Happy Birthday, twinners!

Our twinnies turned 13 yesterday! Holy cow! TEENAGERS!!!!!!! TIMES TWO!!!!!!!

We picked up some of the twins' friends and headed to the salon. Manicures and pedicures all around! And then we went to lunch. It was fun, low key and easy on mama! Which is good because this HUMIDITY is crazy terrible! YUCK!

Love you McKynna and Kwynn!

photos

We have this amazing rain garden...planted years before we bought the property. So the girlies and I decided to head out first thing this morning and take some photos. Nothing professional - just for fun and something to do!

Here's a few...

The twins

I had hoped to catch them 'casually' but Kynna snuck in a cheesy smile!

Kynna

Pucca

Having fun with an oversized frame I bought years ago on clearance...worked well for a photo prop!

Ems even got in on the action!

proof that they do LOVE eachother!

Weirdest thing!

Pucca LOVES to ride her bike...up and down the street she goes! Even when its 98 degrees outside with 80% humidity- she's out there...just pedaling along.

Well, the other night she was riding her bike and she wiped out. By happen stance, John was walking out to the mailbox and saw her sprawled out on the street just between our house and the neighbor's. When he got to her, he noticed she was wearing flip-flops - which when riding a bike, is a NO NO in our house. It never ends well!

John realigned her handle bars and walked her bike home and she limped back to the house. When she came in she wasn't crying- in fact she looked upset more than in pain. I asked what happened, where the injuries were and what hurt.

Her wrists were sore from bracing herself during the fall and her knee was scratched. Oh and her toe was bleeding. I looked down at her toe and nearly threw up! It looked like a little bomb had exploded on the side of her big toe. Skin was shredded and mangled.

I had her hurry into the bathroom and I grabbed our first aid supplies. I started to rinse it with some water- so I could see what I was dealing with. I expected her to jump off the counter- butNOPE she just sat there looking at it and watching me. I continued to pull back shredded tissue and cleaned it the best I could. Still she just sat there...calm as could be. Peroxide...sat there and watched the bubbles. Neosporin...no reaction. Wrapped it in bandaids....she hopped off the counter and was out riding her bike the next morning.

Very strange...because she is our DRAMA QUEEN!

Then John and I realized that it was her right foot and the injury was on the outside part of her big toe. When Pucca had her nerve grafting when she was 3 months old for her Erb's palsey- they took the nerve that runs on the outside of her right foot that runs along the pinky toe and the nerve the runs along the inside of her right foot that runs along her big toe. We were told that by doing this graft she would no longer have sensation along those parts of her foot. Which isn't a big deal so we never really gave it any thought...until now. And boy did she luck out!

Because it was nasty and would have hurt like HOLY HECK!

(this is day two after she peeled of the mangled flesh that was hanging)

Weird, huh!?

Family Fourth of July FUN!

Well, actually it was the SECOND of July fun...we had John's parents and his brother's family over for dinner and fireworks!

And of course a water fight!

Here's a pic of our nephew with his ear protection. He wore them the whole night...I think it was more for the comforting factor rather than function. For most of the night they rested around his chubby cheeks...so cute!

John and Uncle Luke helped the children light the fireworks.

And of course there's always the running away!

We had a great display going...

until a sill artillery shell decided to misfire in our direction and explode sparks all over us. I mean singed clothes and everything! It was crazy scary- but we're all good! Needless to say...that was the end of the fireworks that night! :)

On the third and fourth our neighborhood sounded like a war zone- no kidding! A couple of time our house shook and the sky was lit up so much that it didn't seem like night. There were spectacular displays in every direction as well as what neighbors were lighting off. It was quite the experience!

I love the fourth of July...the whole weekend! The feel of it, being with family, bbq and relaxation! Just love it! And this year added to my love of it!

Fishing Derby part 3

My little brother and I are a little competitive with each other. One of our competitive streaks turned into an ongoing Fishing Derby between the two of us. Trevor won the first round. I smoked him on the second. So we decided we needed a tie-breaker!

We headed to Lake Milford in Kansas- just a few miles from the town Trevor lives in. We rented a boat, stocked up on worms, geared up the tackle and loaded the poles. Hopes were high that day! How many were we going to catch? 6? 8? 20? Who knew!?...but the lake was stocked and plum full of biters.

So we set out. Maranda (trev's girlfriend) gets the first couple of nibbles. Then Kynna catches one! Then Pucca catches one! All within the first half hour! WOOOOHOOOOO! It was going to be an AWESOME day!

Then an hour passes. And another hour. And another. All of sudden Pucca reels in her second little fish. Then nothing. After four hours of not catching anything....Trev and I call it a draw! And decided to quit calling it a 'derby' and instead we'll call it 'Just-for-fun-fishing!'

Eventhough the fish were few and far between...and for some of us...non-existant! We had a super fun time!

Ems gave up

The twins gave up

even Pucca called it quits

We really had alot of fun and can't wait to make it down there next summer! Hopefully the fish will be a little more accommodating!

Plus, there's always our Pumpkin growing competition we have going! Check in on October 15th to see who won!