Sounds of Summer: Loud and Fun

Okay I've mentioned it a million times here I am not a morning person when I first wake up. I hate people saying "Good Morning" or acting happy or basically even talking . . . I just need about 45 minutes before I can associate with others . . . does that happen here? Of course not. The kids are so loud . . . all 4 of them. They need a volume control. Even the baby has to growl and squeal at deafening volume . . . then the kids start playing with the baby and they are all trying to out talk, out laugh, out fight each other. I like to watch the first part of the Today Show but every time something interesting is being reported I can't even hear it. Maybe that's why I have been purposely leaving off the TV lately since it just adds to the loudness. When they nap I have started to listen to music and in case you haven't hear of Pandora check it out. My sister, Monica, told me about it and you can create stations of your own and listen to your style of music. It's pretty neat and I can turn the volume down as low as I want and still hear it when the kids are asleep.

We spent over an hour at the park today after we walked the LONG way there. Then came home and broke out the water sticks that Aunt Ashley got them last week at the Dollar Store. The Dollar Store/Dollar Tree/Big Lots has great seasonal toys. I find that most seasonal toys don't last through one whole season anyway so why pay $7 or $8 (times 3 or 4 here) for something that will break just as quickly as the dollar version. They had a lot of fun with the sticks and I even got sprayed.



Yesterday we made Grape Pops that I found here. We put grapes on sticks (I used shish kabob sticks but cut off the point). The kids helped put them on the sticks -- I told them to find the "belly button" of each grape to help them get them on the stick and that worked. We stored them in a ziplock bag in the freezer and I thought they probably won't be so great but they were. They tasted just like a popsicle but are way more healthy. Next time we do it I think I will just let them do 4 or 5 grapes on each stick instead of 8 or 9. Addison devoured hers and Caden ate most of his. Ethan took some bites but then I found it on the ground covered in ants. I even let Reesey try it a bit but she thought it was really cold!