that's what I'm talkin' about

after an agonizing week of 90 degree temperatures and humidity in the 80%s, we finally had a break from that yesterday and today looks to be the same.

I would be perfectly happy if it never got any hotter than 80 and the humidity stayed lower than 55% all year long.


ahhhh

too hot to do much

oh boy.
it hasn't been as hot as it was last week, but the humidity has been a real killer this week.

I keep trying to kick the kids outside but for some reason they want to come in. We don't have the air conditioner in the window and we are determined not to put them in. We got away with it last summer - though there were a few days we melted.
somehow people lived for thousands upon thousands of years with out air conditioning - I'm sure it can be done. in fact I remember being able to go without one when I was a kid.

I've been cooking outside on the grill for the last few days. that's helped a bit with temperatures in the house. I've been having the kids eat popsicles and run through the sprinkler. apart from that there's not much to do in this weather.


added to note that it is so hot and humid that my glasses are fogging up

our tiny Eden

Timothy and Connor's room is on the east side of the house. it is usually considerably cooler on that side of the house once noon rolls around. I went to make sure that their window was open and was greeted by the most refreshing, happy breeze and this view. it rained this morning. after it was over it quickly warmed up almost 10 degrees so the air is sticky, but the smells coming in through the window were so heavenly ~ it was full of smells of the rain, the smell of the peonies, and the smells of the smooth solomon's seal.

the bumble bees were enjoying the solomon's seal and were very busy coming and going.

the peonies are just about done. we'll have a few odd blossoms here and there for a bit.

there were all kinds of busy bugs out the boys' window.


I'm quite sad because as I was trying to get a nice shot out the window an oreal landed on the solomon's seal just long enough to notice me and in a flash of orange he was gone.
However, I am very happy that I saw him at all. I was starting to wonder if they were around this year.

then I went around to the west side of the house. this is were I have most of my flowers.
I had planted some wild flowers last year and this year only one of them managed to make it back. I don't even know what it is.
(the flower book says it's wild blue flax)

in the wild flower bed one other thing came up ~ some yellow sweet clover. yeah, I know that it's a weed, but it was thriving so wonderfully and everything else was so pathetic so I let it live.
it's quite huge now.

it is also full of dozens of honey bees. when ever they are around I tell the kids to be extra careful not to step on them or bother them, not just because I don't want anyone to get stung, but because I don't want the bee to die. when I was little my dad kept bees. the years that my dad kept bees I was only stung twice. I've been stung WAY more times since then.
anyway, I'm a big fan of honey.
rock on little bee!

I also discovered my first morning glories of the year, a bit late since they are already withering. but I was thrilled to see them anyway.
I expect many many more in the next couple of days. they are my favorite. 15 years ago when I first tried growing morning glories, they failed miserably. then I learned the real trick to growing them is to leave them alone. or at least that's what works for me and now they just grow crazy for me.

I didn't plant them last year and I missed them sorely. so this year I bought something like 8 packets of a few different varieties of morning glories.
they'll be coming out of our ears

Now I am really longing for a trip to the arboretum

her first big job

a couple of weeks ago I was talking with my Dad and he asked if Erica would like to dog sit for them while they would be out of town today. YES! she would absolutely love that. so it was agreed that today she would go today.
through the remainder of that conversation it was mentioned that on Fridays my dad and step mom go to the Temple and work until late and they kennel the dogs on those days. He then asked if she would like to make a bit of money this summer and come over on Fridays all through the summer and stay the night.
there is just no down side here for all involved.
What could be better for her? she gets to earn a bit of money, show that she can be responsible and she gets to stay over night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. and for my dad, they don't have to rush quite so much on those mornings, I'm sure they get to save a bit of money by not paying a kennel/vet or where ever they went and they get to know that the dogs were happy being at home instead of sad locked up those days.

Last Friday she started her summer job and she loved it. she went and played with the dogs, made sure they went out to go potty, made sure they were fed.

she had some company after my sisters and my aunt were done with work so she wasn't totally lonely, but Erica does well on her own anyway.
She's been very excited about her summer job.

oh my, what a day

it was chaos from beginning to end. Connor was either sassing or bawling all day long. he wants to do everything that all people do so when we went outside this morning (and that was a circus act) he decided that he wanted to have an apple. the new rule around here is that if you want to eat an apple that's just fine, but it must be at least quartered and the seeds out because that is the only way any of these kids will actually finish an apple. {I've been so frustrated with all the apples with only two or three bites taken out of them and then thrown away ~grrr}
I told him that would be fine but that he should bring me the apple and I would cut it for him. shortly after he went in to get an apple he came back out crying and bleeding. he had cut his thumb. thankfully it was just a small cut but I was so furious that he just can't listen to me.
then there was all the fighting.

I was starting to think about putting them all outside and then locking the door behind them only to let them in for lunch and bathroom breaks.

ahhhh

that's better.
I'm still not 100% but I am able to move without any ear splitting screams or crying.
I am simply taking Aleve with a bit stronger dose than one would normally take and it has worked wonders. I even did dishes without crumpling into a pathetic ball.

it's the little things that make my life a happy one.

so frustrated and just my luck

so I'm thinking that I will be making my way back to the doctor today about my back. I am still having such terrible back pain but now it's not just one side it's both sides of my lower back.

stupid back pain

the other day my sciatic nerve started bothering me. I've had this happen quite a bit over the last several years, but it has been about two since I had to see a doctor for it.
the other day (Ronan's birthday) Tim took me to the doctor to get some pain relief. so I was prescribed pain killers and a muscle relaxer.
even on the muscle relaxer my back is still tight and I can hardly walk.
:(
I feel so useless

Who's 2 today?

Ronan, that's who.

two years ago last night after having a birthday celebration for Tim I went to rest on the couch and watch TV because I thought I just might be having contractions and I wanted to keep track of them. They never did get really regular at all - no predictable contractions like I had with my other kids and so I thought that if I went to the hospital they would just make me go away so I went to bed. I woke up a couple of times still having irregular contractions and so about 2 in the morning we decided that we would go and at the very least be checked and monitored a bit before they turned us around.
they let us stay. I was glad they did.


He was a big guy! I knew that he was going to be big and I was going to be devastated if they made me go home.
He was my second biggest baby by only a couple of ounce, but still, big enough.
somehow he looks smaller than he is.

having a nice nap with daddy.

and now two years later Ronan is so grown up

more pictures to come this evening or tomorrow morning.

35! can you believe it?

My husband did not want to accept the idea that he was going to turn 35.

ages back when my little sister and I still played house and barbies, we used to have to choose how old we were along with all the other details of the game. We always said we were 15 and sometimes 18 and a few times we'd go so far as to say 19 (gasp) but never any older than that because once you were 20 you were OLD!
I think that when Tim used to play like that (not barbies) he must have thought that 35 was much to old to even be alive anymore, because he's been walking around here for the last 2 weeks mentioning how it was the last time he would ever ________. (fill in the blank)
much to our surprise, not only did he turn 35 but he is still with us! :)

another thing about Tim is that he really does not like frosting on cake. he doesn't even really like cake, (only if it's chocolate and only sometimes) he will play nice when it comes to birthdays and he will eat cake. mostly for the sake of the kids, he gets a cake on his birthday and this time I didn't put any frosting on it. (because I love you, Tim)

I did, however put powdered sugar on it and the kids did love it just like that. in fact, Ronan and Connor ~ and I think I caught Timothy too ~ licked the sugar off the top before they ate the rest.
but I don't think that I had to throw out much more than a tiny crumb.

Tim is also quite camera shy, so even though I did take a couple of pictures, I will not embarass him by putting his picture on here right now.