My friend, Tiffany, has just started a new blog called As For My House and she's giving 3 homesteading dvd's away as a "blogwarming" gift. Go check her out and leave a comment and check out all 10 ways you have to win! Have fun!
As For My House
Monday, August 31, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Sunday- Tacos
Monday- Baked Ziti
Tuesday- Meatloaf & Twice Baked Potatoes
Wednesday- Pesto Chicken & Pasta
Thursday- BBQ Beef
Friday- Frozen Pizzas
Saturday- Sloppy Joes
Next week Nicky will be out of town, so my menu might have a little less cooking...yay!! lol But, I know I do need to actually cook sometimes for the rest of us. Ugh. So, I will. And, I will post the menu plan next week.
Have a great week!
PS- Just so you know, I finally posted a couple pictures on the First Day of School post. Check 'em out. Bye! :-)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Aren't They Beautiful?!?
Wednesday, August 19 was a very special day for Savannah. Today she got her braces off after 3 1/2 years!! Whoo hoo!!
Here she is as we were leaving home to go to the orthodontist appointment. The last "metal" smile.
Here is the tech actually removing the braces.
And, here she is! Ta-dah!!
The doctor came in and noticed that she had a ripple in her front tooth leftover from the braces, so he had to do some filing.
And, here she is! The end of the metal....and the beginning of a lifetime "clear" retainer set. Man, I wish they'd had clear retainers when I was 15!!! lol But, seriously, doesn't she look just mahhvelous?? I think so!
Here she is as we were leaving home to go to the orthodontist appointment. The last "metal" smile.
Here is the tech actually removing the braces.
And, here she is! Ta-dah!!
The doctor came in and noticed that she had a ripple in her front tooth leftover from the braces, so he had to do some filing.
And, here she is! The end of the metal....and the beginning of a lifetime "clear" retainer set. Man, I wish they'd had clear retainers when I was 15!!! lol But, seriously, doesn't she look just mahhvelous?? I think so!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
First Day of School
I forgot to take pictures of Ashton on her first day of school, so these are from the second day. Her uniform shirt is dark green. Unfortunately, she had a very hectic and overwhelming day. First, she got a bad cold the weekend before school started. Second, the registrar never put her into the computer, for unknown reasons, and wanted her to check in on Monday morning so she could then put her in. I'm not sure why she decided to not input her until Monday, but it sure made for a yucky day. Since she wasn't put in until that morning, none of her teachers had her on their lists. And, they weren't allowed to admit students who weren't on the list. So, first thing, after finding her first period, she was sent out and down to the cafeteria where they were working on schedules with bunches of other kids. It took them awhile to get her in the system and finally it worked out that she could go to class. She's already upset because of all the run-around and on top of that, she's coughing and sneezing and blowing her nose and worse, she doesn't know anyone. Ugh. It was not a smooth day. But, as the week went on and as she made her rounds to class over and over, she got the hang of it, started making friends, and was feeling better each day. Thank goodness!! This week should be much better!
(Written on Monday, Aug. 31).
Monday, August 24, 2009
Recently Overheard...
This morning, while we were driving to school, a guy came driving next to us and passed us, not to quickly. Levi said, "Whoa! Slow down, cowboy." It was so natural and so condescending, it was so funny. We all cracked up! He says the funniest things!!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Well, it's that time again. So, here is my Menu for this week.Sunday- Noodle Dish
Monday- Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
Tuesday- Shake & Bake Pork Chops
Wednesday- Hamburger and Noodles
Thursday- Chicken & Peppers Skillet
Friday- Hot Dogs & Fries
Saturday- Chicken Puffs
Hamburger & Noodles
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 cups brown or mushroom gravy
medium or wide noodles, cooked & drained
This is a homemade "hamburger helper", as my husband calls it. Ironically, he loves it!! lol Cook the meat and onions and misc. spices like garlic powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, etc. all together. Add gravy & mix well. Add cooked noodles to meat mixture. Add more gravy, if desired, to make prefered texture.
Have a great week, everyone!! :-)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Trip Pictures #3
This is the final installment in my vacation photos. I'm sure by now you're overjoyed that it's nearing the end, huh?? lol
This is a waterfall about 10 minutes from my mom's house. It's at the end of a trail through the woods that is a very nice walk. We took the dogs, Big Mac and my brother's dog, Zoe and they both had a lot of fun splashing in the water. Just about where Ashton (in pink) is standing, there's a little pool that is perfect for the little guys.
Here's Levi (left), Indy (center), and our nephew, Aaron next to that little pool.
Here's a nice little picture of Savannah, Ashton, Indy, and our other nephew, Andrew. Now, you wanna see where they are??
Look at the very tip top of the waterfall. See the pink? That's Ashton surrounded by the others. You can imagine how I held my breath at seeing them up that high....and that close to the edge! Apparently, the trail we walked goes up even further than we went, to the top of the waterfall. And, according to the kids, the waterfall actually goes up even higher than they are, but they couldn't see a trail....thank goodness!!! lol
Here's the two doggies enjoying themselves. Poor Zoe is so old now that she's slower than she used to be and Mac just wants to play with her.
Here's the little boys playing on the rocks. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Levi slipped on the rocks and puctured his head....wow, big surprise, huh?? lol But, it was pretty small and he was fine. When we got home, I put some cream and a band aid and he was just fine. At 5 bandaids heal a lot, don't they?? lol
Here's a good one of my brother. Smile, Rich!! :-)
A group shot. L to R: Me, Savannah, Ashton, my SIL Leslie, Rich, Andrew and on the front row:
Well, I guess that's it....finally. Hope you enjoyed "seeing" our trip instead of just "hearing" about it. Luckily for you I'm not going on another trip for a long time!! lol
This is a waterfall about 10 minutes from my mom's house. It's at the end of a trail through the woods that is a very nice walk. We took the dogs, Big Mac and my brother's dog, Zoe and they both had a lot of fun splashing in the water. Just about where Ashton (in pink) is standing, there's a little pool that is perfect for the little guys.
Here's Levi (left), Indy (center), and our nephew, Aaron next to that little pool. 
Here's a nice little picture of Savannah, Ashton, Indy, and our other nephew, Andrew. Now, you wanna see where they are??
Look at the very tip top of the waterfall. See the pink? That's Ashton surrounded by the others. You can imagine how I held my breath at seeing them up that high....and that close to the edge! Apparently, the trail we walked goes up even further than we went, to the top of the waterfall. And, according to the kids, the waterfall actually goes up even higher than they are, but they couldn't see a trail....thank goodness!!! lol
Here's the two doggies enjoying themselves. Poor Zoe is so old now that she's slower than she used to be and Mac just wants to play with her. 
Here's the little boys playing on the rocks. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Levi slipped on the rocks and puctured his head....wow, big surprise, huh?? lol But, it was pretty small and he was fine. When we got home, I put some cream and a band aid and he was just fine. At 5 bandaids heal a lot, don't they?? lol
Here's a good one of my brother. Smile, Rich!! :-)
A group shot. L to R: Me, Savannah, Ashton, my SIL Leslie, Rich, Andrew and on the front row:Levi, Aaron, Indy. I was so impressed with this picture! I set it on a rock and then set the timer. It actually worked! I was so excited!! Oh, I forgot Mac and Zoe, too!
I think it was the next day, we went gem mining. The kids always love that. They get their "treasures" examined by the staff and then separate the "treasures" from the regular "pretty rocks".....then they keep both. Naturally. They always ask to go gem mining, though. And, we like to watch them.
My mom has Andrew's old pedal thingie at her house. It's been too small for Andrew, but too big for Aaron, so when they moved to Texas they left it here. My boys are the perfect size and they just love this thing! Every single morning before I was ever up, the boys would eat some cereal, let Mac out, and then go in the front yard and play on this (and another little bicycle thing) in their pj's. It was sooo cute! Just outside the bottom of this picture, there's a crack in the driveway that the boys are not allowed to pass and they're very attentive to that crack because they know they'll have to come inside if they aren't. lol Isn't Levi cute???
One day I took the kids over to the cemetery to see my dad's grave. They all know he's not there, but in heaven instead, but they like to go there. I think they feel like it's almost like visiting him. While the boys were running around Savannah laid down in the grass. I thought this was a neat picture.
And, here's the boys "visiting" Grandfather. We bought one blue flower to add to those already in there. It's the brightest blue one there.
This is a picture of kudzu, which is a vine that grows rampant in NC during the summer. In the winter, it's just a bunch of brown, dead-looking vines that are pretty ugly, but in the summer, I personally think they're pretty. But, they do take over everything that doesn't sit still. My aunt used to have a goat named "Billy" (Billy goat, get it?? lol) who they'd tie out in different places in the yard to eat the kudzu up. He loved it!! It was pretty funny. Anyway, Savannah wanted to take a picture of this to show Juan because he didn't believe that it was everywhere. She just had to show him.
Our last night there, we had a big family gathering. We had all sorts of cousins and aunts and uncles and "button-hole" cousins and it was a blast! They do that all the time, but we always miss their get-togethers because we live here, so we really enjoyed this one. Here, Levi is playing with the golf putting toy my cousin Jason gave him for his birthday. Everyone is watching him and cheering him on. He seriously played with that toy for about 2 straight hours!
Afterwards, my grandmother gave each of the little guys a bubble gun of some sort to play outside with. They had a lot of fun with that!
On our way home..... Indy and Levi got these nerf guns from my brother and SIL for their birthdays. Oh joy, joy! lol See what they do with them?? This was on the ride home! lol
I think it was the next day, we went gem mining. The kids always love that. They get their "treasures" examined by the staff and then separate the "treasures" from the regular "pretty rocks".....then they keep both. Naturally. They always ask to go gem mining, though. And, we like to watch them. 
My mom has Andrew's old pedal thingie at her house. It's been too small for Andrew, but too big for Aaron, so when they moved to Texas they left it here. My boys are the perfect size and they just love this thing! Every single morning before I was ever up, the boys would eat some cereal, let Mac out, and then go in the front yard and play on this (and another little bicycle thing) in their pj's. It was sooo cute! Just outside the bottom of this picture, there's a crack in the driveway that the boys are not allowed to pass and they're very attentive to that crack because they know they'll have to come inside if they aren't. lol Isn't Levi cute???
One day I took the kids over to the cemetery to see my dad's grave. They all know he's not there, but in heaven instead, but they like to go there. I think they feel like it's almost like visiting him. While the boys were running around Savannah laid down in the grass. I thought this was a neat picture.
And, here's the boys "visiting" Grandfather. We bought one blue flower to add to those already in there. It's the brightest blue one there. 
This is a picture of kudzu, which is a vine that grows rampant in NC during the summer. In the winter, it's just a bunch of brown, dead-looking vines that are pretty ugly, but in the summer, I personally think they're pretty. But, they do take over everything that doesn't sit still. My aunt used to have a goat named "Billy" (Billy goat, get it?? lol) who they'd tie out in different places in the yard to eat the kudzu up. He loved it!! It was pretty funny. Anyway, Savannah wanted to take a picture of this to show Juan because he didn't believe that it was everywhere. She just had to show him.
Our last night there, we had a big family gathering. We had all sorts of cousins and aunts and uncles and "button-hole" cousins and it was a blast! They do that all the time, but we always miss their get-togethers because we live here, so we really enjoyed this one. Here, Levi is playing with the golf putting toy my cousin Jason gave him for his birthday. Everyone is watching him and cheering him on. He seriously played with that toy for about 2 straight hours! 
Afterwards, my grandmother gave each of the little guys a bubble gun of some sort to play outside with. They had a lot of fun with that!
On our way home..... Indy and Levi got these nerf guns from my brother and SIL for their birthdays. Oh joy, joy! lol See what they do with them?? This was on the ride home! lol
Well, I guess that's it....finally. Hope you enjoyed "seeing" our trip instead of just "hearing" about it. Luckily for you I'm not going on another trip for a long time!! lol
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Trip Pictures #2
Remember I told you about walking in the clouds? Or did I? Well, here it is. One day we went for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As we were stopped at one of the overlooks, Savannah spotted this pine tree sticking out of the rocks. I love unique tree shapes, so she took a picture of this one. Pretty cool, huh?
This was the view from the place where we stopped to have a picnic lunch.
The road not taken.....
The higher we drove, the closer the clouds got. The kids thought this was really cool to see the clouds so close.
When we got to this point, the clouds seemed to be surrounding us. I rolled down my window and let the kids stick their hands out the window to touch the clouds. They were so excited!
A clouded valley....
We finally actually got fully into the clouds. And, we found a visitor center. Of course, we stopped and got out. The kids ran for joy in the clouds. It was so neat to watch them. And, it was so cool up there, too! Luckily we had some jackets in the car because we really needed them! Just 15 minutes before it was hot as all get out, and here it was cool enough for a jacket. It was neat to get a "glimpse" of winter weather in the dog days of summer! :-)
This is the visitor center we stopped at. The park ranger who was there said the weather and clouds were like that all the time. See my mom taking a picture of me taking a picture? We laughed.
Finally we headed back down the mountains and as we did, we stopped at several overlooks to enjoy the view. Ashton just had to climb these rocks!
One of the overlooks. See how high it is?? 4760 feet above sea level. I live like 2 feet above sea level! lol
There were several of these covered tunnels cut out of the mountain. They were really cool. We even rolled down the window and shouted just to hear our echo!! lol It was funny.
Another day, we went on a family picnic back at the geyser. This picnic included some second, third, and fourth cousins I hadn't seen in years. It was so much fun! This is the "creek" that runs beside the geyser. Savannah took this picture. She does good, doesn't she?
All the kids played in the creek for a long time. It was hot and then it rained, so they were wet anyway. I guess they figured it wouldn't even matter. It didn't. lol They had so much fun playing together. I really like getting my kids with cousins up there because we don't really have too many cousins down here and certainly none on my side.
Here's another one of the creek that Savannah took. I thought this one came out really good.
While we were at the geyser, the train went by. The kids ran across the whole field to get a good view of the train. I got there a little late, but the conductor had already waved at them.
One day the girls went horseback riding at a friend's ranch. They had a lot of fun. The boys didn't get to go because it cost a little too much for all of us to go. But, they did let Indy sit on the horse.
One night, my SIL Leslie came in and told me to get my camera and go to my room. There sat Levi and Aaron in the chair "reading" Horton Hears a Who. It was so cute! Unfortunately, Levi looked up as I walked in, so it's not as candid as I would have liked. Oh well.
We also went on a "treasure hunt". Actually it's called Letterboxing. You can do a search for letterboxing online to find out more about it and if there are any letterboxes in your area. Basically, people put together some sort of box with a pad of paper and stamp. They post directions online on how to find it and then you take your own pad of paper and stamp with stamp pad. You find it and stamp your stamp on their pad and their stamp on your pad then leave a message telling them where you're from. It's pretty cool to see what people have been there. Here we found one in a state park about 10 minutes from my mom's house. It was a fun adventure.
This is the lake in the state park. So pretty.
My mom likes to play board games with all my kids. She plays Scrabble a lot with Ashton and Uno with Indy and other misc. games with Savannah. Here she's playing one of Aaron's board games with Indy and Aaron.
Well, that's it for group #2. Tomorrow is the third and final entry for trip photos. Just know that I actually took about 400 pictures!! This is only a fraction, but a good array of things we did. See you tomorrow!!
This was the view from the place where we stopped to have a picnic lunch. 
The road not taken.....
The higher we drove, the closer the clouds got. The kids thought this was really cool to see the clouds so close.
When we got to this point, the clouds seemed to be surrounding us. I rolled down my window and let the kids stick their hands out the window to touch the clouds. They were so excited!
A clouded valley....
We finally actually got fully into the clouds. And, we found a visitor center. Of course, we stopped and got out. The kids ran for joy in the clouds. It was so neat to watch them. And, it was so cool up there, too! Luckily we had some jackets in the car because we really needed them! Just 15 minutes before it was hot as all get out, and here it was cool enough for a jacket. It was neat to get a "glimpse" of winter weather in the dog days of summer! :-)
This is the visitor center we stopped at. The park ranger who was there said the weather and clouds were like that all the time. See my mom taking a picture of me taking a picture? We laughed.
Finally we headed back down the mountains and as we did, we stopped at several overlooks to enjoy the view. Ashton just had to climb these rocks!
One of the overlooks. See how high it is?? 4760 feet above sea level. I live like 2 feet above sea level! lol
There were several of these covered tunnels cut out of the mountain. They were really cool. We even rolled down the window and shouted just to hear our echo!! lol It was funny.
Another day, we went on a family picnic back at the geyser. This picnic included some second, third, and fourth cousins I hadn't seen in years. It was so much fun! This is the "creek" that runs beside the geyser. Savannah took this picture. She does good, doesn't she?
All the kids played in the creek for a long time. It was hot and then it rained, so they were wet anyway. I guess they figured it wouldn't even matter. It didn't. lol They had so much fun playing together. I really like getting my kids with cousins up there because we don't really have too many cousins down here and certainly none on my side. 
Here's another one of the creek that Savannah took. I thought this one came out really good.
While we were at the geyser, the train went by. The kids ran across the whole field to get a good view of the train. I got there a little late, but the conductor had already waved at them. 
One day the girls went horseback riding at a friend's ranch. They had a lot of fun. The boys didn't get to go because it cost a little too much for all of us to go. But, they did let Indy sit on the horse. 
One night, my SIL Leslie came in and told me to get my camera and go to my room. There sat Levi and Aaron in the chair "reading" Horton Hears a Who. It was so cute! Unfortunately, Levi looked up as I walked in, so it's not as candid as I would have liked. Oh well.
We also went on a "treasure hunt". Actually it's called Letterboxing. You can do a search for letterboxing online to find out more about it and if there are any letterboxes in your area. Basically, people put together some sort of box with a pad of paper and stamp. They post directions online on how to find it and then you take your own pad of paper and stamp with stamp pad. You find it and stamp your stamp on their pad and their stamp on your pad then leave a message telling them where you're from. It's pretty cool to see what people have been there. Here we found one in a state park about 10 minutes from my mom's house. It was a fun adventure.
This is the lake in the state park. So pretty.
My mom likes to play board games with all my kids. She plays Scrabble a lot with Ashton and Uno with Indy and other misc. games with Savannah. Here she's playing one of Aaron's board games with Indy and Aaron. 
Well, that's it for group #2. Tomorrow is the third and final entry for trip photos. Just know that I actually took about 400 pictures!! This is only a fraction, but a good array of things we did. See you tomorrow!!Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Trip Pictures #1
You're probably wondering just how many "trip pictures" entries there will be if I already have a #1 on this one, aren't you?? Well, lucky you, there's only 3, so that's not too bad, eh? You'll probably get bored with them after awhile, but I'm also blogging for myself, so for now you'll just have to tolerate my pictures! lol In the meantime, please just try to enjoy them!! lol Off we go...
Our trip begins and we are on the road. Mac is thoroughly thrilled...can't you tell?? lol
On the way up, my car had some troubles, which I mentioned in a previous post. After that hubbub, we got back on our way. As we drove, the sun was setting right in front of us. There were rolling hills we were driving and with each hill, we could see a great view of the sun going down. We were able to get a good picture. Pretty cool, huh?
On the first weekend in NC, we "traded kids" with my cousin. He and his wife took my girls and I took their older son, Austin, who is Indy's age. He spent a couple days with us and the boys had a blast! Late on the first afternoon, we took the boys over to the "splash pad" they have in the downtown area near the community center. They had a lot of fun and it was so hot, so it was very refreshing.
Right next to the splash pad is a playground. After they got bored with the water play area, they went to the playground for a little while, then back to the splash pad! lol I think they were finally tired out enough to be able to wind down for the day. After all this playing, we ordered pizza and got them bathed and ready for bed. It was a fun day for them.
Did I mention that my mom got a new puppy a couple months ago? She's so cute! She's half boxer and half we don't know what! lol So, it'll be interesting to watch her grow. I think she was about 2 or 3 months when we were there. She and Mac became good friends and played all the time!! He was only 18 mos. when we were there, but because his breed is larger, his maturity takes longer coming, so he was really much younger, maturity wise. Here's my mom with her new baby.
On Sunday, we took the boys over to some neighboring towns to see the sights. First we went to a historical museum. It was right next to this "creek". The boys loved this and it was so pretty too! Here's me with the 3 boys.
This is one of the cabins on the museum property. A little later, the museum lady opened it for us to see inside. It was really cool!
After that, we went to a nearby natural geyser. The boys loved that too. As a matter of fact, the girls even love this place!! lol Today the wind was just slightly blowing, so the water was gently spraying on us where ever we stood. It was fun. Plus, there were tadpoles in the water. Just a big bonus for little boys. They were catching the tiny frogs that had already grown enough to climb out of the water.
This was so funny, seeing them all 3 laying on their tummies over the edge trying to catch the little frogs!
This was inside that historical museum. The boys were really interested in all the "old" stuff. We read some of the signs to them, but they really just liked to see everything.
This was a big rock at the same museum. Guess what it is??? It's a meteor! It's true! It landed in some nearby farmer's field and he told someone who called someone else, etc. until it finally ended up at the museum. Who cares?? It was cool!! lol
On Monday, we took the 3 boys, plus my other cousin's son, Luke, to the children's museum in Charlotte. Boy, was that a day!! They had a pirate & shipwrecks exhibit on at that time. Here's my little pirates.
Indy enjoyed the blocks section.
Levi liked the weight pulling machine.
Here's Mac and Mom's new puppy playing up a storm in the backyard. Doesn't look like a very fair play date, does it? But, Mac was very good at being gentle enough for the baby and she kept up like a champ. They were both so sad when we left. We heard Mac crying out back the other night....poor thing.
In my mom's back yard, she has a creek. It's a pretty small creek during the summer, but the sides are pretty high...and steep. Indy decided to climb the muddy walls of the creek bed then Levi followed, of course. See how high it is? They got good and dirty and had a lot of fun in the meantime.
My mom's neighbor has a miniature horse, or pony, or whatever. Anyway, their fence backs up to my mom's yard and sometimes we get to see him. This day we got to pet him and feed him carrots. The boys had a lot of fun. And, he seemed very happy to have so much attention!
One day we went golfing with my mom, the boys, my cousin Jason, and his son Luke. Before we get to that, here is Levi blowing a dandelion. We have this little book at home that we read a lot where the little bunny blows "dandelion seeds into the air." We've read it for years, but rarely see dandelions. Well, we found 3 of them on the golf course. Levi grabbed this one and started blowing the seeds "into the air." It was so cute!
Here's Jason giving Luke instructions for his putt.
At some point, Jason was laying down on the grass and all the boys "attacked" him. It was funny. But then, Jason stood up like a monster coming to life. See, Jason is 6'8''. See the boys hanging on for dear life?? They loved that!!
Here's a good shot of all the golfers. I only went to take pictures and make sure my boys stayed in line.
One day we went to a town about an hour away where my grandfather grew up. I mentioned it in a previous post, but my mom had found his house after doing a search. This is his high school that is now an elementary. When I was graduating high school somehow I lost my tassel the day of the walking ceremony. I was devastated. But, my grandfather gave me his tassel from his high school graduation. It was blue, just like mine, though mine was a lighter blue, and he had graduated exactly 60 years before me. Isn't that something?? Needless to say, seeing this high school meant a lot to me. 
This is the house. There have been many improvements over the years, but we think that the steps are original. Also, the concrete edged around the flower beds out front are actually the base of the old porch. It was really neat to see this house. The kids all saw it and I took a picture of them in front of it, but they weren't impressed. To them it was just a house. They never knew my grandfather. The closest they come is knowing his wife, my grandmother who visits us down here.
This is the kids in front of the house.
Our trip begins and we are on the road. Mac is thoroughly thrilled...can't you tell?? lol
On the way up, my car had some troubles, which I mentioned in a previous post. After that hubbub, we got back on our way. As we drove, the sun was setting right in front of us. There were rolling hills we were driving and with each hill, we could see a great view of the sun going down. We were able to get a good picture. Pretty cool, huh?
On the first weekend in NC, we "traded kids" with my cousin. He and his wife took my girls and I took their older son, Austin, who is Indy's age. He spent a couple days with us and the boys had a blast! Late on the first afternoon, we took the boys over to the "splash pad" they have in the downtown area near the community center. They had a lot of fun and it was so hot, so it was very refreshing.
Right next to the splash pad is a playground. After they got bored with the water play area, they went to the playground for a little while, then back to the splash pad! lol I think they were finally tired out enough to be able to wind down for the day. After all this playing, we ordered pizza and got them bathed and ready for bed. It was a fun day for them.
Did I mention that my mom got a new puppy a couple months ago? She's so cute! She's half boxer and half we don't know what! lol So, it'll be interesting to watch her grow. I think she was about 2 or 3 months when we were there. She and Mac became good friends and played all the time!! He was only 18 mos. when we were there, but because his breed is larger, his maturity takes longer coming, so he was really much younger, maturity wise. Here's my mom with her new baby.
On Sunday, we took the boys over to some neighboring towns to see the sights. First we went to a historical museum. It was right next to this "creek". The boys loved this and it was so pretty too! Here's me with the 3 boys.
This is one of the cabins on the museum property. A little later, the museum lady opened it for us to see inside. It was really cool!
After that, we went to a nearby natural geyser. The boys loved that too. As a matter of fact, the girls even love this place!! lol Today the wind was just slightly blowing, so the water was gently spraying on us where ever we stood. It was fun. Plus, there were tadpoles in the water. Just a big bonus for little boys. They were catching the tiny frogs that had already grown enough to climb out of the water. 
This was so funny, seeing them all 3 laying on their tummies over the edge trying to catch the little frogs! 
This was inside that historical museum. The boys were really interested in all the "old" stuff. We read some of the signs to them, but they really just liked to see everything.
This was a big rock at the same museum. Guess what it is??? It's a meteor! It's true! It landed in some nearby farmer's field and he told someone who called someone else, etc. until it finally ended up at the museum. Who cares?? It was cool!! lol
On Monday, we took the 3 boys, plus my other cousin's son, Luke, to the children's museum in Charlotte. Boy, was that a day!! They had a pirate & shipwrecks exhibit on at that time. Here's my little pirates.
Indy enjoyed the blocks section.
Levi liked the weight pulling machine.
Here's Mac and Mom's new puppy playing up a storm in the backyard. Doesn't look like a very fair play date, does it? But, Mac was very good at being gentle enough for the baby and she kept up like a champ. They were both so sad when we left. We heard Mac crying out back the other night....poor thing.
In my mom's back yard, she has a creek. It's a pretty small creek during the summer, but the sides are pretty high...and steep. Indy decided to climb the muddy walls of the creek bed then Levi followed, of course. See how high it is? They got good and dirty and had a lot of fun in the meantime.
My mom's neighbor has a miniature horse, or pony, or whatever. Anyway, their fence backs up to my mom's yard and sometimes we get to see him. This day we got to pet him and feed him carrots. The boys had a lot of fun. And, he seemed very happy to have so much attention!
One day we went golfing with my mom, the boys, my cousin Jason, and his son Luke. Before we get to that, here is Levi blowing a dandelion. We have this little book at home that we read a lot where the little bunny blows "dandelion seeds into the air." We've read it for years, but rarely see dandelions. Well, we found 3 of them on the golf course. Levi grabbed this one and started blowing the seeds "into the air." It was so cute!
Here's Jason giving Luke instructions for his putt.
At some point, Jason was laying down on the grass and all the boys "attacked" him. It was funny. But then, Jason stood up like a monster coming to life. See, Jason is 6'8''. See the boys hanging on for dear life?? They loved that!! 
Here's a good shot of all the golfers. I only went to take pictures and make sure my boys stayed in line. 
One day we went to a town about an hour away where my grandfather grew up. I mentioned it in a previous post, but my mom had found his house after doing a search. This is his high school that is now an elementary. When I was graduating high school somehow I lost my tassel the day of the walking ceremony. I was devastated. But, my grandfather gave me his tassel from his high school graduation. It was blue, just like mine, though mine was a lighter blue, and he had graduated exactly 60 years before me. Isn't that something?? Needless to say, seeing this high school meant a lot to me. 
This is the house. There have been many improvements over the years, but we think that the steps are original. Also, the concrete edged around the flower beds out front are actually the base of the old porch. It was really neat to see this house. The kids all saw it and I took a picture of them in front of it, but they weren't impressed. To them it was just a house. They never knew my grandfather. The closest they come is knowing his wife, my grandmother who visits us down here. 
This is the kids in front of the house.
Well, that's it for group #1. More to come tomorrow!!
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