Outdoor Fun

We were headed down the drive when we saw this beautiful deer...Shawn actually saw her and her fawn earlier this week...


Fun with the water hose...they would fill their dump trucks with water...playing in the water is great fun when it is hot outside.



I WAS watching my children while they were playing...just not at the moment Ethan decided to take the tricycle on the trampoline then proceed to ride in circles while Landon jumped!...


Ethan held a packet of seeds and proceeded to ask me what they were for.
After I gave an answer that seemed to satisfy him by explaining they will produce food, he asked, "Who came up with that idea?"

"Real" Food

Morgan has boarded the "rice cereal eating train". All aboard? I think...not. She is making horrid faces while mustering all her strength to get it down. Well, I'll keep shoving the cereal in if only she will keep gulping it down....sometimes you have to acquire a taste for things.
Morgan loves to sit in her chair while the boys eat breakfast. She gets amused while her brothers try to make her laugh and she grins while they interact with her.

Tire Changing - 101

Ahead of schedule - for once! - our clan piled into the van to head to the grocery than over to Wednesday night prayer meeting. Only minutes from home we heard a loud "pop". Pulling over to the side of the road, Shawn got out to see if something was wrong. Yep. Uh-oh! A flat tire! I spent the next 30 minutes getting educated on how to change a flat. (I was an eager student and was not forced to help. My husband can "do it all" without my "helpful" help.) I just am thankful we were not hurt (besides our pride - the "new" tire leaves a bit to be desired) and that Shawn was behind the wheel.
Never fear, if you ever have a flat while traveling with lil' ol' me....you bet your bottom dollar I will have you fixed and ready in know time flat. (Excuse the pun!) Yep, Handy Dandy Mel is at your humble service.

Run, Scamper, Run

We pulled in on Sunday evening to find a poor, helpless bunny wandering on the property. Boy, the "manly" blood was pumping hurriedly through the veins of the men in my van. Shawn takes off to get his gun, only to find that by the time he was ready to pull the trigger, BOUNCE! Off went the bunny.....oh well...they shot at a bird instead. :-)...Men and their "hobbies"!

Not Once, but Twice

Today was Morgan's 4 month checkup. Not only did I take Morgan (!) I pulled Ethan and Landon into the mix as well. Waiting with three children is a challenge, especially when Landon decides before we even make it back to the exam room that he has to use the potty.
As we were waiting for the doctor to make her grand appearance, I told Ethan - "Say, hurry up, doctor!" My obedient (shock) son repeated what I said - very loudly. Of course, I hurriedly told him, "Shh!" Now, why in the world do we parents tell our children to do something only to have them actually do something when we really didn't mean for them to do something!?! Did ya get all that? It was one of my "what were you thinking?" mom moments.
Finally, the doctor made it into the "wee room with four boring walls and NO toys" and proceeded to "do her thing". Once again, Landon told me he needed to use the restroom, so I raced out of the room with the boys while the helpful doctor showed off the baby (naked except diaper, of course). Wonder if they will charge extra for all the help they provided me??
If only I had known how exciting my day had been before climbing out of bed, would I have actually made that climb or just stayed in bed?....I would have gotten up! I found out that I have a healthy baby girl and three well-behaved children (well, for the most part!)
Here is the run down of all my kids at four months old:

Morgan: 16 pounds 4 ounces
26 1/2 inches long

Landon: 17 1/2 pounds
26 1/2 inches long

Ethan: 19 pounds 2 ounces
26 1/2 inches long

Landon Reese

At 2 yrs. old, Landon is an incredibly helpful child. He is fully potty-trained (Yes, we still have accidents, but rarely) and he comprehends everything you tell him.
Landon is perfectly content on the back of Ethan's four-wheeler as Ethan tags along with me as I walk down the lane. Now he is enjoying cruising in the seat attached to my bike. Great workout for me - pulling 35 EXTRA pounds.
Shawn has a huge tub of bubble gum leftover from a business thing, and so Landon loves going in the office and picking out the blue piece.
He still has his crazy moments that can frustrate a parent to no end:
1) Writing on things that are not supposed to have ink scrawled all over them.
2) Trying to wipe his own bottom if I don't come to his aide soon enough :-)
3) Spraying his brother with the hose, accidentally, but only to have his brother go into hysterics.
4) Today, as I was folding clothes, I overheard Ethan saying, "Landon, don't sit on her!" Come to find out, Landon was riding the "horsey" - only the horsey wasn't his big, masculine father, it was his little, helpless sister who was lying on the bed!
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A child will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bank balance smaller, home happier, clothes dirty, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

4 minus 2

4 minus 2 has happened at our house. What in the world are you talking about, you might ask. Well, in this case, 4 minus 2 means that Ethan has mastered a bike - without training wheels! Two wheels are holding him up instead of four. He is doing great and enjoying himself, although he still loves to zoom around on his tricycle or turning sharply in the gravel while driving his four-wheeler. (Yes, his helmet is on when he drives it, Grandma(s)!)
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Ethan asks his daddy while on a job site: "Why do we need wood?"
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After coloring a picture of a man with his Auntie, goes on to draw a mustache on him. Later, Ethan proudly proclaims, "The man has a "mush-mash"!!
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Hovering his face very close to Morgan's face, Ethan receives a sneeze into his own face. "Morgan just bless me!", he proudly exclaimed.
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Shawn and I took my mom up on the offer of having my parents and Em watch the kids for the evening. When we returned, we found Papaw Kuhn on the floor with scissors. He had been artistically cutting out trees, hearts, and such from paper. As Papaw cut out the cross, he asked Ethan who died on the cross. "Noah!", he said. Seriously, this kid canNOT keep his facts straight!
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Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.