This past week we have been swimming in the back yard, but the mosquitos were pretty bad last night. Peter came home from work and wanted to mow, but I had the kids all dressed for a swim. He had to mow a 12 foot square of grass, drag our pool into it and re-fill it. Then he mowed out front while we swam in back. Allen kept trying to get out of the pool to find his daddy. He knows the lawn mower sound and what it means.

After all the swimming we hit the tub. When Peter handed Katy her night time milk she said, "Who is going to hold me?" He told her that Mommy was in the tub and he was all sweaty, so she had to hold herself. Then he helped her nest into the corner of the sofa, all snuggled up.

Allen has developed a shoe fetish. He loves two sets in particular: his Disney Pixar Car crocs and Katy's rain shoes that look like bugs. Juice McGoose tries to say the word shoe when he brings one to me and insists that I help him stuff a foot into it. After he has two on, not necessarily from the same set, he stomps around as happy as can be!

Well, I guess my microwave didn’t appreciate being left out of my happy list from my last post because it just gave up the ghost. I use it for all my “cooking” just about and especially for warming up our night time and morning milk for the nuggets. I had to kick it old school with a pot of boiling water on the stove top. And since Allen decided to wake up at 5:30 yesterday morning, that was NOT a fun thing to do. I made buying a new microwave my priority for the day, but unfortunately for me, it was a rainy day. Picture a huge Sam’s Club cart with both kids, some groceries and a huge new microwave oven. Add lots of rain and a golf umbrella. That was our morning yesterday. Now the kids like to sit on the old microwave like it’s a bench made just for them!

In health news, it turns out that I did NOT have impetigo. I went back to the dr. after the red bumps were steadily spreading to my right leg and itching even more. After a week of $65 worth of pills and creams plus sleeping in tube socks (yuck!) I had enough. The new diagnosis was poison oak or poison ivy so the kids watched while I received a steroid injection into my hindquarters. I also have been taking steroid pills and the first couple of days I experienced my first ‘Roid Rage. All the down-sides of being a pro baseball player but without the money or the glory.

Allen also had a follow-up appointment with his doc to check on his stitches from the circumcision. I tried to entertain those knuckle-heads for 45 minutes while we waited and when I was just about to let them run wild, a nurse came around the corner and said we were in the wrong part of the waiting room. They had been looking for us. Big Juice got a clean bill of health from the doctor but I was warned that we have to check daily to be sure one of his fine, blonde hairs isn’t wrapped around anything down there because it might amputate. Wow. Things you never knew you should be worrying about. He looked pretty cute in his Aggie attire…like a little linebacker. Katy announced to anyone and everyone that he was there to get his ding-ding fixed. She also told everyone her name, and if they acted interested, she told them Allen’s name, too.

I’ve also been editing bridal shots for one of my former Young Women. I’m so proud to be trusted with her big day! She is gorgeous and John and I are doing her wedding on Saturday. I’ll be SO glad when it’s over!

This past weekend was my long-awaited Girlfriends Weekend Getaway. Delma took care of all the details and I only needed to show up for my part and bring my camera. Delma picked a town located between the three of us (including our friend Angela) and we pretty much took over it while we were there. In advance Delma researched shopping, restaurants and fun activities, plus she booked our fabulous hotel. All it takes to make me feel like royalty is a Holiday Inn Express. I even got my own bed because of my “infectious disease”, but that also kept me from getting a pedicure. :o( There was a huge outdoor pool but most of the time it rained so we never even dipped a toe into the water. We are definitely doing it again next year! It was too much fun! Angela is a masseuse and she brought a massage chair with her. I am officially addicted. I was the photographer for the weekend and the gals were great sports, hamming it up in The Dollar Store and doing whatever I wanted them to! Posing with mumu’s and everything! I was really missing the kids by Sunday and brought home new toys for them (Leap Frog toy for Allen and a new doll for Katy named Dolly) even though the nuggets do NOT need more toys. It is SO cute to see Allen dance to the music, though!

I did learn that the kids didn’t miss me one bit for their Mommy-Free weekend. Katy was whisked away by Mookie to spend the weekend at Sarah & Keith’s house. Apparently Mom really enjoyed hearing Katy sing B-I-N-G-O in the car along the way. They had a relaxing time with lunches at PF Chang’s (where Birdie ate bok bok and rice) and watched Disney movies. Mash and Shelby licked her, according the Katybooty’s report. Sarah even took pictures. If someone wants to borrow my kids, the best way to convince me is to promise me photos! She did lose points for using the ol’ cell phone camera which is stinky.

Peter and Allen just had a boys weekend at home. The report was a little vague but I’m sure that the tv was on and some basketball was played. My hoodlums spent some time on Saturday at Grammy & Papa’s house working on their new laptop. Allen conquered the rocking horse there without competition from his big sister. I’m sure he enjoyed all that attention for himself. I did leave my old camera behind with instructions but there were no new pics when I got home. Hmmm…..

Don’t you hate it when you fall asleep while eating yogurt?

Katy’s dance necklace is constantly being stretched across my neck. It scratches and pulls my skin and it’s too small for me, but my Bird is in denial about that. Finally she found someone else to put it on.

And I have officially taken pics of our new van. No name yet. I am getting used to the strange position of the gear shift and I still love the power sliding doors. We’ve already trashed it like rock stars, though. It looks like Aerosmith took it for a tour around the country.

OK, I feel mostly caught up for now. I’ll close with some Katy-isms:
*pweez, oh pweez = Katy’s begging method of choice, spoken with much more emphasis than her regular “please”
*lympics = we’ve been up late watching the Olympics
*slips = flips (Katy throws her dolly up into the air and watches her do flips like the gals in the ‘lympics)
*nastics = gymnastics (Katy does forward rolls on a bath towel. See above)
*almost a’gok = I almost forgot (even when she did forget, she says almost)

And finally, since I don’t have any Juice pics for this post I’m putting up the desktop background. He looks so cute in a bow tie. Maybe he’s a future James Bond? OK, I guess he might make a better Odd Job.

We have had a pretty good day today and I'm feeling very blessed, even though the mountain of clean laundry is overflowing into two different rooms. Between Allen climbing the pile and Jaxson taking naps on it, there is no hope that those clothes are still clean. Oh well! I decided to do a '10 things I am grateful' for kind of post tonight. Here goes:
1. my family (of course)
2. good friends (you know who you are)
3. automated appliances (washing machine/dryer/dishwasher, etc...)
4. pudgy baby toes (Juicy)
5. communication technology (phones, cell phones, internet, etc...)
6. my camera (new one should be here tomorrow!)
7. Katy's smile (the one that says she knows something I don't know)
8. Crayola paints and markers that only show up on certain paper (thank goodness!)
9. our cool new van (still haven't taken a pic of it though)
10. Jim & Tara are preggers 5 weeks (and I am REALLY hoping it's a girl!!)

That's it...short and sweet. The nuggets are sleeping and dreaming of Chick-a-lay playland, I'm sure.

Long time no blog. I have been really tired lately and just couldn't seem to get the energy to sit down and type. I don't know if it's the empetigo (itchy, gross patch of skin) that I picked up or but I'm in pretty sad shape!

Here are the recent Katy-isms:

*zizzorz = scissors
*deliget = delicate (as in "this puppy is very deliget...be careful"
*ardigenz = Backyardigans (formerly referred to as just "genz"
*aderpidder = caterpillar
*bizit = visit (as in tricking Mom into an all day play date by asking for a bizit, okay?)

Today we had Katy's teacher come for a bizit. Katy will start pre-school at the beginning of September and she is SOOO excited. I'm excited, too! And very relieved that potty training worked out for my Bird. So Ms. Altendorf came this morning and Katy has been practicing saying her name for a few days. I waited but she never addressed her teacher by name. Dang it! All that practicing and she didn't even show off! Well, Allen showed off by dropping a deuce right beside Katy and her teacher as they assembled a puzzle. While I cleaned him up they read a book together. Katybird already really likes her teacher - yay!

While I was giving the teacher some of our background, I mentioned that three of Katy's grandparents live within just a few blocks of us. And the fourth one is within a short drive. She told me I was spoiled and I just had to agree. We get freshly canned green beans, home-grown veggies, delicious appetizers and scrumptious home cooking! We get free babysitting from people who love our kids almost as much as we do! We have a personal shopper with Marjean picking out clothes from her Saturday morning shopping. We have my Mom to drag screaming kids out of the store while I'm waiting in line to check out. Spoiled rotten!

In fact, this past week was Grandparent-Palooza! The nuggets played with Grammy & Papa on Friday, and Mom stopped by while we played with our chalk and paints on Wednesday, and then we saw Gramps on Thursday. He took the kids for their very first trip to Chuck E Cheese and they loved it! Katy didn't eat more than one bite of pizza, though. Big Juice more than made up for her by eating at least 1-1/2 pieces. Both the kids have had a cold, but they perked up for the rides and games.

Mom joined us on Saturday for a boutique blow-out sale where I picked up a cherry swim suit for next summer. Not for me...for Katy, of course! Then we went to "Chick-a-lay" and Katy dragged Mom over to the play area. Mom held open the door for Katy who hesitated to go in alone. Instead she looked up and said, "It's scary. Maybe I need to eat first" which is what I wanted all along! Lately she won't even potty alone because it's too scary. She must have been hanging out with Emily to learn that one!!

When we finished eating we went into the play area together and Allen proved once again that he has no fear. Whether it's climbing tall stairs and teetering on the edge or scaling the slide from down below...he just doesn't get scared. And when he does tumble, don't expect any kind of a cry. He is one tough little nugget! He has molars coming in and that does make him cry. Then he cheers up again if you drop him into a tub of water or even just let him splash his hands in running water from the kitchen sink.

OK, that's all that I can think of right now. I'm sure I'm forgetting all kinds of cute things but I can hear that nap time is over.

Meg