What They Wore-Sail Away

Eddy and I assumed our new church responsibility: Nursery Leaders. Today was our first day as Nursery Leaders and it went welel. The toys are a disorganized mess as is our cupboard but I am looking forward to organizing and labeling them. Despite the mockery I may endure as a result but I just love my P-touch (electronic labeler)!

Declan, Archy, Zany, McCoy, Quinton (left to right)

I let them pick their own clothes and McCoy decided to sport a bolo tie and Declan his beloved fedora

Archy, Eddy and Zany

McCoy and Zany

Declan took this photo of Zany

Wouldn't this profile be awesome on a coin- Coyhawk!

Who Wouldn't Want a Cup of Tea......

if it was served by the cutest barista ever?

Normally Rhi and I try to wiggle our way out of taking any children with us on our all day shopping sprees, as it is like shopping with puppies hopped up on a mix of sugar and the joy of sheer naughtiness.  This time we needed to take baby Zany (the turkey-est of them all). But she was an angel, as we dragged her from place to place which included about eight yard sales. She found quite a few toy horses and even a stuffed animal horse. At the local thrift store we lost track of her, and thought for sure she was up to some shenanigans. Imagine our surprise to see Cafe Bebe Zee opened for business.

She dutifully sets up for her future customers

It will be right up 

(Zany pouring the tea you can just see Ashlee taking the picture in the left of the picture)

Would you like a cuppa?

She was so cute but the worker wasn't to thrilled (she ended up having about twenty cups and saucers set up for a tea party) and unfortunately the cafe was closed due to zoning restrictions. Both Zany and Archy share our love of tea, and of course tea parties. We have them from time to time and this has reminded me we need them more often.

Knock on Wood

About a year ago, Eddy brought home a set of golf clubs given to him by a friend. The boys were really excited about getting to golf and set up a course of sorts. A couple of days later I heard screaming from the backyard which was not that unusual. We have our share of head bumps and scraped knees and I figure if they are really hurt they will come inside or get me and so I wait for that. It wasn't long before Quinton came in screaming about McCoy. I couldn't understand what he was saying when McCoy came in with his whole face covered in blood. I am the type who is a bit squeamish and I have to close my eyes during Walking Dead or other shows with blood and gore.  I have never been tested to see how I would handle real blood and injury until now. I grabbed a paper towel thinking it would be cleaner and blotted McCoy's face. At this point I didn't know even where on his face he was injured. There was so much blood that it took a bit of cleaning up before I could find the source of it. McCoy is the type who flips out if he even ever sees a drop of his own blood so he was besides himself on this one. I discovered a inch cut right on his right eyebrow bisecting it. At first I didn't think it was to bad but then I realized it was deep like various layers of skin and other things deep.  I grabbed some shoes and a bunch of paper towels and got in the car with McCoy driving toward town trying to decide whether to go to the doctor or ER. I thought the doctor would be cheaper so I tried that first. Luckily my doctor was able to stitch (four stitches) McCoy back together. His eyebrow was really swollen and he got a black eye too. Turns out that Archy was swinging the golf club to hit a ball and struck McCoy with the club slicing his eyebrow open.  I was strangely calm through it all and thank goodness it hit McCoy's eyebrow and not his eye. Now, McCoy has a very thin scar that isn't very noticeable.

When Zaynzley first came in the house from the backyard the other day, I froze. I thought she was injured and had blood and gore all over her mouth. Thankfully it was just a plum. I much prefer it that way instead of an emergency trip to the doctor and knock on wood we will all stay injury free around here!

A Police State

Zany girl as a flower

Despite how it may seem things aren't all coming up daisies around here. We are actually living in a police state. All the boys had been told no kindles until their rooms were clean enough was enough, the loafers. Archy came to me while I was loading the dishwasher and ratted out Declan and McCoy. I quietly crept to their room and threw open the door catching them in the act of being on their devices. They were grounded for a week from their devices as punishment. 

A half hour passes and Declan comes to me a rats out Quinton who is on his device instead of cleaning his room. His kindle joins he's brothers in the hoosegow as we call kindle lock up.  It's just really fun to say the word hooskow so that is my prefered term.  Let's just say there wasn't a lot of brotherly love around these parts today.  I may have offered rewards to anyone tipping me off to those parties who break the device rules resulting in my catching them at said naughtiness.

They look so sweet who knew that three of them would one day lose their devices for a week! 

Declan the Catcher

Declan has been enjoying playing town baseball. His favorite position to play is catcher. Dec has improved quite a bit this year. He certainly has size going for him as you can see below he is almost twice the size of the batter. He also enjoys talking smack to the batters when he can. His team is heading into the tournament bracket and while they have a low seed they are hopeful of winning. 

Dec twice the size of the batter

Dec catching

Dec chasing the ball

Between the three boys (Quinton, Dec, Coy) we are at the ballpark every night Monday thru Thursday. It's hot and sometimes windy but the boys love it. I am glad it is wrapping up so maybe we can get some swimming done.

Newly Employed

Our dear Quinton is of an age where money and making money is very important. He has always been a whiz with knowing how much money he has and is pretty good to save and spend wisely. When he was in fourth grade he started researching which jobs make the most money so when he grows up he will make a lucrative choice. Currently he is leaning towards engineer or lawyer. Quinton is always asking me what he can do to make money. My usual reply is get your room clean and we will talk. It usually doesn't go any further than that though. 

Quinton finally has an opportunity to make a bit of money working with his dad for the summer. Quinton will spend some time mowing, raking, digging and the like and he couldn't be happier about it.  I am curious about what he will spend his hard earned money on but he still has to clean his room!

Quinton on the tire swing in Duncan

Good thing he had all that practice mowing

We are going to miss him around here in the morning, Zany loves to play hide and scare with him.

Summer Solstice Party

Our Summer Solstice Party (celebrating the longest day of the year) was a big hit everyone had so much fun! I had read a bit about traditional Swedish Midsommer Party and about Solstice Parties and combined aspects from the two. Yellow and Orange were the colors I chose for the party, very sun like. Eddy hooked up the big speakers to his ipad and he chose the music which is usually my realm we enjoyed some Journey, Tim McGraw, and other country hits. The kids were very excited about the party especially the backyard pool even though we go to a real pool all the time having one your own backyard is pretty awesome according to Archy.

Our menu:

Ciabatti onion poppy seed buns with lettuce, tomato, green chiles and horseradish cheddar

Hamburgers (grilled on Eddy's Father's Day present)

Sun Chips-French Onion (what better chip for a sun party)

Carrots and Homemade Ranch Dip

Corn on Cob 

Fruit Kabobs

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and Brownies

Lemonade

Ice Water with lemon and orange slices

Group flashing the Sun Devil Sign 

(Eddy and I graduated from Arizona State University, so we are all a family of devils!)

Good Eats: Eddy, Archy, Quinton

Zany and Coy

Fruit Kabobs, so easy, and you could have a kid assemble them but they were all enjoying the pool. 

Fruit Kabobs (strawberry, pineapple, grape, blueberry)

Forget butter and salt my favorite way to eat corn these days is Mayo and Tajin (found the produce section it's a chile lime spice-tasty) I put a little Ranch dip made with greek yogurt and cottage cheese and spices so good!

Corn on Cob with Tajin

Archy with his fruit kabob

Everyone enjoying kabobs in the pool

Finally figured out how to enjoy a fire in the summer have a pool of cold water so you can get chilly in the pool then warm up by the fire then to get chilly head back to the pool. 

I bought a couple of packages of glow in the dark bracelets at the dollar store and planned on making really cool glow in the dark bubbles with some of them and putting others in the pool to light it up a bit. Eddy and I painstakingly cracked then cut open the bracelets milking them into the bubble solution. We had added six bracelets of juice and the solution would glow but the bubbles didn't so we decided to add more glow in dark juice when Eddy knocked over the bubbles and spilled them all over his shorts which glowed for a bit.  We gave up on it and the kid soon adorned themselves with glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces.

Picture taken without flash glow bracelets on kids but you can't see kids in pool

Boys warming up by fire

It worked! Our first batch of homemade ice cream was so good and easy. It didn't make a lot since it is only 1.5 qt one but we had it with brownies. It was worth the thrift store gamble

Zany and Eddy enjoying dessert

I bought sparklers but forgot to do them and we were going to make a burning man with everyones negative things attached then burn it. Things you want to get out of your life like selfishness or pettiness.  Summer solstice being about six months from all the new years goals that you made gives you an opportunity to take personal inventory and see where you are and where you want to make improvements in your life.  We spent the rest of the night hanging out in the pool and sitting by the fire listening to music and watching the stars. It was really lovely we are definitely doing it again next year. 

What They Wore & Musk

We are sitting in church during sacrament meeting I am next to Declan and he raises his arm to rest it on the back of his bench and I catch a whiff. "Declan did you forget to put on deodorant?" I asked trying to breathe through my mouth. "Whoops," Declan replies, "I guess your going to have smell my man musk." Man musk, that kid cracks me up.  He has had man musk since first grade and has accordingly worn deodorant since then when he remembers that is.

Yellow and blue are the colors of the day in honor of the Swedish holiday Midsommer

Zany is moved and happily holds Archy's hand who lost his tie during church and we couldn't find it.

Quinton couldn't be found and so had to take a solo pic later; he is wearing his new suit sans suit coat.

Book It

Pizza Hut has been doing the Book It program forever it seems. Kids read a certain amount of books and then teachers give them a monthly certificate to get a free personal pan size pizza. Declan had a Book It certificate for many months and kept bugging us to use it. We finally did. Pizza Hut is pretty clever because one wee pizza turns into to having to buy additional pizzas to feed everyone else. I am a thin crust gal but those personal pan pizzas are pretty good too, of course. the kids will eat any kind of pizza.  Declan was real happy to finally have his own pizza.

Zany, Declan with his own pizza, McCoy

Archy enjoying a slice

Playground Fun

  It was a hot summer day in California, I was five years old and I quickly climbed to the top of the metal slide. I was happily going down it when I came to squealing stop, halfway down. Some kid had peed on the hot slide and it got me just wet enough to halt my progress in between top and bottom. Pretty disturbing, which is why I still remember it so clearly. 

Parks were pretty basic when I was a kid: finger pinching swings, tall metal slides, bone jarring teeter totters and if you were lucky a merry-go-round which are now extinct sadly, I loved merry-go-rounds.  You probably never see merry-go-rounds anymore because they could send you flying off at break neck speeds. You also don't see hot metal slides anymore either. Playgrounds really have come a long way since I was a kid especially in terms of safety. 

Merry-Go-Round like when I was a kid

We went to a brand new park that has a large sun shade as most parks do now in Arizona. We Arizonans love our sun safety since the vast majority of days are sunny here.  

Declan climbs on top of the tube.

Declan is big enough to do the monkey bars, Archy climbs faux rocks

Archer is King of the Mountain

Declan poses majestically

Quinton reflects on life

Archy spins Zany

Was there anything worse than having your teeter totter partner jump off without warning sending your side of the teeter totter slamming to the ground with a tooth loosening thump? 

This teeter totter kept you from doing that but it was still pretty exciting just look at their faces below.

Quinton opposite of Archy and McCoy

Quinton raises up Archy and McCoy

Q enjoys some air

Who has the power now?

So high now McCoy's stoicism departs

Our Q & A

Beware Cheezy Shark Jokes Below

Q: What kind of shark is always gambling?

A: A card shark

Q; If you see a tuna being chased by a dozen sharks what time is it?

A: Twelve after one

Q: What do sharks call human children?

A: Appetizers

Eddy is really good at guessing these kind of laffy taffy jokes. I am not so good at them but I thought I kick off this post with a few shark jokes since I have some awesome shark photos. Archy went to a friends shark themed birthday party and had so much fun. He got to bring home is sharky hat which was so cute. He has a cupcake in his hand and I love that while he is having to pose instead of eat the cupcake wee Zany's hand is coming in for a bit of frosting.

Archy as a shark

Seeing Archy looking so cool inspired Quinton to find his own shark hat. I found them cuddling in their room. They are currently sharing a room since their schedules matched up the best. I am considering doing some roommate switching since Archy will be going to kindergarten and need to go to bed early. I loved this series of photos. They grow up so quick, I love to catch little moments like this and preserve them.

Q & A

Best shark bros

Are they telling shark jokes?

Archy thinks its pretty funny

I wonder when you name someone if they become their name or if you name them because they are their name. Zaynzley is one Zany girl which is also her nickname. She often sports really Zany hair like after the pool. She came home with the most matted crazy hair.  Talk about volume she definitely always has that! The pictures don't do it justice!

Zany hair

Doesn't she look sweet!