Doing a Little Cleaning Up!

I want to edit my blog links...many of the blogs are not around or have gone password protected. If you would like for me to add you to my blog links just leave me permission to do so....I am such a polite blogger:) If you comment here on a regular basis I have been to your blog and have probably added you to my bloglines.

Thanks!

Not Much Going On.....Thank God!

After a crazy month of July filled with family visits (my mom first then my sister and her crew), and a fun road trip to Georgia I find that I am just a wee bit tired!

The good news that there isn't much left on the calendar before we head back to school....the bad news is that I head back to school in three weeks. Can you hear my sobs??? Although I do love my job....part time would be perfect for me. Well perfect if I could make the same chump change they pay me to work full time! I need to work, not just to pay my bills but for my sanity. I need something to get me up and out of bed or I will be in my pj's all day shopping on the internet!

Hmmm well here is a kiddo update:

Sophie is perfecting whining. Please make it stop. Her newest thing is if we are in a public place and a stranger stops to talk to her, she points to me and says "Mommy". I guess she is making sure they know she isn't leaving with them! It also seems that every man is Dada and any picture that she sees with a woman holding a baby is Mommy. She is hopping, running and climbing....looks like I might need to sign her up at the L*ttle Gym this fall.

Ben is huge. Ok well huge for Ben:) He went to his friends’ lake house for a few days (Hannah response to this "man, why don't I have any friends with summer houses???"). I can't believe that he is going in to the 8th grade. He recently was headed to a friends house when the mom of the boy he was walking with informed that there was a possibility that a girl was at the other boys house where they were heading to hang out.( Did ya follow all that??) She wanted to know our "policy" on this.... hmmmm 3 boys and 1 girl in a house with no parents home.....sounds like a future clinic appointment to me!!! I asked Ben to please call and make sure that the nice girl had gone home, explaining to him that if I found out that there was a girl at the house and that he lied to me that the rest of his summer would suck. He called to verify that the girl had gone home. Fine with me. I have to believe that he is telling the truth....but I did call 30 minutes later to check with Ben that if fact "there were no boobs in the house". Ahhhh I just love adolescents.

Hannah is busy getting ready for middle school. Getting ready for middle school includes shopping. Endless evaluations of book bags, and wanting to leave the county to go shopping so "no one has the same outfit on". (Can you imagine your first day of middle school and someone has on the same exact outfit as you!! The horror) I am pretty sure that dear ol'dad is going to have to get a second job to support her need for up to the minute fashions! I think this will be my last summer with Hannah wanting to hang out with me at the pool, I am sure next summer will be filled with middle school friends.

Well, it is 10:00 I probably she get out of my pj's!

"Now Back to Our Regular Program"

*Sigh* My sister and her brood are on their way home after a nine day action packed vist! It was great to see everyone and I know the girls were anxious to get home to get some rest!! It really is amazing how quite my house is right now....

Wicked Busy!

As they like to say in Massachusetts....we have been wicked busy! My sister and family are heading home tomorrow evening. It has been a nice visit. In the midst of their visit Hannah had her summer swim championships. She placed first in each of her heats, but unfortunately did not place in her events. We think that her relays probably placed. She had a great season and improved her times at each meet. More importantly she had a good time! On Saturday night the girls broke out the 3D glasses to watch the Hannah M$ntanna special concert in 3D. The girls have all seen this concert live, but were excited to watch it anyway. (the 3D glasses gave me a headache!

She's a Swimmer!

Helen is 6 and had a serious fear of the water. This week she overcame that fear and we can all safely say that she is a beginner swimmer! Last week she would have dreamed of sticking her face in the water never mind going down the pool slide. We are all so proud of her!! This is for you Papa and Oma!

Camp TBG

On Wednesday the gang plus cousins headed to the science and nature center. We all had a great time. The big kids went to see a space movie in the Omni theater which they all reported "was very cool". The animal exhibits at the nature center were great! You could get close enough to the tiger exhibit that they had signs posted warning people not to stand in certain spots because of the possibility that the male tiger would "spray" ( yuck...glad I read the sign and stood elsewhere!!!). Hannah took the tiger picture...pretty good. When Sophie saw the tigers she said "Oh no mama....tiger...scared!" How about the picture of Helen milking the plastic cow. Sophie was confused by that one! We visited the goats and sheep. Saw the Meerkat exhibit which was also very cool. We were all amazed by how big the tortoise were! It was a fun visit! We all had a great time!

Baseball, Family,and More Baseball

I guess it is Wednesday and I should post about our weekend:) Friday night the hubs company hosted their company picnic at a local baseball park. I think the team is in the Appalachain league. Everyone had a good time and I didn't have to cook!





On Saturday my sister, her husband and two girls came down for a week long visit. They made a special trip here so Helen could take swimming lessons from a woman in town who "guarantees" that your child will be able to swim in 5 days! Sunday we went to another baseball game! (this one I think is a minor league team) The home team won, and the kids were able to go on the field and run the bases after the game. It was hot, hot, hot but the beer was cold and thankfully we were in the shade!On Monday my sister and her husband headed to Ashevill* for a couple of days...and Auntie M (thats me) was in charge of getting Helen to swimming. I am happy to report that Helen was jumping off the diving board at the end of her first lesson! Helen is going in to the second grade and before Mondays swimming lesson would not put her face in the water never mind jump off the diving board! We are all so proud of her!! I hope to have video of her on Friday jumping off the diving board and swimming across the pool!






We also went for a hike on Tuesday. Ben had to work so he missed it...he was sooo disappointed *snort* We hiked about a mile and a half and stopped to have lunch at the waterfall....that was no longer falling water due to the drought. I carried Sophie in my Ergo carrier and only thing I can say is that it is the best carrier ever! Sophie is 25 pounds I am soft and out of shape and my back and shoulders did not hurt from carrying her! If you plan on carrying your little one while you are in china this is the only carrier I would bring!






And because just hanging around the house doesn't seem to be a fun thing to do....we are heading to the science museum. I am going to need a vacation.....

Photographic Proof ........

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Thanks so much to PM and BD for hosting again this year! It was so great to see new faces (Doris, Kristin, Kim, Robin)....but it sure seems like I have known you all forever!! And as always it is good to hang out, drink, swim and laugh with some of the WORLDS most amazing women! I am truly lucky to have met all of you!

**Smooches to Tracy for going through the zillion pics to make such a great video....but I don't remember signing a release for that bathing suit pic!!

Just Cuz She is Too Stinkin Cute!

***Thanks again for the hat Maia!***

Eat, Chat,Laugh, Drink, Sleep......Repeat

I am still trying to recover from our Georgia trip. I was so busy
eating, chatting, and laughing that I never once took out my camera!
It was great to see everyone and Pugmama and Big Daddy (those are their
ad*lt film names....) are the best host and hostess in the state of
Georgia! Here is our weekend Georgia bullet style....

* Rule number one...don't drive to the sticks in Georgia without your handy dandy Garm*n GPS. I would have gotten lost for sure! Thanks MoM:)

* One never knows what can be found on the side porch after an afternoon of eating, chatting, laughing and drinking!

* Hannah wants a horse, a camper and an in the ground pool.....that's the last time I bring her with me!!!

* Hannah wants to know when we are finishing the cornhole tournament

* There was a Blog Ho among us.....who knew???

* Mike makes the best chocolate covered chips evah.

* Stacy can talk some serious trash when playing cornhole...but she might need to focus her attention on the game:P

* Angela was no help in talking Hannah out of having a horse!

* Maisie takes a nap anywhere as long as she has this

* Lisa makes the best brownies....seriously people they are insane! She needs to post the recipe again...pretty please lisa.

* Sophie covets Maddy's shoes.

* Pugmama can NEVER have enough Pug stuff!

* Tracy read your blogs and pulled questions from your old post to crown the Blog Ho

* Alison and Mali are HUGE High S*hool musical fans! Who would have thunk it???

* A Georgia blogger movie should be popping up in blogland soon...

Thanks again PM and BD your are always so generous! The company and food could have not have been any better!

Thank You!

Dear Mike,Mia and Flynn,

I just love getting mail....especially presents!! I do love my new hat, thank you so much for thinking of me! My Mom and brother couldn't get me in the back yard fast enough to snap some pictures of me with my new hat. I know that you are very busy getting ready to go to China to bring your baby Flynn home.....we are all so excited for you! Thank you again for taking the time to send me such a cute hat when you are so busy getting ready to travel.

Hugs and Kisses,

Sophie

July 2007............Oh The Memories!

Getting Ready.......

3 Words

July 4th 2008

We had a busy July 4th! Our day started with a kids 4th of July parade. All the kids decorated bikes, scooter and wagons and paraded down the street with their police car escort. A competition for the best decorated went to.......Hannah! Hannah and her Oma were up late the night before decorating her scooter. Parents and kids all headed to the park for water balloon toss, corn hole, and lunch.






The TBG gang has a tradition of attending a baseball game on the 4th of July, and this year was no exception! The hopper's won.....but they had to play in the rain. The TBG crew found shelter under the stairs and waited out the rain to see the fireworks. It finally stopped raining just in time for the fireworks display. Sophie wasn't sure of the fireworks but just held on tight to mom!





I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July!

I can't remember on which blog I saw thissite but it is pretty cool. For those of you wanting to add text to your 3 word pics this is the place to go! It is free, but they do offer an "upgrade".




My mom is here for a week. I am sure I will have some pics to post tomorrow. Everyone enjoy the fourth and for you year round workers out there enjoy your long weekend.

HOLY SHITakke Mushrooms it's JULY!

Seriously people I can't believe that it is July! The month of July is insanely busy for me this year. My mom comes in this week for her annual summer visit. The TBG girls have a road trip planned right after Oma leaves. When we get back from our girls only trip Sophie has a doctors appointment at Duke.... which will take an entire day and then my sister and two nieces come for a ten day visit!! Then July is over and I will only have two weeks before I have to go back to work:( I know that I have a two day training some time this summer, I hope that it is some time in July between visits! Just looking at our family calendar for July makes me a little dizzy. So what do you guys have going on this month???