Randomness

Took this the night before Tater left for Papa and Mimi's.

She was all snuggled in our bed for one last night of Mommy-Daddy cuddles!

Daddy took Bruiser to go test drive cars (a lllllllllllllllllloooooonnnnnnngggggg story!) so Sassy had some fun playing in the water in the bathroom sink.

She was there for about an hour...partly because she was having so much fun and partly because she couldn't get down by herself!

We planted an herb garden on the 4th...with lots of little hands helping!

Love this plant...lamb's ear...it's so soft and so much fun to "pet"!

Such a face of a bruiser!

Let the Missing Begin!

Once again this big girl is heading off on one of her jaunts to Papa and Mimi's house...and once again there will be lots of sad hearts in the House of Sprout as we miss her while she's off having fun!

Tater will be gone for almost an entire month until we see her again.  While it is the most practical arrangement travel-wise, we will miss her tons!  She was sad going to bed tonight but that will probably be the extent of her sadness...because once she sees Papa, she will forget all about us!

Bruiser and Sassy will miss their "Sissy" and wait anxiously for her return...thanks to that younger sibling adoration!  Mommy and Daddy will soon be counting the days until we can hug her again!

But, all the missing aside, we hope Tater has a super-wonderful visit and soaks up lots of grandparent spoils!  We are so happy to give this opportunity and be able to share her with those who love her so much!

26 more sleeps, Tater!

Beach Time!

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had another crazy-busy weekend...which seems to be our norm!  School ended for the summer on Friday for Tater, Bruiser, and Mommy.  It may be my favorite day of the entire year!  So that makes today (Monday) my first offical day of summer vacation.  I'm kind of liking it a little bit!

But to back up to the weekend...

Uncle Jason (my brother) and Aunt Heather (his wife) arrived late Friday evening...after we celebrated summer with some yummy cake at our favorite friends' house!  It was nice to visit and catch up with them (Jason and Heather, that is!).  They are expecting their first child (Baby Drew) in October.  So the goal of this trip was to raid our stash of baby gear and clothes.  Jason was amazed at all I had and all I had kept.  They loaded their car and are all set for the first year of Drew's life. 

Then we decided to make quick trip to Kohl's for a little retail therapy, ride a few go-carts to get in the mood...and go see Cars 2!  The kids were so excited!  Sassy did great until she feel asleep halfway through and Bruiser was glued to the edge of his seat.  He watched the entire moviie holding onto his little car like one in the movie and sucking his thumb...I don't think he moved the entire two hours!

We ended the evening with dinner on the grill and a backyard concert provided by our next door neighbors.  Friends joined us and we had a great evening.  Jason and Heather left early Sunday amidst tears from Tater.  It's nice to know that Jason will be on a work trip nearby within the next few weeks andwe'll be able to visit with him again then!

Sunday was not as much fun.  Sassy caught the fever and was awake every half hour Saturday night.  She spent Sunday laying on me and napping.  When she heard we couldn't go to the beach because she was sick, she cried...I think it was the first time she realized how being sick affected your life!  It was a long day but she seems to be a bit better today so hopefully we'll be able to offically start summer!

Not A Problem!

I spent the afternoon helping out a friend and watching her two kids.  After I took all five kids to Tater's school to drop her off and then took the remaining four kids to Bruiser's school to drop him off (and lost count of how many seat belts I buckled and unbuckled!), the three little one - ages 1, 2, & 3 - headed to the basement and played there for hours!  Yes, HOURS!  It has been the best rainy afternoon with multiple children I have ever had! 

Just don't ask me if I change my mind tonight when I have to clean up the play room!

It Was A Rough Day!!!!!

Three More Sleeps!



We are anxiously counting down the last few "sleeps" until summer vacation starts at the House of Sprout!  These last few weeks of school have really hit us hard.  Bruiser started with a high fever last Sunday, which lasted until Thursday!  And we all know what that means...no school or babysitter until it normal without medication for 24 hours.  Just what we needed so close to the end!  And then guess what?  Because that's how we roll...Tater started with the same fever this Sunday.  I'm hoping she can make it to school tomorrow for her end-of-the-year celebration...even if I have to break the 24 hour rule a bit! 

So, if that wasn't enough, we had a change in childcare starting this past Monday...with one week left!  But we were able to send them to the new sitter who will be watching them starting in September...and they LOVE it!  I don't have to drop them off until 8:30 each morning...but we were out of the house by 8:00 this morning...they were so excited!  It warms my heart that they are so excited but also makes me wonder if they were missing out on something by not having others to play with the past three years that we've had someone watch them in our home.  Not that I would change the convenience for anything!

Now that my migraine has left for the day, I'm hoping to make it through the rest of the week without too many issues.  Three more sleeps and three more days!  I need summer!