Watermelon to the rescue

Flash, Batman & Green Lantern - the Justice League of Melons.

And the beat goes on

For the most part, we have something going on everyday with the pool. It is crazy just how these projects seem to consume us. Here's the latest photos. We're expecting in probably about 2 weeks we can put the water in. There's still so much to do beyond that (landscaping, barbecue, etc.) that it will be nice, but hardly seem like we're done. This week, deck, patio cover and fence!

Back to School...Back to School... To Prove to Daddy...

Just a little homage to Billy Madison - the coolest student since Miles Davis. Aiden and Greyson started school last Monday. Aiden is really liking 2nd grade and his teacher, Ms. Ferland. Grey started kindergarten and has Mrs. Bailey. There are over 30 kids in his class, which I can not begin to imagine. My little babies are all growing up so fast.

The Money Pit

As much as we are excited about our pool, it really should be called the money pit. I think the thing would have seriously cost less if I had dug a hole in the backyard and filled it with $100 bills. Really, we have stayed on budget and on schedule, it is just really hard shelling out so much in such a short amount of time. Also, we may be saving money doing it owner/builder (acting as the contractor) but it really takes a lot of time and effort to coordinate all of the sub-contractors. We just got gunite on Friday, so things are clicking along!





Because we knocked down the wall to put in the door into Mom's garage, we had to put new block up so we could put the gate back. Since we won't pass inspection until that gate is up, I spent yesterday putting the block up. Thanks to Derek, my brother-in-law, we were able to bang it out in the morning. Nothing like manual labor to make you glad for education! Really, it is quite fun and rewarding doing these little projects. I just wish I could take off of work for a month to get them all done.

Two Tickets to Paradise...or Dana Point

Two years ago, the whole family (meaning practically all of my siblings, their spouses, children, my parents - the whole shibang) went on a wonderful camping trip to the beach outside of Santa Barbara. We had so much fun, that we decided to do it again this year. However, this time we opted for a little closer and went to Dana Point. Doheny State Beach is a beautiful campground with great facilities! We missed out on Hudge and his family joining us (Terressa is quite prego, like that is somehow an excuse or something) :) Other than that, we were all there - although Mom and Dad did the motel thing down the road.



You've got to love three days of doing pretty much nothing except playing on the beach. It was great because our campground was just 100 yards or so from the beach.





The cones you can see in the picture above, were kind of weird. I guess there had been some irrigation pipes or something right there so they put cones to cover up the little stubs. Other than that we met really friendly people and had a great time. A highlight was the showering. We'd go into the larger, disabled-equipped showers so the whole family could fit. Then all of the boys would shower with Kim handing me Cooper. Then we would all exit to let Kim take her shower. Good times! Once, when we were waiting for the shower to become available, the boys discovered that the lock said "occupied" when it was in use. Now why that is funny, I do not know, but my brother-in-law (the shower's occupant) got to hear four little boys repeat over and over "OOOOOCUUUUUPIIIIIIIIED!" (emphasize each syllable). According to the boys, the word is funny because it has the word "pie" in it. - As a side note, last week we were at the mall and guess what the locks on the restroom say there? Yes, we got to relive the entire experience all over again. Oh so much fun. Really.



Travelling to and from California was somewhat of an adventure. We took my truck so we could more easily haul all our gear and a good portion of the food for everyone. Well, since my truck only seats 6, that meant we had to farm somebody out. Greyson got to ride with Chad and Tara down and back. That meant he watched little girl movies and teen movies. He saw Bratz, Ella Enchanted and Lord of the Rings! Since we caravaned and with a truck full of little boys as well, we made frequent stops at the side of the road for them to do their little boy business. All in all the trip went very smoothly.



We had such a blast. We're not sure if this will be an annual experience or something we do every other year, but one thing is for sure. We're going to keep camping on the beach for some time to come.

And the pool goes on...

Things are moving along nicely with the pool. With any luck, we might actually get to swim before it gets too cold.

Broken Ground

The pool is underway! Here are some amazing photos of the excavation. No, that's not a UFO hovering over our yard; they craned over a huge excavator into the yard to dig the pool. Can you believe that it was cheaper to do that than to bust a hole in the wall or have a bobcat come from the front? Well it sure gave the boys something to gawk at, and now something for Kim and I to stress about for the next few weeks. Having a gaping hole in the yard and five little energetic and somewhat elusive boys can add a small measure of stress in your life, but it will make the water seem that much more relaxing when it is done, right?

Four Eyes

For the life of me, I have never understood why my wife actually wants to wear glasses, but she likes to have these fake things as fashion accessories. So, every once and awhile, the kids get in on the action.



Or in the case of Aiden, they just want to look plain goofy without the glasses.



Also, a couple of nights ago, Jace was once again showing us how extremely pleasant he can be when he is tired. We had sat down to read, and he was adamant on having his own book. When Kim said that he didn't need his own copy to follow along with because he doesn't know how to read yet, he said, "Yes, me know how to read."

Deciding to play along, I asked him to read what was on his jammies (they were Batman ones, so I was confident he would be able to accomplish this task). Sure enough, he says, "Ummmm" (liking he's trying to decipher it) "BATMAN!" To try and further prove his reading skills, I ask him to read Gage's jammies (Spiderman). Again, he pulls the "ummmm" and then in a sheepish, inquisitive voice, he says, "Jesus?" So, no. Jace can't read yet. Either that or Peter Parker is NOT Spiderman's secret identity!