Austin and the park

Austin and I went to the DQ yesterday and then we were going to the park. While at DQ it started to pour down rain. We sat there and ate our ice cream. It stopped raining hard and we went ahead to the park. There were lots of people there. Austin played for a short time then we came home. We then caught lighting bugs, feed the fish and went upstairs and watched a movie. It was too hot to really enjoy anything.

Attic Cleaning

It is now officially too hot to work in the attic. It is about 140 degrees up there. Maybe in the evenings I will be able to go up there and pull a few things out to go through. I guess the rummage sale will have to wait a few weeks. On Thursday the weather is to be cooler. Maybe I can get up there and do some major work. I am glad I did what I did before these super hot days. Heat advisory until 7 pm Wednesday. Believe me it is too hot to even think about going out side to feed the fish. I will get this attic beat though... just wait and see! You know me, when I make up my mind to do something, nothing gets in my way. I will accomplish it.
So be warned children... anything you want you need to get and take home...

Money, Money, Money

Austin was hired by Great-Grandma to pull weeds from her garden. She paid him and he put the money in his secret hiding place until we can get it in the bank. He likes pulling weeds especially when he is getting paid.
Aunt Lara he wants to come to your house and visit soon. Send us your schedule so we can see what we can work out.

Austin and his key

We found a key to the house, so Austin now has his own key for the summer. He has been practicing unlocking the door. He is pretty proud of himself.

Austin the Fish Trainer

Austin has been working on getting the fish to come to the side of the pond where he is feeding them. It is working. They now come to the side. They are getting braver coming to the top to feed while he is there. It is just a matter of a few more days of feeding them and they will be "friendly."

Austin and his day doing yard work

Austin Friday helped my yard guy Steve. Austin pulled weeds while Steve moved some plants for me. Austin worked very hard and did a great job. If anyone in this area needs a yard man Steve is good at the job and works hard from start to finish.

Austin is very proud of his work. But the toads have invaded the pond. What a mess we will have in a few days. Not a fun thing at all. I just don't have the heart to tell him that probably most of the toad eggs will get eaten by the fish.

DIshes, I don't know how to do dishes!

Austin had a first experience today. He washed all of the dishes, even the glass ones. He was afraid he might break one. I told him as long as he didn't break a dish on purpose, no sweat. He relaxed and did a great job. He even learned how to use the green scratch pads. What a great boy he is. Everyone should be proud of Austin..... Go Austin Go!
And he lived happily ever after.
Grandpa is very proud of him!
Grandma is very proud of him also!
Mommy told him she was proud of him!

He wants mommy to know he loves her very much!
He says Hi to Devon and I will be home someday.
Bye all from Austin.

More Indiana Beach Coverage

Here are some more pictures of our trip to Indiana Beach.

Anyone for a Bull Ride? Ashley and Rachel gave it a try. Ashley missed beating the best time by 10 seconds and Rachel missed it by 6 seconds. Not bad girls for your first time riding a bull!

Yes that's right, Rachel and Chris rode this ride more than once. Rachel and Chris are Roller Coaster nuts!



Watch the video of Devon future race car driver.

Indiana Beach

We went to Indiana Beach Sunday. It was not crowded and you could walk up to a ride and hop on. Nicole loved the roller coasters this time. She was tall enough to ride them all. Ashley, well she is almost 48 inches tall. Next time it will probably cost us 48 inches price for her. Devon rode his favorite rides more than once. Ashley screamed and laughed on the Frog ride. I think it caught her off guard. They slid down the water slide a couple of times. They were hoping it would be warm enough to go in the water park part. Ashley is not quit tall enough to go in without wearing a life jacket. They just went to the beach instead.


Here they are in the car riding to Indiana Beach. Don't they look excited.


Here Nicole and Ashley are getting ready to ride the Frog Hopper.


Ashley scream-laughing!

The Jams and Apple Butter

I spent two days this week making apple butters and jams. We have caramel apple butter, regular apple butter, peach jam and strawberry jam. I can't wait for the berries to get ripe so we can have blueberries and blackberries.

Caramel apple butter

I have found a recipe I think I want to try. It is called caramel apple butter. I don't know what it will taste like. The strawberry jam is really good. To bad your brother has dibs on it all.....He is waiting on the blackberries to get ripe... You know what Rob wants - blackberry pie.

BBQ Rules

My sister sent me this email... I think it says it all!

BBQ RULES We are about to enter the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity . When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman..
Here comes the important part:
(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine...
(6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat

Important again:
(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.


And most important of all:

(11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ' her night off ', and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.