Chuck E. Cheese's

One of the things we do on vacation is to visit Chuck E. Cheese. The boys have a blast and secretly I love to play those games too! LOL! On our vacation we were fortunate enough to get to go to CEC with my sister-in-law Deanna and her sons - Christian and Anthony. One of my favorite photos is a picture I took of Anthony. You can see the joy and determination in his face. He, of course, is super cool and the co-Ruler of Chuck E. Cheese along with his brother Christian!

Grandma Joyce also joined us at Chuck E Cheese's and dutifully guarded our food and purses and most importantly the tickets that the boys had won! Deniska loves to give (and receive) hugs from his Grandma Joyce. The boys wanted to take her home with us. She said she couldn't come. We hope she can visit with us soon. She looks good in this picture doesn't she?

Kitchen Towels

Several years ago my mother-in-law, Joyce, gave me a set of kitchen towels that had the months embroidered on them. I love those little towels. I look forward to getting out the new month on the first day of the month. It's funny how such a simple gift can bring such joy throughout the year. I've used them for several years now and they still look new! That's a good thing!

Boys will be boys

Tonight we had out first emergency with one of the boys. Well, really it wasn't the first emergency; it was just one that needed stitches. Dennis had taken the boys swimming and Nikolai stood up on the float (how many times have I told him NOT to stand up on the float???) and fell. He cut his chin open and really deep. Dennis took him to Clemson Health Center (which stays open until 8 PM - this happened at 7 PM). Poor Nikolai had to have 2 stitches in his chin. Nikolai assured me that he did not cry even though it hurt. I told him it would have been alright for him to cry and he say he was no "cry baby!" I, on the other hand, stayed home with Deniska who insisted that we have prayer for Nikolai. He prayed the sweetest prayer. Surely a child's prayer goes straight to the ears of all Heavenly beings. To make matters worse, we had a handyman here installing 3 new ceiling fans (ours had all died). I am sure his chin will hurt tomorrow. I feel really sorry for the little fella!

Our new babies!!!!!

Welcome Isadore and Molly to our home! Both were adopted from the local Humane Society. We picked them up this morning and they are both sleeping now - after I banished the boys from the house! I hope they like it here!

My new rug

Isn't this a beauty?! I found this wonderful rug at the local thrift shop for $75. It's a 9x6 rug and I just fell in love with it on sight. And, since it was in my budget - it loved me too! We lugged it home (it's very heavy), unrolled it, and it was home. Now, I want to redecorate my entire house around this rug - mostly the roses and I adore the colors. I love the cottage look and have been working toward achieving that in my home. It's a slow go for me since I am decorating challenged and I can't decide which cottage look I want. Do I go for the bare, clean, seascape colors? OR do I go for the warm, slightly overstuffed feeling? I vote for the 2nd, Dennis wants the first. We need professional help! :)

Vacation?

Now, I know vacation is looked forward to by most people. Obviously, those folks never traveled 10 (count them 10) hours in a double cabbed truck with 2 six year boys and a husband that rarely talks! LOL! I'm a pretty calm person but after the millionth "Are we almost there?" I was a little battle worn. We drove to Norfolk/Portsmouth/Virginia Beach area to visit Dennis' family. We had a nice time with the family. I thought the boys would LOVE Virginia Beach - the scenery, the sand, the water! But NO, it was too "dirty" - "Where did all this dirt come from?" "Why did God make sand?" "What's wrong with the water?" "Why does it taste that way?" "Can I go in the deep water without my swimmies?" And, that was the just in the first few minutes! THe trip home was no better. Nikolai threw his headsets at Mama when he didn't get his way which, in turn, set off Papa. An hour later we were back on the road in silence again - nevermind the sobbing from the back seat - no, wait a minute - that was me sobbing! LOL!!

Now we are back home. I have successfully washed 10 loads of clothes (did I mention that Nikolai left a pack of gum in his pockets. No more gum in this house!) I put up the luggage and managed to get the house back on track. I still need to clean and put up other things. I'm glad we don't do many vacations a year!