Cement, Cement, Cement

I always thought that boys just innately made sound effects when playing cars, but I was wrong. Not my boys. There are no vrooms, screeches or crashes at my house. 


Bud's cars talk to each other like people and make plans to go to the dentist and grocery store. They've been doing that since before he saw any kind of movie with cars as speaking characters. 


Big's work vehicles tell you what they're doing as they go. It's awesome. What I mean is, as Big's loader backs up it doesn't go "beep, beep...". No, Big's loader says, "Reverse, reverse, reverse...."


His excavator is digging a big hole in the dirt? "Dig, dig, dig..."


His dump truck tilts to unload its cargo? "Dump, dump, dump..."


My very favorite is when his cement truck sends its contents down the chute. 


"Cement, cement, cement..."


I think you'd have to be there to realize just how funny it really is. But, let me tell you, it makes me smile every time. Hilarious.

Follow My Sister

So, my sister started a blog. She's the baby in the family and one of the best people I know. My kids love her. I love her. Anyway, she is finding herself on a bit of a journey and is finally writing about it. You can follow her here. Go ahead. Give it a go.

Arizona Vacation

After the family reunion in California with Rophone's family, we headed over to Arizona to see my brother and his family. I know that July isn't the time most folks want to head to Arizona, but we're brave. Very brave.


My brother, Rib, and his wife, Aunt Jazz Hands, have a fabulous house (with a great playroom) and a fantastic pool in the backyard. Both key things to enjoying an Arizona vacation in the middle of the summer. The kids kept each other well occupied playing in the playroom and around the house, taking breaks once and sometimes twice a day to go swimming. 


Having my kids be so entertained, and not having to be the sole meal-planner, made for a great and relaxing vacation for me. Rib and Jazz Hands are fantastic hosts. We felt right at home. 


I'm not even going to attempt to pretend that this post isn't going to have a lot of photos. I'm not going to apologize for it either, because you'll like them. Buckle up!

Bud kept blocking his face from the paparazzi. 

Captain Tornado decided to give his new 'diving helmet' a go. 

I'm not so sure it worked the way he hoped it would. Not that he stopped making attempts, of course. 

Ginger was a little nervous to jump off the high wall, but managed to conquer her fears. Way to go, Ginger!

Gotcha, Bud!

Aunt Jazz Hands managed to take some fabulous photos, too. They're kind of in miniature, so get out your magnifying glass. I'll wait. 


The boys managed to get in some fishing.

And a lot of cousin wall-jumping.

In our off time, Aunt Jazz Hands even organized a puppet making project. The woman has energy, I tell ya.

And some books were read and some odd photos were taken (what did you expect from me?).

We really had so much fun. If you're wondering how much, all you have to do is look at Big. He'll tell ya.

Thanks Rib and Jazz Hands for such a great time! We miss you!

California Vacation

We went camping in California over 4th of July weekend with Rophone's family. It was the first of any kind of family reunion his family has had in the 18 years we've been together. Rophone's brother's wife just took the reins and arranged the whole thing. Good for her. Almost everyone was able to be there.


The weather was cloudy and cool-- not what you'd expect for July, but I thought it was perfect. We camped for 3 nights, which I also thought was just about perfect. Anything shorter wouldn't have been worth the effort, and anything longer might have caused conflicts to arise. 


I managed to take a few photos (not surprising, I'm sure). I won't post all of the several hundred I snapped on here (you're welcome), but I'll just post a select few (I use the term loosely) favorites of my family. If I included shots of all the folks that were there, you'd be here forever. Cursing my name.

I included this next shot because I think it's so crazy. The cousin on the far left is 3 months older than Ginger. The cousin in the middle is 6 months younger than Ginger. They're giants compared to her! I think Ginger must have been standing in a hole in the sand.

Here's a shot of Rophone's dad-- he was really happy to have everyone together. 

And a few photos of some non-people things, of course. Because that's the way I roll.

We loved our little Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Tree-Palm-Tree.

Okay. Back to folks again.

On our last night, the night of the 4th, we got to watch fireworks right over the water. A perfect finale to a great reunion.