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. 

Summer Friends

We have had a lot of kids at our house this summer during the day.  Our nanny brings her little girl and our sales guy brings his two kids with him.  It took a few weeks for the boys to merge in with the rest of the kids (because they are super shy!)… but they did and then you wouldn’t see them all day!  The kids would be kicking the ball around, playing tag, in the sandbox, hauling Max around, playing hide and seek, riding scooters or eating my popsicles faster then I could buy them!

I wanted to get a picture of all the kids together before the boys went back to school because it was the highlight of the kids week when “the boys” would come. 

Mallory talks about them all the time!  She was a huge fan of them.  Maxwell can’t talk… but he would let them haul them around and had to be doing whatever they were doing.  And he would giggle like woody woodpecker when you asked him if he want to go play with the boys.  Have I ever mentioned that Max giggles like woody woodpecker?  He does.  I need to catch it on video.  He only giggles like that when he is really excited about something. 

Well I missed my chance to get my picture of all the kids on the last week.  But I did get a picture of my kids with the boys on my day off.  We are missing Katherine.

Maxwell was temperamental that day and I needed his nuk and his blanket.  Yes… I needed his nuk and blanket!  I took his nuk away but I dare not touch his blanket (“ankie” is what he calls it).

I could not get Max to look at me for nothing so I started clucking like a chicken and mooing like a cow and then I said… Max is there a chicken in the field?  Do you see it?  Where’s the chicken?  And then I had all the kids looking for a chicken…

The boys hung out with us the whole day while their dad worked out in the shop… which meant they had to go to the grocery store with me.  Well they didn’t have to – but I asked them if they wanted to and they did.  So I took that whole crew into the grocery store. 

I gave the older one the shopping list and the two little ones picked out the items while Max sat in the cart and threw a fit because he wanted to eat the bananas before we paid for them!  : )  A lady saw me and she said… oh my!  Such a challenge you took on today… and she said this before Max saw the bananas and was being good!  I giggled and said… They are not all mine!  : )  She said she knew… how she knew I am not sure.  But actually it was one of my smoother shopping trips… I have had far worse and I mean far worse with just two kids!  : )

I can handle four kids easy!  You hear that husband… EASY!  I got this!  ; ) 

And actually the kids played and I never saw them all day.  They all kept each other busy and I got so many things done!

You hear that husband… EASY!  I got this!  ; )  Please ignore that fact that earlier in this post I mentioned that Max was a little unpleasant...

*totally giggling*