Murphy- 2 months

Murphy is now 2 months old and he is officially HUGE! He had is check-up and is 12 lbs. 6 oz. and 24 inches long. That puts him in the 78th percentile for weight and off the charts for length. Maybe he will be my basketball center! He loves to eat-obviously and has started to smile and coo and he is sleeping a little better.

Summer basketball

Griffin's school JV team played in a team tournament over the weekend. They ended up 3-3 which is pretty good since they played mostly varsity teams. One team had a guy who dunked on them about 5 times. Needless to say Griffin's team of 14 and 15 year olds didn't have answer for that! They had fun but after playing 6 games in less than 24 hours they were a tired group of kids!

Watering the grass

Sprinkler soccer

Whenever Poppy waters the grass the kids use it as an opportunity to have some fun. Brett has come up with a new game he calls "sprinkler soccer" where he puts the beach ball right next to the sprinkler head and chases it after it is shot out into the yard by the water. Whit just likes to get soaking wet and do a little maintenance while he is at it.

The kids have been wanting to camp out in the backyard for a while now. We finally got a small tent and set it up so they could try it. They were so  excited and actually stayed out there all night. Even though the tent was 30 feet from the house, Kevin felt the need to sleep out there with them. Needless to say, he paid for it the next day with a sore back. They had fun but for me this is as close to "camping" as I am ever going to get. I need my modern conveniences thank you very much!

Camp Markland

Smores!!!

Hadley's Super Supper

I came up with the idea of letting my kids plan and prepare 1 meal for the week. They plan the menu and shopping list and than help me prepare the meal on their night. Hadley was the first to help with a meal. On the menu:

Chicken Strips

fresh fruit

french fries

brownies

Nature Camp

This was our 1st full week of summer vacation. I didn't plan much because I just need a break. Griffin helped at basketball camp and Carson and Reese decided to do Nature Camp at home with Hadley, Brett and Whit. They taught them about frogs, made pine cone bird feeders and went on a nature hike. They also camped out in the backyard one night. So far, so good. No more fighting than usual and only a few cries of boredom.

Mountain Fun

Kevin took most of the gang to the mountains for 2 days for some early summer fun. They enjoy swimming in the lake and playing at the playground. They also enjoyed some cooler weather.

Lawn Boy

Whit LOVES to be outside and he LOVES to do yard work just like Brett used to! He mows, waters, edges, gets weeds, rakes, digs etc. His favorite gardening accessories are his frog boots of course!

Fun in the Sun

More outside fun for us. It is already so hot so most days involve some sort of water activity so we can tolerate being out in the heat. Poor Murphy is forced to endure the heat too! I am not sure this cute little fan does much but I guess it is better than nothing!

Devil in Disguise

Whit causing trouble by kinking the hose

"Horse Play"

Slip-n-Slide

I swore I would never buy another one of these because they always break the first time you use them but the kids begged so I caved! Guess what? It broke! But not before we had some fun and got some good pics.

Last Day of School

Like the facial hair? I don't but he thinks it is "beast"

Ok- so this was actually a week ago but with 7 kids running around my house all day I have not had a chance to download, edit and post these pics. Anyway, another successful year is in the books. All kids in school have been promoted to the next grade- YEAH! That in itself is a success-right!? Griffin moves on to 10th, Carson to 7th, Reese to 5th and Hadley to 3rd plus Brett will go to Kindergarten! But first we have 10 weeks to chill!