Family game of Bean Boozled

So fun and so disgusting!  A handful of jelly beans, 2 flavors that look exactly the same, grab and eat one, find out if it is lime flavored or lawn clippings, booger or juicy pear, barf or peach, etc.

 They got rotten egg instead of the buttered popcorn. hahahahahahaha. We all ended up getting something disgusting at least once.  We couldn't finish the game due to gagging but it was hilarious while it lasted.

A little OCD

Yes, that is a stain stick.  Yes, she is spot cleaning her Converse. 

School Pictures, 3rd, 6th and 8th grades

 Ella Ruth, 3rd grade, 8 years old.

 Emma, 8th grade, 13 years old

 Eva Grace, 6th grade, 11 years old

Back to School with an 8th, 6th and 3rd grader 2015-16

 Here we go!  I am such an overachiever at the beginning of school.  This lasts all of about 3 weeks til "normal" sets in.  I do appreciate my efforts though, but each year my intentions last as long as the school supplies stay new~ We made 2 weeks of freezer dinners, had tons of stuff for homemade lunches (all organized in the pantry AND refrigerator, of course).  I cooked dinner every night (at least up until when this post was written), and the house was clean.  Noone was tardy (again, as of when this post was written) and everyone was happy to leave the house each morning.  SUCCESS!  (AGAIN, as of when this post was written).  I do intend to keep this up all year....haha, who am I kidding.

We personalized the mess out of some school supplies.  It was fun~

We had our traditional Backpack Blessing at church- one of my favorite things we do.

I decorated the house for the girls for their first day.

 Their actual first day picture.

We went after school the first day to decorate Emma's locker.  EG's was too small to decorate.  Open house night was crazy!  All 3 were at the same time, in 3 different schools.  There were a total of 13 teachers I had to meet and OF COURSE, Burt had a business trip (I really think he plans those out).  Thankfully, EG went with Sadie and Ella and Emma and I knocked the rest out.  Everyone seems excited about their upcoming year and the teachers seemed fun.

2nd Day of School Picture.  Love that Ella will still wear the cute outfits I make her (and she did change her shoes after this picture was taken.  She didn't wear pink shoes with primary colors).

Eva Grace wanted to take a 3rd day of school picture but I stopped at 2.  She did wear a personalized shirt with her initials though!!!  And, she got on to one of her friends for not having their lunchbox personalized...what have I started???

Thoughts from the first week back at school...

"I hope they get some shade on that playground. We're kids, not cactuses."

Eva Grace


"Why do we go to school the first week?  All they do is go over the rules."
Ella
(Who didn't turn in her first homework assignment til late, I might add)

Me- "Emma do you need me to check your homework?"
Emma- "No, you wouldn't understand it."

Don't think so, Ella

You never know what shoes she will try to escape the house with, it is usually cowgirl boots.  This was Sunday morning.  She usually tries to get in the car real fast so the parental units don't see her, mainly me, Burt doesn't really care what she wears.  Thankfully, she didn't make it to church in these!

Our Bucket full of summer memories (ongoing post)

Our Summer Sun Brought Family Fun

1.  Ate in an airplane!!

Parachute Inn, Walnut Ridge Airport

2.  Emma had dance camp.

3.  Went to the mall and rode giant stuffed motorized animals with our friends. (The Boxes).

4.  Saw a magic show.

5.  Fell in LOVE with Bliss cupcakes!  We all scream for... ice cream in our cupcakes!  YUM.

6.  READ.  We went to the library several times and checked out multiple books, multiple thick books!.  My girls have ALL THREE learned to like books!! YAY!! I even read several books this summer.

7.  Raised baby wild rabbits (seperate post)

8.  Went swimming a LOT!!

9.  Saw 2 waterfalls at Blanchard Springs on our hike!!! 2 firsts for the Barrett Five girls:  hiking and seeing a waterfall!! (separate post)

10.  Summer wouldn't be summer without many softball games- Burt, EG and Ella!  EG's team won first place in their league.  Ella's team got trophies in all the tournaments they played in and are going to the World Series.

11.  RAN!  Emma's goal for the summer was to improve her 7 minute mile!!  She wants me to run with her.  ha.  I have ran with her but no where near 7 minutes for me.

12.  watched a TON of Netflix. New series- Drop Dead Diva and Psych.  Loved them both.

13.  stayed up super late and slept in whenever possible, mostly watching Netflix, sometimes on multiple devices.  Ella is watching on her ipod in my bed as the rest of us watched on my tv in my bed.

14.  Ella did softball camp with her team.

15.  Amy took a ballet class with her friends.  It was SO fun. 

 16.  The girls planted AND maintained a garden!!! We had plenty of cucumbers and squash.  The bugs ate our strawberries and we aren't sure what happened to the tomatoes. The girls planted these from seeds.  I am very proud of them.

17.  GEOCACHING!  One of our favorite activities.  The Boxes had never been.  We went several times.  With Emma's app finding them are pretty easy.

18.  Ella went to softball camp

 19.  Emma got crafty making some bookmarks and a travel tic tac toe game. 

20.  Went to the ASU Museum with the Parkers (followed by more cupcakes).

21.  VBS and WOW.  Eg and Lucy thought it would be fun to switch names for the night.  I'm sure the teachers thought this was amusing since they didn't know EG.

22.  MANY lunch dates with our friends.

23.Redbirds Game with our friends