A Favorite Weekend Moment

4th of July Weekend

* Park Silly Sunday Market on Saturday (How silly is that?)

* Toddler temper tantrum mega melt down over balloons

* A visit to the garden

* Last of the Louisiana Gulf Shrimp BBQ

* Impromptu dance on the porch

* Viewing fireworks from atop a TL ridge while enjoying a PBR and Oreo pairing, and sleeping wee ones in the back seat.

* The morning scramble to get to the parade

* Catching up with best friends

* Enjoying PC Parade on the 4th of July (not the 2nd, 3rd or the 5th)

* Yummy Buffalo Burger and Bloody Mary’s for lunch amidst 3 diaper changes

* Cracking up over how my baby boy looks so manly in his muscle shirt

* A stroll to the park to listen to some live music

* Two snow cones shared with the Wee One

* Two days of sheer “bounce house” joy

* Reaching a milestone, Owen’s first complete roll over (so glad he timed it so you could be apart of it Bada)

He’s a Big Boy

It’s very peculiar to me that we can have a tiny little girl who was below average on the “charts” her first year of life and then a super sized boy who is in the 90th percentile on the “charts” and just keeps getting bigger and bigger by the day. When I was preparing for Owen I purchased wee things like newborn size pjs and a smaller then usual bassinet thinking I would have another wee baby like Ellie was. Oh boy was I wrong he is now filling out the 6 month size clothes we have for him and is maxing out his bassinet, bath tub, and sleep sacks.

And just for kicks here is what we found sprouting up in our bath tub the other night…

HAPPY FATHERS DAY GARY, PAPA, and GRANDPA

How Can We Help?

“We do not Inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we Borrow it from our Children.” -Native American Poverb

We participated in Craft Hope’s Project 8 this week. I cut up some old rags and sewed them into appropriate size squares with ribbon loops for hanging. As I was doing this my children were napping and I was trying my hardest to focus on putting out “good thoughts” into the Cosmic Soup for all who are suffering from the Gulf Coast Oil spill animals and humans alike. It was a small, easy way to feel helpful.

I also found this the other day as I was wandering through the blog-o-sphere. Check it out you might be inspired to contribute some “help” as well.

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter…to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
~ John Burroughs

“It’s a very fragile world, she told us So we walk carefully everywhere we go and we promised to remember as long as we could.”
~ Brian Andreas, Storypeople

Summer

It’s been a slow start to summer up here in TL as usual. We have enjoyed a few beautiful days here and there. So, here is a video and pictures to share…

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/4660551757/[/flickrvideo]

Family Time

We had a family reunion last week.  Leslie, Mark, Bailey, and McKenna were here visiting from Germany. We had an excellent time with them at my Mom and Dad’s house. I stayed the whole week with Ellie and Owen. Gary came up on the weekends before and after. We were able to get together with our Jackson relatives to celebrate Great Grandpa’s 90 Birthday. It was a fun day and so great to get together with my cousins and their families. It was so great to hang out with the Frandsen’s, Mom and Dad, and my Brother Jon’s family too. It was a packed week with lots of shopping, playing, and eating.

Ellie had so much fun with her cousins she was so wiped out by the end of each day. We had a tie dye party, a tea party and a pizza party. Along with some Birthday celebrations and Mothers Day. Ellie and McKenna fast became best friends. Ellie followed her around and would repeat everything she was saying. One night they were in the bath together and suddenly Ellie started crying to get out saying she was scared. Mark asked McKenna what had happened and she said all she did was cross her eyes. So, Ellie doesn’t like crossed eyes they creep her out a little bit. Bailey tried it on her a little later and she still got upset. Such a funny thing to get scared over.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/4605111390/[/flickrvideo]

Listen to Bailey in this video she had my Mom and I rolling and tearing up with that British accent.

Owen did very well too. He is such a good tempered baby so easy to please. He gave everyone some big smiles. We weighed him on the scale while there and found out he is a whopping 13 lbs. He is growing like a weed! His wee socks don’t fit him anymore. I almost feel like we skipped over the whole newborn phase with him save for the late night wake up calls. Although he is finally giving us 5 to 6 hours at night now.

I think a special shout out to my brother-in-law Mark is in order. We was so good to us all week driving us around from store to store, waiting patiently while we shopped, taking care of all the kids and lending a hand when in need. My sister is fortunate to have married such an awesome man. They are in Texas now as I type celebrating the completion of his dissertation. He has worked so hard the past few years to earn his PhD. We are all so proud of him. Check out the “Marcercial” the military  TV network did for him.