Talkin' bout the car wash yeah! Sing it for me...Car wash yeah, yeah!

The kids decided they wanted to wash the cars today... Not sure how clean they got, but they all had a great time.

doing a little summer sleeping 'round here

This is Hadley. Last night, Lance had a friend over and the 3 of them stayed up all night. When I got up at 5:00 with David to see him off to get Tyler from camp, they were still going strong... Now it's almost 11:00 and they are all sacked out. The boys actually made it to Lance's room--one on each bunk. Hadley, however, decided to sleep here---complete with pillow on her face. LOL! I'll probably post more when Ty gets home... if he's cooperative, that is. Could definitely go either way.

One year ago today

I started blogging... Can you believe it?? I wish I'd started it sooner. I love being able to look back at the year so easily...and with pictures! It's sort of like those scrapbooks I need to work on. Only done.

Apparently, reading is fun!

So, these two decided to do a little reading today. Love that!! The really sweet thing is--I think Lance chose this spot just to be near Hadley! Awwwww....

Hadley is reading a book for her pre-ap English assignment for 7th grade--she has to keep a log and make "connections" to the text. Then, she gets to choose another book from the list and just read it. Lance is reading for pure enjoyment. The third book in a trilogy he is working on came out and we got it from the library--first on the list. I'm really into holding books using the online service. They make it so easy! A few clicks and they call when it's ready. Really cool!

I'm FIIIIINNNNIIIISHED!

Just a little past my deadline. Just a little! Brien actually leaves in the morning for CO, so it's not huge, just my own deadline. Things were going along great last night until we had a POWER OUTAGE. Yes, POWER OUTAGE!!! We never lose power. All around us can be dark, but we still have power. Not last night, though. Apparently, it was our turn. Bad timing I say. By the time the power was back on for good, I was beat and decided to finish up today. Overall, I'm pleased with it--can I say that?? I'm always a little anxious, though, until the real people see it. Brien told David that he doesn't want to see it until the wedding. I say--yes he does!! What if they hate it?? Anyway, David will hand it off in the morning when Brien leaves. So. Done! Now what to charge them?? LOL. I have no idea....

Yep. Still procrastinating!

Actually, I made a lot of progress last night. I just can't seem to get moving this morning... Maybe after I post! Right.... ;)

I took a couple of pics yesterday of the kids just doing what they were doing. Lance was coming home from the pool, looking so cute with his new *helmet* and sunglasses. Hadley was mowing the yard--her new chore that she gets paid for.

Last night David and I were talking and something about our new neighbor who works at the same place as D came up--she's got a great figure but D can't figure out what she does besides look good and flirt. Probably keeps her job for other reasons, if ya know what I'm sayin'. Anyway, I laughed and told him I'd gotten a picture of her doing the big "bend" while she tended to her flower beds. Occasionally she does this in her swimsuit:aka bikini, but this time, she at least put on short shorts. *insert eyeroll here* He got a kick out of that, because he had been bragging to his coworkers that he got to see that all the time. So, we printed out the picture and he took it to work today. What's really funny is that it was a total accident!! I didn't even notice her there until after I loaded the pics... I do have a request to "blur" Hadley and focus on her next time. Ha! Anyway, thought I'd share...

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

That's me. I have put off working on this video soooooo many times. I get started, get bored and find something else to do. Now it's panic time. The wedding is ONE WEEK from today. ONE WEEK!!! And what am I doing?? Procrastinating. I just can't seem to get it finished! I'm giving myself a deadline of tomorrow night. Who thinks I can get it done??? Guess we'll find out tomorrow night, eh?? Things are going ok with it---I'm just not into it. It's not near as much fun when it's someone else's life and pictures. It's pretty boring actually. So. Don't call me. You might distract me. Ha! More later. I'm sure I'll need to find something else to do in a bit... I will go ahead and share the few decent pics I got while with the family. It's better than working on the video, right??

Lucky day

7:00 on 7\7\07 posted at 7:07. Cool.

Dr. Evil and his mini-me

That's what Ginny called them. With Lance's hair cut, he and Bj look soooooo much alike. They came over Wednesday for dinner and entertainment. Here is Beej holding a bottle rocket and shooting it. He came in smelling like burnt hair. Cool, huh?? He's such a great influence... Ha-ha! Anyway, it was a fun time. Lance just adores Bj. I love that. Ya'll remember when Lance was about to have surgery and he asked for Bj? Bj dropped everything and drove all night to get here. Just thinking about that today...

Today, Bj and Ginny left for CO. I probably should have taken pictures, but I just didn't feel like it. It's one of those moments I'm sure I would like to remember later, but for now, I'd just as soon not. So. No pictures. Lance and I were the only ones home when they stopped by(David was working, Ty is at camp and Hadley is at Six Flags with the youth group). Lance held it together until they left and cried where they couldn't see. I sure wish he would let his feelings out a little more...he thinks he has to be so tough! He's been really quiet all afternoon...We will sure miss having them so close...

I'm sorry I haven't posted pics from the funeral. I was so disappointed in what I got that I've put off posting any. I really struggled with the lighting conditions--totally should have put it on auto and given up the manual settings. I just didn't realize how bad they were until I got them onto the computer. Sorry everyone! I think Hadley got some pretty good ones with Mom's camera, so maybe she'll share...Sad when your 12 year old gets better shots than you do! :(

finally. a post.

I know. I owe you several posts. We've got birthday parties. Haircuts. Facial hair design. Funeral/family times. I just haven't gotten the pics all up yet. So, here are a few from the birthday/hair salon. Bj and Ginny hosted a great birthday get-together for me and Mom at their house last week. I know it was crazy for them---they are right in the middle of packing for the big move to CO. But, they graciously hosted anyway and we really appreciated it. Mostly, it was a fun evening. We had one little hair crisis/change of heart, but overall it was a fun evening. Jim's new "Hitler" design gave everyone a laugh and lightened the mood a little (especially Lance's). Thanks Jim!

And, sorry for any of you whose pics don't appear here-I didn't leave you out on purpose. I have really struggled with getting things right with my photos lately... I'm contemplating beginning a new website--isuckatphotography.com. What do you think? I checked and it's available...









And, on a different, more milestone kind of note, Hadley lost her last baby tooth yesterday. Actually it was taken from her! Ha! That little booger didn't want to turn loose. The dentist numbed her really well and had to work to get it out. Hadley has never been numbed before--no cavities!-- and was so funny about it. She kept pinching her lip and saying, "I can't feel that! Look. I can't feel this!" (Obviously she got David's teeth. I had already had about 10 or 12 fillings by the time I was her age!) Anyway, I took a couple of pictures to remember it... Awwwwww. Can you believe it?? The first pic is her crazy, numb lip. Then, for those who don't get squeamish--the hole.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Back from camp!

Before:
During:
After:


Yay! Hadley's back from camp. We took a church van today and picked her up--along with 6 others. It was a lot of fun... Everyone left their shoes on and smelled ok. Ha! She had a really great time and didn't get too homesick. I haven't gotten to hear all the stories yet, but I hope to soon. She really enjoyed all the notes and packages you all sent. Thanks so much!! More later...

Fresh from the pool

Eating Starbursts and Laffy Taffy bought at the snack stand, watching it begin to sprinkle and storm. Love those wrinkly feet.
"Hey, Mom! I didn't know disco berry was an original flavor."
Ahhhhh.... Summer.

**Oh yeah. I should have mentioned to my POTD friends that I didn't want old jokes. I had a comment from a 20-something about "embracing my age" and she was TOTALLY SERIOUS. Nice.

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday....

Yep. I'm the big four-oh. But, like they say--40 is the new 30. or 20. ;) I don't have anything too exciting planned for the day--mostly just relaxing and doing what I'd like to do, I hope. Have a great Monday. No old jokes, ok??

And, I'm not really an American Idol fan or America's Got Talent or wherever this came from, but it's really very sweet!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!! I hope you had a nice, relaxing day. You deserve it!

We just went out to dinner--to Logan's. (one of our faves) I took my camera and played a bit--the boys hated it. I kept just snapping pics--not really composing them or even looking through the viewfinder--just snapping. I liked these shots, so here they are. Love you all!

Stitch free

Well. He is officially stitch-free. Got them out today and went straight to the pool. He is still supposed to be careful--not supposed to keep it wet for long periods, etc. It really isn't "together" like I had hoped. There is still a large gap between the skin. Makes me wonder if the n.p. just did a bad job or something?? Anyway, he's very glad to have them out. Have a great Saturday everyone!

The glasses

It's hard to see in the picture, but the very large, deep scratch on the lens makes me think his eye might have been injured if he hadn't had these on...

**And if you plan to write Hadley-here is the address:

Camp Blue Haven
HC-81 Box 304
Las Vegas, NM 87701

~I added the top pic so you could see the progress... Yes, he's in a tree. He is determined to break open those stitches, I tell ya.

Bandage change

Did a bandage change tonight. He has to keep it covered for 24 more hours--then this is what we'll see all the time. His eye area is starting to look a little darker, but the swelling is down quite a bit. He sure looks like he's been in a fight!!

The day after

He woke up this morning with his eye swollen shut. The swelling seemed to have spread out over his face, instead of being localized on his forehead and cheekbone. It changed the way his whole face looked--it's weird! He can now open his eye a little--it's not really black yet, which I totally expected. I guess it could still get that way. Time will tell.

Hadley got off to camp this morning. They left about 7:30. She was excited for sure! Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

Check out the gash on this boy!

Well, instead of more soccer action shots, you get this. Lance hopped on his bike to meet a friend at the pool and crashed shortly after take-off. He had a pretty deep gash and a bruise under his eye. As soon as David saw it, he knew he needed stitches. So... we went and sure enough--they gave him 5 stitches. He has quite a bit of swelling and was a little dizzy, so they want us to watch him closely for the next few hours, but he should be ok. I asked if I could take pictures while they stitched, but Lance didn't go for it. He's glad the needle part is over and feels pretty good right now. I guess he really is a lot like BJ...More later.

Check out the muscles on this girl!!

I posted a better pic on my POTD blog but I wanted to show you this one. Can you believe the definition on her leg?? Yikes! She's playing a little 3v3 tournament today--just for fun. Anyway, have a great Saturday!

Wrestling Match

This was the wrestle-mania going on in the living room today. By the size of them, you'd think that Ty was a sure thing to win, but Lance managed to overpower him with bad smells. Ty ran to the other room like a little girl. Ha! I grabbed the camera and tried to get a couple pics before they spotted me. I rushed and missed the focus pretty bad, as well as chopped some limbs off. But, you get the idea. They were having a lot of fun. Have a great Sunday!

Conversation

"Man, it's gorgeous outside tonight."
"Yes, it is.The kids are having a ball."
"But, I'm missing that show I wanted to see."
"No, you're not."

How true.