FFF - Summer Lovin'

Summer Lovin' is the Favorite Foto Friday theme and so far our summer has been all about Star Wars, baseball and swimming.

T-stance (a.k.a. bowing to your partner before you try to whack the snot out of him with your light saber)

This was the last night of Jedi Training Academy where the boys performed choreographed fight scenes with their partners. After the show, there was a free-for-all on stage. Jacob and Adam did not let this opportunity pass them by. I did remark to Willie that I wasn't sure why I paid good money and drove several miles three times a day for my boys to go to a camp and fight each other when they will gladly do this, free of charge, at home, no gas expenditure required.

My two little Jedis had to take a break from the fighting to laugh.

Melee! Getting Daddy in on the act.

Jacob got his baseball autographed by Ramon Ramirez, Kansas City Royals player #56. He gave the boys pitching tips at a baseball clinic.

#16 for the Shawnee Mission Storm, contemplating his next turn at bat (or debating whether he should get an Icee or a snow cone after the game).

The cute coach on the far left is my handsome hubby. I am SO proud of these boys.

Player #7 for the Shawnee Royals

Returning from a "victory run"!

Congratulating the other team on a great game. Although score is not kept at the t-ball level, Adam insists that Jacob, Mommy or Grandma keep score at his games, just like at his big brother's games.

The boys on Adam's t-ball team are already sliding into home plate...and 1st base, and 2nd base and 3rd base...any excuse to get dirty and show off all at the same time. You gotta love these dirty little boys.

Jacob and some of his friends doing a group jump at our neighborhood pool.

Too bad I didn't have this picture back when the FFF theme was "Jump"!

Adam will do anything for a laugh and often makes me laugh without even trying!

Click on this picture to see it enlarged so you can check out the silly look on Adam's face.

COMING SOON...Ramirez family vacation...August 2008

Location yet to be determined. Anybody want to donate a timeshare week and/or free airplane tickets?!!!

Karen's birthday

The whole crew

Aimee & Michelle

Karen (she really was SO surprised!)

The birthday princess!

Last night we had a surprise birthday party for my friend, Karen who turned 23 (right Karen?). I know I'm being a really boring blogger lately, but other than to say that we had a great time, I'm fresh out of words and the pool is calling!

Great book!

I just finished this book last night and I loved it. It's a fictional account of the life of Dinah (from the book of Genesis). Seriously, if you haven't read this book, you should. If I could have, I would have read it in one or two sittings like I used to do B.K. (before kids).

On another note, for all my praying friends and family who visit the blog, please keep us in mind over the next few weeks as we search our hearts and local churches for a new place of worship to call home. We are members of a local church, but have felt conflicted for a while now about whether it is the right place for us. Tomorrow I am visiting a different church in the area. We could really use your prayers. This is very difficult for us because we have all developed strong ties and friendships at our current church (and feel like traitors for looking elsewhere), but just don't feel that it is meeting the spiritual needs of our family.

Incredible Alien Man & Batman

Jacob and Adam are enrolled in a Jedi Training Academy day camp this week. At camp, they construct a light saber from PVC pipe, foam pool noodles and colored duct tape. Then they learn defense and attack moves. At the end of the week, the kids will put on a show where they stage a choreographed battle so the experience is comprised of acting, weapons, fighting, contests, snacks and prizes. It's a boy's dream come true, if you ask me!

Each day there is a theme and today's was, "Dress up like your favorite superhero". Well, at the age of almost 9, Jacob really isn't into traditional superheroes and none of our costumes fit him any longer. So, we got creative...(be sure to read Jacob's shirt).

Father's Day

We had a pretty quiet, low-key Father's Day. The boys and I gave Willie a digital photo frame all loaded up with family pictures, plus a few songs he likes. I think we liked it more than he did. Guess I'll go with the beer and dancing girls next year!

Actually, a pretty interesting incident occurred on Father's Day, but I'm not allowed to post about it, so I'll just leave you hanging with that!

Green Cowboy Boots

Adam is a boy of many talents.

I know it's pretty obvious (NOT!!), but just in case you're having a hard time figuring it out, they are green cowboy boot, heart & footprint sugar cookies. Despite their questionable appearance, they are oh so good!

Ramblings of an Insomniac

We have had some pretty amazing lightning and thunderstorms this week. On Tuesday, lightning struck a petroleum tanker. Isn't this an amazing picture? During Monday's storm, the boys and I were driving home from an appointment when I saw lightning strike an electrical pole right in front of us. The traffic signal went out for a second and then flickered back on...scary stuff.

Check out these gorgeous flowers I got today from my Dad and Vickie. They just bought a house in Arizona and will be moving there soon from California. Now, when we go visit our Arizona peeps, they'll be there too....one stop shopping - YAY!!

Random picture of Tori Spelling that I thought I'd throw in for fun. This looks like something that would happen to me. I just heard about a 90210 spin-off show that is supposed to air in the fall. I was a huge Beverly Hills 90210 (or ho, as we used to call it) and Melrose Place fan so I'm sure I'm sure I'll be tuning in to check it out. It's supposed to be about a family who moves from Kansas to Beverly Hills.

I don't usually have trouble sleeping, but tonight (or should I say, this morning), I find myself roaming the house looking for trouble. My Mom came over tonight and we all played a game of Uno Attack. I should have noted the time when we started because I'm sure we played this one game for over an hour. It was a marathon session lasting so long that Adam quit at one point. He had us all cracking up because he had a ton of cards (object of the game is to get rid of cards) that he kept hiding in different parts of the room, making the game last even longer since he had to retrieve them each time it was his turn. Even though the boys were wiggling, wrestling and generally driving me crazy at points during the game, it was really fun. Tonight made me realize that I don't take enough time to just sit down and relax with my family.

Memorial Day Weekend at Table Rock Lake and Branson

At long last, I am finally posting about our trip to Table Rock Lake and Branson. We stayed at an awesome place called Still Waters Resort. I highly recommend it for families. It's a little expensive, but there are so many amenities on the property that it's well worth it. You can use paddleboats and kayaks for free, there is a great playground, a market where you can get pizza, really yummy brisket sandwiches, etc., and best of all, there are 3 pools on the property. One of them is an "Island Oasis" with a waterfall you can swim under, zero depth entry and these amazing outdoor bed loungers.

The Track in Branson - When we each said what our favorite thing was from the trip, mine was "Wild Woody". I don't have any pix from it because I was busy driving...like a maniac. The last time we did Wild Woody, I got off and told Willie we better make a run for the parking lot because there were probably some other drivers who wanted to kick his $%# due to the fact that his crazy wife was crashing into them. Hey, I'll pretty much do whatever it takes to entertain my kids, or myself for that matter!

After riding Wild Woody with his psychotic Mommy, these go-karts were way too tame for Adam.

I just love this picture of my boys.

I was a wimp and opted out of getting wet this time. The last time we went to Branson and I rode these bumper boats with the boys, I was soaked afterward.

Table Rock Lake is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The lake is very clean and even clear in places. It is just so calming and peaceful. I would love to have a 2nd home there...in my dreams!

I really suck at taking action shots. After multiple tries, this is the best I could do. Jacob's feet coming out of the slide and Jacob's head poking out of the water after coming down the slide. Photography will never be my claim to fame.

Celebration City - Adam and I just stood by, taking pictures and discussing how completely off their rockers Jacob and Daddy were for getting on this ride. I don't know if you can tell it from the pictures, but a storm was rolling in and the sky was beautiful. Shortly after Willie and Jacob got off this ride, a massive storm hit and we had to go inside to wait it out. Luckily it blew over quickly and the rides started back up a couple of hours later. It cooled everything off and the rest of the night was perfect.

These pictures were taken at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery on the last day of our trip.

We had to go here before we left town to buy these:

I highly recommend getting yourself one or two.

Adam, get into character and make a scary face...