Life in These Here Parts

I haven't posted much lately--shame on me! I'm in this bad habit of thinking that if I don't have any pictures to share that it's not worth writing a post. Luckily, we have taken some pictures this past week or so, so I've got some things to show you all. On Mother's Day (which was also my birthday) we went down to Fairview to see DH's mom. Fairview is about 1 1/2 hours away, so the drive is a drag, but it sure is pretty:

Here is a picture of DD out on the paddleboats with her Uncle John and Cousin Derek. We love getting to see Uncle John because he works in Africa and is gone a lot. They took Smuckers out with them. They could tell he couldn't make up his mind about jumping in and swimming to DH, so John gave him a little push and made up his mind for him.

It's ok though, Smuckers is a great swimmer!

Here is the beautiful waterfall that DH made in our backyard. Be sure to notice the fence in the background. YAY! Our first fenced yard. It makes it so much more peaceful back there to have that fence up.

Last year, Grandma and Grandpa got the kids a sand and water table to play with. We got some "play sand" at the hardware store, but it really wasn't very fun for playing. It had a lot of gravel in it and was really nothing like beach sand. More like lake sand. So, this year the kids saw some colored sand at Wal-Mart and were dying to have some. It was about 3 times the cost but totally worth it. It makes great castles and things. We spent Sunday afternoon building dams across it, filling one side with water and then "flooding" the village below. Fun times.

This picture is included just because I love it. This is such typical cat behavior! And DD's eye peeking through is just the best!

I'm thinking of Ireland lately. My Dad and Stepmom are in Ireland as I write this for a two week vacation (doesn't that sound fabulous?). My mom and her friend from work are going there next week. What are the odds? All of my parents (all three of them) are going to be in Ireland for the same week just by coincidence. I don't think my mom has ever even left the United States before. I'm really excited for her. My dad and stepmom have been there before and have given her some really great tips for her trip. What are the chances they run into each other over there somewhere?

I'm excited for American Idol tomorrow night. David Archuleta just gives me chills when he sings. David Cook is spectacular too, but the raw emotion isn't there the way it is with Archuleta.

Have a great day!