Mmmmm heaven!!

This tomato is the size of a softball!!  It is huge!  We have been watching it grow with great anticipation!!  AND It delivered!!!  -TWAS DELICIOUS-!!  Home grown tomatos...  nothing better!

Just for DOCUMENT sake

Brenna 6 years old.

I cannot tell you HOW MANY times I have cleaned Brenna's room with her.  Showing her how to separate Polly Pockets from plastic food / doll house furniture from "jewlery".   She has baskets to house the different toys in her room, and on occasion, she can clean up her room to perfection!  This was not one of those days!

It was as though she dumped everything she owned, and then when asked to clean up, she shoved every article into every drawer and dark place she could find.  I thought for a day or two what an amazing job she had done on her room.  But then as it always does, the truth came out... of her nightstand, that is.  I opened a drawer one day to find this.

Is that our house phone I see in there?  With a dead battery I'm sure.  I then opened another drawer...  And another...then, the motherload,  --I looked under her bed--!!

How are 6 year olds so sneaky?? 

Bryant's First Dentist Appointment

Today was Bryant's FIRST dentist appointment.

When I called to make appointments for our family, they said now would be a great time for Bryant to meet the dentist.  They would just count his teeth and show him around the office so he would become familiar with them.  It would be a "happy" visit.  :) 

So back to today...
I talked up the dentist big time!!  How fun it was.  How nice they were.  How you get a token at the end which buys you a trinket toy.  How IF he was a good boy, we would go wherever he wanted for lunch afterward (he picked McDonalds).  --He was going with it--

Brenna wanted to come with us, you know, to show Bryant how fun it was.  I had a plan in my head how this could actually work!  Bribery and coercion never hurt a 3 year old... right?

So we get there and he is fine.  We wait in the waiting room, he is fine.  They call us back, he is fine... until he sees the big dentist chair.  NOT FINE.  He starts to moan and make a painful face like I have completely lost his trust at that exact moment.  :(   I remind him how this is going to be fun. We will meet the dentist, and he only wants to see how many teeth you have...  The nice dental assistant starts to show Bryant the tool that shoots water and air.  I knew it was over at that point, I mean if we were bringing out the big guns already we were never going to make it!  I won't continue with the awful details.  Lets just say, the dentist never got to count Bryant's teeth.  In fact, I don't think he unclenched his jaw the whole time we were there.

I felt defeated by my 3 year old.   "We are not going to McDonalds today!", I announced, when we got in the car.  Brenna pipes in, "Then can we go to Panda Express?" (Her all-time favorite place to eat).  Sure, why not.  Bryant was a little sad about missing out on McDonalds, not really.  I felt somehow that there was justice in going to Panda Express.  (bare with me... It was a rough morning) 

So here we are.  Doesn't Bryant look happy?  (Look at those pearly whites making an appearance!!)  We ended up having a fun time and Bryant said FOR SURE that he would be nice to the dentist NEXT TIME!!  (sure).   

 At the end of our meal we open our fortune cookies.  (The kids don't actually EAT the cookies they just want me to read their fortunes.)       THIS WAS MINE.

I laughed and laughed... at myself!!  What was I thinking bringing Bryant to the dentist???  He still has a hard time going to Primary on Sunday.  -- He'll come around... it doesn't HAVE to be today.

So off we go, headed home to play with the hand balloons the poor dentist made for us.  Until next time.

before and after

We are WAY passed due for haircuts around here!!  I can always tell that it is time when we HAVE to spray water on and actually comb the hair.  Preston was not in the haircutting mood today (to say the least).  Although he doesn't mind going first so he can "get it over with!"  He really is a good boy!

Then there is little miss Brenna!  She has grown out her hair for most of this year.  But it is getting to that point where it needs a trim for sure and it is summer.  Ready for a shorter hairdo.  Brenna said that she wanted it by her chin.  So that is what I did.  After much time in the hot garage, I finally finished!  Cute.  Right?  She went inside and shortly after I heard a shreek and a shrilling cry.  She ran back in the gargage with huge tears and exclaimed that it was horrible and she looked like a BOY!!  It took a little while to calm this girl down, including time alone in her room.  After a while she came out with an apology.  She thought it was cute after all.   Fast Forward a little bit.  I was cleaning the garage...  #1  because I was already cleaning from the haircuts  #2  because I was already sweaty, and #3 because I'm crazy like that... and  I walk inside the house from the garage and find Brenna in the kitchen.With Scissors. CUTTING HER HAIR!   What are you doing?????  I had to take a few minutes to calm down and then took her back in the garage to hopefully FIX what I could.  Amazingly she only gave herself some layers toward the front and I was able to somewhat even them out.  I did my best.  I'm not a professional you know.  I do not have an after -AFTER picture.  My brain turned off when I saw the scissors.  She has done this a few other times (when she was much younger).  I'm wondering if we have learned our lesson on --NO scissors on the hair when you are 6--!!??

Oh this has been a dramatic day!   But, Alas, we have 5 children with 5 heads with shorter hair!  Amen.

This is what we have been up to!

I have a major farmers tan from working in the yard!!  Many "Powerades" were consumed.  Vince and I have sore muscles and tired bodies.  We have worked in the early morning hours, the hot, middle of the day hours, and late into the night (with the help of work lights).  Vince has gone with little or NO sleep.  Wonderful people have helped us, and we have borrowed almost every tool used on this project from our great and handy neighbors! 
We still have some work ahead, but here is a little preview!

TA-DA!!

A few things... from this past week.

While Brenna was at school, Bryant found her birthday crown and Strawberry Shortcake dolls and played and played!  He was thrilled that he could do whatever he wanted and Brenna would not snatch it away.  He was in HEAVEN!!

Brenna was SO excited to write Grandma a letter.  She wrote it at school and came home ready to address it and bring it to the mailbox.  Sweet girl!  She was so happy to be SO big!

This picture cracks me up!!  Bryant, SO serious about his "game" (even though he is not really playing).  Preston, sharing his chair and encouraging Bryant.  Brothers... so sweet!

Bryant loves his "shows".  I just love this face...  such concentration!

Preston had a great time with his football season.  They did not win a single game, but you wouldn't know it to talk to him.  He loved every minute!

We had a busy and happy week.  Life is good!!

Roller Girl

Brenna wanted more than anything to go to Skate Country for her birthday... that and then of course,  "Panda Express" for dinner.  We had a great time!  We went with the Depillos and skated the afternoon away.  Brenna is not very confident in her skating, so she insisted that Vince stay with her in the rink!  We snacked on popcorn and soda.  Aunt Renee and Madie met us there for a little while and gave Brenna a beautiful necklace for her birthday.   Everyone in our family loves to skate, so it was a very fun afternoon!

Cameron, Conner and Bryant

Gumball mouths!  This was very funny!! 

Wyatt and Candace enjoying cartoons and popcorn