pool. for real this time.

Ok, so we really went to the real pool today.

Mel put on his 7-carrot ring. Isn't he funny?

You have no idea how hard it was for Patricia to smile for this picture. I am sure all of us at some point refused to take pictures. She has no clue about how beautiful she is. If she knew, I wouldn't be able to get her away from in front of the camera.

They can't get enough of their daddy. Can you tell?

I just noticed today how much my boy and I look alike. Check out the left eyes. We both do the same squinty-smirky thing with the left sides of our faces when it's sunny. Out of all of my kids, Trystan looks the most like me, freckles and all. I try not to tell him that too much because I don't want to give him a complex.

pool?

This afternoon, Trystan and Jacob went outside to play with the hose. This is what I walked out to:

So naturally, Vivian decided that she needed to be in on the action. She and Jacob propmtly got into the 'pool'. I got out my camera when I overheard Jacob saying, "Look at me! I'm in the deep end!!" He has the best imagination.

Trystan and Jacob took turns dumping buckets of water on each other.

As usual, Vivian didn't want to be left out. I didn't think she wanted the water to actually be dumped on her. I was right. She just wanted to do it on her own terms. (go figure)

Thirsty?

Who do you think had the most fun at the 'pool' ?

Congratulations to Me!!

I just got a letter in the mail today. Guess what it says? It says that I am officially a certified personal trainer. Yippee!!

So what now? I don't know. I have to figure that out. Anti-climactic, isn't it? I'll keep you posted.

Harmony, now I can officially work your butt when I come to Hawaii.

Anyone need a trainer?

Dress up and Painting

This is Vivian's favorite dress up dress. She loves wearing this ratty blue fairy tulle thing. It's not supposed to be worn alone, but she wears it with just underwear or (gasp) nothing under it. No, wait. It gets better. The other day, she cut the strings that hold it up on her shoulders. Since she doesn't have anything to hold it up, it usually stays around her belly because her belly is wider than her little chest.

Do you want to know who the little blondie is? She's my friend Mary's daughter Diana. As you can tell from the picture, they both have very different personalities. Vivian is the wild and show-offy one, and Diana is much more reserved. She is a sweet and quiet little girl. Take careful note of how the two friends are painting. One little girl is gently painting a pretty picture, while the half naked other one is using her mouth to control the paint brush. These two are funny to watch.

One more thing... If you are looking for something to have your kids do that is relatively painless and pretty easy to clean up, try watercolor painting. They love it! When they are done, all I have to do is wipe the table. If they get it on their clothes, It just washes right out. Hours of fun. HOURS, I tell you.

Two little (dirt) monkeys

One of the things my kids love to do is play in the dirt. Today Mimi and our next door neighbor, Ryah decided that they needed to play right next to the road. I'm such conscientious mother, aren't I? Look at that beautiful smile. Isn't she so cute?

Can you believe she's 7? I can't get over how beautiful she is.

See? There they are. Right next to the road. Whenever there's water, they splash in the water in that very same spot. It makes me crazy. Like I have little redneck kids that play in the dirt and splash in the water along the side of the road. My mother used to joke with us and tell us to 'go play in traffic'. My kids actually do.

Dog Days of Summer

While my good friend Suzan is out of town on vacation for a couple of weeks, myself and another friend have taken on the responsibility of taking care of her beautiful dog Chloe. She and Weber have been great together. I have been pleasantly surprised by Weber's behavior. For example, when she jumped on the couch, he promptly corrected her and she got off the couch. She also runs upstairs whenever she gets the chance. The last time she did that, he took off after her and chased her back downstairs. Just like kids, you think all of the training and teaching you have been doing is in vain until they say or do something that shows you that they really have been paying attention.

Oh, for those of you who don't know, Weber is the boxer, and Chloe is the golden.

yummy delicious

This is what I did on Saturday:

1. Got up at 7 am .
2. Got dressed.
3. Woke Mimi up (my first mistake).
4. Got some breakfast.
5. Left the house at 8 am.
6. Drove to Butler's Orchard for blueberry picking. (very pleasant drive with Mimi).
7. Arrived at Butler's Orchard at 9 am ready to pick blueberries (peak anticipation).
8. Took tractor ride out to blueberry fields. (they constantly shuttle people back and forth every 5 minutes remember this).
9. Started picking berries ( I came here to work. I had lots of blueberries in mind).
10. 5 minutes into the job, guess who is ready to go home?
11. Stayed and picked 17 pounds of blueberries all by myself.
12. Did everything in my little imagination to keep her interested in staying there (you would be proud. I didn't yell at her. Too many other people around)
13. Listened to Mimi bug me every 5 minutes to get on the tractor to go back to the car.
14. Got on the tractor.
15. Paid for the berries.
16. Went to McDonald's for lunch.
17. Drove home.
18. Took a shower and took a nap (I deserved it. I just picked 17 pounds of blueberries)
19. Made these yummy muffins.

I did more things, but nothing else that relates to the delicious picture at the beginning of this post. I deserve a big, fat I TOLD YOU SO for bringing Mimi with me. I actually thought that she would be a good worker. Shows how much I know.

top ten reasons why mel a great husband

10. He is patient with me during my emotional ups and downs (believe me, he has LOTS of experience with this)

9. He does things he wouldn't do on his own just because I want to do them (like dancing. but he likes it now)

8. He makes me laugh (once he made me laugh so much I peed my pants)

7. He appreciates my sarcastic and witty humor (he can tolerate my cussing)

6. He recognizes when I need a sanity break and provides opportunities for me to take one (like now. he took Vivian on a trip to Oklahoma for 4 days)

5. He encourages me to follow my interests (anyone need a personal trainer?)

4. He is a great dad (mommy? who's mommy? we want daddy)

3. He isn't afraid to take apart something that is broken and try to fix it (latest fix? my xm radio. can't live without it)

2. He is honest (I know that I can always trust whatever he tells me)

And the top reason why Mel is a great husband:

1. He accepts me as I am imperfections and all, and makes me feel like a queen every time he looks at me (believe it people, I have imperfections :0)

From the strawberry patch

I just had to show this picture of the coolest deformed strawberry that Trystan picked. When we went strawberry picking last month, we found an unprecedented number of crazy shaped berries. That berry is almost as big as Mimi's face. I still can't get over it.

... and we ate every last one of 'em!!