Summer is winding down

Last night we attempted to sleep with the windows open

but during the night it got down to 41 degrees {brrr....}

Summer is winding down but it's not supposed to be this cool the last week of July

{but I'm not complaining}

Yesterday I took the boys one on one to get school supplies

I'm going to say it again - I LOVE spending time with them one on one

They were such good shoppers and I saw a mature side of them that I don't see often

While shopping, I was reminded why God gave me these two amazing boys

{I would never be able to afford a girl}

The boys are content with the basics while the girls want all the bright fun school supplies

Parker got everything on his list and a new lunch box that lights up

Spencer didn't have a list so we just bought some basics and a camouflage lunch box

{which he thanked me for a million times}

It's still hard to believe that I'm going to have a boy in middle school

Before I send him off, we still have a lot to do in the next 2 weeks

Our Summer Fun List isn't as big as I hoped it would be

Where has this summer gone?

A poor folk vacation

This week I was reminded that you don't need a lot of money for a vacation

All you need, is a family making memories

Our week was kind of split up because I volunteered to work for my boss 

while she is at Mayo with her husband who is recovering from a heart transplant

Monday we went to Wild Cat Den 

 Tuesday we went to Adventure Land

 Wednesday we went fishing at Saulsbury 

 Thursday we canoed to the Maquoketa River

And on Friday we hiked at the Maquoketa Caves

MEMORIES:

The boys begging mom to go on a roller coaster 

{3 roller coasters later she still hadn't puked}

On the way home Spencer said he needed to call Grandma and tell her about mom's achievements

Spencer telling Parker to stop stealing the fish

{Parker caught 4 fish while Spencer caught 1 and lost 1}

The boys got sand in their swimming trunks and having itchy bums

{This made the last half of our trip miserable}

Parker getting a thorn in his toe while playing on the beach

{Dad dug the splinter out in our hotel room}

Dad burnt the tops of his feet canoeing

Mom peeing in the woods 

{When ya gotta go, ya gotta go}

The slick slimy steps at the caves 

{All 4 of us fell and 2 were covered in mud}

The boys found a baby snapping turtle at Wild Cat Den

A water moccasin at Sulsbury and frogs every where we went this week

We're already looking forward to next years vacation

Beauty in a bird nest

 The last two summers, we had baby bunnies in our yard

This summer we were excited to see something new

Mama robin built a nest by Parker's bedroom window

We watched her sit there for days

One day we saw her pecking and knew they must have hatched

Before we knew it, they were out of the nest hopping around

They remind me of my babies, they grow up way to fast

Championship {Spencer and his Bridgestone Buddies}

When it comes to baseball, 

we have been so blessed with great coaches and amazing ball players

This year Spencer played for Bridgestone/Bandag

This league was so different than anything I was use to

You couldn't turn your head for a second or these kids were stealing bases

Spencer caught for the majority of the season

He did a little pitching and playing in the field but he would rather be behind the plate

  The team made it to the championship and played a double header against GPC

Spencer got to catch the first ball thrown {by the Mayor - Hoppy Hopkins}

The Bridgestone Boys played hard and took second place 

We are so proud of the team and the coaches

Way to go Bridgestone!

I fell off the blog wagon

I fell off the blog wagon again

I fall off quite often and then something gets me and I think I better get up and get back on

These boys are growing up way to fast and I want to keep the memories alive

We're getting ready for VACATION

We can't wait and I can't remember how long it's been since the hubby took off a whole week

Now that he's done with the National Guard, we get him to ourselves this summer

I'm making a promise to blog at least twice a week for the rest of summer break

Lets see if I can do it

Amelia Pearl {Turning 2}

This sweet baby girl has been part of our family for two years

and we can't imagine a day without her

She has the sweetest personality and we can't help but love all her fluff

She's our baby girl and we are crazy about her

so we think it's only fair to give her a birthday fit for a princess

Pink crown and all

Things she loves:

Sleeping on top of the computer printer

Cheetos

Laying upside down with the ceiling fan blowing on her

Playing hide and seek

Watching Spencer's lizards and the crickets

Being rubbed

Laying on a wet towel the boys have left on the bathroom floor

Kitty Treats

Being in the bathroom every morning while Dad gets ready for work

Things she hates:

Car alarms going off

Crumbs in the bottom of her food bowl

Being brushed

The tornado siren

Going to the vet to get her haircut
A dirty litter box


We'll be celebrating with strawberry cupcakes and she'll be having Cheetos puffs

A week ago {June 24th Tornado}

We watched the storm out the kitchen window not knowing how bad it really was

The sirens never went off

I read posts on face book about all the damage
so I decided we better leave early to get Spencer from orchestra camp

Parker and I couldn't believe all the tree limbs down on Cedar St.

When we got to West Middle School, 

we had to pull limbs to the side of the parking lot just so cars could pull in

We drove up Highway 61 and saw the devastation

5 semis overturned on Highway 61
This picture was taken by the ALLSTEEL building

There is a storage facility to the right of the State Farm office
This camper was thrown and tore to shreds 

The tornado did significant damage to the Krieger's Collison Center
An employee of 30 years lost his life during the storm

Lots of trees splintered at Weed Park

The fence in the back of Menards was damaged
and the glass doors in the front on the store blew out

Calvary church was also damaged by the tornado

The auditorium collapsed and the roof and air conditioning unit were battered
The congregation won't be able to attend church in the building until at least December

There were many homes damaged by falling trees and many were without electricity


We are so thankful it wasn't any worse

We will keep the family and friends of Wayne Haury in our prayers