Busy Busy Busy

It's been so busy here, not too busy but busy enough that I couldn't keep up with the blog and the hundreds of pictures I took. Ella and Sami are back to spending time every day with us while Thomas prepares to go back to his classroom. Tom and I both had doctor appointments, our Primary Care doctor says we're doing good with our cholesterol & bp. I still need to see my gastro doctor next week and Tom to his orthopedic. The PC doctor manages his pain and upped his Fentanal patch to 75. That's a lot of pain relief. I digress.

I had some % off coupons for some of my favorite stores and it was "tax free week" in Maryland so Jen & I took Sami & Lily shopping & to Panara for lunch. We saved hundreds! After she got home she realized that John Robert had outgrown a lot of his clothes and felt bad that she didn't notice so Tom took her shopping for him the next day. He is almost 2 1/2 and wears a size 4 pant, 5 shirt and 9 shoes. To compare that, we took Ella school shopping last week and she is 6 and mostly wears a 6 in clothes (some 5's ) and a 10 in shoes. We also made another trip to the "Bouncy House".
The week end was full too with a family trip to the BBQ bash right here in town. It was great except Tom was getting stressed about the crowds. I just plopped down on the ground in front of the entertainment with the kids and had some dinner (the kids decided on pizza instead of BBQ LOL). When we decided to leave we went back to the parking garage but we couldn't remember what floor we parked on so we waited while Thomas ran up and down the floors to find it. While we waited Ella told me about the latest "cake challenge" on Food Network.
Tom had promised Ella we would sleep outside in the back yard this summer and with school starting soon we had to follow through. Off to Target we went to get a tent, sleeping bag & lantern. She said it was the best day in her life. We all three slept outside until 6:45am but Ella and Tom had to have naps the next day.
Wyatt and Michele were in town so they were coming over on Sunday. I thought it would be great to go to the beach so we packed a cooler and went to church. When we came out it was raining. Back up plan, wait we didn't have one so everyone just came over our house. I have to say now that we live in a town house, 3 levels 2,000 square feet. Well suited for a couple our age. We have a finished basement with a playroom and bar for company but as hard as I always try everyone converges on the main level where the kitchen/dining/living room & little tv are. It is loud and crazy but we always have a good time. It always seems so quiet when they leave.

In the basement to start with, Uncle Shawn showing Wyatt how to play a video game

Wyatt visiting our tent.

Even when sleeping out there has to be a bed time story.

Uncle Tommy rough housing.

Sami & Wyatt trying to decide whose cup that is. He is only 6 months older than her.

BBQ Fest

The perfect marshmallow

Aunt Chel & Lily

The Wild Ones.

Ella's "friends"

Ella Camping

Ella & Uncle Shawn. I hate that commercial where the couple complains about not being able to cover the stripes on the walls of their new house . I like my stripes and I like their stripes better than the red paint they cover them up with.

I know fires are a part of camping but boy did this camp fire make me nervous. I wonder when I won't have flash backs about fires.

DINNER at the BBQ Fest

Ella loves Lily. She is such a good big cousin. Our Mother Hen.

John Robert's stash. He kept saying "Tankt Tou".

Ya, Daddy found the car.

Sami loves to read!

"Come on Grams, get off the computer and play dinosaurs with me."

Last but not least, it's always great to get a visit with Wyatt. We took him to get another hair cut and it was such a traumatic experience that PaPa had to get him a toy, he enjoys dinosaurs now too.

The Week End of OOPS

I'm finally getting around to posting about our camping trip to Ohio. I have things a little out of order since I've already posted about how the trip ended. I was just feeling so bad about John Robert getting burned I didn't want to look at the pictures but after going

through all of them I remembered how great the trip was too.

Family is the most important thing in my life and I love getting together with family. When the opportunity came up to meet up with my brothers and sisters and all my kids and grandkids I was sooo excited. We would be able to celebrate Ella & Samantha's birthdays and everyone could meet Lily.We rented a "rustic" cabin in a KOA campground and my brothers and sisters in law brought their campers out for the week end. Our cabin was 5 steps away from the fishing lake, there was also a swimming lake and a playground. We also got lucky that it was "Christmas in July" and we got to see Santa and ride on a fire engine with him.My two sisters in law, Sue Ann & Susan. Not confusing at all for the kids to have two Aunt Sues.We brought the wagon with us and it came in very handy. Of course PaPa was always ready to take anyone for a ride. Even our niece's son went with him.Aunt Susan with Sami, she was so great with the kids, she should be a grandma.She even put Lily to sleep when the rest of us were busy working on John Robert's burns.

My sister, Cookie, looks pretty comfortable with Lily too.

Charlie & his "clone" Wyatt

My brother, Matthew, quit smoking cigarettes but took up smoking little cigars.

Look at his new truck!

Not sure who Tom was talking to since we were all there but look at that Grandpa multi tasking I'm not a fan of living things in the water I swim in so I sat on the beach with Lily.

We left some corn on the cob, not pealed on our porch overnight and we found these cobs stripped clean. OOPS, forgot we were in the country.

My brothers cooked us these three chickens all afternoon and it was HOT outside that day! Yes that's the infamous fire pit that John Robert fell into.PaPa was shelling the boys peanuts. Michele said she wasn't sure Wyatt could eat nuts, OOPSWe've been giving them to him at the house for months. The favorite game of the week end CHASEBubbles by PaPa, thanks Aunt Sue Ann Wyatt, so easily entertained by Aunt Nenni's "bouncy horse" knee.

Lily Jean & Mommy

John Robert's new hair cut Wyatt was in charge of the music

Uncle Mark toasting a marshmallow for John Robert Jennifer in her bunk

John Robert in his.

John Robert loves rocks :)

Thomas brought their dog, Ginger. Aunt Sue is allergic OOPS so Ginger spent most of the time on our bed looking out the window.

Aunt SueAnn & Ella planning a squirt gun attack.

Christmas in July at the campground.

They didn't catch anything but they did see a couple of other people catch some.

OOPS, yes he did fall in but only once.

John Robert loves ducks and there were plenty of them for him to feed.

It was soo hot all week end. Look at those cheeks. It's a good thing our "rustic" cabin had AC, no toilet but AC.

more chasingBreakfastTrying to catch Wyatt a fish

Look PaPa fish!

Ella loved this pink rock. It actually was made to look like a pig on the other side.

Look at that sweet face, little did I know she was planning on squirting me a second later.

The week end was filled with a lot. The weather was HOT, then it stormed each night. We got to meet up with family and celebrate and then John Robert had his accident. It will be a week end that we'll remember for a long time.