BEWARE!

Okay, when I started this blog, I never imagined I'd ever do a post on a BLACK WIDOW SPIDER!! I am SO freaked out by this--I had gone out this morning to clean out our pool that we drained last night, and crawling on the edge was a big black widow! AAAAHHH!! I was actually very calm--and as nerve-wracked as I was inside, I caught it in a clear water bottle! First of all, I didn't want it around my house, and second, I wanted to know if it truly was a black widow or not, and third, I wanted the kids and Josh to see it! I ran in and looked it up on the internet, and it is a "southern black widow" found in the south U.S., in states such as Oklahoma and Texas! I also read that a bite won't kill a human, but it will make you very sick, but the spider is not aggressive, so no real need to worry. Yeah, right!

I showed it to Dustin, who immediately wanted to take it to school with him, but I told him to ask his teacher first, and he may take it tomorrow...and he was sad that it was dying! What a sweet, nature-loving boy! I am glad that he felt that way, but I also knew I didn't want it reproducing around my house! Sorry Dustin!

The pictures didn't turn out great, but you can tell it's a big black spider! EEEWWWW!

First Day of School!

Dustin's first day of school was Monday--he is officially a 2nd grader! WOW--I cannot believe it! He is getting so big so fast...but he is loving school, and his teacher Mrs. Holiman. She has a pet gecko in the classroom, and some caterpillars from her garden. Dustin loved that!

Jodee's first day of Pre-K was today! She only goes for a half day, 1-3:30, and she's at the same school as Dustin, so she was very excited and ready to go! I was actually fine--no tears or anything! We (all of the parents) got to go in with them and listen to "The Kissing Hand" story--very sweet, and say a quick goodbye, and leave! Jodee did great--I know she's having fun!

Today is Dylan's first day of having mommy all to himself, even if it is only for 2 1/2 hours! So far he's loving it--he's resting on the couch watching Barney--what a life!

Finally!

Well, we had a nice surprise in the mail --our PASSPORTS finally came! Only a month and a half late, but at least we have them now!

A true gymnast...

Well, it happened! Jodee got her first rip today (for those non-gymnasts out there, a rip is actually a popped blister on your hand from bars). She was working on her swings on her bar in the backyard and it just happened! You can see it in the picture (barely!), and please notice the big smile on her face! It went away pretty quickly when it started burning! Poor thing--they do hurt, but she's tough--and she feels cool when I tape it up. That's my girl!

Are we CRAZY or are we COOL?

We woke our two oldest kids up at 4:30 this morning! Now, now, before you really wonder about us, it was for a good cause! There was a meteor shower this weekend--we watched it Saturday night and Sunday night from our trampoline, while munching on popcorn and singing church camp songs. It was so nice! The meteorologists on the news said the best viewing time would be between 4 and 5 Monday morning, so we decided to go for it! It was AWESOME! We saw around 12 "shooting stars", Josh, myself, Dustin, and Jodee, and then we all went right back to bed. It was really neat--I know the kids will remember this for a long time. We chose not to wake Dylan up, because I figured he'd be the one that wouldn't want to go back to sleep--and I really didn't want to officially get up at 4:30 a.m.! Ha!

FISH!

Yes, our kids are officially fish! They swim literally every day, and just recently all three can go under water without choking! Dylan just mastered it this week--and is REALLY good at it!
They LOVE our little soft side pool--and it's so easy to just go in the backyard to swim...what a great buy for the summer!



Doesn't that look like fun??

Ah...to be a kid again!

How much fun can you possibly pack into 2 weeks? Well, we have decided to find out! Dustin starts school on August 20th, so we have been having SO much fun--we want to do a little of everything before school starts, and whew...we have been having a blast!
Here are some pics--not of everything we've done, but a good taste of the fun we've had.
This is the kids at a park on a BIG rock!
Our 3 kids being monkeys:
Check out the vintage toys they're playing with! ha! Yes, those are the original "Little People" toys, we have the school, hospital, gas station, and house.
Jodee striking a pose on her cool bike!
Dustin doing a stunt--notice the front wheel is really off the ground--he's pretty proud of that!
Daddy, Dustin, and Jodee on a paddle boat at the OKC Zoo:

Riding the train at the zoo--Josh took this picture himself! Can you see his arm holding the camera out? Pretty good!
Dustin and Dylan and some good friends riding the water taxi in downtown OKC on the canal. It was fun!
Jodee riding the water taxi:
Being silly!

Add to our agenda: Chuck E Cheese, Omniplex Science Museum, Martin Park Nature Center, movies at the theater, Oklahoma Children's Theater (The Knight's of the Rad Table--we got to go with Grandma! It was fun!), and much more that my brain can't process right now. We have had a wonderful summer, and we're looking forward to school now!

"Put the "T" in the garage, please!"

That is what Dustin heard tonight, as I looked out the front door and saw the baseball tee and bikes left out in the yard. He came in later and said it was done, and Josh had helped with the bikes, so I didn't give it a second thought. A few hours later, we were all getting ready for bed, Josh was helping the kids brush their teeth, and I was letting the dogs in the garage (where they sleep). As I went into the garage, the tea pitcher was setting there, outside the door, on the floor of our garage!!! I looked at it with wonder, and went back in to ask Josh why he put the tea in the garage!! He looked at me and said he had thought the same thing--"what crazy thing is she trying now??" is actually more like what he thought, and I could almost see the light bulb pop on above his head when he laughed and looked at Dustin. Josh asked me to say what I had said earlier--remember this is hours later, so of course I had no idea what he was talking about (yet!), then he said it, I looked at Dustin, and busted out laughing!! Dustin still didn't quite understand what was so funny, so we explained it, and I personally was VERY proud of my seven year old who did something funny like that without asking me why I wanted him to do it! What a great, obedient kid! Dustin did get a kick out of it too, and a big hug from me for obeying without questioning...too sweet!

The Big Birthday Bash!

Every summer we have a big birthday party for all of the adults in the family who happen to have a summer birthday, including two of my aunts, one of my sisters, my mom, my grandma, and usually myself (although this year I got a party of my own since I'm officially "over the hill"! ha!). Here are some fun pics from the big day....

This one is of all of us "birthday girls"

Here is the butterfly cake I made for the party...turned out kinda bright, I know!!

Josh didn't know I was including him in this pic, that's why he looks so enthusiastic! Dylan is actually SOUND asleep! It took a good hour to wake him up!

Here's Dustin having fun at the playground where we were at...and I promise I have pics of Jodee, but they were kinda blurry, and far away...so this is all you get!

We had fun--it's always fun and entertaining to get the whole family together! We are so lucky to live close enough to do that. We sure do miss Josh's family during things like this...if you guys are reading, we love you and miss you!