Times when I know he's mine...

Ok, so...
I'm not sure why I found this funny, but I did....

Jared reading the new Time magazine.
"Hmmm...I thought Tony Blair was a magician?..."

Me, trying not to giggle.
"Ahh, I'm pretty sure that's David Blaine"

"Oh yeah that's it!...David Blaine. So... Tony Blair was a Prime Minister..."

Yes, yes...that would be correct son.

Top 25 (for now)

So we decided to make our list of things to do this summer at dinner the other night,
and the first thing out of the boy's mouths when asked
"What do you guys want to do this summer?" was...kid you not..."MOVE!"
Ok....
after explaining that is probably not going to happen this summer....
we came up with our short list:

What we want to do this summer (besides move):
By-Jared, Colten, and Jack

1. Go to the pool
2. Go camping
3. Have a bonfire in the backyard
4. Make smores
5. Watch the fireworks
6. Go to the pool
7. Get a slip-n-slide
8. Go to a Memphis Redbirds game
9. Go to the BMX park in Little Rock
10. Go to Graceland (Jack is REALLY hip to see "Elvis's house", why, I don't know)
11. Go see this (ok, this one is totally the mommas, but doesn't it look cool?!)
12. Take family after dinner walks
13. Get frozen custard from Andy's
14. Go to the lake
15. Plant a garden
16. Go to soccer camp
17. Go to the movies
18. Get a new TV
19. Have a squirt gun fight
20. Tie dye t-shirts
21. Get a basketball hoop
22. Have family game night once a week
23. Catch fire-flies
24. Use the juicer
25. Get/use a weight bench (Jared)

Not as good as our list last year, but not too shabby.
Some of the same things, mixed in with some new ones.
I'll change them to red as we complete the list...or try to.
And maybe we will add to it.
As you can see,
we already managed to complete somethings last weekend.

We also plan on reading....a LOT.
I am trying to finish up this, I'm reading this outloud to the littles, and this, and Jared is working on this one. (which I may want to read when he's done, I can't decide)

What do you have planned this summer?
Give us some more ideas to get our list to 50!

ETA for Mike: Of course "see Evansen" is a given, and doesn't even need to be on a list ;)...
you can't list Ev next to "make smores"....so not the same. The boys can't wait to meet their cousin....

It's a Happy Thursday

Not that much can make me happier then the words
SUMMER VACATION.
Which officially begins, umm.....RIGHT NOW.

But there have been a few other happy little things around here making me smile...
Like for instance,
Lots of boy art coming home from school.
And this story journal by the Jack couldn't be any more precious.

Yes, I love that he wrote "encouraged", so Jack....

And then this little bundle of goodness arrived in the mail yesterday all the way from Germany. I LOVE it Essie! I can not wait to go to the store now.... I'm so excited!
I've already hooked the little one onto my keys, and
How stinking fabulous is the one that hooks into the cart?!? ooooh....I just LOVE it.
Es- the post office a la Arkansas has been located and scrap-goodies shall be sent on Saturday. (It has actually worked out well for you, I've just been adding to the pile so it's getting bigger daily...lots of scraptasticness heading your way.)

And then the mailman delivered some more hazelnut coffee for my newest love....Isn't she lovely?! It is one of those things that you don't realize how much you'll love until you try it, and then it's all over... you are head over heels.
I thought I'd like one,
Colin convinced me it wasn't practical...
and then I tried Gabs and well, practicality went out the window.
It's that great.
AND because I have the best sister and parents,
I received my own fancy coffee pot for Mother's Day.
Way too generous....but very much appreciated.
The great thing is you can make tea and hot chocolate with it too.
So Jared, who tries very hard to channel his inter-Brit, loves the tea feature
and the small ones are all about the hot chocolate.
(Colin, who still mutters about cost effectiveness, will join the dark side when he tries his new Gloria Jeans mudslide coffee that arrived today...I'm sure of it)

I've also been scrapping lately, which is part of the reason I've been neglecting the poor blog.
However taking photos of the pages has proven too much for me, so I am going to try and get the scanner hooked up, and then maybe I can post them?!
Or, maybe not...

With what I have

The last time I was forced to go to the mall here,
we passed the dimly lit store that is Hollister,
and I commented to Jared (half joking) that that was one store I'd never take him to...
(I am just not a fan)
Of course that's what the "cool" kids wear here,
so Jared looked at me with a rather pained look on his face.

Last night at Jack's game Jared and I were talking about schools,
we are thinking about having him transfer to a different school...
and the school we are thinking about sending him to is what has been described as the "preppy" school.
I said, well, I guess we'll have to go shopping then and I may be forced to go to Hollister.
(cringe)
I told him it's not that we mind getting him clothes, he just never asks for them...
to which he replied....
"I'm just really happy with what I have Mom."

And with that, my heart melted.

I wish I was always just happy with what we have.
I'm getting closer.
I am, and I'm an adult.

Such a hard age, thirteen....I remember being awkward and unsure,
and somehow I have this kid that's moved countless times,
and been to almost as many schools as grades,
and he's just like
it's fine.
I'm happy with what I have, and I'm confident with who I am.
I have no idea how he ended up that way,
but I really really love who he is.

And that's all the sappiness I have for today.
I've been a HORRIBLE blogger,
but I wanted to get that down before I forgot.

More about my love affair with my new coffee pot,
and other bits of random tomorrow.
One more day of school here before summer break.....
How awesome is THAT?!?

Tricks on Trikes

Meeting postponed.
Perhaps I'll make sense now... or knowing me, maybe not.

So we have a kettler trike.
It was great when the boys were little, because it has a handle,
so you could guide them along on family walks,
and with big brother(s) on bikes,
it helped make the little one feel like they were riding too.

Fast forward to now.
It's been in storage or in a basement, until this house,
where it's just in the garage awaiting our big garage clean up.
(house = organized - garage = big gigantic mess of crap)
I told Gabby I'd hang on to it for Ev.
Anyway...
The other day I went out to check on the boys...
who were on direct orders to stay in the driveway/yard.

Apparently, stay in our driveway translates in boy-speak to....
Let's take turns riding the trike down the hill (that would be in the street folks), while one of us hangs on to the push bar, and rides their skateboard.
Excellent.

Please keep in mind all three of them have their own BMX bikes.... sigh
So hopefully the trike is still in one piece for Evansen?!
Of course when I was trying to find a site to link "Kettler" to, I read the specs and it says there is a 400lb weight limit?!?!?
So I guess all three boys can ride on it?
Or Colin and I can try out that skateboard trick later...?!?
Interesting.
Why a trike would need to support that much weight will be the mystery of the day.

The Early Worm Gets the Worm

Just wanted to capture my littles in the morning...this is what they do during breakfast.
They love a good book.....

Figured I'd try to get a least one more happy post in before our second IEP meeting Friday.
I'm forewarning you...
In case I post something random on Friday involving nothing but incoherent words and vulgarity.
I apologize in advance.

Welcome to Weiner

Successful trip to Little Rock. Number 40 is a boy by the way. Boys sometimes have to wear ponytails when their hair is so long that they can't see the ball....
(Back of hair photo for you Gab)I love when Jared is on my side of the field so I can just snap random photos of him standing around. This is a "WTH Mom?!?" shot...He is really a fantastic soccer player.
I realized I hadn't taken any sports shots in over a year. Indoor was hard because of the lighting, and now that the boys are older, the game is so exciting, its hard for me to watch from behind the lens.
Anyway, Jared is just super talented, and super modest, but at the same time very sure of himself....
(You have to be to wear your hair like that in AR...seriously, much self confidence is needed)
And he's so handsome....He is also 5'9" now, so I have to look up to him.
I would anyway, even if he weren't taller than me.
I can't describe with words how much I love that kid.

Ok....
or these kids for that matter...
They kept themselves entertained by, you guessed it, playing soccer.
As you can tell, Jack decided his best shot at beating Coley to the ball was to use his size to his advantage, and, well..
take Coley down.I have no idea where he learned this tactic from?!?Poor Coley....
he's just too quick for his dad and little brother.

Because Jared's team made it to the finals we didn't have much time on Sunday to explore Little Rock, but we went downtown for a little while.
In the parking garage I told the boys they had to "hold a hand"....
This is Jared being funny and holding his own hand. Loved this building with all the stars.
The sun was at the worst possible point in the sky, so these photos are less than great, but I found some cool places for future photos.
This one, just because it's novel to get all three in one shot.
The car trip home was pretty quite. One was sleeping, the other two watched movies and read out of the Book of World Records. My favorite thing overheard. "Planet with the hottest surface" "Venus" "Too bad it's not Uranus, that would be a good pick up line."And...we drove through the BEST town ever.
This will be hanging in the boy's bathroom. Love it.

Baseballs

At baseball practice tonight
Jack is throwing the ball with one coach....
the other coach is gets out of his car and yells

"David You got your balls? I forgot mine!"

And
I
laugh hysterically
because I am a very, very immature mom.
But really,
what choice did I have?!?