Bedbugs and Ballyhoo

... That's the way the bee bumbles.

Kevin came home this afternoon with a present for me.

Not bees or bedbugs....

I've been complaining about the aphids on our hibiscus for some time so while bugs may not seem like a romantic thing to give someone, these bugs were a really neat surprise.




We waited until evening then watched as Daddy dumped bugs on the garden and two hibiscus bushes. The boys helped to dump a few bugs but then Kevin had to flick the few stubborn remnants from the bottom of the container.

Sully made sure they were strategically placed.

Fortunately, the aphids haven't affected all the blooms.

Equal Opportunity Play

Yesterday, after playing, Nathan came inside to bathe but seemed to be feeling guilty about something. (He has quite an over active guilt-o-meter and usually fesses up to the things he feels he's done wrong... including the terrible infraction of dripping water on the floor while washing his hands. I PROMISE he doesn't get in trouble for this but it worries him nonetheless.) Kevin was talking to him while he was in the tub and found out that they had been rough-housing with the boy next door. They were all laughing and playing when Kev went out to call them in so he didn't think there was an issue but wanting to make sure it was all in fun, they discussed it. Kevin made sure to impress upon Nathan that a little wrestling was okay as long as no one got hurt or felt left out or picked on because we don't want to hurt anybody or their feelings. In short, if everyone was wrestling nicely (how do you do that again???) and having fun, then okay. Well, in a distinctly "Leave it to Beaver" moment Nathan asked, "Hey Dad, we were wrestling with the boy but not the girl. Do you think she felt left out?"

New Neighbors

The house next door sold... it took about 2 weeks for a contract, then 2 months to close... and the new neighbors are moving in today. To our delight their children are close to the age of the ours... 2 girls and a boy. Sully and Nathan have already been out running around with them and are genuinely excited to have kids move in next door. As I write, they have just gone outside to play again.

In other news, Kevin started a new job today. He's back working insurance but this time for a temp agency. After the first day he seems much more content than during the short-lived stint at the hydraulic shop. He also found out today that the manager in VA, whom he'd had so many issues with, was fired- he'd figured it was only a matter of time but it confirms what he already knew.

In addition, tonight was the next to last meeting of Kids Klub for the semester. They'll have a pizza party/rehearsal on Friday and the play is the following weekend. The boys have had fun and it has given me two hours every week to take a breath and play a little catch-up... I just don't understand why things take so much longer to get done with kids here all day.

Open for Business

We made it to church this morning but last week when we skipped Nathan asked Kevin, "Isn't this the day church is open?"
Too Funny!
Happy Sunday all. God Bless!

Singer in our midst

We just returned from an audition... no, not American Idol but something even better. Sully has been chosen to take part in the Brevard Children's Chorus. His audition was this morning and, although slightly nervous, he did a terrific job. The smile across his face when the director told him he was invited to join was priceless. The current choir has just under 30 kids and they are hoping that this year it will increase to around 40. Practice will begin in August. In additoin, we're planning to resume either band or clarinet in the fall. Music really seems to be his niche.

Dog...spoiled beyond measure

With the dog's illness and the pet food recall we've been really careful about what she's been eating this week. In other words her diet has consisted of some very tummy friendly chicken and rice with veggies and these...

...Homemade Dog Biscuits!!!!

The kids LOVE this... it's almost as good as baking cookies- except they don't taste as good.

Kate, I'm glad you're enjoying the pictures and posts! I should have done this sooner because we all know how bad I've been at sending pictures!

"The one where Dad is killing us!"

Here's the photo that the kids really wanted up... Boys LOVE this stuff!!

Long time, no blog

Just a quick update of the past week-
Last week we spent doing all the normal things... school, laundry, housework and the like. We made a trip to the Scout Shop to get Sully's Boy Scout book so he can get started officially earning his badges. We found out that Nathan, who will start Cub Scouts in August, is eligible for summer day camp and is willing to go if I volunteer as a counselor... something to think about. In addition we visited with two family friends toward the end of the week, which gave the boys some much needed run around time and me some much needed "mommy-talk" time.

We were also blessed with a visit from Grandma. My mom arrived from VA on Friday and spent the weekend visiting. Unfortunately, I decided that the weekend was a good time to get a killer head cold and spent much of our time together in a sudafed-induced fog. Fortunately, this didn't stop the plans for Sully's bowling party on Saturday. He invited a few friends, they bowled, ate cake and had a good time. All-in-all a good day.

Sunday was another matter... Jesse, our beloved but hyper dog, has had some health issues concentrating in her nether-region and was acting funny on Friday. Kevin took her to the vet to be cleaned out but she continued to act out of character. She slunk around, wouldn't eat and acted really weird and by Sunday we had a very sick dog on our hands. After another vet trip and a day of worrying she has been diagnosed with colitis. I now have a basket of Maalox, Pepcid and stomach drugs for the DOG!!! I'm glad to say she is feeling much better and is even back to being a pest... we really thought we'd be dog shopping this week so her recovery is quite a relief.

We've called this week a mini-break from school- sick days and major household organizing going on. I also ordered and received some textbooks for both boys, a few that I want to go ahead and add instead of waiting until August so that takes a little prep. I'm finally on the mend so I'll put some more pictures up soon. The boys have a favorite from Easter that didn't make it into the last post so that will be the next one up.

Easter in Boca

Per Tradition, we, along with Chris and Cori, spent Easter weekend in Boca Raton with Kevin's grandmom and Mike and per tradition, we had a lovely visit.

PETE'S

"Granny" made reservations for Saturday dinner at Pete's, which is a wonderful place- great atmosphere and terrific food.

After dinner when we contemplated coloring Easter eggs, Nathan remarked, "I've never colored Easter eggs in my life," so we remedied that.




EASTER EGG HUNT

The boys usually participate in the condo's Annual Easter Egg Hunt organized by a generous neighbor but the this year's hunt fell during Mass so they had their own private hunt with eggs provided by Granny and baskets and prizes provided by her neighbor.

POOL

We were able to swim both yesterday and today even though it was bordering on chilly for these FL folks. Swimming is always a hit and by the end of the visit Nathan was back and forth between grownups- no floaties, no goggles. Way to go!!! Sully was practicing for the Scout swim test and enlisted another of Granny's neighbors to help fine tune his floating- he's so tall and lean that he's a sinker and has to work extra hard to stay afloat on his back.

EASTER MORNING

Of course the Easter Bunny showed up in force and everyone has eaten too much chocolate... can you really eat too much chocolate?

And not to forget the true meaning of Easter I'll end with this story... After examining the contents of his Easter basket Nathan remarked on the chocolate lamb he found. He pondered aloud at why the Easter Bunny would leave a lamb... "Oh, I know! They used to sacrifice lambs and then Jesus was the sacrifice and on Easter he rose from the dead." Out of the mouths of babes.

Granny and Mike, Thank you again for hosting another wonderful Easter weekend.

Ripe Tomatoes and the French Toast Chef

OK... these don't really have anything to do with one another but I noticed last night that our tomatoes are ripe. The plant that Kevin picked out seems to be doing the best... I should let him do all the choosing from now on.

...And Sully has moved on from pancakes-from-scratch to French Toast- YUM!
This morning, being a balmy 63 (we're cold!) seemed to be
calling for...you guessed it- French Toast!
He is becoming quite the breakfast chef and is very proud.

Here's the finished product...

...don't you wish you were having breakfast with us?.

The Toothfairy's Coming Tonight!

Although Nathan has already lost four, the loss of this... one of the "two front teeth"... seems so much more significant. How is it that one tooth instantly changes a little boy into such a big kid? The first teeth are gone, on to new adventures.

"...it is quite impossible to say how time does wear on in the Neverland, where it is calculated by moons and suns, and there are ever so many more of them than on the mainland."
J.M. Barrie, The Adventures of Peter Pan

A great thing about homeschooling

...Birthdays become official school holidays!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SULLY!!!

Scout Crossover

A few weeks ago Sully crossed over from Cubs to Boy Scouts. We were fortunate to have Grandad visiting at the time so he was able to attend the awesome ceremony.

Cupcakes and Kids Klub

The boys are off enjoying their weekly Kids Klub meeting and have been looking forward to this week for a while. Kids Klub, offered at the corner church, is a program where the kids participate in a bi-yearly play. The weekly meeting includes games, Bible stories, arts and crafts, play practice and snack. Usually offered are snacks of a healthy variety provided by the parents but today was my day. We decided that in honor of Sully's birthday tomorrow, we should forgo the "healthy snack" guideline and make cupcakes... SIXTY of them! I have to admit that I was the mean mom who didn't let her fledglings help with this endeavor. Although they wanted to, I opted against it since I didn't want to spend the time while they were occupied at Kids Klub cleaning chocolate icing from the ceiling. They were placated by being allowed to ice their own cupcake to have as a snack after lunch. After seeing the results, I felt justified in declining their help with the rest.

New fence

Kevin and I (mainly Kev) put up part of a backyard fence this weekend. Our plan is to eventually take down the entire chain-link and replace it with a picket.