7am: wake up

8am: find out baseball games are cancelled due to rain

10:30am: put on cloths

12:00pm: put on bathing suits

3:30pm: put pajamas back on

total time in “regular cloths” = 1.5 hours

total time in bathing suits = 3.5 hours

total time in PJs: 3.5 in the morning + the rest of the day + plus a night of sleep = 17.5

totally not washing those cloths again! Back in drawers they go!!

Ah Father’s Day…the day that we let daddy do what daddy normally does without complaining (did I just say that?) ha! But seriously…our daddy is wonderful!!! …and to celebrate…we did what we always do – Prairie Fest awesome-ness and letting the big man sleep in late and call all the shots!

Thursday night, we had our annual (although smaller) adult night at Pfest to listen to whatever cover band they hired for the year. This year’s chart topper was an electronica 80’s band. Good times…until the lead singer broke out into a falsetto version of Girls Just Want to Have Fun (note to all bands: dudes should not sing chick songs!)

Fast forward to Friday – the all-you-can-ride-for-$20 day. In tow this year: the Eloe boys as always (usually Will B joins in, but he was away). We saw MANY friends per usual and a great time was had by all (especially since some of those friends took little Brady off to ride the “I’m-too-short-for-the-big-boy-rides” rides). Friday evening, we had a bunch of friends over for chorizo burgers and then headed back with the kids to listen to another fun cover band for a few hours.

Here are the Houck and Eloe boys ready to tackle P-fest! Lunch consisted of foot-long corndogs for the boys and a lovely Cuban sandwich for me and Lisa!

Aiden, Logan and Adam on the hang glider

I posted this on facebook with the caption “under the table and dreaming” – this ride always reminds me of the Dave Matthew’s Band cover of the same name. I didn’t even realize until later that the child with his arm out at the top center of this picture is Logan! I guess he always knows where I am (I was sitting on the grass beside the ride trying to get artist shots!) 

Ah that Aiden…always “photo bombing” with his goofy faces!!

Brian requested that, for father’s day, the boys help him plant a “salsa” garden on the side of the house. He built this frame the weekend before and Aiden helped him set it up (not pictured). Brady and Logan are not so much into the gardening thing.

On Sunday morning, I went out to get breakfast fixings while Bri slept in. I bought him 4 different kinds of tomatoes including heirloom & two kinds of peppers. We also planted the basil plant we had in our kitchen from my mother’s day dinner and bought more herbs plus hot peppers and cucumbers (which Aiden begged us to get) later in the day.

This was the first year we went downtown to watch the duck race. Anyone can buy these ducks and, if yours comes in first, you get $500. There is also some convoluted way to win $10,000. This year, the 1st place duck won the $10,000….sadly, it wasn’t ours. But…the race was fun to watch, especially since the river is high right now from all the recent rain.

The boys had fun helping pick ducks out of the river and placing them in big containers for next year’s race.

 

Some of these little fellas weren’t lucky enough to make it to the finish line in tact

After the races, we went over to David and Diana’s house for more Father’s Day festivities (which included steaks…obviously). Brian built bows and arrows from PVC pipe and wooden dowels similar to ones that we had seen on sale at Prairie Fest – HUGE hit. Even on his “day off”, he always shows his love by going the extra mile for our boys!!

Last year those dang Japanese Beetles were EVERYWHERE! They were in our subdivision swimming pool, on all my flowers and in particular – on our roses. Right now my yard looks so lovely and in bloom, but I dread the return of the beetles! I had to take pictures before all my pretty flowers get destroyed!

through the screen window in the office.

Brian has been taking some great pictures of the boys playing soccer this season. Here are some of my favorites:

This is Aiden’s team during a tournament they did over memorial day weekend. Aiden is #10. I call this “words of wisdom” 

Ready for Battle! Team Fluminense (flume-in-en-see) <—these are the kinds of names you get when you play with a Brazilian foot-skills soccer club :)  

Aiden is the littlest guy in yellow. This is from a non-tournament game

This is hard to see, but I called this picture “no more lemons before corner kicks” because Logan is making a horrible face.

This is the picture following “lemon face” where Logan blocks the shot with his head. I was DYING laughing at this picture because one of the other players in like karate kicking through the legs of the tall kid in white while another team mate like holds on to his hand. Logan’s coach is my friend Anne and I was sending her pictures all afternoon one day with captions and “conversations” to them.

Logan getting ready to take the field in the Memorial Day Tournament. His team is called Portuguesa (port-u-gay-sa)  

Logan in goal. He usually plays at least a quarter of every game as goalie. He’s not bad either! 

This is a team picture Brian took after Logan’s team beat the one pictured above to play in the championship game during the tournament.    

They did not end up beating their final team, but it was a HUGE win for them. The had previously played the same team and lost BIG…like BIG (12-0 or something like that). They were actually winning 1-0 with 4 minutes left, but a ball bounced off one of our own players and they ended up losing by 1 goal. They still got medals and a trophy. Logan, ever the competitive guy, was sad to take 2nd place…but we were SO proud of the effort the entire team showed that day. Logan is in blue because he played goal during the end of the game.

 

This is the medals ceremony. L is #22

Item in question: 1 baby tooth

Former location: Brady’s mouth

Investigative summary: after complete review of this case, it has been determined that the owner of said item is solely responsible for it’s removal. Item will be placed securely under a pillow this evening. We have been informed that the he wishes for it to be missing again in the morning and replaced with cold, hard cash!

 

Well, it’s officially summer break time!!! Brady graduated from preschool two weeks ago on Friday, May 17th. Aiden’s last day was this past Thursday and Logan’s was Friday (1/2 day only). It was pretty tough with Brady home for 2 weeks alone. I kept joking with Aiden’s teacher that I needed him to end school early to entertain his brother. On Friday, Aiden’s first day of summer, I went downstairs to find Logan and Aiden hanging out, but no Brady. I said, “Brady is certainly sleeping in today!” Aiden said, “don’t wake him up! He’s going to have a long day with me home again!”

Brady’s preschool graduation! The kids marched in to Pomp and Circumstance played on the little classroom radio, sang us some songs, got their “diplomas” and then each stepped forward to say two things they loved about preschool. Brady said, “when my mom is mystery reader and ‘everything’”. Way to be specific, but thanks for mentioning me kiddo!

 

This was Brady on his first day!

Logan and Aiden first day….

 

Logan and Aiden last day!!

    

Last day of school with the Iwinski kids who moved a couple of weeks ago (sniff sniff)

This is Logan with his buddy Adam. When I started volunteering in the beginning of the year, Adam told me, “Mrs. Renay – Logan is my BEST friend! He really is! Ask him!”

 

With Miss Daly – who is rocking awesome!