I'm all about the Ford F-150 right now...

We are pleased to introduce the newest addition to the family - the pool. The girls and I trudged across town, visiting our second Wal-Mart of the day, in search of this little gem. Thankfully, the 2nd store had it, but our spirits were crushed when we discovered we couldn't fit it in the van to bring it home. Kaylee cried. I considered following suit. Seriously, it was hot that day. Super crazy hot. I resigned myself to helping the Wal-Mart employee carry it back inside to be picked up at a later time with our truck. Then, out of nowhere, an angel in an F-150 came up beside us and offered to drive it to our house - across town, mind you. She had been waiting in front of me in line with her 2 kids to pay for the exact same pool as I was getting. We are indebted to this woman, whose name we don't even know. She would only let me compensate her long drive with popsicles, God bless her. Thanks to her, my kids didn't melt into small puddles.

Life in the 'Burbs Part Deux

We were cleaning up from the garage sale on Saturday when a man came running up our circle screaming, "Does anyone have a fire extinguisher? We've got a vehicle fire over here!" Um, ok, so I know we have one, but, of course, I can't find it. (Turns out it's in the back of Chris's work truck which was parked directly in front of our house.) The man ran away fairly quickly, so what else are we to do but follow? This was the scene within minutes:

The firemen finally put out the blaze, and the van was hauled away by a tow truck, leaving a stream of ash behind. The people in it were ok, but there van is, well, toast.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We're having a super busy week. Vacation Bible School has a lock on our mornings. The kids are having an awesome time. Lauryn's in great hands in the nursery and seems to be enjoying herself. Kaylee is really having fun in her class of 22 4 & 5 year olds. (How would you like to lead that class?) She's making crafts, singing songs, learning Bible stories and verses, and enjoying playing with her friends. Mommy is having fun too - in the craft department. You probably know that my crafting ability ranks low on the scale, but it's a fun step out of my comfort zone.

I'm also in the process of preparing for a garage sale in a week and a half. Chris thinks I'm crazy. Maybe I am. Hopefully we can make a little extra cash to take on our vacation to Wisconsin.

Tomorrow we're off to visit PaPa and Grandma for a long weekend. Chris can't come because he has to work. He's making a mental to-do list of things he wants to get done while we're gone. They include re-sanding the drywall and repainting the bathroom, patching the drywall holes from the baby gate, and who knows what else. I'm excited to see the progress he can make without two little girls begging Daddy to push them on the swing!

Oh, and did I mention I'm going to see Rascal Flatts on Friday night? It's been too long since I've seen them in concert, and I can't wait. The kids will be in good hands, and I hope they don't wait up for me. I'm going to try and weasel my way on the tour bus.

Backyard Fun

Have you guys seen this yet? We have the best daddy in the whole world! Look what he made us. Come over and play any time!

Cubbie Kaylee

Kaylee had one of her first major accomplishments at the end of April. She finished her first Cubbie book in AWANA. For those of you not familiar with AWANA, it's a Bible memory program with games, skits, songs, and book time for kids ages 3 - high school. (Our church only does it through 6th grade.) Anyway, Kaylee memorized every verse in her book and got her first award. She was very proud, and you can bet Daddy and Mommy were too.

The Fabulous Fours (I hope!)

It's cliche, really, when parents say things like "Where does the time go?" and "It seems like just yesterday..." I always thought those were the lamest things to say when talking about your kids until I had some of my own. Seriously, where does the time go? Our first little bundle of joy turns 4 today. Kaylee is so much fun. She loves her daddy, mommy, and little sister, and she is learning to love Jesus. We thank God that he chose us to be her parents. She brings us a lot of joy.

She got a bicycle for her birthday, along with a helmet and knee/elbow pads. She put them on first thing when she got up. I think her first attempt out in the street went pretty well. We need to work on how to use the brakes.

Happy birthday, Kaylee! We love you so much and are enjoying watching you grow up from a "little kid" to a "big girl!"

Life in the 'burbs

It was a peaceful Saturday night. I retired around 11:30 to do my nightly crossword puzzle while Chris fell asleep in his chair (his nightly routine). I dozed off and was rudely awakened at midnight by the sound of a very loud engine. Those of you who have been to our house know that this is pretty much guaranteed to be a particular neighbor of ours. I dozed back off and woke up 10 minutes later to the same sound. This time Lauryn started crying. Now I'm ticked. I wanted Chris to go over there and tell the guy to cool it. I mean, seriously, it's after midnight. Chris opened the window to see what was going on and to see if it looked safe enough for some sort of middle-of-the-night confrontation. Intoxicated Neighbor gets back in his truck after punching his garage door and peals out - loudly, once again. Anyway, I start spouting off about how he's going to get somebody killed acting like a 3-year old and driving after drinking. Next thing you know, we hear the sirens and within seconds, Neighbor's truck is pulling back into his driveway, two police cars following closely behind. Needless to say, Chris and I crowded around the one open window to see what was going down. Neighbor got out of the truck when he was told not to, so Cop #1 spread-eagles him and cuffs him immediately. Nice. After a while, Cop #2 gets neighbor out of the car, uncuffs him, and attempts to do a field sobriety test. After 3 attempts at "put your hands at your sids, tilt your head back, and close your eyes for 30 seconds," said attempt was deemed a failure. He ended up getting recuffed and taken to jail, charged with a DUI. Who says nothing exciting happens in the big O? You should move to our neighborhood.