Time for summer 'do's

I got my hair cut yesterday into my new summer 'do, but there's no pictures of it yet. Today I was "inspired" to cut the boys' hair. There was a long list of events that led to this decision, but I will not go into them here. The end result is that I remember more vividly why I stopped doing this a while back. It's not the best cuts they've ever had, but at least they will be cooler for the summer.

Evan had said that he wanted a mohawk, but he chickened out when the clippers came out. Then when I started cutting, the front got shorter than I intended, so it all got shorter than I intended. I tried to style it into a "faux-hawk", but when it dries it doesn't keep the shape. Maybe next time it will work out better. It is "growing" on me though. ;)Joel's is shorter in the front than it normally is, too, and not quite as even as I would prefer. I'm actually more pleased with his than I thought I would be, though.

Field Day Fun in the Hot, Hot Sun!!

These are a few of the activities from Evan's Field Day today. The school has had field days in the past, but this was the first one in which Evan was able to participate.

The Long Jump

ready ...

set ...

jump!

The Javelin Throw

The Obstacle Course
balancing ...

hopping ...

leaping!

Free Time with Bubbles

Summer swimming has begun!

Making "windmills" - like Dad

Little tired and grumpy after some hard playing

high fliers!!

Evan's Birthday Party

So this year's party was a Transformers theme and was held at our church. We weren't sure how many people would be in town since it was a holiday weekend, so we invited school and church friends. There was a good turnout and Evan had a great time! He is so thankful to everyone and is definitely feeling special (maybe a little "too" special). I have heard the phrase, "because I'm the birthday boy" more times than I care to count. ;)

One of Evan's special days

Evan will have many special days in the coming week, but yesterday was the first. Joel and I took cookies to school to share with his class during snacktime and to celebrate his birthday with them. Joel carried the cookies inside, which we knew he was strong enough to do since he had carried them into his room and under his bed the day before. Then Steve, Joel, and I all went back to his school to eat lunch with him.Last night was his big kindergarten play and graduation. All the kids did a great job and I think had fun, too. After the play (in which Evan played a weed) we went back to a room to change into the cap and gown. After getting dressed Evan declared, "I'm a graduator!" Ahh, that's my boy!

The week of crazy peaches!

We have peaches coming out of ears! Which wouldn't be a bad thing, except they all get ripe at the same time. And that time is coinciding with the week of Evan's graduation and birthday party and Steve's parents coming in for a visit. Steve finished picking all of the peaches last night and is estimating that we had around 250 this year.

So far I have made some peach preserves and frozen a few bags of sliced peaches. We also have chunks in the fridge to go in things like milkshakes. That was pretty yummy last night! I am making more preserves today. I think we will have peach cobbler or peach pie tomorrow night after Evan's graduation. I am going to try to freeze more peaches, too, and maybe even do more preserves. The kitchen just may not be really clean when Steve's parents get in tomorrow. Peach juice is messy!!

The return of the rabbit!

The rabbit has been returning to our house frequently, but this past week we found out something new about rabbits. They will eat peaches. We didn't know that. Did you? This little bunny seems to love our rotten peaches!

A Math Lesson

1 storm + 1 boy scared of storms + 100 of the boy's stuffed animals + 1 boy who had an "accident" in his bed + 2 of that boy's stuffed animals + 1 bed = 1 very tired mom the next morning

Then morning comes, and I find that both boys have eaten chocolate ice cream without permission. Evan denies it, but the chocolate on his face tells me the truth, even if his words don't.

Then I take Evan and the carpool buddies to school and notice the lightning along the way. Coming home it starts to thunder and pour rain. So, Evan's field trip to the park is now canceled due to the storms that have made a reappearance, despite the forecasts. Evan and Joel are not happy about this, but at least we will go up to Evan's school and have lunch with him there.

So, this is not the best start to a day, in human terms, but there is another math formula that makes it better.

God > Anything I face on this earth

When the kids are left unsupervised

I posted some of these pictures on facebook, but hadn't added them to the blog yet. This is what happened one day when I sent the boys out to play and I stayed in and played on the computer.


Notice the chalk all over the horse. Any ideas on how a chalky handprint got on Joel's shirt?

In the second photo, Evan is making lemonade. Not sure why that's lemonade, but it is.

Not just any other May day

Not at my house! This was Mother's Day! Actually, my wonderful guys made it an entire weekend!

The festivities kicked off on Thursday night with the giving of the gifts that the boys had made for me. Evan had made his at school, and I had helped Joel make his at storytime. Joel still doesn't seem convinced that it is for me and not him. (The necklace was already in the box, and we decorated the jewelry box.)The present from Evan is a picture of the two of us inside a frame. Written on the frame are things that Evan said about me. They include, "Nice, reads me books, cooks me pizza, gives me PopTarts" and there is a "beautiful" but he doesn't remember saying that one.

Friday some of our wonderful friends volunteered to watch the kids for us so we could go on a much-needed date. Steve and I enjoyed several hours of uninterrupted time together, and it was great!! We got to watch the new Wolverine movie and go out to dinner. The movie was a lot of fun; I always enjoy a good X-Men movie! I didn't want to wait in any of the crowds that had gathered at the restaurants, so we enjoyed a quick and still yummy buffet at DoubleDave's. Afterwards we talked as we walked around some of the nearby stores. It wasn't really part of my Mother's Day, but it was SO nice! Oh, and I got roses at the beginning of the date and they are still beautifully decorating my table!

Yesterday I had a mostly relaxing morning with the boys while Steve took care of some yardwork. Then I went shopping by myself (which usually makes it much less stressful for me). When I got home Steve and the boys grilled some hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner while I relaxed on the couch. After dinner I got to watch an old Cary Grant movie that I had never heard of before, People Will Talk. What a lovely evening!

This morning I was treated to breakfast in bed while Steve and the boys ate breakfast on the floor around me. (We only have one breakfast-in-bed tray and the boys are a little ... rambunctious sometimes.) Steve and Joel had made some yummy waffles that were served with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Apparently Evan wasn't in the mood to help today. And that's Evan's waffle, but it gives you an idea of what mine looked like.


After church today, Steve surprised me by taking me out to eat for lunch. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Fish City Grill, and Steve "let" me order Peach Tea with my fried shrimp poboy. We walked around the mall for a little and let the boys play at the water fountain and the playground before heading home. I finished off the day with a nice long nap!!

Technically the day isn't finished yet, and I hope to give myself a pedicure and enjoy a movie with Steve tonight. Even if that doesn't happen, though, my guys have made me feel very special today! Since beginning to write this blog, Joel and Evan have made my day even better. The conversation went something like this:
Joel: Mom, you look handsome.
Me: Thanks, Joel! That is so sweet of you!
Evan (shouting from another room, so as not to be outdone): Mom, you look handsome!
Me: Thanks, Evan! That is so sweet of you, too!
Joel: Mom, you look handsome because I love you.
Evan (still shouting from another room): You look handsome because you look good!

Ahh, there are lots of tough days, but I love being a mom to these boys!

I hope that all of you moms out there also had special time with your loved ones this weekend and that all of you kids had special time with your mom!

Another May day

Evan started asking for an allowance this week. When I asked him what an allowance was, he told me it was money you got for doing chores. Without consulting Steve, I told Evan "no". I told him that chores were something you were expected to do as part of the family, but that he could start doing extra jobs to make some money if he wanted. The first thing I could think of as an example was picking up sticks from the yard before Steve mowed. Well, Steve needed to mow today, so Evan got to work with him picking up sticks and pulling weeds to earn some money. I was feeling generous (more generous than Steve), so Evan earned a dollar for his efforts. I was wondering if he would think that was a good return for his work, and apparently he was pleased. His only concern was how quickly he would be getting the dollar.While Steve and Evan were working, Joel was playing in a puddle on the street. My first reaction was to yell, "Get out of that puddle!", but I didn't! I let him play in it and just took some pictures. I got to play with my camera, and he got to pose and play in the puddle. We were both very happy. I am glad that I didn't yell my first instinct!Joel is not really sad, this is just one of his "poses". I took the picture to show the water that he had splashed onto his face.