Sunday, May 31, 2009

What do 8yr. old BOYS do at a Birthday PARTY???

Well as you know, my Lance turned 8yrs old on Tuesday and he requested that he have a friend party instead of the traditional all family party....so that is what we did this year....So Saturday was the big day!!

He was able to invite three friends....after some hard deliberating he invited (L to R) Eli, Ridley, Lance, Austin, and then Caleb is at the bottom....The first thing they did was jump on the trampoline and then Dad came up with this game....If they got hit with the a ball from the gun they were out.....They usually had two boys shooting at a time.

Then they played another game..they were playing tag, but they were not allowed to touch the ground or they were automatically it...no tag back either.....They had a ball!!Austin, Eli, Lance, Ridley, and Caleb proudly sitting on top of the swing set!!! (Dad's idea, not mine) Looking at this pic just makes me smile at "boys and their fun"

This pic of "boy and their fun" makes me gasp....oh PLEASE no body fall down.....I don't want to take anyone to the ER with broken bones, or worse!! (notice Dad in the background being so non-chalant about what is going on!)Well Dad decided to get in on some fun with all the boys.....The boys goal??? To get Justin down and hold him for 3 seconds.....I'm not sure if that ended up happening or not.....it might depend on who you ask....but they had a good time trying anyhow!The next order of business...a scavenger hunt.....They were split into 2 team (Yellow team, and the White team) Justin had posted clues all over the property leading to the next clue...then at the end we had little party favors for the boys to take home...Although the race to the finish was very close this team won...which meant they got served cake and ice cream first... Here are the teams scouting their clues!!
Then it was supper time....Tator Tot Casserole was on the menu....Here is the recipe in case you have never made it


1 pound hamb.

2 cans cream of mushroom (or chicken)

1 bag (2cup) shredded cheese (or block Velveeta works great)

3/4 bag of tator tots


Brown and drain hamb. then combine it with the two can of cream soup....put in that into your

9 X 13 spray pan, then sprinkle all the cheese (or line up all the sliced Velveeta across the pan), then line up all your tator tots . Cook @ 375 for 30 minutes.
Then I served up our favorite cake, Jello Cake! Also a very easy fix, which is what I LOVE to make.....Here is the recipe for that as well....
2 Boxes of Strawberry (any red berry jello work)
1 Box Vanilla instant Pudding
1 Box white (or yellow) Cake mix
1 container Cool Whip
Bake the Cake mix as directed..let it cool for 30 min. then poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick, Mix 1 cup of boiling water with 1 box of jello, after you mix it well add 1 cup of cold water and mix well again..pour that over the cold and refrigerate for 2-3 hours....mix up your instant pudding as directed and put it in the fridge in a separate bowl....after cooling in the fridge take the cake out; spread the pudding over the cake then top with the container of Cool Whip.

Here are the troop enjoying the eats...

So what' a girl to do with 3 EXTRA boys around??? Hang close to mom and play with the kittens!!
What little boys doesn't like "Pop-Its???" Remember these things that you throw down on the ground and they pop?? Our boys LOVE them!! A little pocket game I got a Walgreens with my Register Rewards Bucks..Shh don't tell Lance!! He also got 4 little Lego creation sets to put together....
The last few pics are of Lance on his actual birthday.....we celebrated with just "us" and you can see he was happy with the gifts we chose to get him...
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Thursday, May 28, 2009

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

I found a great blog today it's called....Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, Written by a Christian mom named Kris! I love what I have read so far...she is so funny...who doesn't need a good laugh?? Well she is hosting a giveaway, in honor of her daughter's 14th birthday!!!
She is teaming up with AllChildrensfurniture.com and giving away a bookcase...she has 3 to pick from.....deadline for entering is Monday June 1st! Be sure to check her out if you are in need a bookcase or just want a good laugh!!

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Things I Love Thursday!

The thing I love this week is vacation time together as a family!!

Well we just returned from a 5-day camping trip.......We had such a fantastic time!!! I mean to tell you the weather was just so enjoyable I couldn't even believe it!!!! Sunny and beautiful every single day!! Well our camping this time was at the Northeast Indiana Bluegrass Festival....every spring and fall we go there for a time full of bluegrass music! The Festival didn't actually start until Thursday but we headed up on Tuesday to start camping...it's only $10 to camp before the festival (that's with electric hook up and all)....then for the weekend your camping is free with purchase of a weekend ticket (which is $23 for members and $25 for non-members.....kids 16 years and under a FREE!!!!) So here is the run down of how we spent our week of time of with Daddy!



After picking our camping spot, Justin made a comment that they could have mowed before the festival started....the grass was pretty long.....so here is Zach lending hand with his stick "using it as a weed-wacker...
Here is Caleb doing his part to help out as well....


Here is Julia making herself comfy in the bottom of her stroller. The only problem was...she couldn't get out!


Here is Caleb showcasing how handsome he is with his cowboy hat.


Here is Julia bumming a ride from Daddy.....and giving Mommy's arms a break!



Here is Lance hanging out while Caleb shows off his Spiderman like skills!




Monkey see...Monkey DO...Zach has to do everything the big boys do!
Julia being "girly" and playing with her Baby...they haven't made a total Tom Boy out of her yet.


Justin and I did get to rest together at least for a little while...Here we were watching some shows up at the stage area.


These monkeys kept Julia occupied for a good half hour or so...
After watching several different bands it was time to go collect the freebies the boy got at the "Kids Corner" earlier that morning.


For those of you that have not the honor of attending a Bluegrass Festival, which is all of you probably, this is a shot of a band with all your typical bluegrass instruments...Left: Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro, Bass (in the back), Banjo....sometimes band wills throw in a harmonica, or juice harp on occasion.During our time at the stage we did some reading...They also did some drawing with crayons...then they decided they would build stuff with the crayons...Here is their train track...complete with a train and all!
Dad and Julia headed back to the camper for a little nap and then when she woke up she was all smiles....




Julia was so happy to have some girls to play with for a while! THANKS for visiting Brooke and Addison!



Julia and Zach we running off some energy as they circled the chair...


Stopping just long enough to say "cheeseburger mommy"..she prefers that to just the regular "cheese"



Caleb being Caleb!!!!



We tried to have some quiet time at the camper each day while Julia napped....reading was on tap during this quiet time...


Here is the GANG posing after we took a bike ride....Nice hair Julia....Her helmet really did a number on it!



Here is my hubby eating...This had to make the cut of pics, because we always feel like all we do it eat while we camp!






Justin and Zach are getting geared up to take a bike while....and maybe hit a few Garage Sales in the process!!


Lance and Caleb are giving the "Go sign" and ready to roll on their bikes as well.



Caleb was begging to take a pic of me before we left on the ride...so here it is..good job Cubbie!



Julia gets to ride with Mommy, "Let's go Mom!"

We found lots of sales to check out!!! Lance found something he wanted so he's pumping Dad for money....We found this little table and chairs perfect to have with us while camping at a sale for $2.00....yep we hauled it back on the bike....yep we probably looked like major hillbilly's.....no we didn't see anyone laugh and point.....so that is good!



The boys (Dad included) had a water fight one day...Here is Zach using the sneak attack on Caleb!


Caleb aiming for Lance~
Let's just say Julia wasn't left out!! I just love that "little" belly....


Caleb is jamming with his guitar...the shades make the look complete...



After all the playing, jamming, and water gunning it was time to chill out with a book before bedtime! Zach winding down with his book as well...

One day quiet time was spent with everyone playing on their laptop computers...Mom included! Caleb just got his for his last birthday...he loves it!


Julia being a big girl on her computer....


Poor Zach, he doesn't have a computer so he enjoyed playing with some Garage Sale finds....

Another quiet time activity while Julia and Daddy napped again was Croquet....I Won!!!


Caleb got second!!! Lance got 3rd!!! Zach gave up after about four turns or so...but he had fun slapping the ball around...We had a fun time and it was a really nice say to play outside!


Well it looks daylight in this shot, but this was Julia's first night in a "big girl" bed....She did well!


Since I highlighted Lance on Tuesday for his birthday I don't have to many shots of him today, but here is one of him smiling!

Of course wanted his pic taken too!! Again Monkey see Monkey DO!!






Oh ya, Julia smiling for me as well!! Isn't she just the cutest???? YEP!!!
Julia felt the need to eat her chicken noodle soup while sitting on Daddy's lap one day....

And FINALLY this showcase of pics wouldn't be complete without a pic of Dad jamming a bit with his new guitar....We LOVE YOU DAD!!!






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