Deadwood Revival

My friend Peesha (aka Alicia) does this neat thing on her blog every Tuesday. She calls it "Listen Up" and she features one of her favorite singers/bands. So I thought I'd share one of mine, too. Only don't expect something every week - I'm not nearly organized enough to do something regularly. Who knows what will be happening around this place next week! It'll probably have something to do with a certain brand-new Kindergartner, but you never can tell. Okay, to get back on subject, I thought I'd share one of our family's all-time favorite bands.
They're called Deadwood Revival, and they're so fun! They're just a local group from Washington State and Dan discovered them at the wooden boat festival last fall. I couldn't find our very favorite song, about a girl named Pearly Blue, but click here to hear a close second. It's my "I'm missing Seattle" go-to song!

No More Babies

It's official. We've got no more babies in our house. Camden can ride a two-wheeler! As usual, the kid saw his big brother do something and then had to work like crazy to catch up. So he did it! No more training wheels...no more babies.

Pool Pics

I've been trying all summer long to get some good pictures of my cute family at the pool. Well, these are the best I've got.

Am I really related to these people?

Whac-A-Mole

We have a new favorite game at our house - whac-a-mole! Of course, since we really don't stay still for very long, our version of the game is a little different than most...

Equipment: one inflatable mallet, two little boys, and a daddy
Instructions: Daddy holds the mallet, ready to whack! Two little boys crawl/run around the room, popping up often. The daddy, naturally, has to hit the little boys on the head with the mallet. Remember, this is an inflatable mallet, so he's still a good daddy!

So far, the daddy is the only one who has been injured while playing our new game. Camden is no longer allowed to handle the mallet...

Farmer Cam

Camden needs a farm. Or at least a big garden. Not only does he love to work out in the soil, and cherish his very own tomato plant, he absolutely LOVES TO EAT the fruits of his labors!

In Lane One...

Today the boys took their final swim test of the summer. And they passed! Next year, they plan on joining the swim team. I think I see Michael Phelps getting nervous already...

A Night On The Town

On Saturday evening Dan and I joined his parents and a few siblings for a night out at Toby's. We saw "All Shook Up," a cute show using all Elvis songs. Think "Mama Mia" but with slick hair, rolled tee shirts and tight jeans. So fun! The show was great, and we were out for a night without kids...yippee!

Where were the children? They were with my brother, Uncle Tork (aka Clark) and his cute girlfriend Tistine (aka Pretty Christine). Oh, and three more 19-year-old boys. And how do five teenagers entertain two preschoolers? Well, first they take them out to dinner, where Camden eats more than he's ever eaten in his life and Jake saves his brother by reminding his uncle that Camden can't have strawberries. Then they head home to relax with a movie. Transformers. According to Uncle Tork, it was the most child-friendly movie he had. I believe him on that one. So the boys had a blast - and got to do something I NEVER would have allowed... I guess that's what family is for!

Oh, and the boys' reactions to the movie? Camden was captivated and enchanted and thrilled and... Jake hasn't stopped talking since the movie began. A running commentary that started with the opening credits. And continues today...

Gotcha (Wet)!

Water plays an important role in our family vacations. There's water balloon baseball, many swims (and dunks) in the lake, and this year's favorite - the water gun wars!

Football Splash

Dan and our teenage nephews played A LOT of football in the lake. And they couldn't just catch the ball like normal human beings. No, they had to launch themselves across the water to try to catch the ball. And then, whether the ball was caught or not, the real success lay in how big a splash was made. Or how far under Camden was knocked... He loved it.

Package Deal

I married Dan for his family. And this little girl sealed the deal. Her name is Rachel and she's Dan's cousin. She's almost eleven now, and starting middle school in two weeks. But she was the sweetest, cutest little three-year-old when we got married. Not that she's not sweet and cute now, because she certainly is. But you know what I mean. And I just adore her!

Oh, and I really married Dan because he's wonderful. His family just made it the perfect package deal!

A Comparison

This is Faith, my 4-year-old niece. Even with a big ol' water gun, she still looks so sweet and cute.


This is Camden, my 4-year-old son. And when he gets a hold of a big ol' water gun - and then points it straight at me - he starts to look a little scary (but still pretty cute)!

Interesting...

Where To Find A New Best Buddy

Oh my goodness! We just got home (well, we got home on Saturday, but I'm still adjusting) from the Orr Family Reunion, and we had a blast! The whole family - minus two - came this year. We missed you Uncle James and Uncle Jacob! I'm still going through pictures - 271 to be exact - so you can be sure there will be more vacation posts coming soon...

But for now, I thought I'd share my very favorite part of the whole reunion. Jake and Mic. Debbie's son, Michael (Mic), just turned seven, so we weren't sure if our boys would play much with him. Well, they did! Jake and Mic were totally inseparable the entire week. Where is the best place to find a new best buddy? Your family, of course!

Boyhood

I hope when my boys look back on their childhood, they will have many of these moments to remember. The moments when all they had to do was enjoy being a little boy. So far, they're pretty good at it. And I'm just happy to give them the opportunity - and then sit back and watch it all happen.

We're Pretending It's Raining

So, we've been spending all our time at the pool. And it has been lots of fun. But today we woke up and decided we needed a day off. To relax. And watch movies. And play with Army men. So that's what we've been doing. Just thought you might want to know.

P-Nats

We went to a Potomac Nationals (minor league baseball) game last night, and we had so much fun! We ate ballpark hotdogs, peanuts (I think Jake ate about 5 pounds) and cracker jacks, and dippin' dots (now that stuff is pretty wierd - but yummy). We cheered for the team and then, even though they lost, we saw the best fireworks show ever. Seriously, I have never seen a fireworks show like that one. And we ended the night by letting the boys run the bases. Thank you Bubby and Papa for a great time! We had a blast!

The Baby

We're puppy-sitting...and we're in love. We're considering moving away - with puppy in tow - before his mommy and daddy come back.

Down Memory Lane

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

I'm sure there is something you remember about me?!!

Mayo in the Maury

Our sweet Mayo has never liked the water. At the dog park in Seattle they even have a beach for the dogs to swim. Mayo hated it. My grandparents have a pool in their backyard, and although she loves to visit Bubby and Papa, sometimes we get in the pool. Mayo hates that. She does not like to see her family in the water.
Well, last weekend we had a picnic down by the Maury river in BV, and MAYO GOT IN THE WATER! She went in all the way up to her "knees" or whatever you call that part on a dog's leg. Some water even splashed onto her chest! And then...she PUT HER FACE UNDER THE WATER to get a stick! Then she got out as fast a she could, shook more than necessary, and settled down in the shade to worry about her boys who kept going in farther and farther.
It may not seem like much, but for our neurotic Mayo, it was a big step. And we are so proud of her!

Brotherly Love

Camden fell and scraped up his leg - all the way from his knobby little knee to his cute little toes - at the pool. Poor kid. It really hurt. As I was bandaging him up, Jake said "Oh, I wish I was the one who got hurt instead." What a sweet love my boys have for each other!

It's good to have moments like this to balance out the ones where they are rolling across the floor beating on each other.

Della

One of the highlights of our weekend in Buena Vista (for those who don't know BV, it's pronounced Buna,with a long u, Vista, with a short i. DO NOT say it the way it should be said in Spanish!) was playing sports with Della. Oh, Della's my dad. And his name is Dan, not Della. We don't know why, but Jake has always called him Della (not Grandpa or anything normal like that) and now everyone does. Jake calls my mom Bob. Okay, so back to our weekend sports with Della. The boys, Della, and Dan (the boys' Daddy, not mine) played all day, everyday. Soccer, football, basketball. Swimming in the river. You name it, they did it. All were happy. I loved seeing my kids enjoying their time with my dad. But I enjoyed his clothing even more. Della's always been a pretty snazzy dresser...