Faith and fun

Our church has a wonderful single-parent family ministry.  There are weekly activities as well as special, larger events we really enjoy attending.  Friday night we went to the Family Fun Night, End of Summer Bash.  There were several water slides, tons of games, a DJ, dancing, and lots of food.  You know when you hear, “Mom, you are the best mom EVER!” you’ve chosen the right even to attend.

Peyton wanted Landon to go with her to the top of the big slide.

She changed her mind at the top and had to be rescued:)

”Mom, there’s free ice cream!”

The DJ required a front row seat for these two.

And of course dancing.

Hoola hooper

Sand volleyball.

And even more games.

We got there when it started at 6:30 and didn’t leave until we helped pack it all up.  My angels (and I) were exhausted. We love our wonderful church:)

I’m making progress

 

Upon returning from another driving adventure, Reagan (15) looks at me from the driver’s seat as I clutch the door handle and the dashboard on the passenger side, try to regain my normal breathing pattern, and calm my racing heart.

“Good job, Mom!  You didn’t yell as much this time!  It was just a one-bad-word trip!”

School!

Landon (1st grade) and Hayden (4th grade)

 

Keaton (8th grade) and Reagan (10th grade)

Oh, and I can’t forget Peyton, my little nerdy pre-school princess.

Yay school!

School starts for them on Monday

It started for me this week at Target.  This is most of it but not all.  I know you feel my pain.

A full day

The kids and I went to a nearby water park for the day.  They spent hours and hours swimming and playing with new friends.  I spent hours and hours sweltering in the August heat wishing I was with Jeni and Linda up north watching their fun.

I didn’t have my big camera so I used my phone for some so-so pics.  Hayden and Landon moved so fast, I don’t have any snapshots of them.

Miss Peyton was all prissy as long as she kept moving.

However, once we got to Bucca, she was out like a light and missed much of a most delicious meal, waking just in time to devour her spaghetti and meatballs.

Yeah, it’s a little warm-ish

Texas in August. The temperature here is hotter than hades.  Can you see it in my suburban rear-view mirror?

 

Thank you to my dad and God for an air conditioner that works.

Sometimes I impress even myself

Hayden (9): “Mom, can I please vacuum the living room?!  Pleeeeeeeeeease?!!”

Mom:  “I don’t know, Hayden,  that’s a pretty important job.”

Landon (6):  “No mom,  let ME!  I want to vacuum the living room!”

Mom:  “I don’t know, guys….”

Both boys:  “Mom, pleeeeeeease!”

Mom: “Okay…Hayden, you vacuum the living room and Landon, you clean the mirrors in the bathrooms.”

Both boys:  “Really? Thanks mom!”

Hayden:  “When I’m done, can I mop the kitchen?!”

Mom:  “Hmmmm…Let’s see how you do with your other special jobs.”

Hayden:  “Thanks mom, you’re the BEST.

Landon:  “Yeah, this is the best day EVER!”

Swimmin’

She’s three but she’ll tell you she’s six.  She can’t swim but she’ll try and convince you she can.  To her, this is swimming.  And truth be told, she’s getting pretty darn close.

They just pick up where they left off

2006  Cade(4), Hayden (5), Landon (3)

2010  Hayden (9), Landon (6), and Cade (8)

In what is highly unusual due to distance and time, these cousins were able to spend hours and hours playing together last weekend.  We went to a water park where most of the day was spent sliding down massive slides and relaxing along the lazy river.

Oh, and snow cones.

After we got home, my sister Krista (Cade’s mom) and I heard giggles from behind the bathroom door so we walked in and found this…all three boys “gettin’ their hair did,” as our sister Gina would say.

This just proves you can have fun doing anything, as long as your with your family.

My home of well-fed children

Aside from eating me out of house and home by simple grocery consumption, these kids of mine have been spoiled rotten by getting to eat out quite a bit.  Thanks to sweet friends and gracious “grands,” we’ve recently put our table manners to the real test with brunches, lunches and dinners at fine dining eateries.  So someday when they tell me that we never ate out, I have photographic proof that not all was peanut butter and jelly.