Summer Lovin'

I just love summer. Absolutely L-O-V-E it! I have so many great memories of days at the pool, slumber parties, movie nights, the neighborhood "bike club" going to the gravel pits... the list goes on and on.

We took two trips to Waco this week (recap post to come later) and as I crossed over Moonlight Drive and saw that the Robinson Public Pool was open, part of me just wanted to make that right turn into the parking lot, buy a season's pass and red snow cone and head back to "our corner" with a towel, a BOP magazine and some baby oil.

Now my pool bag includes baby coppertone, diapers, wipes, change of clothes, pacifiers, and plenty of goldfish for an army of toddlers but I wouldn't want it any other way. Their fun times have become my fun times and I can't wait for what lies ahead.

Last night brought a quick glimpse into the future of pool time for the Kings.

I can just see Radley trying to teach Emmy how to swim...

Kayla trying to keep everyone in line...

All the friends trying to stay out the water the mandatory 10 minutes after eating...

Friends being silly...

And at the end of the day everyone having a smile that just says pure bliss...

And 25 years from now when Radley and Emmy pass by the "open pool" sign... maybe just maybe they'll want to turn into the parking lot, too.

Tiny Tales Thursday...

Did you miss me? I'm sure all 40 of you that read my blog did! :)

We have been super busy this week = complete update from our M-F coming tomorrow!!

Not too many tales this week... Radley says so much cute stuff that I just can't remember it all! This week the "tale" is less about what he said and more about what he did. He is all boy for sure.

Sunday night I was feeding Emmy and Radley was watching a "movie"/whatever is on tv and I notice he is doing something. I ask what he's doing and he lets me know that he's "picking my toes, Mommy." As all good mommy's do I quickly tell him not to do that because he is going to make himself bleed. As all good little boys do he doesn't listen, makes himself bleed and complains.

We doctor it up put some band aids on (see previous post) and all is better. I tell him that he has to keep his toe really clean or it will become infected. "Defected, Mommy?" Yes, buddy... and then you'll have to go see Dr. Henderson.

Cut to three days later...

... super gross, huh?!? I had the privilege of... ehmmm... cleaning it out. A good dose of antibiotics should clear up the rest of it.

i love little boys, don't you?

What a wonderful world...

We got the CD from Emersyn's Newborn photo shoot this weekend so I decided to make a mini-movie for your viewing pleasure! Sarah did a great job and there were tons more pictures than even this but due to limited space on blogger (boooo hisss) I had to pic some favs!

Enjoy!

BUSY-ness

Oh my goodness have we had a busy weekend! I can't even believe that it's already Sunday night! Where does the time go when you're living a fairy tale? Just slips right by you! I can't believe that Emersyn will be 7 weeks old tomorrow; the time sure didn't go that fast when she IN my tummy! ;)

To spare you the long summary of what we've been up to I'll just let the pictures do the talking...

Radley's love for sticky things does not end with band aids... he likes stickers, too! Which those that grew up with me know that I, too, enjoyed a sticker. In fact I liked over 300 so much that they became attached to my bedroom door!! (with the permission of my mom who still has the door! Is anyone really surprised?)

He wanted to share the love with Dad...

And Emersyn...

Friday night we had some fun with The Munsons at a park with a splash pad. The kids loved it and I'm not going to lie... I wanted to run through the water too!

Miss Anna looking cute as always...

And Rad and Caro being sweet friends...

Emmy enjoyed the scenery, too!

Doesn't this look super fun!?!?

Saturday was a birthday party for our friend, E'mar! Kayla conquered the maze!

And I taught Radley a few tricks on the balance beam!

Today we had a fun lazy day! We went to church with GiGi, Pops and Pete and then came home to relax. We had to snap a few pics of these two cuties first, though!

This was my dress when I was a baby and I can only hope I was half as cute as this pretty girl! I am loving these smiles that she is giving us!

We also got a surprise visit from Radley's godmother, Stephanie! She was my Delta Zeta little sis and we just love her! Thanks for the visit, Nanan! We love you!

All this busy-ness made two people pretty sleepy... maybe we'll get some rest later. (Or maybe not!)

A wink and a smile...

... that's what makes the world go 'round...

Tiny Tales Thursday

This tale takes us around the neighborhood.

We all went for a walk last night to get some fresh air, exercise and because Radley just loves his wagon.

He also loves it when "mommy goes faster" and bumps his wagon with "baby sister".

Emersyn is indifferent ;)

We got about three quarters around when Radley decided he wanted to walk with us. Ryan and I told him no that he needed to stay in the wagon. Well, like any good almost 3 year old, Radley quickly asks "why?"

Ryan told him that he because Mommy was pushing the stroller and that Daddy couldn't because he was using his hands to pull the wagon. Radley needed to hold one of our hands.

To which Radley replied, "Only your right hand, Daddy...not that one."

And sure enough, Ryan was only using his right hand to pull the wagon. How do you respond to that? The kid had a point.

He got to walk the rest of the way.

A Heat Wave...

Well, it seems like this heat affects little ones, too! Emersyn has broken out in a heat rash on her poor little face and it just won't seem to go away. I finally got concerned enough that we took her in for a quick visit to see the doctor and he said to just wait it out. She has the normal baby acne that infants get combined with eczema and heat rash so poor little one is just a mess. Wouldn't you know it? Already worried about her complexion. ;)

She's still pretty cute, though...

We had a fun treat on Monday and Tuesday with a visit from Jenni and Karli Bug. Radley loves playing with her! She is just a doll and they have so much fun together. We took them to the Children's Museum in Bryan yesterday and I loved watching them explore all the nooks and crannies.

Filling up their grocery carts

AHHHH! Where did Radley and Karli go?!?

Once again, Emersyn wasn't too interested in the whole thing! :)

We have a pretty quiet week ahead and I'm pretty excited about that!! Hope you all are staying cool!

Just in case you hadn't heard...

To see a sneak peak of Emersyn's newborn photoshoot click the link below!!

http://butterflychaserphotography.blogspot.com/2010/07/emersyn-and-little-bit-of-radley.html

Happy Monday!!

Patch up the Pirates

When I was in high school we would have a different "theme" Every Friday during football season to get everyone ready for the big game. A few of my favorites:

1. "Lock up the Leopards" -- we wore dread locks

2. "Bury the Bulldogs" -- we wore all black

3. "Hunt down the Hornets" -- we wore camo

BUT, my absolute favorite was "Patch up the Pirates" otherwise known as "band aid" day. I hate to admit it, but I thought it was fun to wear a ton of band aids and would purchase a large variety from Spiderman to Cinderella. Most of the school got into it and we all looked goofy together. :)

I felt obliged to share a little of my past with you to give you the full effect...

Before I proceed please note a few things:

1. Yes I had a perm

2. Yes we wore "slouch socks"

3. Yes one eye seems to look bigger than the other (due to scanning the picture of course)

4. Yes I have over 100 band aids on (who didn't)

5. Most importantly... look how SKINNY my legs were!! :)

Now after seeing this, you would think that I wouldn't be so surprised for my love of a cute band aid to pass down to my kids. However, when Radley came home from GiGi and Pops it was abundantly clear that he has a love for those "patches", too....

And he makes a mean "pirate face"....

Over the river and through the woods...

to GiGi and Pops' house we go... (actually it's north on Highway 6 exit Marlin and take 77 til you get to Newland drive, but you get the idea...)

Radley is having a BLAST with GiGi and Pops!! How do I know this?!? GiGi has done an awesome job of texting pics of his trip!!

We met in Calvert on Wednesday afternoon to make the exchange and although he was a little weary at first, he has since forgotten all about me, Ryan and Emersyn and is loving every minute of life! He hasn't even really wanted to talk to me on the phone. Makes me a little sad but so thankful that he has such great grandparents that take care of him and spend time with him.

A few snapshots of his last few days...

Off to the zoo with "Karli-bug"

please note the chocolate donuts

Karli giving a tour of the place (seriously, she knows her stuff!)

After the zoo and lunch it was off to a splash pad!

(At this time GiGi and Nana are exhausted but won't give up on their quest to be #1 grandma's of all time!!)

Phew... time for a "rest"...

Glad to see that his nutrition isn't suffering with a stop at Cane's for dinner! HA!

Day 2... the Waco Waterpark!

They ended the day at a local favorite... Rocket Cafe... but for some reason the picture won't upload. Our high school "crew" went to "Rocket" every Friday for lunch. And by "Crew" I mean pretty much everyone in the senior class... we are a small town afterall! :)

Mom has been texting nonstop of all their adventures and I am 100% positive that after they drop him off tomorrow both she and Dad are going to want to take a very long nap!!

Please note that Pops' eyes are already closed in this picture! :)

Thanks for taking such good care of him, Mom and Dad! We love you so much and will see you tomorrow!

Tiny Tales Thursday

We've had some funny tales this week....

1. Radley has pretty much mastered the potty. When he's gotta go, he simply does his business and gets on with playing/eating/watching Mickey Mouse, etc... Well, the other day he had to poop so he ran to the potty, dropped his drawers, and hopped onto the potty. I had followed him in to assist if needed when he looks at me and says, "turn on the fan, Mommy, it's gonna be stinky." He then made me leave the room so he could finish alone. HA!

2. Last weekend was our first endeavor to church since Emmy arrived. We told Radley that we were taking her to church and he was going to have to teach her how to be quiet and listen. He thought about this for a minute and then said, "That's okay, Mommy, I take her to church because I'm the big brother. You and Daddy stay here." Ryan asked him who was going to drive and he replied, "Me."

As you know, Radley is currently with GiGi and Pops (update on his stay complete with pictures coming tomorrow) so today's tale comes from Aunt Jenni.

3. Jenni was picking Karli up from GiGi's house so Karli was giving everyone kisses goodbye. She apparently forgot to kiss Radley which made him a little sad as he let everyone know that he didn't get any kisses. Jenni told him she would give him kisses and he said, "I want Karli to give me kisses." So Jenni told him to give Karli kisses bye and he said, "NO...I want Karli to give ME kisses." Well...well... HA!!

And because no post is complete without a picture...

To be a kid again...

Take a look at this...

To most people it looks like a simple playground... to Radley it was a dream come true....

To me... it was filled with germs and icky kids :)

Radley is off to spend the rest of the week with GiGi and Pops! I am meeting my mom tomorrow afternoon. I remember spending time with my grandparents during the summers... I can still remember the smells and sounds.

Every morning that I walked into the kitchen PaPaw would greet me with a "Hey"... MaMaw taught me how to sew; PaPaw and I picked vegetables in his garden; I would climb to the top of the magnolia tree and read books for ages; we ate the best food and played cards and stayed outside all day...it was a kid's dream come true.

I'm sure Radley will have a blast and get completely spoiled...I'll keep you all posted!

The Sweetest Things...

Summer time always seems a little sweeter to me. Maybe because growing up in a small town summers were filled with days at the pool, hanging out with friends, riding bikes to Zippy's to buy candy and coke, snow cones and the smell of suntan lotion. My friends and I just had the best time...I could write about great summer memories for hours (but I won't bore you).

The summer just makes me happy...the heat, the activity, the smells all of it just brings a smile to my face! I pray that my kids look back on all their summers growing up with as much happiness as I am able to.

Some of my favorite life's sweetest summer things...

Learning how to swim...

Being "twinkies" with your friends by having the same bathing suit

(I think Jenni and I bought matching bathing suits until the 8th grade)

A sweet summertime nap outside...

Getting ice cream with your friends...

Bedtime stories...

And celebrating summer birthdays!!

Happy Birthday to one of the greatest friends I know! Cindy, you are a fabulous girl through and through and a great reason why my college summers were so "sweet!"

Love you and Happy Birthday!