Parkes Dramatic Haircut

Well I took Parkes to get a haircut today, and I knew that I wanted to take off a good bit for the summer so I told the guy to leave about an inch and a half. Well it turned out more like only a half of inch left... I stayed strong while it was being cut not wanting Parkes to see me break down and cry as my baby was turned into a little boy. He is still of course very handsome and I know the curls will grow back, but I am having trouble looking at him and not being totally shocked. He was playing with the neighbors this afternoon and I'm used to being able to do a quick glance to the kids and spot the one with the curls and now I have to look a little closer to see which one is mine. Brandon's at Bonnaroo with his brother so he hasn't seen the haircut yet.

Fun Summer Afternoons

We have spent lots of afternoons out on the front porch "painting" which the boys have enjoyed very much...most of the water usually ends up on top of their heads. I finally got to really painting the porch this weekend and hopefully just have one more coat left until that project is finished and I tackle the carport and shed. Then yesterday Parkes learned how to ride a scooter and now all he wants to do is ride one so any grandparents looking for a present for him he is wanting one. Ollie has been very sweet to share his with him so he could ride with them.Of course once Parkes and the neighbors were riding that meant Brandon wanted a turn to try some tricks (he is suppose to be jumping in this picture). The evening ended last night with a touch football game which wore all the boys out and did not wake up until after 8!!!!! We had lots more fun this weekend that I do not have photographed because we went to meet our good friends at the park so Cash could play with Luke and I brought the camera but no memory card. And then my good friend from high school was in town with her husband and new baby Evie and we had lunch at our house but I need her to send some pics since I didn't get my camera out. So Cash had a big weekend getting to play with friends since he is usually watching the big boys play...he is a little more reserved then Parkes and enjoys observing.

Every year I have hopes that I can plant a few veggies and herbs to enjoy while cooking...I have visions of cooking in the kitchen and being able to just pop out the door to cut some fresh herbs. Since I usually have quite the brown thumb this usually doesn't happen. Well this year I have things growing...I think it has more to do with all the rain we've had then my talent as a gardener, but either way I'll take it. So I have gotten to use my sage, basil, oregano, mint and chives and I have tomato, cucumber, bell pepper and a watermelon (keep ending up in my cart at home depot from a little 4 year old's doing) plants growing with tiny veggies starting to grow. And then I, also, real love to bake even though they rarely get eaten around our house, and I have high hopes that I could be a good cake decorate since my dad has always made wonderful cakes, but it is not one of my specialties so I'll stick to cupcakes. Here's what I saw in the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine to give your cupcakes a different look (really I was out of the paper cups and was making these for our across the street neighbor for his birthday and remember seeing using parchment paper and they turned out pretty cute). Baking is a great activity to do with kids though so I do try (doesn't always happen) to bake with Parkes at least every other week since it teaches them so much about counting and math. Parkes is really in a math mood lately...he is always asking "mom what's 2 cross 3." Cross to him is a plus sign. He can do must small math like that himself...he's teachers this past year were wonderful and he loved them so much. He even had his one teacher Ms. Mary over for a playdate at the end of the year. He has now finished the first week since summer session started and he's in the Pre-K class (hard to believe). He was a little upset about leaving Ms. Mary, but didn't take long to love his new class where he has spent his whole days there in the writing/art center which is his favorite thing to do these days. Cash stayed in his same room for the summer and will move up in the fall...he loves to color now and always runs straight to the markers in my class when we get there in the morning. He keeps his teachers laughing with his personality now. I'm so glad they both enjoy school so much and I can be there to see it.

Who's the "Fartest"?

I thought I would share a funny story. Just like most people with 4 year olds riding in the car for us is a nonstop chatter fest from Parkes, he starts as we buckle him in and is still talking as I'm getting out of the car to get him and Cash out. So the other day the whole family was in the car and Parkes is jabbering on about something while Brandon and I are having a conversation with a quick "really" or "wow" back towards Parkes so we are "taking part" in his conversation. So then I started to hear him talking about who's the "fartest" (which is how he says smartest). I stop and listen as he goes on to tell Cash "mom's a little farter then dad, but I'm definitely the fartest." I think all the times I've told him how smart he is has gone to his head. So here's what Parkes has been up to... So for a funny story on Cash....he has learned how to turn himself in circles. This morning he's out on the porch just turning in circles and then stops and stumbles around until he falls unto his bottom. He then just looks up at me and laughs. Then proceeds to try to stand again with a little wobble and start all over. He probably entertained himself and me for a good 30 mins doing this. And Cash has become obsessed with showing off his belly button... Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day. We took it easy and just spent a little family time and Brandon finally got some much need quality time with the bobcat and got some mud piles moved!!! Now we are ready for some mud football in the backyard so gather your teams...

Cash's Numbers

Well we did have a doctor's appointment for Cash this past month and I never put up his stats. He is.... weight 24 lbs 12 oz (60%) height 29 inches (still below the curve) head 48 1/2 cm (60%) He just might end up with a bigger personality then Parkes if that is possible. Cash's favorite word is "hi." He makes sure to tell everyone he passes and at school as we walk the halls he will stop in ever door to tell whoever is in there hi. He, also, loves to have "conversations" with us and just babbles nonstop and then will stop and wait for us to respond so he can answer us. He has several words, but I feel he probably has a lot more then I know, but since he talks constantly and doesn't stop at an item to say a word it's hard to tell (Parkes was the same way and then he just started talking and you could understand everything). He is obsessed with his belly button at the moment. He is such a happy baby (until it comes to meal times which I cannot make fast enough for him) and loves to observe things before he gets his hands into it which is the complete opposite of Parkes. They are for the most part very similiar in their personality and looks that it is fun to see when they show their differences. And in hair news it looks like Cash could be curly like Parkes which I thought for sure his was going to be straight, but now there are some curls forming. I'm still not convienced it will be as curly as Parkes, but maybe more like my brothers. And finally in exciting news, my youngest brother, Brad, graduated from college. We are so proud of him. Now he is looking for someone to sponsor him so he can join the winter golf tour which would hopefully lead to the regular tour so if you know anyone or a company looking to sponsor a golfer let us know. Our camera's battery died right after this picture so it's all I have. Only one Stevens left to graduate and that won't be until at least 8 years from now.

Muddy Buddies do Destin

Another picture from the Mud Day of Parkes and Ollie...they are great friends and neighbors and will get in to all kinds of trouble as they grow up. So about a week ago the neighbors told us how they had gotten a free trip to Destin through work and since it was just going to be Ashley and the boys that could go asked if I wanted to brave it with her and go down and take my boys. So Thursday morning at 4 am we loaded the car with five boys and two moms and headed down (we left early thinking that the boys would sleep a few hours of the trip, but oh no they were way too excited for that even Cash decided to stay awake). So we got down there nice and early to enjoy the sun and miss the rain of Nashville. All the boys did so well on the trip and played great together so it was actually a wonderful relaxing trip. Parkes and Ollie on the beach Parkes and Cash relaxing at the pool Cash loved the pool Daddies showed up at 2:30 am on Saturday and got to bury the kids in the sand. Also, the daddies flew kites with the boys and it was very windy which lead to one flying away which lead to Parkes being a little upset because he "just loved the kite." On the way home he told us though that he saw God playing with the kite up in the clouds so all was good again. Cash enjoyed the chair on the beachThen on the way home our family made a little detour and went to Mobile to see the battleship. Parkes really enjoyed it...and so did Daddy. Cash just liked the break from the car.Pretending to shot the big machine gunsAnd finally I had a birthday before the trip. Brandon keep asking what I wanted to do but really didn't care to do much of anything because I already had a girl's night planned to celebrate and last year's birthday we had a colicky baby and I had a pinched nerve in my neck so I was good this year (what a difference a year makes). So Brandon decided to clean the house and make dinner and a cake for Porch Talk (our normal evenings after the kids are put down and the neighbors gather on the porch for adult conversation). As you can see Cash enjoyed helping make the cake.

Easter and more mud fun...

Okay well I finally got the camera away from Brandon who keeps leaving every morning with it so I could download some pictures. So here's a couple shots of the boys at the Easter egg hunt at my parent's house. Once Cash realized what was in the eggs he was all done and just sat and ate. Then there's the dirt piles...still there. We were hoping to have them moved today, but our neighbor who has the bobcat is out of town and has the bobcat at another house. Can't be too picky when he lets us use it whenever we want and unlike most people we seem to have the need for a bobcat a lot. So the boys realized that between our yard and our neighbors which we are fencing in together so the 5 boys can have lots of room there is a pond when it rains. So yesterday afternoon there was some mud still in it which of course could only be made better if you turn the hose on. This is how it started... And then how it ended...Cash really wanted to join the big boys, but wasn't to sure about it until Ollie convinced him.

Lots and Lots of Dirt

So we have been discussing the backyard to try to get it finally completed and ready for summer. We got the fence installed when they were doing the front porch. Brandon had told them to just install it level and we'd get some dirt to even out the yard since the yard we knew sloped some towards the back but we didn't think it was too bad...that was until they put in the fence level and we had a 3 foot gap at the bottom on one side. So we had discussed getting dirt and Brandon said that he could maybe get some from a job dumped at our house and not have to pay for getting some (we are very thrifty home renovators). So fast forward to today and I call Brandon as I am driving home from school to hear that we got some dirt dumped today. So I'm figuring I would come home to one small pile of dirt, but oh no this is what I drove up to see.Of course Parkes thought it would be so much fun to climb on. Luckily I convinced him to change clothes first since he had his Easter Bunny pictures at school and their Easter Egg hunt he actually wore good clothes to school. And Cash enjoyed watching him from ground level. So looks like I know what we will be doing this Easter weekend. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.

Spring Break Fun and Balloons!

This past week was the boys and my spring break and truthfully I was not doing cartwheels about it. The boys really enjoy school and need that outlet for their energy, and I enjoy the break even though I am in a class of 8 kids down the hall, other kids actually listen to what I saw when I tell them to stop usually. Anyway, the week actually turned out great. Both boys seemed to catch onto that it was spring break and decided to sleep until 9 every day...yes I said 9. We all three enjoyed being lazy and just playing around the house and enjoying the weather. Parkes pulled out his sidewalk chalk and had lots of fun. Cash had his first experience of running free in the back yard and had a blast. Brandon joined in on the fun on Saturday and we spent all day outside playing with the neighbors. Cash has started clinching all the muscles in his body when he gets really excited to the point he is shaking. Here's the best shot we have gotten of it below. It is so funny and he will start doing it for the laughs too. He has formed a love of balloons and today as we walk in Harris Teeter he started getting really excited because he could see the balloons he could hardly control himself. Parkes has decided that his favorite color is blue (everyone must have one and if you don't Parkes picks one for you....we will see how this goes as Cash starts voicing his opinion more). But anyway, Cash carries his balloon around with him for hours and gets really upset when it is taken away. Here he is eating with it because he had a death grip on it I couldn't pry it out of his hands and it was not a battle worth fighting over.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

St. Paddy's Day has become a big deal this year around our house. Parkes got to do the leprechaun hunt at school and has been looking for leprechaun's in the woods so he woke up very excited today to see what all the leprechaun has turned green, and he is decked out in head to toe green (a shirt just wasn't enough). So we have the Guiness Stew in the crockpot and I'm about to start working on some Irish soda bread to round of the festivities for tonight. Here's Cash at the pool on Saturday. We found the perfect rainy day activity to get out of the winter blues...the Bellevue Y has a great indoor pool for kids. My brother-in-law had taken his girls there and I keep meaning to go, but you know life gets busy. Well Parkes had been talking about the pool and Cash absolutely loves the bath so we decided to go and it was so worth it. The boys had so much fun on the slides and fountains, and the best part they were worn out and asleep at 7:30 leaving a nice night for mom and dad. For those that know Parkes' sleeping going to bed at 7:30 is unheard of...usually 10 is doing well. Anyway, have a great St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Cash Walks!

Well Cash has finally decided walking might not be so bad and has started taking steps. He still definitely prefers crawling, but has taken up to 10 steps. Above he is showing off his walking and his chunky legs. You can also check out the black eye which has started looking more like eye shadow. Below is his preferred method of movement. He scouts around the house like this the majority of the day.

First Shiner

Cash got his first black eye today...pretty good with how rough our boys are. It doesn't really do it justice in this picture, but you get an idea. Luckily it happened in my classroom right before he wen to his so his teachers didn't have to come and tell me and no accident report had to be written up. He cried for all of 30 seconds before he wanted down to play some more. Of course if I take Cash's picture Parkes wants his taken as well so here he is with one of his "kids" as he calls his small stuff animals.And finally this Walgreens Deal from Southern Savers is just too good not to share. I did it Sunday. Now if you printed off the $5 coupons for Huggies then it's a great deal (if you just have the $1.50 off ones then it's still not bad). I actually did this deal then took my $10 register rewards (print off with receipt) to buy 4 12 packs of cokes for $13 (so paid $3) which printed off $3 more register rewards which I then used to buy milk (so paid nothing). So when I left Walgreens I had spent $17.50 and had a total savings of $90 for 4 Glade products, 3 packs of diapers, 4 12 packs of cokes, milk and a coke for me to take to church. Now what really got my out of pocket was the deal below was $6, but the tax was $6 because it is on the total before the coupons are taken off.

• Buy:
• (3) Huggies Diapers $10 ea
• (4) Glade Lasting Impressions or Sense and Spray $7.99 ea
• Use:
• (3) -$5 off Huggies printable (will work for any type)
• (2) Glade B1G1 printable
• (2)-$4 off Glade Manufacturer coupon from newspaper
• (4) -$4 off Glade Walgreens coupon (only need one, computer will take it off x 4) from Easy Saver Rebate Book
• Total Due: $6.49
• Get: $10 RR back, you make $3.51 profit

So with Walgreens and after a $23 Publix trip (I saved $38) I am almost at my $50 weekly grocery budget which I have done great the past two weeks of keeping and that includes buying 4 packs of diapers and 5 boxes of Captain Crunch which Brandon was very excited about.

Why Play with Toys...

when the basket is so much more fun!!!!

Life surrounded by Boys

Well this Valentine's Day we decided to do something a little different and spend some family time away from home where the laundry, dishes and various other to-do list get in the way (Brandon and I did go to dinner alone together last weekend). So where did we go...to a cabin off the Natchez Trace. Brandon had gone there growing up and said how much fun he had there hiking and fishing so since I am destined to be a mother of boys I should just embrace it. So we packed up the car and left Saturday morning. Luckily it was nice the first day and a half so we got some hiking and fishing in before it turned really cold. The cabin, as Brandon put it, hasn't changed at all since he had been there as a child so you could imagine there was not much. We were told no TV which when we explained this to Parkes his response was with a big bottom lip stuck out, "But I love TV." We all survived though with no technology (it did turn out there was a tv in the cabin but it only got a few home shopping channels and we tv). So here's some pictures from the past few days (I left our camera at my class so we only had Parkes' camera and the pics are a little grainy, but it is fitting for the trip).

Learning to Cook Pistaches

Last night Brandon's dad, Happy, drove to Nashville to bring Patricia and Julie to the airport so they could fly home to Aruba. Brandon requested that they teach us how to cook Pistaches and Johnny Cakes a childhood favorite of his from when he lived in Aruba. A Pistache (which I could be spelling that completely wrong) is a dough that is rolled out and stuffed with gouda cheese alone or with anything else you want and enclosed then fried. Johnny Cakes are the same dough but flattened out and fried kinda like a fried pancake...both are really yummy. Brandon used to get them on the playground during school for a snack, and I got to enjoy them when we went down to aruba 3 years ago. It will be nice to get to share them with Parkes and Cash and share that part of Brandon's childhood. I think it is definitely time to have a theme dinner around the pistaches maybe with some plantain chips too...I'll have to fit it in between Mardi Gras and St. Paddy's Day. Here's some pictures from the evening (I really don't know why I can't get the font out of italic...it has a mind of it's own). We are enjoying this nice weather and our new front porch. Cash wants to play out on the porch all day.

One more good thing...

Flowers from my husband for no reason.

We are still here...

just haven't left the house in awhile or taken pictures or much of anything that I will mention here. It's been a rough time around here lately with Parkes pressing every button I have. So here are some good things that have happened around here lately... Parkes decided to try a hot dog and liked it so he now will eat three things...hot dog, peanut butter and jelly and cheese sandwiches. Parkes finds every reason to remind me how much he loves me, Brandon and Cash. Cash is self entertained with a ball for hours and thinks it is the funniest thing when he throws it across the room. The sound of a quiet house at 9 at night...Parkes has been going to bed so much better. The sound of delight out of both boys as they watched the firetruck and NES truck in front of our house tonight fix a transformer that blew. Parkes with his arm around Cash pointing out the man on the ladder and Cash yelling "ight, ight". I think we've made a break through today so hopefully next weekend we won't be cleaning 10 pairs of underwear and have 6 showers in two days.