(It's) Crazy (that) summer (is half over)

J. Lamb 2011

I would love to sit here and share with you some inspirational anecdotes about making the best of the season, but alas we've yet to do anything spectacular. Second year in a row without a vacation and second year in a row being light on funds. I envy people and their ability to travel (even with their kids) when we seem to be trapped in a cycle of circumstance. Too much debt at the moment and obligation will do that to you....sigh, being a grown-up is hard sometimes.

We have tried our hardest to make the best of the situation though. The summer has been unusually cool (when you consider we have a good solid 3 months of triple digits and we've experienced maybe a couple of weeks of them is all) and this has lent us the opportunity to do a lot of walks to the park in the evenings and bike rides.

J. Lamb 2011

We've engaged in some projects on the cheap as well. Adree and I have been making jewelry and we all had a hugely successful tie-dye session recently as well! We bought a pack of UNO cards and a Jenga set and have enjoyed playing with them too.

J. Lamb 2011

We've enjoyed watering the sunflowers that mysteriously appear in our very unattractive and weedy backyard every summer.

J. Lamb 2011

We had small, but fantastic plans for this particular holiday as well. (I love this picture by the way, don't you?)

J. Lamb 2011

Altered a bit, the kids and I set off to enjoy the scenery and fun stuff that can only be enjoyed by visiting my hometown. My folks are selling my childhood home and I needed the opportunity to say goodbye. Not that I won't ever visit again, but it won't be the same without my parents living there.

J. Lamb 2011

We had a blast jumping off rocks at "The Lake". Seth is waving before he jumps about 8 feet down into the water.

J. Lamb 2011

It's been so many years since I've been to the lake, I almost forgot how much fun it really is! The kids and I enjoyed it for 3 hours before becoming sun-baked enough to want to leave. We will have to go back again as a whole family for sure!

We packed it up and went back to my parent's for a shower and headed off to enjoy some of the best cuisine that can only be enjoyed there. Delicious burgers/sandwiches at Slackers and "Rainbows" (a delicious treat of slushy and soft serve ice cream combined) at R.D.'s.

J. Lamb 2011

We walked down to the "White House" overlook and took in the scenery. I knew I was successful after everyone had complained about going and I got a comment from Drake, "I'm glad you made us come here, it's beautiful!". Success. ;0)

J. Lamb 2011

Adree and Seth thought it was awesome to sit on the rocks and overlook the dam and the Colorado River flowing through Glen Canyon below.

J. Lamb 2011

Our dear little fuzzy child is hanging in there after a nasty accident involving a very heavy air-hockey table in which he escaped relatively unscathed. No broken bones, no internal bleeding. He is suffering from an enlarged liver and a collapsing trachea either of which could be caused by old age (he's ancient in doggy years), but are more than likely caused or at the very least aggravated by the accident. He's hanging in there though with much love and jars of baby food! The enlarged liver has caused a severe light sensitivity (nocturnal walks have become the norm) and if it's possible, he has become even more neurotic. Pacing constantly and obsessive/compulsive licking have taking over his waking hours. Sucks to get old I guess! ;0D

Happy Father's Day and the rest...

This is one of my favorite pictures of my Dad. When I close my eyes and think of him as we grew up, this is how he looked. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a great Dad (and set of parents in fact), always supportive, loving, and willing to do whatever it took to make sure we were happy and well taken care of. I never once had to question whether my Dad loved me, he was always there to lend a listening ear and a hug and a kiss. I am a such a Daddy's girl and Dad, thank you for everything! xoxo

J. Lamb 2011

Lee=Love.
"I love you so much! I'm glad you're still here" Adree.
"Where do they think I'm going?", asked Lee perplexed by the sentiment.
"You have to understand, to them Dads leave and don't come back.", I explained.
I have absolutely nothing against their Dad, honestly. In the last 5 years the kids have seen him maybe 3 times and the last time was over a year ago. He sends them things, talks to them via Facebook, but is he here everyday?, every other day?, once a week?, once a year? No. He doesn't see them learn and grow. He doesn't see them laugh and cry. He doesn't know their friends, their habits, their dreams and wishes for the future. He doesn't know what great kids they are and what great adults I hope they will be because they will. They are and will be, without any help from him.

J. Lamb 2011

This man right here is here every day, every other day, every week, every year and will be there to watch them grow up and become wonderful adults. Amazing for a man who never had the opportunity to have children of his own, now has three and couldn't love them more if they were biologically his. We love you Lee, probably more than you'll ever know.

J. Lamb 2011

Now this reminds me of growing up! The kids running through the sprinklers in the school yard. That was one of our favorite things to do in the summer time! Ah, simple pleasures of youth...

J. Lamb 2011

Adree has no idea I took this picture! Soaking wet and threatening to lay on me...tsk, tsk!

J. Lamb 2011

It's amazing what a tease Drake has become. He insisted upon trailing behind me as we walked home from the school and tapped me on the shoulders relentlessly. This is him running away as I whipped the camera around and caught him! (He hates me taking his picture) Stinker!

J. Lamb 2011

My little toothless monkey! Seth is finally starting to loose some more of his teeth and listening to him drop his "r"s as well as lisp has been quite the hoot! "All I want fow Chwisthmath isth my two fwont teeth", he lisped as he ate his Creamie afterword. So cute ;0D!

J. Lamb 2011

This old dog turned 18 the other day and with all those years has come some serious idiosyncrasies. Don't ignore him at the door, you never know when he is going to lap up the entire contents of his water dish and pee a giant puddle at the front door, um yeah. No longer able to sleep the entire night, Lee has been so "thrilled" to get up with him at least once...every night. Don't you dare get him out of bed in the morning before he's ready either! Yes that growling, snapping mass under the covers is our pet, why do you ask? ;0P

Outta trouble

How's that adage go? Being busy keeps you out of trouble? Yep. Well, if that's the case, then I shouldn't be in trouble for a really long time to come! I couldn't believe it when I looked at my lengthy blog list and saw that it's been a month since I blogged here! Although, I understand why...talk about busy! Let me recap what's gone on this month:
Adree and her team won their final soccer game and she was just a little sad to see the end of the season. She had a really great time learning to play a sport and and on a team and she is looking forward to next year already! She has tried to convince me to let her play Fall soccer too, but I think Seth should have a turn instead! ;0)

 

With a wish and a puff  Drake blew out all his candles on his birthday brownies and welcomed his 12th year. He only asked for DS games (of course) and Mom obliged and maybe sneaked a few clothes in there as well. Lee surprised him with a new bike too, he loved it! I can't believe he's so old...because I'm so young still, right? Haha, never mind that my gray hairs are telling me otherwise! ;0P

After losing the fight with a broken washing machine, Lee cut his tendon (controlling his middle finger) 90% of the way through. Ouch! This all occurred on the day before his birthday too (bummer). He had surgery to repair it and has spent the last 3 weeks taking it relatively easy and recuperating. Other than announcing that making spaghetti one handed really sucks (more on that in a minute) , he has done all right. He's still repairing computers, and has needed a little help closing/opening things and whatnot. Poor baby, it'll be better soon. ;0(

Now why he was making spaghetti one-handed...it's because I was at work! Yep, I'm officially employed again! Now you know why I've been MIA? Ha! I love it! I get to talk to people all day about the good stuff above. I couldn't be happier! ;0)

Adree and her friends got to participate in the Hershey Track meet after placing first in the 4x100 meter relay at their school. They did really well at the Hershey meet and were able to place 4th overall! She loves participating in team activities and hasn't found a sport she didn't want to try. Good job girls!

This little monkey was able to master a skill that had alluded him so far. He refused to learn for so long, that he actually outgrew his little bike! Being the good Mom that I am, I told him I would not buy him a new bike unless he could figure out how to ride that one really well. Needless to say, he has a new bike now. Stinker! ;0)

Thanks to Grandpa, Seth was able to participate in the pinewood derby as well! Lee had every intention of helping him with his car, until he injured himself that is. Tsk...tsk...thank goodness for Grandpas, right?! Seth painted his car half green and half red with a yellow stripe down the middle. He also put and "8" on each side and dubbed it the Super 8! We glued on a Lego man driver and pennies for weight and he came in first in a couple of his heats! He was so excited (obviously)!

What kind of crazy cat survived the hippies and goes really fast? A '68 Cougar of course! Lee's classic car has made an appearance again and is drivable and a source of great enjoyment! We spent all weekend last weekend driving it around and I was escorted to work and back in it. Even though it still needs some work, it sounds great and it's funny to see heads turn when you're coming by. Speedy good fun, classic.

Summer break is here! After suffering through an extended school year last year and the shortest summer ever, the kids are so happy to be done till August. I'm glad I at least get a reprieve from the 6:45 daily wake up calls! So far, two of them have been grounded from their bikes, I've confiscated one video game, and getting a certain lazy boy dressed daily has been a chore. No matter though as long as their are warm days, swimming pools and Creamies in hand, nothing will damper their spirits! ;0)

I'll stay busy and outta trouble for the time being and watch my kids grow before my eyes Among the Lambsfold. ;0)

Here's to preteens, Easter, eczema, and the end...

 Easter 2011 was great and celebrated quietly (as I would prefer!) with everyone home and G'ma and G'pa Nelson joining us for dinner. The kids hunted for their Easter bags full of goodies in the morning and after a little church action, I got to work cooking up a storm. Lee spent the morning manicuring the yard for (my) Easter present. Honestly, just him being home with for the weekend and us getting to do our boring family things all together was more than present enough. ;0)

J. Lamb 2011

 My POTD (picture of the day) blog is still going strong (here). I have had a blast thinking of subjects and capturing them. Of course, my subjects are my kids 80% of the time though! It really shouldn't be any other way! Let me know if you want me to add anyone to the e-mail listing for it.

 As for the preteens...sigh, why is it that the older they get, the busier I get? Drake will be 12 on Thursday (can you believe it!?) and Adree became a teenager last year (I'm kidding of course...but, seriously she has!) and little Seth (Mr. Monkey) likes to stir the pot! He and Adree bicker constantly! A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to go hiking to the waterfalls (Red Cliffs Rec. Area) with a good friend of ours and the kids had a blast! They love to hike anyway and that coupled with water, they were in heaven! Both the boys came back soaking wet and Drake skinned his leg up good. Eh, good thing kids dry out eventually and they make Neosporin!

J. Lamb 2011

And speaking of Neosporin...poor Drake. It's not unusual for him to have eczema in the winter and when he developed it in the crook of his elbow, I treated it with heavy duty lotion and a little hydrocortisone creme. It got better, it got worse, it raged out of control finally and off to the doc we went. She looked it over and prescribed a steroid creme and prescription strength Neosporin. We used it for about 5 days and the eczema dried up nicely, until I noticed he was starting to get a rash up his arm now. I stopped using the steroid creme and kept an eye on it and by Sunday he was covered in a rash from his earlobes down his torso. Monday morning, back to the doc we went. She was concerned, concerned enough to send him to the Dermatologist the next day. Great. Thankfully (well, kind of) it turned out not to be anything other than an eczema rash gone viral (he had a cold at the time and that made the eczema go crazy when we treated it). So, yes he has been covered with head to torso eczema. Like I said, poor Drake. ;0( A couple of weeks later he just has break out on the backs of his arms still, but the rest of it has dried up for the most part.

The end? Ah, soccer season is coming to an end...tonight being the last game! They've won one game so far, but they learned how to function as a team and learned a little skill along the way. Adree has improved so much and we are so very proud of her! Last night was their last practice (they had a water party instead) and I think Adree is happy she was able to participate and make new friends (ah, who am I kidding this girl knows everyone!), good job Adee-girl! ;0)

What's the haps?

J. Lamb 2011

"Time just doesn't seem to stop...only speeds up as it passes"

                                                               (and boy is it true!)


As I look at my babies here I can't believe how much they've grown! I can't believe it's been five years now since they came back to me and all of the sadness and hurt from not having them here every day has simply melted away. Everything happens for a reason and rather than resent it, it's up to you to figure out what you need to learn from it. Learn and grow and be strong.

J. Lamb 2011

Adree is just as involved as ever and last week she had the opportunity to perform at Tuacahn with her choir group! (She is on the bottom row, 5th kid in from the right) Western themed show this year and 20 schools from the area were able to participate this year. That's up from 7 schools last year, they had use two nights! She loved it, but was seriously pooped at the end of the day from practicing in the sun all day at school and then a soccer game that night. Yep, we rushed all the way across town from Bloomington Hills to Ivins to make it too! (If you know Dixie, you know that is quite a ways...ick, especially with traffic!) She loved the opportunity and is looking forward to playing in band next year at Intermediate school, yikes!

J. Lamb 2011

Drake is loving school (as always) and is continually improving his violin skills. He has such a mathematical mind set that reading music is really fun for him! I was laughing as he set his music book in front of me at my keyboard and proceeded to coach me in the songs! I let him do it for a while until I confessed that I can indeed read music...;0) All this and he informed me recently that he intends to write a 4 part sci-fi novel! I love it!
Sethee is reading Harry Potter books and Garfield comics and made up and illustrated a Capt' Underpants comic this week. I get to bind it for him this evening, he's thrilled! He's still attending scouts regularly and he wants to play soccer himself this fall! I know he'll be great at it...such energy this boy has! I'm going to try and get him signed up for swimming lessons this summer as well.

J. Lamb 2011

This little social butterfly always has somewhere to be and something to do. She alternates between being super helpful and a pill...some days only the latter is the case. *sigh* I try to keep her busy which helps, but if she's busy then Mom is busy and Mom doesn't need any more help being busy! I can't believe both she and Drake will be Intermediate students next year! Wow, if they're that old then I must be ancient! ;0P

Can you believe that I haven't been with with the "M" word for a year now? Yeah, me either! I have spent the time developing a deep love for sewing. I mean I always enjoyed it, but I spend so much time thinking of fun projects to make now it's crazy! I actually am meaning to open an ETSY shop (a site for handmade goods) and I will just as soon as I get enough projects completed. I'll let everyone know when I get it open! ;0) Up above is a dress I made for Miss Adree for Easter. It was originally a thrift store dress that she and I picked out and I blogged all about here if you want to see!
Time flies when you're busy, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Pay no attention...

 Despite my reassurances that I have every intent to keep my family blog here updated, I seem to not be doing so good. It's not that things have been overly busy (just run-of-the-mill normal busy) or anything. I am, however, thoroughly enjoying the format of my 2011 and Points Forward blog I started January 1st. It's a picture a day blog, where the goal is to post a picture from life daily and keep the captions brief. I can do it simply and I love the challenge of improving my picture taking prowess and documenting daily life as well. Many of the pictures below are from my P.O.T.D. blog and I'll give you a sample:

J. Lamb 2011

 This is a shot I took of the front of Lee's historical building while I was taking pictures for him for his business proposal for the city. He is preparing to open a music/events/computer cafe of sorts called "Rock on Main Medley" basically it will incorporate all of the businesses he own/operates now, as well as, an internet cafe and convenience cafe/hangout. It'll be available for events and karaoke/music nights as well. It'll be great and a well-needed asset for the struggling downtown area. Lee's super excited too! ;0)

J. Lamb 2011

 Lee just recently recovered from a bulging disc in his back, ouch! (No sissy, he didn't hurt it doing this!) He spent a great deal of time going to the chiropractor as well as the spinal surgeon (ouch!) and they seem to have gotten it back into place. He's been super, super busy trying to ready his building to prepare for opening and has neglected visiting the chiropractor the last few weeks...tsk, tsk. When I saw him this evening he informed me that he went today and that the chiropractor cracked one of his ribs. If it's not one thing, it's a ton. *Sigh.*

J. Lamb 2011

 In January, one of my classmates lost his little girl to cancer. She was only 3. I was deeply moved by her story and of her family and their acceptance of death. A dear friend and fellow PHS class of 96er was able to travel here to show support for our classmate and it was bittersweet to see him (I've been in contact with him for a couple of years now via FB). I not only had someone to sit next to during the funeral, I was able to thank him in person for listening to me (and not judging) as I have done for him.

J. Lamb 2011

 The big "V" day has passed for another year and left me with 33 birthdays under my belt. I came, I saw, I am mother and I need a nap! ;0)

J. Lamb 2011

 We have had more warm days than cold ones recently and neither I or the kids are complaining about that! I am rather fond of sunshine and the ability to send the kids outside in it too! ;0)

J. Lamb 2011

 Mr. Monkey the Cub Scout has been to his first Blue and Gold banquet and earned his first award already! We are gearing up for The Pinewood Derby now and Sethee is about the cutest little scout ever!

J. Lamb 2011

 Oh yes, a picture is worth a thousand words and these two imps are constantly bickering! "Adwee!!! Stop that!!!" and "Mom, Sethee won't stop breathing on me!" See what I mean?

J. Lamb 2011

 The Spring soccer season is well under way and Adree is enjoying playing for the local Rec Center on a girl's soccer team. Mom gets to play taxi even more, but Adree gets to learn how to play on a team and gain some skill (she's quite the athlete). She's really enjoying it!

J. Lamb 2011

The warmth of Spring and longer days have made an impact in our yard. Not only do we have knee high weeds in the backyard, but our front grass is greening up and the plum tree has very pretty blossoms.
Below: In a bit of nostalgia we are just a couple of blocks away form the local Elementary school and the kids and I walk (or bike or scooter) over so they can play. Growing up, we too were just a couple of blocks away from the Elementary school and spent hours on the grounds playing and hanging out all throughout childhood and even our teen years....;0)

J. Lamb 2011

J. Lamb 2011

Over the weekend we spent some time at my sister's home with her family and even had the chance to visit The Living Planet Aquarium. The kids had a blast (obviously!). I know my kids absolutely love to go to Auntie Cara's house and spend time with their cousins, especially Adree. She can do all the girlie things her heart desires!

Sheesh!

I have been terrible at keeping up with the ol' family blog here! Bad blogger, bad, bad! It's not that I haven't been blogging... see, I blog here 5days a week and I post a picture here daily. It's just that everything here has been busy or boring and none of it has screamed at me to be blog-worthy. My attitude sucks, things have been tough, I just wish I could snap my fingers and all would be well....sigh. See what I mean? No one wants to hear that!
Lee is working so very hard to get his business ready ( I will blog about that soon) and what little time we have him is very precious. It makes me not want to waste what time I have him here blogging....so, I haven't. No worries though, the kids are well! Adree is as busy as ever and Seth has been participating in scouts and Drake just got all A's and a B+ on his report card! They all went up for the weekend (with G'ma and G'pa Nelson) to their cousin's house for his birthday last weekend and had a wonderful time. I'll be better. I promise! ;0)