The storm of the summer...

We had a big thunderstorm with 70-90 mile per hour winds. We have several limbs down but luckily no damage to our home, just our fence. We lost power and had a few scary moments, but we are all fine!Our neighbors however were no so lucky!They were not home so they are OK, but their favorite huge tree is not! They had a MASSIVE oak tree fall on their patio and the roof. It knocked off their chimney and threw limbs into their pool.Ruined the roof and the patio addition.The main roads to our home are closed as their are down power lines EVERYWHERE!. A road down a lady was sleeping and a limb came into her bedroom. The damages in our neighborhood are great!! We were  no power from 11 am until 11 pm....it was Hot and miserable with all 4 home and whining!We have lots and lots and lots of broken limbs that are still stuck in the tree and will take some effort to get out.We have been put on many waiting lists for tree service. Everyone needs them! However, that is nothing in comparison to some who have to replace roofs and walls and cars! We were so fortunate, really!

Crazies Car Wash!

Recently, Z decided that he would wash our cars. Soon the youngest two were "helping", well, sorta helping :)

VBS

My kids just finished round one of vacation bible school! They LOVED it!! I have heard of them and I did one over the summer a few times when I was a kid,  but I had never signed them up before. After their first night, I knew that they were hooked (SO WERE WE!!) They get to go  for 2 hours and we get a bit of a break!! A win-win situation if you ask me!! We have signed them up for two more before the summer is over!

They LOVED it!!! Boomer got really really into it!! Tank loved the whole thing and getting to go with the "big kids" and today baby Q made it to the stage to join in the dancing on the stage!!

Overcrowding......

Wow....walking around the house there are tell tale signs that I we have a brood living here! Everywhere I look we are being taken over by kids AND kids stuff!!!!!! I feel like we are being smothered with it quite honestly!! And I am mostly to blame here.....as I bought most of it!! LOL!
First, I am being overtaken in SIPPY CUPS!!!!!! AHHHHH! I feel so bad that I have thrown away a few old, chewed up tops and found sippys in the backyard.  Here is a small selection that have spread over two cabinets!!

  The silverware drawer is filled with kids utensils and they love to access this ALL DAY LONG and so it is always disorderly (which drives me crazy)!!

  Fruit to last 3-4 days!!! (1-2 for the bananas)-YIKES

 There are stools in almost every room....so there are fingerprints at EVERY LEVEL!! And I have bruises to show how often I trip on them, as they are always moved by one or another!

                     Backpacks of every size and usually 2 per kid for short trips when they are still in school and I don't feel like emptying the "school" ones......Yes Q has a few too! He gets HAND-ME-DOWNS though! We have pool bags, beach bags,swim team bags, gymnastics bags, soccer bags, lunch boxes galore, sleepover bags, camping bags, park bags and the list goes on.......

 A new table to fit the every growing crazies! (and more fingerprints to clean and polish off 3x a day times 4). However, I do have to admit that I love the smell of that furniture polish so I don't mind this job all too much! LOL!

  The fridge looks like a mosaic with various reminders, schedules, free passes, magnets, song machines, pictures and calenders.....a mess if ya ask me and the kids LOVE to do move items over and over again all DAY LONG!!!

Shoes that have taken over the stairs, the patio, the porch, the basement and their bedrooms.....at least Tank has a strange passion to keep them all lined up and matched!!

 And outside toys have made it's way inside like scooters, balls, and the infamous little tikes basketball hoop, which Q LOVES!!!!!!(and as you can see he has some talent!(Guess that we need to sport his dream of becoming a basketball player some day, right?) ;)

I have heard(from MANY) that I will miss this phase and that I will be sad that the shoes won't be so small and that the back packs will disappear and that the toys will start to vanish! I just can't see that far ahead I guess! As I think about it........I am sure I will miss that but for now...I  still dread the daily cluster of little KIDS AND all THEIR STUFF!!!!!!!!

Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband and amazing  father to our four kids!!! You are such a great Dad and take time for each one of them. You are the best! Thank you for being a great role model!!