34 posts tagged “brenna”

Brenn and Mickey were helping their daddy in the back yard today.  I thought I would share pictures.

My garden, Steve's new tiller, and Steve & kids with the tiller.

My birthday bench, Micky randomly and Mickey & Brenna on the birthday bench.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter B and the number 3.

Well, it's that time again, the first day of school.  Brenna is in the 3rd grade this year, people.  How does it happen?  Just a few short years ago she was sitting on my lap watching Sesame Street and now it's Mickey watching Sesame Street and Brenna's in 3rd grade.  Someone tell me where my little girl went?

In keeping with my own tradition, here's some "first day of school" pictures to share.

She's grown so much, hasn't she?  I still can't believe it, but there it is.

Greetings from the wilds!

Yes, I have been in the wilds.  Steve got home from Over There last Monday night and we took the kids and dog and drove up to Pennsylvania to visit with my parents and spend a few days camping.  

We camped at Lyman Run State Park, which was simply gorgeous and it was a shame that it had to end so soon.  Next time (yes, there will be a next time) we will have to state longer.  They have facilities for campers and tents.   There's fishing, hiking, boating, swimming.  They even had a place where you could rent boats, paddle boats, kayaks, etc to use.  I wanted to rent a paddle boat but the concessions state couldn't cash anything bigger than a $50 and didn't take credit card.  

…

Yes, there are places left in the world that don't take credit card.  Bless their hearts.   

This was Major's (my Dobie puppy, as some of you recall) first trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa and his first time going someplace outside the city.  I was somewhat apprehensive about it, but he's done really well.  It turns out, the country life on the farm agrees with him.  I've taken him 'up back' for walks at least 3 times a day before we went camping ('up back' means up through the hay fields on the hill behind my parents' house) and then there was all the wilderness for hi to explore while we went camping.  

He will, I think, come home a changed doggie.  

This was also Mickey's first camping trip.  He got to sleep in a tent, go fishing on the boat (Dad and Steve say 'never again' because he doesn't hold still and wants to jump in the water.  Hehehe.  Oops!) , stay up late, and take showers instead of baths.  With luke warm water instead of really warm.  

Mom and I took the kids and all the dogs (their poodles and my Dobie) to the 'beach'  to swim with the fish and the frogs.  Literally.  We weren't in the water for five seconds and we found a tadpole.  Which was very cool.  

Mickey was not sure about it, at first, but then he hooked up with a couple little girls and got over being afraid of the water so he could play with them.  My son… such a player at such a young age.  Hehehe.  

Saturday night we made S'mores and told tall tales around the camp fire until bed time.  Or rather, Brenna made every s'mores while Mom and I washed dinner dishes, Dad kept the poodles out of the way and Steve chased Mickey around.  

The next time we go, we're going to remember to bring actual money as opposed to the plastic kind, so I can rent a paddle boat.  

Anyway…

Today is Monday and I'm doing laundry so we can have clean clothes.  Tomorrow we'll be packing up to head home home (as opposed to 'the farm home').  We have a week left all the way around.  Brenna has a week left of summer vacation and Steve has a week left before he has to hope a plane back Over There.  

I'm uploading pictures from this weekend to my Photobucket account.  

The will be here once they all get finished loading.  It's slow going because Mom's Net is not as fast as mine.  

Mickey picked up a new word today.

Brenna is cleaning her room and came out to the kitchen for trash bags.  At the last minute, she stopped and grabs a second bag (plastic grocery store bags... we recycle them as small garbage bags) and says "I might need two."

As she walks out the room, Mickey follows her, echoing "Tew!  Tew!'

So... I've been taking these with my cell phone to send to Steve to Afghanistan.   Thought I'd share them here, too!

Well, Brenna, Mickey and I colored eggs all by ourselves this year.  Was different doing it without Steve, but we persevered with smiles so we could send pictures to him and brighten his day.  He says where they are located is high in the mountains and he feels very isolated. 

These first photos are the prep-work.  Vinegar, egg dye, and finally, the first eggs in the cups.

More shots of the eggs, coming out of the dye, mostly.

These are Mickey, playing with plastic eggs.  He wanted to help with the real ones, but he cracked two, so I figured the plastic ones were safer for him.

And now Brenna being a ham. 

Lastly, some random shots of the finished products.

Well, the birthdays are over.  Whose birthdays, you ask?  Mine (March 17th) and my daughter's (March 15th).

My parents drove down to help us celebrate and were here from 3:30 AM on Friday morning until 9-ish on Monday.  

We had a pretty busy weekend, in which I had no less than 12 people at my house at any given moment from Saturday afternoon until late Sunday.  I am exhausted.  

Highlights from Brenna's birthday include jumping on the trampoline and Brenna and Brittany making a 100% homemade blueberry pie.  From scratch. 

 Highlights from mine include playing with week-old Doberman puppies.  (I was grateful for the quieter birthday, let me tell you!)

Steve called Sunday to wish us both a happy birthday and let us know he's doing okay.  Brenna got weepy over that.  She misses him and wishes he'd come home soon.  This deployment feels like it's dragging on forever.

Lastly, I finally got around to creating that "brag page" group I was talking about months ago -- for people to share pictures of the things they love.  Check it out!

http://bragbook.groups.vox.com/

I still have residual post-nasal drip thing and an annoying cough the results from it, but otherwise I'm feeling much better right now. 

So is Mickey.  He's back to his usual inquisitive self.  Getting into everything. 

And because I ca...here's random picks of the kids.

I'm sick.  

Mickey's sick.  

All of our closest friends down here are sick.

Poor Brenna!  How she isn't sick I don't know!