With neighbors like these...

So, we have a little war going on with our neoghbors, Joe and Emily. Our weapon? A rather sizeable orange cone. It all started while they were on vacation. Somehow this orange cone appeared in front of their van. It stayed there for a few days after they returned, We joked about it and one night put it on the roof of their van. Joe shimmied up and got it off. We all laughed about it and apparently war was waged. Joe laid low for awhile, Mike and I joked that he must be plotting something good. We thought maybe we would wake up some morning with the cone lying in bed between us. We were close.... I got home from the pool one day last week and found this......

This picture doesn't do justice to just how steep the pitch of our roof is. I believe Joe may have risked life and limb for retaliation definitely raised the bar. Now the question is what do we do in return?

If you have any suggestions e-mail them to me. Joe and Emily read this, and I don't want them to see what's coming.

4th of July...

Thought I would share some 4thof July pics:

We love the pool!

The girls were so excited!!!! They "taught" themselves to swim. They are doing great they go all the way under to get stuff off the bottom of the pool. We bought them some goggles, which apparently are like spinach to popeye. They are so happy. "It makes the pool so much funner!"

Alayna is concerned, she wonders why, it seems "the 4 year old get all the talent? They can push off and kick and everything just like she can, but they're so much smaller!" It was pretty high drama.





Synchronized swimmers in the family????

I suck at blogging.

HOW CUTE ARE THEY??????

Am I not the worst blogger in the history of bloggers?

Here's what's new...

Raina had to go back to the pound. She became too aggressive and possessive for me to take on with two kids, and not knowing her back ground. We will look for a baby, baby rottweiler puppy that we can raise our way from the get go. They are easier to train when 20 lbs. Than 65lbs.

Peanut our hamster died. It was horribly traumatic for Westin and myself. Alayna took it like a champ. Wes cried and cried. I told her that he was in animal heaven having a good ,ol time, and in all her 4 yr. old seriousness she said " I don't know if he'll make it there mom, he is in a bag in the garbage can." Apparently brutal honesty is Mike's parenting method of choice.

On Monday I start working one 12 hr. day a week and every other saturday. It will be so nice to be home with the girls more. In the fall then I will be working 9-3 M-F except Wed. when I will be off at 2. The girls get out early on Wed. I will no longer work weekend either. Nice huh?





This is Westin's new use for twister.

Meet Raina.

So, Mike and my mom decided they were going to surprise me with a black pug puppy to name Raisin. Anyone who knows me knows that I've ALWAYS wanted a black pug. Well, turns out that was just in theory. Once it became a reality, I did my research. Pugs sound like they are high maintence. I'm not sure I'm responsible enough for all that work. Kids I can do. A pug? Not so sure. The whole eye care thing kinda freaked me out and the snorting and they can't be outside in the heat. I don't know how many of you have seen my brothers new dog? I'm here to tell you anything less tan 50lbs. doesn't have a prayer. So, I decided we needed to go to the pound to see what was there before we went and paid good money for a specially made dog. So, my hopes aren't up real high, I'm kinda just out there for the sake of my guilty soul. So we're walking through nothing really catching our eye. UNTIL...the last kennel on the left.There she is... Meet Raina....Our new to us 10 month old rottweiler. She is a great dog! We brought her home tonight, all she wanted to do is sleep with the girls. (we're mean, we won't let her) We walked to the Western Home to visit my grandparents and she did great. Her and Zoeie get along well. We actually took Zoeie out to the pound to check that out before we got her.They both are so easy going.

Moral of the story...We love Rottweilers in theory and reality!

All the girls!

My best friend has two girls, Rory(in orange), who will be
3 in August and Soren(in stripes) who just turned 1.

The conversations these four children have are hilarious! Westin is a little mom to Soren. It is a riot. In this picture Westin was a little upset that she had to go to bed when "the girls" were still at our house.

And no, that hand is not growing out of nowhere, Holle is holding Soren, but knew this picture was going on the blog and she's a chicken, so she would rather appear grossly deformed than voluntarily have her picture taken.

So, we're on our 4 hour drive to our cousins on Friday, my mom forgets her purse at the last restaurant we ate at. Westin has a serious problem with this. She is reprimanding "Grandma Connie" in the sternest voice a 4 yr. old can muster. I hear things about how it is her job to remind grandma to take things and various overly dramatic statements, then with a completely straight face, and no humorous inflection in her voice at all Westin says to "grandma Connie..."Now, are you picking up what I'm laying down?" Someone tell me, what do you say to that????
(tears of laughter are all she got from me)

Happy Alayna

I just love this picture of Alayna. She loves being out at my best friends parents' farm.

She looks so content and check out those fingernails, a country girl through & through...

Harley mama

This is Westin's version of dressing up. Something about it just screams Biker Babe.

She is just proud as can be though!

Results...

I promised a picture of the results of the braids. Here it is. They think it's the coolest thing in the world. Funny.

I love my sister!

I love my Sister!

Tonight we did the age-old, take a bath, throw on your pajamas lightning fast, so mom can braid your still soaking wet hair so it can be "crimped" for school tomorrow! (anyone who is a girl or has girls is familiar with this routine) I will take a picture of the finished product tomorrow.

A little snippet of the information I got from Westin yesterday... "I'm sure that I will have boys around me all the time in a little while because I'll be so cute." I asked her if she meant when she was older? she said "yeah, when I'm 5." Dear Lord Almighty. Self-esteem is NOT AN ISSUE with her!! I'm curious to hear her version of what people think of her hair. She is one funny kid.

Alayna found her talent today! She told me as soon as she got in the car, that she apparently (her word) is an excellent drawer of dolphins. and "the funny thing is I didn't even know I knew how to draw dolphins" When Westin got in the car they had a very in-depth discussion about talents and Alayna said some people never find their talents and she "just felt so lucky to have found hers so early." The stuff you hear in kids' conversations if you pay attention is Great!

Have a good day everyone. Braid results tomorrow....

Their shining moment......

These are some pictures from a wedding we all were in on New Years Eve. A good frieand of ours got married, and the wedding was gorgeous! Westin was a flower girl (one of 3) and Alayna was the bell-ringer. She walked in right in front of Sukey (the bride) and rang a crystal bell. She did so good. Her cheeks didn't even turn red. Westin danced it up at the reception, Alayna did too, but she is a little lower key than Wes. Both had a blast.

I'm trying my hand at this blogging thing....we'll see.

Today we were a bunch of busy bunnies. The girls were in a fashion show this morning which the did marvelously!!! Look out Cindy Crawford! Then we went to Mom's /Grandma Connie/s and spent the day playing with the dogs (the girls) and baking a pie (me). We then grilled out at Josh's. A good time was had by all. (Except Mike, he had to work all day. Yuck!)



Signing off on another good day.....sara