Is it possible to be in love at 3?

This is Ben. He is the 6 year old son of my good friend Becky. We went to Utopia over Memorial Day weekend and Ben was there. Lola's only concern the entire time was keeping up with the whereabouts of Ben. If they were not swimming in the creek, taking a dip in the hot tub, or playing T-ball, they were curled up on the ez-chair watching Shrek 2.
The vacation in general was so delightful because it is the first time since we have had children that I really felt like it was a vacation. The first day we were were there I spent most of the day on the front porch reading my book. I fininished it! How great is that?
It has a great deal to do with the fact that the adult to child ratio was 3-1, there was the "great outdoors" the children were free to roam about, and hey, my kids are getting older!

Giving as much love as possible.

Do they look like teenagers or what?

I really do not think Ben minds the attention.

White Trash Splash Park

If you know me, you know that I have a best friend Laura. We have been best friends for 15 years.
I think if you have a best friend, I mean a real best friend, you can somewhat understand what Lar and I have. We are closer then sisters, but we appreciate the relationship that the other has with her sisters. It is interesting and complicated. Complicated in a good way, most of the time... I would not be who I am without the friendship I have with Laura. I think, I know it is the same with her.
We are totally different people on the surface.

Her ideal environment would be the county, with animals and stuff. She does not listen to the news that often, she can understand the lyrics to every song, she is so patient with her kids it is unreal. Most, nay all, of these things are not things we have in common. But, I think the person we are on the inside is very much the same. Plus, we now have the Lord to share. A wonderful gift from God to us both.

We go over to Laura's apartment at least once a week for Spaghetti night. Now, most nights we make spaghetti, some we do not. It is just now called spaghetti night. She lives in a great space, but in the summer when it is hot, we needed to figure out a way to entertain the kids and keep them cool. After my experience with ritzy splash parks I thought this was super funny. I know my kids, for sure, had more fun in Lars’s back porch then any swimming pool (Noah's ark the exception) I could have taken them to. Here are some of the GREAT pictures we captured. I did have to do some editing in photoshop, don't want any nuddy picts out there.

Jacob LOVES having water poured on him that is why he is getting splashed the most...

Water Boy.

Yikes-splash shot!

Taking turns at the water.

GET JACOB!

Stephen, thinking it would be funny to splash me...not so much.

Moses is not to crazy about being splashed.

He is such a sweet boy. He has been splashed about 20 times at this point and he is still happy.

And he STILL smiles for the camers. Your killin me Smalls.

Lola getting Stephen.

The Fearless Leader.

Goof-Ball.

"I love attention."

This was definitly a Spaghetti night.

A perfect picture of how we all felt that day.