Did ya miss me?

I know it's been nearly for-EVER since I've last updated. I would say I'm sorry for that but I'm really not so much. WHAT?! I've been busy! The boys are just pretty much a force of nature....only about 4 weeks left of summer (there IS a light at the end of my tunnel!) Jon is now a licensed driver. His car isn't running yet so he's not gone on many solo drives. He has been busy with Boy Scouts, work, and his girlfriend. He staffed a leadership training camp already and tomorrow he heads down south to Catalina Island (LUCKY!) for a week of scuba diving where he'll get his certification and then a week of regular scout camp. In between camps, he's been working (minimally) for the organic farmers he worked for last year and been hanging out with his girlfriend (every waking moment!)

Jake has really formed an awesome relationship with my sister in laws father (can you follow?) He makes awesome pens out of wood and other materials and he also does a lot of wood working. Mike has taken Jake under his wing and is teaching him the trade. It's been awesome for the both of them because Jake desperately needs the positive male attention and Mike only has 2 daughters and 2 grand daughters so this is like the son he never had! Jake's been really loving it and even gave me the first pen he made. He's still struggling with the unstructured time of summer and he does have some doozy days.

Tucker's been fairly easy. He's getting to that teen stage which tends to be a bit snotty but overall he's pretty mellow. He's had quite a few play dates with one friend in particular and he's been LOVING that special time. He's currently in Disneyland with my mom! He's been there all week and they're having a blast.....just the two of them. This wouldv'e been his year to go to Alaska fishing with my dad but there was a group of 15 men that were going and my dad didn't want Tucker to be the only kid and end up bored. I think Tucker is pleased with the alternate plan my mom made.

Tanner's been hyper as can be. He always is and I don't really expect anything less. He's not hyper in a naughty way, just doesn't listen because he's too busy jumping around. Tanner really is easy going for the most part. He doesn't complain much even though he's not done much this summer. He has done a couple of jobs for Pottery Barn Kids and you should be able to find him in the Fall issue!

Brennen has been a terrible listener lately! He's driving me crazy! I think it's just the age but boy oh boy....I just want to duct tape him to a chair some days! He's also become an incredibly picky eater. He tells me what he wants, I make it and then he never eats it. Of course and hour later he's claiming to be starving. I've cut him off. No more snacks if he won't eat his meals. I feel bad doing this but I'm so tired of throwing away food! He had a bit of an accident about 3 weeks ago where his foot slipped going up the stairs. He fell and hit his mouth. He ended up knocking one front tooth back a bit! It was bleeding and he was crying but by the next day it was back in line with the others. Sadly, that tooth and one of the laterals is now turning dark! UGH! I'm really hoping it'll lighten up again instead of getting darker and falling out. I know that missing teeth can be cute on kids but he shouldn't be losing those for at least another 2-3 years! UGH!

Branson turned 9 months on Friday which coincidentally is the day he started crawling! He's now all over the place! In just one week, he's really picked up some speed! He's also now standing up in his crib and getting up on his knees just about everywhere else. He can reach the coffee table top which means that pretty much nothing is safe! He finally has 2 teeth....just the bottom front. He's by far the slowest teether I've ever had! It really doesn't even slow him down though...he eats just about everything like he's got a full mouth of teeth! He's a big boy at about 22lbs! Still happy as can be. Really a fun lil guy!

In other news......our business is slow but my hubby finally decided to kick it into high gear! This is great news since, you know, the kids want to eat and all! Hopefully we can build some business back up. This economy sucks though and people are cutting out services left and right. Why do we have to be providing a service? I'm confident that we'll be able to make it through. My kids like top ramen and mac n cheese!
My lil brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in February. She's so funny....it's gonna be a long pregnancy! Not in a bad way but she sure is milking it for all it's worth. My brother's already rolling his eyes at her! LOL
My lil sister is ENGAGED! Mike popped the question in front of everybody on Father's Day! It was so sweet and since we all knew about it beforehand, it was totally captured on film.....SWEET!They've set the date for 8-6-11! AND, I get to be the Maid of Honor! I'm so excited! I've never been a maid of honor before so I really hope I can do a kick ass job for her! We're going on Sunday to look at some wedding gowns and bridemaids dresses! It's going to be so much fun!

That's all we've got going on here. I will definitely post some pictures soon so you can see just how big and handsome my monsters are getting! I hope you're all enjoying your summer! Drop me a line sometime!