{New Basketball Hoop :: Daddy Time}

We got Brady a in ground basketball hoop for Fathers day and it has been quite the process to this this beauty into the ground. It was like a 20 step thing. But I know the amount of hours these boys and their daddy are going to spend out here shooting hoops makes all of the sweat and hard work worth it. 

 The boys had a blast stabbing holes in all of the boxes with daddy's tools and then took to drawing on them and turning the BIG boxes into houses. They will take just about anything and turn it into an art project. 

 Helping daddy work. 

 Final steps. 

You know I am only 7 months pregnant and was standing up on 2 ladders {one foot on each} holding the backboard up so Brady could bolt them together. Lets just say we are all glad I didn't fall and that its done with. 

 Itty Bitty shooting with his size ball. I know my boys never have clothes on... Never in a million years did I think that would be my kids BUT it is and life is going on. 

 Shooting hoops. 

To me his face says " I think I can make this. " Trying to be BIG like his brothers. 

 Daddy's got skills. 

 Pure happiness. Hey its past bed time and we still have not fed these little people dinner BUT the hoop is up and done and all anyone can think about is playing some ball. 

What a fun happy night at our house. 

{Flower, Butterflies, and Popsicles}

Planting my zinnia seeds was the BEST and cheapest decision I have made in my gardens.  They just keep growing and growing and growing and we just keep vases all over the house full of their beauty and get fresh ones every week. The other super fun thing about them is the amount of butterflies they have brought to our yard. The boys love to chase and catch and release them. 

 Brady was at work Saturday morning and it was not 100 degrees yet so the boys and I were trying to get some things done in the gardens. After we had cut a bunch of new flower Ryker came up with 2 fun new ways to try and catch butterflies. One was he was carrying the bouquet of flowers around the garden and he would hold still and they would come to him and the other way he was tricking them was he would set a cut flower back in the garden and then once the butterfly landed on it he would pick it back up. It was a fun game. 

 Hey and who doesn't love doing yard work in their jammies?! 

 Hard yard work deserves a popsicle and to relax in the rocking chair at our house. 

I love the these wild and crazy cute and sweet boys of mine. 

{Gold Fish}

And this is what I get for trying to work out in the garden for a few minuets... an entire bucket of gold fish smashed all over the kitchen and hallway... motherhood at it's best. 

{Spider Monkey :: Ollie Max}

Oh this baby. He and his stool get him into all kinds of trouble these days. He is such a little spider monkey. All I can do is laugh. 

{Ryker the Architect}

Ryker the architect. 

Out of no where Ryker asked if we could build with tooth picks and marshmallows. His imagination is something else. He is going to do GREAT things someday. 

{Friday Night Lights :: Go Wild Cats!}

So when you live in a small Alabama town what do you do on a Friday night? Go to the high school football game of course. That is what EVERYONE in the whole town does. And of course you all have to be sporting a Wild Cats shirt too. 

 These silly kids had a blast watching football, eating snacks, playing in the bushes and the tunnels, and watching the band. I'd say we did pretty good. Shara and I had 6  kids between the two of us and we only lost one {Grayson of course} once. 

They had so much fun they have asked almost everyday since when the next game is. Looks like I just might have to actually learn something about football. 

{Visitors :: Keaton and Melissa}

Brady's buddy Keaton and his friend Melissa came and stayed a few nights with us while they day tripped to Muscle Shoals Alabama. Apparently there is all kinds of cool music stuff, hiking, and a cave you can eat dinner in. It was fun for Brady to see one of his PT school buddies. 

{Grayson and Wyatt}

Because I have the sweetest friend EVER Shara and we have boys the same ages and we both have crazy kids country life is OH so much better. Shara was super sweet to help pick up the boys from school while I was at the hospital with Ollie. Grayson and Wyatt had a ball at McDonalds. They are so silly together. When I finally got home and went to pick him up he did not want to ever leave. 

 Shara was even a trooper to take one more kid with her to a dentist trip. iPad 's save mama's in waiting rooms that is for SURE! 

So blessed to have my "person" here in Guntersville. 

It is such a good thing we have the same stroller and were running every morning last year and me being classic Lindsay said to her one day ummm we should just run together and we have been running buddies ever since and now we are the best of friends and so are all of our kids. I can't imagine life with out her.  Running life is also SOOOOOO much better with a friend. 

{Grayson's First Day of Preschool :: August 29, 2016}

 This sweet boy was asking EVERY day since Ryker started school if he got to go to school. And sadly his school started almost a month later than Ryker's. BUT his day finally came and he was all smiles. Now every morning I tell him he needs to get ready for school he says "for kindergarten mama?" no sorry buddy you still have 2 more years before kindergarten. I feel so blessed that our boys love school so much. I pray they will always love school like this. 

The bummer part about this was his first day was the day Ollie had his hospital stay so I didn't get to take him or pick him up... but I don't think he minded too much because he got to go play with his buddy Wyatt. 

{Ollie Max 24 HR Hospital Stay}

This sweet little guy has had some major reflux problems since he was born and starting last December he started vomiting a LOT and all the time. We have been working with a GI specialist all summer and running all kinds of test and blood work and everything kept coming back normal. Which has been SUPER frustrating to know that what your baby is going through is NOT normal and them not be able to figure out what is wrong with him. So as a last resort we did a 24 hour hospital stay with a tube down his nose and throat to monitor his PH levels and how often and how hight up his reflux was. He was not too happy when they put the tube down and ended up throwing it back up but once it was down and he was able to have a bottle of milk and some food it wasn't too bad. It was a bit tricky to keep a 2 year old entertained in a hospital for that long but we managed.

 He became VERY demanding to go on walks {he needed out of the room more than I did}. He would say "go for walk, go for walk NOW!" He did LOVE all of the one on one mama time that he got. 

I have mixed emotions on the results. They of course like everything else came back normal. I was feeling VERY frustrated by it all when his doctor reminded me that at least we have ruled out any of the big scary things it could have been and now we just get to deal/live with the annoyance of his puking and pray that he eventually out grows it. 

{BIG 30}

Turning 30 was really not a big deal to me. To be honest I sure hope I am close to 30 since I am almost a mama of 4 beautiful babies. And really I can't even remember what my age is most days.... funny how when you are young that is all you can think about and then it just seems like a number that doesn't really matter anymore. I was spoiled by all of my boys for my birthday. Brady took me out on a hot date to the Melting Pot {mmmmmmm is all I can say} and we had friends over for a game night which is always a win in my book. 

{Splash Pad :: Unplanned and in Clothes}

So for some odd reason I had written on the calendar that there was a bluegrass festival in a town 30 mins away from us that we were all super excited to go to... well needless to say there was nothing like that going on and we had to improvise for a mommy flop on the adventure of the day so we ate lunch at a tiny BBQ joint on the railroad tracks that when the train went by the whole building shook... I felt like I was in a movie and then headed to the splash pad and played in our clothes. It was not what we had planned but it still ended up being a fun family day. 

Guntersville has been talking about building a splash pad.... I really hope the follow through. We LOVE splash pads and wish we had access to a close one.