Summer...

Wow - I cannot believe that summer is almost over!!!  It's really gone by so fast and the fact that I have no tan is still baffling me!  How did that happen? 

Luke is growing up, I have to say he's so darn cute!  We just got his 18mo. pic's made at Trish Ferrell's Studio this week and he did good and of course you know that she did an excellent job.  Later next week check her blogspot for a few of his highlighted pic's.  trishferrellphotography.blogspot.com.  She's taking a long weekend so she wont get them posted right away. 

Back to summer.  Well, we've only been to the lake 2 times and I really cannot tell you what we have done.  We have played on our patio alot -but we havent done much.  Luke dont require going somewhere for excitement.  He is his happiest at home.  His fav thing to do is play on the riding lawnmower.  Seems as if he's way to low maintenance to be my kid huh??  The mower and the waterhose and he's a happy kid.  (or a better kid i might say.) 

The Cooper, Allred, Harrison families are all going to Florida in a few weeks.  Were going to Orlando.  The Allred's are going to SeaWorld and I think the Harrisons are going SeaWorld and Disney.  This is kinda stressing me out.  Considering Luke likes staying home alot.  Thinking of Me, Lee & Luke in a car for 15hrs is a little much to think of .  Luke is a pretty good rider (so far), his father is not so good.   I might have to put Lee in the back with a DVD player too.  We are going to take our time and drive half and stop and the half.  So hopefully it will go good and both of my guys dont become unbearable being cooped up in the Jeep.  We have a really nice condo in Orlando.  The condo has a great pool for the kids - it has a pirate ship in it with little water slides for the little ones and water spouts shooting up everywhere and the water is really shallow so it should be perfect for Luke & Abby. 

The girls, the girls are doing great!  Kylee is still sporting her new swing bob haircut.  Yeah - SHE did a really good job on that cut!  Abby is good - she's having a good time telling "lukie" what to do.....and he usually does whatever she says.  They are getting along much better now days. 

Well, all for now.  I think i'm going to bed early tonight!  That never gets to happen so I'm going to take advantage of this!

Camping with a 1yr. old...

Camping went great!  Luke did sooo good.  I did follow through with my threat of foiling up my windows and it totally worked.  Now, I do have a little tact - so I didn't foil up the actual window so people could see it from the outside, I foiled up the blinds on the inside so I didn't look so redneck from the outside anyways.  We slept until 7:30am everyday!  Luke is an outside baby so he was in his element.  We went swimming in Dad's mega station and it was perfect for the babies.  The mega station is this huge -I mean huge float that you air up with an air compressor and then anchor in deeper water.  It has 2 couches connected by a mesh floor that was about 6in. under water.  So the babies could run around in the water and not risk drowning and the parents could lounge on the blow up couches in reach of the children.  It was perfect and Luke loved it.  He got a cute little tan line with the spf 50 that was applied - so needless to say we spent alot of time out there.  I dent have one complaint about Luke for the whole week.  Now that we have been home - I do have a complaint about him.  He's been so difficult - guess I need to camp all summer!!! 

THE STORM:

As usual at the lake we had a terrible storm that started at 1:30 am.  The wind, the rain, the thunder, the lightening the whole nine yards!  Talk about LOUD - it was so LOUD!  I have a regular camper  and it was bad in there but poor haley was in their Pop - up.  I text her at 2:30am and said Wet Yet?  I told her that I was scared and was calling dad.  I called him and he was wide awake b/c of the storm - I was wondering if I need to seek shelter or shelter in place.  He had the T.V. on assessing the situation and said to shelter in place.  So I text haley back and gave her the report.  We text back and forth for a few hours - we would have just called but it was so loud that I wouldn't have been able to hear her.  And all the kids slept through this...How do they do that???  3 Lunesta's couldn't have kept me asleep through all of that!

Last night I had a Tupperware party.  I didn't know anything about Tupperware - it seems that my generation has been skipped by the Tupperware phenomenon.  Its really a good product, but an investment!  I had a great party - sales were good and the fellowship was better.  Leave it to my good friend Kim to almost make a tupperware party "R" rated but very laughable.  Is there a parallel between Tupperware and rent by the hour motels??  haha. 

Lee finished phase I of our patio extension and renovation while we were at the lake.  It is so nice since my child likes to live outside.  We went out 20 foot from the house and already had a 8 ft. covered patio originally.  So now I have a 28 ft. patio - 22ft. covered and 6ft. open at the end for me to sun in.  Yesterday it was so nice I put Luke out in the kiddie pool under the cover and I layed in the sun.  It's perfect!  Phase II will come this fall and he's going to wrap it in vinyl to match the house and build a outdoor kitchen with our grill and fish cooker built in and a mini fridge.  I think were really going to enjoy it.  But for now he has moved on to building his shop - which we need for storage soooo bad.  I'm looking forward to that too. 

Well, another months has come and gone.  We had our 1st baby free trip to New Orleans with friends last month and had a great time!!!  Lots and laughs and we determined on that trip that we had no other choice but to be life long friends b/c we knew way to much on each other to get mad at one another!  Funny stuff!!  This was suppose to be the 1st trip of the Annual parents weekend out trip - so we'll see.  I hope it works out and we can keep it up.

Lee and I took a few days in May took Luke camping.  Those of you who know me and my family know that we love to camp.  It's not summer until you start camping - But now that I have a one year old my camping days may be limited this year.  He was good, for a one year old.  He loved being outside, playing ect.  He didn't like taking naps and going to bed at night.  AND he woke up at the crack of dawn - no kidding - crack of dawn - 6:00am on the dot every morning.  Lee works alot in the summer so in the past I have camped with my family and friends but by myself in our camper for years now.  So the thought of taking Luke by myself is kinda scary.  I know I'll have lots of help in the daytime.  But its naps and bedtime and the early A.M. that makes me cringe and think I'm gonna need backup a.k.a. daddy.  So - I am sadly saying that I may not be camping without Lee and that means hardly none this summer.  Are their drugs available that can make your kid sleep 12hr?  Baby Lunesta????  I may give it a shot in June just to make sure - and I am seriously considering foiling up the camper windows making it really dark in there and a 4am dose of Benadryl -that should last a good 4hrs right? 

Club Harrison has opened for the summer.  The opening day was Memorial Day last week.  We opened both pools - one for the little kids with the dirty feet and one for the big kids with the clean feet.  The opening day was a success!  Luke and Abby loved the pool and the tike size slide - only a few minor falls off the slide backwards or sideways - but they got the hang of it.  Kylee - she's been a waterbug for years now.  She thinks she's a professional swimmer now.  Luke and Abby are becoming fast friends - the share alot of personal things now.  They are really developing a special bond.  They share - snacks, sippy cups, snotty noses, coughs, temper tantrums and the occasional wack on the head to each other.  They are really progressing in their social skills - Abby speaks for  Luke and that is fine with him - you know that Lee is his daddy and is not a man of many word unless you bring up the 2 subjects - religion and politics.  Luke is following suit.  Abby tells him to take a drink and gives him a cup and he does, she tell's him bite and he does.  Its really cute!  Kids - what did we do without them?  Strangly enough I still remember!!!  But this is finally starting to be more fun.....

Sundays's...

Sunday's.....

After 1 year of pure misery for me and Luke - Sunday has become a great day again!!!  Luke has finally adjusted to the preschool at church and is not getting kicked out of class - every week!  He is no longer screaming so long and loud that I can hear him in the service and have to get up before they even call me out.  He still "puts on" alittle bit when we drop him off, but it quickly fades and the interest in other kids and new toys take over.  His teachers have given him a good report the past 4 weeks in a row!  Although they were holding him EVERY time we came to get him after service - but no tear's in the eyes, no red noses - I think we have survived this long, long, long challenge!  Lee and I did have HOPE (as in the recent sermons) that this would get better - it after almost 13mo. it did!

Exciting Weekend's as parents!

Friday Night:  We went and ate at Country Kitchen with my parents and were home by 7:30 for an 8:00 bedtime.  I fell asleep before 20/20 was off!

Sat:  Luke and I went to Haley's for awhile while Lee went fishing on the river.  Yes the river and there is still a small craft warning out.  Then we went and ate supper at Ameco Mexican Rest.  and were home by 6:30.  We stayed outside for awhile and had Luke in bed by 8:00.  I was asleep before 10:00  - How things change!  In a few weeks were going to New Orleans with some friends - no kids.  How am I going to be any fun b/c I am so use to going to sleep about 9:00!!  I'm going to have to drink an energy drink and then take a Lunesta to sleep!

CRAZY....

I know my previous weblog pic was upside down.  And the crazy thing is I couldn't get it to turn around or to remove it.  I had to call my technical support (haley) and have her fix the pic.  So the pic I originally wanted it now up and positioned correctly.  While I'm at it here's another pic at Lukes party.  He didnt like his cake!   This is another pic of Luke and Abby that I cannot get to turn around.  This is just not my day on the xanga - guess I'm outta practice!  I'll try and do better!