SBL: Midwest Beach Day

Dude. 

It's so hot. 

We must find water and we will totally pretend that this ground up gravel is actually sand. 

The Teen Years

The birdies have entered their teen years. 

I heard them this morning: 

"Hey! Hey Mom!"

"What's for breakfast"

"When are you gonna be back, mom?

"I don't like worms...I want beetles"

"Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom."

"Stop touching me. You're touching me. MOM!!"

"You're such a doufus. Doufus."

And then I saw the mom sitting quietly in a different tree. She was pretending like she didn't even know those kids and wishing she could get 5 minutes alone...just 5 minutes!

Makeover glam sesh

 I am always up for a makeover. I love it when the kids play with my hair or pretend to put on my make up and do my nails....

Or stick jewels to my eyelids and lips. 

2018 Fourth of July Extravaganza

We did all the things today. We had a fun bbq potluck with the neighbors...we didn't know anyone there except for the actual neighbors we live by...that is due to our peculiar people status. But hey...we showed. We were neighborly.

Mathew discovered he can stick a speaker to his abs. That's because he is a young bean and he has muscles unencumbered by years of cookies.

Ethan went ALL OUT for the neighborhood bike parade. He loves America!

We had a get together with the Guenthers and Flynns that feature the American pastime of shooting stuff for fun....

Hanging about and chewing the fat.

Doing various feats of strength, agility and general one-up-manship in the name of entertaining ourselves.

Then ditching our sissy city boundaries for the wild child to the west, Gardner.  That whole city is lighting their money on fire and we are more than happy to sit back and watch the show!

Happy Fourth Everybody!! Yeehaw!

The Birdies go to middle school

They have weird feathers. They poke out in unfortunate directions.

Knobby knees are everywhere.

They are cramping each other's style.

All they want is food, food and more food.

They are officially pre-teens.

Mathew sings at the Royals

It's "Mormon Night at the Royals"! That means there is a large section of people sitting together that have cooked their own hotdogs at home and wrapped them in tinfoil. We are a frugal people. 

But, that frees up the funds to buy Dippin Dots!

It's also July. And it's hot. And we love our kids, so we brought them to the game.

And Mathew and the Mormon youth choir are singing the National Anthem!

John Bytheway is in town to do a youth fireside, so he got to throw out the first pitch! 

After that kind of excitement, the only thing left to do is sweat it our as long as possible in the cheap seats and take a family selfie from both angles.

Anyway you look it it, I love these people of mine!

Devil Pug

Yes, he is cute.

Yes, we survived and he did chill out after the first 2 days...(those were very long days).

But, no.

We will never ever ever dogsit again.

Don't ask.

We will say no and we will slam the door in your face. Our friendship with be over. You will have murdered it.

NON STOP SNORTING.