Yippie!!!...the bulldozer's GONE!

Eva enjoyed a little unexpected Daddy time today as they "exhumed" the famous bulldozer!


A sheriff's deputy, Sheriff Gould, Tom- the other farmer and owner of the bulldozer- and his family, Tom & Linda Hitchcock- our neighbors, Grama Colleen & Papa Walt, and a few different news crews were there to share in this joyous occasion today! The only one missing was Mr. Charles Jonathan Smith- he made bail for the theft and possession of the stolen property just last week...

...and I also have to add- IT HASN'T RAINED IN FOREVER- AND THEY PICK NOW TO DIG UP OUR YARD!!!! That was my gripe this morning- but all is well. They were really respectful of our property and left it in great condition. They filled it the BIG HOLE- now I just need a few buckets of wildflower seeds- because it was meant to be weeds in that area anyway- may as well make it pretty!!

School Bus

Going....
GOING....
GONE!!!!
For those of you who already know our school bus dilemma... DING DONG- THE WITCH IS DEAD!!! If this was a video- you'd see me dancing right now!!! Our favorite new neighbor, Kevin, is my tractor scoopin', flatbed driving, school bus removing hero! (along with a whole bunch of other misc. garbage!) Our property sure is cleaning up nice!

Bed Head

Oh my god- this girl has HAIR!! She has a big head and tiny body with her PJs on! She's gonna hate it when she gets older!

Drywall

BJ is growing up so fast- he asks what he can help with... this time it was a MESSY one! Uncle Jeff, Mommy and BJ did the ceilings this weekend- they were a MESS! But now they look great!

We're almost ready for paint. Collin asks every day if we can paint yet... next time it's his turn to get messy!

Our BJ was SOOOOO tired after working all day... we didn't get home until 11:30PM and he still needed a shower- good thing there's no school tomorrow!!! :)

BJ's Class Trip to Darien Lake

A group picture would have been better at the beginning of the day- when they all had the orange shirts on- but still cute! (with all their prizes!)
I'm sure you all recognize some of these faces- we've been with the same kids for years! We didn't ride any small rides- only the BIG ones! They have several roller coasters now- (I haven't been there since it was bought out by Six Flags.) And they loved the big water area... even though the slides weren't open. -- Not sure why?!?! It was in the 90s today- perfect weather for us! Everyone had a great time!

Patriotic Girls!

Aren't they beautiful in their red, white and blue dresses?!

Baseball on Parade

BJ's team: Mark's Pizzeria
Collin's team: Rt. 31 Automotive
Happy Dads!! (Brian's friend Pete coaches his son on another lower division team.)
And last but not least: the parade watchers!!

Memorial Day Bonfire

Well- it rained on and off in the evening- but then it cleared up in time to have a fire and some smores! Eva was sleeping by then- but Mommy got to sit and relax and have a little wine after a long day of working! Of course, I'm not in any of the pictures (surprise, surprise!)- I was the picture taker. Grammie finally got to see our new place- and enjoyed a little time in the country.

The girls sat in patio chairs in our empty living room while it was raining, and the boys played outside (dodging the raindrops, of course!) Brian's friend from work and school- Pete- came over with his son too. Pete always teases Brian that Ryan will be dating Eva one day. He and Collin got along great- searching for snakes and frogs and worms -n- things!

We love our new place so much- it suits everyone so well. Brian finally has a real lawn to mow and room for horseshoes, the kids and Hooch have plenty of room to run and build forts and explore, and I have my garden and flowers... the house is a wreck... still under construction- but it's getting there!

Pretty Irises

Eva loves Mommy's "pretties"- unfortunately she likes to see them up CLOSE! She plucks the heads off them to smell them!!-- then she hands them to me and says "pretty"!

Playin' Outside

We did actually work out there yesterday- Brian mowed, I planted the rest of the garden, Jeff and I worked on drywall, and the boys... well... they did some work- against their will! We set up the sand/water box- which shortly turned into the MUD box!!!-- but the entertainment lasted a long time! We also got the volleyball net ready for future picnics... Of course the boys needed to "test" it!
We had a good time- but all the work and sunshine made us tired! I had to snap a picture of Daddy's girl- she doesn't hold still very often!

Eva Faces

What is with this new face?!?!

BJ meets the Author

The kids were supposed to look silly when they went to meet Matt McElligott- an author of children's books- NO PROBLEM HERE!!
BJ was one of twelve people who got to meet him in person, after entering a writing contest. We sure have come a long way in one year haven't we?!?! Did I mention BJ's last report card--all As and Bs! I'm such a proud Mommy!

Some of my Flowers

I know childless photos are boring- but I just love my flowers- the lilacs smell SOOOO good and I even have birds coming to my feeders!
And look at my beautiful irises- they're everywhere- just in case anyone wants some bulbs in the fall- I'll need to split them because they're growing right up out of the ground!
I'll have to ask Grammie for assistance though- I've never done it before.

Bird Nest

We thought it was abandoned- but these birds are determined to keep their house in our pile of fiberglass insulation! And as Jeff said: "Anything that can build a house in a day- deserves to have it where they want it!" This one is safely in the barn- under cover and about 5 feet off the ground- no dogs- no kids... only my camera!

Little Girl with the Curl...

...right in the middle of her forehead-- Grandma Eve used to say that to me when I was little. Of course, I had no curls- but the rest...when she was good, she was very, very good- and when she was bad, she was ROTTEN... really applied to me! Now I have my own curly haired, rotten girl! Such a ham- this is the photo I took when you and I were on the phone this morning, Mom- and I said, what a cutie- but talk to me tonight to see if I still think she's cute... well... thank goodness it's nap time!

Sammi's Party

SILLY KIDS!
Everyone had a blast at the surprise carnival party- we had games and prizes, a bounce house, a dunk tank (how did I not get pictures of that?!?!), and tons of FOOD! ...cotton candy, pretzels, nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, burgers and, of course, CAKE! And guess what I did?!- painted faces! The kids said it was the "coolest party"! Even the babies had fun going in the "Bouncy Bouncy Bounce House" and playing with balloons! Jane had her face painted (can't believe she stood still- there's no way Jack would), then decided that her Mommy needed the pretty paint too! The weather made everyone nervous while we were getting ready for the party- but then it stopped raining and held out for the whole thing! Aunt Donna was workin' her magic again!

HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY SAMMI!

Race for the Cure 2007

HAPPY SEVEN YEARS TO AUNT DONNA!! (AND JUDY, TOO!) Another successful day at the fairgrounds with (almost) the whole family!!!