Kid Fix

The last couple of posts have been all grown-up events and I know that is not why most of you read this blog.  So here you go, feast your eyes on these babies and lots of them.  At the beach the other night I caught lots of cute shots of the kids playing, here are some faves.  

Overdue "Guy Time"

Awhile ago, we had gone to an event and Stephen had bid on some golf outings.  We left the event thinking we had not won anything but about a week later, Stephen got the call he had won a golf outing for four at The Preserve.  The Preserve is one of the best golf courses we have down here on the coast so the guys were pumped to go.  That's all I've got, one picture and no cute anecdotes.  I begged Stephen to take the camera to document this fun boys day out but sigh, one picture is all he came home with...I guess I am lucky he got that for me.  And as far as the cute anecdotes, I guess what is discussed on the golf course, stays on the golf course.  

Taste of Ocean Springs

Cynthia and I headed out for a fun girls night.

Taste of Ocean Springs was Thursday and we ditched our husbands and headed out with the girls.  About 25 local restaurants competed for best entree, best dessert and best drink.  It was a delicious evening and yes the dress code was Black/White chic, us girls did not all call each other to match.  My taste buds are finally expanding to include coastal cuisine and I gobbled up lots of shrimp (I even voted a shrimp dish as my favorite which shocked even me).  I even tried oysters and enjoyed them, well maybe enjoyed is stretching it, but I didn't barf it back up which I was a little scared I would so that was a success.  It was a beautiful night downtown and I can't wait to return next year although I don't know if we'll be able to shake off the husbands two years in a row.

Jacked up Grill

No, I am not referring to our grill on our deck, which incidentally is also jacked up.  It is the saddest looking grill you have ever seen with it's melted wheels after Stephen nearly burned the old house down with it.  I can't believe we moved that sad looking thing, the movers were like, "you can't be serious?"  

But, I got off topic, again.  Look at poor Addison.  She is like a scary mix between Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch and Melanie Griffith (post collagen injections).  Addison took a nasty spill down some deck stairs on Thursday and I caught her after two stairs by the back of her dress but her face smashed against the stairs.  Her gums immediately turned this horrifying gray/green color and I high tailed it out of there to get her to the pediatric dentist.  Her top four teeth hit so hard that they moved toward the back of her mouth.  The dentist tried to manually push them forward again but they wouldn't budge, they just were hit too hard.    They may just stay like that until she loses them naturally but considering Amelia is almost 8 and still has one of her front baby teeth, we are in for a long road of jacked up teeth.  The dentist said he won't know if they will turn gray and/or need to be pulled for two to three more weeks.  I can barely look at her without crying, poor poor Addison.  She is enjoying the attention, ice cream and popsicles though and will tell everyone she encounters, "I fall down deck stairs and got a boo boo on my mouth."  Sometimes she adds in her arm and her elbow too depending on who she is telling the story to.  Anyone watch Toddler and Tiaras?  I am thinking she may need a "flipper."

Happy Mother's Day

Oh how I love Mother's Day.  The kids were so excited all week about what they had been making for mommy, they could barely keep their secrets.  The morning started out wonderfully because I got to sleep in (which granted these days was 7:30 but it was still fabulous).  When I did wake up I had three kids clobbering me with kisses and hugs shouting, "Happy Mother's Day!"  I am so thankful for a husband who loves to make Mother's Day so special.  He always lets the kids pick out what they want to get me.  So this year, Amelia wanted to get me a cookie cake with frosting, Luke wanted to get me a giant cupcake.  It is embarrassing how well my children know me.  Stephen stayed up until 1 am making the cookie cake from scratch that you see above, he didn't want Amelia to be disappointed but he had to wait until I went to bed.  He also made the kids "sandy feet" footprints.  I love them, they are perfect for our beach house and what a sweet reminder of our kids growing up in this house.  I can't wait to hang them up.  You can see Amelia holding up the silhouette she made at school as well as the letter she wrote me.  It was so cute, she wrote I had a big heart and she loved me dearly and she thanked me for buying her hairbows!  Sweet Amelia.  Luke painted me a fish canvas at school which is adorable and we will hang up very soon, as soon as I get to Michaels and buy a frame that is.  Very soon, or hopefully at least by next Mother's Day.  And of course my lovely husband made sure I had my day at the Beau Rivage Spa, thanks honey, I can't wait to use it:) 

Oh how I love these little munchkins.  I am so blessed.

They are all looking so cute dressed up for church.  However, show up at our house anytime after about three in the afternoon and I guarantee, Addison is in only a diaper and dirt, Amelia has lost her bow and is wearing something tie dyed and Luke is the wild card.  Yesterday during my Mother's Day dinner, where Stephen grilled me the biggest filet minon I have ever seen, Luke was wearing Star Wars Legos underpants, a Thanksgiving Indian shirt he had painted on in school (a dreadful brown color complete with fringe) and a pin that said Cool Kid.  I beg to differ.  Because the icing on the cake was he was wearing a fanny pack.  I don't even know where he found a fanny pack in this house.  I wish I had a picture because it would come in handy for blackmailing him during his teenage years.  

Love, love, love these tickle bugs.

WAY too much pork

This month was our turn to host supper club so we had everyone over on Saturday night.  Some of the gentlemen nibbling on appetizers.

The feast.  We grilled pork tenderloins and Stephen got a little carried away with buying pork tenderloins, he bought like 10 pigs worth of pork tenderloins.  I think we ended up with a loin for each couple.  Needless to say we are having pulled pork sandwiches tonight.

Look at the guys after we ate; pathetic.  All of them cashed out on the couch watching each other play video games.  

The ladies are looking a little more lively.  

Bike Rides and Door Slams

Luke is going on six and was still quite content, um no actually, insistent that he needs his training wheels.  Bike riding lessons without training wheels went something like this.  Daddy running along side Luke, while bent over at an impossible angle and Luke death gripping the handle bars whimpering, "Don't let go Daddy, don't let go Daddy" all the while steering the bike back and forth like he was having seizures.  Eventually this steering led him to "fall" off the bike.  When I say fall, I mean his feet fell off the pedals onto the driveway.  Look at his bike, he looks like the monkey at the fair on that teeny, tiny bike; it is so small.   He couldn't hurt himself on it if he tried.  But, when he did "fall" it would involve him throwing the bike across the yard, crying that "he told us so" and stomping into the house and slamming the door.  I know mom and dad, you are smiling right now while reading this, thinking oh boy, her day has come.  I am finally getting a taste of my own medicine.  Yes, dear readers, I was a door slammer.  In fact, I stomped up the stairs and slammed my door so many times that one day, my door frame just fell right off the wall into the hallway.  The expression I almost sh&* my pants does not even explain the fear I felt that day.  But I digress.  Needless to say, Luke takes after mommy and is the most dramatic of my children.  So bike lessons have been intense.

But look!  It has happened.  Well, sort of.  He is riding on his own but only on our driveway and only if he doesn't have to turn and only until he hits the grass because he refuses to use his brakes.  It is a big step though:)

And there it is, so proud.  I love my little door slammer.

Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stephen put up the new tree swing this weekend and it was a HUGE hit.  We heard squeals of laughter all weekend as the kids swung around on it.  Even Stephen and I took some turns on the swing, it goes surprisingly and thrillingly high.  Addison was still too little so she played in her sandbox and ooohed and ahhhed and clapped for Amelia and Luke.  Don't you just want to kiss that sweet little face?

I loved this picture, pure happiness from Amelia.

Tubing!

Addison was looking so adorable, I just had to take her picture.  She was playing with her toy camera today and she said, "Smile mommy.  Okay, just one more, smile!"  I guess she has heard that once or twice in her life.  

This weekend we took the boat out with our friends the Neffs to give our new tube a try.  The hubby and I had discussed getting a new tube this year and a week or so ago he told me he had taken care of it.  I was thinking a simple tube to pull the kids behind the boat. Oh no, that is not what showed up at my house.   My husband bought an entire island to pull behind the boat.  It is huge!  Like the size of my minivan huge!  

Our massive tube, all these kids and I were able to tube together at one time.  It was a fun ride, just enough thrill for them to squeal with delight but not too much thrill to cause me to be nervous for their safety.  

Daddy took Addison out tubing too.  She enjoyed it but then she wanted back on the boat.  She likes to kick back on the boat with a cool drink and a snack.  

The girls are getting so big.  We docked at a friends pier for awhile to jump off the boat and have some food.  It was getting near nap time so Addison had once again zonked out in my arms.  I had Stephen drop me off on the boat at our friend's pier across the street from me so I could walk Addison back up to our house while the rest of the crew continued the boat ride.  So she is sprawled in my arms, I walk her back to the house, in her life jacket and sunglasses, get her upstairs and she continues to snore while I take off her lifejacket, take off her swimsuit, take off her diaper, put dry clothes on her, etc.  Seriously, snoring the entire time.  Then what happens?  I lay her on her bed and she sits straight up and says, "I want to go back on the boat!"  That was the end of that nap.