Favorite IPhone Photo Friday

Once again I am wrapping up our week Instagram Style!!!
Last Friday I took the girls to the library to pick out some new books for the weekend.
They love going, but we are still trying to teach Reagan to be quiet in the library.
She hasn't quite caught onto that yet:)


On Sunday we took Nick to meet his friends at the movies and while he was there, the girls and I did some back to school shopping at our outdoor mall. It was 95 Degrees and very humid so after pounding the pavement going store to store, we stopped in at Red Robin for a bite to eat. They now provide their customers with table side touchscreen computers. They do all sorts of cool things and the girls favorite part......they have about 50 different games for kids. They were in heaven as you can see!


We shopped until we dropped and almost as soon as we got to the car, Reagan fell asleep.....and Sarah looked like she was about to nod off. I snapped a photo in the rearview mirror. Poor Reags was slumped forward in her carseat and did not make it in the shot.


After a long day of shopping, we went to parent's house to celebrate my sister's bday. My Mom mixed up a batch of Sugar Free Cosmos.....and they were good!! In the grocery store where they sell "Crystal Light", they have mixes that are Cosmo, Margarita, and Appletini Flavored. My mom mixed with water and added a little vodka and fresh lime and they were so refreshing......and GUILT-FREE!!!


Once we had dinner the kids wanted to take their "cars" for a spin through Mimi and Coachie"s neighborhood. Unfortunately, the girls' Barbie Jeep battery bit the dust.....the battery will no longer hold a charge and we did not find out until they went to get in it, so the 4 kids had to share my nephew's jeep. There was some bickering about who got to go in the car and who was going to drive, but Mimi kept everyone in line and made sure that they took turns. The shirtless wonder would be my daughter..... Reagan still prefers to run around Sans clothes. You know how they say to pick your battles? I waived the white flag of surrender in the air that evening and just let it go.

It has been another busy week here including a day in court for Jury Duty, but I am happy to say that we have a fun week ahead. Sunday I fly out and head to Louisville, Kentucky for a business trip and while I am there, I get to visit some good friends:) I return late Tuesday afternoon to pack up the car and the family and head north to Cape Cod. I can almost feel my feet in the sand and the sun on my back.
This vacation is very needed and LONG OVERDUE!!!

TGIF
~Have a wonderful weekend~

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Scenes From a Small Town Carnival

Last Friday my parents took all of the kids to a carnival that is run
by their local fire company each year.


Sarah, Aidan, and Ashton have all experienced the joys of this carnival in the years past so they knew what to expect, but this was Reagan's first time!


She was a little overwhelmed and hesitant at first, but she absolutely LOVED the rides!
I think we have another thrill-seeker on our hands:)


The cars were a huge hit with all 4 of the kids and we had visions of them at "16" swirling in our heads as we watched them go round and round!


There were a few rides that Reags was still not tall enough to go on by herself and she had a mini meltdown as she watched her sister and cousins making the long climb up the stairs of the big yellow Super Slide while she was left standing at the gate with us. Pat came to the rescue and told her he would go with her..... The tears disappeared and that frown was instantly turned upside-down as she came zipping down the slide safely in the arms of her Daddy!!


After many trips to the ticket booth, we told the kids it was time to head back to Mimi and Coachie's house. Reags got "one last ride"..... and I'm thinking it was the best "ride" of the night! I love the beautiful sunlight coming through the trees and how she is holding onto the side of her Daddy's head. A very sweet Daddy/Daughter moment!

Black and White Wednesday - "Scenes From a Fun Filled Father's Day"

We had a lot of fun celebrating Father's Day with our family.
Since the weather was so perfect, we decided to spend the day outdoors and in lieu of an elaborate dinner, we kept things super simple by grilling out!

While we were waiting for my parents and my nephews to arrive, Reagan decided she needed to accessorize her pool look with my flip flops...... my shoes are her latest obsession. She LOVES to wear them and she is actually able to walk in them....very well I might add.


I love how her toes are clenched in order to keep them on her itty bitty baby feet.........and how about those legs? OH MY....I adore her baby chub.


If the flip flops were not enough, she needed to add her sister's princess helmet to complete her look. Seriously, Reagan would not take this helmet off....she was so sweaty yet she would not let us remove it from her head. She has been wearing it for the last three days. I am not kidding.... I walked in the door from work yesterday and she was running around the house with it on her head......LOL! If it is within her sight, she wants to wear it. I wish I would have had my camera...actually, I wished I would have had it on video. She gets so very proud when she gets it on her head and buckled under her chin.

My parents arrived and Coachie scored major bonus points by sporting the tshirt we brought him all the way from China. His shirt says "GRANDFATHER" in Mandarin. So very appropriate for Father's Day and I felt the need to get a picture of my Dad with Reagan:)


After donning the flip flops and helmet, she decided to try to take the big wheel for a spin. There is something that we are quickly learning about Reagan...... when she gets her mind set on something, she does not give up until she does it......AND DO NOT TRY TO HELP THE GIRL OUT..... she will throw a fit.....
SHE WANTS TO DO IT ALL BY HERSELF!


It did not take long for the fierce foursome to spring into action...... no doubt the screams could be heard for miles around as water flew in every direction.


They eventually took a break from the pool and decided to dry off and get ready for dinner.


They shared some "appetizers" while they waited.....and the silliness continued!
Sarah is in all her glory when she is in the presence of her two cousins Ashton and Aidan.

Dinner seemed like a blur....and before long "The Kids" were back at it again.....but notice there are a few "Big Kids" in the next few sets of photos:)


Coachie gave them a lesson in the art of water balloon filling....and throwing!


Things got a little more than wild and everything and everyone WAS COMPLETELY SOAKED. Take a look at who was in control of the hose. He looks so innocent back there with that big smile on his face, but don't let that fool you. He was the instigator and had the four little ones screaming at the top of their lungs.....they LOVED it but as always, we had a few moments where someone was in tears. Can you guess who it was in this picture?


Eventually, we put an end to the hose and the water balloons.
The deck was getting super slippery and we were afraid that someone was going to get hurt.
Besides, the littlest one was starting to get tired.
Don't ya just love that picture of her with Pat and Sarah?
Such a tender moment between Daddy and his two girls.

The faces and expressions captured in these photos are priceless to me....and I hope that one day the kids will look back at these pictures and relive all the fun that was had on this Father's Day. With each year that passes, their Dad/Uncle and Grandfather get older, but they will always remain young at heart!

I Heart Faces - "Let's Hear It For The Boys"

Today we hosted a small Father's Day cookout for the men in our family.
The kids were getting a little antsy waiting for dinner, so we gave them a snack after they got out of the pool. As soon as they all sat at the table, the shenanigans began. My nephews Aidan and Ashton will do just about anything to get a rise out of Sarah!

This silly shot is just one of the many funny photos I took this afternoon, but I can only post one to enter...... so the rest will have to wait until Wednesday.

I had no idea what the theme was this week until about an hour ago. I had just downloaded my camera and was ready to head to bed when I saw the I Heart Faces feed come up on my facebook page. When I read it was "Let's Hear It For The Boys", I immediately thought of this candid shot. I figured if I am still awake at 2:30am, what is another 20 minutes to quickly put together a post and enter.

Needless to say..... I should have passed on the coffee after dinner tonight.


To see more fabulous photos or to enter yourself, stop by I Heart Faces by clicking HERE.

Boys, Barbies, and Some Really Funny Faces

The little ones make a fierce foursome....and Nick is their fearless leader! The boys really look up to him and as soon as they walked in the door on Sunday, they begged Nick to bring down his old lego sets and help them build lego cars at the kitchen table. Nick being the goodt kid that he is, sat there for an hour buidling cars with all of them and they loved it.

Reagan was taking a nap when my nephews first arrived, but once she woke up, she wasted no time jumping right into the mix.

After lego buidling, it was Princess Puzzles, My Little Ponies, and Barbie's. I think Ashton and Aidan enjoyed playing with the Ponies and Barbies's more than the girls did.

The visit ended with my nephew Aidan melting down over the Barbie that Sarah was playing with. He wanted to take her home so he could brush her hair and Sarah was not giving up her favorite doll, so the waterworks began.

My Mom and I were trying to hide the giggles. The look on all of their faces when he began to cry was priceless. The the thought of this rough and tough little guy getting so upset over a Barbie Doll was so comical to us.

We told him we would buy him his own Barbie for his bday and then he could brush her hair whenever he wanted. I don't think his Dad will be too happy with us, but it certainly stopped the tears.

Something tells me that last photo might be one that makes it's appearance some day when Aidan is least expecting it and his Mom will embarrass him with the story behind it. A totally priceless moment caught by the camera!

The boys are coming over again this Sunday and I am thinking we might need to hit the Barbie aisle at Target before they arrive:)