We just couldn't let go...

...Of the summer so soon.
So we took a trip to the coast with Ryan's parents.
Christian caught a fish.
We ate wonderful food.  Lots.
We slept little.  Especially me.
Funny story:  Ryan's dad's cousin's name is Chip.  Family calls him Chippy.  CK didn't quite understand.  So, CK called him "Mr. Chicky".  I like that name.  :)

Christian caught a fish!

  On the way home, we saw this guy on the side of the highway.  We had to stop and say hi.  I love little surprises inside of our adventures!

 

Mess After Mess

I feel like the majority of my day is spent cleaning up messes.  98% of the messes were intentional... so, the other part of my day is spent explaining why we need to be neat and orderly.  I think 98% of that goes in one ear and out the other. 
Sometimes messes are a good thing.  It means the kids are having fun, learning, and exploring.  Like when the kids played in the slimey mud after we picked up the pool and put it away for the winter:

 Or when Tay helped me make tortillas and she used her tiny Play-dough roller

 Other times, its out of pure mischief.  Taylor Rose is usually behind it.  Like when she dumped out all of the fish food, then rubbed it in the carpet with a wet washcloth.  (She was trying to clean it up, so I gave her props for that)

 She also tried to vacuum it up.

 

Life is messy.

 

Grown-up Adventures

I have had a few outings without my extra appendages lately.
First, Ryan and I went out to celebrate my brother's birthday.  Kyle turned a whopping 22!  He is now a seasoned old man.
Here is the fam, minus the youngest.  Kelli didn't meet the height requirements.  Just kidding - she isn't quite 21 yet.

Here is the birthday boy, Ryan, and a peer pressuring Ryan.

Boog check.  All is clear.

What is this thing you call dance?

 

Some girlfriends and I went out for a girls night. 

There was a large group of us at first, the above three are the straglers.  I am aware that I have creeper eyes in that photo.

 

It was good, so we did it another night:

  (Yep, the ends of my hair are purple. Don't hate.)

Duck face, Mer-style.

 

Then, the kids and I went to Wacky Waco for a visit.  I left the kids with my cousin's nanny so we could tour the town.  Bonnie, my aunt Bevy, and I went shopping at the coolest little boutique/cafe called Sironia.  I found a super cute leopard tutu and pink lace leggings for Tay.  I also bought some DELICIOSO green tea, infused with herbs and strawberry.  Yummo! 
We played around in the clearance attic for a while:

 (I crouched down because her massive sombrero was bumping my crown, but then she crouched down.  So, I crouched more.  Thus, the awkward stance.)

 

 

Then we felt bad leaving the kids locked in the doghouse while we experienced life with friends, so we brought them along to dinner with my fam.  They were only allowed to come if they looked cute.  I think they did a WONDERFUL job.

 

 

 

The Cute and the Ugly - a Story About Food

Can food be cute? 

It can when it comes wrapped up in a package like this:

 CK and I were all over this little tiny container.  We said "AAAAWWWWWW" in perfect harmony. 

 

Not really on the same page, but surely in the same book...

I boiled a chicken that we ordered from a nearby organic farm.  (not the point)  I cooked up the innards for the dogs.  I didn't want them to eat everything all at once (never a fun mess to clean up), so there were a few leftovers in the pot.  I stuck it in the fridge for later.

The next day, the kids saw it.

Yep... the ate it.  The entrails.  They ate chicken "stuff".

 

I let them.

I knew they wouldn't get past the liver.

Nope.

CK tasted it and described it in the most awful way - one of his adjectives was "poop". 

Even Tay spit it out.

I died laughing.

Totally worth the entertainment.

 

Life as the Youngest

Maven is definitely my chilled out baby.  She takes things in strides and calmly absorbs her environment. 

 

Here she is, eating her banana (inside the mesh thingy), enjoying the show - her siblings being crazy nuts.

 

Having an additional four helping hands with her is sometimes a great thing:

 

It can be a very sweet thing:

 

It can be a very funny thing:

 

 Sometimes its a lot of fun, too.

 

Other times it can be terrifying for a little baby.  She falls a lot.  She has been dropped a few times (never a far fall, thankfully).  She has been stepped on.  She has been smashed.  She has been scared.
I sure hope we aren't aiming her adult life towards a chaise lounge and a cooky counselor with a combover and a busy pen.

 "West Siiiiiide". I agree, Maven.