VBS, Toddler Time and the 4th

Jackson on the last day of his Veggie Tale themed VBS. He had a blast!

Toddler time was a great chance for Cooper and I to play together while Jackson was at VBS

Fourth of July at Pflugerville Lake with our friends the Hensley's

You make my heart sing!

What a cheap summer looks like

Gas is crazy. It's a 100 degrees. My summer spending budget is on a diet. Soooooooo, that means good cheap fun for us. I have signed up Jackson up for swimming lessons, and Cooper and I go to a "toddler playtime" once a week. Other than that, it's either free or we aren't going! We went downtown to the Natural History Museum ( free besides parking! ) to take a look at the fossils ( he knew ALOT of them ).His vacation bible school starts next week and that is free, minus bringing snacks for the grownups. We are regulars at the library. I haven't braved the free movie day at the theater yet...

The hose. It's the equivalant of a cardboard box ("we have all these toys... ").

Shaving cream- a trick from from my nanny days. Possibly a whole hour of contentment!

Growing things. They like to check the progress- the sunflower is taller than the fence! Pumpkins taking over the yard!

Buliding "forches". I once caught Jackson reading to Cooper.

Two more months to go! Have anymore cheap ideas for me??

There's always grandma's house!

IDHTBPTBB ( It's the next big acronym people! )

I love this woman's creativity, and even more than that I love that she does it full of shortcuts, and some might even say, mistakes. And that she shares how she does it, instead of leaving us drooling and puzzled and jealous. Go to her site, and try not to get that decorating bug.

Thanks Nester!

She is asking everyone to add a link to their blog with pics of their homes, full of her motto " It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful ". That was really annoying to do, making all those letters bold.

So here are my beautiful imperfections, in my home and in my heart:

Of course I think my children are perfect. But still...

Jackson is going on strike when I pull out the camera. Hey, it's what moms do!

My little Tornado, living up to his name even in subconsciousness.

My neat freak husband seems to think this doesn't count. Where is the lysol?

Quite possibly the worst painting ever, BUT my husband's late grandfather did it, so it is staying. In his office. In the corner.

A mess of wires and "USB", whatever that is. But I think I hid it pretty well.

The mess above was all for the sake of this, and HD reception, whatever that is. I would have preferred an armoire, but it's all about compromise, right?

And let's not leave out all the little "touch ups" around the house that will probably be left untouched for a few more years.

And the mess that happens thrice daily. It's either a messy baby or dirty dishes. Usually both to be perfectly honest. Oh yes, we are one of those families.

Happy Birthday Scooty!

Jackson had a great spiderman birthday party this weekend.Every day for about the last month he's asked if today was his birthday. And he has told anyone within earshot all about the spiderman theme. We had every spiderman themed product in our living room and almost every gift had Spidey on it. Let's hope he doesn't see any previews on TV for the Hulk movie! If only grown-ups could get so excited about our birthdays! His real birthday fell on Father's Day this year, so that was extra special. The boys made one of those garden paver stones with their footprints squished in. Cooper's are almost as big as Jackson's!

June is an extra busy time of the year for our family. So let me just give a little shout out to everyone else who is celebrating something this month! Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday! Congrats Grad! Best Wishes Upon Your Engagement!

Hope that covers everyone!

Jackson= Dinosaur Encyclopedia

It's amazing and scary at the same time. This kid is absorbing facts like a sponge, and also slipped words out of Daddy and Mommy's mouths-usually when driving if ya catch my drift... He can tell you the names of several dinosaurs, whether or not they ate plants or meat, what kind of teeth they had, what an archaeologist is, etc. We have poured over several books from the library, and it's all he wants to read. I have to go over and over the big bang theory. And I don't really know how to explain that one. "God needed to make more room for people???" While we're at it, can anyone give pointers on theology for a 4 year old? My kid is already smarter than me! I'm grasping at straws here people! Whatever notions I may have held about possibly maybe perhaps ever home-schooling just totally went out the door.

A prayer for patience

I seem to not be as patient during "the toddler years" this go around. Sorry Coop man...

Cleaning sticky PB&J, mashed banana, and crunched goldfish off the kitchen floor three times a day just isn't as cute as it seemed when Jackson did it. And that's three outfits a day and at least one bath a day.

Teething and the grumpiness that goes along with it is grating my nerves.

The experimental screaming at unhuman decibles and pitches has me a bit on edge.

Not to mention the constant climbing, falling and tripping. Therefore subsiquent crying, bleeding, and bandaging.

The temper tantrums are professional! Complete with hitting others, banging of the head, and feet flailing.

And all the while, Jackson is clamoring for attention by:

a) dumping out a bag of cookies on the couch

b) drawing on himself with a pen

c) hitting/pushing/pinching aformentioned already grumpy toddler

d) discovering the skill of lying about hitting/pushing/pinching

e) yes there's an "e" and yes it's for all of the above

I need patience. I need a nap. I need a housekeeper. I need to thank God for my precious Tornado and Trouble.

Amen.