Shopping for shoes.....

with Dad!!!!! While I was at girls camp, Mckenna went shopping with Mike for new dress shoes. Shopping for shoes with Mike is an experience in and of itself. It's a very slow, thoughtful process. Needless to say Mckenna loves shopping for shoes as much as her dad does and has to try on EVERY shoe! So on a recent trip for shoes, Mckenna tagged along and was able to find some shoes and a bag to match. Mike said she searched diligently for the right shoes to match each bag!

Family fishing trip.....

One of my memories growing up was going fishing...I seriously love fishing. Not the picking up the bait and putting on my hook part, but being near the ocean. Mike shares that same love of fishing as well. We don't do it as often as we'd like to but we decided that we would load up the kids and go fishing Monday night. 

Everyone loaded up in the truck and we were just getting ready to leave when Cody rushed in the house and announced that we needed to come outside immediately. My first reaction, is someone bleeding? No mom, but you have to come out right now. See my previous post for what we found when we went outside. No, Cody hadn't got into the car yet he wanted one more minute with the basketball. 

After the initial shock, we headed out, broken windshield and all. I loved the looks people gave us as they looked at our broken windshield wondering what happened. We arrived just as the sun was getting ready to set. That's my favorite time of the day. It was such a perfect evening. 

Dani caught the first fish...actually she caught the first three. She was pretty happy with herself! 

Meanwhile Jessika decided that she should try to recreate the scene from the Titanic.

Mckenna was so excited to go fishing. She kept asking Dad to put a snack on her hook so that she could give a treat to the fish. Poor unsuspecting fish. 

Once the sun set the other girls in the family got in on the action. Jessica caught one fish and then turned the fish into bait only to have half the fish eaten off her hook. 

Mckenna finally got tired waiting for the fish to come so I got to fish. I won the award for the ugliest fish....but I caught something so that's all the counts!

Mckenna and Cody were a little bored with the whole fishing thing and not being able to catch anything so the decided to watch a movie. 

Since there weren't any fish to be caught that night and I they haven't developed an appreciation for just sitting out in nature and just enjoying the quiet we decided to leave. They didn't have much fun fishing but they sure had fun dropping the unused squid and shrimp down the holes in the bridge. That seriously was the highlight of the night. 

After the squid and shrimp ran out they decided they would have a little dance party. There wasn't music but I guess it's all in their head. 

No, don't jump we really will go home now.....

Ahh, fun times!

Next time Mike and I have decided that we will have a date night and go fishing.

What happens when.....

 you have a 13 year old boy wearing black and white Nikes....

playing an innocent game of  basketball in the front yard....

with great scenery behind the basketball hoop....

Are you kidding me???? How did that happen?!?!?!

Kids, you should NEVER ever kick a basketball not even when it's the opposite direction of your parents car! AND especially when there is a huge oak tree in the same direction that you are attempting to kick the ball. With the right amount of skill and effort you could kick that ball right into the side of that big oak tree and cause the ball to ricochet off the tree and straight into your mom's windshield. Makes for a not happy mom! Good thing that insurance in Florida pays for broken glass!!!

Lesson learned.....basketballs are for dribbling and footballs are for kicking but never in the direction of a car or window and especially not toward a tree!!

Kids say the darnedest things.......

We started this little list on the side of our blog with some of the things that Mckenna said. The past couple of days our conversations have gone like this:

While looking at my new water bottle:

Mckenna: Mom who's sippy cup is that?

Me: It's mine

Mckenna: WOW Mom (gasp gasp drama drama) is that YOUR new gym sippy cup?

Mckenna: Daddy, is that medicine? 

Dad: Yes

Mckenna: what's it for?

Dad: it's for my cold

Mckenna: after thinking about it for a minute said "I hope it helps you keep warm, Daddy." 

While on a listening walk with Dad:

"So dad.....when you get small like me will you chase lizards with me?"  By the way she is obsessed with lizards and catching them....YUCK!

We were sitting watching Finding Nemo, we, meaning Mike, Jessika and I, were getting a little bored with the excessive CARS mini movie interruptions. I started to go through the guide of 5000 channels to choose from. I announced sorry there's nothing else on, Mckenna announced "Nothing on the TV for you, DAD!"

Today after dropping Jessika and a friend off at the mall I had to run to JoAnn's fabric because I am recovering my dining room chairs, story for another day....I had promised Mckenna that we would play at the playground in the mall. As we were pulling away from the mall she reminded me that she hadn't played at the playground yet. I explained to her that we had to go to JoAnn's and then we would head back to the mall...she thought about it for a minute and then said "Well mom maybe that's fun for you but it's not fun for me". As we went through JoAnn's she reminded me several times that she was not having any fun but when we went to the mall she would be having fun at the playground and I would not. 

She is wise beyond her years. I haven't decided if it's a good thing or bad thing yet. All I know is by the time she gets to kindergarten she is going to give her teacher or anyone who will listen an earful. 

Yea...its summer!

This has always been one of my favorite times of the year. When I was younger I counted the days until it was time for summer break. It seemed like an eternity and then summer just flew by and it was time to go back. Now it seems the school year flies by and then the summer seems really long. I don't remember having 3 months vacation for summer, maybe I did and perhaps my perspectives have changed from child to parent. I remember riding my bike or walking to the city pool, making forts in my mom's VW van, endless bowls of fruit salad in my mom's huge green bowl, going to the beach, going all night fishing and going to the mall and movies. 

When I was younger, my mom started a tradition by bringing watermelon to my class on the last day of school. That worked as long as I was in elementary school and it's a tradition that I carried on with my children. I realized last year we didn't have a tradition on the last day of school anymore so we decided that we would go to Chili's for lunch after I picked the kids up on the last day of school. It has been fun to sit and talk about the school year and be excited for the next school year. 

When we were there today, Jessika couldn't help remind me that she only has one more of these lunch dates left! Thanks, Jess! No I didn't cry luckily Mckenna was busy trying to rinse her mouth in my water. (Another blog) As we were sitting at the table we noticed that Cody's 5th grade teacher was sitting at the table next to us. I can't believe that it's been 3 years since he was in 5th grade and he will be starting high school!

Then we started talking about how old everyone was getting etc. etc. Mike and I have 1 child/adult in college, 3 children in high school, 1 child in middle school, 1 child in elementary school and 1 child a year away from starting kindergarten. We figured out that Mckenna would be in the class of 2028!!! That's just crazy! Jessika with all of her 17 year old wisdom was quick to point out how old I would be then....but no worries I was quick to remind her that she would be 36!!! Ha I got her! She didn't think I was funny! I promised her that 36 really isn't that old! She isn't convinced!

I am so looking forward to summer. No schedules, no homework, no studying just playing, hanging out or whatever we were in the mood for that day. As time goes on I am treasuring the summers because in a quick second summer is over and the school year will begin again with the children getting older and closer to moving on with the rest of their lives. 

Hopefully with all of my "free" time this summer I will get back into the habit of updating the blog more regularly. 

Yes, we are still alive

Lately I have been harassed about not updating my blog. I guess people really do read what's going on in our lives! The last couple of weeks I have been thinking that I really need to update our blog, as it's the only record of what our family is doing. One day Mike and I will loose all recollection of our crazy, busy life so I guess I better get crackin! Ok so this is a start.....I've changed my background. Maybe tomorrow I will upload a picture or two and write something a little more interesting!  

Random December Pictures

This is what happens when you don't keep up with your blog. I will apologize now for the randomness of these pictures. Actually I apologize for the last few blogs and how long and old they are. After this there is only one more and then it will be current!

Mckenna eating Grandma Jones' birthday present. I was taking a shower, Mckenna was supposed to be watching the Backyardigans I obviously didn't give her a snack so she thought she would help herself. Oh and the box of chocolates were wrapped and she unwrapped them and helped herself! 

Halfway during the week of Christmas Mckenna decided that the dinner table was much too small for her large family. She would either wait until we were done eating and then come and sit at the table to eat, like she is doing here or she would take her plate out on the back porch and sit on the picnic table to eat in peace and quiet. Doesn't she know that it's never quiet in our house!

Jayson didn't get the memo that it's Christmas day not Halloween. Sorry Jayson wrong holiday but you still are cute and we still love you!

Dani and Mckenna posing on Christmas Eve in their new PJ's.

All the girls "posing" for the camera. 

Pretty sisters in their Christmas dresses!

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without baking! 

And more baking! 

This is what the boys do when they are bored! 

No they aren't dusting the ceiling. They threw those little rubber worms at the ceiling so they had to get them down. Who would have known that this was days before Christmas...aren't kids supposed to be on their best behavior so they get lots of presents?!??!

Is that an umbilical cord hanging down from the counter to your hand Jessika? Oh no sorry it's the cord from your cell phone charger! Since one of the rules in our house is that cell phones are not allowed in the bedroom and have to be on the charger in the kitchen most of the time, the girls decided that they needed to camp out in the kitchen with their life line!