Our crops...corn and pumpkins...about one month later.

Idol Worship

Big brother is cramming grapes in his mouth...guess who else thought that would be fun?

Zoo Freaks

We took all the kids to the Dallas Zoo today, despite the fact that it's hotter than you-know-where and Claire is getting over pneumonia. It was great! With plenty of water, a bit of shade, standing under a mister or two, and hogging the giant fans they have set up at the new exhibit, you can survive the zoo with three kids in the Texas heat. They will even give you free cups of ice, which makes Finn very happy.

Ever had a girl so mad about the fact you'd put her to bed that she pulled everything off her dresser and threw everything out of her crib? Yeah, me too.

Ever had a five year old build a train track that comes out his door, down the hallway and into the family room? Yeah, me too.

Ever had twin twenty month-olds start to pinch each other over who got to stand on the car toy so they could reach the counter and grab the plate of green beans? Yeah, me too.

Ever had twin toddlers so tired from no morning nap AND vacation Bible school that you are convinced they'll sleep for hours when you put them down and they prove you wrong. Completely wrong. Yeah, me too.

Ever, at the end of the day, despite the chaos and the noise, and the crying and the mess completely and utterly grateful for all of your children? Yeah, me too.

Two Suckers

After vacation Bible school today, I had a babysitter come so I could take Duncan to a movie. Iain took him once, but it was about a year ago and he got a little scared so they left. My sister took him once, about six months ago and said he did well. I wanted to have a fun summer with him, since we will be throwing him to the wolves this August when we send him to kindergarten (okay, not really, but I have issues.) So, I wanted to take him to a movie. I looked at the list of choices and tried to decide between the lesser of two evils. Shrek III or Marmaduke. I called a friend to see if she and her daughter, one of Duncan's favorite friends, wanted to join us. She weighed in that they had seen Shrek III and while intense in a Disney-all-the-mommies-die sort of way, it was probably the easier for us mommies to sit through. Good point.

We got to the theater and Duncan commented on how hot it was outside and how cool it was inside. Smart boy! It was a "movie studio grille" so we sat at a table, in nice swivel chairs and donned our 3D glasses. We all looked awesome. We ordered popcorn, two strawberry lemonades, a Diet Dr. Pepper and an iced tea and settled in. I was prepared for nerves, and almost prefaced it with a "if you get scared just tell me and we can step out" but decided against it. And my genius paid off. He was mesmerized. I don't think he ever took his eyes off the screen except to look over at his friend Ashley and say, "hey Ashley, how's it goin'?" and to look at me and tell me how hilarious the movie was. Success! We had a super time. Tons of fun with my boy...love that. Cannot think about kinder or I will cry.

So, we left the theater and went to the bank to deposit some expense checks (hi honey! See? I'm takin' care of business, in addition to all the fun and games...) and go to the grocery store. Duncan got not one but two suckers from the teller which just about put him over the edge in the "this is a great day" department.

One Thousand Cats

Duncan and I had a conversation this morning about things we want in our new house. We decided that we will have a thousand cats (his idea) and a five story, family bunk bed which will be in the living room. Every morning we will wake up and watch TV. From the top bunk, there will be a slide that will go through the entire house and end up in our pool in the back yard. We will also have a very long diving board so that you can get a good running start before diving in.