July Catch-Up

July has flown by, and I've not been keeping up with blog pics very well. Here are some pics from July to catch everyone up with the monkeys!

Sharing S'mores.

This has been the summer of Skylar. Nora and Skylar are the best of friends.

What other outfit would you choose to climb and play in when it's 97 degrees outside?

Lots of pool time.

Walt has been tented. The crib tent is back!

Talking to Granny on the phone - head wound is three days old here.

Walt is unhappy because Nora is taking a turn in the car.

Fourth of July.

Strawberries in a bowl on the counter.

Singing Monkey Number 2

Annika...

For Annika - We miss you!

Guessing Game Results

No one, as I predicted was able to identify Alek's wound. This is what happens when you play tug of war with a jumprope. The jumprope has plastic hollow handles. Alek said to Zachary, "Whoever falls down first wins." Zachary promptly let go of his end and fell down. Alek pulled his end smack into his forehead.

My Karmic payback for this little game is that last night Alek got hit in the head with a metal baseball bat. It was REALLY scary. The injury was grotesque - the kind of bump you see on Tom and Jerry - not a goose egg, but a greenish purple stalk shooting out of his head. We went to the ER where he had a CAT scan. It was negative. He never lost consciousness, vomited, or lost lucidity. He barely cried at all - except when I saw the wound and inappropriately freaked. He seems fine. Doc believes all is fine. It was a scary night. I think I'll refrain from posting photos of it.

C'mon, Take a Guess

Alek and I challenge you to take a guess as to the origin and circumstances of this, one very interesting wound. (And it's not related to the snaggle-toothiness of the young man.) What you are seeing is a slightly scabbed perfect circle. It happened yesterday. I don't know what the winner gets because there is no way anyone will guess. (AND CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE.)
Wrong guesses thus far:
Guess 1: He got hit, or ran into, a piece of pipe or conduit; or he had a suction cup dart on his head and pulled it off.
Guess 2: I think that he put a plastic bottle to his head and "suctioned" it on. When he tried to pull it off he tore some of the skin off.
Guess 3: Cigarette lighter from a car.
Guess 4: scooter handle, with the foam handlebar missing.
Guess 5: he fell asleep with a coin or bottle cap on his forehead and woke up with this cool circle impressed on his forehead???
Guess 6: Ringworm.

Nora's New Duds

In celebration of signing a sales contract on the house and as a reward for helping keep it neat and tidy, the kids got to pick out gifts at "Buy N Large." This is Nora's. She looked even better 15 minutes later strumming her guitar and wandering the street.

Jumpin' and Paint'n

This week, we finally had some time to do regular summer fun things! We went to a nearby indoor playground complete with tire swings, ball pits, slides, and mazes.


We also went to a paint-your-own-pottery place. Alek painted a shark, and Nora painted a plate! She added a butterfly, too! We'll go back next week to pick up the items - they will glaze and fire them for us!

To Market, To Market

In the last month, we've had the bathrooms tiled, the bedrooms carpeted, the exteriour painted, the interior painted, the garage ceiling fancied up, and the junk packed away. So, finally we're on the market! Wish us luck!

The exterior (No more RED!!!)

The living room 10 days ago while carpet was being installed.

(Yes, that's Walt in the middle of it all!)

The living room now!

Great Wolf Lodge

We spent a wonderful long weekend with my parents at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. This is a hotel with attached restaurants, arcade, Magic Quest, and..... WATERPARK! There are indoor pools, outdoor pools, indoor little kid slides and big kid slides, a wave pool, a toddler pool, outdoor slides, a lazy river, and the list goes on! Mom and Dad treated. The kids LOVED it. Nora very cooperatively wore a life jacket; Walt didn't mind his, and Alek did fine without one. Another big hit was the Magic Quest. This involved a magic wand, a game book, and clues all over the hotel (lots in the 8 stories of stairwells- ugh). We completed five of the eight quests!

Thanks Granny and Grandpa!!!!!

Our room had a cool "Kid Kamp" tent inside our room. The kids had their own bunk beds and TV.

Looking for clues on a Magic Quest!

A view of part of the indoor park. The bucket spills every so often. Only Alek and Mommy braved the downpour!

Walt wading in the Wave Pool.

Outside with Alek and Walt.

Alek and Nora under the Wolf. When it howls, water rains down!

Like this!!!

Alek on one of the little slides.

Nora playing at the splash pad area.

Alek crossing the pool on floating slices of log!

Nora riding one of the outdoor slides alone!


Nora riding waves at the wave pool!

"I'm Going to be a Character"

Nora has been watching Shirley Temple movies lately. Yesterday, she said she wanted Shirley Temple hair. Well, I figured I could do at least a good enough job to impress her. I took her to the drug store to buy curlers (they actually still sell foam curlers!), and she was beside herself with excitement. Skipping, singing, telling the entire store. She had asked why sometimes Shirley Temple is named Shirley, and sometimes Heidi, and sometimes Curly Top. We had a discussion about actors and characters. What she took from that was that if she has Shirley Temple hair, she should be called a character. "I'm going to be a character!" is what she sang while skipping around the store, house, and yard!

She sat patiently while I rolled her hair, and she kept the rollers in for about five hours while they dried! She was THRILLED with the result! Of course, this morning she shed tears and wanted her Nora hair back. It was short-lived, but it was fun!

Walter is a Big Boy

So the kids were outside for approximately 20 seconds alone this evening. When Dave stepped back out, I heard him fussing at the older two asking who had put Walt up in the play set. Both kids professed their innocence. We didn't believe them until we saw this 30 seconds later.

And when he's told he can't do this anymore...

More Photos from Photo Shoot in May

Here are several other shots. I get such a kick out of watching the little hams pose. Nora specifically brought the bear for one of the photos. We humored her. She was thrilled.