Good Times ...

We attended another wedding this weekend. This time for our dear friends Jamie and Brandon. It was kind of strange seeing it. I often describe Jamie as "one of our neighbor girls," as we have watched her grow over the last several years from a young pre-teen to now a lovely young woman. I guess I'll need to come up with a new description for her now as that one will obviously no longer do. Anyhow, we are so happy for them and so appreciative that they included us in their celebration. However, they might be a little sorry as Riley and Gage could not contain themselves. The big crowd and the music and the sweet, red punch had them so riled up they were even crazier than normal. But, on the bright side, when we finally made it home, they slept the best they have in quite a while = )

Speaking of the boys, they continue to entertain and amaze us everyday with the new things that they say and do. They are also, slowly, but surely, becoming best of friends (when they're not tattling on or fighting with the other, that is!) Several times Riley has interpreted things for me that Gage is saying. For example, the other night at bedtime I swore Gage was asking for one of his racecars and I kept telling him no, racecars do not go nigh-night with us. He was getting quite frustrated when Riley said to me, "Mommy, Gager wants the Jaguar to 'nuggle with." Ahhh, how sweet! He knew exactly what he wanted and explained it so nicely. He has also taken to showing Gage (and Corey and I for that matter) how to go about completing daily tasks, then finishing each display by saying, "... and that's how you do it!" What a good big brother! And Gage, oh Gage. He is getting to be such a comedian. He loves to come up and tickle us, or tell us a joke that only he gets, then he just laughs and laughs. If his laughing doesn't cause us to laugh, he makes sure to tell us that it was funny ... kind of a reminder, I guess, to offer up our obligatory chuckles = )

Well, we've got a big weekend planned seeing friends and family over the 4th. We are sooo looking forward to it! Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!! Here's a few pics and a video of the boys playing together. Fun in the sand pit and one of their favorite toys ... our laundry basket. Boys!

Portraits in Mud

I must be crazy. Seriously. Why else would I let my boys get this ridiculously filthy? Oh well, they have so much fun doing it, it is worth it. The clean up, on the hand, is another story!

Anyhow, here's one pic of Riley (that's all I have that's fit for public viewing, he was a man in motion so many photos are blurry or include appendages that should not be shown on the internet!) -- and several of Gage hamming it up for the camera. Boys!

Where've You Been?

Well, we've been here, there, everywhere, and nowhere. Just busy, busy, busy. But, the overall theme of the last couple of weeks has been Corey working on his shed. He has wanted to build this thing for years and it is finally coming to fruition. But, it is slow going. He is building it primarily by himself -- but has had some wonderful help along the way from family and friends. One thing is for sure, this shed will be more sturdily constructed than many homes. It is huge and will even have it's own loft area. Corey is nothing if not thorough and precise. Sometimes to a fault = )~ Seriously, the man measures, re-measures, levels, re-levels, aligns, re-aligns ... well, you get the point. To him, this is not just a shed but a measure of his craftsmanship. And this craftsman takes pride in a job well done. Here are a few pictures of the masterpiece's progression ....

The beginning ...

Framing walls ...

The roof is done ...

Eaves completed and most of siding hung ...

This is the back view of our house. Corey designed the shed to mirror this area. It is the same height and the roofs have the same pitch. Did I mention he kind of goes overboard sometimes? Oh well, it will be a darn nice shed when it's done = )

What have I been doing during the course of this construction? A lot. But, mostly keeping the kiddos occupied and out of dad's way while still trying to maintain the house and keep everyone fed and in clean clothes. Sounds easy enough, right? If only it were so. My boys are lean, mean eating machines with a penchant for getting as grubby as possible whenever the chance presents itself. Good times. Here are a couple of pics of one of our evenings ....

Riley with his pants hiked up Urkel-style preparing for water gun battle.

Gager enjoying one of his favorite summertime treats.

Me ... either getting ambushed by water gun fire -- or losing my marbles. Probably both!

Our only major issue right now is with little Gage. With the extreme heat and humidity that we are experiencing right now, he has been breaking out in hives any time he gets hot. It's weird, he can play all day in the heat as long as he stays wet via sprinklers, water guns, pools, etc. But, if he doesn't have water to cool him down, he immediately breaks out in nasty huge hives all over. We're going to the doc on Thursday to discuss this some more. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about, but as a mom, it's what I do. I'll keep you posted.

Below is a little video of how to let two very energetic boys blow off some steam when it's just too darn hot to play outside ... WARNING - this may not be for the faint of heart! = )

Celebrate Good Times ... Come On! Let's Celebrate ...

Saturday was our 11 year wedding anniversary. Wow. I can't believe it's been that long, yet at the same time, I can hardly believe it's only been 11 years. We've been together so long now and through so much, it's almost as if we've just always been by each other's sides. It's a great feeling! Anyhow, we commemorated our anniversary by celebrating the marriage of some our dear friends, Zach and Dinah. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding on a bridge that spanned the Smokey Hill River. A really lovely setting. Afterwards, we enjoyed a booty-shaking good time at the reception. Gosh, I think Corey and I danced for almost 3 hours straight. It was so fun! We don't go out dancing much anymore, so that was quite a treat for us as we both enjoy dancing.


While we enjoyed our outing, the boys got spoiled getting to stay with Grandma and Papa Soukup and Great Grandma Galyardt. Riley and Gage are still reliving their fun telling and re-telling their adventures (although, each time they change a little bit and sometimes tigers and dinosaurs enter the story that weren't there before = D) The favorite still seems to be the walk to Dairy Queen and describing the excavating equipment they got to see, in motion, on their way. Heavy equipment and ice cream -- the perfect combo for my boys!


The next day we got to enjoy a little fun in the sun with Corey's parents. We met them at Marion Lake and spent a little time on the water. The boys were thrilled! They had a really good time, but were very sad to leave. Hopefully, next time we can stay much longer!

Riley driving the boat with Papa Huber. "Driving" was definitely his favorite thing to do.

Gage "fishing" with Grandma Huber. He kept yelling down into the water, "Fishies come here!"

Here's the boys giving themselves a spa treatment. They mud baths are good for the skin, right?

Yuck!

Very pleased with himself.

Each of the boys had to take an "outside" bath before they could come inside for a real bath. They were just too filthy!

Well, today is my 35th birthday. Yikes! I'm officially over the halfway point of my thirties. I just hope the 2nd half is as good as the first has been. It's brought me two wonderful little boys and more than love than I could have ever asked for. I'm blessed = )