Campfire & Motorcycles

Mallory loves to have campfires at night.  We only do it on the weekends, but she will ask to have them during the week and beg to have them during the week.  So when the weekend finally arrives, which feels like a lifetime for her, she is so excited.

You know that book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, Mallory is so that mouse!!  If you give Mallory a campfire, she is going to ask for her camping chair.  If you give Mallory her camping chair she is going to ask for a drink for her drink holder in her camping chair.  If you give Mallory a drink she is going to ask for a snack.  If you give Mallory a snack she is going to ask for her blanket.  If you give Mallory her blanket she is going to ask sit on your lap.  If Mallory sits on your lap she is going to ask to go to bed.

Max driving his monster truck all over everything.

He even drives his monster truck on Maggie!  Monster trucks can drive on anything you know!

The mini-bike made an appearance!

I couldn’t find Mallory and here I found her!

Sitting oh-so-sweetly on the bench waiting for her turn!

Gave me a quick smile!

Now look at the look on Maxwell!  Is he proud or what?!!

Now look what happens when it is Mallory’s turn…

He has a real hard time sharing the mini-bike with Mallory.

He watches them leave and cries.

And wants nothing to do with me while it is Mallory’s turn.

Then he stands on the patio and watches and waits and waits for his turn and totally ignores me!

I didn’t take any pictures of Mallory’s turn – but I took a video, but I’m too lazy to upload it. 

Then it was Max’s turn again. 

Wheelie time!

Hey Max – do you want to do a burn out?

Am I not the coolest Dad ever?

A little more smoke.

Meanwhile – Mallory is hiding behind me with her hands over her ears.

Checking out the burn marks!

After all that play Miss Mallory was sure to notify Jesse that fire was going out and it needed more wood.  So they restocked the fire.

Ah!  Something about a summer night – ending it with a family campfire.

Rest!  Relax!  Enjoy!

Momma & Her Babies!

Every once in awhile I will start flipping back in my blog and reading stories and looking at pictures.  I love that!  I love that I have recorded and taken so many pictures of these kids life from the very beginning!  But, I noticed something.  Where am I?  Yes they get the events recorded in my “handwriting”… but they do not have many pictures of me.  : )

I got a tripod a long time ago and just stuck it in the closet for my next work project.  Well forget work!  I set that tripod up the other night and took pictures of ME and the kids!  : ) 

Jesse wasn’t home.  It was just the kids and I and we were getting ready to leave for Mallory’s first night at Awanas!  Little Wednesday night bible school! 

Awanas is Mallory’s first school-ish experience.  She goes to beginners church on Sunday – but this I drop her off she stays for two hours and then I come get her.  She loves it!  Stories, crafts, songs, snacks and games!  Who wouldn’t love that?!

Last Wednesday coming home from Awanas I had my first run in with a deer!  We were about 15 minutes from home (We have a 50 minute drive) and it was going on 8:45 and it was dark out.  It was foggy and the deer were out like crazy.  I was watching my ditches and keeping an extra eye out for them.  All the while trying to keep those kids awake so they don’t fall asleep on the way home.  (The word foggy was extremely funny to Mallory and turned into naming animals and Max would make the animal noise.)  I see a monster buck in the ditch.  He isn’t moving.  Just standing there.  So I slow down – I don’t stop – I keep moving because he is just standing there.  I get up to him almost past him and he takes off running RIGHT AT ME!  I had the moment of what do I do… step on the gas and try to get away from him (because I am almost past him before he starts running at me) and I think that is what I did.  Because all I remember is him hitting the side of the truck on the driver side back door (Mallory’s door) and yelling SHIT!  Because I was hoping he would miss us.  He literally ran into the side of me!  Mallory asked, What happened to our tire?  I then had to tell her a deer hit us.

Mallory: I hope it didn’t get squished.

Me: No, he didn’t get squished.  He just has a really bad headache.  (All I remember of that deer is seeing horns and I pictured his head ramming the side of my truck.)

Mallory:  Oh no.  I hope he doesn’t get a cold like I do.

So the whole way home we had to talk about this deer that hit us!  She couldn’t wait to show daddy her door.  She couldn’t wait to tell Grandpa & Grandma that a deer hit us.  Thankfully it was dark out and she didn’t see the deer hit her door.   

The whole way home I am trying to see in my side view mirror every time we drive by a street light if this deer damaged my truck and how bad!  I can see a some scratches on my back door.  I’m also extremely thankful that I drive a big truck and not a tiny car.  If I would have been in a car that deer’s head would have been in Mallory’s window easy!

We get home and Jesse comes out to surveillance the damages and that deer did a number!  Nothing too major – but he hit me in some pretty pricey locations.  Mallory’s highlight was we got some of the deer’s fur on the bumper!  And actually I am still driving around with that deer fur on my bumper and she has to stop and point at it every time we get in/out of the truck. 

A few days later the kids and I are getting ready to go to my sister’s house for the day.  I’m flying around trying to get us out of the house on time and Mallory is talking non-stop 100 miles an hour.  She wanted to tell Shannon about the deer.  Then she says… What do you think that deer’s name was?

Me: I don’t know Mallory. 

Mallory: (She thinks about it for awhile and then chases me down) Mom!  I think that deer’s name was Anna.

Me: The deer was a boy.

Mallory:  Then Max?

Me: No, the deer’s name was not Max!

Mallory:  Maxwell?

Me:  No, the deer’s name was not Maxwell.  What was that deer on the movie Open Season?

Mallory: Elliot?

Me:  Yes.  The deer’s name was Elliot!

Really?  She needs to name this deer that ran into us?  Girls!  : )

So then later that day Shannon and I are driving home with all the kids in her van and Mallory and Ellyn are in the backseat talking and Mallory is telling Ellyn about the deer we hit.  OMG!  So funny!  She even says, Elliot!!

Stickers!

I have a new addiction!  I am addicted to the sticker books and color books and workbooks at Walmart!  The sticker books and color book are only $1!!  I buy them by the handfuls!  They only have like four different ones – but the kids eat these sticker books up!  Plus, they are learning colors – shapes – counting – animals without knowing it!

I have a secret stash of them for rainy days or days where I just don’t know how to entertain them.  : )  A couple weeks ago Jesse was gone for a few nights and I was working until 5pm.  Gave me a whole new appreciate to single moms who work!  Wow! 

I got out my secret stash of sticker books for Mallory – and then had to find my left over stickers from potty training Mallory for Max to play too.  I didn’t realize he would be so into stickers too! 

Apparently Mallory lost her shirt that night… I have no idea why she isn’t dressed.  She may not always have pants on, but she almost always has a shirt on.  So there aren’t a lot of pictures of her doing this project because I don’t like them pictures on here.

Max putting his girly stickers in his book. 

The concentration it takes to work with stickers!

Pointing to his sticker.

So proud he is!

Mallory working on her book.  She actually had to put her stickers in specific spots and follow directions. 

I found some boy stickers last night in the clearance isle at Walmart for 75 cents – so his next sticker adventure can be a bit more manly.  : )

Boy Stuff

Grandpa Dave’s yard is like the perfect place for any little boy.  Dirt.  Trucks.  Semis.  Tractors.  More Dirt.  More Trucks.  Cows. 

One afternoon we had to make an unplanned trip back to Jesse’s parents house and for some reason they got the tractor out.  I don’t really remember why we were looking at the tractor, but we were.  So Jesse took it out and took Max for a little ride.

This picture below is my favorite!!  Ah my boys!  When Max is riding on big tough things like this – he can not smile!  He has to be serious!  I try to make him smile and he won’t.  Cracks me up!  Sometimes I can get a smirk, but it is quick to go away and back to serious!

I don’t know if I mentioned it or not but Mr. Max is 110% pure boy!  He eats, sleeps and breaths boy!!

This is Brownie.  Mallory named him.

We never named the other cow.  But we have to say hi to Brownie and the cow when we come.  And if the kids are lucky they can help Grandpa Dave feed Brownie. 

Mallory didn’t want a ride on the tractor.  She was too busy doing alphabet stickers with Grandma Mary.

Hot Day At The Fair

We had a Frey Family outing to the fair.  We have some Mississippi Freys join us to the fair.  They didn’t tell anyone that they were coming so we were all shocked (and excited) that they were in town and what else to do then to go to the fair! 

First stop… a real pony ride! 

Grandma Mary asked if she wanted her to stay with her and Mallory was quick to say, no.  She had this under control and didn’t need any help!

So cute with her little braids!

It was so hot out that we got some ice cold drinks and sat in the shade for a bit.  It was hot!  We hadn’t been there 20 minutes and we were all wanting cold drinks and shade!

Eating Grandma Mary’s slushy!

This boy too!

Get him out of the sun and in the shade and he turned into a little clown!

After that little break we were ready to hit the rides!  We went on these little nascar car rides first.  An adult had to go with so Mary went with Mallory and I went with Max.  Mary & Mallory were in front of me and when the ride started - OH MY GOODNESS!  The cars go in an oval but they slide around the corners – nascar style!  Mary & Mallory go first and they scream!  : )  Then Max and I go and I scream!  I was not expecting it to got that FAST!  It was impressive! Here we are screaming on a kids ride!  Funny!  The kids loved it!  Max didn’t want me to hold on to him.  He kept pushing my hands away – but I was afraid he was going to slam his head.  He giggled every time we slid around the curve.  Then when it stopped and we had to go off… OH!  He screamed and held onto the car and did not want to get out!  I had to prey his fingers off the bar and carry him away crying!  : )  He wanted more!

So then we hit up the carousel. 

He was all into it.

But then they took too long to load it and start the ride that he got mad at sitting on a non-moving horse that he wanted off and wanted me to hold him.  I could not get him back on that horse for nothing!

Until I got on it with him.  : ) 

Grandpa Dave was taking pictures for me… and it must have been really hard to catch us because I have a lot of these…

And one of these where he finally caught some of us. 

Max cried when that ride was over too!

So then we let Mally do a few more rides and Max clung to me.  He was hot.  He was fussy.  He was hot.  I wanted to take him on one more ride – because he really liked the rides.  He was pointing to them and watching them.  I could tell he wanted more.  So I took them on the tea cups.

And he cried when the ride was done.  I am afraid we have a kid who likes rides.  See how red his face his… did I mention it was hot?  It was HOT!

We left after this and went to get ice cream… but my requirement was that it had to be an air conditioned building!  : ) 

Ice cream + kids + HOT = DISASTER!

Then we went back home and tackled Grandpa Dave’s weed patch… er… I mean garden.

They found lots of potatoes and some onions.  The kids loved putting the potatoes into the bucket. 

So then the next day I had the kids help me dig up our potatoes… for some reason it wasn’t as much fun for them as it was helping Grandpa Dave! 

I did make a mean potato soup though!  I started mine by sautéing diced up ham until it was golden… putting the ham aside and then following the recipe.  Oh and I didn’t have leeks at my grocery store – so I did green onions.  I also didn’t puree it because I wanted some texture.  Let it all cook and mashed potatoes a bit after they were soft to mash them into smaller pieces and added the ham back in.