Our Caity-bug is Home!

Caitlyn is finally home, and I did exactly what I knew I would do as soon as I saw her: I started crying like crazy! I know she's eight years old, and I know it's time to let her spread her wings a little bit, but I missed her terribly! So did Kylie, and that was evident by the fact that she hasn't let her sister far from her side since Caitlyn returned.

Earlier today, we made Caitlyn a "Welcome Home" sign, and the kids had a blast decorating it. Caitlyn loved it too! She's pretty tired from the past week. All the candy, long days, lots of playing, and a cabin full of girls resulted in little sleep. Needless to say, she still talked a mile a minute the whole afternoon telling us all about her big adventure. She told us all about how her cabin got the "Dirty Sock Award" two days in a row for a messy cabin (no surprise here if you knew what Caitlyn's room looked like half the time!). As punishment, the girls had to clean up the cafeteria after all the kids had eaten lunch. She wasn't too happy about that part! Caitlyn was really excited to get the chance to sing in front of the whole camp before our preacher spoke at chapel. That's probably a couple hundred people! She of course didn't bat an eye to it. She amazes me with her confidence. I don't know where she gets it! All in all, we've gathered that she had a fantastic time, and can't wait to go back next year! Wait just a minute..... mommy needs to recover from this year first! :D

Nothing Does You Better Than a Good Belly Laugh

Luke is changing so quickly! He is a mere few weeks away from turning one year old! I can't believe it's here already. He is so close to walking, but has yet to take the plunge. His crawling is still reminiscent of a zombie crawl, and people get a kick out of it everywhere we go. He is almost completely weaned, and actual has adjusted extremely well. Luke is very adept at the sippy cup, and enjoys being free to roam while getting a drink at the same time! :) Our baby boy is getting bigger by the minute it seems.

Yesterday, Luke was looking out the back door...his favorite place these days. And he started laughing really loud. I thought maybe Kylie was tickling him, but when I got to him, there was no one else around. He was laughing at our crazy dog playing in the rain! I got it on video, and thought you might enjoy it too. (Note to self: I really need to scrub down our back door!) Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty for a healthy baby boy!

She's Got Wings

Monday morning, Caitlyn went off on her first true adventure away from home......church camp. I keep telling myself that she's eight years old.....and then I think, she's only eight years old! She's with adults that I trust, but there's just something about the first time you send them off to camp that rips your heart out. Caitlyn has been so excited preparing for this trip over the last week. We've been labeling all her clothes, packing bug spray and sunscreen, and trying to get everything to fit in her duffle bag! I was excited for her, but at that same time anxious about it. The worst part is that there is no phone service where she is, so phone calls are nonexistent! At first I really didn't miss her too terribly bad, and I thought that the week may not be as torturous as I had imagined. After the first 24 hours though, it started to kick in. Now I really miss her, as do Kylie and John. Kylie is especially struggling with her being gone. Kylie has never slept by herself in her room for more than one night. Her and Caitlyn have shared a room for Kylie's whole life. One of the biggest things about Caitlyn being gone is that it is much quieter. :D Caitlyn is a talker! She will be returning Friday afternoon, and you can be sure that we will be in the parking lot waiting for her. Maybe the kids and I will make her a "welcome back" sign!

Wordless Wednesday - He's Getting So Big!

Monday Morning Funnies

Help Me Win!

WARNING: The following is a shameful plea for help to win a $100 Cozi sponsorship!

Okay, here's the deal. I really want to win a $100 Cozi sponsorship! So, if you will go here to my "Top 10 Reasons I am Excited to Stay Home with My Family This Coming Weekend" post on My Four Monkeys and leave a comment, I would really appreciate it! I'll even give you 5 extra entries in every current My Four Monkeys giveaway! Just be sure and leave a separate comment on the giveaway posts for every entry.

So comment away and help me win! Thank you!

My Fridge Surprise

Last week Jeremy took the kids fishing while I met with my friend, Pam, and tried to nail down VBS details for this year. When I returned home that night, there was a plastic bag in the fridge. I just assumed it was a box of night crawlers, and left it be. Now, over a week later, the bag was still there and my curiosity got the better of me last night. I opened the bag and looked in. I wish I hadn't!




Yes, those are dirty socks next to the box of night crawlers! Gross, disgusting men........that's all I'm going to say about that!

My Husband Is Crazy!

So, Jeremy caught this ant thing the other day. It was the craziest looking, furry, striped ant I had ever seen. He put it in a container and was letting the kids look at it. My first thought was to smoosh it, but he was curious, as were the kids, so off he went to check online and figure out what kind of ant it was. It didn't take him long to figure out that although it was called a velvet ant, it wasn't actually an ant at all. Here's what the Ask the Exterminator website said:

The velvet ant is actually a wasp that closely resembles an ant. They are covered in hair that is often brightly colored, which serves as a warning to predators that this wasp can deliver a painful sting.

The one we found was a female which are wingless, hence the confusion with an actual ant. They are about ten times bigger than any ant I've ever seen though! After he read that, I said "out" with the wingless wasp. Especially after he read the other name they're known by....."cow killer ant"! What?! Anything that can kill a cow, does not have a place in my home! As Jeremy read on, we discovered why they are actually called that:

You should avoid handling velvet ants because they have a very painful sting. They got the name cow killer because the sting is so painful that it can kill a cow. Actually, that isn't true, and the name might have developed because a sting could lead to infection by bacteria or sawflies that could eventually kill a cow, but the description of how painful their sting is, is how the name cow killer got stuck. Velvet ants are not aggressive and will try to escape rather than defend territory if you approach them. However, if you pick them up they can squeak loudly and deliver a venomous sting.

So what does Jeremy do? He tries to make it squeak. And squeak it did! That little bug was loud! Eventually, after he was done experimenting with his new found ant species, Jeremy let it go out in the yard. I was still voting for the smooshing option!

Wordless Wednesday

Luke looked so pitiful looking out the back door watching Jeremy mow the yard. He wanted so bad to be out there too!

Cheap Family Fun

2 Parents + 4 Crazy Kids + 2 Loaves of $0.79 Bread From Kroger + a Flock of Geese = Priceless Fun! Enjoy the video!

Curly Top

Caitlyn has been begging me to do pin curls in her hair lately. So, Saturday night after her bath we sat down to fix her hair for Sunday morning. Instead of pin curls though, we opted for foam rollers. She was so excited when she climbed in bed with her red bandana tied around her rollers! Boy, did we get curls! Her hair, although more relaxed, is still quite curly today!

Monday Morning Funnies

The Motorcycle Boys

While loading and editing all the camping pics, I came across these pictures of Jeremy and Luke on his bike. I had forgotten to post them a few weeks ago, so here they are. Luke looks so little next to Jeremy's big bike! Love you all, and thank you to God Almighty who has for now blessed me with these.

Camping Trip Pics - Part 2

Camp Cooking - Our First Grilled Cheese Attempt!






Enjoying Breakfast




The Kids Doing Camp Duties - So Grown Up!





Having Fun in the Sun





Luke Playing Bocce Bag



Kylie Tames the Wildlife




Luke loved his camp baths!