Pool Party For Keesha

Our friends Shane and Andrea invited us over for a pool party at their house to celebrate Keesha's 30th Birthday. The baby of our group finally joined the thirty club. I won't tell you who is the oldest of that club and about to join the 40 club (I'll give you a hint, her first name starts with a J and she puts silly jokes and quotes on her blog!)
Andrea takes such wonderful pics! I forgot my camera (figures!) so she sent me some. Isn't Keesha beautiful!!!!

Here is Topher causing me grey hair by doing a flip into the pool. I wasn't the only one to go home with new silver locks though because pretty much ALL of the kids were doing things like this (and some of the husbands too, you know who you are, Jesse!)

Brendon even decided to come! I told Shane and Andrea they must be REALLY COOL for the teenager to show up! I am glad! Bren has been doing more things with the family lately and I am really happy because I have missed him. He is so cute with the kids. He had baby Jake for quite some time that night. Obviously they were both having fun!

The author doing her best "Joe Cool" imitation (not working!)

Check out Big T's shirt. We were shopping earlier in the day and I spotted this. I told him he HAD to buy it and wear it to the pool party. I think this is as obnoxious as orange can get and still look good!

The kids swam ALL AFTERNOON and into the night. They would get out and take a break, then right back in. They couldn't be bothered to eat. I can remember those days when playing was THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING!!!

My Tim is smiling! Yeah!!!

It was a great time! We haven't been able to get together with the group for a while and it was nice to catch up. We missed the Turner's though! They were getting their patio done (that is another post!) and had to be there in spirit. Thanks to Shane and Andrea for letting us trash their place! p.s. Thanks to Andrea for the dessert. I finally got my cupcake! Also p.p.s. to Bev because she brought my OTHER favorite cupcake (Cupcake Vineyards of course!!!)

Tune: Swimming Pool - Camera Obscura

Look Mom! We Made Our Own Shirts!

Well last week I took a staycation. I was extremely lazy and it was everything I thought it could be. Unfortunately one has to come back to reality and when I did there was a $%^&load of work waiting for me. Needless to say, I have been out in the field for the last two days. When I say out in the field, I really mean it. I was gone from 6am to 6pm last night, and then holed up in my office until 8:30 last night doing paperwork. Well, when I got home last night, the boys decided to show me what they did while I was gone. Good thing it wasn't graffiti!

They used Sharpies to make their own shirts. I thought that was a very creative thing to do. All last night they were VERY CAREFUL not to get anything on their shirts. They don't want to have to wash them and risk the colors fading. p.s. Can Topher be any more of a ham? At least I am getting Tim to smile again!

Tune: I'm too sexy - Right Said Fred

Tim Morley, the New Veterinary Chef

Yes, dear reader, here is the next Food Network show - The Veterinary Chef starring Tim Morley.
This is what Samantha woke up to this morning! Guinea Pigs never had it so good!

Yummy!!!

The Crazy Life of a Rockstar: Or, How I Finally Got to See My Son, Lead Singer of Chelsea Grin!

Well I must say I think I need to get Bret Michael's mom on speed dial so I can call her at 2am and ask, "Is this normal?" I already feel like Lois Lane being jealous of the whole world when sharing Superman! I am so proud of Chelsea Grin, but I miss my son! Alex has had a longer break this last time and he came to see us over the 4th weekend!
I was finally able to give him his part of Terry's Father's Day present. So I put mine on too and had a Kodak moment.

Then we went swimming! I think these guys would shrivel up and die if they had to actually take a serious pic! Actually, I think it is kind of funny.

We had a great time swimming, eating lunch on the new patio set, and listening to some tunes. Alex will be leaving on another big tour soon and doesn't expect to be back until around December. DECEMBER! I guess mom's need to learn to share their sons at some point in their lives. I just didn't figure I would have to share him with thousands of others! Good luck Chelsea Grin, make your dreams come true!

Tune: Crazy - Seal

4th of July!

Oh boy, the day has finally come! Look at that spread!

When you live in a house of all boys, you quickly come to realize how destructive they like to be. Here are some tanks having a war.

Add that destructive tendancy with fire and you have a mix for disaster!

I guess that is the losing tank?

We must have had a million packs of smoke bombs. The kids liked to make different colors.

There was so much smoke, Bren and I sat on the porch and got high. Or got lung cancer. Take your pick.

Then there are the always fun parachutes. Of course you have to run and catch them before they hit the ground!

Look at that handsome dude!!!

Gotta show off my patriotic earrings!

Have to show off the porch and the house and all of the hard work we have been doing!

This is the masterpiece. Do you know how hard it is to dig stones into ground that has tree roots in it? 'Bout killed me!!!

Awww, but doesn't it look nice? (Ignore the fact that the tree needs some SERIOUS pruning!)

Now night has finally arrived and we can have the big finish!

Spectacular fountains.....

And enjoyment of the neighbors illegal fireworks. What more can anyone ask? Happy 4th everyone! A big shout out and thanks to all of the men and woman who have given their all for this country!

Tune: Burning Down the House - Talking Heads

Fuuuureeeeekkkeeeeehhhh!

So I'm sitting out on my lovely front porch (that I worked HARD to make nice!) Enjoying the wonderful 70ish degree weather, when I look up and see this interesting cloud formation. This photo is to the left of my house.....
This pic is straight across.....

This pic is to the right.....

It looked like the edge of a huge spaceship. Freaky! Watching too much "Independence Day" I guess! Anyway, thought it was pretty cool looking. The photos don't do it justice. It was pretty wild!

Tune: Close Encounters of the Third Kind - John Williams

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's House

This Thursdays fun field trip was a visit to Grandpa and Grandma Grames'es house. They live in Saratoga Springs and are REALLY cool because they have a park in their back yard! (the kid's words, not mine!)
When we drove up, I noticed their beautiful flowers out front.

Grandma said that the wind had actually blown them apart. Too bad I didn't get a pic before that happened because I thought they looked pretty good!

They took the whole brood to Del Taco for lunch. That's right, they braved it! The wind was blowing about 800 miles an hour too, so much fun!

Here we are enjoying our yummy tacos!

The playground has some really vicious dinosaurs living on it that Tim and Toph had to tame.

Then Tim goes, "Do you have a little Captain in you?" Oh my, either he watches too much t.v. or too much Hearth and Home Boys i.e. the boys trip (You KNOW who you are!!!). We had a great time and we are trying to get a trip to Peppermint Place going on in the next few weeks!

Tune: Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra