Happy, Happy, Happy!

We're so HAPPY that school is out.  Well, the kids are driving me crazy a little bit. A little bit crazy. Crazy.  A little bit.... hehe. We've been out a week and have been trying to stay busy. But boy, oh boy. They have been fighting.  They're 4 and 6. And fight about anything and everything. "She's looking at me." "He touched me." "He's in my room." "She won't come in my room" " Yada, yada, yada.

Here are a few photos from our week. Just snippets. But they're the {Best of the Week}. Please take a look, and if you feel so inclined... leave me some blog love!!

I bought a new tripod.  A little more expensive that the several $12 ones the kids have torn up over the last couple of months.  I threatened them with their lives if they even looked at this one. Then I set it up and told them to smile for the picture. Of course my little mini-me son says, "We're not supposed to even look at your new tripod. How are we supposed to look at the camera that's on the tripod?!"  He definitely has his mother's attitude.

I slaved away over We had McDonald's for our picnic.  Yummy and oh so nutritious. 

The weather was great that morning.  It was about 72 when we got to the park.

Didn't last long. But we enjoyed it while it lasted.

They got to feed the fish and turtles that live in the big pond at the park. I hate that I didn't get a good shot of Aidan feeding them.  His expressions are always hilarious.  But I was trying to get a good shot of the huge catfish that kept skimming the top of the water for food.  It was so cool! I was just never fast enough.

Emma said, "Where am I going to wash my hands?!" I think she wiped most of it on her shirt, from the looks of it!



We made a dreaded Wal Mart run before going to the park. These brats think they have to get something from every single store we go in. I'm sure that's not anything new to some of you parents?  I thought that this trip, I would pick something for them. They weren't happy about my choice at first, but that's life.  I got 3D sidewalk chalk... and it was a hit! For my kiddos and a couple others there at the park.




So in true "Shannon" fashion, I saw a baby turtle and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT.
I charged after him. Literally.  He was just so tiny and cute!! See him there, perched on his little mud bank?! Cute, huh?! Well, I sunk in the smelly, gross, nastiness that was this turtle's little sunning mud bank sunning. And then I sunk some more. Or sank? Hmmmm.  By the time I got out, my feet felt ten pounds heavier.  I'm not a girly girl by any stretch of the imagination. But that was DISGUSTING!!

Having failed miserably with the mini turtle misadventure, I think I redeemed myself in the littles' eyes by finding these itty bitty baby frogs!! EVERYWHERE! But they were so fast.  The little green guy in the bottom left was extremely fast. The picture is horrible because I was chasing him while snapping.  I was just shocked at how long his legs were when he hopped.

See those three little guys at the bottom? Well, I originally had five in my hand. But knowing they were going home with my crazy crew, they jumped to their deaths croaking, "NOOOOO! Not those Pate kids!" It was sad.

Miss Priss's Naynay sent her this cute skirt. She HAD to wear it to the park. I asked her while we were in Wal Mart if it had shorts or any type of bloomer made into it. Most of her skirts do. I guess it's the age they figure it's NEEDED.  Anyway, she lifted up her skirt to look (while in the check out line) and said, "Nope." So I guess if she doesn't care about showing everyone in Wal Mart her undies, she won't mind showing everyone at the park while she's sliding and swinging?!

And these shoes... let me tell you about these shoes!  Her friend Halle gave them to her.  They were practically brand new when she got them.  They're dressy little shoes. Now they're filthy, scuffed up and one is missing a bow. Does she care?! Heck no. She wears them with everything. EVERYTHING. And she wants to wear them EVERYWHERE.  But this day, she said they made "splitters" on her feet. I suppose that's a blend of the words splinter and blister? 

When we got ready to leave I couldn't find my keys. I thought maybe Aidan picked them up when I chunked everything to run after the turtle. So he started pulling everything out of his pockets. He doesn't even like putting shorts or pants on if they don't have pockets. See why?! He's a collector. He had all the chalk in there. Then some other miscellaneous junk. Rocks,  or what he calls pieces "petrified wood". Maybe his toy from McDonald's? Then there they were. My keys. All covered in 3D sidewalk chalk. And mud. He's a lot like Dennis the Menace. Not just the pocket thing either. The menace thing too.

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