Andrew's 1st time at the dentist

Andrew did really great. I was worried. He had some pain as he had to have an abscess drained. A few months ago, he and the boys and Tina were running around the house and things got out of hand and Drew slipped and slammed face first into a wall. He smashed his front tooth really bad and bled for quite a while. After a few days he seemed fine, but apparently he got infected. The dentist cut it open and drained it for what seemed like forever. Poor kid. He was a trooper though. He didn't even cry when he saw all the blood coming out. Brady and I could not believe it. He got his teeth polished and took x-rays too. No cavities. Apparently all the torture of brushing teeth has paid off.

A few days down the shore

I recently had a few days down the shore in Wildwood, NJ. Rex's mom and sister were in town so he took the boys for a week so they could all hang. I hear they had a good time minus a tornado watch and severe storm that really freaked them out. It didn't effect my vacation. Had some rain Wednesday night (overnight) but none during the day. The ocean was amazing. So beautiful. Our hotel looked out at the ocean and we had a nice balcony too. We were right by the MAJOR piers as well, and had a blast on all the different roller coasters. My favorite was the one with 3 loops and 2 cork screws; quite the thrill. I had the best lobster dinner along with steamed clams, shrimp and king crab legs one night. We did this cool boat ride called The Silver Bullet, which is the largest speedboat. It held around 50 people I think. We went down around the Cape May area of NJ and then out into the deep Atlantic Ocean. It was such a beautiful ride. Once out we stopped for a bit for the dolphin watch part of the trip and we were surrounded by 20+ frolicking dolphins. Several moms with calves as well. It was simply amazing. It was a nice 4 day break from LIFE!

More Projects

Man when I get the bug I get it bad. This time I replaced the vanity lights in my bathroom. It should have been a simple job, but urned into a bit of a nightmare, a the socket was off kilter and I could not get the screws planted as the holes were stripped. I had to improvise and try a few things, before I found one that worked. Brady helped keep me calm and was a good holder of tools and lights, as I had to do this in the dark, with electricity off in bathroom. UGH.

I also replaced my marble counter top in bathroom. With new paint and redone cabinets, I could no longer look at the ugly old (21 yr.) sink/ counter top. I found one I really liked at Home Depot, so with some help from Brady we managed to get it off the shelf, into a cart, and into the Jeep. It was a super easy install. In the process of securing the faucet and plumbing I cracked the plastic lead pipe from the drain, so I have to go replace that today so I can use my sink again. It looks so nice.

Fun Summer Activities

The days are long and hot here right now. Brady has several friends with pools, so luckily he gets invited over to swim occasionally. This was one such day. He had a great time, and I had fun talking to moms and dads for a bit. While Brady was with his friend swimming, I took Andrew to the mall to Build a Bear. He was bored and needed to get out, so Tanner and I took him. He had such a good time, heck I had a good time. We made a cute panda bear. He really loved Kung Fu Panda (movie) so he made a Kung Fu Panda and named him Po. He also got him a few other outfits. We were able to avoid the Hannah Montana section, due to Tanner being taller than a grown man. He stood his ground and planted in front of the stand and we managed to keep him from seeing the clothes. LOL

After returning to pick up Brady, we spent 30-40 minutes visiting with Ian's pet goats, Boo Boo, Sparky, & Tips. Ian's dad gave us a bag of pretzel knots to feed them and I literally had a blast. They were so sweet and gentle and their soft little fuzzy lips tickled so much. Dew had a blast as well. Brady got kisses and had his chin nibbled. It was hilarious.

A Gorgeous Day in NJ

An empty field by my house

"Project Bug"

As I did not have the boys this long holiday weekend I got the "Project Bug". I decided to refinish my bathroom cabinets and paint my bathroom walls a new color. The old color was a light sea foam green and the cabinets were a light oak color. They looked awful and worn.{{see photo above}}

I started Friday and finished Tuesday. It is a long drawn out process, with stripping, drying, priming, drying, painting drying, (3 coats) then applying my 2 coats of polyurethane. This was my first time refinishing cabinets and I was a bit nervous, but it worked out amazingly. I am so happy with them. I love the colors; they turned out to accent beautifully.

Tomahawk Lake in Sparta, NJ

Last weekend, I took Brady and Andrew here for some fun in the sun. They have amazing water slides and a nice beach to play on. Brady and his buddy had fun on the slides, well we all did actually. Andrew even went on the kids slides in the roped off section for kids under 4 ft. tall. The coolest inter tube slide was 500 ft long. Pretty fun. All the slides go right into the lake. I even went down Geronimo, which is an 80 ft. drop, straight down. I was more scared than I think I have ever been, but after Brady went down it and survived, I had to do it. I loathe being afraid of things...so I made myself do it and I was so glad I did. I immediately got right back on! Drew loved the paddle boats with Ruthi. We got rained on; BIG surprise, but only about 1/2 hour. Not so bad.

4th of July Sparks

I didn't have my kid this year, which makes going to fireworks not quite as exciting, but I did it anyway. I had a nice bbq w friends at their house. Steve, who cooked is a professional caterer, and he made the most delicious ribs and a plethora of other side dishes. It was delicious. It started raining about 8:00ish, and lasted pretty much the whole night. Needless to say I got soaked at our park. They put on a great show as always, even with the rain! I missed my boys, but they had a nice time with their dad.

Look at Me Mommy

A Typical Late Afternoon Rain in NJ

Every other day or so, we get pounded by serious rain. It lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. The sky gets dark, the winds pick up; sometimes we get rolling thunder as well. It is pretty awesome to see Mother Nature do her thang!