A closer look

Just in case anyone is interested, here is a closer look at some of the pretty blooms in front of the house.
Here is the Phlox.
My Mandevilla that is growing up the fishing line I strategically placed on the front of the house.

Here is the Clematis and the new trellis it is clinging to.

The Double Pink Delight Echinacea.

Zinnias...I'm sensing a pink pattern here...hmmmmm. I guess I like pink!

Physostegia (strange name huh?)

And the pretty little Coreopsis.

All together it makes this lovely little garden!

Update

Remember this?
This was our front door with that giant lilac bush in front of it.

Then we pulled it out and it looked so much better. Last fall I planted some perennials to fill in the area. And now the flowers are in bloom! It's quite the nice little flower garden if I do say so myself!

It's always interesting when he dresses himself

Visiting Kaitlyn & Sean (oh yeah...and Troy & Shirley)

First things first, I can't get this darn post organized and formatted correctly, so you're just going to have to deal with jumbled pictures. At least they're new pictures!!
We spent a weekend in June visiting Troy, Shirley, Kaitlyn & Sean. The kids had a blast skating, jumping, biking and playing with their cousins. We adults had fun sitting on our butts relaxing.

We took Aidyn & Nolan rollerskating for the first time. It went alright, they had fun which is all that matters!
The trampoline was set up with the sprinkler underneath which is always a hit! I'm not sure what is happening in this picture though. It appears as though Sean is supervising Nolan, but I'm not sure what it is he has taught him. Hmmmm???

What a bunch of cute kids!!!

Fun at G'ma & G'pas

Here are just a few random pictures from our fun week at Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Gpa reading to the kiddos.Spending some quality time with Great Grandma. Gma Sharon showed off her driving skills by taking Troy's '57 Chevy for a cruise around town.
Nolan spent some time resting with/on Gpa.

And after all of this fun, we were just doggone tired.

Night at the Lodge

We spent a fun night at the lodge while we were in ND. The little girls enjoyed the tire swing.A rambunctious game of tag was played. The boys entertained each other. Grandma took pictures and Nolan questioned her abilities.

We roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores while Grandpa supervised.
The kids tried to see how many people they could fit on the golf cart.

Bailey jumped in a cesspool.
She was a filthy mess.

The boys fed Bailey pounds of marshmallows and thought it was hilarious!!
And in our safety first approach to things...Aidyn drove the golf cart with Ty hanging off the back!

We had lots of laughs that night!

ND golfing excursion

While we were back in ND in June (Yes, I said JUNE!) the kids & I spent a lovely afternoon golfing with Ty & Deb & crew. The kids had lots of fun golfing together and cruising around in the golf cart.

And golfing with Ty...well it was kind of like we got to go on our very own ND field trip.
We explored the wetlands...
Were shaded by the ND forests...
And frolicked in the native prairie grasses.
We even got in a quick game of pool!! A very entertaining afternoon, to say the least!

Aidyn's College Fund (aka Lemonade Stand)

Our little entrepreneur has been asking for awhile when she can build and operate a lemonade stand. Jeff had her draw out plans for what she wanted it to look like and then they went to Home Depot to do some lumber shopping. It was quite the team effort from the two of them to get the stand built and it turned out beautifully! Aidyn even had the idea to use our old shutters so she could 'open & close' her stand.

Here is Aidyn on opening day. She is set up and ready for business. Apparently being a cute 6 year old girl is a genius marketing plan because she had a fabulous day of business.
Her best customer was her little brother who purchased numerous glasses of lemonade. He dug lots of quarters out of his piggy bank that day. It helps to have loyal customers!

In the days that followed when the stand was not in operation, she took careful inventory of her supplies. What a businesswoman!!

Based on the success of day 1, I believe the lemonade stand will be making a return appearance very soon.

Beginnings & Endings

Aidyn finished Kindergarten a few weeks ago and it's amazing how much she has changed over the last year.
First day of school:
Last day of school:
Maybe you can't tell too much from the pictures, but I definitely have a 1st grader on my hands. Lord help me...

Aidyn's Song

I have much blogging to catch up on, but for now I have something to share that is just too darn cute to keep to myself. Aidyn wrote her first song today, music & lyrics. She is pleased as can be about her accomplishment and I must say, I am quite proud of her!! Enjoy!

Projects

We've been working on some projects around here, trying to spruce up the joint.
Old shutters...
New shutters... Swingset before...

Swingset after...

The patio before...
The patio after...
It's looking better around here, but I've always got more projects on my list. Jeff loves that list.

Bible School

Nolan had bible school last week, Crocodile Dock was the theme this year. He got to be in the same group with his buddy Brooks and they had a great time!

I helped 'shepherd' the kids one day and the energy those boys possessed exhausted me. I tried to get a picture of them together and it was quite the progression through the picture taking process.
Cute, smiley little boys...
Put your arms around and squeeze...

Now pull my friend over to the side...

And TACKLE!!!

Oh the fun of wrestling in church.

Men & remotes

OK ladies, we all know men & remotes don't mix. It gives them too much control, too much power...but we can't keep them apart. Men & remotes are drawn to each other like a bee to a flower, like a dog to a bone, like Amy Winehouse to crazy creepiness...
Well my 4 year old 'man' is no different. The kid can't leave the remote alone. Especially since he figured out some of the DVR features. He is constantly pausing, rewinding and recording shows. This morning as he was watching Sesame Street was no different. During the show, the pledge appeal people came on. You remember them from your childhood don't you? All you wanted to do was watch The Electric Company and they would come on. Interrupting your show, asking for money. You really wanted them to go away but yet you also really wanted to call in and give them money because sometimes they would say the names of the people who had donated. And more than wanting to watch your show you really wanted to have them say your name on TV!
Anyhoo, Nolan didn't want to watch the pledge lady, he was not happy she was on. So he started pushing buttons on the remote trying to get back to his show. Now is his defense, he was asking me for help. I was cleaning out the dishwasher and told him I'd help him in "just a minute." Famous last words. By the time I got to the remote, he was off to the bathroom, the remote was tossed under a chair and there was something new on TV. 'Hmmmm' I thought 'what is this? It looks like a movie. What channel did he turn it to?' Apparently in his Sesame Street fury, he pulled up the On Demand feature, selected Movies, found a New Release he liked, selected it and ordered it. We are now enjoying the feature presentation He's Just Not That Into You.
I'll let you know if it's any good.