Summer Photo Opportunity #1: Backyard Water Fun

During one of my many nights of browsing blogs I came across a list of 100 ways to spend your summer with your kiddos and camera, and if you know me want all, my camera is usually attached to my hip.  There were a few things on there that I have already done - plant a garden & eating Popsicles.  Today's summer photo op is all about the fun you can have in the backyard with an inflatable pool and slip n slide.

The week before school got out I headed to the store to get a small inflatable pool for the boys...

something that's not too big that it would kill the grass, big enough for all four kiddos yet still small enough that I didn't have to worry about chemicals, but instead could drain the water out and start fresh every so often.

The boys had tons of fun in the freezing cold water from the hose. 

What's more fun that drinking from the end of the hose.

As the day went on, the water got increasingly dirty...no longer a crystal clear pool, but the boys were still having a ball.

The next morning the pool was slowly deflating, and was no longer holding water.  Here's what it looks like today.  Yes I know it's gross, but only puppies(which are gone now) played in it the last week or so.  I personally think it's their fault the pool got the hole in it.

Fast forward to this week, I decided that a slip n slide would be a better option. Something that couldn't get popped.  Something that the boys would need to put away every night.  Something that if you added a little soap to, the boys could have fun and their shower at the same time. JK!!!

 

They've been asking to get the slip n slide what already this morning since about 7:00, but I thought it would be a little bit cool that early in the morning.

So far the slip n slide has last longer than the pool...hopefully it's last the rest of the summer.

Sand, Sun, & Water

Yesterday afternoon we headed out the the lake so the boys could go swimming and play in the sand, and I could get my daily dose of vitamin D.

 

Brendan spent most of his time building a sandcastle.

 

 

I learned yesterday, that these two are my river rats, especially Austin.

Lucas playing in the sand

Austin getting ready to be thrown in the water by dad

4 of my 5 boys

Family Pictures - take #1

Here's the first try at a family picture for this summer, and there are so many things wrong with them.  

1.  My boys think that their shirts are their napkins, maybe that's because they don't wear shirts at home some when we're away they think they can just rub their hands down the first of the shirt to get food off.

2.  I couldn't for the life of me get Austin to smile, even a little bit.  So every picture that was taken I get a scowl from him.

3.  Mike didn't want to be in any pictures.  I had to bribe him...enough said.

4.  On the one of the whole family, we took about 25 pictures and every one Lucas has his eyebrows way funny.

There are so many more issues I have with the pictures, but I just wanted to share them with you (plus Mike wanted to get rid of his kindergarten pic at the top of the blog.)  Enjoy!  I'm sure there will be more taken as the summer goes along.

Flashback Friday

With the end of another school year, I want to share these two pictures; one of Mike in Kindergarten and one of me in 2nd grade.

  

I won't be surprised if Mike wants these taken off as soon as he sees this.

Dog for Hire

Do you have problems with these?

I have a solution for you!!!!

Our dog, Aly

She loves to find woodchucks, big one, small one, and even babies.  There are days when she will have killed 1, 2 or even 3 of those pesky things in one day.

But she is very protective of her kill, so good luck getting it away from her...although table scraps usually do the trick.

Give me a call if you want to hire her. 

Side Note:  I want to give shout out to my hubby for getting rid of all the chucks.  Thanks for alway getting rid of those things before we have people over at our house. 

my featured artist

About two weeks ago, I was talking with Mrs. Boomsma on the phone and she mentioned that Lucas' artwork had been selected by DCS's art teacher to be at Festival of the Arts.   So today we headed downtown to check it out.  Lucas was so proud and happy to see his art. (he's bee a little worried about it) 

Congratulations buddy!~!  

Mom and Dad are so proud of you...and don't worry we will make sure that your artwork makes it back home.

Sneak Peak + Updates

Here's a sneak peak of another project I'm working on.

and to update you on my other projects.  I am still waiting for a chunk of time where I have nothing also to do but paint my little cabinet...I'm hoping to get that time on Saturday evening.  I can't wait to show you the color.   :P

I decided to just look for new sconces to replace to ugly UFO looking things I had before. Not sure what I want...I should have just purchase two more of the ones I have in the rest of house, when I changed them 4 1/2 years ago.  I really don't understand why there are sconces all over this house...I don't see what purpose they have.  But I have the holes in the wall and I need to cover them up somehow.

and I need to get my hubby to promise me a day, so we can make a trip to Ikea...more on that later. 

lots of seedin' and {hopefully} no weedin'

 Last week Saturday, planting the vegetable was the task at hand.  Mike was a awesome husband, and had the garden all prepared for me, he roto-tilled, fertilized, and covered it with plastic.  So the only thing that needed to be done was the planting part.

Each year that we've had the garden, the garden continues to expand and this year was no acceptation.   I think the size stayed the same, but we added a couple more veggies.

We planted

30 tomato plants. (4 Big Boy and 31 roma),

2 oregano plants,

2 parsley plants,

8 onions plants,

12 green pepper plants,

15 jalapeno plants,

4 melon plants, 

and 60 potatoes.

of course my little dirty helper wanted his picture taken,

he thought I needed to see his dirty piggies

and then he was distracted by a plane in the sky.

we also planted 6 lettuce plants, and 40 some green beans,

some packets of sunflowers and holly hocks,

 

and finally a peanut plant.

I bet by now you think we're nuts....yup, we are!!!!

I still need to plant pumpkins, but I learned in previous years that you don't do that until flag day (I believe that's June 14.)

my helpful helpers

So here's the actually garden, oh and that's right I have strawberries and a raspberry bush too!!!  

I know what you're thinking those aren't your normal garden tools.  But when you have works with a thick plastic (so we don't have to weed.)  You need to find different tools to work with.    The tools of choice are a hammer and a hole cutter...you know what you put on the end of a drill to drill holes in lumber.

It made the prefect hole to place the plant into.

So that's it for now...I'm sure there will be many more post about the garden in the future. :)