Konker!!

So we decided (Okay, it was really just me!) that we needed some new nice pictures of my boys. The ones we have hanging in our house are almost a year old. So on Sunday, I got the boys to get on some cute clothes, and we headed out to find a nice place to take some pictures. We ended up at the same place we used to take our large "extended" family photos just the week before. I got a few pretty good shots. (One out of every 40 was decent, but this was fairly good realizing that I was working with not just one wiggly boy, but two. And I know that I could photoshop two of them together if they weren't both smiling. But I took a class once from Brian Niven - an amazing Photoshop genius - and he said that it's best to do just about everything you can to get a great picture, and not have to photoshop more then necessary. Of course if it just doesn't turn out, you have photoshop as a back up.) So taking this to heart, I tried to get them both smiling, and both looking at the camera at the same time, almost an impossibility. But we got a few that I'm happy with.

Well, you know, you have to try and get creative. And well, I wasn't feeling very creative, so I stole an idea I'd seen someone else do! Anyway, while I was doing that with Riley (Phil was holding my reflector for me) Wes took off to play on the stairs, and pretty soon we heard a scream for bloody murder! So we didn't get any other "nice" pictures for the day. Because of this "konker" as the boys like to call it:

And because Riley was trying to make Wes feel better, I got a picture of him doing this:

It's Becoming a Habit!!! (One I think I'll keep.)

So once again - We spent our Saturday in the Water!! The boys had a birthday party to go to at Kangaroo Zoo, but when they got home, I had the pool set up and around 100 Water Balloons filled up!! Laney and Justin came down and we spent about 5 Minutes (about 4 minutes longer then I expected) throwing and popping all of the water balloons that had taken me around 45 min. to 1 hour to fill. But it was a blast, and I'll do it all over again!!! And everyone was wet. Then we spent the next couple of hours throwing water, and jumping into the pool, and basically drenching anyone and everyone in site. We had a ton of fun, and are planning to do it again next weekend, and the next weekend, and the next, and so on as long as the weather is nice and hot. So anyone who wants to come over and jump in the pool and have fun, please do so. It's an open invitation to anyone who might want to join us!!!

Fourth of July Weekend!!

Well, I've realized that I only posted twice in June! But so much has happened since I last posted - like a son turning 7!! I was worried that if I tried to catch up I would overload blogger with the millions of pictures, and therefore, I am just going to pretend I am a great blogger, and imagine that I've been blogging about everything.

So anyway, since I've no catching up to do - with my great imagination at work - I can just post my most recent goings-on!! Which puts me to the Fourth of July Weekend!!

We started off on Thursday night with being able to watch Kari's two beautiful boys. Ian was a doll, and Jack especially loved playing the Wii, and did it with great concentration!!!

I was worried that five boys in my house all at once, might cause a little male overload. But it didn't, and we did have quite a great time, although I did raise my voice more then once. (Not in anger mind you - simply to be heard over all of the little voice that were screaming, crying, yelling, laughing, and whatever other sounds happen to come out of little boys.)

Then Friday morning - we went out and spent a couple of hours climbing up the ladder and into the cherry tree! Both of the boys had to help, and just loved picking, throwing, and eating the cherries. Although, I believe thier favorite part was the ladder, neither of my boys got thier fathers fear of heights!!! And we got a pretty good amount of cherries, too!! (Not quite as many as the birds and the bugs got though.)

The Evening of the fourth we spent at Granny Woff's house, playing football, racing cars, eating ice cream, talking to family, and doing some fireworks!!

Then there was Saturday!! We spent most of the day with the Witt's! They came over and we BBQ'd and played in the water! Angie and Phil were going to dinner that evening with Mom and Dad, and therefore didn't want to get wet. That lasted, oh, maybe an hour. Pretty soon, everyone was drenched and we were having an absolute blast.

After a rousing water fight between the 'sisters' and the 'Phils' (with Riley jumping in to help whoever was getting the least soaked at the time. We played on the the Slip-and-Slide. Yes, I did it again too, even after I had to have a X-ray two weeks ago. (But no broken bones, so why not try it again.) Before you see the pictures, let me show you the label that is at the top of the slide!! Yes, we all read it, and we all ignored it.

Finally, as the "Phils" stated it, We "white trashed" it for a while in the kiddie pool. (Actually it was rather warm water in there after the cold water from the slip-and-slide.)

After we all dried off and felt human instead of like a bunch of drowned rats. We had ice cream, and then the Witt's had to go!! But later we did some sparklers and a few more fireworks!! (Wes seems to think that you have to dance to fireworks, so I didn't get to many good shots.)

A Beautiful Weekend!

This weekend was just Gorgeous outside, and so we put it to good use!! We got wet, and slipped and slided, and jumped, and crashed, and splashed, and sunned, and tanned, and burned, and ran, and crawled and soaked, and towards the end we started flinging. (I'm sure you can pick out those photos) Anyway, It was a total blast. (Yes, I was just as wet as the boys, although I wasn't stupid enough to try the slip and slide more then just once, so it didn't end up on camera. And Phil was smart enough not to try it at all. So we only have the boys on film. Although if I have to get X-ray's and I do end up having a broken rib from flying through the air and landing directly on my chest/stomach and not actually slipping or sliding anywhere, I'll be sure to post those for you!)

From Dallas to Dirt!!

I know some people don't care to fly, it's nerve racking, or they get sick or, whatever, but that's not me. I've only flown to California and back and then recently to Dallas and back, but it was just as fascinating and exciting this time, as it was the first time. The little girl in the seat across the aisle, as we started take-off and then finally left the ground, shouted "Wee" and I agreed with her. Even the turbulence all the way back, and the fact that the seat belt signs never turned off, didn't bother me. And what a view!!! Anyway, we made it to Dallas, and we decided to walk over to the Convention Center that first day! They gave us a map and we figured not problem. Especially when Phil decided to get all "Joey-ish" and "got into his map"!
We had a great time in Dallas, we were "Wined and Dined" (although we avoided the Wine part), but enjoyed the limo ride, and the expensive dinners and lunches. I went on a few tours, and got to see and find out new things. We went to some Museums for our last tour and saw things like this:A Picasso! And a Van Gogh! (Yeah, I thought they would be more exciting too!) Not that it wasn't fun to see those, as well as the other fantasticly famous artists you hear about. But I didn't enjoy that as much as I liked this:

The places we went and the buildings that we saw! (Fountain Place and the Old Red Museum!)

And the night view out of our Hotel Window! We left the curtains open all night!! And then there was of course the fact that I finally got Phil to wear a Cowboy Hat!!

So, then we were home for a day and a half and then took off to the "High Uintahs"!! Where the whole family converged to:

Pick Pinecones,
Stand or sit around the campfire, Get reacquainted with family,
Go Fishing,

Pretend to Fish,
Make guns out of sticks,
Hold all the babies that we don't get to hold as often as we would like,
Make funny faces,
Hold Meetings,

Look at the little fishes that won't take the bait, Play "Pooh Sticks",
Not to mention, roast Starburst, get snowed on, throw rocks, sleep in uncomfortable beds, eat great food, and just overall have a fantastic time!