Obscenities

A couple of months ago, we had to have a discussion with the boys about not playing in the ashes under their Daddy's charcoal grill.  I guess when you're a boy, if it looks even remotely like dirt, it begs to be played in!  :)  Well, I was cleaning the kitchen and happened to look out the window just in time to see Lucas disobeying my instructions and digging in the ash.  I rushed out there and stopped him; then I proceeded to have him come in, wash his hands, and go to his room for a consequence.  While I was dealing with him, Anthony was outside drawing with chalk.  Upon our return, Anthony informed me that he had written Lucas a note to remind him of our rule...

WHAT?!@?#!?

"NO NO NO PLAY IN THE ASH"

is what he intended to write...

If you can't figure out what he actually wrote, I'm not going to explain it to you!  ;)

A Few Extra June Pics

In mid-June, Mario took Anthony into Dallas to serve dinner to some of the homeless population

his job was to hand out waters to the men and women coming through the line

Mario said many people commented on his joy and smile--

I pray that God continues to knit Anthony's heart to His own, and that He may always use him to bring His love and joy to others.

my little boys helping me cook--LOVE IT!

apparently, mickey got a little rambunctious one night and ended up stuck on the curtain rod!!!  :)

Mario got me one of my favorite flowers--gerbera daisies--for our anniversary on June 25

it's been a beautiful 8 years

more to follow on our anniversary getaway trip!  stay tuned!

Adventures in Legoland

Toward the end of June, our friends the Wycoffs invited our family to join them on an adventure to Legoland to celebrate their son Caleb's 5th birthday.  The boys were so excited!!!

Lucas, Anthony, Caleb, and Seth see Legoland in the distance

buddies

"Professor Brick-a Brack" gave the kids a tour of the lego factory so they could see how legos are made

the boys wait excitedly for a ride on one of the attractions

The Kingdom Quest Laser Ride

We had to use our laser guns to shoot the bad guys and rescue the princess--the boys loved it!

Seth and Anthony play at the Earthquake Tables--they built buildings on the plates then pushed a button to start an earthquake to see if their creations were strong enough to withstand all the shaking.

Lucas and his tower

they could build all kinds of  race cars at this station...

...and then race them on the speed track

Mario helped Lucas race his car down a steep hill

wow!  they zoomed down fast and got destroyed with a crash at the bottom!!!

Seth and his dad Joe give it a try...

I think the dads had just as much fun as the boys

"go, car, go!"

they built for a little while in the duplo village

It was SUCH a fun day!

the bigger boys got to drive these cool lego vehicles

ready to go!

caleb zooms around the corner

the workers told the kids to raise their hand if they got stuck--

here's anthony's distress signal  ;)

the boys thought these mini-lands were pretty cool...

they hung out here for a bit while we waited for the 4D movie to begin

all smiles here!

they loved how all the exhibits were interactive--

pushing buttons, pulling levers, etc--SUCH a big deal to the 5 and under crowd!

the big D--lego style!

they had some hands on video games in the gift shop

what a fun time with friends!

Happy birthday, Caleb!  Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day!

Watersound Day 7

Our last day in Watersound!

We unanimously decided to spend the majority of the day playing at the beach!

mobigo time!

keeping the boys quiet during the early morning hour

finally out for some surf and sun...

these little guys had so much fun running from the waves!

this was the kids' favorite spot--right in the edge of the ocean

the water was still a little rough from the storm yesterday, but man, we found some GIANT seashells!

mom and dad

mom was NOT going to miss this last day at the beach!

she made it down--swollen leg and all!  :(

not sure what reese was upset about, but i think that's just about the cutest pouty face i've ever seen!!!

(love how she has her chubby little arms crossed!)

once again, nonstop action!

long gone are the days of "relaxing" on the beach!!!  ;)

mandy, justin, michelle, and josh struck up a lively game of horseshoes

little reese was content to shovel and dump sand

meanwhile the boys and i tried to dig a deep hole

they were loving it!

mario and i played the horseshoe winners, michelle and josh

i'm pretty sure they won again!  haha!

justin took over the digging of the giant hole...man these boys love the sand!

pretty view of our ride over the boardwalk!  so sad to be leaving soon!

our home away from home has been wonderful!  hate to say goodbye!

we got all cleaned up and headed back to the beach later in the day for a family photo shoot...

here are some of my favorites...

the wind outdoors was CRAZY, so we decided to get one more family shot back indoors

(and, yes, anthony has a different shirt on--we were bribing the kids to smile with fruit snacks my mom had brought down to the beach.  anthony is the only 5 year old i know who can eat one blue fruit snack and drool it all over his white shirt!!!  haha!)

one last hoorah--

we made smores on the outdoor deck before hitting the hay!

goodbye, watersound!

hope to see you again soon!

thanks, so much, mom and dad, for putting together this wonderful vacation!  somehow you guys worked out all the details and made it all come together...we loved every crazy minute of it!  we're so thankful to be a part of this amazing family!  we love all of you guys!