Trying to Catch Up Once Again

Oh Goodness Friends, I feel like I have seriously fell off the blogging bandwagon. I promise though, I may not update as much as normal but I will post catch up posts as often as I can. I don't know why I'm not blogging like normal...I'm blaming it on the summer.

Anyway, I'm way far behind so we should just go ahead and get started. This is going to be a long post I'm sure!

Wednesday

* Definitely a productive day. The girls (Anika, Torie and I) cleaned house like no other. It took up the majority of the day. I was so pleased with the results though. Everything looked great, even Axle's school room.

* We delivered 3 bags of clothes to my cousin Krissy for her little girl Maggie May. I'd been saving all of Annalee's clothes she outgrew and they were taking over my house. I'm sure Miss Maggie will get lots of use out of them.

* The girls made an Ooey Gooey Butter Cake for dessert- they totally messed it up. I'll give them an A for effort but not for the end result. I was sad, I love those cakes!

* All in all it wasn't a bad day....sometimes you just have to break down and get things done


Thursday

* Anika and I both had counseling appointments. One of her friends (Cody) went with us and so did Torie. Anika wasn't in her session long at all but I on the other hand was in there forever. Let's just say I had a hard week the week before so we had lots to talk about!

* Little Lee looked so cute for our trip out. I couldn't resist snapping a pic of her!

* The kids and I made a trip to Walmart. I had to stock up on baby food. Little Lee is now eating a lot of the graduates meals and she loves them. I also got her some Gerber snacks. Our local grocery store has a very slim variety so I try to stop by Walmart and stock up every now and then!

* I made the kids some Chicken Fajitas when we got home. They were quite tasty

* My friend christal stopped by for a bit and hung out. She was kid free for the night and the best place she could think of to come was my house. Poor girl.....I was glad she came down though, I was feeling terrible.

* Christal drove us up to my Mom's so the kids could get some cookies mom made. The new boy "friend" went with us. It was obvious by this time Anika wasn't nearly as interested in him as he was her. Poor boy, he seemed like a nice kid.

* Christal hung out here at the house with us till Hubby got home. I was feeling very dizzy and disoriented so she was worried about me. I think it was just where I'd been out of my medicine for a bit.

Friday

* We had a day out on Friday! The kids (Anika, Torie, Blake, Little Lee and Ax) and I all went to West Virginia for a little shopping and dinner.

* I gave in and let Miss Anika talk me in to letting her get her nose pierced. OMG it looked painful but I actually do think it's cute. She loves it.

* We had dinner at Chili's and the food was great. I ordered a Raspberry Margarita and got two. I love happy hour! I could have drank ten more but I didn't.

* We did some shopping. I had to get Tenisha something for her Household Shower and had to grab Father's Day gifts. I also found all the party supplies (or most all) for Axle's birthday party. I got myself two new tops too and Anika got two new bra like things. It was a fun day shopping but I started feeling very sick near the end of the trip.

* We didn't get home till almost 11:00. I dropped the boyfriend (yep he became the boyfriend again) off at his house and the girls, little ones and I came on home. Needless to say the rest of the night we did absolutely nothing!


Saturday

* We attended a Household Shower at Noon for Tenisha. She is the boyfriend's sister and Anika is in her wedding! The turnout was small but she still got some great stuff. They had some good food and I was in good company so it was fun. I ended up leaving before it was over. Annalee was so tired and Ax was getting really restless. I decided to bring home my friend Christal's daughter with us. Her and Ax played themselves to death the rest of the evening.

* Our neighbor came down and informed us that they had spotted a bear crossing my yard. Oh yay, now we have snakes and bears!

* Christal and Her Husband Jimmy came down later in the evening. Poor Jimmy was about half lit (drunk) and frankly the evening turned into a Days of Our Lives Episode. Why do men get all redneck when they drin too much. Seriously, if you can't handle your alcohol, don't do it! All in all it turned out okay though. He finally chilled himself after I called his Brother in Law and Sister in Law to come down. We ended up hanging out by the fire till Hubby got home. Shew, I was so tired when it was bedtime. I think I was more stressed than anything but stress makes me tired.

Sunday

* Father's Day morning we woke up and I let the kids give their Daddy his presents. As you can tell from the pictures, Axle was very excited!

* We spent Father's Day at the lake with my Parent's. We had KFC for dinner and then went boat riding, fishing and swimming. Well I didn't swim but the big kids did. It was definitely a nice way to spend the day.

* Lee officially started holding her own bottle! She's been holding it somewhat for awhile now but the girl has finally gotten very good at it :)

* The boys ran down to Dewey's after we got home to do some trading. He wasn't home and lucky for them because we got a downpour of rain no sooner than they got back.

* Anika went to Blake's grandparent's to hang out for the afternoon. I pretty much just rested until time to go back and pick her up.

* It was a very good Father's Day!

Monday

* The kids and I spent most of our day in town. I went to the laundromat and done a massive amount of laundry!

* We had pizza for lunch from the local pizza place, it was good

* We spent our evening outdoors. Axle rode his motorcycle and the kids and Hubby put up the trampoline we bought. Just a little side note, I got the trampoline for 75.00. I was told it was brand new in the box. I was seriously lied too. It's older than dirt and not in great condition. It was still well worth the money though. Axle kept saying I bought him a circus!

* I fixed burgers on the grill for dinner. We LOVE grilling out

* We had a stray cat show up here. I hate it, everyone else loves it. I hate being outnumbered!

* I spent countless hours last night doing vacation research. I seriously just need to make a decision already.

Tuesday

* I didn't turn in till late last night so I slept late today. That is totally a perk of the summer :)

* I had to run to town today to do errands. We finally got our payoff mailed to SJ's Retirement fund!

* I made Sloppy Joe's for lunch today. Axle kept calling it a hotdog. Who knows why!

* My friend Christal and her kids stopped by. The boys ended up muddy as hogs..typical of those boys.

* My Sister in Law and Niece stopped by today too. It was good seeing them :)

* Hubby was worn out this evening, he sat in the house all evening long till bedtime

* I pretty much just did a few housekeeping chores today but nothing major. It has been a pretty lazy day for me

* Everyone is asleep now so I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet

There you go friends...all caught back up! I swear I'm going to do better. It just seems the days are very busy lately. I hope you and yours are having a wonderful summer so far though. I'm headed off to hopefully catch up on some blog reading now.

Much love to you all

Angie

A Rough Few Days

Hey Friends...It's been a few days since I've posted. Frankly I've just been stressed and frustrated & when I feel like that, I just can't make myself blog. Today though I woke up thinking "It's Just a Bad Day, Not a Bad Life." How true that is. These past few days have been rough but I do know that they will come to pass and once again things will feel like there falling right back into place. Life can be tough, it's a journey BUT I feel so blessed for every single day that I'm given the opportunity to live it and try to figure it all out :)

With that said...I'll go ahead and just give you a little update on our latest happenings.....

Sunday

Saturday was pretty much a full day of riding. Annalee went to Church with my Parents and the rest of us went out in the hills for some adventure. It was a nice day when we left, warm with tons of sunshine. We ended up going with some friends of ours and their kids. We had a good day. I even done something I NEVER thought I'd do, I swam in a Beaver Pond. Nope, not kidding....wish I were. There was an area where the Beavers had dammed up the water and we swam out into it and broke the dam loose so that we could drain some of the water. The water was blocking a road that led to some more good riding. Unfortunately we didn't let enough of it drain before we attempted to cross anyway. Needless to say the
4-Wheeler that our friends were riding no longer runs. Yep, it broke. By the way, we did see a Beaver while swimming but it didn't bother us. I don't know much about beavers but I do know they have big teeth and that is scary.

We decided once we got the 4-wheeling running "just enough" that we would head towards home. The skies were getting dark and we could hear thunder at a distance. We didn't make it though, we got caught in a massive thunderstorm. The winds were blowing so hard that we got drenched even in our side by side. We had to ride in it for a good 20 minutes before we found shelter. We finally ran across a cemetery that had a picnic shed built and we stayed put till the storm passed. We later learned that a nearby area actually had a tornado so I'm sure we were getting the winds and rain from that. We built up a small fire and tried to get dried out but it just didn't happen. I finally talked the Hubby into just trying to make it on home. We were all freezing and it was obvious the rain had set in for the afternoon. The ride home was cold and the rain was steady but we made it. I was never so glad to get home, change clothes and light the living room fire in all my life. I was seriously frozen!

The rest of the night was spent with Hubby hanging in the garage and my friend and I going to town to get Pizza's. The guys drank too much alcohol which by the way annoyed the hell out of me and I was never so glad to see 11:00 pm roll around and the Hubby fall to sleep.

All in all, it was a good start to the day...the ending pretty much sucked though!

Here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure :)

Monday

I seriously just woke in a terrible mood Monday Morning. I was frustrated beyond words at my Husband and I was trying very hard to hold my tongue. I had to get up at 8:00 to wake up Anika's friend Shania for her Summer Class and then I went back to bed. I didn't actually get up till 11:00 for the day. When I did get up I didn't have much to say, I just made some Chicken Tenders and Fries for dinner and got the Hubby ready for work. I was glad to see him go and I'm sure he was glad to get away from me. I love him more than anything but sometimes when I'm annoyed I just need time away to calm myself.

Anika and I were not jiving either but she did help me straighten up the house. I tried to discuss with her a problem I was having with her but it was pretty much a waste of my breath. You know teenagers, they know everything and of course I'm old so I just don't get it. She asked if her friend Torie could spend the night and I said yes so Torie came over. I was talking to Torie's Mom when she told me a little tidbit of info that I was NOT aware of. Apparently last weekend when my sitter (and supposedly best friend) babysat for me, she allowed my daughter to do something that she knew that I would in NO WAY approve of. Trust me, she was very well aware of my opinions on the subject. I was so angry that honestly I saw the color red. Not kidding, I think my blood pressure shot through the roof. I pretty much just sat around the rest of the entire evening focusing on possible vacation destinations. I surely didn't need to speak to ANYONE because I knew if I did, it would not be good.

While on the computer for hundreds of hours, I did find a possible vacation spot or at least an area that we would like to visit for a few days. Of course it's not anything definite as we are planning a road trip of sorts and I'm just now researching areas we might enjoy. It is the State of Missouri and I've actually never even thought of visiting Missouri before. After my researching though, here is what I found.

I'd like to do a one day visit to St. Louis. I want to see the Gateway Arch and I think it would be a great landmark for Anika to see. They even have elevator rides to go up in the Arch. I'm not sure I'm that brave but I know Anika would be! Also in St. Louis, I would like to go to Forrest Park. It offers some amazing playground areas and beautiful scenery. They also have paddle boat rentals on a small pond that I know Axle would enjoy. Inside Forest Park is where the St. Louis Zoo is located. It would be a great opportunity to take Axle to the Zoo for the first time while also allowing Anika to see a different Zoo. The best part of the deal is that the St. Louis Zoo is free. Talk about a big bonus! I definitely think we could do this adventure in a days time and move on. St. Louis is also not that far from where we are (about an 8 hour drive) so it's totally a possibility. If you live in or near St. Louis or have ever visited and know of any other MUST SEE attractions, things to do, places to eat, etc...please let me know :)

Another area I found very interesting was Branson, Missouri. Now this is one place that I'm sure I've heard the name but never realized what an amazing little place it was. Branson is quite a bit farther for us but combined with a trip to St. Louis, I think it's a grand possibility. Here is some Branson Things To Do that I found!

* Visit Moonshine Beach

* Cool off at the Water Chutes (Water Slide built on a Mountain)

* Explore Dogwood Canyon (Walking Tour and Trout Fishing)

* Ride the Amphibious Ducks (Tour of the Ozark Mountains)

* Visit Inspiration Tower for Amazing Views

* Go to Silver Dollar City

* Check out the Waltzing Waters Show

* Take an Ozark Float Trip 

Obviously to do all these things would require a bit of time but they are possibilities of things in the area! I think it would be awesome to see the Ozark Mountains and I now the kids would love Silver Dollar City. Just seems like we could have lots of family fun in Missouri

If you know any other awesome Missouri spots be sure to let me know

Anyway, as you can tell I put hours into that research and luckily by evening I had calmed a bit. Hubby came home and we talked and then he went on to bed. I couldn't sleep and I ended up being up until after 4:00 this morning :(

Tuesday

Today I woke a bit calmer. I'm pretty much over my mad spell at the Hubby so that was a good thing. I also woke reminding myself that "It's just a bad day, not a bad life". I've tried very hard to see the good today. It's helped some so I call it a success.

I didn't crawl out of bed till after 11:00 this morning. Ax was supposed to go to Story Time but we didn't make it. We may just have to scratch that idea off for the Summer. I did some laundry, straightened the kitchen and made Hubby some lunch before he left for work today. Anika pretty much moped all day as she wanted her friend Torie to spend the night again tonight and I said no. I finally gave in though and let her.

After Hubby left Anika and Torie went swimming at the neighbors. When she got back I sat her down and gave her a long heart to heart. I was calm although I did cry because I was just so disappointed that she blatantly disobeyed me. She cried too so I guess we were even. I haven't addressed it with my ex friend yet and I know I have to at some point but I'm still just too angry. Frankly though, our friendship is over.

Anika's little ex-boyfriend came over today and we all went to my Mom's for dinner. The neighbor boy ended up going with us too. I have no idea what the status of Anika and the Ex is but they seemed to be getting along fairly well today. I don't even care, they make my head hurt. The boyfriend (or ex) did some work for my dad and Mom and I took a walk. My Granny was there and her mind was so good today. She really enjoyed her visit. I left and took her home while the boys finished up their work. I sat on the porch with her for a bit and we just talked. She talked about everything from a bird feeder my grandpa made years ago to how slow of a driver my dad was. As I sat and watched her I felt so blessed to still have her. She's truly a special lady.

 I went back to Mom's and got the kids and we headed home. Everyone is in the bed now of course except the Hubby. He just got home and is in the shower.

I really don't have too much on the agenda for tomorrow but that is okay by me. I seriously need to catch up on housework plus the weekend is going to be a busy one.

Before I head out for the night though I just wanted to share a few little blessings from today:

* Seeing Axle and Annalee crawl around the floor and play together. They are really bonding

* Bathing the two of them together. It's so sweet. He always wants to bath with Little Lee

* Listening to Ax tell me how Annalee is a big scary monster with sharp teeth. Too funny!

* Axle saying Axle found something every time he discovers something new

* My Granny

See..even a bad week still has blessings..sometimes we just have to look harder than others

Goodnight Friends

Going to bed and hoping tomorrow is a whole new "BETTER" day

Much love to you all

Angie

A Fishing Trip

Well yesterday we had big plans of camping this weekend but that just didn't happen. The kids and I got up around 10:00 yesterday morning and lounged around for a bit. Axle's therapist stopped by for a bit and talked to me some more about the First Steps process for Annalee. After he left I made a mad dash to the shower and got cleaned up. Anika dressed the little ones for me and packed the diaper bag and then we headed out. I had a funeral to attend at 2:00. Anika and the Little Ones stayed with my Grandma while I went. I knew Axle and Lee just wouldn't sit still long enough so I didn't even bother taking them.

My Cousin's Husband's Mother passed away. He is like "real" family to us. He's been in our family for many years now. He was an only child and had a really hard time with the loss of his Mom. She had been battling cancer for awhile but actually passed from an automobile accident. Isn't it funny how things work out like that? The service was very nice but was long. They had some beautiful singing and the pastor did a great job "celebrating" her life. The family held themselves together very well but it was so obvious that so many people will miss her dearly in the days to come. She was a beautiful lady inside and out & that was evident from the huge crowd that attended.

After the service, I picked up my babies from my Granny's, ran to the bank and we came home. I made a phone call to one of our local campgrounds to try and reserve a cabin but to my surprise they were all booked up. That is unusual for this particular campground. I debated for a bit as to if I wanted to actually tent camp this weekend but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I guess a whole week of tent camping last week just done me in. Hubby called when he got off work and I told him we couldn't get a cabin and like me, he wasn't feeling the whole tent camping thing either. We did discuss going to the Alumni Football Game but decided against that too. Frankly, I think we were just both tired! The turnout at the Alumni game though was unreal and from what I heard, it was definitely interesting. I think there was one "spat" and one boy who is a bit younger than me got his hip broke. He had to have surgery on it today.

Since we had decided to just call it an evening at home, I ran to the beer store and picked up the Hubby some beer and grabbed us a pizza for dinner. Our evening was very low key. Hubby piddled out in his garage for awhile and I did some more vacation research. I seriously just can't make a decision on what I want to do. We had some friends stop by around 9 last night. Trish and I chatted about everything under the sun while the kids played. Hubby and Gary hung out in the garage. It was almost 11:00 before they left. WE enjoyed having them down though. They only live a few houses up the road but we never see them. Trish works pretty much ALL the time.

Hubby and the kids hit the hay and I continued to browse the net until almost 3:00 this morning. I guess I just couldn't get wound down or something.

Today Hubby woke early and cut the grass. I swear the man doesn't know the meaning of sleeping in. By the time I got out of bed he'd already finished the grass and was cleaning off the front porch. Yes, I'm the lazy one of the bunch! We spent awhile today just lazing around. I took a shower and cleaned up the kitchen but didn't do anything major. I did make a trip to the grocery store today. I had only planned on grabbing a few things but since I had NO kids with me I decided to take advantage of it. I ended up buying a whole load of groceries, a little over $200.00 worth! The big bonus, Hubby was home to pack them all in for me.

I made Ax and I a pizza for lunch, Hubby had some Cheese and Crackers and Anika had Pizza Rolls. Lee of course had a jar of baby food! Around 3:00 this evening we all loaded up in the side by side and took a ride up to Grassy. There is a pond up there and we thought it would be fun to take the kids fishing for a bit. Ax had never been fishing before. He enjoyed casting and reeling but that was about it. Anika's friend Aaron was there so she sat with him and fished. I think she played on her phone more than anything else but whatever. Hubby helped Axle most of the time and I watched Little Lee! We didn't catch anything but we didn't care, it was still some afternoon fun!

Our Fishing Spot

Anika and Aaron Fishing

Daddy helping his boy

Fishing is hard work

Learning to Cast

Lee didn't mind the whole fishing thing

Yes, he eats rocks

Anika's friend Shania called while we were out. She went to Pennsylvania on Friday with her parent's and they were on there way home. She was wanting to spend the night so I told her Mom to meet me at the Gas Station and I'd pick her up. The kids and I rode the Side by Side down and got her. I usually don't drive it by myself but I was pretty impressed, I did good!

While we was gone, SJ cooked. He made Hotdogs!

We stayed and continued to fish for awhile. Even Shania fished which is unusual. She wouldn't bait her hook though, she made Anika do it for her. The girls had a good time just playing around!

The Gals!

Aaron Fishing

Aren't they adorable?

Aren't they cute!!!

We ended up spending about 3 hours or so and it was a nice way to spend the evening. Definitely beat sitting at the house. Before coming home we took a short ride. It was a nice evening for it, perfect temps.

We got home before dark tonight! Hubby was tired and ready for bed when we got here but a buddy of his stopped by for a few minutes so it didn't happen for him. While they chatted, I took Anika and Shania to town with me. I had to get Lee some diapers and they wanted a Tropical Sno. Of course I got myself a Tropical Sno too, I love those things. I tried a new flavor today, it was called Luck of the Irish. It was seriously good :)

Hubby went to bed shortly after we got home. I think getting up early all this week finally caught up with him. Lee went to bed with him but Ax ended up staying up until after midnight. I swear you can't wear that kid down.

I have done some MORE vacation research tonight while the girls have pranced through the house mixing up stuff they found on Pinterest to put on their faces. It's been quite comical.

I too need to hit the hay now. We are going on a big ride tomorrow with some friends. It should be fun!

I'll be back soon with another update

Hope you all have a fabulous rest of your weekend!!!

Angie

Another Lame Picture(less) Post

Well, I'm back again....and I have another pretty lame post for you without pictures. Never fear though, the weekend is ahead and I'm certain I'll be taking pictures then :)

My day has been pretty laid back but then again, my whole week has. Frankly, I think I'm just in one of those moods. I just can't seem to shake it. It's like I can't focus or something. I have no idea what the problem is...it's just a funk I suppose!

Anyway, here are a few tidbits about my day

1. I slept seriously late this morning, like 11:00 am late. By the time I actually got up Anika had already showered and gotten herself cleaned up, bathed her brother and her sister and had gotten them dressed. Yes, she deserves Sister of the Year award!

2. I tried to do some housekeeping today but it didn't work. I actually found myself sitting on my butt in the recliner talking to my friend Cristina. Her and her daughter left to go to Pennsylvania today to watch her son graduate tomorrow. I wish I could have went!

3. I threw on some clothes around noon so I could head out to run errands. I SERIOUSLY should have showered. I'm telling you though, I've just been in a mood. I haven't cleaned up all week. It's sad really.

4. All three kids went with me today to run errands plus Anika's boyfriend (who is now an ex as of tonight) went too.

5. I had a few stops in town to make. I had to check on a title at the Courthouse, go to Old Man's house to ask him to please have his son transfer his car out of my name and go pay the water bill.

6. I also had to make a quick trip out of town to return some brakes the Hubby paid entirely too much for. That gave us an extra $100.00 so you know what I did next I'm sure. Yep, I spent it or at least most of it. By the time I bought gas and the kids & I had a delicious dinner at the Mexican Restaurant, I was about broke. It was good while it lasted though!

7. This evening (4:00) I had a meeting with the First Steps Coordinator and Axle's therapist. I had to sign some paperwork to keep him receiving therapy until his 3rd birthday. They also suggested I call and get an evaluation for Annalee to just see if she qualifies. I'm not sure she will but we shall see.

8. I had the BEST nap in the world this afternoon. Hubby came home and I shut all the doors, turned off all the lights in my bedroom and cranked up the Air Conditioner. He watched Lee and Anika played with Ax while I slept. I ended up sleeping a little over 2 hours. It seriously was pure bliss :)

9. I had to make a quick trip to town tonight to pick up something to throw together for the Hubby for dinner. I should have done it earlier but I didn't. I just grabbed some stuff to make Ravioli and Garlic Bread plus I got some Milk and Pop. I wasn't gone but just a few minutes.

10. I fixed dinner when I got home. Hubby and the kids laid in Anika's room and watched television. When it was done we ate and then Hubby hit the hay. He said he was really tired tonight. I went ahead and laid out his work stuff for tomorrow. Yes, I was being a good wife!

11. Anika and her Boyfriend broke up tonight. I'm not even sharing my thoughts..........

12. Everyone in the house is asleep now. I did some blog reading and decided to quit and type up this post before it got too much later. I really need to get my butt in bed. We have a long day tomorrow.

Tomorrow we have a funeral to attend at 2:00 and then we are leaving to go down to the Cabin for the Weekend! I'm excited, the kids love it there! I'll try to get a post in before I leave tomorrow but if not, I'll be back on Sunday or Monday with an update.

Everyone have a great weekend :)

Angie

Maybe It's a Blogging Funk

Well I've been meaning to blog but honestly I just haven't been in the mood. Does that ever happen to you? I guess it's just a blogging funk..I just hope it passes soon.

I guess the last time I updated was on Sunday. I'd love to tell you I have all sorts of interesting stuff for you since I've been away for a few days but truly, I don't. I'll give you what I got though, please try and stay awake.

While I've Been Away

* We attended a birthday party for my friend Christal's daughter. Hubby, Little Lee, Ax and I rode the Side by Side across the hill to their house. It was raining and we barely got wet. Totally why I love our Side by Side. It's much better than a 4-wheeler. The party was good. We ate some Burgers and Hot Dogs & just sat around and socialized. They had a pool & Anika swam but of course Axle wouldn't. They also had a
Slip n Slide set up but Little Man wasn't really all that interested in it either. He pretty much spent his time playing with a Super Soaker Gun, Jumping on the Trampoline and Chasing everyone with the waterhose! We didn't stay too long because we were tired but I'm glad we went!

* Anika spent the night with my Parent's on Sunday night. They had a big pool day planned for the next morning but it didn't happen. The weather just didn't cooperate. It was much cooler and overcast so they ended up just staying at home. Ax called them around 1:00 wanting them to come get him and so they did. Believe it or not Ax and Anika ended up staying all night up there Monday night.

* I spent my Monday CLEANING!!!!! This place was a serious disaster area. I managed to make it look presentable once again but it's definitely not clean. I'm not sure it will ever be clean, not until my kids are raised and out of the house at least.

* I fixed a big supper Monday. We had Soup Beans, Kraut and Cheese Bread! It was delicious. I seriously ate a ton of bread. I love Cheese Bread :)

* I also balanced my checkbook on Monday. This did not make me happy!

* Yesterday Little Lee and I slept in. We cuddled up and snoozed like no other. It was quite nice with it being just the two of us home. I did go pick up my other two but I didn't get in no big hurry. It's not often that it's me and Lee at home by ourselves.

* Anika's friend Torie spent the night last night. Anika and her Boyfriend ended up getting into it. I'm wondering if it wasn't because there was someone else around. You know how girls are and how they can act, especially teenage girls. Don't get me wrong, I am talking about mine too when I say that. Anyway, it was like and episode of Days of Our Lives around here yesterday evening.

* I've spent too many hours trying to plan out our Summer Vacation. I'm so back and forth with what I want to do. Hubby informed me today that he would be working his "usual" vacation week and we wouldn't be going for at least 2-3 weeks later than normal. Yay, that gives me more time to plan :)

* I did reserve the Waterslide for Axle's Birthday Party yesterday. The guy we rent off of books up way in advance so it was important that I got it reserved! We are doing a whole water themed party. His party is going to be July 21st and I'm so excited about it. He's going to have a blast! Here is the slide I reserved!

* I'm doing Annalee's Birthday the weekend before Axle's. It makes it hard when you have two with birthday's 3 days apart. Her's is going to be a simple cookout at the park though. Not sure what I'm doing her party in yet but I do know what she will be wearing. My Sister in Law made her a birthday shirt and bow. She's going to be too cute!

* We received some really sad news yesterday evening. My 1st Cousin's Husband's Mother got killed in a very bad car accident. He of course is just devastated and so is the rest of our family. She was such a good lady and we all loved her. I actually used to talk to her everyday when I worked for the Gas Company. Please pray for her family and especially her son. It's so hard to lose anyone you love. He is obviously still in shock as it was so unexpected.

* Today has been spent mostly at home. I did run to the store earlier and grabbed a few things & then to Rite Aid this afternoon to pick up a new mouse for my computer but that is about it. I've mainly focused on laundry today. I've made a very small dent in it but I guess any  progress is good!

* I made killed lettuce and onions today with our dinner. Let's just say that I cannot cook like my Grandma and Mom. I mean seriously, how do you mess up Killed Lettuce and Onions?

* Anika has spent her day moping around. Her boyfriend came down tonight and I guess they are doing better but still not good.......so the saga continues!

* My Little Lee is starting to eat table food. She's like a dog, she stands at your feet and begs while your eating. Today she had pinto beans and she seemed to like them. Yesterday she had Stove Top Stuffing and gobbled it right up. I guess anything is better than babyfood.

* Axle is starting to eat better too. We of course lie to him and tell him every kind of meat is chicken. Hey if it works then why not?

* Hubby is wanting to go camping again this weekend. FYI- I still haven't unpacked from last weekend!

* Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I have to run and pay bills tomorrow morning & take some brakes back that Hubby paid entirely too much for. We might stop by the park for awhile if we get time but I'm not sure time is going to be on our side. Tomorrow evening is the wake for the lady I told you about earlier so we will all be going down there and her Funeral is Friday so we will be going to it too.

* We may or may not work in a camping trip this weekend. Guess we will just wait and see!

So how has your all's week been? Hopefully soon I'll find time to read about it.

Until Then...Take Care,

Angie

Vacation Number 1

Hey Guys...long time no talk! I feel like I've been away from the blog forever. In reality it's only been about a week but for me that is a long time not to blog. We have had a ton of stuff going on though so I'm going to try and do a recap without making it super long. The Hubby has been on vacation this past week and let's just say we have taken FULL advantage of it. We have definitely enjoyed ever single second. It's sad to think that tomorrow it's back to reality. The good news though, July isn't that far away & we get another vacation then. I love summer time!

I'm just going to start from the beginning

Last Friday

* Anika graduated the 8th grade. Yep, it's official, I'm getting old. My oldest baby is going in to High School next year. How did that even happen. It seems like yesterday I was walking her into her Kindergarten class.

* Summer break officially began. You have no idea how excited this made us. No school for us till August :)

* Anika and her Boyfriend went to dinner with my parent's to celebrate her graduation. They ate at Lizzy B's Cafe, Anika's favorite place!

* Her and her Boyfriend also attended the High School Graduation with his parent's. His sister graduated this year!

Anika and Her Aunt Viki at Graduation

My 8th Grade Graduate

Last Saturday

* We woke early and drove down to Cincinnati, Ohio to Kings Island. It's an awesome amusement park. We took Anika, Blake & Torie with us and then my friend Cristina, Her Husband and Her Daughter also went. My Mommy kept the little ones for us so we didn't have to try and keep watch of them all day. It was a perfect day, the weather was cool. The lines however were super long and we didn't get to ride nearly 1/2 of what was there. We go every single year and never have encountered such a crowd. I'm assuming it was because it was a holiday weekend. Hubby and I have decided that we are going to try and go back before summer is over. It was totally still fun though- the kids loved it :)

* We spent the night at a Motel 6 in Lexington. I had planned on trying to drive on home but I just couldn't do it. I was just too tired.

The kids rode this one. Not me, I'm too big of a chicken!

My muscle man

Goofy Kids

Last Sunday

* We drove home from Lexington which was approximately a 2 hour drive

* We spent our evening packing up stuff for our upcoming camping trip. We were all tired but we managed to get it done.

Monday

* We headed out for camping at Yatesville Lake. We had a Tent Site reserved. It ended up being around 4:00 before we got there and we spent another hour or so setting up camp. Our friends Rob & Cristina met us at the campsite and hung out with us.

* My parent's came down for the evening and we all went out on the boat. I love getting to spend time with them.

* After the boat ride my parent's went home & we went back to our site and had a small birthday party for Anika's friend Shania! It was fun.

* We ended the night with Smores

Little Lee's first Camping Adventure

My daddy watching his grandaughter

Boating with the Babies

My Momma

Cool Baby

Pa and His Little Man

Swimming Fun

Birthday Cake

Best Friends Celebrating

Tuesday

* We woke up and spent the early morning around the campsite

* By 1:00 we were on the water and having some boating fun

* We headed back to our site around 4:00 and spent our evening cooking out and sitting around the campfire. Of course the kids did other things like chase skunks!

Shania and Lee ready for the lake

Daddy and his Babies

Me and Little Lee

Tubing Fun

The kids would do this all day if we would let them

Lee loves to float

Playing in the Sand

Me and My Mini Me

Wednesday

* I had a grand plan to run home really quickly and do some errands. It was only going to take an hour or so and then we would be back to the campground. The plan was an EPIC FAIL!!!!!

* Once I got into town my Jeep had a break get stuck on it and we ended up having to take it to the garage. I had both Little One's with me along with Torie and Anika. It was hot and no one was happy about standing and waiting to get a verdict as to if it could be fixed or not.

* The verdict was NO!!!! We ended up hitching a ride back home with a lady that goes to my Mom's church. Luckily we have an extra vehicle so we took it, ran errands and then went back to the campsite. What should have taken an hour, took at least four.

* We spent our evening out on the lake with our friends Christie & Johnny and their kids. It was a blast

* I ended up having 5 teenagers that camped out with us. They spent their night chasing skunks. Lucky us, one sprayed and it wasn't pleasant. Crazy Children!

More Tubing

Johnny and Christie

Gorgeous Sunsets

Thursday

* We spent our last day of camping out on the water. I think we ended up with about 8 kids and they had an absolute BLAST! Johnny and Christie came down and hung with us so we were in good company.

* We spent the evening cooking, laughing, sitting by the fire and just enjoying the last night!

Lee Lee FINALLY learned to crawl on her knees while we were gone

Slip n Slide Fun

Boat Riding

The kids jumped off the rocks into the lake!

Of course there was MORE tubing

Axle taking a rest

Saturday

* We took down camp and came home. Everyone hated to leave :(

* Anika and her Boyfriend went to the neighbors and went swimming right after we got home. It was a good day for it, temps were in the 90's

* I picked up some KFC for lunch, I was too lazy to cook

* I tried to nap but it didn't work so I ended up just lazing around for awhile

* Anika and I ran to the beer store for the Hubby and picked up pizza for dinner on our way home

* Bedtime was early for everyone but me, I ended up playing online forever!

Saturday

* The Hubby got up early and went and picked up wheel bearings for the side by side. He was already back and had them in by the time I got up. I think it was 11:00 before I showed my face!

* We had Taco Bell for lunch

* My friend Cristina came down and spent the night with my kids. Hubby and I took off 4-wheeling around 3:00 and didn't get home until around 10:00 today. We had a great time out riding with some friends of ours and just crashed at their house. It was some much needed adult time for Hubby and I. After a week of kids, we were due some us time!

Now I'm headed off to the shower. We have a birthday party to go to at 2:00. The rest of our evening will be spent doing much of nothing! 

Tomorrow is a new week friends and as bad as I hate to see vacation end, it has too. I should be back to posting regularly starting tomorrow.

I hope all of you are doing well. I WILL get around to catching up with you soon....Promise!

Angie