For MY Moms

I often marvel at the beautiful flowers that spring up here at home. The previous owners of our house had an obvious love of flowers. My mother and mother in law also have a love of flowers and have lots of blooms at their respective homes. I love it when they share pictures and would like to share some of my own. Once school let out the weeds have taken over. 
Here are some shots of what is blooming now, and a reverse chronology of what we saw earlier this year.   We have a small geranium and a few small petunias hanging on right now, but sorry no pictures.

We have 4 of these trees, I think they are hibiscus, one is taller than the house and the blooms are large and purple.

These are tiny and yellow.  I don't know what they are.

This crepe myrtle is looking washed out, it really is vibrant.

This is called sancresea and the leaves are dark purple and the buds are lavendar.  You should plant it, you'll love it.  It's  perenial that can tolerate heat and drought.  This concludes what is blooming now. 

Lavendar, still smells great!

I got the clematis to climb a lamp post this year, it was pretty.

Yellow daisies- we had red as well.

This hosta gets hot easily and often looks sunburned.  Here it's looking great.   This concludes the early summer flowers.

Irises, which bloom for Rachel's birthday.   

love this, but don't know what it is.  It looks like forsythia to start, blooms later and PINK.

These peonies are gorgeous in the late spring.  The following photos are the first bloomers of the year.

Tea Party

Last week, Amelia had a friend over.  They baked cookies together and we threw an impromptu tea party.  As you well know, tea parties are fancy and attendees must dress the part.  I require no less than neckties for the boys and gaudy jewerly for the girls.  The table was set.  The tea was poured and cookies divided.  We discussed our favorite princesses as we sipped out tea with pinkies extended.  Then the door bell rang.  James' neighborhood friends had come to see if he could play, but instead they said "Dude, why are you wearing a tie?!"  James, who was wearing the tie to get cookies, ripped off the tie as fast as he could and ran away for some quality time with the guys. 

packing

Our  BIG summer trip is coming up in just a few days.  Jonny and James took the initiative to pack their suitcases last night.  Gary and I sorted through them after they were in bed.  Gary opened Jonny's first: Pack only the essentials, he said and then pulled out Jonny's essentials- a jester hat!, books, and clothes.  Then Gary moved on to James' case: Union soldier hat, pens and pencils, outer wear (only 1 underpants?!) 

Brief Summer Update

Well it's mid July and about a month since I posted last.  I think a few days ago I was excited to do a write up,  but I forgot what it is I wanted to say.Amelia went to girl scout day camp.  She had a blast.  The camp is run by high school age girl scouts at a park in a nearby town.  The website about it said to be prepared for wet surprises.  She caught "3 fish" (well, one fish bit her worm and left, one she reeled in, and the other one got a way before she could reel it in.)  She made an awesome kite with 100 feet of real kite string.  (that was cool until I spent an hour and a half untangling it.)  She got bangs, hung out with her friends, and got everyone to call her "Mia." The funniest story was from yoga class.  One leader sat them all down and taught them the lotus position and how to meditate.  While they were meditating, another leader came along and sprayed them all with a hose.  Then they all jumped up and played in the water.

Then they all went to a local Vacation Bible Camp: Pandamania! Where God is Wild About You.  The kids liked it and were always full of questions when they got home.  (James: Did God really make us by blowing on a pile of dirt?  Simon: Is God really INSIDE me?!)  My friends who have sent their kids to VBS said there kids don't ever talk about what they learned, but my kids absorbed it all.  Lots of fun gospel discussion that week.  Throughout the camp, the kids were doing a contest, boys against girls to raise money for Convoy of Hope.  The prize, a can of silly string to cover the losers with.  Jonny asked to do money chores one day, because he was so excited about this contest.  I thought  Gee, he's kind of sweet to raise money for this charity.  Then I found out he didn't think the boys would win and wanted to buy his own can of silly string for the last day. 

This week, James had cub camp.  It was a logistical nightmare, coordinating chaperones (Gary was over that) but the boys had a great time.  Everyday I got to hear about basket ball or volley ball in the pool, as well as how many bull's eyes he got (or almost got) at sling shot, bb's, and archery.  Also what kind of sandwich he got:  baloney 3 days in a row.  He was always hoping for turkey. 
Jonny also had camp this week.  It's a free one here called McGruff Safety Camp and he was lucky to get a spot.  He has been riding 4 wheelers there, as well as fighting plywood fires with real hoses.  Tomorrow is graduation and I think it should be pretty fun. 

We have been swimming 8 times at a nearby indoor pool.  The kids like it a lot.  I like best the time Gary came, because I actually got to swim too.  Usually I am holding Rachel and Simon (and who ever claims they forgot how to swim.) The shallow part is really fun.  It has a playground.  There is also a rock climbing wall at the same facility.  James made it up the first time and made it look easy.  Amelia made it about half way before getting spooked by the height.

We spent a day thrifting for bargains.  James has a really good eye for that.

We have spent a few days at the library.  The summer reading program this year encourages actually library usage (read a book with this call number, etc) so it has been fun to go there and let the older 3 loose to find the books they like.  (I introduced them to Tintin.  The boys loved it, Amelia didn't get it.) Jonny likes Bionicle and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  James is into Goosebumps.  Amelia likes fairy themed books.

This summer, the kids have goals: Jonny wants to cook, Amelia wants to babysit, and James wants to cook too.  Simon wants to cook too (according to Jonny.)   So I need to spend more time cooking with the kids, I presume.  I did it a lot in the past, but our last house had a kitchen that was hard to share so I got out of the habit.  Really, I could stand in the center of the floor and touch the fridge, the sink, the stove, and the counter top just by rotating, so it felt crowded.  Message to me: let us back in the kitchen.  I have been giving Amelia more chances to "watch out" for Rachel and they seem to like that time together. 

Rachel likes to grin with her nose scrunched up this summer.  She also likes to touch bumble bees.  There are plenty of them in the lavendar bush.  Also in the back yard where I just found a bunch (I mean a ton) of ground wasps ( Don't play out there for now okay? I am told Sevin dust will take care of them.  Will report.)

Mornings are peaceful around here.  The afternoons can be dicey.  The older kids aren't used to so much free time and get irritable.  But we are all learning to get along.

 Me? What am I up to?  Well, I am getting back in to an exercise routine.  I told myself  I could slack off  until Rachel was sleeping through the night.  (I had no idea it would be a year before she would do that, but am in heaven now!)  After 5 years of aerobics in my living room, I got tired of stepping on kids.  Last year, I tried running, but I didn't like to get up before Gary left to do it.  That meant running with all the kids, at a track.  Some on wheels, some in strollers.  After a year of trying to like running (I only made it out once or twice a week), I aquired a bike.  Love it.  Will get up early for it.   
Am trying to establish a strawberry patch on one side of the  house.  Kind of fun to watch over that. A deer came and ate off the leaves that were on top (as well as the sun flowers the kids planted.)  The lower leaves are thriving.   The rest of the yard needs attention, but that's too overwhelming this year. 
Gary and I have also been trying to make a better habit of temple attendance.  What with nursing babies, my attendance over the last 10 years has been spotty.  I am so happy to be making a better pattern now. 
Daddy-diddo has been on trips this summer- poor guy hasn't been able to relax much with work demands.  We all look forward to spending time with him.
I think I am all talked out, so it's time to take care of laundry and one last coat of paint.  It's the entry way this time.  (I gave up on the mirrored ceiling removal project. Too tedious. I suppose I'll have to return to it eventually, once all the easier stuff has been done.)