HEAT wave OK

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet

When the wind comes right behind the rain....

this was our forecast for our trip to Oklahoma....Hennessey, to be exact...to visit Sean's Uncle and his family....26 of us converged upon their "compound"....house, barn, bunk house, pond (very very dry pond), chickens, a rooster (good morning), rabbits and land...lots and lots of land. Filled with fishing poles, four wheeling, shooting guns, riding horses, egg searching, spider killing and eating. Plus a quick trip into Oklahoma City for an boot shopping adventure. Regardless of the heat....117 one day.....a dry, oven feeling, non humid heat....we had a GREAT time. The kids especially!!

Halfway stop for lunch and leg stretching......Kansas City
ALL were napping at this point....Sean included.....not me ;)
We rode horses....some of us for the first time.
some kids doubled up....


Sean and Steve actually took the reigns and RODE ALONE....needless to say, I think Sean wants a horse....just need some land to put one on....haha

some rode twice (mallory/kane)
some rode incognito....heh heh
There was a day of fishing...the (boys) kids fished at the crack of dawn with the dads. IN THEIR JAMMIES!!! The pond is sooooo dry. Most of what you see is the pond bottom. The 15 acre pond is now less that 1/2 an acre. Oklahoma is in a DROUGHT....they need water!!
kinda scenic....and BREEEEZY.....but a warm, almost hot breeze
....kari....note the horse pic. youre eyes closed, mals open.....this pic is the opposite...like momma like daughter
the fourwheeler....
even Abs joined in on the fishing...Kellan was there with Shannon, however they headed up for a snack.
Huck Fin attire....Sean toes are still reddish
the crew...note the jammies on the boys


the haul....which we ate for dinner.
proof of the heat. which was remedied by a water gun fight....






gun shooting....a 38 caliber, 22 long rifle, israeli made uzi, 22 caliber drum tommy gun....I only shot the 38 caliber and hit the target twice out of six shots....pretty good for a first timer.
Really really really good fried chicken....
which was featured on D, D and D...

royalty was even there
The Cattlemans club in OKC.....again, visited by triple D
Lamb Fries....google it.....Finley ate 3
the bunkhouse...where the boys slept...
we hope to return next year!! maybe when it is a little cooler!!

Cubs Baseball

Braden was on the Cubs again this year....his last year of Rookie League....next year is The Minors...and kids pitch....

We had a great year....lots of wins and lots of hits on Braden's part. He has changed so much in a year!!

click on this picture and note his BUBBLE

see that girl on First Base....she was GOOOOOD!!!!

Our Baseball season has come to an end...just in time for a heat wave....back to the pool ;)

4th of July

Happy Fourth of July

We hope everyone had a nice fourth of july, we sure did. The kids and Auntie Em and I headed out to the pool at 10...with hopes to leave about 1. It was a beautiful day....sunny and hot, but not sweltering with a breeze. Soon enough the pool was PACKED. We swam, ate, played in the bounce house and bounce obstacle course, played in some of the pool games and mom (me) even got in the dunk tank for a few dunks....FUN day!

Auntie Em and the goggled kids

Once Dad was home he and the kids let off some fireworks...all were legal, I think.....regardless, the kids love it!

(this was taken when neighbors were letting off LOUD fireworks...funny the kids expressions)

We capped off the evening with fireworks with friends!

We hope you all had a safe, fun, happy, family filled fourth!

zoo trip

weather here in the upper midwest part of Illinois has been super springlike and not to summer-y the last week. plus, the pool we swim at has been "under the weather".... the pumproom got struck by lightening and has had all sorts of problems. needless to say, we needed some outdoor time....so we headed to Niabi Zoo (about 45 minutes away) for the afternoon...we love Niabi, not too big not too small. you can see lions, tigers, bears (oh my) and all sorts of other furry friends...and not so furry....think boa constrictors and anacondas.

perfect bald eagle

we always start by feeding the koi...

nasty creatures

we zipped through the petting zoo and "walk about" with the kangaroos and stopped to feed the birds....

this one immediately landed on my shoulder and continued to nip at my hair and collar...creepy

braden (not so sure of the whole adventure) even braved the feeding

finley, on the other hand, stood patiently.....

we toured the rest of the zoo...birds, giraffes, monkeys, lions, camel, tigers, leopards, bears, porcupines, etc....and finished with the carousel....JUST AS IT STARTED TO RAIN.

We headed out after the carousel (perfect timing) and headed back home. It was a quick and successful trip to the zoo.

phone pictures

One of the pluses of an iPhone is you can upload your pictures from your phone to your computer rather easily....I did that this weekend and was laughing at all the different pictures on there....even more funny are the videos (usually filmed by Finley). Maybe i will post those on a different day....brady riding his bike (almost has it!!), finley singing teenage mutant ninja turtles, finley filming her toys doing random stuff, brady sneakily filming me talk to another mom during swim lessons, etc......

on the train coming home from chicago

jack in sunglasses

instagram Finley

instagram Megan

chicago train again

Finley thinking she is michael jackson in 'smooth criminal'

the kids sleeping in OUR bed while Sean was in Canada

instagram of Finleys bathroom floor

cousins eating icecream from the ice cream truck

funky shoes for the kids photo shoot

Whats on your cell phone???

finley fun

June 3rd was All That Dances annual recital and Finley was pumped and ready to go....Her class was dance #2 of the evening.....we could have left after that. Afterall...it was 95 degrees that day and the auditorium was not air conditioned....but we toughed it out and stayed through dance number 15....

June 3rd also was Auntie Em's birthday....so after the recital we headed to dinner and Nana's for "cake".....Happy Birthday Auntie Em!

Her friend Kylie (family friend) was dance #3....


and here is a tball update.....she isnt doing so bad....quite the adventure the pre-K tball games....it is a free for all once the ball is hit....they should be wearing helmets on defense ;)

a glimpse of Canada

Sean (and my father and brother) have been in Canada for the last week. Technically they fished for 4 days, but travelled for 3. Although we missed him lots...mostly about dusk till dawn...he assures me he had a FABULOUS time and caught lots of fish. So much so that he has dates already for next year. Here are a few pictures my brother took from his phone and emailed them to me. I am hoping to get more from my dad who had the official camera for the trip....