So Busy.

I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but still. Busy.

I've been trying to work out, and I'm successful most days. Not today, because I spent 10.5 hours on my feet at the coffee shop. Though, I was reading that a 165lb person could burn 1200 calories working as a barista for 8 hours on a slow day. It was an average (not slow, not super busy) day and *ahem* I may be more than 165 pounds, so I can count that, right?

The kids are either playing Minecraft...

Watching weird Littlest Pet Shop YouTube videos (seriously. Weird.)... But weird, and cute, and not vulgar. Okay, so these girls putting these videos out are pretty creative. I will give them that. Anna has some serious aspirations of making her own LPS movie, too. I love that kid.

When they aren't doing those things, we are usually at the pool...

One kid was off doing mission work in El Paso, and I'm going along with her to Houston (The Woodlands, actually) for the Texas LCMS (Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod) gathering - Glorybound.

Oh, and then when I have decided that I actually have a few spare hours in the day, I sign up to work at the coffeeshop. It's really a cute little place. Once owned by a fabulous friend of mine, she sold it to some other awesome folks. I still think of my aforementioned fabulous friend whenever I go in. She has been through so much, and is so very strong in spite of (maybe because of) it all.

Oh, and in less than two weeks, the entire family gets to go to DisneyWorld! Including my super awesome stepson. His only flaw is being too busy, and living too far away. How dare he!?!?! I love him anyway. Even if I do have to look up to yell at him. Wait. I don't really yell at him. But if I did, I'd have to look up, because he decided to be over 6" tall. Kids, these days.

Hopefully, I'll have lots of pictures after that. We're busy bees this year.

Staying cool...

This summer is brutal. It's not a surprise, as we live in the firepit that is Texas. But we had springtime weather in January, so I'm not going to complain. However, it is too hot to just send the kiddos out all day. Instead of letting them play video games or watch television all day (or pay a meeeeeelion dollars for some summer camp thing), I got them rec center memberships. A month to month is $11/month for each kid. So worth it.

Especially when our rec centers have slides like this...

And kids end up looking like this when we arrive. (Okay, the smiles were totally put on, but only because they were annoyed with me for holding up their pool fun. Impatient little monkeys, they are.)

See the girl child? I have to get her a new bathing suit. I bought that one at the end of last season, and I intentionally bought it too big. Now it's too small. Jeez. And that scrawny (but oh, so handsome) guy next to her? It's hard for me to believe what a behemoth he was at birth (11 1/2 pounds, y'all. GINORMOUS!).

Anyway, that is what we've been up to. And this is what the eldest girl has been up to, apparently. (She is on a mission trip with our church's youth group.)

She cracks me up.

Random Pictures From Allie's Camera...

A few group shots sans Devon... I hate that he's not with us full time... :( But here are the turkeys I gave birth to!









Here is Anna in her Grandma's hat. My SIL, Janette, bought it for my MIL when she was in Mexico.


I bought some gorgeous Enwrapture Wraps through a group buy with some mom friends of mine at DFW Area Moms. Don't tell Allison, but I think she looks better in this one than I do.


WOOO! Cheap vampire teeth from Peter Piper Pizza, bought with the tickets she won. She loves these danged things!


Allison brought her camera to Walmart, where we were buying a few groceries. This is Ezra's handiwork. Not a bad photographer for a three-year old.


Here's the photographer himself. Allison thought he would look imensely better with a popped collar. *rolls eyes* LOL!


Peace out!!!