Lucas. The comedian.

This kid thinks he's the boss. The kids were eating on the floor, and he was just running between their plates and stealing food.

Yes, he had his own plate. Everyone would laugh at him. Then he would produce this face:


Also, he likes mayonnaise.

6 kids. 3 days. Not THAT bad.

Recently, we watched my friend Melinda's kids for her while she and her husband went on an uber romantic getaway for their 10th Wedding Anniversary. Well, we didn't watch ALL of her kids. Just 2. Porter and Elijah. And I will reiterate that we got the better end of that deal!

But it was certainly a real handful of kids. I couldn't even go anywhere during that time as my vehicle only seats 7 and not 8. It was just a matter of keeping them busy enough that they wouldn't start bugging each other.

There was some brain teaser worksheets:


and Clay:

And a lot of acting very silly:



We did take them to the beach which tried to give me a heart attack with the counting to 6 over and over. And then forgetting I was responsible for 2 extra kids.

And also, I didn't take my camera. Oops.

In the THICK of summer.

Just some evidence that summer is in full force round these parts.

Lucas wears just his rashguard for most of the day. Why change out of it, when you're just going back into the water?


Anna, well, these are her pajamas. Because despite the fact that we HAVE air conditioning, running it at 78 or higher will not actually keep you all that cool.

And Abbie, rotting her brain and all the knowledge that school has tried to ingrain... kidding, she's playing Brain Age 2. Take THAT Mario Kart!

Garden Update

If you go back here, you can be reminded about the small container garden I've got going on.

Well, I bring you new pictures. Growth and development. And success. Yahoo! I'm so excited for October's growing season!

My tomatoes, which grew quite well until we had about a week of record setting rain, which apparently tomatoes don't like and which invited a bunch of bugs to eat my plants. But! We still got (and are still getting) tomatoes off them. At least for a couple more weeks. Delish. We've had BLTs for dinner and it has felt awesome to know I'm eating something I made (sorta!).



And HERE are my grapefruits. Check em out! We've still got quite a while until they're actual edible fruit, but you know... progress!
NOW:

Fun with Friends.

Something I've learned. There are times in your life when you will just not have very many close friends. And you will get by.
But there will be times when you have so many close friends that you feel so blessed beyond measure and can't understand what you might have done right to deserve these people.

This post is about now. About my time of abundance.

I have the most amazing friends.

Friends I can scrapbook with.
Friends I can laugh with.
Friends I can cry with.
Friends I can share the most intimate details of my life with.
Friends I can share the most mundane details of my life with.
Friends who will watch my kids without a second thought.
Friends who I will do the same for.
Friends who I can call on the phone and talk to about absolutely nothing for so long that I go way over my cell minutes for the month and my husband threatens to take away my phone. Oops.
Friends who will come over for a BBQ with very short notice.
Friends who invite me to swim at their house.
Friends who live close. And sadly,
Friends who live far away too.
Friends who love me.
Friends who I love desperately.


I'm definitely experiencing a time of friendship gluttony. And I'm loving every minute of it.

Don't think that just because you're not in this picture, that you're not one of my friends mentioned above. You totally are. I just don't have a picture with you. Perhaps we should remedy that.