The Rockies

A delivery truck dumped 5 tons of rock in the driveway. We needed to place rocks underneath our deck after two years of trying to grow plants. There was a big drainage and erosion issue; plants were not going to make it. Jeremy had the rocks delivered. It was the best playground the boys have ever experienced. They climbed, rolled and jumped in the large pile. Who could ask for more? We do not need the super deluxe play set from Costco, just deliver some rocks are they are set.

Adventure Mountain

Over the weekend Jeremy, Carter and Luke joined some friends for an adventure in the mountains. It was an action packed day. Riding the ATVs, playing in the dirt, exploring the woods, lots of snacks, scouting for animals and even a rattlesnake (shhh, don't tell my grandmother). The boys and three of the Fetterolf girls were in it for the fun.

Uncle Brian was the superhero of the day, according to Luke, by finding and killing a rattlesnake. Each time the story is told the snake gets bigger and bigger and they were braver and braver!

Hair Accessories

I have finally given in to the fact that I live in a boy’s world.
Everything becomes a fort. Daily exercise includes wrestling. Clean boys can get dirty from the house to the car. Toilet seats are up. I have no hair accessories, anything pink, sparkles, or heaven for bid, princess material!

This is what hair accessories are in my house. Yes, it is safety goggles from the tool set. Luke insisted that he wear them all day. Thankfully he forgot to put them back on after getting dressed.

I love that they wake up everyday expecting that it is an adventure made just for them.

Grow and Grow

The garden is a success! The tomatoes are in and plentiful. The corn is tall and will be ready for some picking. The garden has been a wonderful experience for the boys to plant, care for, watch grow and pick. They enjoy every minute of it and do daily inspections.

Carter and Luke picked tomatoes and found wild blackberries around the yard.

Gotta have the Goggles

Carter started the summer swim lessons. He has been working hard to swim and overcome his cautious personality when trying new things, like swimming without assistance. Apparently swim goggles were the key. With everything going on with Brayden we were unable to go to the pool much last year. This year, we will be there as much as possible.

Day at the Zoo

If you asked Carter if he could go anywhere, where would it be? He would probably say Africa, for a safari, or the zoo. Carter is all about animals. He knew what an Okapi was before he knew his alphabet. His first year of preschool, at 2, they were asked to draw an animal. Most of the class drew dogs or cats. Carter drew a wombat. Luke's love for the zoo is all about the sweet treats, cheetahs and the hippos. We finally made it to the National Zoo in Washington DC. We spent this past weekend roaming around looking at the animals. As always, Brayden was along for the ride and a little taste of a frozen lemonade.

Nothing but Wet

We celebrated Great-Grandpa Jenkins birthday with a pool party. Uncle Russ and Aunt Sandy (now the boys favorite place to go) hosted the party at their home. The children were in the pool for the majority of the night. Brayden even joined the party in the pool. The children begrudgingly came out to eat dinner and later some cake. Luke's last words for the night, as he was fighting to stay awake, mumbled, "That was fun."

Pictures of Great-Grandma Jenkins in the hot tub with the children. Grandpa Warren and Great-Grandpa Jenkins with Brayden.

Grandpa's Incredible Edible Eggs

Tonight was a special night for dinner. Jeremy was working late and the boys (with my suggestion) decided to have breakfast for dinner! They thought it was a fantastic idea, they did not need to know it was because I did not feel like fixing much else. Carter and Luke love to help with the cooking. They were ready for this. The extra special treat was that we used the eggs from Grandpa Warren's chickens. That's right, after moving to Purcellville Grandpa Warren and Grandma Ellie are working their way to becoming suburban farmers! A large garden, beautiful barn and the most adorable hen house you have ever seen. All of the kids love to visit the chickens and collect the eggs. We made our breakfast dinner using those special eggs. Boy was it good!

Chicken photo courtesy of Grandma Ellie

Fun with Fireworks

Our 4th of July celebration was an evening at home with friends, the Drakopoulus family. We have known each other long before kids and over the years been able to get together despite us moving further and further out. Carter thinks Emily, their oldest, is cool for a girl. Jeremy and their son Peter, who has down syndrome, have a special bond and even went for an ATV ride in the rain, upon Peter's request. Luke and the littlest Drakopoulus, Jake, did their best to keep up with the big kids. We love to get together with them.

We had our own fireworks display and it was a huge hit with the kids. Brayden slept in his bed during most of the chaos (it must be nice to be able to sleep so soundly).

The Lion King on Stage

Carter and I joined my father, mother, grandmother, brother, sister and brother-in-law at the Kennedy Center to see The Lion King. This was Carter's first theater experience and what a good way to start. The Lion King has to be one of the most amazing performances ever on stage. The way the stage changed for the scenes and the costumes were indescribable. The first scene almost had me in tears it was so magnificent. The way the animals were brought to life in costume and the singing brought goose bumps throughout the entire show. We have the privilege of being in the President's box. In there we have our own sitting room, fully stocked fridge and private bathroom! Carter thought that treats were wonderful. He tried all of the M&Ms and Jelly Bellys. He loved the show. He was mumbling to himself "This is pretty good." It was fun to watch him grin from ear to ear as new animals came on to the stage. It will be a day he will never forget and is already asking when he can go again.

I set a trap

Another day when I thought Carter was having quiet time in his room...

I opened his door to check on him. I opened it to find something I never would have imagined. Carter had strands of toilet paper hung across his room. I gasped at the mess. Now Carter is not a destructive child and not at all messy. He wants his room to be picked up before going to bed at night. When he changes clothes he automatically puts the dirty ones in his hamper, he has been doing this since he was two. He cleans up his plate and cup after eating, with out being asked. So I knew there must be something to this toilet paper. I asked him what happened. He told me that he had some bad dreams and he was setting a monster trap. He showed me how each strand of toilet paper had a purpose. One from his bed to the bathroom door, another to the bedroom door, closet doors, dresser and under the bed, each area had a trap. He had strategically placed each strand. He was quite proud of his trap. In his mind it was not a mess but a well designed plan. We took some pictures, left it up so daddy could see when he came home and then discussed while it was a great trap, we should probably not use toilet paper for that again.

Our day at the White House

Jeremy, Brayden and I went to the West Wing of the White House today. There we dined in the White House Mess with my parents, brother and sister. The dining room is a very small room with beautiful tables. Anything that can have a Presidential Seal on it, does; the menus, salt and pepper shakers, sugar packets, the dinner plates, which are Lenox China and even the butter is molded in the shape of the seal. There are fresh flowers on all of the tables. The food was delicious.

We used the restroom in the West Wing, elevator and more! Major excitement. I had to pause for a moment and take it in, passing important people in the West Wing i.e. the VP's Chief of Staff and members of the Presidential Cabinet. Even the halls of the West Wing are interesting. Every wall has a recent picture of the President and/or Vice President.

After our lunch in White House Mess we headed upstairs for a photo opportunity with President Bush. It is a very surreal experience and surreal to see my father amongst this group of people.
For the real story of the day you have to check out my blog.

Adventure in your own Backyard

Jeremy, Carter and Luke went for an adventure in our own backyard. They camped out! Jeremy set up a tent with sleeping bags. The fire pit was going, smores were ready and the weather was just right. The boys were so excited. Carter spent a great amount of time perfecting the roasted marshmallow. Luke stuck his marshmallow in the fire for about two seconds pulled it out, declared it was ready and gobbled it up. Once the sun set, everyone climbed into the tent and slept peacefully, except for Carter's occasional "What's that noise?" questions.

Acting like Animals

Carter and Luke joined some friends for a birthday celebration. Everyone trekked up to the Catoctin Zoo in MD. Carter loves animals and knows more about animals than most adults do so he was thrilled to be invited. The boys rode a camel and went on a jungle safari ride. The camel ride was a blast. I did not join the boys on the safari ride because Brayden could not fit with his KidKart. Five boys and one mom went on the safari trip. More than twenty people loaded on to a special big truck. The park distributes popcorn and bread for everyone to feed the animals during the safari ride. One ostrich got desperate and bite Luke's hand. He only has a few scratches but he will gladly tell you his harrowing tale when he came face to face with the big ostrich. It was a very memorable day for everyone.

Open for Business

Today during what I thought was supposed to be quiet time (Carter reads books in his room, Luke & Brayden sleep), Carter came running to find me. He declared that his store was open. There was excitement all over his face. I followed him to his room. He went to great detail explaining each section of his store. He set up different areas where you could find what you needed: books, stuffed animals, games, puzzles, pillows, toys... He gathered all of the items in his room and closet and made a neat little sections. He set up a large pillow that was his desk. There he set up his cash register, which is a little cash register bank, a box to hold big money (a.k.a dollar bills) and change for his customers. He was so excited to have customers. He wanted to wake his brothers to come to his store. I purchased a koala stuffed animal. I just love his imagination!