The Front Porch

I love my front porch.

When the wind picks up and the rockers start to sway with the promise of  a much-needed summer storm.

And last night, somewhere between supper and showers, we had ourselves a little concert on our front porch.

Lia was the opening act.
What she lacks in lyrics she most definitely makes up for in "porch presence."



Next was my hard rocker who surprised us all by forgoing his usual hip-hop routine to show off his softer, gentler side...



And then there was Miss Lily.
She rounded out the performances with a new twist on an old classic.
It's the most Mandarin I've heard her speak (or sing) since meeting her 6 months ago.



We haven't had nearly as much "front porch time" as I'd have liked to have had this summer.

But with the concert line up we've got around here, it seems we're going to have to find some.

Art Imitating Life (At Its Best)

I first saw this clip when I was a teenager.
I laughed then because I thought it was funny.
25 years and 6 kids later I watched it again.
Oh. My. Word.
The man is a genius.
Art imitating life (at least my life) at its best...

Click here to see a 3 minute clip of a typical evening at our house :) 

A Happy 4th

Popsicles...

and party hats,

precious smiles,

and pretty poses,

parades through the neighborhood

and loads of good ol' fashioned patriotism

made this 4th of July a happy one for all.

Beating the Heat...

The sun has reappeared and temperatures have been rising.

Unfortunately, our pool doesn't open for a couple more weeks.

Until then, these guys have managed to improvise.

What started as a dog washing opportunity quickly morphed into 4 very big kids in 1 very small plastic pool.

It really was comical watching them through the window.  I thought about going outside and getting some pictures.

But 4 kids playing happily outside on their own for a couple of hours?  Who am I to interrupt that?

I wasnt' sure how Lily was going to handle wearing a bathing suit.

She is ULTRA modest.  In fact, she often reacted like my Lands End swim catalog needed to come in a brown paper wrapper.

I wasn't sure if we'd even get her dressed for the pool, let alone in one.

But if this first water experience is any indication, I think we have one more fish in the family.

Workin' It...

Most of our Sunday was spent outside.
We pulled out some old toys that were new to some.

Seems like some much needed sunshine put a little bounce in all of us...

Well, almost all of us...

We were plum worn out by dinner time.
So when the kids asked to make s'mores over a fire for dessert, I wasn't surprised to hear Scott answer that another night would be better.

That's when they made their move.
"But Lily's never had s'mores before."
"Ever!"
"Please!"

Not missing a beat, she cocked her head, batted her eyes, folded her hands and chimed in "Please!"
"Please, please, pleeeeeeease!"


Oooh they're good.

And as for the s'mores...

...a half-dozen marshmallow covered faces indicated that they weren't too shabby either!

My Heroes

Darkness and rain clouds loom over our sleepy little town.
All hope for a Saturday spent enjoying some spring sunshine is lost.
And the threat of mounting laundry and evil dust bunnies seek to rob us of any and all joy this weekend.
Who will save us from our impending doom?

Enter...my hero...Stupendous Man

And his trusty sidekick...Bat Girl...with Bat Baby always by her side..

Together they will add life, laughter (and a little more laundry) to my otherwise gloomy Saturday...

 Once they decide they actually want to come out of the Bat Cave...

I do so love active imaginations!

Working together

Since becoming a family the size of a softball team (minus one), we are continually learning to coexist in harmony with one another.

Sanctification 101 I like to call it.

There are toys to be shared.
Space to be acknowledged.
Tongues to be held.
And so on.

It's a loud and messy process.

But sometimes, just sometimes, I find that in an occasional glorious moment or two, all the little ones will disappear upstairs plotting, planning, and preparing their next big project.  They work together and they do it (be still my heart) nicely.
 
Can you hear the angels singing?  Oh I do.
 

Here is a glimpse of what they surprised us with tonight.

Panda girl

Bunny boy

One little piggy complete with "pig food"

Strawberry the puppy

And Coco the cookie loving dog

A little construction paper, a dose of creativity and a sprinkling of collaborative efforts make for one huge mess to clean up and one happy momma. :)

Monday Morning Smiles

I found these shots on Lauren's camera the other day. 

What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when they are all upstairs playing "dress up."

Hope it makes you smile too...


Happy Monday!

If a Tree Falls in the Forest...

...and no one is there to hear it...

...but my kids discover it and make a ginormous see saw with it...

...does that absolve me of the guilt I feel for having 6 kids but no play structure in our yard?



I'm thinking "yes."

They're All Smiling...

  ...so it's a keeper. 

 

What's a mom to do...

...when she discovers that cirque du soleil type acrobatics are being performed in her home?

You remember, the "how on earth did he land without a trip to the ER" swan dive?

And the "Carly canon ball..."

...only to be superceded by the "Carly scissor kick?"

{Sigh.}

You break down and buy them one of these.

And then you stand at your kitchen window...

...coffee cup in hand...

...and watch them bounce themselves...

...to the point of exhaustion...

...and wonder why on earth you didn't think of doing this sooner.