For the love of all that is holy!!!!

If you have NOT checked out Pinterest yet - do it NOW.  I urge you!!!!  This site is invaluable.  Seriously.  I have had so many "aha!" moments since spending time sorting through pins.  Take, for example, my new elbow patches on my all time most favorite cold weather coziest cardigan.  I have abnormally bony elbows.  Said elbows rest just so on my desk at work for eight hours a day while I type, type, type away.  Slowly and surely my poor cardigans wear out as said elbows rub against the desk.  I cannot bear to say goodbye to this cardigan.  Pinterest to the rescue!!!  Yay!!!

Enough said :)

Life is Good....

As I sit down for the first time this evening (apart from dinner), I am for some reason drawn to my blog.  I don't really know why, as I haven't blogged since Quinn's fantastic 5th birthday.  But maybe, just maybe, I only want to blog when I have little time to do so.  Or it could be, that when I have little time, I want to take a break from all the things I have to do.  In retrospect the 365 photo project just wasn't for me.  Anything that feels like a job becomes tiresome.  And then I just don't want to do it.

So here we are again.

Today is only Thursday, but it's almost over.  Which means tomorrow is the last day of my work week.  This is nice for the obvious reason - the weekend.  But it's also nice because that means I am one week closer to a mini vaca weekend away with the family :)  I have high hopes for this mini vaca, but low expectations.  By this I mean I want to relax and just be.  I think just being is the best.  Don't over-think, over-plan, over-kill.  You know?  I have some plans for the weekend - fun things to do with the kids (and grandparents!) while at the cottage as well as possibly getting out and taking some family pics.  But my life rarely ever goes to my plan.  And I am learning to accept and love this :)  So while I think it will be fun to make marshmallow animals (LOVE pinterest!  Check it out if you haven't already) and bake apple chips, if we don't get to it, eh, that's ok too.

Anyway, time to get back to my next chore; sorting Lucy's clothes for the consignment sale.....sorting, inventory, pricing, etc....good times!  All so I can shop a day early :)

Night all!!!

Happy Birthday Quinn Seymour!!

I will always and forever look at my baby boy and see this -

Or perhaps this - 

Hopefully never again this (because he just really fits his awesome red hair :))

Although that was only taken a year ago - but he looks the same to me in all of these pictures as he does today - when this was taken - 

He is sunshine and sensitivity, creativity and friendship....intelligence and the best time you'll ever have, all rolled in to someone who technically does not even turn five for 35 more minutes.  He really is such an awesome kid!!  It's sad to me that I will never actually be able to clearly remember him like this - 

without looking back on pictures...

Anyway

Quinn!!!!

I love you!!!!!

Love - Mommy :)

Sunshine.

Apparently getting hours of sunshine with your kids two days in a row will make a person want to blog.

Not much to say other than today was fantastic.  Well, this evening with my family was.  Work was work.  I had so much fun in a freezing cold baby pool with my babies.  When you fill the pool from the hose at 3:30 and get in said pool at 3:35, guess what?  The water hasn't warmed up yet :)  Too bad we don't have a fancy outdoor spigot that runs hot and cold.  It was fun nonetheless.  And we ate dinner on the deck too....and played on the swing set.  FUN!

Check out my monkeys though on the bar/rings.  Ignore the fact that none of them look like they eat :)  I do feed them.  Check out the back muscle on Lucy though!  I need to get her back in gymnastics

Time flies....

So....I took a picture tonight.  I actually usually take a picture about everyday.  But it's with my cell phone and while the subject is totally worthy of sharing, it's most likely already been shared on Facebook.  And since most (if not all) of my "The Letter U" readers are real life friends/family that are also on Facebook, it seems a bit redundant.

It was absolutely beautiful outside today when the kids and I got home (after work, etc).  So we played out back until dinner.  I love seeing them have so much fun together.  I love the fact that despite every guilty feeling I ever have about things I can't give them or do for them, I have given them each other.  And I give of myself.  I really try to always be present in the moment, in their lives, etc.  I hope that when all is said and done I have accomplished this.  On that note, I think my blog has naturally morphed from a "365 photo blog" to a "post when I have a subject/time blog".  Life is ever changing.  It's the nature of things.

I am thankful tonight for my wonderful kids and husband....and I am thankful that today is over!  I am ready for bed :)

I don't know how many of you caught this, but I mowed yesterday.  This fact is important because my picture tonight is brought to you by my refusal to use a trimmer.  I have mowed our yard the past two times.  Therefore, our yard has not been trimmed for at least 1.5 weeks....I am afraid of the trimmer.  Whatever that line is, it scares me.

I usually despise our back fence.  Shadow fencing creates too many spaces for weeds, grass, etc to grow in, under, and around.  But right now I am loving it.  Enjoy!

Chillax....

Tomorrow is Friday.  Thank GOD.  Short weeks are always the longest.  I swear.  It obviously isn't even the amount of days (duh), it's squeezing five days worth of work into four days.....I am so tired....Thankfully we don't really have anything planned into this weekend, yet.  My mind is already mulling over refinishing our deck; rhino painting, redoing lattice work and rails, the whole nine yards....heck, maybe we can even figure out some sort of pergola type thing to provide some shade.  Who knows what I can talk Travis into ;)

Anyway, after some awesome made-to-order Thai food for dinner tonight, we all went out front to enjoy bomb pops :)  It was almost like a holiday :)

Happy almost weekend everyone!!!

Reality Bites.... :)

Tomorrow is back to reality, back to the grind....boo.  But I think I made the most of my time this long weekend and over the past week that I was working from home.  With my kids, with life, with whatever ;)

Check out my pics below and hope everyone had a wonderful fourth!!

Quinn's new puppy - Bailey :)

My three girls ;)  Lol...love it :)

Photo shoot of boys and Lucy at the park today...

The duck has landed!!!

So my neighbors had a duck build a nest in their front flower bed under some big, green, leafy plant.  Then that duck laid 11 eggs.....Then that duck was hit and killed by a car =(  So my neighbors took the nest in and sat it under a heat lamp for two weeks waiting, even though the wildlife center told them it wouldn't work.  Today one of the eggs hatched and out came the cutest little fluffly duckling I've ever seen (really the only little newborn duckling I've ever seen, so not much to go on here =))....His name is Alfie.  He may be a she.  Who really knows?  Not us.  Hoping some more eggs hatch.  I love little baby birds with webbed feet.  Not so much other little baby birds though =)

***  This blog is to serve as the blog for 7/1/2011 :)  Sorry I didn't get home in time.  We were at a movie at the park with the kids.  

Hotter than the surface of the sun....

Jude had his final baseball game of the season tonight (it was a makeup game) at Diley Middle School....The fields are at the top of what seems to be an innocently inclined hill....I swear the small hill put us inches from the sun, or perhaps on it.  It was so hot that Lucy and I ended up in the car with the air on watching a movie....The only bonus to playing at Diley is that they have a playground.  The only drawback of this playground is that it is designed for middle schoolers.  Not much for Lucy to do.  Quinn had fun though.  And Jude did flipping awesome during the parts of the game I was watching.  Not so awesome when Travis was watching ;)  All in all though I am a mix of being a shade darker and a tad more burnt.  Not sure which really, I guess only time will tell.  He got his trophy tonight though and then we hit up DQ on the way home.  So it was worth feeling like I was literally melting for about an hour.

A marching band was rehearsing too while we were watching the game.  Once Lucy and I had retreated to the car I started to people watch the band members.  I have decided my children will never be in marching band.  While I have no "this one time, at band camp" stories, it was quite obvious to me that many members of marching band do.  That, coupled with "Secret Life of the American Teenager" has prompted me to come to this decision.  This decision and the other decision of becoming Amish :)  I would like to keep my children locked up for about the next 20 years or so.....50, 60, who knows :)  Anyway, for real, band camp is not an option.

Check out my monkey...don't mind the glimpse of his boxers...four year olds don't care if their pants are tied :)

And the ever popular Lucy featured once again in a dress of mine from when I was her age....

Second to last baseball game of the season....

And Lucy finally knows how to behave :)  I was seriously not looking forward to going tonight (sad, I know) because Lucy is usually so clingy, whiny, and impossibly uninterested that I just end up walking around with her instead of watching the game.  But tonight she appeared to have fun.  She even cheered Jude on a couple of times.  And Jude did great, like always.  Even though he was hit once in the helmet and once in the hand while at bat (stupid coach pitch, no guarantee the volunteer coaches can pitch to four feet tall kids...I know I couldn't!).  I was also extremely camera happy tonight.  It was fun.  So, enjoy my pics!!!

I'm still here!!!

So, I actually took some real pictures today.  I'm going for overkill here since I haven't blogged for a good bit.  I am working from home this week because my mother-in-law is out of town and I am down a sitter.....This would be a bad thing but I love it!  The boys are in summer playground but they're still here half day and having only Lucy in the morning is kind of nice.  She seems much more manageable when they aren't all feeding off of each other :)

Anyway, I feel bad about the slacking on my end with my "photo a day" thing, but this has been a busy summer so far....we've had baseball, swimming, a garage sale....the boys and I went to see Cars 2 last Friday.  It was a good movie.  But I think I still like the first one better.  Jude's last baseball game is Thursday and Quinn's was last Saturday.  I can't say that I'm sad the season is ending.  I love watching them play, and grow and learn, but baseball is sort of boring.  Why do the boys not want to play soccer?  In less than a year I will be forcing Lucy into gymnastics and ballet :)  I can't wait :)  I think she'll enjoy it too, so that's a bonus.  Quinn really wants to play football in the fall but I think for his age it's flag football.  Call me crazy but I don't think Quinn could handle that.  He's a full contact kind of kid.  So he'll just have to wait a couple of years :)

So....enjoy the pics!!!!

This is my hens and chicks (chicks and hens?)....apparently, it's "blooming".  I didn't know it did this and to be quite honest it looks a little phallic and makes me a little uncomfortable.  I thought it was just a very low lying cacti sort of plant.  Who knew?

Our strawberry plants are doing great as well.  Lucy loves going to our side bed, picking a "bury" and walking around showing it off before finally eating it.  And she is so smart, she only eats the berry, and then gives me or Travis the top green part and stem.  Smart girl :)

The rest of these are of Lucy...I was home all morning with her.  When the boys got home they all ate lunch then all took a nap.  Sue me.  After that we spent time outside, weeding, riding bikes, running, etc...then baths and bed :)  I like to enjoy my time.  Maybe tomorrow I'll take my camera to Jude's baseball game and get some action shots :)

Happy Father's Day!!!

I know I said it yesterday - but Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there!  The kids gave Travis his Christmas wrapped father's day gift this morning and I think he really liked it, especially when the boys yelled "Merry Christmas!" at him....Guess that's what he gets for making fun of the snowman t-shirt I wore Friday :)  It's a t-shirt and I feel that makes it acceptable attire for any time of year :)  Thanks go out to Chris for knowing where she keeps her seasonal wrapping paper, unlike myself :)

Anyway, today was a full day and tomorrow is Monday, yet again....viscous cycle.  I took many pics today but my faves are of Lucy coloring this evening.  She kept asking me to take one more pic of her :)  I don't think there is any baby girl in the world cuter than Lucy....I'm a little biased though!  Okay, maybe a lot!

 

Tyler - the kid....

We live in one of the best neighborhoods in the world...in my humble opinion :)  Not only do we have some of the best neighbors ever, but the neighborhood kids are great.  One perfect example of this is Tyler - the kid.  The boys love him, idolize him even.  And he really is a great kid.  He came over tonight to play with the boys and stayed for dinner and dessert  :)  Lucy loves him too.  She gets so excited when she sees him she screams his name and practically vibrates, just like she does with her brothers :)  Maybe she thinks he is her brother?  Who knows, but it's adorable, especially because she calls him Hyler :)

Tomorrow is Sunday and Fathers Day - make it a memorable day!  Happy Father's Day to my husband!  I couldn't ask for a better father for my children :)  And Happy Father's Day to my own father and my father in law!  You are both wonderful people who make such a difference in our lives!!  And Happy Father's Day to all the other wonderful dads out there that I have the privilege to know and call friends :)

I feel like such a slacker....

June 9th.  June 9th is the last day I posted a blog.  I am such a slacker....I have lost momentum.  But here's a pic I took tonight at dusk in the rain.  A little back story on this flower, I am a very symmetric person.  To a fault.  And yet, for some reason, one side of my bed has about 6 of these (whatever they are) about 12 inches tall in a cluster while the other side has one single four inch tall bloom.  What?!  I have to split them in the fall, I can't handle the uprising.

Happy weekend everyone!

Fun in the sun!

Okay...so this is a double post - or something....since I already loaded these pics to facebook earlier today.  But I was thinking that I may have readers outside of facebook.  Who knows :)

Today the kids and I went to the pool.  Me, three kids, and, well, me.  It was fun.  But I was so full of anxiety by the end of hour two that we came home.  Jude can "sort of" swim, Quinn can stand on his own, and Lucy is oblivious to the dangers present when at a pool.  So the boys did really well with staying close to me. Lucy, on the other hand, wanted to walk the wall, climb up and down the pool stairs, jump in to me repeatedly (causing my biceps to definitely get a workout), etc, etc, etc....I really need to find someone that does private swim lessons in the evening for the boys.  Working full time only allows us to sign them up for 1x/week lessons for 8 weeks.  We have done this and it is a waste of time and money (in my opinion!)....so I really need to find nightly swim lessons for both boys at the same time for 2-4 weeks straight.  So I can relax a smidge at the pool :)

Anyway, here are my Solar Babies (anyone know this?! bonus points if you have heard of or seen this without googling :)).....They are cell pics again, sue me :)  **  Jude and Lucy look hilarious in their pics...it was bright out!!  And I was taking the pics blind :)

On a slightly related note, I hate that tomorrow is my last day of vacation.  I would rather be home every day, even if every day was "one of those days" than have the best day ever at work.  As I type this Quinn is whining about it being bedtime ;)  But I wouldn't trade it!!!!  Love them more than life itself!!!  Night all!!!

Jude's last day of first grade....

Today was Jude's last day of first grade.  He was so cute and wanted to take something to a few of his teachers :)  So we baked cookies and he made them little cards.  I was really impressed with how thoughtful he was with what he wrote them too.  Each one got a different message from him.

Anyway, I took a pic of him getting off the bus on his last day since we do before school on the first day :)  So below is Jude's first and last day of first grade :)  My "baby" is growing up....Quinn told me yesterday in nine more years Jude will be driving.  This seems like an eternity, but the first seven have flown by!  Too bad I'm not sure that I'll be ready to let Jude have that freedom!!

Just for giggles I've thrown in his first day of Kindergarten as well :)

Kindergarten (first day)

First grade (first day)

First grade (last day)

Monkey see - Monkey do....

Quinn wants to be just like Jude; Lucy wants to be just like Quinn; and Jude goes back and forth between wanting to be like me and Travis - and wanting to be like Lucy!  As for me, I want to be just like a wealthy person who can stay home with her kids :)  I would even take a not so wealthy but comfortable person who can stay home with her kids....sacrifices :)  I am loving vacation this week though!   :)  Live it up while I can :)

Happy Birthday Lucy!!!!

Today my last baby turned two years old.  I think she is officially considered a toddler now, right?  So I am fresh out of babies....sad!!!  But I love my kids and love getting to see them grow, learn, and turn into people right before my eyes.  Lucy is already so much older than I think she should be, intellectually and physically.  She makes her own decisions when appropriate, and sometimes even when it's not :)  She tries her best to keep up with the boys, which she actually manages to do quite well...She is also mostly polite, a little demanding, but usually grateful.  She is always entertaining, being that she ignores any conventional rules we lay out for her (don't color on yourself, don't color on the furniture, etc, etc, etc.  She even likes to go down the stairs by herself which about gives me a coronary!)...

Anyway...onto memory lane :)

This is my all time favorite pic of Lucy, all squishy and fresh to the world, curled up and trusting...almost bald :)

Lucy at age 1...still almost bald....if only I could get her to sit still for the camera these days :)

Lucy on our photo shoot today at Sycamore Creek Park :)  She picked out her own princess dress to wear today (that's what she calls it)...too bad I am way to lazy to iron - these would've been so much better!!!  And it was fun but she is so uncooperative these days!!  I need to take all the kids out and update our wall though :) 

And then just a few pics from her cake time tonight :)