Backyard Zip Line!!!

Another giveaway I found was one on Momsownwords.com. It is for the winner's choice of either a 100′, 150′ or 200′ length zip line from ziplinegear.com! How cool is that?! My boys would flip if I won it! It sure would make for an exciting Christmas day! Connor got to do a zip line at camp and he raved about it. Our house would be the place to be if we had one! Kristi, the blogger on Mom's Own Words, even posted a video of her kids using the zip line. It looks like so much fun! Mike is even excited about this one! He's been scouting out the perfect place for it should I win :) I have til the 29th to get all my entries in. What an exciting giveaway!

Awesome giveaway!

I love entering giveaways! I am now trying to win things to save for the boys for Christmas. Connor is getting too old for toys but he loves to read. He mentioned that he'd a like a Kindle. Unfortunately, they are pricey and when you are buying for 5 kids, that could be a stretch. Then I came across a giveaway from Fun Saving Money for a nextbook ! The giveaway is for a next6 tablet and it would be perfect for Connor! It is even better than a kindle with extra features. The giveaway doesn't end until September 10 so there's still time to enter (and get those extra daily entries in!). Giveaways are so much fun and if you can get presents for Christmas, even better!

Switched

I was watching a new show on ABCFamily channel called "Switched At Birth" last night and it brought back memories. About 12 years ago, I went in to work and my friend and co-worker told me that her aunt had gotten a call the night before informing her that her granddaughter(who she was raising) had been switched at birth with another little girl that lived about 30 minutes away. My friend's cousin and her husband(the little girl's parents) had been killed in a car accident a few months before she got the call. I was in shock. I couldn't believe that that could really happen. That started a very long and stressful journey for all of those involved. Court battle after court battle ensued. The show last night made me wonder what happened to those two innocent little girls whose lives were changed when a nurse made a mistake and didn't tell anyone. I can't imagine the emotions those families experienced. It also made me thankful for the extra security precautions the hospitals have taken when my boys were born. They were all banded right there with me before leaving the room. I pray that all hospitals are that careful with newborns and that this never happens again!

Brothers!

We were at my parents' house this past Saturday and a family friend was playing with Noah. Noah came over and asked me if I would put his carseat in Ryan's car so he could go spend the night with him. Ryan told him that "mommy would miss him". Noah came over and asked me if I would. I said "yes, I would miss you very much so not tonight". Liam who was standing nearby came running over and said, "MOOMMM, let him go!". Ahh, brotherly love!

The Things They Say!

The other day, Landon was watching tv and he started laughing. He called Mike in the room and said "Daddy, that was so funny! That girl woke from her slumber and fell out of bed!". Where he heard "woke from slumber", I have no idea! Then last night, we were on our way to church and he commented that Keaton had learned to pick his nose. I told him that that was one of the first things little boys learn to do. He replied with, "Well mommy, if we don't pick our nose, it will fill up with boogers and we won't be able to breathe!". I just had to laugh. It's all these little things they say that I want to remember, boogers and all!

Small Rant

Why do at least half of all boy things have skulls on them??? I know I can't be the only mom to boys who doesn't like this! Clothes, shoes, underwear, backpacks, hats, you name it. So frustrating! Even tiny baby clothes have skulls on them. That's the last thing I want to dress my little baby in! What's next, crib sets with skulls??

Growing Up

It's so hard to believe that Connor will soon be entering the tween years. We decided last week to convert the loft into a space/room for him. He was thrilled with the idea. I was even lucky enough to find a solid wood captain's bed at a yard sale for $30! Landon and Liam are taking the move hard though. The first night Connor slept upstairs, they both were in tears. It hit me that Connor and Landon have shared a room for almost 7 years and Landon doesn't ever not being with Connor. I tried to console him and then Liam started crying. I told Landon that Liam was sad too and he said, "yea, but not as sad as me." It broke my heart. Sweet Connor even came down and said he'd sleep down there with them that night but in the end everyone slept in their own rooms :)

Almost Over

Well, it's almost back to school time. This summer has flown by. I'm usually ready for the kids to be heading back by now but not this year. We have enjoyed the summer so much and it has been so nice just relaxing. We decided to make a trip to Dollywood yesterday. It was hot but not too crowded. My parents went with us which was a huge help. We did one of the water rides 4 times :) It felt so good to get cooled off! Mike, Connor, Landon and I rode the "Dizzy Disk". Hard to explain but boy was it fun! Landon got a little nervous half way though but was a trooper. The last thing we did before we left was see the "Gazzillion Bubble Show". It turned out to be amazing and I think I enjoyed it just as much if not more than the boys! The bubbles mixed with laser lights and music was incredible! My only regret was that we didn't have time to ride the train and poor Noah has asked to ride it ever time and we haven't. That will be #1 on the list next time :)