So much catching up to do and so little time. Summer has been very busy! Not too mention it's just crazy around here in general, so it's amazing I get anything accomplished! As it is, I'm writing this with the constant interruption of screaming kids and a two year old who is attacking the fridge like she has never eaten a day in her life! I have to quickly drag her away from the fridge and lock it. Yes I use a safety child lock for cabinets on my double door fridge to keep her (and the others) out.
Now I have another child behind me whimpering "I'mmmmmm sooooo hunnggrryyyyy" in the most pathetic sounding voice ever.
Do other moms feel like this? Like your child has just finished chewing and swallowing something and is already whining again about how hungry they are and how they never get anything to eat. No people I do not starve my children, I've just come to the conclusion that they all have tapeworms in their belly and never get filled up. I should have that checked out huh!?
We go to the grocery store... yes I bring ALL 4 children to the grocery store most times (In the summer anyway) I'd rather do that then wait till midnight to go shopping. I get "the looks" from most people. Not everyone, there are (believe it or not) some very sweet people left in the supermarkets ;) But, you know that "look" i'm talking about... the one when one of your children is melting down in the isle (and if' it's only one it is some sort of miracle!) and someone walks by looking down but eyes glaring towards you, with a look like "how dare you bring all your kids to a grocery store to buy food to feed your family". Gotta love it. Or when they make a comment, and not a comment to you, the parent.. but a comment to the child, like "Be good or mommy won't give you a treat when your done" and then they smile at mommy!?!?!?! Excuse me.. WHAT!?!?! Unless you are about to go purchase a load of cookies and plan on meeting me at my car with a pack for each kid, it is NOT ok for you to bribe my child! (Yes, this really did happen to me at a grocery store). Then there are also rude comments, like "Wow, are they ALL yours?" Not in a surprised, excited voice either...it's more of a crazy, disgusted voice. I reply with a cheery "Yes they are!" and a smile. Then I get the "HA, God bless you" (again in a disgusted tone) and I reply "He sure has!!!!" and we walk away and continue our fun shopping trip.
Seriously... WHAT is wrong with some people!? Really you can't blame the children. What 7, 4, or 2 year old... or even 31 year old for that matter, really wants to go grocery shopping!?
There truly are some sweet people though who make your day better, even when kids are melting down, they say something so nice, like "God has truly blessed you with a beautiful family" or "Wow they are so cute, don't worry mom, they'll be happy again in a minute". Ah, I love the sweet people!
So yes, groceries have been part of our summer fun trips, haha. We have done plenty of swimming and playing too! Lake trips with friends have been a big hit. Also swimming at my parent's house in their pool. Lots and lots of sprinkler and kiddie pool time at home as well. We bought a kiddie pool with a giant inflatable water slide. Not going to lie, us parent's have tried it out a time or two :)
We had a dance recital in June & tee-ball awards. The kids were very excited about those!

The girls turned 7 on July 1st! Which totally blows my mind. Yes, it's "cliche" and every mother says it, but really... "How did that happen!?" They had a fun birthday party with family and some little girl friends. They wanted a girly, diva, super star theme. So we made some sparkly microphone cupcakes. I was pretty happy with how they turned out :) and the highlight of course was the giant bounce house we scored through a deal my sis-in law got. 

As you can clearly see, kids of ALL ages had fun in the bounce house! It was a beautiful day and everyone slept great that night! :)

We have also discovered the fun of gooey pool magic this summer! It's actually called "Squishy Baff" and comes in a few colors. It turns the water in the pool into squishy goo. It feels like a jello/oatmeal. The kids loved it, and myself and my neighbor couldn't resist getting in on the gooey action!

So it's been crazy, silly and busy. We are making the most of each day and trying to be fun. Our home projects are still a work in progress. Hopefully my next post can be on those and maybe a finished, or at least almost finished backyard deck and patio project! That playroom project I was working on a while ago, has still gone no further. It's summer so I'm not as focused on the inside things right now... for now, outside! :)

(Sorry, this update was a bit of a "ramble" and I didn't really know where it was going to go, but here it is... enjoy!)