The Green Team

When Robin, Amanda and Alayna were here for Brya's birthday in April, the girls also wanted to celebrate Earth Day. So we did a trash pick-up around one of the ponds in our neighborhood. I can't believe how much we found in less than an hour. We decided you had to really look at what you are picking up because Amanda almost picked up a dead white fish that looked like Styrofoam......we also saw a dead otter or was is a raccoon or was it a possum (no one could agree)....anyway whatever it was it was biodegradable because it was 1/2 way decomposed....yuck! The kids enjoyed the pick-up party and afterward had some nice things to say about the earth and they called themselves THE GREEN TEAM!!!

More Mud

Should I be worried about "swine flu"? My kids are starting to act like pigs.......:-) These pics were taken before they got really muddy.....oh and this cute little pigsty is (someday) going to be a cute little flower and strawberry garden!!

Ever had smoke in your eyes?

Last evening Brya was at a birthday party for a school friend. When she got home I mentioned that she smelled like a campfire (they had made s'mores in the backyard). She said "That Dad said that smoke follows beauty and I even hid behind a tree and it still came after me". I snickered and sent her to bed. Then this morning on the way to meeting we were talking about camping and she pipes up from the back and said "Dad, you won't have to worry about getting smoke in your eyes because smoke only follows beauty".

Mud Buddies

Recently we spent a long weekend with my sister in Ohio. The kids asked very innocently if they may play in the backyard for a few minutes before bath time.......instead they bonded over mud balls.

"But Mom, my hair is already washed."

Just one more push-up Alayna.

Mud-Ball Construction

The Scene

Just what we need Brya - MORE WATER

FPA - Future Plumbers of America

Amanda contemplating the mysteries of Life - be the first to go in for a bath or stay outside and clean up?

Always the nature lover......Brya kissing a worm

Beautiful Sisters

Someday they may talk about boys but for now it's all about Mud.

The person on the swing would get their feet nice and gooey and then swing up and put them on the back of someones shirt.

Thanks to Robin's excellent laundry skills, most everything came clean.

THE DOG

I always knew we would get a dog (I can only take so much begging before I give in....). I pictured a German Shepherd or maybe a Lab....something big with a name like Buck that leaves hair all over. Instead we have adopted a sweet, little lap dog!! Her name is Truffles but right away her nickname became Truffie. We got her from some of our friends who loved her very much but because of their moving situation thought it might be best to have Truffie stay in one place. When I think lap dog I think....yap, yap, yap all day long, but Truffie rarely barks, which is sooooo nice....as is the fact that she doesn't shed!! Yeah!! She is very protective of Troy and has to jump in if Troy and the kids are wrestling around. Probably the funniest thing to watch is when she is done with her bath, she runs around the upstairs pushing her ears on the floor (to dry them I guess). It gives the whole family a fit of giggles. (I'll post a video of it sometime)

Brya loves Truffie very much and is always willing to take her out for her walk!

Our very intelligent dog!!....she loves this chair and will sit on whatever is already on the chair if she must.

One of her toys is a pacifier. It is hilarious to see her walk around with it.

Just the right size for Thea!

Wish I had taken a picture....

This afternoon the kids were playing "Princesses and Prince". We set up the little tent in their playroom last night and now it is the "castle". Because Nolan is the only prince the girls were trying to make themselves pretty so he would pick one of them to marry(I have no idea were they get these ideas). Even during lunch Nolan was making suggestions to them about what they could do (such as put on a dress instead of PJs.......Ok he probably heard that from me!!). After awhile I go upstairs to check things out and find that Thea has smeared her pink toothpaste all over her face and arms and hair. I asked her why and she said to make herself cute. She sure was pretty.......pretty sticky that is. I wish that I had taken a picture.......

No More Bippy

Until a week ago, this is what Thea looked like when she was tired. Her loving relationship with her bippy started at the hospital when she was born and it was very rare that she would ever fall asleep without it (she even got to keep it in during her surgery to put tubes in her ears)! We told her that 3 year olds didn't have bippies but with all the holidays we let it slip by. About a week ago she decided to trade all her bippies for..............

A CINDERELLA COSTUME (from the 1/2 off after Christmas sale)!

Adjusting her crown!


Right away I had to make the rule...NO PRINCESS SHOES ON THE STAIRS!

Brya and Nolan had to join in with their costumes too.....a cowgirl and a boxer!

All in all the transition has not been too bad. The first night involved alot of sobbing and wanting to trade back....it was a good thing that Daddy held firm because Mommy would have given in. Now it has been over a day since she has mentioned them. I guess she's not a baby anymore.........sniff, sniff!