true boy tales: This past week...

Sunday, June 12, 2011

This past week...

Two weekends and two parades. We've never really taken the boys to a parade before so Bennett didn't know what it was all about. Lucky for him its all about people throwing candy. Before it started last weekend, Bennett saw a man selling cotton candy and yells, "Mom! Can I get some candy cotty??" Then, as the "floats" (just cars and trucks) started coming our way and they started throwing all kinds of candy, he says, "this is the best day of my life!" After it was over, he grabbed my water bottle, takes a swig and says, "Phew! I sure was thirsty from that parade!"

Free ice cream afterwards:

After the parade last weekend, we rescued a little lost duckling! It was the cutest animal I've ever held. He stayed overnight at our house (and half the night in my arms. I know, I'm a sucker but whenever I put him down, he'd cheap cheap cheap until I picked him up again and then he'd snuggle in and fall asleep!)

On the hunt for Momma Duck. We didn't find her until the next morning and their reunion was the cutest thing ever!

Patio construction is under way! Several weeks back I casually mentioned to my hubby, "someday I'd love a patio out back..." And that amazing man was on it. The main reasons for this are A) our deck is pretty small. Only room for our grill and a small table and chairs. B) Our backyard isn't level so we wanted a nice space for our big kiddie pool. Last year Jon ended up building a plywood platform just so we had a level spot to set it on. I'm super excited and can picture myself on a nice chaise, relaxing while the kids swim (and getting splashed relentlessly).

Playing in the sprinkler the other day turned into playing in the mud pit:

And on a sad and serious note, my mom's mom, our Nana, died on Wednesday. We spent a lot of time with her in Florida when were little, swimming in her pool, catching lizards, many many trips to Disney and trips to the beach for picnic dinners. She always told us the best stories about when she was little and I would listen as long as she would talk. One time she even took us to Toys R Us and told us we could pick anything we wanted. Bethany got a Cabbage Patch Doll. I picked a book :) Unfortunately as the years progressed, we spent less and less time together and I know she wanted to see her great-grandchildren one more time. As painful as that is to think about, we can all focus on the fact that we'll all be together in heaven one day and she'll have unlimited time with all of her family. I have a feeling God will arrange things so we're not a 24 drive from each other ;)

And last but not least, my very best friend, Candy, is visiting (kidless!) from Cali in a few weeks. I can't wait to hang out for a long weekend and catch up and watch movies and eat our favorite Ben&Jerry's together. I miss this girl like crazy all the time and it sucks we only get to see each other once a year but I'm just thankful we've been able to make a yearly visit for the last 10 years.

(PS. Please forgive my spacing issues. I don't know why I can't correct that anymore and it drives me nuts. If anyone has a tip, let me know! I'm thinking maybe I need to change layouts??)

1 comment:

NikkiJune 18, 2011 at 6:52 PM
I am so sorry to hear about your grandma Have! My prayers are with you and your family.
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.