July in a flash!

Wow!!! It has been ages since I posted. I guess July has just been a really busy month for us.

We, of course, started the month of celebrating the 4th in our usual fashion. One evening we enjoyed the NC Symphony here in town and then also did the big Ft. Bragg event on post. Both were a lot of fun, though I'm partial to the concert -- it is just a lot quieter and less crowded. The kids loved both, though.

So, here are a few shots of the kids at the 4th events:

Hannah doing her best Ross impression:

The next major event on the calendar was Jeremy & my 10th anniversary. I didn't even get a picture of us, but it is too late to fix that now. We ended up taking a short trip to Greenville, SC (a spot on our list of possibilities for relocation next year) and had a nice time. Their downtown is fabulous and the city is beautiful. The trip ended up being a mixture of house hunting and relaxation, but the fact that we didn't have kids with us was the best part -- we were in need of a few hours sans kids.

Last weekend we made our first trip to the blueberry patch for the year and came home with 17 pounds of blueberries. We ended up stopping about picking up about 10 pounds of peaches on the way home, too. The kids were in hog heaven all weekend -- they are bottomless pits when it comes to fruit (which is a good thing, as far as I am concerned). I need to go back again soon for some more picking -- seventeen pounds won't last us very long!

And then last week we took the grand tour of Virginia for a combination house hunt/vacation. We spent some time in the Fredericksburg area and then headed out towards the coast. We got a day at Busch Gardens in (thanks to their FABULOUS military program it was FREE), which the kids really enjoyed and then headed to Virginia Beach for a couple of days. I'm not quite recovered from that trip. Maybe after the trauma of staying in three hotels over the course of four nights has worn off a little I'll be able to remember the good stuff that happened during the trip. Those pics will have to come later...

Disney!

Uh....I have been so busy. I started this post something like three weeks ago and am just now getting around to finishing it.

So, these are in no particular order. I am too lazy to organize them better.

The last night we were at Disney, as we were getting ready to leave, we discovered a dance party. I think this was almost the most fun we had the whole time. The kids got to dance with the characters and had a blast (even Hannah). Here Hannah is shaking it with Chip (or Dale, is there a way to tell them apart?):

The kids sporting their ears while Ross glowers at me:

Waiting impatiently to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Ross hated it):

You should know who these people are:

Ross being Ross:

A picture at the beginning of the trip of Hannah & I, before we were all worn out:

Grandma & Grandpa with the kids:

Grandpa doing an uncanny impression of Ross (sorry, Dad!):

Waiting for the light parade at Magic Kingdom (yes, I bribed them to sit still with copious amounts of sugar):

Look at that sticky face!

Reid loved his treat!

Grandma & Ross on the teacups:

Hannah being a goon:

The kids getting along nicely (for a change) at the hotel:

Ross posing for a picture:

Where have the weeks gone?

It seems like the first few weeks of summer have just flown by. Hannah was here for a week, then back to Ohio for a sports camp for a week, and is now back home for the rest of the summer.

Reid spent two weeks in Ohio at Camp Grandma & Grandpa. It was a quiet two weeks with him gone, but I missed him -- a lot. It sounds like he had a blast...two trips to the zoo, a trip to Sauders, a weekend with Aunt Deb & Uncle Thomas (which included a parade, carnival rides and a trip to see the Mudhens play) and hours upon hours of playing outdoors! He came home fairly sleep deprived, but happy.

My parents brought the kids back down last weekend and then we headed out yet again for a trip to Disney in Orlando. Poor Jeremy & Lucy didn't get to go...I know, that is terrible isn't it?! It is a rather long story, but originally I wasn't going to go, but discovered I could get significantly cheaper tickets if I went along thanks to Disney's military discount (yay Disney!!!). Lucy isn't really big enough to enjoy it, so she was banned from going (and I'm REALLY glad she didn't go along). And Jeremy didn't go because we're hoarding his leave time for job searching/transitioning. Anyway...it was a good trip, but I'm really glad to be home and have a normal week. I'll have to post more on that trip when I have time to sort through some of the pictures.

And so now, here we are ready to start a NORMAL (whatever that is) week. I'm looking forward to it. :-)

How they make potties (according to Ross)!

Just in case you wanted to know, this is how potties are made (according to Ross, anyway):

First "they" (I'm not sure who "they" are) take white wood and put the white wood in a machine. The machine has lots of screwdrivers in it. The machine puts lots of pieces together to make a potty.

This was important enough to warrant a trip out of bed so that he could share his potty making wisdom with Daddy.

Lucy got her hair cut!

This is a little late, but what can I say? I'm slow...

We finally got Lucy's hair cut for the first time over Memorial Day weekend. She really doesn't have much hair, but has been working on a lovely "rat tail" for some time. I just couldn't stand the tail anymore, so we took her for a trim.

Here is her before shot:

Her during shot (note that those are some watery eyes from crying):

And the pretty little princess afterwards:


She really did pretty well, once she accepted the fact that she WAS getting her hair cut. She cried for a few minutes and then noticed the movie and sat very nicely for the remainder of the (very short) cut. She really didn't have much hair to trim, honestly. She had an absolute FIT, however, when we tried to remove her from the tractor seat that she was sitting in!

I'm dreaming of...an orchard!

Lately, we've been spending a lot of time talking about what features we would like in our next house. I'd really like more yard space next time, but still really want to be in "town" (meaning, city water and sewer services, thank you!). I was thinking of all the things I want to plant: a veggie garden, a cutting garden and some fruit trees.

I really want to plant several apple trees, because the variety that we like for applesauce (yellow transparent) are an heirloom variety that are just impossible to find. Then I was thinking that a couple cherry trees would be great. My grandma always made cherry pies and I miss them -- the tart cherries are so hard to find in store. And perhaps a peach tree would be nice. Pears are my favorite -- we must have a pear tree, too! Oh, and I'd like a nice sized set of blueberry bushes and raspberry vines (blackberry, too, perhaps). Oh, and lets not forget the huge set of strawberries I want to put out. Hmmmm...I think my next yard just got very LARGE!

The thing is, I'm not even sure I can successfully grow those things! I've dabbled with veggies, but only in containers, and haven't been very successful. They do fine until a hot day hits and I forget to water them. I generally have very good luck with my flowers (perennials and annuals), so I'm not too worried about my cutting garden succeeding.

I guess I'm more of a farm girl than I'd care to admit, huh?

Oh, I'm so tired!

And by tired, I mean "full day of hard labor" exhausted and not "didn't get enough sleep" tired. Today, I mowed the lawn -- the entire lawn. I also trimmed it. No big deal, right? Yeah, except that I haven't mowed the lawn in at least a year (my mother-in-law was kind enough to mow the lawn the entire year Jeremy was deployed). Heaven only knows if I've actually ever mowed the entire lawn at this house (the backyard is fenced, so the front and back are often mowed separately). And, in general, the lawn falls into Jeremy's responsibilities.


I'm just not used to mowing. My arms and legs HURT. I am in really good shape, so I cringe to think what I would feel like if I wasn't.

Did I mention that it took me at least 2 times, if not 3 times, longer to mow the lawn than it takes Jeremy or Betty? But, it is done and is one less thing that Jeremy needs to do this weekend!