"That's my boy..."

Sean calls Evan his boy who looks after him. ( In other words, Evan's his little runner, his slave)

I guess when you're six, you're big brother is your hero and you'd do anything for him.

Summer Fun

The boys spent a week down in South Carolina with their Gunny and Grammy and they had a blast, riding the horse, grooming the horse, Evan played with new puppies and luckily did not bring one home. They are already planning for next year. So am I, I didn't think I'd have fun, but I really did, don't tell them that though.

Sean and I got to do lots of things we never do, eat in peace, go to the movies, go out with friends, shop in peace, go to bed when we wanted, all the things you take for granted when you have no kids.

It's great having them back though, they've been hanging out with Daddy every since, going to work with him, helping him, distracting him, going swimming, playing golf. They are having a great summer vacation. As long as they stay away from the Boys and Girls club, they are happy.

We are planning on going on a family vacation to our mountain house and take the kids white water rafting and tubing down the mountains. We may do the water park on the way over and possibly the zoo too. I'm just looking forward to a week off from work.

Next week we're going to meet Mimee in Myrtle Beach for the weekend. We always have a great time when we do that. Then they start soccer camp the next week, should be good and hot for them by then at least they'll be playing at night, when it's only 90 degrees instead of 100.

I wish it was summer vacation year round. It's so relaxing not having to run around with all the activities during the school year, we can ride our bikes after dinner instead of running in at 8 or 9 taking a bath and going to bed.

The Second Grader

I put a picture of the third grader up but didn't put one up of the second grader. He did great this year and gets cuter everyday, along with taller. His stitches are all healed up and his arm seems to not bother him either. I thought he had broken his arm this past weekend, but the swimming healed it miraculously. It's amazing. The sheer will they have when they want to do something or not do something. And this little guy here is the king of all stubbornness!

It's a sin

The boys started the summer camp program at boys and girls club Monday. This year is different because they separated the 6-7 from the 8-9's therefore leaving Evan with only one person he hangs out with. But that one friend of his hasn't been coming this week. The first day he comes home and says, "I only have one friend and he didn't even come today." So I tell him maybe he can make some new friends. He says, "I'm just real quiet and I sit by myself, I don't get into trouble that way."

So Tuesday he decides to take his stuffed dog, Belle, but when we get there they tell him he can't have the dog there. ( I don't know what that stuffed dog was going to hurt) So he starts crying and finally agrees to let her come to work with me. So I pick them up and he says, "I could hardly eat my lunch I was so upset over not having Belle with me."

He's completely serious with all this and while it sounds completely heartwrenching and sinful, when I pick them up I have to drag him off the playground from all of his non friends.

And That's the ballgame!

I promise to play fair and enjoy the game. Amen.

Sean's team played last night in the second round of tournament play and they in all aspects of the game outplayed this team, this team who went undefeated the entire season. Our boys should be very proud of themselves, most have either never played baseball before or they had just moved up from Coach pitch which is not like playing baseball at all.

I think they all had a good time and no one is the least bit phased by it, they each started a whole new day and now baseball is in the distant past. I am going to miss going to the ball field and eating hot dogs and cheering for our team. It's a summer past time and it was really fun. The one thing I will not miss is the boys being drama queens. Each one of those kids pouted if they struck out, each one pouted if they got on base, but didn't cross that glorious finish line with the neon lights flashing "You're Home Safe" I think next year instead of purple jerseys they should have pink. But this last game they did do much better with their attitudes and hopefully next year they will be a year more mature.

The pouty face!


Swing batter batter Suwing!!


AHHHH, YOU'RE HOME SAFE!

And that's the ballgame, until next year!

Bandaids, stitches and suits of armor!

My kids have not been out of school a week yet and one already has stitches and the other ate asphalt yesterday. I hope this is it for the rest of the summer. Last night I had to buy the mother load of bandages to make sure everyone had all the antibotic oitment they needed on and all the scrapes and things covered. My hieney can't take anymore! Everytime Evan jumps or falls or rides his bike or whatever my hieney hurts for him. Then Sean crashes on his scooter and gets one of those scrapes that doesn't bleed at first it just turns white, then starts to bleed. When it started it didn't want to stop. Ugh, I don't do blood, it's just gross.

Music

Sean got his report yesterday and it was very good and by way he's promoted to the third grade. Last semester he did really good except in music he had an "N" needs improvement. So I told him that was crazy to end up failing second grade, because basically he couldn't behave in music.


On his report card this time, he got an "O" Outstanding in music. Not just a satisfactory, but he made sure he got an "O" he wasn't about to tell anyone he failed second grade because of music.


Think I should tell him that he really would not have failed because of that or just let him figure it out.



Here's the third grader!

Stitches

I bet you can guess which one too, yep, Evan. He and a friend were playing at the ball field and he fell on a log and cut his leg (near his privates) and ended up with six stitches.

Getting them was not fun, but now he thinks it's pretty cool. Everyone he sees that's the first thing out of his mouth. "I've got stitches"

I'm sure when he's older, he'll want to show all the girls his "scar" considering it's location, oh the stories he'll tell.

Day 700 Pacified

He got him a new puppy. Not the one he's been begging for, but when Daddy and I went out of town we found him a cute little soft German Shorthair Puppy that we couldn't see him living without.

I don't know where he gets his craziness from.

More Wild Horses

A family of horses we came upon on Taylors Creek. They did not even look up when we pulled the boat right over to them and took pictures. It's really too cool.

Oh wait these aren't horses these are wild Banshees! But they are cute. They too were not bothered by the camera.

Day 698

We seemed to have forgotten about that cute little puppy!

Wild Horses and Wild Boys

For Memorial Day, we headed over to Shac with the other 30,000 locals and anchored the boat and sat and enjoyed the day in the sun. We were there for probably 15 minutes when we see this.




A beautiful lone wild horse.



He did not seem the least bit bothered by all these humans who had invaded his island.

It was such an awesome sight.

After the hoopla with the wild horse we dealt with the wild boys the rest of the afternoon. They had fun as long as you add water they are happy. They played in the really cold water all day, on the banks digging and again in the water. The adults just people watched all day and boy was that interesting.

And here's the wild boys on their boogie boards

and Evan on his daddy's life vest. Cold Much?!

That Cute little puppy...... AGAIN!!!

So to leave our house and go anywhere in town you have to pass B-E-L-K! And everytime we pass it, what do we hear, "oooh, can we go to Belk? I've gotta have that puppy!"



We've given him chores and opportunities to earn $14, but he says that will take 14 days. What does he expect.



You would think that he would forget about this puppy, this child can't remember to brush his teeth, come in out of the rain, clean his room or anything else or the fact that he has over 1000 other cute soft puppies.

For instance almost every picture of him, he's got a cute little puppy with him.

The Black one, Coal!

The Yellow one, Gunner!

And WHY would you want a cute soft "Stuffed" puppy, when you've got this?

Makes me want another cute soft little boy!

PS. Not really!

Conversation Continued

Evan: "Daddy there's this cute puppy at Belks and I've just got to have it, will you buy it for me?"

Daddy: "I don't know Evan, you have so many puppies already."

Evan: "Please, Please"

Daddy: "We'll see, not right now."

10 minutes later

Evan: (Holding out about 50 cents in his hand) "Daddy, I'll pay you more than the $14 the puppy cost if you go get it for me."

Daddy: "Well, is that all the money you have?"

Evan: "yes, it's more than $14."

Daddy: "I think we need to let you work a few more jobs before you can afford it."

Evan: "Ugggghhhh, You mean I have to work for money."


PS. Still no puppy....

A conversation with Evan

Evan: "Mom, I've got to have this cute little puppy."

Me: "No, Evan you have a thousand at home!"

Evan: rubbing the puppy on my arm "but just feel how soft he is!"

Me: "yes, he's cute and soft, but no!"

Evan: "mom, please I've just got to have this soft cute puppy?!"

Me: "no"

Evan: "I'll pay you 20 dimes for it!"

Me: "ugh!"



PS. He didn't get the puppy.

Belle

From the looks of this picture one would think this is the Most Statuesque dog in the world, just look how well behaved she is. One would never know that this dog just six months ago, loved to jump the fence and run all over Purgatory Bay, no one could catch her, it was her game. People still see her walking on a leash and say, don't let her loose, you'll never catch her.

But she's been "fixed" of jumping the fence and now she stays right in her yard and behaves like a normal dog. So what that she has electrical volts around her neck and if she goes out of the yard she gets shocked.

Inside she's pretty good too. She gets in the trash, eats whats left at the table, on the floor and she always goes to the back door and proclaims she must go now! If you don't get up she will continue talking to you until you get off your butt and let her out.

These next pictures are from the same photo session. They can't all be perfect.

This is Sean and Belle hanging out in my leather recliner. Smart Boy-Smart Dog!


"So if I don't look at her, she will go away with that camera"



Are you going to put that thing away yet?

Why I had my boys so close together.

On Mother's Day I had a great day, very relaxing, I even got to nap! The boys played outside most all day. At one point I was watching them build a fort or hideout. They had drug every spare piece of wood their Daddy had brought home, their soccer goal, their bikes, the fake ficus on the deck, bricks, from somewhere an old sleeping bag and anything else they could possibly dig up. It was quite amusing to watch them work together, help each other.

Later I look out and they are both sitting under the trampoline talking. I wondered what they were talking about, girls, sports, riding their bikes, or just simply the wind blowing.

I love they are so close, best friends, and I love that they will always have someone in their corner. Brothers!

Can't you just feel the love!!

This week has been an easy one, only one practice due to the weather and only one game this weekend. Three nights this week, I've actually cooked dinner, real meals not dollar double cheeseburgers on the way home to do homework. At 6:30 Tuesday night, we had eaten, dishes clean and I was sitting there going what do I do now? I haven't had that in so long that I couldn't decide if I wanted to laze around and watch something stupid on television or actually do something good for myself and go walk. Believe it or not I chose to walk. The boys rode their bikes and of course the walk started out like normal, they have to ride through the driveways if they are circle drives in the front of a house. Everytime, they just can't help it. Living in Purgatory Bay you never know when someone's going to come out and yell at you for being in or near their yard.

I fuss, they say yes mam' and we wait for the next tempting driveway to appear. Never fails they have to do it. Ugh, so much for a nice relaxing brisk walk. I can't wait to get home, I knew I should have taken door number 2 and lazed on the couch.

It's blowing a gale!!

I think we can unlatch the hatches and go back outside. For the past five days we've been having a Noreaster Storm, winds at 50, raining one minute, sun the next and repeat. I sure hope the old fisherman are wrong, they are saying our hurricane season will be bad if the wind is blowing this bad already.

During this time of high winds, the boys have sure been in rare form. Surprising me every minute with the things they can come up with. Leaving me wondering if it's just "boys being boys" or worse will they be serial killers one day? No wonder some animals eat their young. Oh well, I'll stick with Boys will be Boys!

The other night I got out my old scrapbooks and looked back at the boys. It was so much fun to remember those crazy nights up feeding them and those sweet days of seeing them take their first steps or say their first words and I thought about how fast these last 6-8 years have passed. I really wish their was a pause button. I'm not sure how long I could keep it paused, but I'd sure stand on it for awhile.

I just know that I'm going to wake up tomorrow and they are going to be grown and I don't want them to be grown.