#46 Portland Max

The boys experienced their first ride on the Portland Max. 

#45 More Rocket Balloons

I am so obsessed with these balloons. They are so fun to play with!

#44 Say Cheese

What happens when you ask 8 kids to smile when they are busy climbing penguins at the zoo.... a whole lot of silly looking kids.

#43 Photo Challenge: Euphoria

Originally, I thought I would take a picture of my kids laughing and playing... the ultimate euphoric experience. Then, I was listening to music and it dawned on me that listening to music and dancing in the comforts of my own home (so I can dance spastically in private :) gives me a euphoric feeling. Music creates powerful emotions and states of being... relaxation, energy, sadness, and especially euphoria.

#42 Brennan, the Mess-Maker

We have a tote filled with rice for indoor sensory play. Brennan likes to involve his entire body in sensory play. So, I caught him sitting in the bucket and dumping the rice on his head. Awesome. I am glad we invested in the Dyson vacuum!

#41 Good Morning Construction Destruction

Wow! Brennan really knows how to make a mess in a short amount of time. He dumped out all of the blocks to make a "construction site" Then he made me promise I wouldn't clean it up because it was his special construction site. 

#40 Photo Challenge: Self Portrait

Since I've become a stay-at-home mom it seems like I am always wearing pajamas, comfy clothes, or exercise clothes without make-up. This week's photo challenge was a *gasp* self portrait. I decided to brave the self portrait in all my glory right after exercising *another gasp* ;) My goals are almost always the same (sometimes it feels like the movie Groundhog's Day) with the most important daily goal being "stay sane!" :)

#39 Brennan and the Flying Super Heros

Brennan immediately dumped out the entire bucket of super hero toys and then began "flying" them down the stairs. Whatever keeps him busy so I can get ready for the day is fine by me!

#38 Pumpkin Patch..ish

So, Huddy's chose to plant pumpkins in our garden. We don't have a lot of space and these babies have taken off. They are growing up a tree. I won't let Rory cut them because I think it will be so cool to have pumpkins growing in a tree. He thinks I am nuts. I think I am cool :) Here is a picture of one of our pumpkins. It looks like a little creature has been nibbling on our precious pumpkin.

#37 Twisted Brothers

The boys are always wresting. I am still trying to figure out how they managed to get this twisted.

#36 Cute Kid, Geeky Pajamas

Hudson is so hard to take a picture of. Even when is "holding still" he is still moving.  So I have to say "freeze, and look" and hope that at that moment he isn't making too goofy of a face. I'll take what I can get, even if he is wearing some super geeky, faded red-to-pink star pajamas!

#35 I Nominate AK Turner to be a Motivational Speaker

I just finished the book This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store. It was seriously the funniest book I have ever read. It also motivated me to put my kids to bed, have a drink, and not feel bad because I was not an award winning parent today. After dealing with the stomach flu and the laundry aftermath, I needed a glass of wine, or two! I think AK Turner should be a motivational speaker informing all parents of the therapeutic benefits of wine (or whatever the alcoholic beverage of choice is).

#34 Rocket Balloons

Wow, rockets balloons are awesome! They fly super high and make a rocket-like noise. 

#33 Let's Fly Baby

Brennan: "Higher, Daddy!" 

Daddy: "OK." 

Brennan: "Even higher!"

#32 Time to Wrestle

I think the boys wrestle more hours per day than eating, drinking, and sleeping combined. Their cousins were lucky enough to join in. Thanks girls for giving me a break!

#31 Ready, Set, Go...Swimming!

The boys are so happy that their friend Jack got his cast off! That means swimming, swimming, and more swimming!

#30 Photo Challenge: Addiction - Addicted to Laughing With My Boys

I am addicted to laughing with my boys even if it means that I am at the bottom of the dog pile. 

#29 Pretty Pumpkin Flowers

I had no idea that pumpkin flowers were so pretty. The pumpkins are growing like crazy in the garden.

#28 Just Like Swim Team in Kindergarten

Just like in swim team in Kindergarten...

#27 Paddle Boats

Um, I think I may be more out of shape than I thought because my legs were actually tired from paddle boating. Anyway, it was nice spending some time with my sister-in-law and her girls.

#26 Happy 4th of July!

Jammin'

Hangin'

Restin'

Snow Cone Makin'

Preppin'

The Grand Finale

#25 We Still We Have Room for a Play Set - Kind Of

We set up the volleyball. We had to set it up sideways which barely gives us any depth to the "court." That's ok, the boys just need to be able to throw or hit a ball over the net. It doesn't need to be regulation size. So, we have a trampoline and a v-ball net in our backyard, which is not that big. So, I said, "they is a still a few feet left over for a play structure." Rory looked at me like I was nuts.  If it was up to me, we would be putting it together right now!

#24 Bailey, the Human Dog

My dog, Bailey, thinks that she is a human and sometimes I think she is too. She smiles. She raises one eyebrow. She thinks she has a spot at the dinner table, on my bed, and on the couch. I have to spell words so she doesn't understand, which by the way, she know nows how to spell certain words. She is like one of my kids, and she can drive me just as nuts as the other two kids :) 

#23 If Crab Apples Were Edible

So, when we first moved into our house, we had a crab apple tree that dropped crab apples all over everything. It was a mess of a tree. Seriously, if a tree is going to produce mass quantities of squishy fruit-like things, shouldn't they at least be edibl?. Not the crab apples. We did the only logical thing - we dug the dang thing out by the roots. Rory and my father-in-law spent countless hours digging that tree out. We finally got it out (and by we, I mean they).  We didn't realize this at the time, but that tree blocked our view of the neighbor's patio, which overlooked our lawn. The often sunbathed and relaxed on their protected, shady patio until we messed everything up. They planted a small, slow-growing tree that didn't offer much of anything.  The husband passed away several years ago. Around that time, a teeny tiny little offshoot of the crab apple tree began to grow very rapidly. We now have a crab apple tree on their side of the fence that drops about the same amount of fruit all over our patio. I bet he is looking down and laughing hysterically at us. The lady that lives behind us is very sweet, by the way. The tree was blocking the power lines so someone came and trimmed their side. Perfect opportunity for me: I spent this HOT afternoon trimming our side. Anyway, I wanted to try out an action called Dusty Haze from http://www.myfourhensphotography.com/ I love what it does to the sky. Maybe this isn't the best picture to try it with, but what the heck.

#22 Wild Jungle Cat in the Flowers

I am a little behind on my posting. Sick kid, busy, busy, blah, blah, blah, excuses, excuses :) I am sure I am disappointing my loyal followers - my Mom, my Dad... yep, that about sums them up ;)

 I love this flower bush. I couldn't tell you what the name is, but I think it is so pretty. It blooms late spring, early summer, then dies in the heat of the summer.  My cat lays in it like a wild jungle cat. It is kind of entertaining to see his ears and eyes barely sticking out of it. He thinks he is pretty sneaky.