Diaper Cakes and Long Shiny Beetle Cockroach Looking Things!

My first Diaper cake...

I think it turned out pretty cute. Thanks Pauline for helping me with it. I had fun being creative!

On another note:

Leaving church this morning I was smacked in the chest by a loud buzzing flying thing. When it hit I (of coarse) did a freak out hissy fit type dance! In my dancing I shook my shirt and bra to make sure that the loud buzzing flying thing was NOT in my clothing. When I was certain that bug creature was not around I proceeded to look around and make sure there were no witnesses to my freak out hissy fit dance and then went back to the car. I shivered and squealed a little more at the thought of the bug and we went home.

We got home I changed out of my capris and headed down stairs. I got downstairs and went to check our phone messages. I stood there and felt an itch along my bra strap.....and guess what!!

Shiny Long Beetle Cockroach Looking Thingy was under my bra strap!!!

He's GROSS!!!! After another long freak out hissy fit type dance accompanied by some girly SCREAMING...my husband asked if I wanted to take a picture so I could blog about it. What a boy. But I said sure...

If I don't ever have to share a bra with a bug again that would be just great with me!

P.S.

You can click on the picture to see him large and in charge. He plays dead and tucks his creepy crawly legs in...UGHHH GROSS!

For the 4th we went to church. They had food, fun and friends, what else could one want.
The kids had a ball. The church set up a huge water slide and they loved it. Well except Samuel. He thought it was really interesting and so he got closer to take a look and investigate....


he got closer and closer and then....


They splashed him and it was over...

He was not happy. Nope not even a little bit happy about the whole water in the face, or anywhere for that matter.

He had to tell Daddy all about it. Very, Very Sad!

The other kids thought the slide was great!

Too much fun!

And then fireworks!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

We missed our families. For several years we've spent this holiday with my mom and brother...but it didn't work out this year :(

I am so thankful for our church family!

The Many Faces Of Sal...

I love this kid. Sometimes he can make me bananas (for sure), but I am so thankful to have been given the gift of mothering him. Lately, I have to say, he has become quite the comedian. With his humor we have discovered many faces.

Here are a few...

Sometimes we get the pensive look...

Other times this...

He might be calling me crazy here.??...Can't blame him!

When he doesn't know I'm looking I get the more natural smile...

And his latest look. That I might add is very fitting for him. I think it makes him look smart and scholarly (he thought I was silly making him pose like that).....

He is whole bunches of fun!!

Summer Fun...

We had a good time in Charlotte this weekend. Made some precious memories that caused me to remember other great memories when the kids were younger....

Like playing in the sprinklers. It brought back pictures of Sal and Bobby when they were in diapers and played in Grandpa and Grandma's sprinklers...(I would scan the old pics, but I have boxes of books I still need to put back on shelves).

And now we have these 2 characters...no more diapers.

Picking fruit and veggies on the farm with Grandpa.

Watching the kids and Grandpa walk the property reminded me of when Bobby was little and used to follow Grandpa around the farm...too cute!

I'm not sure what these remind me of...so silly, but I LOVE him!

And of course playing with Grandpa's mustache. We probably have pictures of each child playing with Grandpa's mustache!

Dancing with Grandpa...

and laughing at Grandpa's silliness! Fun!

On the ride home.....some of us slept!

Have a great week!

We have been busy around here. We replaced the floors and then we found some living room furniture at a more than reasonable price...so we got furniture. Well as we were doing the floors I was at eye level with my walls for longer than I would normally be staring at my walls and I decided they were in really bad shape. I knew they needed to be painted...but now I was really in the know of how bad they were. SOOOO...we started the walls too. But for the walls we had some help...

Not sure if we were breaking any child labor laws....maybe some safety rules. A kid with a knife and a wall could get a little unruly....even if it was a butter knife.

My sweet Nina bear has always had a thing with ripping the border off the walls...ever since we moved here I find more and more of the border mysteriously missing??..?? So when she started rubbing the border with the fabric softener (Yes, Fabric softener it works!) and it was coming off she wasn't sure it was OK. She yelled for me to come and look..."MOM!! It's coming off the wall!!!" I can't blame her for being confused...for years she's been scolded for tearing it off the wall and now she was supposed to.

Hard at work. Although after some time they were not seeing quick results and were ready to quit. We need to work on perseverance and determination. Perhaps there is too much instant gratification going on...?
And as for the little guy....

He enjoys relaxing and playing for the camera! (this one is definitely into the instant gratification)

This is what happens when mommy turns her back and there is folded laundry left on the couch....

Maybe he was trying to help?...?

At least he thought he was helping...

Hair cut, Pool time and NEW Floors...

Samuel got his first haircut this week! I guess I haven't learned from my other kids botched hair cuts. I decided to go at it myself.....and after the first few cuts I will admit I was nervous he would look not so very good...but...

I kept going. I was determined to make it look normal.

And I think I didn't do too awful bad. It helps that I think he's really cute anyway.

Pay no attention to his bruise...it will be there for the next 6 months. Each of my boys got their first forehead bruise around their first birthdays and it stayed bruised for a good six months.
I can't get any real good pictures of Sal lately...he is never still unless he's reading, and if I ask him to pose and smile I have to say it does not look good...so in motion is what I get and they are usually blurry.(I'm still figuring out my camera)

Speaking of in motion...

My Nina bear is a little fish...

Hey here's one that's not blurry...

again in motion...

This is our new "I'm not happy face"...and it usually gets Nina and we go from this....

to this....

and finally this!

I have to admit I love it! She is such a mommy and he is soooo rotten!
And lastly here is a picture of our new floors....!