! He looks like a teenager here to me! How do you guys like the long hair Marine sons? I think it is my rebellion to the military haircut. :)

My boys. Fishing and hunting is in their blood and they LOVE it!
These pictures are from Jason's cell phone - so not too clear.
Showing off their catch.
Enjoying their packed lunch and coke, and extreme rare treat. These boys do not need caffeine.
Home and showing me what they caught. Usually they do catch and release, but Jason told them they had to catch dinner that night. So they brought home a few sun fish.
Jason gutting the fish.Getting the creek dirt and fish guts off. :)
The end result! It was actually pretty good!
He likes it!

So does he! They were so proud that they caught dinner!
And she kept asking for more!

A tower creation on a lazy summer day. If you look closely you can see little Lego men on the top guarding the tower.

I know I rambled on a little about the kids... but haven't had much time to write things down lately and I don't want to forget life these days and I use the blog as a journal of sorts. So just scroll and look and the pictures and ignore my writing! :)

For Chelly

Well, like I said in my last post, Chelly has been begging for updates on some of the things we have done around the house. I wasn't planning on putting them up in the blog, but she just won't take no for an answer! :) Plus, there is always something else that needs to be done, so I always feel like nothing is ever finished. I want to wait until I have it ALL done, but who knows when that will be! So today, is a rainy day. The kids are playing quietly at the moment (I am sure that will change ANY second now) so I thought I would finally give Chelly her wish! :)


The kitchen windows. I really wanted plantation shutters for these windows, but we just couldn't see spending that much money (over $800) when we will only live here a few years and can't take them with us! Maybe in our "forever" house. :)

Since I wanted plantation shutters it took me forever to figure out what I really wanted to do here. I didn't want to spend a lot and covering windows is not cheap, especially when you have to do three.
I bought a place mat at Pier One a few months ago and that got my juices flowing on what colors I wanted. I finally found some material I liked (and at 60% off it was a deal too!) and got to work on making them. I bought more place mats from Pier One and used them as fake "blinds" to give some color, but not too much since the kitchen is open to the family room and I didn't want to colors to clash. So the kitchen is on it's way to being finished! Now time to tile the backsplash....

Ryleigh's room. We painted it a light pink. Still have to fix her curtains and hang a few things. And eventually get her out of a crib!!

The guest room. We originally had our old bed in here, a large wooden sleigh bed, but it took up the whole room. So we sold that, bought a bed frame and made a headboard. It gives us so much more room in here now! This room is still pretty blank, needs curtains, bigger pillow shams, a chair, some kind of small dresser and stuff on the walls. But it is open for company! :)

Oh and another lamp on the other side. :)

The boys room. My cameras flash is acting up so I wasn't able to get very good pictures. But it is pained a very light blue.

A close up of the initials over there beds. I have a thing for letters and monograms! :)
The back deck. This deck was already here when we bought the house, Jason added the pergola. Still need to find cushions for the wicker.
Then he added the step down deck for our table.

He put the white vinyl fence up so we could eat out here in the evenings without the sun shining right on us.
The whole thing from the back. I plan to landscape all around it and from the white fence all the way over to the end of the house. But I think that is going to be a fall project....
The dining room. Chelly and I have pretty much the same dining rooms! :) We like plates, something started from our Aunt Debbie I think. :)

That's all for now! Hope you are happy now Chell! :) lol

A swing full of kids

The other day I looked out on the swing and saw that all three kids were on one. Guess we kind of need a swing set....Maybe that is the next thing Jason can build! :) He just loves when I think of new projects for him. hehe Poor guy thinks he has to do everything that I even mention. We wouldn't be using it too much right now even if we had a swing set. It is so brutally hot that we only really go out in the evenings. So a swing set sounds like a fall project to me! We will let Jason have a little break. :)
It looks a bit tight to me, but they seemed to be having a lot of fun!

I am going to try and post soon some pictures of the house. Chelly has been begging me for months to post some. But that requires actually cleaning up each room and taking pictures! Sounds like a lot of work to me. But for her sake I am going to try! Why can't she just be happy with text pictures?? :)