Summer Menagerie

Summer is winding down and we managed to pack lots of fun into the last few weeks.  Including......

...... a trip to the drive-thru Wild Animal park.  I've driven by it my entire life and knew the kids would love it.  We boarded a bus with no windows and enjoyed feeding all kinds of wild animals.  The camel nearly walked on the bus with us.  He gave the boys a slobbery kiss on the cheek.  They loved it. 

We enjoyed a plentiful garden at our house.  Helped Papa G pick tomatoes in his garden and ate lots of squash, cucumber and corn from Brandon and Ashley's garden.

Kennon fell in love with cattle this summer.  He is mesmerized when in their presence.

We made bread and butter pickles with cucumbers from our garden. 

The kids played outside long after dark.  They learned to push each other in their little car.

The older boys learned to play together and have fun.  The fun is even better when the get-away-car driver is dressed as Batman.

Brayden prepared for Kindergarten.  Here he is just before "Meet the Teacher" day.  He is holding the picture of he and Papa G riding on the Jeep at a nearby cave.  It was a special pre-Kindergarten outing for just the two of them.

It's a rare moment when I'm in a picture with all three boys.  Here we are just before Brayden's meet-the-teacher day - our unofficial last day of summer.  

  

Brian, Billy, Zac and Kenny

For Christmas Brian surprised me with tickets to the Zac Br*wn and K*nny Ch*sney concert in Kansas City.  After six months of waiting, we had an absolute blast once the day finally arrived in late July. 

It was smoldering hot.  The stadium was packed and we had a great time enjoying each other and the music.
Second only to a good country fair or an airport, there is no better place to people watch than a concert.  I had a little trouble paying attention to the music because I was distracted by the musings of our neighbors and other random crazies.

We made a mental note to wait several more years before taking the boys to a concert in hopes of putting off discussions about awkward should-be-only-in-private dance moves, strange walking patterns, obnoxiousness and other difficult-to-explain adult behaviors. 

Dressed for succes and just in case my dad asks, yes, I wore boots with a dress.  It's the style nowadays.

Brian and I can pack lots of fun into one weekend.  This particular weekend included dinner at a couple of our favorite spots, lunch dates, music and drinks at a great piano bar, shopping, long talks with good friends, a visit to the hospital where Brayden was born to celebrate the birth of a friends baby, breakfast in bed, ATLS testing for Brian, sleeping late and quiet reading time.

My favorites of the weekend, though, were long (uninterrupted) talks, holding hands and just enjoying each other.

Skate Date

As parenting goes there are days when I/we feel a little strung out and like we didn't get to really spend time with the kids having quality time because there were a thousand other things demanding attention.  Piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, footprints on the kitchen floor, jam smeared on the wall and the list goes on.  I could spend all day attempting to be immaculate, but then I look at the boys and realize how fast they are growing and changing and recognize that time with them is paramount. 

During Brayden's date with mom recently he got to choose everything we did.  He and I went for a bike ride.  We took a break in the "shop" - a portion of the garage set up by Brayden to resemble Papa G's shop.  We met daddy for dinner and then headed to the ice skating rink. 

He was all smiles.  I was too.

Then, after just two long circles around the rink, Brayden asked me to sit on the sideline so he could "try it on his own". 

Ahhh, ok.  Ouch.  Independence hurts. 

He crashed.  He burned.  He flopped around like a fish trying to stand up.  He smiled.  He giggled.  He was thrilled. 

As hard as it was to watch him struggle I realized he needed and wanted to do it on his own.  It dawned on me this was a sort of metaphor for parenting.  My job is to teach him and guide him enough so that he has the confidence to do it on his own.  It was hard to watch, but seeing his determination and pride in making progress was touching. 

And, yes, I cried a tiny little bit, but they were tears of joy.

At times, I think my boys teach me more than Brian and I teach them. 

We had a wonderful, joyful night together that ended with a, "Mom, thanks for spending special time with just me. I had a great time." 

Me too, Brayden.  Me too!

Snuggling Babe

We have been triple blessed with three healthy, precocious, curious, smart and wild boys.  Boys that keep us busy, on our toes and looking forward to what each day will bring with them.   As healthy as he is, Kennon has had a sad looking right eye since the day he was born.  His eye was always goopy and gunky which resulted in mere strangers asking why he was so sad.  After the first few months of comments (sometimes) it made me want to punch them.  Once I got over it I kindly explained he had a blocked tear ducted we expected to clear up by the time he was six months old.  It did not. 

We waited for another six months before the pediatrician would give us a referral.  The referral resulted in a five minute visit with the pediatric ophthalmologist who immediately agreed he needed surgery. 

So the K-man and I headed out at 5:30 am one morning in early June.  It was just outpatient surgery, but still I was nervous to leave my baby, but found myself saying prayers of thanks knowing we could endure this simple procedure and that we are blessed with - otherwise - healthy children. 

K is so active we opted to give him a minor sedative before the surgery.  It made him very, sleepy.....

Daddy showed up for moral support and extra love and cuddles before surgery.  Thankfully, I got to carry Kennon into the OR, hold him and talk to him before he was completely sedated.  He was scared.  I was scared and it felt like there was a vice around my heart knowing I had to leave him.  Again, I was so thankful this was minor. 

The surgery went quickly and Kennon was screaming before he got to recovery.  He was crying until I took him in my arms and he laid his little head on my shoulder and rested.  There is nothing more precious than I child finding comfort in the arms of someone they love.  I am so thankful I was that person for him.  

Little, Big Man Turns 3

We celebrate birthday's for at least a full week around our house.  Grayson - being the sweet, charismatic boy he is - managed to celebrate for a full seven days and to have all three themes he loves the most. 
My little, big man is growing up fast. He is sweet as ever, but the sweetness fades ever so slightly as he is starting to stand up for himself against his older brother and taking a firm stance of resistance when we ask him to do something he is opposed to. He is passionate about his family, friends, tractors, animals, the color orange. He brings immeasurable joy to us every day.  

We kicked his celebration off the Saturday before the big day with a zoo themed birthday at our local zoo. He chose doughnuts with orange frosting in lieu of a cake.  He invited a couple of friends from his preschool class and his neighbor friends to join him for a special zoo class where we got to hold and learn about an exotic chicken, chinchilla, rare turtle, a tarantula (only Daddy held him), a hedge hog-looking-thing and a couple of other animals.  The kids loved it and Grayson absolutely ate it up.  He adores animals.  After the class, we fed the koi and visited the petting zoo and other animals before riding the train and playing on the playground. 

It was great hot, sticky fun.  The joy and excitement that Grayson showed was priceless. 

Monday we celebrated by seeing Cars 2.  Tuesday we went to a new pool with splash buckets, zero entry and corn dogs.  Wednesday he took special Mick*y Mouse treats for snack to his PDO class and we celebrated in the evening with a family party complete with a pizza party, strawberries and homemade ice cream.  We decked the place out with orange balloons and streamers in honor of Grayson's fav color. 

July Fourth Fun

We have a long standing family tradition of togetherness when July 4th rolls around and this year was a blast...so to speak.  We filled the days with splashing around in the lake to stay cool, playing in the yard in the evening, visiting with lake neighbors and going for long walks.

The kids are becoming fish.  Little Kennon and Matney are learning to tolerate their life jackets and loved the boat. 

Kennon broke free of the life jacket while Matney stayed snuggled up in hers.  

Brian and I found 5 seconds to take a picture as a couple, relaxed and having fun. 

Sisterly self-portrait.  She's pretty cool and we got to actually talk this time rather than running around like crazed mothers.  Well, I may have still been a crazed mom, but I did manage to chat.  It was fun. 

Brian and Brayden rescued my stranded dad from the dock.  Dad always comments on Brian's driving and said Brian's water driving fares no better than his land driving.  I agree.  Brian still insists he is great at both. 

Kennon had so much fun splashing around and playing on the boat he completely wiped himself out. 

Uncle Brandon hauled the Ranger to the lake for our parade entry.  The boys helped me decorate and Aunt Jackie won their favor when she presented them with candy to toss to the parade spectators.  The bowl was pretty much full when they returned.  What was gone I was told Grayson had gorged on and then opted to hoard the rest for later.  Doesn't anyone feed these kids?

Brayden's cute little ears were getting fried.  Ever the planner, he had packed his cowboy hat right next to the kitchen sink in the car so those ears were protected.  One cute cowboy, I'll say.

We posed for an official family 4th of July photo.  And, yes, the boa was smoking hot....figuratively and literally. 

The Crawford's coordinated beautifully. 

And we owe our fun to mom and dad without whom we wouldn't be around to enjoy such fun. 

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day was relaxed and fun this year with an impromptu pool party, cook out and an old fashioned game of tag.  Ashley and I surprised Brandon and Dad with shiny red stainless steel Coleman coolers.  They were strangely excited to have the "it" carrier for their "blue pops".  Brian falls asleep after a sip of said "blue pop" so he got some BBQ equipment and a super cool Captain America t-shirt.  He wears it proudly. 
We had so much fun swimming I failed to get pictures of the gift giving fun, but we did have a nice little daddy photo shoot. 
First up...Matney with her main man.  She made his t-shirt as a gift.  He wore it proudly.

Then we had a hot dad's contest....the competition was fierce, but Brandon took the grand prize for best pecs (as you can see).  Dad won the best hat award and Brian won most-likely-to-dull-a-razor. 

Then we had a no-girls-allowed photo op.

Followed by Dad with adoring daughters.

We were so glad Brian's dad joined us as a poolside spectator and tag judge. 

It was a quintessential summer fun family day.  Just what life is all about.