The Haves and the Have Nots

What we have not been doing -

Dave -
-working, he had 4 weeks off in a row, probably the longest stretch of time he's had off since Caleb was a baby

Emily -
-blogging (obviously)
-keeping my coupons organized, I'm still using them, but I have to dig through piles to find what I want
-keeping up with the laundry, it's the job that never ends
-buying cards (Happy Anniversary to my parents on the 2nd and Happy Birthday to Dave's dad on the 3rd)

Caleb -
-school, we're taking a break before he somewhat officially starts kindergarten on August 9, but we did do a bit of school at his request one day this week
-playing outside much, it's been TOO ridiculously hot lately

Alexa -
-napping daily, she's down to a few times a week and only under coercion, like if I lay down with her and make her be still and quiet

Jordanna -
-sleeping, although she did sleep through the night once this week, she has not been sleeping well this week in general

What we have been doing -

Dave -
-playing lots of Mario Kart with Caleb
-doing random chores and things around the house
-visiting with his parents

Emily -
-working, I had a few teachers' meetings in the last few weeks and have done some work from home
-ordering curriculum for Caleb and for my English classes
-cooking dinner for 14 people before prayer meeting Wednesday
-right now I'm watching a movie

Caleb -
-playing Mario Kart with Dave
-playing with the new block set he got for his birthday
-going to the dentist

Alexa -
-whining and screaming a lot, probably goes along with not napping

Jordanna -
-eating all sorts of table food, still likes most everything
-crawling, sitting up, and even attempting to pull up to standing

Reading with Oma, the Librarian

What We've Been up to This Week

Jordanna has decided to eat real food this week. Just like Alexa, no baby food for her. I just throw it on the tray, and she feeds herself. So far, she has eaten rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, tortillas, cheerios, crackers, watermelon, apples (cooked), bananas, blueberries, peaches, grapes (peeled), avocado, carrots, green beans, broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes, and cheese. She loves it all (well, except for the avocado)! She has also started drinking some water out of a sippy cup.
I spent Monday and Tuesday recovering from vacation, running errands, voting, and tackling Mt. Laundry. Yesterday and today, I had teacher meetings for next school year. We said goodbye to our summer Korean student today, and Dave's parents arrive this afternoon for a visit. Plans for next week include 2 doctor's appointments. July sure has been a busy month!

More Beach Pictures

Our last night at the beach, we went out to dinner (Shrimp and grits and fried okra. Yum!) and then took the kids to a fun park.

They played mini golf.


And played on the blow up stuff.

Beach Pictures

We had a great time at the beach with my extended family last week! So great that I barely blogged or even picked up my camera. So here are some pictures that my cousin Kyle took on our trip.

Caleb, the Five Year Old

Caleb had a great 5th birthday today at the beach! Here are some of the best pictures.

Cow Appreciation Day #3

This was our 3rd year to participate in Chickfila's Cow Appreciation Day. Dress like a cow. Get free food. What's not to like? Well except for the person dressed in a cow suit who scared Alexa to death. Here and here are pictures from the last two years, and below are some pictures from tonight as well.

My 3 cows

Dave and Alexa don't look too excited
Jordanna cuteness
Caleb (trying to smile with half a nugget in his mouth) and Mommy
After our totally FREE meal, we dropped Caleb off at Grammy and Gramps' house to spend the night with them so he can ride with them to the beach tomorrow. That's right, we're headed to the beach again tomorrow, this time with my extended family on my mom's side. I'm sure I'll post some pictures while we are there.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

7 Months

It was a lot easier to take her picture before she was mobile!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, veggies and dip, grapes, chips, cupcakes

Tuesday - Easy baked pork chops, coleslaw, corn muffins

Wednesday - Apple pancakes, bacon, eggs, orange smoothies

Thursday - Creamy tomato sausage sauce over shells, Caesar salad

Friday - Chickfila for Cow Appreciation Day

Saturday - At the beach!

Sunday - At the beach!

Reach For The Sky

The kids watched Toy Story this morning while we set up for their Toy Story party today. Caleb has been repeating,"Reach for the sky," from the movie ALL day long. We had about 23 people here for the party, including us, and we all had a great time. The weather was perfect! Here are some pictures,

One of the games

Watching someone try the game
The onlookers
Another game
Cupcakes!
Presents!