Rollercoaster

HK was practicing her ballet with her bar the other day.  Then she got the crazy idea to let Liam hold it. She decides it is a roller-coaster...

 She pulls his chair all around the kitchen and while jerking it real fast. He holds on and squeals with delight!

 He absolutely LOVED it!

But mean old Mommy had to stop it before the ballet bar got broken.  The roller-coaster was getting pretty wild!

Vacation Leftovers

Found the end of our vacation pictures...

 The five of us in front of the Great Wolf Lodge getting ready to leave.  HK was very sad to leave!

 On our way home we stopped off at Uncle Kent and Aunt Melissa's for a visit!

Saturday was my birthday and it started off great.  

 We had cake after breakfast.  Uncle Kent played lots of Happy Birthday music.  Aunt Melissa had lots of fun decorations.  The ice cream cake was delicious!!!

 I had to hold the rubberband on the party hat because I can't stand stuff touching my neck!!!

 We had a reservation at Lynn's Paradise Cafe for lunch.  It's a crazy, delicious place that has been featured on the Food Network.  

 While we were there, right after  our food had arrived, Nolan vomited!  

It came out of no where!  

Thankfully I had finally packed a barf bag with all the necessities to clean up after an incident since we have had so many with Nolan.  So Daddy and I took him out front and cleaned him up.  I honestly didn't think anything about it since he has barfed so much.  The ladies at the table next to us were freaking out quietly!

Lynn's has lots of crazy statues.  So we had fun with those before leaving...

"Happy Birthday Momma!"

Unfortunately, Nolan vomited again when we got back to Uncle Kent and Aunt Melissa's.  Then he vomited again after we got home.  By that point, he and HK both had fever too!  Ughh!!!!  

Nothing like ending vacation with two sick kids!  

Sweaty Beast

This little guy sweats unbelievably and at the oddest times...

 Our A/C has been on the outs for awhile and so our house is warm by the end of the day.  One night last week Nolan kept crying and whining.  Nate went to check on him and he was literally drenched.  His head looked like he had been dunked under water.  His pjs were wet.  We had to change his clothes.  

This has actually happened about half a dozen times throughout the summer!

Most of All Mommy

I had to record this so both HK and I would remember this one someday!

Last weekend I painted/weathered my end tables.  It was my way of getting new ones!  The boys were napping and HK came outside with me while I worked on the tables.  She brought the sidewalk chalk out with us.  She kept asking me what to draw.  I kept trying to think of things I thought she could draw.  She would do them really fast.  So I finally started coming up with longer/bigger things...like the alphabet.  Eventually I just said in an exasperated way, "Hallie Kate just draw whatever you want.  Draw whatever makes you happy."

 So she drew quietly for a few minutes and then asked me how to spell "most of all mommy".  I obliged while continuing to work on the tables.  Then she asked me to look.

She had drawn the two of us.  She is on the right, and I had given her flowers (she loves flowers).  I am on the left, and she had given me a chocolate heart (she knows that I love chocolate).  Then underneath it she had written "Most of all Mommy".  Then it finally hit me what she had done.  

I told her to draw what makes her happy. 

Heart melted.

Memory captured.

How To Clean a Van

Need to clean out a minivan, but have three kids to keep track of?

 Strap the little one in the booster seat and let them all play in the back end!

 I think this kept them entertained for an hour while I cleaned out both vehicles!

My one rule was you couldn't get in and out (because it would bring dirt in after I had cleaned).

You had to stay or you were out!

 They found a little bag of legos that entertained for awhile.  Then HK found a little manicure kit.  She was trying to push Nolan's cuticles back.

 Liam was happy as a lark even when they moved up front.

 Then they eventually played like they were driving.  

And everyone was happy!

Big Boy

Nolan is really starting to be a big boy (with the exception of his aversion to potty training).

Now that Sissy is in kindergarten, I love seeing Nolan being the dominate sibling.  

He LOVES to sit at the island for breakfast and lunch.  That is one of his favorite things to do when HK is not here.  I tried to take his picture, and he put his scowl face on and said, "Don't take my picture."  

Lovies

My Boys & Their Lovies

 Nolan still LOVES his Puppy.  We do now, most of the time, keep them in the bed.  Yes...them.  He has discovered that Mommy has extras.   He will now ask for two Puppies.  Yes, he still sucks on the ears (so gross).  He falls asleep with the ear in his mouth.  I try to pull it out sometimes, but he actually has a grip on it!

Little Man is a giraffe paci combo kind of guy.  You can see his brown football paci between his arm and giraffe.  He is learning to love his giraffe and seems to like it in his face.  Yet he still has to have his paci too.  

Love my little guys and their Lovies!

I Got It Daddy

Nolan came inside the other day and said,

"Look, I got it Daddy!"

He told us it was a bug and he was so proud that he had picked it up and carried it inside.

So after we praised his bravery we told him to go outside and let it go.

I followed him out.

When he put it down, this was what I saw....

He had grabbed a wasp and carried it in the house.

I just stood speechless for awhile being thankful that it didn't sting him.

Then I had to tell him that we don't grab those kinds of bugs because they will hurt us.  

What a little boy!

Round Two

Vacation ended with Nolan and HK having high fevers and Nolan vomiting.  

That was lovely let me tell you.  Nolan's first time vomiting, we were at a restaurant for lunch for my birthday.  

Then after four days of school HK started feeling bad.  I honestly thought she was just exhausted.  Guess I better not blow it off next time she complains.  She ended up with fever and vomiting while complaining of her neck and head hurting really bad.  Needless to say I was a little worried about the neck pain complaint.  After two days of it we got some lab work done to make sure all was well.  It was all well, and Mommy could rest easy while helping HK recover....

 This was how she spent a lot of time on the couch...with her barf bucket.

 She fell asleep with it on her face

Those sweet painted toes sticking out from the blanket caught my attention and had to be captured!

July and August for us have felt like what I think of January and February being like....in the realms of "sicknesses"

12 - 1 months

Watch out for this crazy kid....

 he is 11 months and on the super fast track to a year old!

 This is my laid back pose...the other was the "I'm gonna get you" face for my sissy and bubba!

 Geez Mommy... couldn't you do any better than this.  

 This child raises his eyebrows all of the time and it is hilarious!!!  I think it's because I do it to him all the time without realizing it.  So now it's a game to see him raise those eyebrows to the sky!

 I just take a little rest here Mommy!

I love to hear your laughs and cackles!  I wish I could bottle them forever!

This guy is cruisin' all over town

This is one of his biggest no-no areas right now.  We are going to have to work on this because I will be using my fireplace come fall and winter!

Get on up there big guy....

There go those eyebrows again

Reeeaaacch

Oh and he does love his giraffe.  Not quite as much as Nolan loves Puppy.  For Liam it is more of a paci giraffe combo that does the trick.  He loves to hold it and put it on his face.

Snuggling with Mommy for a few after a nap.

A little Dinosaur Train with Nolan